ã€ŠThe Eternal Vanguardã€‹


 Prologue: Revelation

    The first light of dawn revealed two opposing armies assembled on the valley floor. The lesser of the two armies numbering no more than three hundred had taken a defensive position on the higher ground. Though lower in number, every one of the men sported wooden armor and carried three wooden spears, a long one in hand and two short throwing spears.

    The opposing army, which numbered more than a thousand men had them surrounded on three sides. The men in this army were fully naked except for a fur loincloth that went up to their knees, fastened with a leather belt.

    Each one carried a short spear with a bone tip and a bow made of bone hung over their shoulders, with five bone arrows in the quiver tied to their loincloth belt.

    They were taller and more muscular than their shorter counterparts in wooden armor. Their bodies were painted white in intricate patterns, contrasting their ebony skin.

    The more painted a man the closer to the front lines and higher up the pecking order he would be. The men in the vanguard had the highest density of painted patterns, marking them as the elite. Standing in front of the army was a young man, his young muscular frame bereft of any paint.

    With his distinct loincloth and with a lion headdress upon his head, he clearly stood out from the rest. Despite his youth, he was no less tall or muscular than the more mature warriors behind him. To his side was a bear of a man, almost fully painted in white.

    ¡°By the ancestors, there is more wood gathered here than all the tribes ever owned in their entire existence,¡± the young warrior remarked, observing the enemy up ahead.

    The large man beside him bellowed in laughter. ¡°They look more like trees and less like men,¡± he spoke in derision.

    ¡°Atleast they die fighting, unlike the cowards we faced earlier this season,¡± the young man chuckled.

    ¡°True enough, my prince,¡± the big man spoke with a smile on his painted face. ¡°Should we shower them in pain?¡± he asked, his smile turning into a wicked grin.

    ¡°Nah¡­With our advantage in numbers we should be able to crush them head-on, and conserve our precious arrows in the process,¡± the prince countered, speaking with confidence.

    ¡°Suits me fine. I do like my battles up close and personal.¡± The big man was ecstatic at the proposition. ¡°Ahh¡­ the joy of ending a man¡¯s life as you get to witness the terror on his face before the light in his eyes fades away. It is all so very¡­ satisfying.¡±

    The prince raised his spear and bellowed a massive roar and his army replied in kind, the very ground trembling at the ferocity of their battle cry, which rang throughout the valley.

    After the noise had died down, the prince performed an instructive gesture with his raised spear and the army began reforming itself, splitting in two, separating the truly elite from the rest. Warriors in the front half removed their bows and quiver and placed them on the ground, which was carried away by men who moved to form the rear half.

    When the prince noticed the formations were complete, he raised his spear and roared once more before he charged, his men following behind.

    Days later¡­.

    Two naked men bound by rope were being dragged by painted warriors through an army camp, with tents made of animal hide and held using a mix of bone and wood. Behind them, the victoriously returning soldiers were being greeted with a cheer by their loved ones.

    They were headed towards the massive tent in the center of the camp and came to a halt in front of its entrance, stopped in place by two painted warriors guarding it. Voices could be heard coming from inside the tent.

    ¡°Is this the end, big brother?¡± asked one of the two bound men. Both men were covered in dried blood and dirt, looking humiliated and beaten.

    ¡°I¡­ I am sorry, brother. I failed you, I failed my people. I¡­ I,¡± The other bound man sobbed as words evaded him. ¡°I swore to protect everyone or die trying, but look at me now, still alive while my people suffer a fate worse than death. I¡­ I am a disgrace,¡± he continued, before slumping even further to the ground. The men escorting them just ignored the two.

    The younger brother crouched next to the broken man and spoke, ¡°What are you talking about? No! You are not a disgrace, big brother. Everyone knows you are the reason that we even stood a chance against the Venti.

    We definitely caught the enemy off guard with our ambush, and if it wasn¡¯t for the Venti throwing device we could have¡­ I mean, how could have we known about these contraptions?¡± The younger brother vented his frustration, clenching his fist till his knuckles turned pale.

    A moment passed in silence between the two men before a loud angry voice from inside the tent broke it and both men were dragged inside, the tent flaps parting, revealing a circular room. A man sat majestically on a large decorated wooden chair opposite the entrance to the tent.

    His large muscular ebony frame remained unblemished by paint and he sported a luxurious fur loincloth fastened by a leather belt decorated with bone carvings. He wore an exquisitely carved bone necklace and two armed bands of similar material, the bones used in these accessories looking eerily human.

    On one side of the room was the prince, lying flat on bedding made of animal fur. He was writhing in pain and sweating profusely, the wound on his left thigh vomiting pus and blood.

    Three naked women sat surrounding him, two wiping his sweat and nursing him, while the other just looked horrified at the sight before her, tears streaming from her eyes. Tall and built athletically, she was covered in the same white paint as the men.

    As they entered, the two brothers recognized the fully painted warrior standing beside the seated man, their eyes widening at first, then jaw¡¯s clenching and teeth gritting in anger. The man had killed a lot of their people even after they had already surrendered.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    Their brief bout of anger ended when they received a swift kick to the back of their knees and they went down in front of the seated man, heads low and held down by their two escorts.

    ¡°This is the leader of the woodmen, my lord,¡± the painted warrior said, pointing at the elder brother.

    The Venti lord observed the two kneeling in front of him with a stoic expression on his face, and for a brief moment, silence reigned inside the tent. He glanced at the two one at a time, the expression on his face changing to pity and then disgust and finally settling on anger after a quick glance at his injured son.

    ¡°Braga?!¡± He growled, his anger showing clearly.

    ¡°Yes? My lord,¡± Braga¡¯s voice trembled, his eyes lowering at his masters petrifying gaze.

    ¡°Were you just implying to me that men as pitiful as these two managed to injure my son, my eldest son, a warrior of prodigious talent unseen in generations.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ Umm¡­ As I said before, my lord, they look weak and by all means, they are, but they are a crafty lot. Also, lord, they did attack us from behind like cowards. I assure you, the prince fought as valiantly as ever, but these woodmen fight in groups and they surrounded him like a pack of mangy dogs, but even then the prince fought them off easily. Even when they managed to land a lucky hit on him, he seemed unfazed and slaughtered them all like sheep.¡± Braga explained fumblingly, praising the prince as always.

    After hearing about the ambush, and the cunning displayed by his enemies in battle, the Venti lord looked at two brothers again, his expression of anger and disgust morphing into a one of curiosity with a hint of newfound admiration.

    He turned his head towards Braga again but snapped it back to look at the enemy leader as the man mumbled something in a language unknown to the Venti. One of the Venti warriors standing behind was about to strike the man, but a hand gesture from the Venti Lord stopped him.

    ¡°Braga,¡± The Lord spoke.

    ¡°Yes, Lord?¡± Braga replied.

    ¡°Get the translator.¡±

    ¡°But, my lord, he¡­¡± Braga tried to protest.

    ¡°Now!¡± The Lord demanded forcefully, gazing straight into Braga¡¯s eyes. He froze and before long hurried out of the tent and returned moments later with an elderly woman.

    ¡°He is begging us to spare his people, my lord. He says he would pay any price, even his life in exchange,¡± the woman translated.

    The lord chuckled a little after hearing that. ¡°Tell him that everything that belongs to him is already mine. His sons will be my slave soldiers and his daughters, my concubines.¡±

    When the elder woman translated the words in the language of the woodsmen, both brothers looked up at the Venti lord, eyes wide, full of terror.

    ¡®I have to do something. I¡­ This cannot be the end. This cannot be my people¡¯s fate,¡¯ the elder brother thought, panic and desperation consuming his mind. He looked around and found Braga standing on one side of the room, a satisfied smirk on his painted face, and beside him was the elderly woman. He looked to the other side, the prince lay surrounded by the Venti women.

    He remembered seeing the young boy fighting and ordering his men to target him. He had never seen anyone so fierce in battle, it was a shame the boy would die, as his wound didn¡¯t seem to be healing. Yellow gore seemed to be seeping out of the wound and the prince sweated profoundly. Then it struck him, a ray of hope.

    ¡°I can save your son. I can heal him,¡± he blurted out. The elderly woman¡¯s eyes widened at that and she stood stationary for a moment before translating it. After hearing from the woman, the Venti lord looked at the man in careful consideration, his brow furrowed.

    One of the women sitting near the prince who was weeping, snapped her head to look towards the elderly woman and then at the man kneeling on the ground. She got up and slowly started walking towards the Venti lord.

    ¡°And what makes you think my son needs saving? I don¡¯t need the help of weaklings, puny wounds like these won¡¯t stop my son,¡± the Venti lord said confidently, but there was a hint of doubt mixed within.

    The painted woman was now standing behind the chair at a side, observing the kneeling men. ¡°And what can you wood dwellers provide us with? That we, the Great Venti don¡¯t already possess.¡± The Venti lord looked questioningly at the elder brother.

    ¡°Your son is not going to heal from a wound like that. I think you already know that nothing you do can save his life, but I can.¡±

    ¡°Insolent worm, you dare?¡­ How¡­¡± Braga growled but was quieted off by the Venti Lord with a gesture.

    ¡°And what would you ask in return for this help?¡± The Lord asked.

    ¡°Your word that you would spare my people from enslavement and you will let them go free,¡± the woodman replied.

    ¡°You ask for a lot, Woodling. What makes you think I value my son so much as to yield to your demands? I have two more sons to replace him and I can make many more if necessary.¡± The Lord stated.

    The woman standing behind him placed a hand on one of his shoulders and squeezed a little. She looked at him pleadingly, her eyes still wet from before. The Venti lord looked at her for a moment before quickly shifting his head to look at the woodsman.

    ¡°I believe he is your eldest, and as a father, I know the first child is special. I will save him, just let my people go,¡± the woodsman reminded.

    ¡°Ahrr¡­ Very well, save my son.¡± The lord conceded.

    ¡°I¡¯ll require all the equipment your men took from me.¡± The woodsman requested.

    ¡°Braga, get this man his belongings,¡± his master commanded.

    Braga left and returned soon after with all the armor and equipment of the woodsman leader, tightly wrapped in animal hide. He then freed the woodsman by cutting the ropes binding him, and then the elder woodsman untied the package and removed a waterskin.

    ¡°Make your son drink the water from this, it will heal him.¡± The woodsman held out the waterskin in front of the Venti lord.

    ¡°Brother don¡¯t, that water belongs to our people, we cannot give it away. These people cannot be trusted with it, the¡­¡± the younger woodsman was protesting, but was cut off as the elder spoke. ¡°We have no other choice, brother. It¡¯s this or slavery.¡±

    ¡°Is that it? I swear on my ancestors¡­ if this is some trick¡­¡± the venti lord was warning, when the woman behind him swiftly walked forward and snatched the waterskin from the woodsman and started walking towards the prince, surprising everyone in the room. Kneeling beside him, she uncorked the container and slowly poured the water into the prince¡¯s mouth, raising his head slightly to make sure he didn¡¯t choke.

    The two other women moved to make space for her, halting their activity. Both Braga and the Venti lord came over to stand near the prince, observing as he slowly gulped the liquid. The elderly woman joined them, curious about the situation.

    The woodsman looked over with bated breath, but remained kneeling in place, observed carefully by their two escorts. Silence befell the room for a couple of brief moments before anyone spoke again.

    ¡°Nothing, a trick afterall¡­¡± Braga spoke but abruptly stopped.

    ¡°By all the ancestors, the wound is closing up. It¡¯s a miracle,¡± the elderly woman spoke in astonishment a few moments later, eyes wide in shock. The Venti lord returned and sat back in his chair, Braga and the elderly woman following along and now standing beside him.

    ¡°Looks like it worked,¡± the Venti lord spoke, addressing the elder woodsman.

    ¡°I kept my end of the bargain,¡± the woodsman said.

    ¡°And so will I,¡± the Venti lord replied. ¡°I am curious though, this water of yours, how much more do you have? I will need it all.¡±

    ¡°That was everything we had.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense, just hand it all to me and I''ll let your people live.¡± The Venti lord threatened.

    ¡°But it is the truth, and you promised to uphold your end of the bargain and let my people go. You can¡¯t do this¡­ Please¡­Please, just let them go,¡± The woodsman pleaded.

    ¡°I AM keeping my promise. I won¡¯t enslave your people and I¡¯ll set them free, however, I made no promise to let them live afterwards.¡± The Venti lord smirked. ¡°Now, you will tell me everything about this water of yours.¡±

 1.01 Milanka Forest

    In an age, before men ruled the world, humanity co-existed alongside other nobler beings and powerful creatures of magic. Deficient in the ways of the arcane, humanity was branded as an inferior existence deemed unable to pose any credible threat to their self-appointed betters.

    Designated as vile and barbaric by their nobler cousins, humanity was left to their own devices. Time passed, humanity flourished, overcoming its weak disposition by its determination to survive through even the cruelest of nature¡¯s unending trials.

    Perhaps then it was their hubris that blinded the noble beings when they failed to take into account one of humanity¡¯s great sources of strength, their unquenchable thirst for power and knowledge, and when the same thirst led humanity to come knocking on their very doorstep, they were found to be ill-prepared in their peaceful stagnation.

