Chapter 520: Wrath of Gale (Patreon)

A dozen scarlet-cloaked vampires emerged from around the manor’s wreckage and loosely encircled Grim, Kyriil, and the retinue of valley warriors.

 Gale took a sword stance as did her cousins. “We are the Shield of Veres,” they said in unison. “Be it Monster or Man, here we stand, and we shall not falter.”

“The House of Gale…” muttered Grim in recognition.

“You know these vampires?” Kyriil asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I’ve heard of their exploits,” replied Grim. “They are the greatest sword masters in the Realm.”

“Is that all?” Kyriil shook his head. “They’ve clearly never met a sword master from the Ivory Glade.” He turned to Gale with a wide grin, “Don’t worry, as a man of honor, I take it easy on pretty women.”

“Willow,” Gale said coolly.

“Yes, Sister?” answered her cousin with a nod.

“Take our lord away from this rabble,” said Gale. “Stellan, accompany her.”

“Understood,” the siblings replied.

Stellan reached down and gently scooped Aurelia into his arms.

“Be careful!” Stryg said anxiously.

Stellan paused and looked at him curiously.

Stryg bit his lip, “She’s my mother, I… I can’t lose her.”

Stellan glanced down at Aurelia in his arms with newfound reverence. “Your mother…? Then she is—”

“Aurelia, her name is Aurelia,” Stryg whispered.

“These bastards dare hurt our lady like this?” Willow snarled.

The dozen vampires stiffened at her words. Their eyes snapped towards Aurelia and their expressions broke with worry. Gripping their swords tightly, they turned to Grim and Kyriil, indignant rage burning in their scarlet eyes.

“You two, our lord and lady’s safety is our priority. Take them away from here. We’ll deal with these savages,” said Gale coldly.

“Pardon the intrusion,” Willow grabbed Stryg and picked him up. 

Stryg frowned. “What are you doing—?”

“Ugh!” Or at least she tried to, before falling to her knees. “You’re— heavier than I thought,” she grinned awkwardly.

“Y-Yeah, so they tell me,” said Stryg weakly.

“Not to worry, my lord.” Willow channeled Brown and lifted him up. “You can rest now.”

Rest? The word seemed foreign to Stryg. It had taken every ounce of strength he had left to make it to his mother and Blueberry. He could his mind wandering into unconsciousness. His vision was fading at the edges. He glanced at Aurelia’s still face. “Mom…” his voice trailed off. 

Stryg’s head slumped over and he knew no more. 

Willow’s expression softened. “You fought alone to the end. Forgive us.”

“Don’t let them escape!” shouted Grim.

“I’m aware,” Kyriil smiled hungrily. A second radiant orb of light spun into existence above him. The orbs stood above his shoulders, leaking light as if two wings were trailing behind him.

Blueberry raised his head and growled feebly.

Gale glanced at him and smiled. She gently placed her hand on his snout, “Thank you for protecting our lord and lady until now, Brother. We’ll take care of the rest.”

Blueberry stared at her for a moment, then lowered his head in acquiescence.

Kyriil waited until the precise moment Gale turned her back before he threw his hands forward. The radiant orbs surged with power and shot twin beams of light at her.

A red ward appeared behind Gale’s back and blocked the beams in a diffusion of light. “Shields!” she shouted before turning on her heel. “Attack!”

The vampires yelled in acknowledgement. Shadows swallowed them and they rushed forward in trails of darkness. Kyriil turned to face them, but Gale appeared before him in the blink of an eye. 

“Kyriil!” Grim yelled out.

Steel flashed and crimson blood sprayed into the air. The elf screamed and stumbled back, and held his bloody stump where his right hand had been.

“You bitch!” Kyriil screamed.

“You dare threaten Veres,” she hissed, fangs glinting in the light of his bright spells.

“G-Get back!” he shouted in a panic. The orbs sprayed small missiles of light.

Gale’s sword blurred in a rhythmic pattern, swirling around her in a sphere of steel, cutting down each missile in bursts of light. 

The valley warriors shouted war cries as the vampires leaped into their midst. The warriors attacked with blades, axes, and spears, and were met with the Gales’ swords in sparks of steel. The sword masters strode through them, their blades slipping through their defenses and finding the soft flesh underneath. 

The war cries of the valley warriors turned into cries of horror and pain as the Gales ripped through their lines in a bloody dance of steel and sinew.

“Stand back!” Grim summoned forth a pair of serpents of water from the rain and aimed at the Gales. But two more vampires leaped at him from both sides. The serpents turned and lashed out with long fangs of ice. The vampires shifted past in blurs of darkness. Their swords slashed at the snakes, but their blades sliced through the water harmlessly.

