Chapter 32- Setback part 2

After Lucious and Bellatrix came to an agreement, he showed her all the other prisoners that were being held.

According to Bellatrix, Lucious would have to wake each and every one individually by channelling either aura or mana into the pod to unlock it.

If I unlock thousands of pods, then I will need a place to house everyone and food to feed them... I hate to say it, but it would be best if they all stayed this way.

However, the pods were still draining their aura and mana. If possible, he at least wanted to stop that from happening.

"If you want to stop the function, then we will first have to leave this prison. The functions of the pods can be controlled through the artifacts themselves. I can do that much once we are out of here." Bellatrix said while opening one of the pods to free the prisoner Lucious originally came for.

He was a small, skinny looking demon with light skin, purple hair and eyes. Two horns sat atop his head and two small bat-like wings extended from his back.

He looks a little like Adrianna... don't tell me... As he picked up the unconscious demon boy, Lucious let out a little sigh. This whole rescue operation was to save Adrianna's relative. She must have known about the humans conducting secret missions because they kidnapped him.

Whether she was the one who initially enlightened the guildmaster or he already knew from other sources was unknown, but Lucious decided it wasn't worth worrying about right now.

"Do you know him?" Bellatrix asked as she looked at Lucious with a curious expression.

"No, I know someone related to him." He answered honestly since she would have to meet Adrianna when they left the prison.

Bellatrix quickly searched the prison for any vampires from her clan who may have been captured with her but couldn't find any.

Lucious had already told her that they were in possession of two more of these prisons and she also wanted to check them too.

If even one other member of her clan survived, she would have at least one competent subordinate who would be the least likely to betray her.

Once they were done searching, Lucious led Bellatrix to the area he entered from.

System, how do I leave this place? The thought never occurred to him until now, but he wasn't sure how to leave as there was no exit.

[Reach the area you entered from and look for the markings on the floor. When you find them, simply channel your aura or mana into it]

Upon reaching the first chamber, Lucious saw the faint markings that looked similar to the ones on the artifact.

He quickly channelled his aura into it and a black void like portal opened up. It looked like a black hole opened up and he was left staring into an endless abyss. Talk about creepy...

Taking a deep breath, Lucious walked out first while Bellatrix followed after him carrying the unconscious demon boy.

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Upon leaving the portal, Lucious was returned to the tower surrounded by human corpses sitting is a puddle of their own blood.

Huh? I'm back here? Didn't Adrianna leave when I told her to? He didn't have to ponder for long as Adrianna quickly appeared from seemingly nowhere.

"Lucious? Back already?" Adrianna asked in confusion as she saw Lucious suddenly reappear from within the artifact.

"What do you mean 'already'? I've been gone for at least a couple hours" Lucious replied while looking back to see Bellatrix appearing before them as she exited the prison.

"A couple hours? And who is she?" Adrianna's confusion was plain to see, and she felt like she was missing something important.

Judging by how Lucious didn't react to her appearance, it was clear they were acquainted. Not only that, but she was also holding the prisoner they had gone to save.

However, that didn't lessen her caution as Adrianna subtly prepared to use an artifact with enough power to kill someone at the fifth stage in a single use should the need arrive. This was an artifact that she and her comrades had prepared in the event that the twilight general appeared.

It could also double as a signal that they are in danger to the other groups due to the loud explosion and bright light that it emits upon activation.

"This is–"

"I'm Bellatrix, an acquaintance of Lucious. Put your toy away, you're no enemy of mine, but I won't hesitate to kill you if you force my hand."

Lucious looked at Adrianna in surprise as he hadn't noticed her doing anything even with his keen senses.

Bellatrix grinned when she saw Adrianna reluctantly let go of her artifact then dropped the unconscious demon on the floor before extending her senses to cover the entire fortress.

It only took her a few seconds to locate the treasury of the fortress and she turned to Lucious with a confident grin.

"Mind if I raid the treasury here before I leave, or have you already laid claim to it?" The humans within the fortress were considerably weak as far as she was concerned but the treasury had some worthwhile artifacts within.

If Bellatrix was ever going to regain her former strength within the next five years, then she would need to use artifacts to accelerate the process. Had it not been for the deadline, then she could have taken her time even if it took decades to avenge her daughter and get revenge on the Queen of monsters.

Adrianna looked at her cautiously as she put her artifact away while checking the demon prisoner was ok. She had a million questions for Lucious and would drill him for answers later, but for now, she just wanted Bellatrix to leave.

"Sure, take the treasures here if you want them. We only came for the prisoner anyways... but try not to alert the general in charge." Lucious replied while warning Bellatrix of his special ability and the five fifth stage guards that protect him.

"Are you sure? Because I didn't sense anyone above the fourth stage within the entire fortress" Bellatrix focussed her senses on the main buildings within the fortress but couldn't sense anyone noteworthy.

Adrianna and Lucious looked at one another with a puzzled look. To their knowledge, the twilight general and his guards should be here guarding this place and hearing that he is absent wasn't reassuring.

It was then that they realised they couldn't hear much of anything. Before Lucious entered the prison artifact, he and Adrianna could at least hear the soldiers going about their routines and conducting their business.

Now, however, there was no sound coming from outside or even from the lower floors of the tower, and the eerie silence was making them both uncomfortable.

I don't like this, why is it so quiet out there?

As though on que, Adrianna received a message from Tiavan via her two-way communion crystal. She barely had time to activate it before his slightly panicked voice broke the growing silence.

"Anna! I've lost contact with Johan and Tina, their communication crystal has been destroyed. We should fall back and-" Before he could finish, Tiavan's voice cut off.

"Tiavan!? ... shit" Adrianna's face paled as her crystal dimmed then cracked. This told her that the communication crystal it was paired with had been destroyed.