    - An excerpt from Myths & Legends Volume III. Original Source Unknown.

    Shadows embraced the forest as the twilight rapidly began turning to dusk. This deep within the Milanka forest the flora was thick and overbearing. Trees grew to massive proportions, blocking most of the sunlight during the day. What little light that managed to sneak through the dense canopy would swiftly be consumed by the never-ending shadows of the forest.

    A trio of riders escorted a wagon with its main body carefully concealed on all sides by multiple layers of dark fabrics. The three men on horseback were armored in padded leather with a long sword strapped to their back, half concealed within their dark cloaks, the cowl of which concealed their faces.

    The man in the driver''s seat, handling the reigns of the wagon mule was similarly cloaked, but sported simple cotton attire and carried no steel.

    They were trudging through the thick forest along a large game trail, which led deeper within. Nearing a small clearing, they stopped to make camp, the full moon aiding in the process, providing them with much-needed visibility.

    The three men got off their saddles and the man on the wagon walked up and took the reins of their horses, which he tied to the wagon. Then the men removed their sword straps and sat down on the grass facing each other, covering each other¡¯s blind spots, their sheathed swords lying next to them on the ground.

    The wagoner, on the other hand, removed a bundle twigs from inside the wagon, parting the rear flaps slightly in the process and breathed a sigh of relief when he had.

    Collecting a bunch of dry leaves from the ground and bunching it together with the twigs; he placed the pile in the middle of the circle of men. He crouched and began sparking a fire with his flint and steel but was halted by one of the swordsmen.

    ¡°Wait!¡± spoke the man who was sitting directly in front of the crouching wagoner. He was tall and built broad like a bear. His voice held a natural sense of authority within it.

    ¡°Brothers, should we risk a fire?¡± He asked glancing at both the men on his sides in turn.

    ¡°It¡¯s going to be a cold night, brother Roan. Freezing to death isn¡¯t exactly fun, ya know,¡± spoke the man on his left before he let out a nervous chuckle and wrapped himself tightly in the cloak.

    His voice was that of a young man who had hit puberty not too long ago. He was the tallest of the three swordsmen, looking leaner than the other two but muscular enough to be intimidating.

    ¡°So it¡¯s either starve or freeze to death or get devoured by hungry wolves,¡± replied the man on the right, obvious in his exaggeration. The man was of medium height but made up for it in muscles.

    He sighed before he continued, ¡°If I am to be wolf snack I¡¯d rather it be with my belly full of warm supper. They have been tracking us for over a week now and they haven¡¯t attacked yet and my gut says they won¡¯t tonight either.¡±

    ¡°Is it really your gut telling you that?¡± the young one asked mockingly at which Rok gave him a cold glare.

    ¡°It¡¯s most likely the lady¡¯s presence that has kept them at bay for the moment, brother Rok,¡± Roan said, addressing the irritated Rok.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°I came to the same conclusion as well. If it had been only the three of us out here the wolves wouldn¡¯t hesitate in the least to slaughter us. The lady, she¡­ She is different and her power is¡­ more elegant.¡± Rok was careful to choose the right words to describe the ladies power.

    ¡°The moon looms full tonight and it might make them bolder,¡± brother Roan added as he observed the moon.

    ¡°Bah! I¡¯d rather not starve anymore and if it comes to a fight I think we could handle a pack between the three of us,¡± brother Rok said,

    ¡°Yeah, sure we can.¡± Helik teased, he was feeling unusually snarky tonight. The hunger affecting his mind. His banter was his way of hiding a sense of desperation and fear lurking within.

    They had not eaten a proper meal in three days since they took notice of the wolves. They had consumed all the dried meat and cheese they had begun the journey with. Fearing an ambush, Roan had deemed hunting too risky. So they had only eaten scraps and small berries they had managed to scavenge from the bushes within their path. They were lucky to hunt a rabbit that had stumbled into their path and hoped to enjoy it this night.

    ¡°Fair enough, brother Rok.¡± Roan gestured with his hands to the wagoner to continue lighting the fire. Even though Roan valued caution he too was feeling a bit too famished to protest.

    ¡°How close do you think we are to the artifact, brother?¡± the young brother asked looking at Roan. As they were conversing, the wagoner had managed to spark the flames and now there was a small fire in front of them, illuminating their immediate vicinity and fully revealing the wagoner.

    His face was in full view as he had retracted the cowl of his cloak. He was a scrawny little man appearing to be in his middle years, with long greying hair and a scrappy beard, his already small stature appearing even more soin the presence of the three burly swordsmen.

    ¡°Less than seven leagues, I would assume. The lady told me we were getting close a few nights before. I think we could make it tonight if we push forward,¡± Roan replied.

    ¡°Tonight? Master Roan?¡± asked the wagoner, nervously sneaking a glance at the full moon, a fearful expression on his bony face. He was now pouring some water inside a kettle, which he had set upon the fire after getting it from inside the wagon and had started making preparations for a simple rabbit stew.

    ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s upto the lady to decide if we march on, if she wakes up that is,¡± Roan replied.

    ¡°What do you think is going on? She hasn¡¯t woken in days.¡± The young brother sounded worried.

    ¡°It is quite strange, but I have noticed that she hasn¡¯t woken up since the day the beasts started trailing us,¡± Rok added and the three of them contemplated on the subject as they stared into the fire, not willing to speak on it anymore. After a moment had passed the three of them closed their eyes, appearing to be asleep.

    The camp went completely silent, except for the bubbling noises of the boiling water and crackling of flames. Nighttime in a forest as massive as Milanka which is usually vibrant in its nocturnality was hauntingly silent this night.

    ¡®I really need to take a leak,¡¯ the wagoner thought. He had been holding it in since the advent of darkness, but it had started becoming unbearable. The bubbling noises coming from the kettle, enhanced by the eerie silence of the forest only served to pronounce his dilemma.

    His plan was to quickly walk behind one of those trees surrounding the clearing and relieve himself, but the illumination provided by the small fire did not reach that far, the woods remained in shadows and he was too afraid to go alone in the dark.

    He just couldn¡¯t comprehend walking through these dark woods alone even in the light of day, doing the same at night was inconceivable. He had missed his opportunity to ask one of the brothers to escort him, but now the three of them were probably in meditation and disturbing a brother during his moment of silence sounded unwise.

    Armed with only a crude understanding about the workings of the wild, and a life spent in safety within the impregnable walls of Crea had made him increasingly anxious as the journey continued, and knowing that they were being followed by vicious wolf beasts only made him more fearful of his surroundings.

    As his situation worsened, he somehow managed to find his courage, not wanting to sully himself this close to the lady¡¯s wagon. Throwing caution to the side, he rushed towards the edge of the clearing, not slowing down to allow his eyes enough time to adjust to the darkness ahead, causing him to stumble through the woods virtually blind for a moment.

    He had not taken more than three steps past the clearing when his left foot got tangled within one of the protruding roots, and he fell after losing his balance. Trying to avoid a fatal blow to his head, he used his hands to cushion the impact of the forward fall, but it had gone horribly wrong. He rolled on the ground letting out a cry of pain, the volume of it enhanced by the utter silence of the night.

    The three swordsmen were on their feet in an instant, and with their swords, in hand, they bolted towards the source of the wailing. They found their culprit in a moment, their enhanced eyes easily adjusting to the dark.

    The wagoner was gripping his right wrist tightly with his left hand, blood seeping out of the wound in his right palm where a sharp object, most likely a common rock had almost penetrated through.

    The three of them stood over the wagoner and without wasting any more time, brother Rok moved to block the injured man¡¯s mouth to prevent him from wailing any longer.

    ¡°Fool! Shut your¡­¡± he managed in a hushed tone before a terrifying howl completelydrowned out the sound of his words.

 1.02 A Wolfs Last Cry

    All four of them froze in silence for a brief moment, as the howl rang out. ¡°Fuck! The bastard¡¯s pissed himself,¡± Rok spat, as he recovered from the howl, his acute sense of smell picking up the pungent odor emanating from the man beside him.

    ¡°It¡¯s the blood,¡± Roan pointed at the blood leaking out of the open wound. He raised his head and sniffed a couple of times before adding, ¡°Wind¡¯s carrying the scent.¡±

    ¡°They are on the move, most likely blood-crazed,¡± the young brother warned, looking at Roan.

    Roan let out a heavy sigh, ¡°Of course they are.¡± He looked at the Wagoner who had calmed down, ¡°Get him up and moving, we¡¯ll make our stand in the light of the fire.¡±

    ¡°Maybe the furballs would ignore us if we let them have him,¡± Rok suggested in a tone which obscured his true intent. The Wagoner let out a shriek of terror at that, his body shuddering.

    ¡°Rok!¡± Roan thundered. Rok sighed and gripped the back of the fallen man¡¯s shirt. He then effortlessly hauled the wagoner off the ground, like an adult handling a toddler. The Wagoner did not protest the rough treatment, the fear of incoming horrors overwhelming any pain from bodily harm, and when he was on his feet and able to move, the four of them bolted in the direction of the fire.

    Reaching the fireplace, the three swordsmen discarded their cloaks as those could impede their movements, their faces revealed by the firelight.

    Rok was a bald man with scars lining his face. Far from traditionally handsome, his facial features could be considered attractive in its rough masculinity. More importantly, the man was armed to teeth with small throw-able blades, twenty-four blades in total, housed within small pockets that were stitched to every part of his armor.

    Roan had a broad face with long brown hair, complimenting his massive body and broad shoulders to enhance his already intimidating presence.

    The Young brother, on the other hand, had a princely face, his dark brown hair cut short, and that combined with his youth and robust constitution he could be considered a true specimen of human beauty.

    Roan and the younger brother drew their long blades, dropping their sheaths to the ground while Rok pulled out a couple of his many knives after sheathing his long sword and strapping it to his back once more, as they took a defensive stance around the wagoner. They readied themselves for the attack they knew was imminent, carefully observing for any signs of enemy movement.

    ¡°Shit! I forgot the crossbow,¡± the young brother spoke, looking in the direction of the wagon.

    ¡°Leave it, It¡¯s too late for that,¡± Roan ordered, looking in the enemies direction. Red glowing eyes glared at them from the shadows of the forest, accompanied by vicious growling noises. Roan turned and faced the direction of the noise, Rok and the young brother covering his flanks, the wagoner protected in the middle.

    Three ghastly silhouettes crawled out of the shadows, the firelight revealing their dreadful forms. Fur as black as the darkest night allowing the creatures to practically melt into the shadows at convenience, their growls revealing monstrously sharp teeth protruding out of their elongated jaws which paled in comparison to the size of their canines, and with the likely strength in those jaw muscles, a bite would probably penetrate through anything other than solid steel. Saliva or more accurately a horrific version of it oozed out from the sides of their mouths, claws as long as a human¡¯s fingers could render flesh and crush bones with ease.

    It¡¯s back hunched as it walked on all fours, like a human pretending to be a wolf or more accurately a demon wearing a wolf¡¯s skin.

    ¡°Are my eyes deceiving me or are these things bigger than the usual?¡± the young brother asked, blinking a few times in surprise.

    ¡°Nope, definitely bigger,¡± Roan replied.

    ¡°Meh, I have seen bigger,¡± Rok spoke in earnest, but it still came out as a brag.

    Standing on their hind legs, the creatures stood a foot taller than an average human. They stared at the three swordsmen and growled more viciously in an attempt to threaten off perceived competition, and when the three men did not budge or show any hint of fear, the wolves were back on all fours and encircling the group.

    They made a careful effort of avoiding the wagon and the horses that had started panicking. After enough time taking their enemies measure, all three of them charged towards Roan, trying to take him by surprise by a burst of speed, moving with such speed to appear a shadowy blur in the firelight.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    The young brother moved with similar inhuman speed to intercept one of the wolves trying to flank Roan, the beast barely managing to dodge a lightning-fast swipe from the brother¡¯s sword aimed towards decapitating it, and escaped with a shallow cut on its chest by leaping backward in haste.

    A knife thrown with incredible precision and speed had staggered the wolf flanking the other side. It had lodged deep into the beast¡¯s right arm. Rok had aimed at its head but the beast had barely managed to block it in time.

    It roared in pain as the knife burned the flesh around it and Rok was about to shower it in more blades when he saw two more wolves coming from his right, which was Roan¡¯s rear side. The three wolves had been a distraction. These two were coming for their intended target, the bleeding wagoner.

    Rok turned towards the two incoming wolves and threw a total of four knives in rapid succession at the one in the front and this time he didn¡¯t miss his intended targets, disabling the monster. Two of blades stuck the monster¡¯s upper head, one lodging into its neck and one hitting the area of the chest where its heart would be.

    He was about to unsheathe more knives to finish the second wolf when he noticed the beast from earlier had managed to remove his blade and closed the distance between them. The beast was consumed with rage and would not allow Rok time to prepare more knives as it rushed forward.

    Rok unsheathed his longsword off his back and prepared himself to engage the beast in melee after he barely managed to dodge the monster¡¯s sharp claws by rolling to a side.

    ¡°One on the rear,¡± he shouted in haste as he waited for his adversary¡¯s next attack.

