[Guy's POV]
Sir Radu had decided to send only four vampire squires for the initial strike against the imperials, with himself observing and commanding. He had five more, inarguably stronger, full-fledged knights on standby, but due to the concerns of the local nobility, they had to remain within the mayor’s estate as protection.
He had been rather surprised—and relieved— to see me present in Farrowgate, but that surprise was nothing compared to when I asked to join the attack.
“Guy, you have barely lost your baby fangs. You are not prepared for this.”
I recalled how he voiced his concern and urged me to flee back to Lion’s Maw.
But how could I? Besides Oliver, who had already fled, I was the only one present who understood how dangerous my classmates were. Leon’s Cutting Flame was more dangerous than my allies realised, as it would totally nullify our resistance to slicing implements. Rex was a wild card who likely still had a dozen tricks I was unaware of up his sleeve. The biggest issue with him was the form he showed in Borderton that invoked such an ominous feeling. If he were to use that here, I wasn’t sure whether all of us together would be enough to bring him down.
And then there was Axel. An entirely different breed of monster.
A traitor who showed no guilt in striking down former allies, and whose abilities were already close to those of a knight's.
Thankfully, Sir Radu relented and permitted me to assist him. And when he used his bloodline Gift Seeker’s Sight to show us how Rex had killed Lady Mirela, I knew it would be up to me to deal with him.
I had prepared beforehand by downing one of my three blood vials, containing the blood of a renowned prisoner. His Gift, Extend, activated within me, and my own blood instantly analysed and understood how to utilise it.
I readied myself, preparing to take out Rex’s legs from a safe distance, only for a bizarre sight to distract me.
A goblin, riding atop a familiar animal, was screeching hysterically with a wild look in his eyes as he charged towards me. Feeling an instinctual sense of danger coming from the glowing creature, I redirected my attack towards him.
My nails hardened and shot forth, denting the goblin’s chestplate and forcing him back. As my nails retracted, I noted the burnt tips that came from touching divine power directly.
I failed to do any real harm, but Soot luckily stopped his charge and instead turned to protect the fallen rider. With that dealt with, I intended to return to my original target, only to be once again intercepted. This time, by the most problematic person.
“Fancy meeting you here.”
Axel grinned at me. His body was wreathed in lightning.
“Axel… Is this really what you want?”
“Don’t bother. I’m sick of hearing it.”
He cracked his neck side to side.
“The real question here is what you’re doing here. If I recall right, you refused to kill anyone back in Vogel’s territory. Did you step out here thinking you could talk us down? Or have you finally grown a pair?”
I didn’t respond. Instead, I prepared my scimitar, the first weapon I mastered.
Axel laughed in satisfaction. The next moment, we moved.
As predicted, Axel tried to close the gap and force me into a brawl, as was his usual approach. But he did not expect my movements to be so fluid.
Sharp, precise movements form the backbone of spearmanship, and this was what he had expected to see from me. But the Sweeping Swallow style I grew up with was the polar opposite.
One cut leads into another, a light-handed swipe to the left transitions into a hefty slice upwards. Like the improvised performance of a master dancer, my sword moved without restraint or thought. I simply allowed my body to flow as the situation required.
The Sweeping Swallow style was renowned for its unpredictability, and still, it was not enough. Axel’s Lightning Armour was too dense to break, and even without that, he seemed to derive pleasure from evading my ever-changing strikes through raw animalistic instinct alone.
Even when I caught him off guard by using Extend to mix in sudden piercing attacks, and even lengthening my blade to throw off his sense of distance, he still weaved expertly around it all.
Crack!
He stepped in and drove his fist up into my jaw, sending me airborne.
Slam!
Before I could get my bearings, he snatched my ankle out of the air and threw me down to the ground.
I rolled before his fist could shatter my skull, and utilised Extend to rapidly thrust my nails out, slowly pushing Axel away. Or rather, he was so solid that I was the one being pushed back.
Regardless, distance had been gained, giving me time to swap Gifts. I produced my second blood vial and swallowed the contents with haste.
“Mini-Railgun.”
The same attack I witnessed taking down men on the wall came for my shoulder.
Only for it to be sent flying back at him, chipping off a chunk of his armour.
Mirror Shield. A Gift belonging to a formidable Solean commander of a previous generation. This one was harder to comprehend due to its complexity and the age of the consumed blood. Still, if it were to reflect only single-target attacks, I could wield it effectively.
I ran forward again, this time deliberately leaving a small opening for Axel to exploit. And each time he did, he found himself recoiling from the weight of his own power being thrown back at him.
Of course, this Gift was not without limit. I had to be able to see and react to an attack for it to work.
My only hope of winning with this was to bank on the hope that I could reverse a strong enough attack that Axel would take himself out.
It might have been a little too optimistic.
Axel, seemingly unbothered even as he fell victim to his own attacks, continued to mix in various strikes of different intensities. It didn’t take him long to realise the reflection of the damage didn't entirely nullify the impact I felt myself.
