Chapter 27. Hunting Human Hunters (1)
Making the most of the vamps’ restricted movement, Isaac swiftly struck with his sword, aiming for fatal blows to save his energy. Each strike sent blood and ashes flying.
The vamps were caught off guard at first. As they slinked into the valley shadows, their strategy shifted. Acknowledging their lag in strength and morale, the vampires started to respond more strategically.
In the face of their organized counterattack, Isaac backed off. ‘Gotta save my energy and avoid unnecessary moves.’ Lucky for him, the vamps were already hurt, so they couldn’t just charge at him recklessly. Isaac took a breather while checking on Isolde and Gebel.
Gebel was holding his own against three vamps, and Isolde, a wandering inquisitor, seemed unfazed by her opponent. She seemed either concerned or impressed by Isaac.
‘Come to think of it, she’s never seen my skills in action before.’
The fight shifted when Gebel took down one of his three vamps. Even with one down, the vamps kept fighting, but their unity started to crumble. Gebel was now overpowering them with ease.
Isaac totally nailed it by shoving his sword right into that vampire’s chest when it wasn’t looking. The vampire freaked out and tried to defend itself, but in a crazy twist, Isaac’s sword twisted like a snake and bam! Right into the vampire’s heart.
The vampire was left with a massive hole, looking like it got mauled by a wild beast. It was in total shock, flailing around helplessly.
“Hey, these guys are like paladins!” one of the vampires yelled in a panic.
Isaac casually replied, “Well, technically we’re not all paladins here. Just an inquisitor, a retired paladin, and one in training. But hearing ‘paladin’ definitely spooked those vampires.”
Gebel and Isaac weren’t about to let the vampires off the hook though. They were ready to keep the fight going, until a sudden shadow made them pause.
“What in the world?” Gebel questioned as a red mist gathered above them.
Gebel looked worried, the vampires looked hopeful, and the mist started moving down, ripping apart two vampire bodies on the ground. It was brutal. But strangely, the mist didn’t harm the living vampires; instead, it seemed to target them next.
The mist then formed a human-like shape and charged at Isaac. But he was prepared, buying time as Isolde recited a powerful prayer.
“And the Lord ignited the light from beyond the abyss!”
Suddenly, a blinding light flooded the valley, revealing a mysterious figure in its midst. The red mist vanished instantly, unable to withstand the brilliance.
Isaac, squinting through the brightness, saw a magnificent creature in the light – a mix between a feline and a butterfly, glowing intensely.
[Abyssal Beast (A)]
It was a reminder that humans weren’t the only ones praising up above. Many were drawn to the Codex of Light, only to meet their end. These ‘Abyssal Beasts’ emerged from the flames.
“Yep, that’s the story. But check out that luminous effect,” Isaac thought, impressed.
The Abyssal Beast was a top-tier summon, revered for its radiant power that was a vampire’s worst nightmare. The vampires scattered as soon as it showed up.
Isolde didn’t keep the Beast around for long, letting it fade away. As it vanished, the valley plunged into darkness as if night had fallen. Isolde, looking a bit drained from the summoning, fiddled nervously with her rosary.
“Well, looks like they’ve high-tailed it out of here.”
Isolde was really putting in the effort to keep the energy up in her voice. Isaac could tell she had it in her to push through, but he had a feeling there was more to the challenge than just that. Gebel shook his head in disagreement.
“Seems pretty tough, Inquisitor.”
“Why’s that?”
“Night’s creeping up on us.”
Gebel mumbled, casting worried glances at the darkening sky.
***
Night falls fast in the valley.
Even though they had wrapped up the battle while it was still daylight, darkness descended swiftly around them.
The vampires, though weakened, still had some pep in their step because of the valley’s shadows. But as the night loomed closer, Isaac and his crew knew they’d soon be facing the hardcore Wallachian hunters at full tilt.
Before that showdown, they had to gather up any clues or tracks left behind by the vampires.
“You check everything out?”
“Kinda. Found out these guys weren’t just your run-of-the-mill ghouls; they’re Wallachian hunters.”