    Roan had just finished off his target with a swift thrust that penetrated the beast¡¯s skull with ease. After dislodging the blade he finished the monster off by decapitating it, every move performed with a graceful efficiency. Roan turned around in haste to find that the beast was already within striking distance of the Wagoner, the man had barely managed to survive a swipe from the beast¡¯s claws.

    The monster had clearly lost some of its earlier momenta and was clearly more hesitant after witnessing the death of its partner, but before the creature could deal a fatal blow to the Wagoner, Roan was on him, tackling the monster to the ground with his massive body.

    He had decided not to use his longer than usual blade to strike the beast, as it was standing inches away from the wagoner. The two of them rolled on the ground trying to get the upper hand against each other, the beast managing to put some hurt on him with its claws.

    Luckily for him, his armor dulled most of the impact, so he only received shallow wounds. Eventually, the struggle ended in Roan being pinned down by the monster as he barely managed to hold the beast back while it bared its massive fangs a few inches from his head.

    As the beast was about to devour his face, Roan grabbed the beast¡¯s snout with his left hand and the jaw with the other and prevented it from snapping its mouth closed and crushing Roan¡¯s head.

    The beast responded by digging its claws deep into Roan¡¯s shoulders, easily penetrating the leather, and after gripping him tightly it struggled to free its head from Roan¡¯s hold, its claw tearing into his flesh as it did so.

    Roan groaned in agony as blood spurted out of the tear in the armor where the claws had gone through, and he recognized he was just a moment away from a gruesome death.

    This wasn¡¯t the first time he had found himself in a situation like this, but this still unique in that he could not rely on his superior sword skills to rescue him out. He knew one thing for sure. He needed to act quickly if he wanted to save himself.

    Roan gathered all his remaining strength, partially fueled by pain and widened the monster¡¯s mouth by pulling its jaw down until he was able to dislocate it off its socket, and with an audible crack completely yanking it out, killing the beast. His face and upper body became completely engulfed in blood and gore as the monster¡¯s limp body crashed over him.

    With the adrenaline from his earlier act still rushing through his body he swiftly pushed the heavy carcass off him and stood up to retrieve his sword which had fallen off his grip during the tussle, before decapitating the beast laying on the ground.

    He picked up the jawless head by gripping some of the hair on top of its head with his left hand, and with the sword held in his right hand, he turned around.

    He then raised them both towards the sky and roared triumphantly, mockingly looking at the full moon in the dark sky before glaring at the two wolves still in the fight, his blood-drenched features that were being highlighted by the light from the fire added to make his visage more terrifying.

    He had survived. He was still undefeated in single combat and his enemies needed an abject lesson in fear.

    Roan¡¯s terrifying display of strength and the brutal death of their pack mate sent tremors through the spine of the two remaining wolves, giving the young swordsmen enough of an opening to finally deal a fatal blow to his target.

    After dodging a strike from Rok the remaining wolf noticed his isolation and without delay, turned around and started running towards the safety of the shadowy forest but before he could enter the shadowy realm and disappear, a knife penetrated the back of its right thigh and it stumbled to the ground.

    The beast growled in pain as the flesh around the knife burned, but its instinct to survive soon overpowered the pain from the wound as it struggled desperately to get back on its feet. Letting out a desperate howl, it started dragging itself towards the woods, stumbling frequently as its injured limb slowed its movement.

    The howl, which sounded more like a cry was cut short by a knife that penetrated the back of its skull and the beast went down again, this time in a more permanent capacity. Rok picked up the sword he had dropped while using his blades and quickly covered the distance between him and the wolf and finished it off by decapitating its head.

 1.03 Brother Rok

    After watching the last of wolves being slain, Roan let out a couple of audible gasps as the battle adrenaline subsided from his body, replaced with an overbearing exhaustion. Unable to remain upright any longer, he allowed himself to fall on his behind, letting both the head and the sword fall from his hands.

    The excruciating pain from his injuries was overwhelming his senses resulting in him going unconscious for a moment before he managed to shrug himself wake, eyes blinking wildly as he sat on the ground.

    ¡°Are you alright, brother?¡± the young one asked standing over in front of him. Roan looked up to gaze at him but wasn¡¯t able to reply, feeling a little lightheaded.

    After he shook his head in an attempt to clear some of the dizziness, he tried getting up back on his feet but failed as his body rejected the exertion and he landed back flat on the ground for his efforts.

    ¡°Looks like someone managed to do a number on the Great Roan the Slayer,¡± teased the young warrior gleefully.

    The snide remark did not go unnoticed by Roan as he glared at the young man murderously. ¡°Helik!¡­ you¡¯re..¡± Roan managed to grumble strenuously before fatigue and pain overwhelmed him again.

    ¡°I was just kidding,¡± the young man chuckled, a nervous smile on his face which had started losing color, his hands raised in an apologetic gesture as he tried to backpedal from his earlier remark. ¡°Here,¡± he extended his right hand towards Roan in assistance.

    After a minor moment of protest, Roan took it and stood up, a groan of agony escaping his mouth in the process.

    ¡°Yikes! Those wounds look nasty, elder.¡± Helik observed as he aided the older man by offering his shoulders to lean on. ¡°Hope we¡¯ve seen the last of these monsters, it¡¯s getting impossible to fight half starving,¡±

    After stabilizing himself Roan sighed in relief before speaking softly, ¡°I believe we are in for a long night.¡± Hearing Roan¡¯s words alarmed Helik and he was about to ask him to elaborate on his statement but the noise of a loud argument between the wagoner and Rok interrupted it, both of them turning to look at the two bickering men by the firelight.

    ¡°No!! Just leave me be,¡± the wagoner protested loudly, now wrapped in his cloak as Rok looked on, getting increasingly irritated.

    ¡°Not gonna happen, worm,¡± Rok spat. He grinned wickedly before continuing, ¡°It¡¯s better for your health if you comply peacefully before I run out of patience.¡±

    ¡°There is nothing to see, Please¡­ Just trust me, Ok?!¡± the wagoner pleaded.

    ¡°What is going on here? Why all the commotion?¡± Roan asked as he approached them, aided by Helik beside him.

    The wagoner¡¯s face brightened up a little at seeing Roan approach them, looking like an avenging angel with his blood-soaked face, about to rescue him from the jaws of the Great Serpent himself. ¡°Master Roan, please¡­ I beg of you, please save me,¡± he cried, looking at Roan in desperation, who was wiping off the blood and guts that covered his face with one of the cloaks Helik had gotten him from the ground. He pointed at Rok before continuing, ¡°This man always had it out for me. He is trying to hurt me. You have to save me, please sire. I beg of thee.¡±

    Before the wagoner could complain anymore, Rok had his right hand around the man''s throat, lifting him in the air; he started choking the life out of the man. The man¡¯s face started turning blue from struggling to breathe, his hands trying and failing to even budge the steel-like grip of Rok around his neck.

    ¡°You lying sack of shit, I¡¯ll crush you like the bug you are,¡± Rok fumed, gritting his teeth in anger, his face emitting murderous rage but with a hint of a certain pleasure hidden within.

    ¡°Rok!! That¡¯s enough,¡± Roan barked and Rok looked at the man who was their captain. As he met Roan¡¯s unflinching gaze, his anger slowly receded and he released his grip. The wagoner crashed down and started gasping for air. His body pale in shock after a near-death experience and sweating profusely even in the deep cold of the night.

    ¡°He is lying off his teeth, this worm,¡± Rok spoke pointing at the man at his feet recovering from the assault, bright red marks visible around the man¡¯s neck.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Roan looked suspiciously at Rok. ¡°Lying, is he? About what exactly? All of us know you take pleasure in tormenting the little bugger and you did just try to kill the man. I don¡¯t see what he was lying about.¡±

    Rok looked stupefied as he tried to form words to counter the accusations, but when he failed to make a counter argument he surrendered. ¡°Fine, I admit I do not like the man. I could never truly trust these cowardly humans.¡±

    ¡°Ummm¡­ you do realize you¡¯re a human too, right?¡± Helik tried to remind him, after staring at him for a brief moment.

    Rok stared at Helik like he was some alien creature that¡¯s revealed himself for the first time, and after contemplating on Helik¡¯s words for a brief moment he replied, ¡°Huh, I am human?¡± He observed the man at his feet more closely for a moment.

    ¡°Yeeesss, ofcourse¡­Hahahahah¡­ Now that I think about it, I am, aren''t I?¡± He smirked like a little kid who had just discovered the taste of candy, but his smile quickly fell and he frowned again. ¡°Wait, I am human?¡± he asked in a serious tone with an expression of someone about to vomit bile.

    ¡°Brother Rok?Please answer me.¡± Roan spoke in a frustrated tone as Helik looked at Rok, mouth gaping open in shock at the man¡¯s insanity.

    ¡°Yes?¡± Rok replied, curiosity evident on his face.

    ¡°How long has it been since your last time amidst proper civilization? How long have you been wandering on your own?¡± Roan questioned. He realized he knew nothing about the man he had just fought with and had commanded till now.

    Helik and he had known each other fairly well before teaming up but Rok was a mystery to him. The man had joined up with them just before they entered the forest and guided them all the way till here.

    The man knew his way around a forest even one as immense as Milanka, and Roan was shocked to hear that this was the man¡¯s first time in these woods.

    Before leaving the headquarters, they were told by their superiors that a tracker would aid them in their quest but they had no idea about the identity of the man. An incredible tracker and a terrifying fighter with his blades, the man was an enigma.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ I have been a brother-scout for as long as I remember now.¡± Rok answered earnestly after thinking about it for a while. He scratched his head in frustration, ¡°Ahhhh! I can¡¯t recall anything before that. No wait I think it¡¯s been a century in the least or maybe more¡­Arr¡­ Bah! All I know is that the brothers signal for me when they have need of me and that I obey the brotherhood as a faithful servant of the Great Mother, everything else is just a distraction. Speaking of which, how is the brotherhood faring these days?¡±

    ¡®So he is one of the brother-scouts I see, no wonder he acts weird amongst company. The guy is used to being alone for so long, he probably finds solitude to be his sanctuary. No wonder he has gone a little insane, I probably would too in his shoes.¡¯ Roan thought.

    It was probably for the best that the man did not know about the brotherhoods decline. Being so entrenched in the empire had its perks. When the empire was at its peak and expanding, the brotherhood thrived, but constant civil war and general imperial incompetence had made empire susceptible to invasions.

    The northern Ashari warlords had bled the empire¡¯s coffers dry with their constant skirmishes and managed to conquer a third of its territory, devastating even more. As the empire dwindled so did the brotherhood along with it. If only it had broadened its prospects sooner. As he was mulling it all over in his head a sudden motion caught the corner of his eye.

    ¡°That''s enough small talk, for now, someone¡¯s trying to sneak away.¡± Roan interrupted, glancing at the Wagoner who was crawling away to escape as the three warriors were distracted in a conversation but Helik moved swiftly, and grabbed him by the back of his neck, dragging him back to face Roan.

    Roan stripped the man of his cloak to reveal a wound in the shape of a gash on his right forearm, clearly having been received during his brief encounter with the beast from earlier, which he had barely survived through.

    The wound was quite shallow and caused only minor damage, the beast¡¯s claw barely brushing his skin but Roan knew it would prove to be enough to infect the man, and the man probably feared the same as he tried so desperately to hide it from the three of them.

    ¡°You see my brothers, this is why you don¡¯t trust humans,¡¯ Rok said before shaking his head as yet again his predisposition to cynicism had bore fruit.

    ¡°Please, it¡¯s just a scratch. I¡¯ll be fine, it¡¯s nothing. Please, I want to live,¡± the wagoner protested as Roan was studying his wound.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry little man, we won''t be needing to kill you,¡± Roan assured and the wagoner sighed in relief at that. ¡°Just be needing your right hand, that¡¯s all.¡± The wagoner shuddered in horror at that and struggled to escape, but there was no escaping from Helik¡¯s powerful hold.

    ¡°Stop squirming and consider yourself lucky, atleast you get to live with a perfectly usable hand, not everyone has that opportunity,¡± Roan tried to console as Rok unsheathed his longblade and started heating it up using the flames.

    When the steel became hot enough and had a reddish glow around it, he used it to slice the clawed portion of the wagoner¡¯s right arm which happened to be the entirety of his right forearm.

    Blood sprayed out of the mouth of the stump that was the man¡¯s remaining right arm as the rest of it landed on the ground below him, but before the man could bleed to death, Rok used the flat of his blade on the stump to cauterize the wound and halt the bleeding.

    After wailing in agony for a brief moment the wagoner passed out and crashed to the ground motionless, unable to retain his consciousness amidst excruciating pain.

 1.04 Explosion of Power

    ¡°We should prepare, I suppose,¡± Roan spoke before he removed a tiny veil from the pouch tied to his belt and uncorked it before drinking the dark green liquid contained within.

    He gritted his teeth in agony and a small groan escaped his mouth as the liquid affected his body, making his veins pop out for a moment and glow the same dark green before receding back.

    ¡°Yeh, I suppose we should,¡± Rok spoke, before moving towards the wolf he had disabled by his blades and finished it off with a decapitation. Then he retrieved all his blades lodged within the beast¡¯s body before sheathing them back into their rightful places.

