Blood Shaper

Book 3: Chapter 63

The empty village wasn’t as creepy as Kay had expected. The emptiness contrasting with the obvious signs of life and activity that lay abandoned about the area was off-putting, but for some reason, Kay had expected it to be more than that. There was no ominous feeling permeating the air or looming sense of doom that made every whisper of wind or creaking door into a potential threat to react to. In fact, it was a lot more organized than Kay had imagined it to be. There was no left-out food slowly rotting on the tables as they checked inside houses, fires had been doused, and tools that couldn’t be carried had been neatly put away. It showed how well the military and the Sentinels had done when they had everyone eventuate after finding evidence of the vampyr, but it reinforced the suspicion that the vampyr had let everyone leave.

Why wouldn’t a blood-starved madman of a being attack right when people were most scared, and panic would help the most? That’s what the vampyr had done when it’d attacked the pirates before Avalon’s forces had rolled up to deal with the problem. The vampyr had attacked right in the middle of the chaos of some of the captains fighting each other and had added to it. Why spend so much time creating strange events to spook the villagers and the military, enough to call for Sentinel backup, then do nothing once you were discovered?

The whole thing reeked of a trap or insanity, but a trap was more immediately dangerous, so that’s what Kay was expecting. The squads that were with him split into small bands as they searched each building, making sure to stay in line of sight of everyone else and using a relay system so that each individual or small group had someone watching them, ready to raise the alarm if they were suddenly ambushed. There were only a dozen or so small homes and a couple of professional buildings to explore, and it took them less than an hour to carefully makes sure there were no surprises in the village as they advanced.

A magically constructed mill was the last building on the edge of the building, with the completely smooth stone sides the evidence of a Stone Manipulator or similar Class being used to raise it from the ground in a short period. The necessary materials to make it from a muscle-powered mill into a windmill sat against the edge of the building, with one sail completely finished and another part of the way done.

“Sir,” a scout slinked over to Kay, a nervous look on his face, “We believe we’ve found the vampyr.”

“Where?”

“Over there,” He turned and pointed past the mill toward the very edge of the cleared land that had been prepared for the village. “There’s a partially constructed building, possibly a warehouse of some kind, and there’s a person there we don’t recognize. He’s just standing there with his eyes closed.”

“That’s certainly suspicious, and I’ll take those odds of it being our target. Send someone to gather the other groups, including the Shatterplate Order. I want to hit this vampyr with everything we’ve got all at once.”

“Yes, sir.” The scout quickly saluted and stealthily moved off. Kay waved for everyone to spread out as they moved toward the reported location.

There was a stack of felled trees near the wooden frame of a building that definitely could have been the bones of a warehouse waiting for someone to cover it in its shell, and there was evidence of the logs being turned into boards in a number of places. Someone had taken some of the boards and stacked them on top of a base of logs, making a makeshift stage that a man stood on top of. His arms were crossed behind his back, and his eyes were closed as he stood still, seemingly enjoying the moment in nature. His skin was dark yet somehow there was a sense of paleness to it as if somehow the man had both spent an extensive amount of time outside, the sun lashing his skin enough to darken what was already there beyond his natural skin tone and had never set foot outdoors, his skin sickly looking from lack of vitamin D. It was a disturbing contradiction that wasn’t helped by how his arms were slightly too long and his legs were slightly too tall. He had short-cropped hair with a slight curl in it that seemed to contrast with his slick goatee. There was something about the man that drew the eye, even outside of the circumstances, the disquieting aura he gave off, or even his incredibly gaudy clothing.

He stood there unmoving, even as Kay and his troops spread out as best they could using the available cover, some people leaning up against the nearest trees that still stood while others hung back and hid behind the various buildings. Eventually, everyone was in position, and Kay set in to wait for reinforcements to come.

“Sir.”

Kay glanced over to the scout who’d reported to him earlier.

“Some of the Shatterplate Order have moved up, and they’ve confirmed that’s the vampyr. We’re waiting for everyone else to get in position and the ranged attackers to get ready to strike.”

“Good,” Kay nodded once, then gestured with his chin towards the trees just past the warehouse skeleton, “Head that direction and make sure there’s nothing waiting to join in once we start. Take a squad and be careful about it.”

“Of course, my lord.”

The vampyr’s eyes shot open, and his head twisted sickeningly on his neck, his gaze snapping directly to where Kay was hiding. “Well!” He exclaimed, spreading his arms wide above his head, “I am quite surprised! When I scared off the minions and sent the poor souls trapped beneath the evil tyrant scurrying, I expected a response, but not for the dark lord himself to make an appearance, not this early!” His gaze swept across the area, the rest of his body stock-still, “And with an audience no less! This will be a performance for the ages!”

“What?” Kay muttered.

The vampyr began to pace across the stage, stopping for dramatic pauses in between words as he monologued. “I was sent by my most glorious lord to find a miscreant who was terribly hindering his most glorious plans, and instead, I find a dark pustule spreading across these fair lands! A terrible lord rising up to bring evil to the downtrodden! Gathering those whose plight has driven them from their homes under a dark banner of vile lies and corruption! I found a hive of scum and villainy, filled with pirates galore who needed to be removed from society and who came by just after I had defeated them and rid the world of their taint!? Why, the very evil emperor who I was there to apprehend! He stole the credit for my actions, and I thought: ‘I must truly defeat this grand evil and once more bring peace to the world’!”

