The argument between Warfarin and the vampire I assumed to be the leader intensified. From what little I understood, his purpose here was to take her somewhere, by force if necessary.
However, she vehemently refused, her initial surprise replaced by anger and revolt, adding some insults along the way.
The matter must have been personal, not only because of her reaction, but also because of the names mentioned. I believe I heard father, mother, and other family members in the dialogue.
Leaving without a conflict proved impossible; the situation escalated, and with a final exchange of words, the vampires surrounding us drew their weapons and assumed fighting positions.
"Warfarin, close your eyes when I give the signal."
She showed confusion for a moment, but soon nodded, observing our adversaries apprehensively.
I, on the other hand, drew my staff, and at the same instant, the vampires advanced.
"NOW!"
I didn't turn to see if she had done as I asked, I swung my staff upwards, casting Soul Rain.
A cluster of bright blue souls rose towards the sky, exploding in a blinding light as they reached their peak, illuminating the night like a small star.
The vampires stopped, shielding their aching eyes as they screamed. I was about to shake Torrent's reins and ride away from this ambush, but Warfarin stopped me.
"They are trackers, they won't stop chasing us while they're alive! We need to kill them all but one, I'd like some answers!"
I grunted in confirmation and sent Torrent away, removing my Lordsworn Greatsword from my bag as the second step of my spell took effect.
From the same light that blinded our enemies, countless Soul Arrows rained down, leaving luminous streaks in their wake.
Two vampires didn't move fast enough and fell to the ground, their bodies covered in scalding holes, while the remaining four distanced themselves and reassessed us.
"Caster…"
"Rumors…"
"Fortress…"
Those were some words I caught amidst their surprised murmurs. Warfarin laughed and placed a hand on my arm, grinning broadly as he spoke in an arrogant tone, making the vampires sigh.
"What did you tell them?"
"Just something to take to their masters if they survive."
I would have asked more, however, this wasn't the right time. The vampire leader and one of his followers advanced towards me, forcing me to ignite my flame and cast Flame Swatle.
A fireball surged in their path, spinning as they approached, but in a surprising display of speed, they leaped in opposite directions, avoiding the explosion.
Glancing at the sounds of combat, I glimpsed Warfarin blocking a blow from a vampire wielding a pair of gauntlets with three long, sharp claws extending forward.
Sparks shot from her staff before she swung one of the Reduvias, forcing her enemy to recoil, but not without leaving a twisted gash on his left cheek.
"Will you be fine without my help?"
"I can handle myself!"
I nodded, watching as she traded blows with a second vampire.
Returning to my adversaries, I raised an eyebrow seeing only the leader nearby. It only took a moment of distraction for the other to disappear.
He spoke something scornfully and rushed towards me, thrusting his rapier against my heart. A swift movement, certainly, but nothing compared to what I've faced before. I held my sword in front of my face, wielding the Ash of War known as Determination.
A white aura enveloped my weapon, strengthening my next strike, and as soon as our weapons clashed, the vampire's rapier shattered into a thousand pieces, followed by a cry of pain as his now severed hand flew away.
The vampire fell onto his back a few meters away, clutching the blood-gushing stump. With that done, I scanned my surroundings for the other.
I heard footsteps approaching rapidly from behind, so I stepped aside, planning to dodge the incoming blow.
There was no one there, yet tears appeared in my clothes. Looking closely, I saw faint footprints on the ground near where I had previously stood.
Invisibility, how typical.
I slowly moved my hand towards the chime on my waist, waiting for the footsteps to return. It didn't take long, and as they approached, I conjured Dark Storm, creating a vortex of dark flames around me.
A cry of pain tore through the night, and my attacker's invisibility was shattered, falling to the ground, his body engulfed in dark fire.
He rolled across the floor, trying to escape the abyssal flames as his body burned. With a precise strike, I severed his head, ending his suffering.
I approached the remaining vampire, still struggling to fight, now standing with trembling legs and a dagger in his only hand.
Again, he spoke something I didn't understand, but instead of fear, I saw determination in his eyes. That I could respect. However, his efforts were in vain; I easily dodged the careless blow and punched his face, knocking him unconscious.
Crouching beside him, I cast a healing miracle to stop the bleeding, but not strong enough to regenerate his hand.
I expected Warfarin would need help at some point, but perhaps I should have more faith in the abilities of the people of this world, because despite her words, she had defeated her opponents.
-A few minutes ago-
Me and my luck!
With a quick thought, I channeled my Arts to heal the cut on my shoulder, then spun my staff to block the axe that came dangerously close to cutting my leg.
For someone who wants me alive, they're doing a terrible job of not killing me!
I was put on the defensive, constantly having to dodge or parry the blows thrown my way, healing the various cuts left by those who passed.
I tried to ignore their empty pleas, calling me princess, asking me to return to the clan. If I went back, I would only be entering a different prison, more comfortable, but still a prison.
They were trying to wear me down, I knew it. Eventually, I found an opening in the barrage of blows, swinging my staff like a club, striking the ribs of the vampire with gauntlets.
I heard a crack and he staggered toward his partner, getting in his way and causing them both to bump into each other.
I wasted no time and swung the dagger toward his neck, but to my surprise, instead of a simple cut, a blade of blood shot from the weapon, tearing his neck in a gush far too large for the wound.
I clenched my teeth, fighting the urge to feed as I smelled so much blood.