“Let me guess, 30%?”
He smirked as he forced his fist up into my gut. His armour cracked, yet he held firm while I was still struggling to keep my cool.
“I’d love to try it…”
Axel assumed a strange pose, holding both arms forward in parallel and pointing at me with a dangerous look on his face.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
“But I suppose he did ask me not to kill you.”
He then lowered his arms casually, as if he still hadn’t acknowledged this fight as legitimate.
Angered by the condescension, I dragged my finger across my blade, leaving a clean, red streak across the edge.
“Oooh, that looks interesting. But don’t get my hopes up, kid.”
Axel continued to talk to me with no regard for the situation.
“I know what a Blooded Weapon is, and I know there’s no way you could pull it off. You’ve never even taken a life, have you?”
He held his arms out wide and stepped forward.
“Go for it. Prove me wrong.”
It was infuriating. He had the personality of an arrogant thug, but the power to back up all his blustering. He acted like a reckless beast, but I had to acknowledge his intelligence. But the worst part of his disrespect was that he was right.
My bloodied scimitar was a pathetic imitation of our race’s greatest invention, but it was all I could muster at my level.
“Come on. Cut me.”
Axel continued to walk forward, a maddened grin plastered on his face.
I was furious. At him. At this messed-up situation. And at myself.
Why was I shaking? Why was my blade trembling before my eyes? How could anyone enjoy this kind of thing?
My eyes drifted away from Axel, spotting the goblin from earlier chasing my one remaining ally around with undisguised glee. Mr Klaus was roaring up at Sir Radu in bestial excitement. The imperial army was chanting in unison, their stomping and yelling as they encircled our fight without directly intervening, sent shivers down my spine. Whether that was due to my anxiety or the sheer earth-shaking force of their noise, I did not know.
Everywhere around me, there were people revelling in the chaos.
“Oi. What are you waiting for?”
Axel had totally covered the distance between us and was inches away, still prepared to receive my attack without resistance.
Contrary to what he wanted, I stepped back.
Slap!
Axel’s hand flew across my face with such speed and force that I couldn’t reflect the damage in time. My face was forced to the side, and I once again met those piercing green eyes.
Unfazed. Uncaring. Neither enjoying the chaos nor resisting it. Neither concerned for his friends, nor revelling in our conflict.
Cold. Distant. But never detached. As if he waded into the thick of war for his own purpose, but never for the causes fought for.
That angered me far more than Axel’s taunting ever could.
With a defiant scream, I swung at Axel’s chest. The blood-lined blade shone bright as it dragged across his armour, sending sparks flying and producing an ear-piercing screech.
I cleaved straight through his physical armour, but merely scratched the Lightning Armour that he was so proud of. Seeing my own weakness confronting me, I vented my frustration with a series of reckless strikes. Gone was my former precise, methodical approach. In its place was a disgusting, barbaric outburst.
The cheering around me began to die down. My vision went red, and I no longer registered how my strikes were being received. Maybe I had already killed my target. Maybe he was begging for mercy. Maybe he fled, and I was hacking into someone else entirely.
All I knew was that I was angry. My own frantic yelling and cursing deafened me to reality, until finally.
My breath was stolen from me.
My throat was constricted, and my sword was yanked out of my hand.
“That’s it?”
Axel held me up by the neck with one hand and looked at me with dissatisfaction.
He was completely unharmed. Nothing I did had any effect. Axel’s grip tightened slowly as his boredom shifted to annoyance.
“You’re pathetic.”
I shut my eyes tight, ready for the inevitable snap to come.
“Axel.”
But a calm voice spoke out over it all. Quiet, yet commanding.
The grip suddenly released entirely, and I dropped to the ground.
“Yeah, yeah. Tch, what a waste of time.”
Defeated and humiliated, I was left unrestrained on the floor. They thought so little of the threat I posed that nobody even bothered to deliver the finishing blow.
I stared down at the ground, ashamed.
Someone approached my side, but I didn't turn to look at him. I could tell who it was anyway, just from the stench of blood and soil.
“Why didn't you use the last vial?”
He posed a stupid question. One meant to sate his own curiosity and nothing more. He could have shown concern, feigned or otherwise. He could have mocked me. But no, Rex wouldn't do what was expected of a normal human unless it benefited him.
“...Fine.”
I looked up at him, raising his axe. Maybe I could stop the attack, but to what end? Axel would just step in and save him.
Rex held his position for a moment longer than necessary, almost as though he was waiting.
“Guy! Grab on!”
Rex was suddenly shoved aside, and I was abruptly pulled into the air, right back over Farrowgate's wall.
I landed roughly, tumbling to the ground alongside my saviour. The only other survivor of our group, Dinu Constantine.
He was covered in large gashes, clearly made by Mr Klaus’s claws and fangs. But he was alive. As was I.