    ¡°Prepare for what? What do you mean, Roan? Help a brother out here,¡± Helik asked as he followed behind Roan as he retrieved the sword he had dropped after slaying the wolf. He felt like he was being kept in the dark.

    By far the youngest member of the team, Helik lacked the battle experience possessed by the two veterans alongside him. Although he had faced the wolves before in training, it was only in a controlled capacity and they were nowhere near the size or ferocity of the beasts which roamed Milanka.

    ¡°The wolves aren¡¯t done with us, yet. More than likely what we just killed was nothing but a rogue contingent trying its luck by braving a fight. A true pack led by an Alpha it was certainly not.¡± Rok answered instead of Roan as he wiped the gore off one of his blades before sheathing it, he was walking towards the unconscious wagoner by the firelight.

    Helik went silent. The dull expression on his face conveying the deep exhaustion coursing through his body, the prospect of fighting another wave of these oversized monsters wasn¡¯t a particularly pleasing one.

    He followed behind Roan as they gathered around the firelight. ¡°What should we do about him?¡± he asked pointing at the unconscious wagoner lying on the ground. ¡°It¡¯s clear the wolves are drawn by the smell of his blood.¡±

    ¡°I say we grab the lady and make a run for it, using this useless lump of meat as a distraction. Maybe it¡¯ll buy us just enough time to..¡± Rok was suggesting before being cut off by Roan.

    ¡°Nah¡­ He may be a coward and a weakling but the man isn¡¯t without his talents. Apparently, he can decipher ancient carvings. Lady said the man use to teach at one those fancy imperial universities. So, like it or not the man¡¯s life is more precious than any of ours on this little quest.¡±

    ¡°Really?! I had assumed he was one of the lady¡¯s slaves or something since he was doing all the minor chores.¡± Rok sounded surprised.

    ¡°She must have charmed him into helping out. I saw the two interact with each other and it was clear that the lady values the man¡¯s company, and she would be heartbroken if something happened to him,¡± Helik chimed in, concerned about the lady¡¯s happiness.

    ¡°That makes sense.¡± Rod nodded satisfied by Helik¡¯s answer before sighing in defeat. ¡°Fine, then. Battle to the death it is.¡±

    ¡°We should try to clean and dress those wounds of yours, the potion won¡¯t be enough,¡± Helik said, looking at Roan¡¯s horrible shoulder wounds, wondering how the man was still standing let alone about to fight again.

    ¡°No time. I can sense them. They are coming,¡± Roan announced and drew his long blade and a moment later several howls rang out from the dark forest. They were surrounded and about to be drowned in monsters.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°No matter how ferocious these creatures become, they remain as predictable as ever,¡± Rok stated before unsheathing a couple of his sharp blades.

    ¡°By the devourer, that thing is huge,¡± Helik remarked in astonishment at the sight of a massive wolf that was approaching steadily from the darkness, followed by a dozen smaller ones as more waited in the shadows.

    The wolf who was definitely an alpha of the pack studied his opponents carefully, not rushing in blind even with a massive advantage in numbers but his careful demeanor quickly came undone after noticing the bodies of his dead comrades, and it growled in utter fury before charging at the men without any regard for tact.

    ¡°This is it. May the Great Mother guide my soul.¡± Rok prayed as he watched the massive wolf charging towards them with countless of others coming out of the shadows from seemingly all sides numbering in the hundreds, but before they entered the circle of light cast by the small fire, something burst out of the wagon creating a loud cracking sound, wooden splinters and pieces of torn cloth flying in every direction from the top of the wagon.

    The damage caused to the wagon by the tear in its ceiling quickly multiplied as the panicked horses utilized every strength available within their bodies to break free of their bindings, eventually succeeding and tearing the wagon into pieces.

    A ball of miasma in the color of black with shades of green mixed within had flown from top of the wagon with blinding speed and landed just in front of the men, right in the path of the incoming horde of beasts, and in a matter of a heartbeat a torrent of miasma burst forth out of the ball in an forward moving arc and spread deep into the forest engulfing most of the wolves.

    Every wolf entrapped within the miasma had its movement slowed to a crawl, almost appearing to be frozen in time, the fleeing horses getting caught as well.

    As the miasma was spreading through the forest, the spherical point of its origin kept contracting until every ounce of the dark energy that had been housed within the ball dissipated; leaving behind a petite human figure covered in a cloak and dressed in common traveler¡¯s cotton attire. The person was on all fours and breathing heavily, appearing to be quite exhausted from the task it had just performed.

    ¡°My lady, are you alright?¡± Roan asked in panic, concern evident in his voice. He was the first to rush to his lady¡¯s side but stopped short of aiding her further as he deemed it inappropriate in his condition with all the unwashed blood and guts still clinging to his armor and skin, and he also did not want the lady to notice his injuries. Reluctantly he allowed Helik to gently guide the woman to her feet, who was all too enthusiastic about it.

    ¡°We need to move¡­ This won¡¯t be able to hold them off for long,¡± the woman spoke in between her heavy breathing. Her dark green eyes shone brightly from the shadows of the cloak which obscured her face.

    ¡°We should head in the direction of the artifact. I observed the wolves seem to be avoiding that direction. I believe the way should be clear,¡± Rok advised, pointing in the said direction.

    ¡°Yes¡­ I can sense its presence. It must be close.¡± The lady turned around and stared at apparent direction of the artifact. Then she spun her head around seemingly searching for someone who appeared to be missing and soon her gaze locked on the wagoner lying unconscious near the fire, half his severed arm lying nearby in a pool of his own blood, and she could deduct what had transpired as she noticed the wolf corpses lying nearby. ¡°Get him and follow my lead,¡± she ordered pointing at the man passed out on the ground.

    ¡°Yes my lady,¡± Roan replied with a short bow. He looked at Helik, ¡°Get the man.¡± Soon they were off, Roan and Helik with the unconscious man on his back following behind the lady as they moved with inhuman speed.

    Rok was supposed to be the rear guard but before leaving he quickly unsheathed one of his blades and threw it at one of the horses striking a major artery just below the creature¡¯s neck. ¡°That¡¯ll distract the mutts,¡± Rok muttered, a grin lining his face as he watched blood gush out of the wound, the creature unable to react as it was still within the miasma¡¯s insidious hold.

    He resumed his movement and even with the delay he was swiftly able to catch up with the rest, having the advantage of being the only person who wasn¡¯t encumbered or direly exhausted.

 1.05 The Lost City

    The four of them only managed to cover a short distance before the horde was on the move and gaining rapidly on them, as the wolves, after breaking loose of their impediments, gave chase.

    As fast as the four of them moved, which was way beyond the capacity of an ordinary human, the wolves were always going to be faster, aided by the use of all their four limbs. Soon the monsters were on their tails, while their destination remained further beyond.

    ¡°They are going to catch up,¡± Rok warned as he sneaked a look behind him.

    ¡°Just keep running. If they do catch up, I¡¯ll stay back to delay their advance,¡± Roan replied.

    ¡°No! No one¡¯s dying here, in this curs¡¯ed place. You hear me, Roan?! I order you to live,¡± the lady demanded in a stern voice, but with a hint of desperation hidden within.

    ¡°But, my lady, the¡­¡± Roan tried to protest, concerned about the lady as the wolves continued to gain on them but then he remembered something and he stopped. ¡°Ofcourse, my lady.¡±

    The brothers were disposable and they were reminded about that very fact on a regular basis. Roan was not used to someone worrying about him personally, so when he had proposed to remain and fight, knowing well he was about to sacrifice his life, he expected little in the way of resistance but then the lady quite adamantly told him to survive, and he was instinctively taken aback.

    He needed to confirm her sincerity in order to quell his own insecurity about the value of his life but quickly accepted her order as he remembered the events of the past few days.

    From the brief amount of time he got to spend in her company, Roan had come to adore her. She was kind and caring, unusually so for one of her kind. He had not expected that from her, with all he had heard about the girl having a sacred bloodline.

    He had assumed her to be colder and more conceited than the usual, and he was pleasantly surprised to find a person who exuded so much warmth and genuinely cared, even about one as lowly as himself.

    ¡®Is this how it feels to have a wife and family that cherish you?¡¯ he thought as a smile lined his face while running with all his might. He really did not wish to die. He wanted to continue having this feeling of what he considered to be ecstasy, and so he ran.

    They ran for a while longer and when no vicious monsters gnawed their backs they stopped to check if the wolves were still following, and they were surprised to find themselves in the clear.

    ¡°Huh¡­ They gave up easy. Never seen them do that before,¡± Rok spoke scratching his head in disbelief.

    ¡°It¡¯s the power being emitted by the artifact. It has the same effect as the spell I was casting to keep the wolves at bay which required me to remain in a suspended state of being. This artifact, however, is much more powerful than any magic of my design,¡± the lady explained as she walked up to stand beside him.

    ¡°I¡­ I was worried, my lady. I thought you would never wake.¡± Helik expressed deep concern.

    ¡°Oh, my sweet, Helik! Worry not, I am fine now,¡± the lady replied in a kind voice, caressing his beautiful face with her with her left hand as he blushed.

    ¡°Lady Liara, what about that man?¡± Roan asked, standing behind the lady.

    Liara looked at the man on Helik¡¯s back. ¡°Wake him. We¡¯ll be needing him.¡±

    Helik placed the man gently on the ground, before shaking him awake. He was in quite a miserable state of being, with his gray hair dyed red from his own dried blood sticking to it, the same blood coating his face and staining his clothes, and with added dirt and sweat mixed within, it created a ghastly combination to make him look even grimmer.

    The old man¡¯s eyes snapped wide open and he sat up in a hurry, looking like he had just risen from experiencing his worst nightmare.

    But the nightmare wasn¡¯t over for him, he realized after noticing a stump in the place where his right arm used to be, and then the hellish pain returned, crashing over his body like a tsunami. He screamed in horror as his mind recalled the events of the previous hour.

    Liara felt a deep sorrow rise within her heart watching the man wail in agony as his mind shattered like a broken glass, unable to comprehend the horror of his situation, and she knew that it was her selfish desires that had led to the man¡¯s current state of misery and suffering as she was the one who had forced him to partake in this suicide quest.

    She steeled herself. She had come too far and sacrificed too much to waiver on this quest now. Crouching in front of the man, she grabbed his face with both her hands and turned his head to look in her direction, and her eyes locked on his.

    She was now too close to the man to not notice the smell of his blood as it enticed her beyond usual, reminding her to satiate her rapidly developing hunger, soon.

    ¡®The least I can do is grant the man some relief from his pain and calm him down,¡¯ she thought as her emerald eyes locked into his, and within a moment the man stopped wailing and a calm washed over him as he stared at the direction of the stump which use to be his right arm, but all he could see was the pitch black of the forest.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    The light of the full moon was not able to reach these dark recesses of the forest, vaulted by the unyieldingly dense canopy.

    ¡°You''re going to be fine, professor¡­Right?¡± She tried to check on the man and see if her magic had worked.

    ¡°Yes¡­ I am fine,¡± he replied after taking a short moment to gather his thoughts. He turned his head to look in the direction of Liara¡¯s voice, ¡°That is some impressive magic you have there, girl. Mind telling me what school it belongs to?¡± he asked in his usual humorous tone, bringing some much-desired relief to Liara and a smile lined her face, which wasn¡¯t visible to the old man.

    ¡°Will you be able to stand?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I think I can manage with some help,¡± he replied.

    ¡°Helik,¡± She commanded, and the young warrior gently guided the older man upright, offering the man his shoulder to lean on.

    ¡°Alright then, gentlemen. This way,¡± She said after the professor was on his feet and able to move, and started walking towards the supposed direction of the artifact but the professor spoke and interrupted her movement forward.

    ¡°Ummm¡­ My lady, I can¡¯t see,¡± the professor complained as he struggled to move forward in the dark.

    ¡°Oh!¡­ Yeah, ofcourse,¡± Liara spoke, before motioning for Helik to aid the man and just like before the professor was once again perched on his back, resulting in Helik having a particularly distasteful look on his face, and before long they all resumed their journey, this time albeit in a more unhurried pace.

    ¡°I can¡¯t see the floor below, it¡¯s too dark,¡± Rok remarked as he peeked below from the edge of a crack in the ground into what looked to him like a bottomless pit of darkness. In their search of the artifact, they had found this unusually large fissure in the ground as the forest cleared up a bit and moonlight finally graced their eyes.

    ¡°I can see it, there is definitely a surface below,¡± Liara confirmed as she peeked into the darkness below.

    ¡°And you are sure the artifact is below there?¡± Rok asked, sounding a bit worried.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Liara replied in a confident tone.

    ¡°Well then, now it¡¯s only the matter of how to get down there. We¡¯ll need some source of light for starters and maybe we can build some rope for the professor and then¡­¡± Rok was suggesting before Liara cut him off.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go first and I¡¯ll take the professor with me. I¡¯ll¡­¡± Liara was speaking but Roan who stood behind her objected to her proposal, cutting her off mid-speech. ¡°No my lady, it¡¯s too risky. We don¡¯t know what dangers lurk down there. Maybe one of us can¡­¡±

    ¡°I am the only one who can do this. No one else would be able to descend in such darkness while carrying the professor. Besides, I see that you are in bad shape,¡± Liara interjected and reminded Roan of his injuries, which she hadn¡¯t failed to notice even when he had tried to hide them from her, making him grit his teeth in frustration and anger at his own inadequacy.

