CHPT 508: Recon Red

"She... is she dead? I feel like that'll attract more monsters— let's try to make her not dead." Warren rambled as they reach the rooftop of the skyscraper.

"Dying." Claude could hear her heartbeat— feel it on his shoulder before laying her down and seeing the blood continuously drain from beneath her skin.

"[Poisoning and blood-loss. You don't have a means of repairing that.]" Arne commented.

Flashbacks to Ursula bleeding out at the Aslan Estate flickered in his mind.

Focus.

He placed his hand on the ground beside her where she lay. Vines and grassy greenery spread over the rooftop like a second skin. He froze with his hand hovering above her chest.

"What?"

"[Well she's been stung. By Venomous Arachnoids. You understand that closing her wounds eliminates the chance of the venom exiting through said open wounds?]"

"I could also prime her body to fight off whatever was in the venom with Growth Boost. At the end of the day if she's too far gone she's too far gone. But I'm not doing nothing."

"Where did they get this many Vampires?!" Warren whined as he took aim at the skies.

Claude activated Growth Boost.

A green wave of energy rippled across the rooftops. The spikes ripping out of the skyscrapers rooftop and windows grew, shattering and shaking more of the building. All the while, the four of them healed. Wounds closed, senses opened, blood vessels and lungs expanded like the body was given a chance to inhale for the first time. A chance to better take in the chaos.

She still lay sleeping.

"Claude…." Warren whispered. "BRO PLEASE LOOK UP!"

Claude got up after Frosty growled.

He looked to Warren. The Archer stood on the roof edge with his bow drawn to the skies.

Claude looked up as a bolt of lightning lit the cloudy smoke-like sky. Five BloodStarved Vampires flew overhead.

Their eyes glimmered purple.

In a rush they divebombed.

Warren fired, hitting the much larger wings to throw off their descent and have them spiraling off track.

Smart.

Claude manipulated the crown of wooden spikes surrounding them, twisting the points together into a protective dome. He could hear the Vampires splat into the wooden surface like bugs on the front of the carriage.

"How can they smell blood in all this?!" Warren asked.

"They can't."

"What?" Warren looked back at him before spinning back to look at the top of the wooden spire where the Vampires dug madly.

He could hear them.

"Regular BloodStarved don't speak….."

CRUNCH!

A fatless white-skinned arm ripped through the wood, followed by a shoulder, a neck filled with black bulging veins that slithered as muscle strands moved. And finally, the head. No lips. It's gums blended into its face. Hanging open slack jaws that somehow spewed words from an all too human voice.

"Lupine. Your actions made against the Vampiric race are currently underway of punishment. Your support of radical conspiracy is….. another story, no pun intended."

No surprise. Some at the Summit of the Blooded didn't like how things went down. To be in the tournament though…. Interfering in plain sight.

"[Necromancer. Piloting at least the five here. Medium Level. Dangerous enough until he has to control multiple BloodStarved fighting multiple people. Warren being awake is great. He doesn't need to fight but he needs to run interference.]"

"Warren cover me." Claude said as the Vampires burst through. Two escaped. Another was caught as Claude sharpened the woods surface, ripping up the Vampire in the process.

The two Vampires smacked into the ground on tattered wings. Claude stomped the head of one, splattering it like fruit.

[+150 EXP]

At the same time he shut his fist, causing the vines and roots on the floor to wrap the other Vampire. Frosty dug in.

Claude jumped, tackling the vampire heading towards Frosty in mid air. They tumbled and rolled. Claude tore off its wings and head butted the undead so hard it's teeth cracked. Even so, the Vampire gained top mount and swiped at him with claws like needles.

SHLCK!

An arrow ripped through its eyeball.

[+75 EXP]

He tossed the corpse to find Warren on the back of a Vampire trying to speak to Claude.

"STOP TALKING LIKE THAT!" Warren placed the Vampires head between his bow and string, pulling it with his arm before letting go.

TWANGSHH!

His bow ripped through the Vampires face like a poorly placed guillotine. Unfortunately it didn't go all the way.

The undead dropped to its knees. Still speaking as it's jaw hung off, leaking blood of all kinds and colors.

"Your Red Queen is nothing more than a plot to destroy us and take the night. We will respond to your act of terrorism accordingly. If there's one thing we know it's war." The BloodStarved lost its glow and died. For real this time.

Claude shook off a shiver. It was that easy after all. It wasn't just Rupont with his connections to The Nine and his charisma. It was whatever Vampire Coven wanted to be involved. The only thing stopping them was jurisdiction and rules placed by the Heads of Night. Rules so fickle they were broken on impulse. And now there were Vampires running recon through the eyes of their BloodStarved slaves. Looking for Claude…. And The Red Quee—

Warren stumbled. "Finally…."

He took another step and fell over. Back to sleep as if he was never awake, showing how much he'd grown since entering the tournament. Since they'd first met.

Claude stuffed the Vampire conspiracy hogwash at the back of his mind and climbed the tower while Frosty guarded the two unconscious students.

He took to the apex and wasted no time, pushing the limits of his transformation….. taking in the Wild Magic and Lupine powers he possessed, before letting out the loudest Sonic Howl he could muster.

[40% MP Remaining.]

"Fuc—"

A deep chested chuffing howl erupted from somewhere south of him. Back near the island edge.

Ursula. As if to confirm her voice came into his mind.

"Claude I heard you. But I can't tell you where we are. We can't see. Vampires have us locked in."

Claude already had the two students slung over his shoulder.

"I'm coming."