Momentarily, the other vampire seemed to disappear as his friend's body fell, forming a red pool on the ground. His form became blurred, like a living shadow, and I struggled to land a blow.
"AAAHHH!"
His claws pierced my left shoulder, causing me to drop my staff.
The deep puncture sent pain through my body; I couldn't concentrate to heal, so amidst his pleas for me to give up, I swung the dagger again, but no bloody blade came.
His remaining claw drew near, forcing me to abandon my surprise and act quickly. Clenching my teeth again, I pulled him closer, worsening the wound and plunging Reduvia into his stomach.
I ignored his screams and continued striking before he regained his balance. I don't know how much time passed, but during my last blow, an abnormal amount of blood leaked from his wounds, and with that, his body went limp in my grip.
I let him fall to the ground and retrieved my staff, holding it with trembling hands while breathing heavily, healing myself with my Arts.
I looked at the pair of strange daggers and tried to channel my Arts into them before swinging, but again, no blood blade. I'll have to ask Alden how these things work.
Speaking of the man, he approached me dragging a vampire by the leg, still breathing and missing a hand. Unlike me, the Caster didn't have a scratch on his body; in fact, he looked bored.
What did he face in the past to remain so calm now?
"Are you alright?"
"What do you think?!"
I flinched at the response, breathing heavily to calm myself.
"Sorry."
"Don't worry, I don't hold grudges easily and I'm used to being treated rudely."
That's sad.
I didn't voice my thoughts, but nodded, sitting down on the ground to rest. Alden left the vampire beside me and went to loot the bodies, nothing new in Kazdel, and something my traveling companion seemed used to.
-XXXXXX-
I watched as Warfarin spoke to the vampire kneeling before her, his forehead almost touching the ground.
Sometimes they both glanced at me, a sign that I was part of the conversation. With one last exchange of words, the vampire left into the night, with only the clothes on his back and a weapon.
Now that the conflicts were over, I called Torrent and we rode away.
"Warfarin, are you someone important? Those vampires seemed to respect you."
After a few seconds of silence, she answered hesitantly.
"You could say so, I come from an influential family, but I ran away because I disagreed with their plans, now they want me back."
Probably related to her grandmother wanting to marry her off to someone. Alliances and politics must be involved, judging by the efforts to bring her back.
"And what did you say to that vampire? Will we have more problems in the future?"
"I asked him to send a message to my family, basically to stop pursuing me before they suffer the consequences, although I wasn't very polite and may have put a lot of what I think about them in the message."
"And I am those consequences you speak of?"
Her grip on my waist tightened.
"Yes, and I also threatened to leak some of my family's secrets to our enemies. Sorry."
"I won't lie, I don't like getting involved in local politics; it brings nothing but trouble. But after everything we've done, a quiet life has become impossible. I hired you as my guide, translator, and now teacher. I think that puts you under my protection, so if more people come wishing us harm, I'll deal with them."
"Thank you. Alden, how did you become so strong?"
By dying repeatedly and absorbing souls. That's what I wanted to say, but I couldn't.
"The lands I come from are full of dangers. You can die in countless ways with every step you take, so I had to train for a long time in combat and the use of Arts. I never stopped, and that led to who I am today."
"Could you teach me how to fight? I don't want to repeat what happened today."
"I have no problem with that, but I warn you that I'm also terrible at physical combat."
"You're lying."
"I swear I'm not. My memories may have faded, but I feel like I've spent years mastering my Arts, but only a short time learning to use swords and other weapons. I'm good enough, but far from a master. In a fight without Arts against a more skilled opponent, I would probably lose. This has happened before, and it was against a friend, and we were just training to improve my swordsmanship."
This is the consequence of pouring souls into strength and dexterity as a shortcut to using every weapon I find.
"If you're bad, then I'm afraid of what your friend can do. Can you tell me more about him?"
"He's a partially dead demigod whom I brought back to life by placing one of his remains and an artificial soul I created in a complex ritual into armor reinforced with divine metal and dragon bones."
"You don't have to lie if you don't want to tell me about him! Does your friend even exist, or is he just a figment of your imagination?!"
"Forgive me, I'm just kidding. Despite all his power and status, he acted like a fool, but he was a great friend, a womanizer, but a great friend. Now, where should I begin?"
-XXXXXX-
After days of travel, we finally sighted our objective in the distance, the capital of Kazdel… Kazdel.
The further we advanced, the more ruins we found, new and old, these were the remains of the many times the capital had been destroyed.
Its size was now that of a medium-sized city compared to the other capitals of Terra, and according to Warfarin, this was one of the few places where the law was still enforced in Kazdel.
After talking to the guards and paying the delivery fee, also know as bribe, we passed through the large metal gates with gigantic stone walls and finally entered the city.
And what I saw was disappointing; the city we visited previously was in better condition.
The houses were a mixture of wood and metal, almost shacks with cloths in entrances and windows; the streets were dirt roads, littered with trash and clouds of sand blown by the wind.
The people weren't in much better shape, with old clothes, dirty and thin bodies, heads bowed and gloomy faces, some sitting in alleys and on the edges of streets, shivering in the cold night.
However, from what little I could see, things seemed to improve the closer one got to the great castle in the center of the city; the roofs and walls of the buildings seemed to be in better condition.
"Welcome to the capital! It's a pile of garbage, isn't it?"
I looked down, seeing Warfarin smiling at me with her hands on her hips. I, on the other hand, pinched the bridge of my nose, cursing the Gods again, something I was already getting used to.
END OF CHAPTER