    ¡°We have come too far and risked too much for me to back down now,¡± she continued, looking determined.

    ¡°How in the name of, the holy, are we supposed to get down there, then? If it¡¯s that deep. We¡¯ll need ropes and other equipment and I am an old man if you haven¡¯t noticed,¡± the professor whined after he found about the crack that went deep under the ground.

    ¡°Relax, professor. I¡¯ll be making sure you remain unharmed. All you need to do is put your trust in me. Can you do that?¡± Liara asked in a serious tone, standing beside him at the edge of the crack.The professor remained in the dark about his surroundings as he was guided along by her.

    ¡°Ofcourse, my lady. I trust you,¡± He replied somewhat earnestly, trying to hide his obvious fear.

    ¡°Good,¡± She replied and without giving any more warnings lifted the professor in both her arms like a baby with such ease that he looked to be made of feathers, and then she jumped off the edge into the darkness below.

    She landed gracefully on the surface below, her dark power aiding in the process, and let go of the man in her arms, who stumbled aimlessly in the dark.

    She unfurled the cowl of her cloak and looked around studying the narrow corridor formed inside the cracked earth and found nothing out of the ordinary. She sensed the power of the artifact coming from somewhere along the path that led to the origin point of this massive fissure but the search could wait.

    Her eyes glowed more brightly for a moment before a bright green globe of light manifested over the palm of her raised right hand, starting from the size of a peanut and expanding into a ball five times the size of her fist, illuminating the dark surface and also her face.

    She was a woman who appeared to be at the peak of her youth, her oval face radiating youth and vitality. Her luxuriously long and luscious raven hair perfectly complimented her spotless pale skin and her dark green eyes added an ethereal quality to her already beautiful features.

    The globe of light moved off her hand and floated above her head, as she moved off the hard and rocky ground to a softer, earthier portion of the surface floor. The illumination had also finally allowed the old man to stop struggling in the dark.

    ¡°Can you see us?¡± Liara asked looking up.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Rok replied, peaking at her from the crack¡¯s opening above.

    ¡°The surface here is softer, it¡¯ll cushion the impact of the jump,¡± she advised and Rok nodded in agreement and retreated from the edge.

    Soon the brothers leaped off the edge, one after another, landing on the softer, illuminated area of the floor as dirt flew in all directions and a crater formed on the surface from the impact of the jump.

    Helik was the first to make the jump and he barely managed to make it without crashing to death, landing on all fours. Rok, who jumped after him, was much more poised in his landing.

    Roan also made the jump quite successfully but after landing on his feet he failed to remain upright and crashed to the floor, and then got back up without much delay and dusted himself off, refusing the help offered by Helik.

    ¡°Follow me,¡± Liara ordered after allowing the men a moment to collect themselves before she started moving in the direction where she assumed the artifact to be.

    The corridor became narrower the further they went until they reached the end of the fissure only to discover a cave opening which would lead them deeper underground.

    ¡°Stay on guard, men!¡± Roan barked as they entered. The atmosphere around them continued to evolve the further they went, the air becoming more oppressive and it got harder to breathe.

    These caves were home to an entire ecosystem, various kinds of mushrooms and other vegetation growing aplenty. All kinds of small critters scurried away in caution at the sight of the alien creatures invading their domain, flashing painfully bright lights, harming their highly sensitive eyes unaccustomed to its radiance.

    Where most people would get themselves lost within the maze of pathways, which was this cave system, Liara was managing to navigate through it quite effortlessly and soon they reached the supposed end of the narrow passageways and were awestruck at the sight which graced them.

    The small caves opened up into a massive cavern, the size of a lake. When they peeked below from their position on a platform above the surface floor of the cavern they discovered an entire city at its center, clearly ancient in age by all the visible degradation.

 1.06 The Hidden Path

    From the size of it, the city must have once housed more than ten thousands residents at its peak. The architecture of its buildings was basic and practical in design. The city was densely packed with Box shaped dwellings of various sizes, constructed using what appeared to be rough blocks of pale-yellow stone.

    The only structure that stood out amongst the monotonous square blocks was the massive triangular construction that stood at the center. It towered over everything else, its presence majestic and looming large over the entire city.

    The pyramids capstone was made of a golden material which looked like normal gold but shined like the sun itself. From a distance it would appear like a beacon in the dark, illuminating the entire city by its brilliance.

    ¡°Magnificent! Truly magnificent!¡± the professor exclaimed in awe, eyes wide in wonder as he gazed upon the city and especially the pyramid.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Rok blurted out watching the scene before him, looking completely unimpressed.

    ¡°That is it, that is where it must be,¡± Liara spoke pointing in the direction of the pyramid, which made everyone fix their gaze upon it.

    They descended the platform using a rough side-path that led towards the cavern floor.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ Paved roads, a drainage system and a civilization with an architecture valuing efficiency over flamboyance¡­ A lost chapter of our history rediscovered after all this time,¡± the professor remarked in excitement as he observed the interior of the city, while they walked on one of the main roads that cut through the city and divided it into four equal halves.

    The city¡¯s two main roads intersected at the exact center of the city where the pyramid lay, which meant their current path would lead them directly to it.

    ¡°Really? All I see is a useless crumbling ruin haunted by the smell of death and decay,¡± Rok retorted from behind making the professor sigh at Rok¡¯s profound ignorance.

    ¡®Finally, I will have all the power I need to avenge her,¡¯ Liara thought as her gaze lingered on the entrance to the temple-complex, standing at the base of the pyramid. Walking beside the massive stone door now mostly crumbled to dust, they entered a narrow causeway, which would lead them directly to the main temple hall.

    Walking along these ancient and unused corridors of this incredible structure brought untold pleasure to the professor. As he was taking in all the wonders of this place his attention was drawn immediately to the intricate carvings on both sides of the wall beside him.

    He had made plenty of brief stops at regular intervals to study and try to decipher its many mysteries, he wanted to examine them thoroughly for posterity as well as personal glory but Liara wouldn¡¯t allow him the time to do any of that. She moved forward along at a brisk pace, impatient to acquire her long-awaited prize, and their only source of light in this dark place moved along with her, leaving everything behind in shadows.

    She was finally forced to stop after they entered the main temple hall at the end of the narrow causeway. It was a fairly large rectangular room held up by several stone columns at regular intervals around its edges. Other than the ancient carvings on its four walls and a circular pile of rubble in the center of the room, the place was pretty empty and unadorned.

    ¡°Nothing here,¡± Helik finally gave words to the thought in everybody¡¯s mind, as he sifted through the rubble and the rest of them scoured the entire room for any object of interest, Roan¡¯s movements being more sluggish than the rest.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Professor? What do you make of this mess?¡± Liara finally asked in frustration after failing to make sense of the ruin in front of her, and when no reply came after a moment had passed she asked for him again, more forcefully this time, ¡°Professor?!¡± The professor had wasted no time since entering the hall.

    He had gone straight to examining the carvings on the four walls even with an inadequate source of light provided by Liara¡¯s glowing sphere and had been in deep thought about their meaning when Liara¡¯s question snapped him out of it.

    ¡°Uhmm¡­ Yes, my lady,¡± the professor blurted out and turned around to look at Liara and before long came over to study the rubble at the center of the room.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ Well, this is a¡­aaaa? Looks like it used to be a fountain. Its design is so bizarre but I am sure it¡¯s some kind of a fountain,¡± the professor said after a thorough inspection.

    ¡°A fountain? Are you sure? Cause this looks nothing like ones we have in Crea,¡± Liara asked somewhat skeptically.

    ¡°I am quite confident on that. I have dedicated a significant portion of my life in the study of various aqueducts. Although we may not be able to recreate them in this age, my studies may one day allow us to achieve what our ancestors could,¡± the professor said quite proudly.

    ¡°Eh? I see no source of water for this fountain,¡± Helik remarked standing beside Liara as he gazed at the ceiling of the room. He folded his arms and looked at the professor suspiciously before continuing, ¡°And I am sure I would have noticed massive aqueducts lying about in the city.¡±

    ¡°Yes, about that. I believe the source of the water is below us. There must be a mechanism which allows the water to surge from below. It could even be something magical.¡± The professor sounded excited at the existence of such a contraption.

    ¡°So, the artifact may lie below us. I know for sure it¡¯s nearby. I can still sense its power,¡± Liara spoke with her eyes shut as she concentrated.

    ¡°Maybe, there is a way for us to descend further?¡± The professor looked around for a clue.

    ¡°I think I might have just found it,¡± Rok said. He was standing next to the wall in front of the entrance which was missing any the carving marking the other three, his hands feeling the rough surface of its deteriorating stone bricks. ¡°There is something behind this wall.¡±

    ¡°A hidden door¡­ Right. Of course,¡± the professor said walking towards the wall that Rok was examining. While this entire conversation was taking place, Roan was the only one who didn¡¯t join in. He remained standing in a corner with his back against one of the columns, his eyes closed and his hand folded in silence, as he maintained his distance from the rest.

    Helik chuckled at the mention of a hidden door, ¡°You have gotta be kidding me. This is like one of those dumb children''s stories with treasures to be discovered behind some mysteriously hidden doors. What¡¯s next? A dragon perhaps?¡±

    ¡°There must be some trigger to open this.¡± The professor spoke, ignoring Helik¡¯s attempt at humor.

    ¡°Everyone! Stand away from the wall!¡± Liara barked before closing her eyes and raising her right fist to level with her face. She focused for a moment making the energy from her entire being flow towards her right hand and gather inside her tightly clenched fist, resulting in it gleaming with a blackish-green aura.

    When she felt she had gathered enough of it she unleashed a shock-wave that blasted the wall in front of her destroying large portions of it and creating a large hole to reveal stairs leading below.

    The dust and debris rising up from the fallout created an uncomfortable breathing environment for the people inside the room, causing the professor to cough and managing to irritate the rest but this was just a minor inconvenience compared to what transpired next.

    Opening the hidden path that had remained locked for countless centuries unleashed a barrage of foul smell hidden within. It caused the already coughing professor to empty out his already empty stomach and caused others to gag in disgust before they managed to block the smell by sealing their nose tightly.

    ¡°What in the fuck was that?!¡± Helik blurted out when the air around him was somewhat breathable and foul smell had dispersed enough not to haunt his sense of smell but he soon realized his folly. ¡°Apologies, my lady, for the crass language,¡± Helik apologized for cursing in her presence

    When Helik looked at Liara to gage her reaction to his apology he was quite alarmed at her weariness. She looked quite spent which was reflected by her drooping posture and the blood leaking out of her nose. ¡°My lady, Are you alright?¡± he asked with a worried expression on his face, before quickly moving to her aid.

    ¡°I am fine. I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Liara replied softly before wiping the blood gathered under her nose with the back of her left hand. She shook her head several times to clear off any drowsiness that had managed to slip in and straightened her back before heading straight down the stairs ahead of her, the men following one after another with Roan being the last.

 1.07 The Awakening Part 1

    ¡°Are all of these, human?¡± the professor mumbled, already aware of the answer to his own question after he gulped in fear. As they had descended further they had discovered bones of perished humans littering the stairs, the amount increasing the further down they went.

    ¡°What is this? Some kind of a cemetery?¡± Helik asked looking at the large piles of ancient human bones sprawled over the floor in front of him.

    At the bottom of the stairs lied a massive circular hall, illuminated by a golden light emanating from an object in the center of the room. The room was quite similar to one above with numerous columns supporting it but was round instead of rectangular, and the ceiling was a bit higher.

    A golden chalice lay on top off a raised pedestal in the middle of a strange mushroom garden, and within it laid stone benches arrayed at regular intervals. The light of the chalice also highlighted the horror of this place, showcasing the human remains in their hundreds, blanketing the entire floor of this grand hall.

    ¡°Something terrible happened in this place. All these people slaughtered¡­ Ripped apart, crushed¡­ consumed. I¡¯d say a very hungry and extremely powerful creature,¡± Rok explained, studying the remains. He stood up from his crouched position and looked at Liara, who was herself quite shocked at the carnage on display.

    ¡°My lady, we should leave. The thing that did this might still be around. This is starting to feel like a trap,¡± Rok warned.

    Liara turned her gaze away from the pile of bones and looked at Rok, her face of shock morphing into one of determination. ¡°No, we have come too far to give up now. I will have what I came for,¡± she stated before heading straight for the pedestal, walking over the pile of bones and past the mushroom garden. Without hesitation, she lifted the chalice with her right hand and started examining it thoroughly.

