Return to Jorgaldur Volume III: blood warrior

The redeemer

Kan Golge couldn't sleep during those days. Two more of his soldiers had been eliminated, with the consequent terrible pain. He also feared for his other soldiers, the most powerful, the most important.

The news from his spy in Kronardhi County wasn't overly revealing. He had confirmed the disappearance of the infiltrator. Nonetheless, although there had been striking developments around the dungeon, they didn't seem to have anything to do with what he was concerned about. The death of a prince didn't matter to him.

The only clue was the presence of a stranger in the dungeon, with the count's offspring. However, nothing was known about that mysterious woman. The different adventurers who had seen her hadn't uncovered anything relevant.

For now, he could only wait for her to come out. After that, his servants would keep an eye on her, maybe they could capture her and interrogate her. He would have wanted to send agents to the dungeon, but it was impossible. He couldn't move as freely as he wanted, either. If any misstep was made, his enemies could find him.

He went down to the basement. There, he opened a secret hatch that led to a narrow spiral staircase, which seemed to go on forever. Nearly an hour was spent walking down in total darkness, until he came to a door, the rune key of which was in his hands.

He could hear the hinges screeching open, and feel the terrible aura of blood emerging from within. It was his last soldier, his most powerful, his most ambitious project, and also the only one unfinished.

He hadn't managed to corrupt that woman's soul, the same one that had prevented him from using the other blood soldiers when his enemies had attacked. She had sacrificed herself to seal them off, thus allowing them to be confiscated, and forcing him to flee.

In revenge, he had wanted to corrupt her, drive her to despair, transform her into his servant, but she had resisted him.

He had come down because, somehow, he had a feeling that she had something to do with all this.

The deformed body laid in a kind of sarcophagus, and was submerged in blood. Her soul was trapped nearby, outside her body. It was pierced by hundreds of needles of corrupted mana, which tortured her endlessly, day after day. However, she didn't even scream.

The transparent eyes, which were barely visible, turned to look at the newcomer. On her face, there was a triumphant smile, such as he hadn't seen before.

"My companions are being released. You've lost," she whispered.

He frowned. He was even further from breaking her than last time, but had confirmed that she had something to do with the recent events.

That smile irritated him. He was tempted to try to interrogate her, to get the information out of her, to torture her even harder. He would have if it wasn't useless. He would risk killing her entirely, freeing her.

After arriving there, he realized that it had been pointless. As much as there were a link, it was of no use to him if he couldn't tell anything about it.

Suddenly, a sharp pain washed over him, similar to past days, maybe even stronger. Doubled over and kneeling, he couldn't see the soul's smile deepen.

"Damn it!" he reneged, when he had recovered a bit. "AAAAAAAAH!!"

A second stab of pain hit him while he still hadn't recovered from the first. A third came a little later, and a fourth, and so on up to eight.

"The Redeemer has fulfilled her promise. May our blessings be with her," the soul whispered.

Kan Golge couldn't hear her, as he was overwhelmed with pain. He couldn't either see how the soul took on an almost humanoid shape, before disappearing completely. The only thing he saw when he managed to recover was that it had disappeared.

"NOOOOOOOOO!!" he yelled in desperation.

Diknsa gathered all the staff of the mansion. She had gone down into the catacombs, and had found that the power of the stone was close to depletion.

"Be ready to leave. The shield won't resist much longer. We'll hold out as long as we can, but there isn't much time left," she announced.

They all looked at her frustrated and saddened. They weren't warriors, but farmers, merchants, artisans... All of them had been saved by Gjaki in the only way that had been possible back then, by transforming them into high vampires. She had given them a home, and taken care of them, before disappearing.

Their life there had been comfortable, and even their relationship with their neighbors was cordial. Although those neighbors had been afraid of them at first, over time they had gotten to know each other, and establish a good relationship. Some couples between vampires and villagers had even formed.

Unfortunately, now they were forced to leave, without knowing where, or if they could survive. Without the protection of the mansion, without a place to belong, they could easily be hunted relentlessly.

Their level wasn't low, but they didn't know how to fight. They hadn't acquired skills and spells for it, but for daily life. None of them would never have believed that they would find themselves in such a situation, and now it was too late to learn, they had no time left.

Tears ran down more than one face. Fists and teeth were clenched in rage and frustration. However, no one objected. They knew they had no other choice. Those who were invading them would enslave them, at best. It was very possible that they would be killed.

Therefore, everyone, one by one, began to prepare their luggage, if they hadn't already packed it. Maybe, it would take a few days, maybe a few weeks, a month at the most.

"Dear? Read this" Driquia burst into the count's office and handed him an unfolded piece of paper.

The count looked at his wife, took the paper, and began to read it. If she had interrupted him, it meant it was important.

He read it. He looked at his wife. He read it again.

"It's not a joke, is it?"

His wife shook her head. She was worried, proud, anxious, and she didn't know how many more things. Her daughter's story was incomplete, but she had made it clear that her "friend" had eliminated the threat, which now had a name, blood knights. She also said that they were going to try to arrive to the lower floors.

She didn't say who this friend was, or how they had been eliminated, but they didn't doubt her word. Besides, the counts had already received reports confirming it.

Immediately, he sent a new team to protect them. The former wasn't prepared to follow them so far down.