“What the fuck is happening?”

Doing a random spin that let him pace back the other way, the vampyr continued, “Then, I decided, not only would I bring this evildoer to my lord, bringer of light and truth to the masses, but I would ensure that the evildoer saw the light himself! And anyone I could save as well! The light of our lord exists to be spread to all, and spread it I shall!” He paused and turned to face where Kay was, his glowing red eyes peeking out from between his fingers which he had placed mostly covering his face, “Come, foul villain, and face me in battle, that I might bring you down and free those beneath your tyranny!”

Kay stared at the vampyr. He’d heard that they were insane, driven mad by the transformation into monstrous beings, but he thought they’d be more like ravening beasts or irrational monsters, not… whatever this was. “Just… shoot him.”

Ranged attacks were launched from every direction except directly behind the vampyr, soldiers, adventurers, and vampyr hunters, using the time the monologue took to surround the vampyr. Magical blasts, thrown spears, arrows, bolts, and numerous projectiles made of blood all flew at the vampyr in one massive wave of attacks.

Red light flared around the edges of the stage as every one of the attacks collided with some kind of barrier that flared to life and deflected everything. Pressurized sprays of blood washed off of it, arrows and bolts bounced back and fell to the ground, and even powerful-looking magical attacks of all shapes and sizes seemed to fizzle out as they hit the translucent red boundary.

“No!” The vampyr cried, “You can’t just start like that; there’s timing to be held to!” He shook his head sadly, “Even if you wish to ignore the correct timing, the holy magic of blood my lord has granted me will not let you! Now,” He turned his back on the crowd of enemies and gestured into the frame of the half-built warehouse. “My new compatriots, only one step short of the true life in the light! Come forth, and let us show this dark villain how powerful our newfound friendship is!”

The air around the warehouse shimmered for a moment, with nothing happening.

Kay could just make out the side of the vampyr’s face, and he scowled with rage, his eyes glowing brighter for a moment as he spat, “I said: Come forth!”

A massive form heaved itself out of the seemingly empty space and impacted in the middle of a group of Sentinels. The massive pus-oozing toad let out a ghastly bellow and began sweeping a spike-covered tongue through the air, lashing at people. More forms followed behind it, staggering dead-looking humanoids began stumbling out of the illusion that had covered them and began clumsily lashing out at whoever was closest to them.

Kay’s forces started fighting back immediately, easily dodging the slow and ponderous attacks of these new enemies, but the toad monster and the zombie-looking enemies didn’t fall that easily; it took multiple large attacks to hack one of them apart, most completely ignoring anything that hit them to try and rip at the nearest person.

Kay glanced over as he impaled a zombie on his halberd and pinned it down long enough for someone else to bash its head in to see the vampyr still glaring in the same direction, an even deeper snarl of anger on his face.

“Can you not hear me!?” He screamed in rage, “Show this evil monstrous tyrant the power of our friendship!” The red glow coming from his irises brightened to a level that physically lit the air in front of him like a tiny red flashlight as he made a dragging gesture toward himself.

Whips of water coalesced in the air and lashed forward at a group of the Shatterplate Order that was charging toward the vampyr. The swirling coils bashed one hunter into the ground and slammed into another one's torso, sending them flying. A woman slowly walked into view, her clothes dirty and torn, with a massive bite mark on her neck that showed where two fangs had punctured her skin. With slow and methodical movements, she began to attack, her eyes vacant.

A man stepped out next to her, a cutlass in his hand. He slowly panned his gaze across the crowd fighting the zombies until he saw Kay. His neck snapped to the side as he charged, his mouth open and snarling as he charged, showing off two tiny fangs growing from his mouth. He brought down his sword in a vicious overhead swing.

Kay shaped the head of his weapon into a smooth needle and withdrew it from the zombie’s body, switching it from a polearm to a sword an instant before he deflected the oncoming attack. He dodged or parried several slower but brutally powerful attacks.

The man’s mouth worked as he attacked, opening and closing, again and again, his eyes locked on Kay. It took a moment for him to realize it, but after a brief moment where he kicked the pirate back from him, Kay recognized the man who had called Eleniah “The Fist” and ran from her.

“…Help!” The man gasped as he lunged forward with his sword.

“How am I supposed to help you?” Kay demanded as he swept the attack away. “You’re helping a vampyr!”

“Don’t want to!” The pirate coughed and dirty-looking, disgusting feeling blood pooled in his mouth and spilled over his lips. “Bit us… changing us! Killed my friend!” For a moment before it snapped back to Kay, the pirate’s eyes traced their way over to the zombie toad monster. “My love… almost entirely gone…. Kill us!” He lunged forward again, his teeth snapping as he tried to bite Kay’s neck.

Kay’s arm snapped up and grabbed the man’s chest, holding him still. His laser focus on Kay ended up being his downfall, whether it was of his own will or part of whatever the vampyr had done to him, but he only paid attention to Kay and didn’t see Tyuah sneaking up behind him. With a flash, two crimson blades scythed through his neck from opposite directions, sending his head tumbling to the ground.

Kay took a single second to look down on the body and pity the man. He looked up and tracked both the vacant-eyed woman, who was still sending whips of water flailing through the air, and the vampyr, who was watching everything from the stage, his eyes triumphant and a manic grin on his face .“That, I can help with.” He promised the deceased.