    ¡°This¡­ This isn¡¯t it¡­ I can feel some power within it but it isn¡¯t enough. I can still feel the presence of a greater power here,¡± She looked around before her gaze finally rested on the professor who as always was studying the carvings etched on the walls surrounding the hall. ¡°What do you make of them, professor?¡± she asked, walking towards the man.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ This place is some sort of a ritual hall. From these hieroglyphs, I can ascertain that much quite clearly. This one, down here. It has people bowing at the feet of a man holding the chalice; I assume it is a man. And here, this one depicts the same man raising the chalice towards the rising sun¡­¡± The professor abruptly stopped speaking and stared at a portion of the wall for a moment, ¡°What? What is all this?¡± The professor sounded alarmed.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, professor?¡± Liara asked, now standing beside the old man with the chalice in her hand. While the two of them were engaged in conversation, Helik and Rok were conducting their own investigations of the hall but staying alert for any signs of danger. Roan, on the other hand, was the last person to enter the great hall and seemed to struggle as he walked towards the pedestal.

    ¡®Looks like the potion is wearing off,¡¯ Roan thought as he struggled to retain his consciousness. The potion was able to suppress his exhaustion and temporarily accelerate the healing process, but it came with a price and now he was paying for it.

    The exhaustion had reclaimed his body with a vengeance and the jump from earlier had made things worse, reopening the wounds from earlier which the potion had managed to barely seal.

    The blood leaking out of the open wounds was now streaming along his arms inside his armor and dripping off the tip of his fingers, spilling over the mushrooms and seeping into the ground below as he walked by the garden.

    He had slowly made his way towards one of the stone benches, delighted at the thought of resting on its smooth surface. Just a moment, he needed just a moment of reprieve and he was convinced he could recover some of his strength. Every step forward was a lesson in torture, his vision blurring as he trudged along.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    I am pathetic.

    He was truly ashamed of his own shortcomings when he had promised himself that he would never show any weakness. He knew that a brother never showed weakness and he was supposed to be one of their best, the one they called ¡®The Slayer¡¯.

    I swear on the Great Mother, I will get stronger. I will never suffer such humiliation ever again.

    His mind replayed all the years of training, all the countless battles he had fought and emerged victorious. He had been through worse and survived, he was determined to make through this trial as well but in the end, he never would.

    As he walked through the garden the surface below his feet started vibrating and something erupted out off the ground beside him, sounding like an explosion and creating a cloud of dirt and dust around him.

    It happened fast enough to not even be registered by his already superhuman senses to respond in time, even if they weren¡¯t being dulled by the exhaustion. His eyes darted towards the ground and the first thing he noticed was his missing left leg, followed by a feeling of losing his balance. It had been ripped clean off, bone and all, as the blood gushed out of the stump that remained.

    ¡°I am telling you, this is unlike anything I have ever seen. If what depicted here is true then, the empire, no, the entire world will change. Our entire history will be¡­¡± the professor was explaining, excitedly sharing his discovery before Liara cut him off. ¡°Just tell me what you have learned?¡± She asked, getting frustrated.

    ¡°Alright. I¡­¡± the professor was going to explain further, when the explosive sound of the eruption rang out in the hall, forcing everyone to stop their activities and turn to look in the direction of its source, which was the cloud of dirt and dust settling over the mushroom garden surrounding the pedestal.

    Helik and Rok immediately drew their swords and cautiously walked towards the garden as dirt and rubble rained over them from above, but after hearing Roan¡¯s terrible scream they threw caution to the side and rushed towards the source of its origin. They found him writhing in pain, his left leg a bloody stump as he lied on the ground in a pool of his own blood.

    ¡°Roan? Brother Roan? What the¡­ Who did this?¡± Helik asked in desperation, crouching beside the bleeding man.

    ¡°What the fuck! What made that?¡± Rok asked after noticing the massive hole in the ground beside Roan. He received the answer to his question unexpectedly when he noticed a human-shaped silhouette appearing behind Helik.

    ¡°Behind you!!¡± Rok shouted.

    Helik reacted instantly, and with the sword in his hand, he turned around, and without hesitation thrust his sword in the direction of the person¡¯s heart, missing it by inches in panic but piercing through its chest with ease before withdrawing the blade, but he quickly realised the futility of that action as his intended target did not even flinch after receiving that blow, and remained unperturbed.

    When the dust settled some more, the enemies visage became visible. A walking corpse, that''s the only word that could describe it properly with all its flesh decayed to its bone. Its pin like sharp teeth coated red in blood, visible in their entirety due to the lack of flesh around its mouth, the only thing remaining intact as a whole were its petrifying eyes, glowing a bewitching bright silver.

    Helik had heard about vampires who went without blood for too long eventually starting to decay, but the creature in front of him wasn¡¯t like any vampire he had ever seen.

    Vampires had animal-like dual fangs, but this thing had sharp, long, pin-like teeth filling its entire mouth and even if that wasn¡¯t crazy enough, the white of its eyes was a pitch black and the irides were a surreal silver-white, rather than the usual dark green.

    The creature''s appearance surprised Helik for an instant but he recovered and struck it again, this time staying true to his aim and driving his blessed blade through the vampire¡¯s heart. But nothing happened, it barely fazed the creature.

    Panic and fear consumed Helik¡¯s mind and he tried dislodging the blade to strike again and go for the head this time, but the sword did not budge. The vampire had gripped the blade of the weapon with his left hand and no matter how much strength Helik exerted it refused to move an inch.

    The creature cocked its rotten head, while it contemplated something, and then it smiled or so it appeared to be, its distorted appearance making it difficult to ascertain. It was taking delight in watching Helik struggle to move his sword.

    The vampire exerted some pressure on the blade in its grip and it instantly crumbled into pieces, making it appear to be constructed using fragile glass, rather than hardened steel. The sudden release of the blade from the vampire¡¯s grasp caused Helik to stagger backward, still holding the sword of which only the hilt and a piece of broken steel remained.

    Before Helik could even completely collect himself, the vampire seemingly disappeared and reappeared directly in front of him, just inches away, the creature moving so fast as to appear to have just teleported, before it sank its vicious teeth in Helik¡¯s neck, biting hard enough to rip open flesh and crush bone.

 1.08 The Awakening Part 2

    Rok watched in terror as the creature devoured Helik right in front of his eyes, and he found himself completely helpless to prevent it. He knew he had no chance against this vampire, he saw it survive a literal bless¡¯ed-blade going through its heart. No vampire he knew could have survived through that.

    He could have charged in blind and put his trust in something as arbitrary as personal luck, and pray that the enemy is incompetent enough to allow him even a minute chance of success at winning.

    Rok was never a hero and he never pretended to be, valuing pragmatism and cold competence over needless chivalry and futile perseverance, and even at a moment as dire as this one, his excessively rational mind wouldn¡¯t allow him to become one.

    In his entire long and according to him a full life, he never once found himself in a situation where there was no chance of victory. He never found himself completely helpless against a foe, even when they were surrounded by wolves earlier he knew he atleast had a fighting chance. This was a new feeling for him and he never imagined it would be his last.

    Liara watched in horror as Helik¡¯s head was ripped off his neck as the creature bit deep into him. She had watched it all. Cheered after watching Helik drive his blade into the creature''s heart and stood stunned in terror watching the monster survive it.

    She had wanted to help. She could have aided them with magic, but it hadn¡¯t recovered enough after using it extensively earlier or so she wanted to believe.

    Would I be able to use my magic in this situation, even if I could? No!

    She felt stupid at even thinking she could be of any help in a real fight. How could someone like her who had never even held a sword in her life hope to be of any help to seasoned warriors? Her magic was also more geared towards illusions and minor defense, as she had always preferred to solve any disputes through diplomacy and peaceful measures that avoided any kind of violence.

    In her blind rage, she had managed to lose all her sense of perspective and had actually believed she could kill or hurt Vesilia¡¯s murderers. But the all too real brutality of the violence displayed in front of her eyes had snapped her out of any dreams of revenge. Her body shuddered at the thought fighting that monster.

    A silly little girl like me avenging the death of the Great and powerful Vesilia when I don¡¯t even have the nerve to defend myself.

    She had thought her power was inadequate for the task at hand. She thought if she could somehow manage to gain more if she could just get strong enough. She had been naive.

    The only thing that was inadequate was my resolve. Why did I even decide to pursue this foolish quest? Vesilia never liked heroes, and she would have berated me for acting like one. If I just had one more chance, I would... I. It is hopeless. This is the end, and I am going to die.

    As these thoughts swirled in her mind, Liara watched the monster let go of Helik¡¯s headless body. Apparently, for some unknown reason, it had decided to stop playing with its food and offered Rok a swift death by moving behind him in an instant and ripping out his spine.

    As the last of the brothers fell, the professor who had been cowering behind her with his back to the wall decided to make a run for it. He bolted towards the stairs hoping to escape but it was not going to be that easy. After taking no more than two steps towards the direction of the stairs and in his mind his freedom, his head exploded into several pieces, the remainder of his body collapsing to the floor.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    The creature who had been licking the blood dripping off the spine noticed the man who was trying to escape from the corner of its eye. Without even turning to look at him the vampire casually tossed the piece of the blade which he had removed from his chest and had been holding it in his left hand in the direction of the old man.

    It struck the man¡¯s head, dead on, after going straight through a column in its path and crumbling it to pieces, and only stopping after burrowing itself deep into the wall beside the professor.

    The impact had resulted in completely crushing the professors head like a piece of fruit, scattering bits and pieces of his head over the floor, and the wall beside him, which was now severely damaged by absorbing the remaining momentum of the sharp projectile.

    The cracks originating from the point of impact in the wall were snaking far and wide to engulf a significant portion of the room, and for a moment threatening to bring the entire structure to its knees.

    Liara kept taking several steps back in terror until she had her back to the crumbling wall when the vampire suddenly appeared close to her and examined his newest victim. He picked up a bowl-shaped piece of shattered skull and drank the blood pooled within it.

    After taking a sip he let it fall back to the ground and shatter into even smaller bits. It seemed that he did not particularly enjoy the taste. She couldn¡¯t help but feel relieved as he returned back to continue draining and consuming the brothers, quickly moving to finally end the suffering of the now whimpering, Roan.

    Liara sat hugging her legs with her back to the wall, and her face was half buried inside her knees while her watery eyes stared intently at the monster devouring her allies.

    Even with all her fear and sorrow, she couldn¡¯t help but notice the now utterly intoxicating smell of the professor¡¯s blood spreading on the floor beside her and splattered all over the wall behind her. She should have felt horrible for thinking about a thing like that at a time like this, but the hunger couldn¡¯t care less about her state of mind, it needed, no demanded to be satiated.

    Watching the creature drain her companions to their last crimson drop only managed to make her own dark hunger rise to the surface, but her fear prevented her body from acting on it.

    As the creature in front of Liara fed, his decaying body slowly started to recover. New healthy muscles were the first thing to regenerate filling out the vampire¡¯s entire frame, transforming his attenuated and wilted figure to an exquisitely chiseled, and muscular one.

    The peerless new skin growing on the creature¡¯s body was dark ebony in colour, a shade unknown to Liara. The hair filling up the top of his head was long, curly and silver-white, standing in stark contrast to the dark tone of his skin.

    The creature was completely nude except for a black crystal hanging below his neck, from a necklace made of dark green fiber.

    Though she should be revolted at the sight of the person who had just massacred her entire party, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a little awed. The human looking creature in front of her was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

    As tall as Helik or taller even, the vampire possessed a physique that defied her wildest preconceptions of beauty. Simply, he looked beyond human, beyond vampire and bordered on the divine.

    When the vampire was fully restored and had finished draining the three warriors, he closed his eyes and let out a short groan conveying deep satisfaction, before his attention finally shifted to the only breathing sentient being in the room.

    Liara trembled inwardly in terror as the vampire¡¯s petrifying silver eyes gazed at her shriveled form. One moment he was standing still in the middle of the hall and in a blink of an eye he was crouched in front of her, just inches away from her face, his eyes finding hers. Sensing danger her body instinctively tried moving backward in panic, away from the horror in front of her but there was nowhere to run as her back was pressed against the wall.

    Her heart pounded wildly in her chest and she was having difficulty breathing, her mind reeling in absolute terror as she stared at her doom. She snapped her eyes shut when she noticed the man slowly bring his right hand towards her face. ¡®This is it,¡± she thought.

    ¡°Le..yaaa¡­raa,¡± the man grumbled as his right hand gently caressed Liara¡¯s left cheek, causing her to slowly open her eyes and stare at the man in shock.

 2.01 The Offer

    Liara knew it wasn¡¯t just her mind playing tricks on her, the man had just verbalized something and it sounded eerily similar to her name.

    Was he listening on us all along? No! It is not possible during the Vallakorim¡­ Then? Then how did he know my name?

    ¡°Shekin¡­ lodi flor?¡± he spoke in a questioning manner but the words were completely unintelligible to her. He looked at her expecting a response but Liara was too afraid to speak and just stared back at him with a confused look on her face.

    ¡°Shekin?!¡± the man spoke more forcefully this time, moving his right hand off her face and pointing it in the direction of the bodies lying on the mushroom garden.

    ¡°I¡­ I¡­ What?¡± Liara responded as she thought staying mum anymore would provoke a violent response. After hearing her reply and noticing the apprehensive look persist on her face, the vampire let out a sigh in defeat and annoyance. He tilted his head and gazed at the bloody corpse of the professor for a brief moment. The blood leaking out of the body had flowed in all directions some of it pooling right below them.

