Zabeer woke up in a dark room. He was stripped to his underwear and tied to an operating table. The air reeked of fresh blood and an old basement. There were no windows or visible doors, almost like he was summoned to the cell. Chains were hanging down from the ceiling, clinking from time to time, as the abductor walked around. A table stood in the corner. On the furniture, there were instruments, precisely surgeon's instruments. That is: the scalpels, the strands, the alcohol for disinfection, and a brown, soaked wet bag. The late politician noticed something: someone else had been placed next to him.
"Do you know where we are?" whispered Mr. Moun.
"..."
"Do you hear me?" he continued, trying to understand the current situation.
"..."
The other man wasn't talkative, or at least it seemed that way. The figure came closer to them, and he was pleased as he noticed the abducted man was finally awake. He was dressed in a brown, leather apron, a white shirt, and deep blue trousers. He had rubber gloves on his hands, a white cap, and a mask in the same colour. The male drew his notebook and started writing the report.
"June the second, year five hundred ninety-three. Time, six minutes past two a.m. The subjects are ready for the eighty-third experiment: the organ transplantation. The hypothesis: Are human organs interchangeable with the vampire's?
Subject A: a full-blood, original vampire; height: one hundred seventy-six centimeters; weight: seventy-two kilograms; illnesses: none.
Subject B: a human; height: one hundred seventy-five centimeters; weight: eighty-nine kilograms; illnesses: obesity," he whispered, wanting not to make a mistake in the report.
"Hey! I'm not fat! Besides, who the hell are you? Why did you abduct me?!" asked Zabeer, unsettled by his proclamation.
"They call me the Vampire's Butcher, but I prefer that you address me as the Just Psychopath. I am well aware of my unstable mental health, but I find my actions justified. You took bribes, listened to your sponsors instead of yourself, and lastly, you had a relationship with a fifteen-year-old girl. Thus, you have to be punished. Do you understand?"
"Why... Why don't you take me to the court or to a prison?! Why punish me with death?! Is it really justice, where you are the sole man giving out the verdicts?!" the man erupted. He knew that he would be dead in no time, so he didn't care about the consequences.
"You see, I have to comprehend vampires to be freed. I was normal until I was killed. It was one year ago, an evening. I was peacefully walking down the street. Suddenly, a vampire jumped from a rooftop and started killing off everyone in his sight. He went for me at first. He tore off my skin, broke my bones, and ate my left leg. Still, somehow I survived it. Half-dead, I crawled to a nearby wall, supporting my limp body. My eyes were closing because of the blood loss, yet I felt I needed to stay awake. A creature appeared in front of me. They were gigantic, filling most of the main market square. Estimating, they were around three meters tall and ten meters long. Instead of a head, the being had at least one hundred snakes coming out of their neck. Four powerful legs, similar to a lion's, were supporting their weight. Two wings, almost identical to an eagle's, were covering their muscular back. Their body was covered in scales. The entity asked me only one question: 'Do you want to avenge yourself?'. I agreed without thinking twice. I was instantly healed, but there was something odd. I experienced a headache, feeling like my brain was melting away. I started hitting my head against a wall with no improvement. My mind became corrupt, my memories were altered. Some were deleted, changed, or added. The one that struck me the most was about the Typhon. I've never heard this name before. Then, I finally understood, it was him. The entity saving me was Typohn. The price that I had paid was high; I had to understand vampires' biology. I remember that I was poisoned by the being, giving me two years to live. I know about an antidote, made from those creatures. After a process, I will be able to heal myself with the Liquid X. It's orange in colour with a smell similar to a pomegranate. The experiments I execute are necessary for saving myself. I only use criminals for them, as for the vampires, I don't really care. As long as they're full-blooded and without any illnesses, I can use them," the butcher explained, preparing the equipment.
"Do you think your life is more valuable than others? You've killed at least eighty-two people... Are you happy with it?!"
The psychopath, turning away, took off his mask. He looked at the patient again, with widened pupils.
"Yes, I am," he replied, with a smile, a smile of insanity. The male put it again, so it wouldn't interfere with the operation.
Mr. Moun was shocked by his response. Shivers went through his body.
"I will even kill the entire Carola to save myself!"
Thuck! — the man had struck the wall, and gravel came off it. His hand began to bleed, but he didn't seem to care.
"I don't care what it takes to survive. You see, I alone am the most important man in Munudisa. Why? It's easy, because I am only aware of my own consciousness, and not of others. I'm not fully sure you possess one, so I find you less worthy. Thus, I don't find the murders I commit evil. Now, I've talked too much. I guess today there won't be any anesthesia used."
"Wait! Before you kill me, at least give me your name!" the politician shouted, trying to remember his murderer.
"I wasn't anyone famous, but here you go. Denir Moodeen, a confectioner in a local cafe."
Denir danced slowly with his blade, incising Zabeer's chest. The steel tool cut through his skin with ease, and the blood started leaking out of his body.
"Argh!" the patient growled with pain.
"Man, shut the hell up! If you didn't ask me about myself, then I would have given you anesthesia. If you don't close your mouth, I will do the same thing I did with the vampire."
The late politician looked to the side. The creature had his nail and toenails completely removed. His teeth were also ripped out, and his tongue cut. His chest hair was dyed deep red from the blood that had come from the preparation. He glanced at the brown bag on the table, and he was almost sure about its contents. The frightened man didn't want to share the creature's fate. Mr. Moun was clenching his teeth throughout the entire operation, suffering in silence. The surgery lasted two hours. The streets started to be lit with the sunrise...
