Chapter 11: A horrible discovery

In addition to the main common room of the inn, we noticed a word written in blood on the wall. The word was "Down." I had seen this before during my career.

"What the-!" Araknedis exclaimed. "Even here?! It's... HIM?!" His hand reached for his sword. Hikari unsheathed her ice sword, ready for a fight.

Lucy started to panic. "A-A-Alex... What is this...? I'm so scared...!" She clung to me, trembling.

"I hope it's just a joke," I replied, reaching for my Xanderyl.

There's a general in Legion's vampire army called "Oldrak." He is the sworn enemy of Araknedis and Hikari. He likes to trick his victims using his vampiric art, creating suspense to lead them to their deaths. His magic, a powerful mix of blood and fire manipulation, makes him a terrifying enemy to fight.

Below the word "Down," there was an arrow pointing to the floor below us. Underneath the main room was the basement of the inn, where all the food and groceries were stored. I needed to protect Lucy.

"Stay behind me, Lucy," I said, gently pushing her behind me. "Stay close to me and if I tell you, run into the sunlight."

"Y-Yes, darling!" she answered.

"That's not the moment for lovey-dovey antics!" Hikari said, annoyed. "Raise your guard and be ready for anything."

"Someone is jealous~" Lucy whispered, covering her mouth, perhaps hiding an evil grin.

Hikari sighed, and we slowly began to walk towards the door leading to the basement stairs. We stopped before the door and examined it. The door was locked.

"Huh? Why is the door locked?" Araknedis asked. "Lucy, do you have the key?"

"Uhm... It doesn't work with a key but with magic. It's sealed with magic," Lucy said, pronouncing a strange formula in an unknown language, and the door magically opened.

"W-What was that?" Araknedis asked. "What language was that?!"

"It's the ancient language of mages called 'Myrmidon.' It's a language used by mages for centuries. It's complex and difficult to learn. My father taught me that," Lucy said, smiling.

"Wow... You have such an amazing wife here, Al- OUCH!" Araknedis was interrupted by a small hit on his head from Hikari.

Lucy blushed.

"Let's go in," I said. The others nodded, and we entered.

I felt a strange sense of nostalgia. I had been fighting alone for so long that I had forgotten what it felt like to have someone. Memories flooded my mind.

The strange smell became stronger, transforming from a slight tickle to a disgusting stench.

"OH! DISGUSTING!!" Araknedis exclaimed, covering his nose. "What do you hide here in this basement? Dead rats?" He waved his hand to chase away the bad smell.

Lucy, Hikari, and I also covered our noses. The stench was unbearable, like there was a dead body here.

"Disgusting! It never stank like this before!" Lucy said, coughing.

"Let's move," I said coldly.

They nodded, and we walked down the stairs to the basement. The stench grew stronger.

Araknedis suddenly stopped.

"Araknedis...? What's wrong?" I said.

He closed his eyes and clasped his hands together as if praying, completely ignoring my question. After five seconds, he opened his eyes, drew out his sword, and swiftly surpassed me and Lucy. He reached the end of the stairs and stopped, his usual demeanor replaced by a cold, emotionless one. His eyes widened, and after a moment, he gestured for me to come closer.

"Lucy, stay here," I said. "Hikari, you too."

They both nodded.

I walked toward Araknedis, my anxiety rising. When I reached him, I saw a horrifying sight: Lucy's father was hanging from the ceiling, wearing only pants. He had injuries all over his body, a bite mark on his neck, and was covered in blood. Below him, the bodies of the inn's guests were hung from the walls, drained of all their blood.

I felt a sense of déjà vu. I had been through this before. I remembered the battle with General Garibus, when he tried to kill me, how he killed all those innocent people, including my friends.

Behind Lucy's father's corpse, a phrase was written in blood.

"This is my payback, Hunter. Have fun until you can. I will kill you. But not today..."

The words made me shiver. I knew the vampire was speaking to me.

"I've been careless... I didn't deserve to have someone to love. They'll all die," I thought to myself. Lucy's father was like my own. He was a good man, known in Lungi for his gentle nature. Rage boiled inside me, and my blood started to boil. I shed a tear of blood from my right eye.

Araknedis glanced at me. I knew what he wanted to say. "We were too late."

Yes, we were late.

My thoughts were foggy.

Lucy noticed my mood and descended the stairs to check on me. I didn't even see her coming.

Once she was close, she asked, "What's happening, Alex?"

I didn't have time to answer. Lucy's voice brought me back to reality, but when I turned to her, she was already crying out in desperation.

"F-F-FATHEEEER!" she screamed, covering her mouth.

Hikari came down as well and witnessed the horrifying scene. I didn't even have the strength to cry anymore.

Lucy ran towards her father's corpse, but due to her height, all she could touch were his feet. She wrapped her arms around her dead father's feet while crying desperately.

"FATHER! FATHER! FATHER!" she repeated, her tears falling onto his feet and then onto the blood-stained floor. I stood behind her, unable to move.

"Father! Father!" Lucy kept repeating. I couldn't help but think about how this would affect Lucy's life. I couldn't leave her after this.

Hikari joined us and observed the scene. She became cold and emotionless like her brother. It was their way of restraining their anger, suppressing every emotion to maintain control, but I knew deep down they were both suffering.

"Alex, we need to talk," Araknedis said.

Lucy couldn't stop her desperate cries. She had lost her father again. She continued to hug his feet and shed tears uncontrollably.

I felt a strange but familiar feeling in my heart.

For the first time in years, I felt the urge to comfort someone.

I approached Lucy and hugged her from behind, wrapping my arms around her waist.

I could feel her body trembling with sobs.

She turned towards me and buried her head in my chest, still crying and holding onto me tightly.

My heart felt numb.

I didn't feel anything except sadness for Lucy.

There was a deafening silence except for Lucy's cries, a silence that spoke volumes.

Lucy's grip on me tightened as she continued to say her father's name.

I didn't blame her.

I had experienced something similar when I saw Legion holding the corpse of my mother with blood dripping from his mouth.

I felt her tears soaking my shirt as I tried to comfort her, but I felt utterly helpless. All I could do was hold her.

Araknedis looked at me with a serious expression, but I couldn't decipher his thoughts.

Eventually, Lucy's sobs began to subside. After what felt like an eternity, she finally let go of me and wiped her face with her sleeve.

"Thank you," she said weakly.

"I'm sorry, Lucy," I replied.

"Why are you apologizing? I-it's sniffle it's not your fault," she said.

"I should have been here earlier. I felt that something was off..." I said, the pain evident in my words.

"No... you protected me, Alex... it's fine…" she said, resting her head on my chest.

***Meanwhile, Araknedis started to analyze the bodies in order to find some informations that could help them in their research of Oldrak.

He started to analyze all the corpses in the room.

He then noticed a strange bulge ,in the pocket of Lucy's father.

He putted his hand in the pocket and he pulled out a small packet.

He started watching it all around.

It was a small wooden box, with a piece of paper and a small red key attached to it.

On the piece of paper, there was written "For my daughter".

"Uhm… I guess this belongs to Lucy" Araknedis thought...