The desolate streets of Hannes City looked awfully eerie tonight. The only source of light was the many lampposts that continued to flicker on and off.
With no one to replenish the oil, the lampposts wouldn't last for long, and soon the city would be submerged in complete darkness. And it sure didn't help that the moons weren't visible tonight.
The city guards that were accompanying Adam could feel the chill pervading the air tonight. But it wasn't the chill that made them feel cold, but something that ignited a spark of fear in their hearts. The fear of the unknown.
One of them looked at Adam who was walking in front and asked in a hushed tone, "Lord Adam… I… I have this strange, ominous feeling. I don't know what it is…"
The other guard chimed in with a nervous expression. "I feel it too. The city feels… different tonight."
Moreover, the fact that Adam had instructed them to be especially vigilant tonight further reinforced this bad feeling in their hearts. They couldn't help but etch closer to the youth walking in front of them, his presence giving them a sense of security.
Listening to them, Adam sighed and thought inwardly, Even normal people like these two can feel the sinister vibe. As expected of those undead bastards, I guess.
"Don't worry. Here, take this." He grabbed four crystal vials from his satchel and handed them to the guards.
The guards, who were slightly older than Adam by a few years, respectfully accepted the vials. Two for each of them.
Seeing the bright red liquid inside the transparent vials, one of the guards asked curiously, "My Lord, what is this?"
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})"Life insurance," Adam spoke without looking back. "If you see something, hmm, let's say, dangerous, throw those vials at it immediately. And make sure to keep your distance, okay?"
"Yes, sir!" The guards nodded as they carefully kept away the vials. They didn't know what was in these vials, but they were grateful to Adam for giving them to them.
Their respect and admiration for the youth increased by several folds as they looked at his broad back with shining eyes.
Adam, on the other hand, bit his lips and tried his best to prevent himself from cursing and crying. Those red potions that he'd just given away were Potions of Explosion that he'd brewed just recently. Their market price was fifteen gold pieces!
Damn you, Count Hannes! If it wasn't for the gravity of the situation, I would have never parted with those vials. He complained inwardly.
Suddenly, his lips curled up into a smirk and a cunning glint flashed past his eyes. Never mind, I'll just have you compensate me for it. You better pay me double, no, triple the amount. