Denir, covered in sweat, woke up from the nightmare. His breathing was steady, yet heavy as it gets. He glanced at a clock; it was around half six. The man sat still on the bed for a second, focusing on the upcoming work. He went to the kitchen and brought the citrus fruits. Moodeen cut them in half and squeezed them into the large pot. He prepared around ten kilograms of them. The butcher put on the fire, letting the water evaporate. Vampire Butcher observed the dance of the flame, which moved so effortlessly and swiftly.
'I have no time to spare, but I feel like shit. I thought that two hours would be enough, but it's nowhere close to being well-rested. I can spare ten minutes to observe the process. After all, I have to let it boil, then simmer on a low fire. I'd guess that after some time, I will be left with about one hundred milliliters of their extract. I have to stay calm and prepare myself. Moreover, I have to waste the night watching illegal fights. They aren't pros, but they can fight, can't they? I have to think constantly, or I'll fall asleep... Damn, I have to drink coffee...'
He poured coffee and water into the coffee pot and set it on the fire. The man took out a glass and waited. After about four minutes, the coffee was ready. Vampire Butcher slowly poured the liquid into the glass and drank it in one go. His face twitched a bit for a second.
'I haven't gotten used to that bitterness, but it's more tolerable for me. Maybe I'm losing my sense of taste? That'd be great, I'd save money on spices. The fruit juice is boiling; thus, my break has ended. I have to work on my armour. Did I check the daggers' sharpness? I can't recall it, guess I have to test them too,' he thought. Denir entered his basement. The chest plate, lying on the table, was almost finished. The man opened the drawer and took out the two daggers.
'How are you exactly supposed to check the sharpness of things? I guess I have to cut something. I don't have anything that resembles flesh... Wait, there's an option, but it's insufficient... Hm...'
The butcher was thinking about a suitable replacement while balancing one of them on his palm. The weapon slipped from him. Moodeen didn't want to dull it; thus, he caught it mid-air.
"I've got it! Oh..."
The catch was successful, but instead of a handle, he had caught it by its blade. Blood was slowly pouring down from his grip. He carefully grabbed it with his second hand. The steel was covered in his body fluid. The man quickly wiped it off with his clothes and started working again. Thuck, thuck, thuck — the pounding sound echoed throughout the room with an impact. Denir noticed something odd. Red strings were flying in front of him, but he wasn't sure if they weren't a hallucination. The butcher took off his white shirt and placed it in front of him, and started working again. Minutes passed, and the clothing was stained; the strings weren't imaginary after all.
'Oh, right! I've cut my hand. I've forgotten to bandage it. Better late than never. I need to wipe it from the armour, but there isn't much of it. A sleeve from my shirt will do the job.'
He ripped out the left sleeve of his shirt and wrapped it around his right hand. It had done its job.
While the Crusaders and Vampire Butcher were preparing for the siege, vampires were getting ready too. Thousands of kilometers away, there was the capital of the Vampire Empire. The city of Notitalis was lively at night, but now it was almost like a ghost town. Only a few humans, dressed in grey uniforms, were cleaning the streets. The architecture of it was pretty similar to the Luxarian one. The buildings were built with bricks or stone. Roads were mostly gravel, but the main ones were paved. The most unusual thing was the butcher shops. Unlike the traditional ones, they sold human flesh. It was only a matter of time before such places would open. After all, vampires had been eating people for centuries. A common misconception was that those creatures drink only blood. In theory, a vampire can survive on a blood-only diet, yet it would be too insufficient. Almost like a human, trying to eat only bread during his life. Yes, they'd live, but not at their fullest. In the centre of the town, there was a huge castle. It was black and purple. A strong, menacing mana emission was coming from it. The inside was kept in the same style as the outside. Huge pillars were supporting many levels of this building. The tall windows were covered with curtains, blocking any sunlight. In the halls, a silhouette of a man appeared. He rushed to the spruce double doors with golden handles.
"Greetings to you, the ninth in command, Sloth!" the two guards greeted him, letting him in.
He nodded to them and rushed in. The six vampires pierced him with a menacing look. They were put in a specific order. It wasn't focused on their height, but on their hierarchy. They were awaiting someone. From nowhere, a portal appeared, and with it the Vampire King. He sat in his crimson throne. In an instant, they knelt and bowed down.
"You're good. You can stand up," stated Sangiusius, allowing them to relax a bit.
"Any updates on the south-eastern border, Gluttony?" he continued, glancing at the fifth vampire.
"Sadly, there is no major progress. I sincerely apologise, your majesty!" the Upper Hand member answered, bowing to the ground.
"I see... Now, how about you, Greed? How's Terminara doing right now?"
"They have a powerful and deadly army. If we were to attack them, we would have to acknowledge many casualties. If my sources are not mistaken, their personnel is ranging from 150,000 to 200,000 troops, your highness!" he replied, looking at the Elder Tenbrenum and avoiding eye contact.
"Okay, thanks. I called you to the castle for one reason. Sloth is striking Zachiria in three days, during the night. They've got no army, but the police. I don't think they will fight back. I've sent a message to their president with that information. He'll flee from the city, but he has one condition. After Carola is taken, he wants to be the mayor of Zachiria. Ha! Humans are weaker than I've anticipated. Decades pass, and mankind becomes more wicked. How many soldiers do you want to bring with you, Sloth?"
"I have wanted three hundred, but can I bring one thousand of them, your majesty?"
"Why's that?"
"I have heard that the Crusaders of Vampires are waiting for us. There is a new member of the party, whom we know little about. People say he has one eye identical to ours. That is the reason for my uncertainty. What is your answer, king?"