    The vampire extended his left hand towards the bloody floor and dipped two of his fingers inside the still warm but rapidly cooling red liquid and then retrieved them to put in his mouth. He closed his eyes as the professor''s blood entered his body.

    ¡°Lover?¡± He asked after opening his eyes, pointing his right hand in the direction of the bodies once more.

    It took Liara a moment to puzzle together the meaning of the man¡¯s word, his tone implying he was asking a question. It was barely intelligible to her but it was definitely Corolion the merchant tongue thickly coated in a bizarre and alien accent.

    ¡®Lover?¡¯ She thought as her frightened mind raced to try and decipher the meaning behind the question. She saw that his right hand was pointed in the direction of the dead brothers. Was he asking her if one of them was her lover? If so why? Why would a monster like him ask such a nonsensical question? Why would he even care about such trivial things?

    From the power he had displayed he was clearly an ancient and they rarely showed any interest in mundane matters. Even in here terror-stricken stupor this bizarre question made no sense to her and she was beyond confused now. She should have been dead already if things had gone the way her mind had predicted it to go.

    ¡°No!¡± she blurted out in haste, almost instinctively while shaking her head furiously. This was not the time to ponder on the why. She had to survive.

    The ancient looked at her curiously after hearing her answer, his face a mask of stoicism as he studied her. Liara got increasingly anxious as the man¡¯s unflinching gaze lingered on her for what felt to her like an eternity. She had answered him truthfully.

    Although she appreciated the three men, even so far as to respecting Roan for his competence, they were far from anything she would consider a lover. She had been so consumed with the thoughts of nothing but exacting vengeance the past year, love had no meaning in her quest, and besides coupling with humans was forbidden to the purebreds.

    The ancients gaze lingered on her for a few moments before he sighed and Liara swore she saw a hint of disappointment in his expression before it returned back to the usual stoic state. He stood up from his crouched position and observed his surroundings for a brief moment before glancing towards the stairs and literally vanishing from Liara¡¯s sight, but it was clear to her where he had gone, she could still sense his power.

    She sighed in relief as the shadow of certain death lifted from her mind for the moment. She had a million questions and she was still angry at the brutal murder of her companions, which had gotten overshadowed by the overwhelming fear precipitated by her precarious predicament. She had to survive; she had to get back to her guardians in the imperial city. Vengeance for her dear mentor would have to wait.

    She stood up slowly still a bit shaken and started making her way towards the stairs. She had thought about retrieving the chalice that had slipped of her hand in the chaos but decided to leave it be as she wasn''t sensing any magic coming from the thing any longer. The thing was now also completely soaked in the professor''s blood, so retrieving it now could just tempt her to do something unsavory that she might later regret.

    Despite the dire situation she still hadn¡¯t given up on bringing justice to Vesilia. She could not allow her murderers to roam free and unpunished. This time she would not make the same mistake as before, if she did survive through this she would not try to achieve the impossible on her own after clearly understanding her own severe limitations, the recent horror being a brutal lesson in humility.

    She made her way back through the temple complex, picking up the pace as she went. Stepping over the crumbling ruins of what was once a massive stone door of the temple complex she was once again greeted with the similar sight of the ancient vampire who stood motionless just a few meters away from her, gazing at the city ahead of him. She stopped abruptly, unsure of her next course of action but soon caught herself gawking at his naked form.

    She couldn¡¯t help herself from admiring the muscular perfection in front of her. She mentally chided herself for attraction she felt towards the monster, and he was a monster, a simple mindless brute like all men but more man than others.

    Now that she could see clearly through the fog of fear clouding her mind, the nonsensical question the brute had asked earlier made more sense. A mindless creature of rage and violence wouldn¡¯t be able to form any coherent thoughts that made sense in the first place. Maybe she would be able to tame the creature and use its power for her own agenda.

    She decided to risk it; fairly certain he wouldn¡¯t be able to detect her casting magic. She knew male vampires never inherited the dark gift and are unable to sense the presence of the great mother¡¯s power. She started building up power imagining a simple charm spell in her mind, her eyes glowing brilliant dark green as an invisible wave of power carrying the spell burst from the center of her forehead. The wave crashed behind the man¡¯s head and then¡­ nothing.

    Liara was completely dumbfounded as she felt the power of her spell simply vanish out of existence as it touched the man. Her confidence waned and the fear from earlier started creeping back in as she noticed the man twitch a little as the spell crashed over him. She knew the spell hadn¡¯t worked and she also knew somehow that the monster was aware of that same fact.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    Liara awaited the man¡¯s judgment expecting the worse as she had just attacked him and the creature was clearly aware of it. After several moments of silence nothing happened and the man stood still, not even turning around to look at her. She was sure she heard a sigh coming from the man ahead of her before he spoke.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid little nightling, I mean you no harm,¡± the man spoke much more clearly this time but still thick with his unique accent. Without turning around he gestured with his right hand for her to come and stand beside him and she obeyed in a hurry.

    ¡°I must apologize for any inconvenience I caused you and urge you to be at ease. I see now that my actions from earlier have clearly caused you distress forcing you to perform your¡­ tricks on my person,¡± he said.

    Liara who now stood right beside the man was completely taken aback after hearing his apology; it was the last thing she had expected to come out of this monster''s mouth. Things were not going the way she had imagined.

    She had expected him to get angry and lash out as would be expected of a man, but she nonetheless welcomed this unexpected turn of events. Clearly, the great mother smiled on her this night as this was all playing right into her strengths and the one thing she was extremely confident in, her diplomatic skills.

    ¡°I must apologize as well for my rudeness. I was unsure of your intentions after you killed my¡­ companions,¡± She replied honestly, struggling a bit at the end. Lying to an ancient would be dangerous and counterproductive as she was clearly at his mercy and it was clear to her he did not intend to kill her, yet.

    ¡°The hunger, it has a mind of its own, it makes us do cruel things. I hope you understand,¡± he said apologetically, darting his silver eyes in her direction to gauge her reaction before returning to look towards the city in front of him.

    ¡°I¡­ I do,¡± she replied feeling her own dark hunger swelling inside her. The apology sounded genuine to her; maybe he wasn¡¯t just a brute after all.

    ¡°I have come to believe that rescuing me wasn¡¯t your objective in coming here, it is quite obvious. I, however, am very grateful for it nonetheless and would like to repay that debt,¡± the ancient said.

    ¡°Oh! Well, it was a pleasure to be of service, my¡­ lord,¡± she spoke looking at the man beside her with a nervous smile, her voice fumbling a bit at the end. She immediately regretted her words as she noticed a frown form on the man¡¯s face.

    ¡°I don¡¯t appreciate the needless flattery and false decorum, you can call me Kal if you need to address me, and I would like for you to be blunt with me from now on. You can start by telling me your true purpose in coming here,¡± he asked in a firm voice that exuded power, directly looking at the small woman beside him for the first time with a harsh expression.

    The sudden change in tone made Liara cringe in fear almost instinctively. She hadn¡¯t expected this response from the man. In her usual encounters, flattery went a long way in generating goodwill between oneself and your intended quarry.

    ¡°I wanted vengeance for the murder of my mentor and to achieve that I needed a lot of power quickly. I came to discover about a wise man that had several theories about the supposed locations housing objects of great power. I and my companions along with the old man were in search for one of these items, but instead we found you,¡± she said.

    After she explained her purpose in being here the man¡¯s face softened a bit and he turned his head to look forward once more, pondering on what the girl had just told him.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ Vengeance for your beloved, a noble venture indeed. If it is power that you seek I can lend you mine in your endeavors and I can aid you in your search for this vengeance you so desperately seek,¡± he said flatly.

    Liara was now sure as ever that the Great Mother was watching over her. This creature in front of her was strong. She didn¡¯t know how strong but at least as strong as an enforcer. If he truly did wish to aid her it would certainly make it easier to achieve her goals. But could he be trusted? Of course not, but what other option did she have? She had the suspicion that refusal was not really a valid option in this situation.

    The search for powerful weapons was not an option any longer with the death of the professor, and even with the help of a monster like him by her side, she wasn¡¯t sure she could win against an enemy as powerful as the Rokaal. She would need more help. Beginnings of a plan started formulating in her mind and she looked at the man beside her and smiled.

    ¡°I humbly accept your generous offer, but I must warn you my enemies are the Rokaal. Helping me might get you killed,¡± she warned, trying to test if he would keep his word knowing what he would be facing if he decided to help. This was a dangerous gamble telling the man about the Rokaal, maybe the man was an ally of them and would just kill her outright, but as she had decided to accept the man¡¯s help it would be unwise to hide such an important detail from him.

    The ancient looked directly at her, his stoic expression remaining unchanged at the mention of the Rokaal.

    ¡°And who might these Rokaal be?¡± he asked in a dispassionate tone.

    Liara frowned at his question. Was he really that ignorant or was this a trick question? Did he really not know about the Rokaal Clan? What had he been doing all this time? Hiding under a rock? Ok, he sort of was, but still, every vampire who has ever lived knows about the Clans. They have existed since the beginning of time. Maybe his brain had decayed along with his body and his memories must have been affected. Yes, that could be the only explanation, she decided.

    ¡°Do you really not know who they are?¡± she asked trying to confirm his ignorance and when he continued staring at her apathetically she decided to explain. ¡°They are a powerful Clan of our race, the followers of the Priestess Rokaalin.¡±

    She waited to see if he atleast knew about the priestess but from his unchanged expression, it was clear he had no idea about anything. Now she was sure he had lost his memories, so she continued. ¡°Don¡¯t you know about the seven priestesses of the Great Mother?¡± she asked

    ¡°Great Mother? Who is that?¡± he questioned in reply.

    Liara thought this was getting ridiculous now; explaining everything about the history of their race would take months. She decided to stick to what was relevant for now. ¡°She is the creator of our race. Anyways I am just trying to warn you about the great danger in aiding me.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, little one, I am quite capable of handling anything that comes in my path,¡± he stated flatly without any trepidation.

    ¡®Wow! Such hubris,¡¯ Liara thought but decided against arguing any further and antagonizing the man.

    ¡°Alright then, we should get going,¡± she said and slowly started to move forward and the man followed behind. After walking halfway across the city she sneaked a look behind to see if the ancient man was still there as his movements were so silent, but she immediately regretted that decision and snapped her head back in a hurry and blushed. She had almost forgotten about the man¡¯s nakedness, with his member hanging out in full glory. She really needed to get him some clothes.

    They soon made it out of the caves and Liara looked behind to find no one, the man named Kal was missing. She tried searching for his power and was surprised find that he was already above her, he had somehow managed to make it up there without even alerting her senses. She followed using the small stone ledges embedded in the cliff face as she climbed, her strength boosted by her power.

    ¡°We need to get back to our wagon, if you would follow me,¡± Liara said standing behind Kal who was looking around almost in amazement and wonder. She walked forward setting a brisk pace with Kal following behind, his attention occupied by his surroundings.

    ¡°This place, I don¡¯t remember there being so much green. What is this place?¡± he asked.

    ¡°It is called the Milanka forest,¡± she replied earnestly.

    ¡°Huh! A forest, things really have changed.¡± He said in almost a whisper, looking a bit awed as he surveyed the giant forest surrounding them.

 2.02 The Price of Honor

    Kal was getting a bit overwhelmed at the unending assault on his senses by the sounds and smells emanating from every corner of this vast forest, it was unlike anything he had ever experienced. As a child, he had dreamed of places where he imagined the Spirit Kings would reside, but this exceeded even his most vivid imaginations. He could see flora of almost every color under the sun within the scope of his vision.

    He could detect the scent of over a hundred different species of animals mixed in with the combined smell of exotic flowers, plants and even the wood and wet earth.

    He could hear the gushing of water from small rivulets a mile away, the squeaking of small critters as they scurried about in the dark of the night, the beating heart of several predators who stalked them, and if he concentrated hard enough he could even hear the movement of insects below the earth he stood upon.

    He was forced to limit his hearing capabilities to a small area of about several meters as the all that sounds bombarding his senses got too much to bear. He decided to hone his senses at a later date to remedy this weakness.

    He noticed that the earth beneath his feat was moist, cool, soft to touch and brimming with life, so unlike the barren desert. He heard the rustling of leaves as a cool breeze blew past them, the temperature almost perfectly hospitable to allow Kal a pleasant sensation as it brushed past his skin, the direct opposite of the harsh winds of the desert.

    Even while his mind was occupied by the exotic wonders around him, he did not forget about the exotic being walking in front of him, with skin as pale as ivory. He had not paid much attention to these humans in his state of hunger but now that he was noticing her closely, they looked nothing like the humans he had known. How long had he been locked way in there? Was he even on the same plane of existence? He wondered.

    When he had woken he wanted to devour anything and everything in sight, but the surprising amount of nourishment provided by the blood of those three men was beyond any human blood he ever consumed. Now that he had tasted that blood, the blood from the old man which he remembered as pure human tasted like water in comparison. When he finally got to the woman his instincts had screamed at him to devour her, and he wanted to, she had smelled so irresistibly good.

    Then he looked into her eyes, and they reminded him of someone he knew intimately, and he recalled the intense emotions of love and devotion he had felt coming from the young man for the woman in front of her before he was consumed. Such strong emotions made him a bit envious of the human boy and he had to know if the girl reciprocated these feelings.

