Chapter 7: War of Thorns Part 5
Having dealt with the remaining troops in the enemy encampment, Lance called the vampires to confirm whether the one that was standing lifelessly on the ground next to him, was their target.
“Is he the one you were told to assassinate?” Lance’s voice seemed distant making the vampire hesitate in his answer, as he tried to look at his face.
“Yeah!...” The vampire couldn’t help himself from getting silenced by Lance’s face, he had eyes devoid of life similar to the man on the ground.
“What’s next?” Lance asks before the vampire could question his state of mind.
“With our mission complete, we must return to Olga’s castle!” Having said that, the other vampires tense up even more.
Seeing the other vampires stressing out at the mention of the name “Olga’s Castle”, Lance felt compelled to ask.
“Is it an enemy base?”
“No! It’s our main base, where our leader and all those representing this army are gathered at!” Noticing Lance’s puzzled expressions he felt obligated to explain in more detail why they wouldn’t be excited about going back.
“You see, that place is located on the edge of a cliff that is more than 300 meters above sea level, while on the other side barren flatland stretches as far as the eye can see.” Without pause the vampire continued his description.
“Having survived three sieges, the castle is the only thing keeping the morale of our army high, but no sane man or supernatural would want to stay there as a garrison.”
“And why is that?” Lance asked, intrigued by how adamant the vampire was about the castle being a death trap.
“You have a better chance of making it out alive from a scuffle like the one we had before. In the castle, we can go sometimes for weeks without food as the humans are being prioritized, being frail beings.” By no means did the vampire mean it in a spiteful way, as his voice was filled with sadness as he remembered many humans dying of hunger.
“But starvation is not the biggest problem we have, it’s the constant siege and artillery that keeps hitting our walls, many lost their lives on those walls, thanks to the curse Olga placed on the castle.” The vampire shudders at even thinking about it, forcing him to hesitate in even talking about it anymore.
“Continue with your story, friend.” Lance places a hand on his shoulder as a way to give him courage.
“Normally the walls should have fallen a long time ago, but the walls feed on the essence of those that bear the mark of sacrifice. With that, the walls not only regenerate themselves, but they also kill any who dare touch the walls without the mark.” With the truth out, the vampire hesitantly stares into Lance’s eyes, which unlike before they were burning with life and determination.
“Where is this castle?” Lance asked impatiently.
“Close by, let’s hurry and report back!” The vampires emboldened by Lance’s attitude, began the trek back to Olga’s Castle.
While Lance and the vampires made their way towards Olga’s castle, at half a day’s distance in the opposite direction, the largest mercenary army this land had ever seen, prepared to siege the castle.
The terrain made it easy for the defenders to spot the huge army trying to close in on the castle, allowing the defenders to send messengers to request help from the various encampments outside the castle.
Nevertheless an army as large as the one now nearing Olga’s castle, had nothing to fear even if all of the troops from the Throng gathered in one place.
When Lance reached the castle, he saw the huge army closing in and knew that it would take a miracle to survive the onslaught.
“Guess I came just in time for the main show to begin.” Unlike Lance who was getting fired up about the fight that was going to start in a few days time, the vampires knew that this meant that they had to stay and defend the walls.
“Lance, this is where we part ways. Hope we both make it out alive.” Without looking back the vampire left through a separate hallway.
“Hope is for those without strength, I will make it so we live to see another day.” After saying that, Lance gained even more momentum in his movement, as he headed towards the room where the one who hired him was at.
As Lance got closer to the room, he could hear to distinct voices, one female and one male, the latter having an eerie echo that hinted to the leader being of the supernatural.
As he entered the room, he saw a woman covered in bandages and plate armor barking orders at human and vampires, while a few feet behind her on a simple throne stood a masked man with a bored look on his face.
“Hey , you! Yeah, you! Who are you?” Olga noticed Lance, without realizing who he was and started asking questions in a rude manner.
In response Lance felt the need to behave just as rude. “It’s none of your business!”
“WHY YOU LITTLE!” Infuriated by his attitude, Olga threw a punch with all the force she could muster.
But before, she could land a hit on Lance, the one who called himself the Count, stopped the punch with his hand.
“Now Olga, that is no way to treat a special guest like Lance the famous bounty.”
“Ah…I am sorry, master.” Behaving as if she bit the hand that fed her, she shrunk in size and turned her back to vent her anger at the unfortunate subordinates that were staring at the sudden conflict.
“I must apologize for her behavior, she meant no disrespect.” The Count said in a humored manner.
“I came as you requested, now tell me all you know about Pandora’s location.” Cutting the pleasantries short, Lance was expecting the Count to give him a simple straight answer.
“As you have noticed, now isn’t the time for storytelling, I need you out there on the battlefield, to reduce our losses as much as possible.” Irked by the Count’s attempt to deviate from the question, Lance raised his voice.
“If you want to reduce your losses, why don’t stop sacrificing your men to those accursed walls?” The room fell silent, Lance could see that what he said was the thing the others wanted to say but couldn’t.
“You bastard…!” Before Olga who once again could feel her anger hit a new high, the Count steped in front of her.
“That’s why I brought you here, I am sick of seeing men and women dying to that detestable wall, just as much as the rest, but until now there was nobody strong enough to complete the mission I and Olga devised.”
“Will it guarantee no more loss of life?” Lance asked staring the Count in the eye.
“Yes, I am certain now more than ever as most of the enemies army has been gathered in one place.”
“…What’s the plan?”
This saga is just about to heat up, stay tuned for the next chapter, whenever it may be.