The king sighed in disappointment. He supported his head on his right hand.
"I've modified your bodies. I've given you power beyond your greatest expectations. I've selected your seven from many vampires. And now, you're asking me to give you more than double the number of warriors you've asked for?"
The end of his mouth twitched a bit; everyone present experienced shivers. A smile drew on his face, awaiting explanations.
"Excuse my selfishness, king! But I cannot guarantee victory with three hundred vampires. One thousand will be enough to conquer Zachiria, and then Carola. Please, your majesty, hear out my request," he responded, bowing to the ground.
"Do as you wish, but remember. If you don't take over Carola, you'll be executed and replaced."
"Yes, your highness!"
"Now, I'm done with the meeting. When you're ready to leave, ask Deneb to teleport you. Bye."
"Farewell, your highness," the Upper Hands responded.
Deneb clapped twice, and a turquoise portal was summoned in front of them. The king entered it and left them. Once again, the Portal Sorceress clapped twice, and the portal closed. She was quite small and thin. You could mistake her for a child. That is, only if her fangs weren't so big and her eyes so bright. The woman lit a torch, lighting the room. Most of them were hooded, besides Sloth. He was rather thin, wimpy-looking. He had deep green hair, grey eyes, and a scar over his right cheek. Unlike the common ones, Upper Hands possessed a different kind of eyes, almost identical to the human's. The vampire wore black trousers, black boots, and a dark-purple shirt. His whip was strapped to the side of his bottoms.
"Are you sane, you son of a bitch?!" shouted Wrath, pinning Sloth to the wall. The undead lost his temper, his hood flew back, revealing his face. He had messy, orange hair and bright red eyes. The rest watched them without any reaction.
"What now?" he muttered, avoiding eye contact. His body was shaking lightly. He was nervous as always.
"One thousand soldiers? Do you think you're worthy as much? You aren't that slick, you weak shit. I'll let you know that. For every vampire that dies during your siege, you'll be punched by me. You hear me?" he continued, pulling his shirt.
"Enough," proclaimed Pride, laying his right hand on Wrath's shoulder. The vampire knelt instantaneously, overwhelmed by his mana. If he only wanted to, Pride could easily defeat the six of them without a scratch. He was the third in command for a reason.
"Are you ready?" asked Deneb, observing them. They nodded. Seven portals appeared. Each of them went to their respective ones.
Somewhere else, a man was fighting. Not against someone, but himself.
"Argh! I was watching that, and it still overflowed? It was better to buy normal poison, and not to play around with this concoction!" said Denir, wiping the sticky goo off the oven.
He put a glass bottle on the table and started slowly pouring the extract into it. It was yellow and had a strong citrus smell. The man looked at the filled glass. It was most of the poison he produced, and yet it was pretty pathetic to say the least.
'I've got most of the poison ready. The rust isn't a problem, nor is salt. It's half past eight... I can't keep going for a long time; my head hurts like hell. The armour is halfway done... I don't know, maybe I should just give up...' Moodeen thought, sitting on the couch. His eyes closed on their own; he fell asleep...
Tsh! — two swords clashed together.
"Is that all you've got?" asked Dantenium with a smirk.
"Fight, and don't talk," replied Laudis with a spinning strike.
Sand flew around his legs. Dante avoided the blow with ease.
"F.I."
Flame burst out of the Fire sorcerer's right hand. The rest of the Crusaders glanced at them. Udania tightened her grip, just in case she had to intervene. The youth closed his eyes, loosening his muscles. He took a deep breath and braced his back and abs.
"Sword Technique No.2: Cage of Sword."
The boy swung his steel in a circular motion, unconsciously releasing mana. The flame spread away with the swings. The blue-haired woman was relieved.
"You've improved since the morning."
"..."
"You're not very talkative, you know?"
The man rushed into him with a great strike. The kid spared it, but fell to the ground due to the impact. He stood up as fast as he could. Then, Crimson Eye aimed for his neck. The man punched the sword with his black, studded gloves. Thuck! — Laudis delivered a powerful calf kick and jumped backwards. The crimson-haired became slightly pissed off.
"Fireball invocare!"
From the sky, a ball of fire with a diameter of five meters was coming at the youth. Its speed was comparable to the horse's canter. Gladius halted his training and slowly walked to them.
'I can spare flames and weaker attacks, but I've got no chance against this...'
'Have you forgotten about me? Remember, you can restrict the power of every spell,' the voice of Con entered Laudis' mind.
"Sword Technique No. 0: Heart's Arson, thirty percent!"
His muscles flexed, his veins popped out, and his vision sharpened. He glanced at the summoning. It was almost like it had slowed down. Nevertheless, it was meaningless to dodge because it was already too late. The boy rushed into Dante with full speed. The sand trembled and flew with his steps. The man awaited his attack. The rest watched them, intrigued. Tshh! — the blades crushed into each other with a huge impact. It was odd, too odd. Who would attack in the most predictable spot? Exactly, it was just a skit. Laudis thrust once again with his whole body, and then, he swiftly let go of it. The boy placed his right hand on his right arm.
"Mark of Knowledge, trade my mana for his vision."
The mark glowed in white, and the man lost his sight. Still, the fireball was meters above them. It was only then, when the man felt the heat, that he cancelled his spell.
"I guess you've won this time. I'm not used to this power. Let's rest for a while," said Dante, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder.
The two of them went to the space between two dunes. The rest joined them soon after.
"So, how strong Sloth exactly is?" asked Solisia, lying down on the sand.