They were still in Valeria, and moving forward would lead them to an army of mages and the capital. The man did not hope to defeat his former colleagues, especially since Advisor Georg had significantly strengthened his forces and had already slaughtered over ten thousand vampires, driving them out of the magical kingdom's borders and pushing them into neighboring countries.
They could turn back and make their way through depopulated territories to the kingdom of Orod, but no one knew for sure how long they would have to starve on the road or whether the soldiers would survive the journey. Moreover, Orod was also infested with vampires, and they would not welcome competitors.
They could turn southeast and invade Toshal, but there was already another squad on that side of the border. They would have to share the territory, which they wanted to avoid. The last route remaining was south, into the kingdom of Badi. However, lone vampires had already penetrated there, showing firsthand who vampires were and how dangerous they could be. According to rumors, the royal army was ready to repel the attacks of dark creatures, with the help of church officials. None of the routes appealed to the Supreme.
"Bring the map," he ordered his assistant, who immediately rushed to comply.
But the map did not answer the main question. The more the vampire studied the map, the more his thoughts revolved around the impracticality of any chosen path.
"Maybe we should abandon everyone and head north?"
Ambition from his past life did not allow him to accept such a plan. After all, "Supreme Vampire" was a title, unique and irreplaceable! After pondering the future a bit longer, the former magister made what he thought was the only correct decision. His entire small army would turn north and try to slip past the army of mages unnoticed, navigating the narrow strip of land between the territories where vampires had already had their fun and those where they had not yet appeared, and then reach the borders of the kingdom of Tor.
There, the vampires had not yet made their mark, not even the loners ventured there. They only had to sneak quietly past the entire magical brotherhood gathered by Advisor Georg into a powerful army.
Surprisingly, this was accomplished very easily. A nighttime detour and a swift passage through the forests, without attacking human settlements, allowed the vampire squad to blend in. The mages knew that the last major force in Valeria was not far from them and was generally heading towards the capital, so they actively searched for it.
Georg could never have imagined that the route would be changed so radically. His soldiers searched the area for another two days before a command from the capital required the commander to abandon all other tasks and hurry to assist the army of Toshal, with which Valeria had allied in the war against the vampires.
A young boy hid in a cellar, trying to be as quiet as possible to avoid being discovered outside. It was a clear day with no clouds in the sky, making it simply unsafe. He hadn't been able to eat properly the night before; his chosen victim had refused to be alone, and the young vampire was still not daring to attack groups of people.
He had to drink the blood of a yard dog and now was feeding on rats just to quench his thirst and wild hunger. And this was the second day in a row. Poor hunting at night and even less rest during the day, fearing to reveal himself. It was a miserable life, no better than his old one. And why had the one who turned him said he was doing him a favor? This was not a blessing or luck; it was a curse. Being a vampire was awful!
The boy cried out of the injustice of the world and his fate. Why did some get everything, and some got nothing? Some walked the streets calmly, while he had to hide in a damp cellar and huddle in a corner just to avoid being caught. He would rather be begging on the streets of Kasiya and occasionally stealing than eating rats and their blood! And why had he agreed to the offer to make him stronger!? It was so wrong!
An unexpected thought instantly dried the tears on his dirty face. If he couldn't be like everyone else, then let everyone else be like him! His mentor had forbidden him from turning others into vampires, but the mentor was far away and could not dictate, let alone forbid anything!
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