The Crusaders woke up to a sunny morning. Everyone rested well. Laudis, during his meeting with Aamir, told him about the current situation. The late resident of Carola advised him to check on the Old City for the untold. The sun was shining on them through the open space. Sounds of a local market caught their attention. The sellers were shouting, trying to sell their goods. Unlike the salesmen in Luxaris, they were loud and obnoxious for the Crusaders. They refreshed themselves in a restroom and then gathered for a meeting.
"Sloth will strike the presidential palace on July the ninth, that is, a week from now," stated Gladius.
"Why are you so sure about that?" asked Laudis, questioning his knowledge.
"I have a rat in the Vampire Empire. I won't share any information about their identity to keep it confidential. They are reliable to that extent, I trust him more than myself."
"I see."
"Coming back, everyone needs to prepare themselves for the battle. The attack on the president will be executed with an army of at least five hundred vampires. I will share the information with Omar two days before it, forcing him to agree to my conditions. I will be gathering further information about the city's infrastructure. Udania and Solisia, you will be training together. Focus on controlling and blocking large amounts of opponents," the paladin continued.
"Undestood," the two women replied.
"Dantenium and Laudis, focus on close combat. You have to know it, kid, that unlike the sword, the vampire's cut hurts like hell. It also weakens you. Dante, please teach the kid how to fight."
"Yeah..." the crimson-haired man responded.
"Didn't I kill a vampire with ease back then? Why should I be so cautious?" the youth wondered.
"You were fighting with a low-class vampire. The ones you will encounter are soldiers. They are not the strongest in their class, but they are way stronger than the previous creature you fought. In short, the one you were fighting with, I'd estimate his strength as a three out of ten, while they are at least seven and a half out of ten."
"Who would be classified as a ten?"
"Sloth."
"Oh, I see..."
"So, does anyone have a question?"
"..."
"Great. We will meet in the hotel at six p.m."
The Crusaders left the room. They went to do their respective training. Gladius went to the market to gather pieces of information about possible shortcuts and unknown or unused alleys. The rest left the city to train peacefully on the sand. Despite their stone roads known in the western Mundusia, some terrain in the Zachira was completely untouched. Thus, they had to stabilise their body on the unsteady sand.
"Give me a break, I can't really focus, while the sand is messing up my dress," complained Udania, irritated by the unfavourable training grounds.
"Same here, I have sand in my boots. Most of the space we will be fighting on is stone, so why do we have to train on sand?" agreed Solisia.
"Shut up. It's better to prepare yourself for the worse scenario than the better one," replied Laudis, annoyed by their behaviour.
"Hey! You've beaten me once, but it was at close range, which I don't specialise in! If you want to be cocky, then win against me in a normal scenario," she responded, pointing at him.
"We don't have time for that nonsense..." said Dantenium, exhausted by the constant shouting.
"If I win, would you leave me alone?"
"Yes, but if I win, you will have to do me a favour. Do we have a deal?"
"Yes."
"Should we stop them?" the blue-haired woman whispered to the man.
"Nah, let's rest for a while," he stated, lying down.
The two of them stood facing each other, around four meters apart. The wind blew so lightly that even the upper layer of sand didn't move. The girl drew her flail and started the first strike.
"Earth Cage invocare!" she proclaimed, summoning the structure.
"Does she know that every second I spend preparing, I become harder to beat? She's literally giving her opponent time to think over their plan. Okay, she will probably attack me with her flail as soon as I leave the cage. Three Swords Techniques... I would rather not use them; I don't want to be exhausted by mere sparring. Think, think, think... Wait, she will attack me with her flail! I know what I have to do,' thought Laudis.
"Are you going to be hiding in there for long?" asked Solisia, mocking him.
The youth kicked through the one-meter-thick wall. They were wondering what his next move would be.
"Aura of Hare activare," he whispered.
The boy felt like his muscles were fully rested, ready to use. His body became light, almost like he had lost a third of his weight. The grip on his sword became tighter. He felt a weird sensation, almost like he thirsted for blood. But he wasn't frightened of it; the kid kind of accepted it as the consequence of the power. Swoosh! — Laudis dashed to her, aiming for her left leg. Woosh! — she summoned an Earth wall, nullifying the strike. He didn't waste any time, following with many more. Thu, thu, thu — the blade went through all the obstacles with ease. Solisia was at her limit, with low mana left. She had to go all in or surrender now.
"Storm of Semi-Stalagmites!" she shouted with persistence.
Twelve projectiles were coming at him with great speed. Shaped like a rock formation, sharp clumps of dirt were cutting through the air without a problem.
'Oh shit! I won't use the third technique; I have no time for it. The Void Creation won't cover the whole area. Think, think, think, you stupid idiot! Still, I will try to do it. Faster...' he realised his current situation.
"Sword Technique No.2: Cage of Sword!" the boy yelled quickly, trying to block the summonings.
"Will he block them? asked Udania.
"I guess," replied Danetnium, observing his stance.
There wasn't enough time for preparation; he had to improvise. The kid sank deliberately into the sand, achieving a steady position. He closed his eyes too late; the spikes were about thirty centimeters from him. Dante stood up, preparing to deflect them. Arghh! — a loud screech filled the desert. Tshh! — with a one blow of his sword, he cut through the projectiles. Blood started coming out of his right eye. Solisia kneeled because of disbelief and exhaustion. Laudis walked slowly to her, weighing every step. He stood before her, striking her right arm with the blunt side of his weapon.
"Aura of Hare deactivare," the boy murmured, collapsing down.
"Ha, ha... After all, I still got pretty exhausted...'