6 Baldwin, the Son of the Caravan Master.
I had that same dream again.
I was casually looking through the internet, when I suddenly opened a newspaper website, only to be greeted by the news of her death.
This time was different though. I was actually wearing my guard´s clothing from this world.
She had asked me on a date that day. The time I looked at her message on my cellphone… a mixture of feelings filled up my heart. She was one of the beauties of my classroom, but I really didn´t know her more than that. Why would she ask a guy like me?
-"Hey, wake up. It´s your turn now."
A hand was moving my arm.
It was one of the guards. They were walking all night alongside the caravan, protecting her against any danger. Needless to say, they were better than the other guards in terms of combat, since they worked at night.
I went to the second wagon and picked up my sword and gauntlets.
Baldwin came rushing to pick up his things too.
He was 19 years old, had the same kind of short orange hair his father had. Despite running around in his full plate armor, he didn´t have the same, over-sized muscles of his dad. From what I have seen in these 3 days I had traveled with them, they had a proper father-son relationship, despite their fighting over minor matters.
-"Good morning Reynauld! Prepared to see this knight here defends his castle with his amazing armor?"
He also had a tendency to make such "heroic" greetings.
-"Good morning, sir Baldwin."
The sun was starting to raise up on the horizon.
-"Why you still call me sir? You are the only one here who calls people like that..." he said while putting on his armor.
-"He says so because he has more manners than someone I know." The girl came out of the second wagon.
She was called Caroline, and was one of the merchants of the caravan. She had a medium sized black hair, arranged in a ponytail. She was 18 years old like me. Together with Baldwin and I, we were the youngest in the caravan. She was dressed like a store manager, using a type of uniform the merchants of this caravan used, together with a white visor hat.
-"Don´t pay attention to him Reynauld, he´s just envious of you, since you defeated him in battle." She picked up a stick from the ground and started to poke the head of Baldwin, already with his helmet.
-"Ha, one day you will see the head of a troll being clenched by my sword!" Said Baldwin.
For some reason, Caroline had the habit of making fun of others every time she had the opportunity, even making fun of Baldwin´s dad.
Luckily for her, he wasn´t a man who held grudges, and usually replied to her in the same level.
Baldwin, on the other hand, wasn´t capable of it. He didn´t respond in a rude manner, but people could see he did get angry at it.
This caravan was actually finishing his trip.
The last destination was the city of Barcola, capital of the duchy of the same name. The village of Trieste was part of said duchy.
As Baldwin explained, when we reached the city, most of the personnel would go away, and his father would have to hire others to join him, and another group of merchants would probably come in.
-"My father thinks that more guards is never enough, that´s why even in the end of the journey, he agreed to hire you."
That morning, we stumbled upon a group of 10 adventurers.
The composition of the group was the following: 4 Warriors, 2 Archers, 2 Mages, 1 Cleric and 1 Thief.
They were greatly armed, and their leader immediately started to talk with the merchants.
After buying provisions, they went on their way.
Some hours later…
-"Master! Master! We found a heavily injured man!" One of the guards shouted, in the other side of the wagons.
-"Everybody on position!" Shouted Jack.
Since I and Baldwin were part of the auxiliary group, not one of the defense ones, we went to see what was happening.
The man was actually one of the adventurers we met hours before, the only thief in the party.
The guard saw him lying in the tall grass, and managed to pull him off to the road.
Many of the merchants, curious about what happened, approached.
-"D-don´t get involved." Said the Thief when Jack approached him. "It´s not a quest, we are bringing a message from the king, cof cof. Everybody here is gonna die, they are professional assassins! Leave at once!"
Jack hesitated for a moment.
The merchants who heard that started to freak out.
-"SILENCE! Everybody in the wagon, make those horses run as fast as they can!" The master said.
The drivers obeyed, and most of the merchants had to run so as to catch the wagons.
-"You, pick him up and hide him in the first wagon. Tell my wife to heal his injuries." Jack whispered to the guard.
Baldwin followed his father, while I stayed with the auxiliary group.
Despite the initial commotion, nothing happened that day.
The message was to not talk about the issue. No one saw nothing. No one heard nothing.
The next night, however, things weren´t so calm.
The vampirism reached 5%, giving me a new effect: Insomnia 1.
Despite I managing to sleep, a hand waked me up in the middle of the night.
It was Baldwin. Making signs so as to not make any sounds, he directed me to the entrance of the wagon.
-"I need you to help me out." He whispered.
-"What is it?"
-"There is small chance, only a small chance, that someone else also survived that encounter."
-"What do you mean?"
-"I´m talking about the adventurers."
-"Do you want to go back to search for them?"
-"Yes."
-"..."
-"You were thinking about that too didn´t you?"