Sir Radu looked back at us to make sure we were okay, but he soon turned away as Mr Klaus began yelling his taunts.
“Guy, are you injured?”
Dinu checked me over, but I was no longer mentally present.
“Why didn't you use the last vial?”
Rex’s voice played back in my mind. My fingers delicately and hesitantly brushed over the third vial dangling from my necklace.
A vial of blood that held immeasurable value. Blood that could never be replaced. Blood that was hard-earned by my father and came at the cost of many lives.
Why didn't I use it? He would scoff at me if he knew the answer.
It was because I was not prepared to kill my former friends. Even after everything. Even understanding our duties to our nations, I did not accept that we should be killing each other.
Exhausted from using two powerful Gifts back to back, I let my body fall limp, and my consciousness faded.
***
[Rex’s POV]
I watched as the two vampires sailed through the air behind the safety of their walls and sighed in relief. Guy's presence in Farrowgate would no doubt speed up what I had set in motion. To that end, letting him die wouldn't be beneficial for me.
If that other vampire had taken any longer, they probably would have caught on to the fact that I was up to something, taking so long to swing my weapon.
As it was, it would have appeared that I just hesitated because of our connection.
“Hey, boss! I do good?”
Bubblin came up beside me.
“Very. Well done, Bubblin.”
Upon taking a rear line position, I had issued a simple order to the goblin: Chase the remaining vampire, but don't kill them. Then, after Axel wins, he was to herd his target to Guy so they could both escape.
“Is that all!? Look at us, mosquitoes! We stand strong while you are reduced to ash!”
Klaus roared victoriously.
Realistically, we had sustained far more losses. But from another perspective, the vampires had just lost 30% of their forces. Sure, Farrowgate still had its own human protectors, but it was clear from the reactions on the wall that they had expected Alexandru to be carrying most of the weight.
The battle fell into a momentary lull as both sides stopped firing upon each other, and the gates were closed once again.
“Remember this day, vampire! But don't think your night will be restful either!”
Klaus gave the signal for retreat, and just like that, we marched away.
There was no grumbling or complaints, and the overall mood was positive despite having marched for five days only to leave after less than an hour of battle.
Out of 200 men, only 40 had lost their lives. Considering we fought both Harkon and the vampires, this was an incredibly low casualty rate.
By the first night of our departure, we came to a stop, as we were faced with another army of 200.
The leaders stepped forward.
“I see you are well, Klaus.”
“Of course. You weren't doubting me, were you?”
Draven and Klaus exchanged pleasantries. Klaus then gave a brief report on the situation at Farrowgate.
“You killed three already? You know you only had to harass them a little?”
“Hahaha! Blame the competence of the next generation.”
Klaus pointed towards us.
“I see… by the way, was this your doing, too?”
Draven removed the large bag from his back and produced a familiar metallic head. How he managed to separate it from Harkon's body was a question that had me reassessing the therian's strength.
“Ho? You picked that thing up? You should toss it over the wall. It will surely give them a fright, hahaha!”
Draven's force moved down towards the beach to make way for the rest of us as we passed by.
Many soldiers exchanged quick greetings, but we were all quick to move on.
Except for Felicia.
“Daddy! You should have seen me, I was all fwoosh! And Leon was like schwing! Can't I come with you? I wanna keep going! C'mon, Axel, tell him!”
“Hm? Yeah, I'm keen for another go at them.”
Axel agreed, but Draven shook his head.
“Go back and rest. You'll be sent out again soon.”
With their request denied, they fell back in line, shoulders drooped.
I intended to carry on past them without a word, but Draven's firm hand on my shoulder halted me.
“Her Highness requested your presence immediately. She has given leave for you to move ahead of the pack.”
I nodded silently. I didn't know what she wanted so urgently, but I could tell by Draven's eyes that he was just as ignorant. Questioning the order would be pointless.
And so, I reported to Klaus, told Bubblin that I was going on ahead, and fused with Tiara to assume a four-legged form to cover more ground.
Within a day, I had returned to Borderton and found myself standing before Alma's desk.
“Rex Jaeger, reporting in.”
“That was fast.”
She smiled slightly.
“While you were gone, a dangerous creature was found lurking nearby. Ordinarily, such a beast would be dealt with immediately. However, this strigae invoked a rather familiar name. One belonging to the renowned junior knight who has been making a name for himself.”
I remained neutral on the outside, but inwardly I was sweating. Why the hell did Skrake come so close to Borderton? And how was I meant to explain my involvement with her?
“It was fortunate that I was the one who found that thing, or word would no doubt have already spread through the town.”
Alma's eyes brightened in the dark room as she steepled her fingers and leaned in.
“You're up to something, and I strongly suggest you come clean while I am in the mood to listen.”
Her pistols were left openly on the desk, a silent reminder of the control she held over me.
With a sigh, I accepted my position and laid out my intentions for both Farrowgate and Lion's Maw.