The scattered vampires were struggling to regroup after Isaac’s gang pulled off a smooth ambush. Despite coming across only campsites and gear, Isolde eyed them like precious treasures.
“Hey, Inquisitor. Think we should venture outside?”
Isolde, nose to the ground examining the campfire area, turned to Isaac at his suggestion.
“Find anything interesting?”
“Not really…”
“Oh well. We weren’t exactly planning on running into vampires anyway… But hey, maybe it’s a big deal that the Vampire Duke is in the mix, right?”
Isaac’s offhand comment caught Isolde off guard.
“The Vampire Duke? How’d you figure that out?”
“Huh? Oh, just a hunch…”
Isaac scrambled to cover his slip-up about the Vampire Duke, having already gotten a taste of the Wallachian Kingdom’s faith in the ‘Red Chalice Club’ game ending.
Reluctantly, he presented his deductions.
“Well, vampires wouldn’t be chilling at a campfire, right? They’d need to keep an eye out for unsuspecting folks during the day. This spot seems like their lookout. Deeper in there might be some cave or hideout where the Vampire Duke is kicking it, guarded by Wallachian hunters.”
Isolde’s eyes widened with realization before nodding. Isaac was relieved she bought into his theory. In fact, he was pretty sure he knew who the Duke was.
Heinkel Gullmar.
“You seem to know a lot about these Wallachian hunters’ moves. Looks like Duke Heinkel Gullmar is mixed up in this mess. Huge clue. But still no lead on that plague god connection.”
Gebel interjected firmly.
“Heinkel Gullmar? How’d you figure that?”
“Only Heinkel’s fam, among the Wallachian hunters, can pull off the Red Chalice magic in broad daylight. There are only three big names that could pull this off now; the heir wouldn’t risk it, and the head of the family’s been stationary in the fortress lately. So, it’s gotta be Gullmar.”
“Things are getting dicey. If he’s a Wallachian duke, he’s practically royalty. Can’t run into him at night. Let’s skedaddle from this valley pronto.”
In Wallachia, family lineage is everything.
The folks tied by blood to the revered Red Chalice have powers akin to demi-gods.
The high-class folks pledge their loyalty to the royals and get some of their power. And naturally, the lower your status, the less power you get. Wallachia Kingdom is all about this bloodline hierarchy.
Heinkel Gullmar, a duke, was legit powerful – needed a full paladin squad or an angelic being to match up. Thinking of taking him on with just their crew? Ridiculous.
“No rush,” they said, but Isolde’s reply was unexpected.
“We need at least a paladin squad to take on the duke! Wait till nightfall…”
Gebel shut up, looking at Isolde’s determined face.
“Did you really call the paladins already?” he asked in disbelief.
“Yep. Did it this morning. The Briente Paladin Order will be here by the time we leave the valley,” she confirmed, smirking.
“But how could you summon them without proof…” Gebel muttered, baffled. Isolde was certain they’d find proof, and they did – sometimes you gotta act before you have all the evidence.
“What if the bloodsuckers attack before the paladins arrive?” Isaac asked, realizing Isolde was in no rush. She was actually kinda hoping for a showdown.
“Bring it on. It’s harder to nab ’em when they scatter,” she said confidently. Gebel and Isaac exchanged a look, knowing Isolde had a game plan.
And it seemed to be working even better than they thought. Isaac’s original hide-the-sanctuary gig got a new twist with the vampire situation. Isolde had to pivot to finding Wallachian hunters instead. Isaac saw an opportunity to score points with the Inquisitor by calling in the paladins.
“Joining the paladins? Sounds good,” he thought. Even if he didn’t fancy the Briante Order, a good word from them wouldn’t hurt. Skirting the annoying apprenticeship sounded like a plan.
Isolde’s plan and Isaac’s goals were totally vibing.
“And en route, I’ll deal with those monks near my turf,” Isaac planned. Uncovering why they were snooping around was his real goal. But tangling with a Wallachian duke was risky.
“He’s like a boss in a game,” Isaac pondered. Weaker than Calzen but stronger than a nearly-dead god like Zihilrat. Escaping with the Inquisitor would be a feat itself. The best move was to peace out from the valley without vampire drama.