    Lucky for her, in the process of their conversation the blood frenzy clouding his mind slowly rescinded and he was able to think more objectively. He had decided she would be more useful alive than dead. Maybe she could lead him to the one he wanted. The one person he truly cared for.

    Yazarin!

    This girl had eyes so much like hers, a bit less deep shade of green. Now that he could concentrate, she even smelled a bit like Yazarin, while still maintaining her unique scent. He was sure there had to be some connection between the two.

    After the girl had told him her story concerning the need for revenge and justice for her mentor, he appreciated her thirst for more power to which he could relate. In the world he had known there was no true justice but the one you created for yourself through your own strength.

    He had decided that helping this little girl might be amusing enough and he could use some company after the eternity in solitude, and he also thought it might help in shaving off some of the rust accrued in his muscles.

    After a half an hour of walking, they reached what looked to him like a large clearing. Moving deeper in he saw several corpses of what looked to be large wolves spread around a still smoking pile of burnt wood. He knew they were there long before he got any visual confirmation as he was able to smell their blood from almost half a mile away.

    On one side of the clearing he saw a large wooden structure and from the small pieces of wood spread all around he guessed that the thing had seen better days.

    ¡°What are those things?¡± Kal asked pointing at the dead wolves.

    ¡°Those are the werewolves that attacked us on our way towards you. My companions managed to kill a few and we barely managed to escape from the rest,¡± she explained. Her eyes drooped in mourning, as she recalled the events of the last hour.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°Werewolves?¡± Kal asked curiously.

    ¡°That''s what we call them. No one knows what they truly are truth be told. Most humans believe them to be a curse placed upon us by their God for all our sins. Laughably absurd,¡± Liara said, chuckling at the end.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Kal mumbled as he looked pointedly at the corpses.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get you something to wear,¡± she said before hurrying herself towards the wooden machination.

    In the meantime Kal inspected the corpses, sampling some of the blood from the creatures that had yet to be absorbed by the earth. He thought it was much better than a human¡¯s, even in its cold and decaying state, but it could never compare to the blood of those three men from earlier.

    A moment after rummaging through the crumbling wooden structure she approached Kal, carrying a bundle of what he could guess were clothes made from a soft unknown fabric. He had seen the old man wearing something similar.

    ¡°Here! You can use these,¡± she said holding out the bundle for Kal. Her face appeared more red than usual and her eyes were looking everywhere but at Kal. He found that behavior extremely odd, to say the least, but he easily understood what she wanted him to do. Clearly, the men of this age were expected to wear these clothes so he didn¡¯t question her and just took the bundle.

    After ridding herself of the burden she quickly turned around and bolted back towards the wooden creation, leaving him to figure out the correct way of putting these on. He had expected some instructions from the girl but did not want to appear weak by asking her directly. He would have to figure it out on his own.

    It took a while and he had to rearrange and readjust some portions but he finally managed to put them on in the way he remembered the old man sporting them. He wore a grey shirt and brown pants fastened by a brown leather belt and donned a dark blue cloak over them. He thought these clothes were a bit tight than what he remembered wearing but he still found them quite comforting.

    ¡°I am sorry for the lack of boots, I swear I''ll get you some good ones as soon as we visit a town,¡± Liara said folding her hands in a sincere gesture of apology. She had returned after taking her time gathering her things from the wagon.

    ¡°Boots?¡± Kal asked with a confused expression on his face, clearly not knowing what she was talking about.

    Liara raised an eyebrow at that question, clearly wondering if he was serious but then she remembered she was probably talking to an amnesiac and resigned herself to answer. She slightly parted the right side of her cloak to reveal her right foot and the riding boots made of black leather she wore.

    ¡°Oh!¡± Kal swiftly exclaimed in acknowledgment as he remembered the men from earlier wearing something similar.

    ¡°Dawn is still a few hours away,¡± she said looking towards the mountains due east after correcting her cloak and Kal followed her gaze to look in the same direction.

    She then turned around and pointed in the opposite direction before speaking, ¡°The nearest town lies west far beyond those mountains.¡±

    ¡°If we run using our full strength we would make it to the foot of those mountain cliffs before dawn. There we can rest within one of several small caves lining the bottom of the cliff walls. My companions and I made a camp there several days earlier, so I know them to be safe. I¡¯ll explain further once we are safe within one of those caves,¡± she said before turning to look directly at Kal ready to answer any questions he might pose, but Kal just gave a slight nod of acceptance and then they were both off towards their destination.

    They reached their mark just in the nick of time, a small opening beneath a cliff facing a valley to the north, sandwiched between two massive mountains, the period of pre-dawn reaching its zenith. It was the only opening in sight for miles that allowed journey westwards surrounded by unscalable terrain.

    This night long trek through the forest was beyond taxing on Liara¡¯s small starving body, her skin looked paler than usual almost bloodless and she panted heavily as they entered the mouth of the cave.

    ¡°You need blood,¡± Kal stated a bit derisively after a brief examination of Liara¡¯s pitiful condition. He appeared completely unfazed by the recent exertion as he stood leaning his back against the cave wall, arms folded with a look of contempt evident on his face.

    ¡°You should have drunk from the old man when you had the chance. I know you wanted to,¡± Kal said gleefully before he smirked at Liara, who looked at him with weary eyes, still recovering from the exhaustion. She slumped down with her back to the cave wall opposite Kal¡¯s near the entrance and looked up at him. She took a deep breath before answering, ¡°I just couldn¡¯t do it. I just couldn¡¯t further desecrate his corpse, I just respected him too much to do that.¡±

    ¡°So you chose to suffer weakness, for what? Some vague notion of honor? The human was already dead, and you honor the dead by following their example if they are worthy and respecting their accomplishments, not by preserving the dignity of their rotting ephemeral mortal coil,¡± Kal scolded now glaring at the sorry form of Liara in front of him.

    He hated the people who deliberately put themselves at a disadvantage for arbitrary reasons. They reminded him of someone he hated with a passion of a thousand burning suns.

    ¡°I am sorry for being such a disappointment,¡± Liara apologized, her head low as her eyes were unable to confront Kal¡¯s judging gaze. She regretted making him witness her moment of weakness but did not regret the decision she made regarding the professor and did not think this was the place or time to have a philosophical debate about the concept of honor.

    She had expected to find some spare bottles of blood within the confines of the wagon to replenish her strength, but they are were all destroyed when she found them. It must have been the wolves she guessed responsible for the deed as she had seen several claw marks within. The only thing of use she was able to find within the wagon was a small pouch of gems and coin, left untouched.

    Kal just clicked his tongue in disappointment and turned his head away from her direction to look towards the ever brightening expanse of the forest outside the cave.

 2.03 Conquering the Nemesis

    After a moment had passed between them in silence, Liara slowly hauled herself back on her feet, her hands easily latching on to the small crevices on the rough cave wall beside to aid her ascension.

    ¡°We should move further in,¡± she said meekly, anxiously glancing at Kal from the corner of one eye, too ashamed to face him directly. Her mind had alerted her to the ever-looming presence of the approaching golden malevolence as a familiar sensation washed over her body.

    It was a feeling of your body getting progressively heavier. It was like being at the bottom of an ever-deepening ocean or being encased in an invisible armor that steadily grew heavier, the severity of which was determined by the proximity of a vampire to direct sunlight.

    Even though vampires could safely hide in the shadows during the day and survive the almost instant incineration, they could never truly escape the sun¡¯s oppressive presence. It was always there, even in the blackest of nights.

    Liara waited patiently for Kal to respond, and accept her request but concluded that he was ignoring her when she saw him continue to intently stare at the forest outside.

    ¡°Look, I am sorry, Ok?! But it is dangerous here, we should go in,¡± she warned. She was now directly looking at Kal with a concerned expression, her growing anxiety a direct result of the increasing proximity between them and the golden light blanketing the world and slowly creeping towards the cave from the eastern mountains.

    She had hoped an apology might elicit a response from the man but Kal just ignored her warning once again, standing utterly motionless.

    What was he gazing at that was so important to make it worth enduring this torturous pressure? Was he some kind of a masochist? She wondered before she followed his gaze to ascertain the source of interest occupying Kal¡¯s attention, but discovered nothing of import after searching for a few moments with her eyes.

    In the end, the pressure from the approaching sun became so oppressive that her body dragged itself deeper into the shadows of the cave to avoid the escalating torment. When she was at a more comfortable distance from the entrance she looked back to check on Kal and found him still locked in place, dangerously close to death''s door.

    ¡°Kal!¡± She called in distress, her eyes almost pleading, but the ebony warrior kept ignoring her.

    She wasn¡¯t sure how far the sunlight would advance beyond the entrance, but it wasn¡¯t worth dying over to find out.

    She called him again several times, each call more forceful than the last, her gaze alternating between the man and the approaching sunlight, but like the rest, they all went unanswered. She had stopped only after she saw that the advance of the golden light halted mere inches from Kal¡¯s position. She sighed in relief as the mounting tension in her body subsided, but then it shot back up again when she saw him slowly extend his left hand towards the light.

    What was he trying to do? Turn his hand into ash? Was his amnesia so profound for him to forget about the dangers of the sun? Her questions were answered when she saw Kal¡¯s left hand going past the curtain of light and remaining unaffected. Her eyes shot wide and her jaw dropped as she stared at the impossible. She blinked her eyes a few times to remind herself that this wasn¡¯t just a dream.

    ¡®Could it be possible? A vampire, who can defy the sun,¡¯ She thought in awe, but then quickly buried that insane conclusion. ¡®No! Ofcourse not. That is just crazy. This has to be an illusion,¡¯ she surmised. She knew that a person with sufficient power and proficiency in the dark arts could just about produce any kind of an illusion. But there was a huge gaping hole in that particular deduction of hers, male vampires were unable to use dark magic, but then she remembered something.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Could the legends about those illusive male vampires that inherited the mother¡¯s gift be true?

    She had thought them to be nothing but fantasy stories manufactured by despondent men of the clans to bolster their self-esteem, but maybe there was some truth to it after all. Her mind had just refused to accept the simple truth of the matter in front of her, and sought ways to prove it to be nothing but an elaborate deception as the truth was beyond anything she could ever begin to comprehend.

    Then her mind went blank as she watched Kal slowly walk beyond the cave¡¯s mouth and fully exposed his body to the lethal radiance. He stood with his arms wide for a short while, soaking up the moment, and then he was gone to a place no vampire could ever follow, the day world.

    <hr><hr>

    Kal ran through the woods using all his might while the sun beamed above, a joyous smile on his face and his eyes glowing brighter, as he left a dirt storm in his wake. His speed was getting progressively faster as he went about, his body expending a large amount of energy in the process, but he barely felt that loss.

    After exposing himself to the light, his body had started absorbing the sun¡¯s energy at an alarming rate, filling him with massive amounts of raw power, replenishing any loss of energy almost instantly and storing the excess in his muscles, making them stronger in the process. He felt his body grow stronger the more he exerted himself under the sun¡¯s restoring embrace. It was beyond exhilarating. He felt invincible under the sun.

    Memories of him playing under the desert sun as a human, flashed through his mind as he remembered those peaceful moments. Those memories had always felt like a hazy dream to him, too distant to be of any relevance before this moment in time. Now that he could walk in the sun once more he felt like that human kid he once used to be.

    Contrary to Liara¡¯s assumptions about Kal¡¯s state of mind, he had been keenly aware of her warnings about the dangers of the impending sun. From the moment he had woken up he had felt different, more unrestricted. Like being free from a mental prison he never knew his mind was in. At first, he wrote it off as a side-effect of a weakened and recovering body, but when the feeling persisted he became determined to investigate further in search of answers.

    It did not take him long to figure out what was causing this condition, his inability at feeling the tyrannical presence of the sun. The indomitable presence that had haunted him all through his ascended existence was notably absent. The constricting pressure it had exerted was no more. He concluded that some significant changes had occurred to his body in the time he had been stagnant.

    He had become more cognizant about the profound nature of his changes when he felt absolutely no aggravation standing inches away from the sunlight. A feeling arose in his guts that he now had the ability to walk into the light without turning to ash, but he wasn¡¯t completely sure he should trust it, but all those doubts were washed away when he tested this feeling by placing a hand into the light without it getting instantly incinerated to dust.

    He had begun to suspect or was quite sure that this new found power had something to do with him consuming the avatar of light. The damnable thing had almost killed him with its poisonous blade before he even got close enough. But it looked like after all this time in hibernation, the black crystal had managed to cure him.

    Kal finally stopped his rampage through the forest and stood at the edge of a small body of water, gazing below at his reflecting form, which was now barely recognizable to him. He looked nothing like the scrawny little boy he once used to be. He had grown taller and bulkier in his time away from the world and his hair had changed color from black to a silver-white.

    A sly grin developed on his face in appreciation of the visage reflected by the water. He raised his head to look at the sky, arching his back slightly so his head was almost parallel to the blue ceiling above. He just silently stared at it for a brief moment before he suddenly roared a cry of triumph. ¡°Father!¡± He bellowed intensely. ¡°I have done it, Father! I have achieved your ultimate dream! I have conquered the sun!¡±