-"No. But assassins brave and strong enough to attack a host of the king… I think we might be the next target. There is no way he managed to escape without leaving a footsteps or something."
-"..."
-"Do you really think someone else survived?"
-"I heard the testimony of the thief and I think someone survived, or at least was kept alive by the assassins."
-"It is hard to believe… did your father approve of this?"
-"I didn´t ask. I already know the answer. He is bound the defend the merchants here. I, on the other, am free to do as I please, and I know deep down in his heart, honor calls him to make short work of these assassins."
-"Just you and I?"
-"I already know the others. They wouldn´t accept. You, on the other hand, I don´t really know..."
-"..."
Should I really go with him?
I don´t think neither of us could take on these assassins. Although his purpose seems to rescue whoever survived that, I think that he really wants to confront these men.
On the other hand… I think they may be following us. I don´t know, I have a strange feeling. If we do depart from the wagons… we may be able to fool them on not following us. They will think me and Baldwin rescued the thief, and won´t go after the merchants since a third party appeared to confront them.
A pain struck my heart, so much that I placed my hand against my chest. This reminded me of that day. If I don´t agree, he will go alone anyways. This is it, I didn´t find my purpose just yet, but I can not stay here without helping.
-"I will go with you."
At least I will die knowing there is a better chance that they will miss the wagons. What am I saying? My purpose is to protect these wagons, and all the people in them, until they reach the city of Barcola. One less shame to disturb my dreams.
I reminded myself about the words of the priest: "You have the potential!"
-"Will you lead me to a warrior´s death?" I ask Baldwin.
-"Be sure I will! Hehe."
We shake hands and go to the second wagon without being noticed by the other guards, so as to equip your weapons.
When the road started to get narrow, we both jumped out of the wagon into the darkness.
He was equipped with only his chest armor. He lended me a better sword, longer than mine.
We moved through the forest in silence.
It would take some time before we reached the location where the thief was found, but we didn´t actually needed to reach it.
A thirty minutes walk, and we found the assassins casually walking through the road.
The group was sure overkill. Twenty or more individuals at sight. Wearing black robes and wielding shiny knifes. We hid from them underneath a tree, between the roots and soil.
A time latter after they have passed, we got out of the roots and discussed, whispering though.
-"This is insane, they even surpass the amount of guards we have!" Said Baldwin.
-"This is bad, really bad. Do you have anything in mind?"
-"We could try to pick one by one but..."
-"They ain´t falling for that. At the pace they are walking though, they won´t reach the wagons tonight. They appear to be waiting for something."
-"That´s true, but wait for what?"
-"I don´t know, however, since they aren´t going to reach us tonight… this might be your chance to find any survivors!"
-"Let´s go then! We must return as fast as we can after the search!"
The moment we started to run though, a laughing voice vibrated through the road.
-"HAHAHA, where do the two think are going?"
We both draw our swords at the same time.
Looking at every direction, finding nothing. We both had our backs to each other.
-"I knew that if I stayed behind, something fun would appear! Look at what we have here?"
The man clothed in black came down from the trees, shot something that hit Baldwin near the neck, making some blood spill on my face, and pushed him up, disappearing in a matter of seconds, only letting behind his screams who echoed through the forest.
-"Baldwin!" I clench my teeth, but before I could do anything, a knife appears right under my chin.
-"Shhhhh, be quiet, my prey." The voice of a girl whispering besides my right ear. "I want you all for myself."
Despite saying that, she puts her knife into my neck.
I could see my blood flying.
An extreme pain, separating my neck from my body.
She covers my head with her hand.
Is this the end? Like that?
No! This can´t be!
She finishes her job, making a great cut into my neck.
She kicks me into the ground.
My vision blurs and lose its colors.
I can´t feel my body anymore, only the hot blood in the ground.
My life energy like a river, going it´s way out.
I can hear a horrible sound, like an old TV with signal problems.
My throat is dry… my vision finally fades…
…
I didn´t even had the time to think about my horribly end…
But…
My fangs desires this red water…
The moment she turns to make an end of me, my mouth closes in her neck and, despite her cloak, reaches for the blood.
It´s like time itself had stopped, but in reality I´m just too fast.
She didn´t had time to block it.
My neck is healed, it closes like a simple box.
Every sense of mine returns.
I need to control my body.
My fangs are removed, but she drops dead anyway.
I clean my mouth with my arm.
Wait… I´m not breathing anymore.
My eyes… they see perfectly through the night.
I quickly check my status.
~*~
_______Reynauld_______
Class: Guard
Race: Human Vampire
#Effects# #Diseases#
Blood Rage Vampirism (50%)
…
Blood Rage
{ Large Boost to all attributes.
{ Need for blood.
{ Time Left: 5 minutes.
{Post Effects vary.
~*~
I better get going!