Grim sneered at them, “Your steel is useless!” He raised his arms and channeled elemental water energies through his body. Shards of ice spun around him, forming an enormous snake of frost and water. The green gem embedded in his sternum flared with power. Grim laughed in maniacal delight, “Now, die—!”

A steel blade pierced his back and jutted out the front of his chest, cleaving the gem in two. Grim turned his neck, eyes wide. “W-When…?” he gasped a raspy noise.

“For Lord Eldrin,” hissed a third vampire.

Grim spun around and lashed out at her with a sickle of ice. She drew the blade out in a clean swipe and jumped back. As soon as she moved, the other two vampires drew close in silent coordination. They danced around the serpents with almost liquid movements. Their swords slashed out in quick precise strikes, slicing the axlean’s muscles and tendons.

Grim cried out in pain and collapsed to his knees. He growled at them, blood slipping out of his mouth. “My master shall kill—”

Three blades simultaneously stabbed his lungs and heart respectively. Grim coughed out blood and stared up at the three vampires, their scarlet eyes cold with anger.

Kyriil turned in time to see one of the vampires decapitate the axlean with a single strike. “Shit! Grim!” He clenched his remaining hand and channeled all the white mana in his body into his spell. The radiant orbs above his shoulders crashed into one another and exploded in a brilliant blaze of light. 

The vampires flinched back and threw their scarlet cloaks over themselves. Gale threw her arm over her face as the intense light singed her skin. Smoke wafted from her pale flesh, but she held her ground.

Lightning coated Gale’s sword in crackling blue tendrils. Brown mana filled her limbs and strengthened her muscles. She leaned forward and took a step, then another, pushing against the searing bright spell.

Kyriil’s eyes widened in fear. “N-No! Stay back!”

“I am the Shield,” she said through clenched teeth. “Here. I. Stand.” She pulled her sword back. “And I shall not falter!” Gale dashed at Kyriil and swung her blade in a wide arc, and sliced through the elf’s waist.

Kyriil’s face went stiff and the radiant orbs sputtered out. He fell over without a word, his upper half slipping free from his legs in a bloody puddle.

~~~

…20 minutes earlier…

Marek kicked Loh in the gut and sneered as she fell back gasping for breath. He placed the point of the spear over her back. “What was that you said? When you got in my way? You are just like me? Because we’re both dead.”

Loh glared up at him with a swollen eye and spat blood at his feet.

Marek smiled, “I suppose you were half right.” He raised the spear with both hands and aimed at her neck, then paused. The rain droplets on his arms were… rising?

Svartna suddenly ripped out from his grip and went flying, sending him stumbling backwards. Without missing a beat, Loh thrust her hand between his legs and gripped his crotch.

The two met each other’s gaze for a single breath. Marek’s eyes widened in stunned fear. Loh glared at him and channeled Orange. Flames burst from her fingers and exploded, burning through the cloth and scorching the fragile flesh underneath.

A howling scream ripped out from Marek’s throat. He flailed back and fell over, shrieking in agony. Loh collapsed on her side, her injuries too great to even sit up. Her fingers, still covered in flames, moved in quick succession, scrawling out Grey sigils in the air.

The sigils curled together and formed a chain. The curse spell lashed out and wrapped around Marek’s neck. His thick muscles bulged out as the chain tightened. Marek scratched at the chain weakly. He looked over at Loh, eyes red with angry painful tears.

The two glared at one another in silence, the last of their strength slipping away. Marek’s face reddened and began to turn blue. The curse sigils crumbled at the edges but held tight to his neck.

“Y-You, bitch,” he choked out.

Loh bared her teeth and hissed in reminiscence of her student.

Marek’s face went pale and his eyes rolled up. His arms fell slack at his side and his body went limp as he fell unconscious.

The curse sigils broke apart and faded into grey dust. Loh gasped a deep breath and rolled over onto her back. Her heartbeat thrummed in her ears. She could feel her body overheating from the overuse of her magic. Her leg throbbed with pain as if a rusty knife was digging into her shin. 

She would have welcomed the cold touch of the rain, but strangely enough, it was falling upwards. Droplets of blood from her leg rose with the rain in a strange vibrating pattern.

This wasn’t real, she thought to herself. She had lost too much blood, she could hardly breathe, let alone move. 

Lily, her family’s Seneschal and her grandfather’s secretary, was lying a few paces away. The vampiress wasn’t moving, but she seemed relatively unharmed. As did a few other remaining guards.

Loh couldn’t help but smile faintly at the thought. She had managed to save them. At least this once, she had saved a life.

A sharp light drew her attention. A brilliant star shot into the night sky on silvery wings. She caught a glimpse as the star flew past her. It seemed almost like a man, almost like—

Stryg…?

Now she knew she was hallucinating.