Chapter 13

I accompanied them to the waggon, a carriage of extraordinary opulence, clearly denoting whoever owned them as the wealthy, most likely High Nobles.

Along the way, Dalawraith explained their current mission: they were accompanying and protecting a Great Noble of the Re-estize Kingdom, where their party is registered.

Apparently, the reason they hired them was due to a vampire recently setting up their base around this area. 

It makes it incredibly difficult to tread across this path. However, this area was located at a crucial junction that leads into the most profitable mine in all of the Kingdom. 

Apparently despite protests, the noble, whose name was Faeduire Dean Quis, vehemently wanted to accompany them on the quest to slay this Vampire.

It explained why they were running from those creatures, they had to protect the aristocrat as well as kill all the monsters. Which is why they were using a kiting strategy. Leading me to thinking that they needed help.

"Ah, it's so frustrating, I wish we could just leave him behind. It would be so much easier." Once again, it was Verica who spoke up. Plainly voicing her thoughts.

"I mean, we are getting paid a lot for this, and he wouldn't let go of this point. Said he had to be there. That this domain was his responsibility." Snow hair responded, giving me a bit more insight into his character.

"But he's just slowing us down, he's going to get himself killed at this rate. For a Vampire to be able to create familiars of this caliber, he might be too much for even us to handle.

And now we have another burden." The blonde chick said, while giving me a nasty glance.

We arrived before the carriage, the sound of our conversation must have alerted the Lord to our presence that was approaching, because the door to the carriage opened, and out into the open stepped a man.

Dressed in refined garments of scarlet, bright blonde hair and a neatly groomed face. He seemed to be pushing forty. 

He held a cane with a golden dragon figurehead, it shined in the sunlight, signifying the prosperity of his domain.

"It seems that I was correct in my assessment, in hiring you, the Silver Sky. Though they did not voice their thoughts, many doubted my decision for choosing such an unproven rising team.

This has only solidified my trust in you all." He started praising them, he must have been extremely impressed with their showing against those thralls.

And it was nothing to scoff at, there must have been at least five dozen beasts, and they annihilated them without sustaining a single injury. Even though I helped in drawing the attention of the monsters, I now understand that without my intervention they would have slain them without trouble.

Faeduire looked over to me, surprise overcoming his features.

"Who do we have here? A child, in these woods?" A mixture of concern and suspicion colored his face, as he stared into my eyes.

"Well, sire, she aided us in our extermination, and seemed to be an orphan that was seeking shelter. We shall have her accompany us during our quest, and I personally take responsibility for her safety as well as her actions.

She is also capable enough to survive whatever encounters may befall us." Obviously it would be their leader who explained their situation, at his side I could see wanting to speak up, but she held her tongue.

Most likely out of respect for blue eyes, not wanting to show discord in front of a client.

"As long as she doesn't interfere with the primary objective." He stated as he turned away, stepping back inside the box, with Verica going in with him.

Under her breath, I could barely make out her saying something about him being even more of an inconvenience.

Dalawraith turned towards me and told me of their current formation.

With Bastien sitting outside on the back of the carriage, covering our backs and ready to intercept any interlopers.

The caster sat with the client, ready to protect and hiding her inside to cover her relatively weaker defenses.

And finally, snow hair will be out front, driving, and to be our first line of defense. Since he is a frontliner.

I will be escorting him, sitting alongside him, because of the fact that I was also a close quarters combatant.

It wasn't long before we set off. With two large warhorses with muscles built for it, bred for battle and endurance, to a point where even an amateur at spotting things like this could instantly tell such a fact.

The leader, I guess my leader as well now, told me that we were going directly to the mines to see if that creature of the night was located there. If not, we will continue to hunt him down, till the moment we exterminate him.

The caves of vast earthen treasures was not too far from where we currently are. 

Though we aren't sure if that blood starved monster which prowls when the moon shines brightest, will continue to send their consorts to slay us, or will wait for us to come to him.

If this fiend knew what he was doing, he had to have known that no beast under his command could take down this party. Unless the lord of blood himself took us on himself, we would continue to thin his army.

His best chance would be to wait for us to attack his lair, where he would have every advantage he could dream of.

This won't be easy.

Something that could summon things of that level, must be above level forty. 

An image flashed through my mind once again, reminding me of a world of nightmares, where despair ruled, where hope goes to be extinguished.

A young woman pale as death, rubies for eyes, malice being her prerogative. A smile of a thousand fangs.

A hand snapped me out of my hazy trance, and I spun to see the sky.

Eyes that shone like the sky, and felt like kindness

A small upturn of the lips.

A facsimile of a smile graced my lips.

Yet.

For now, it was enough.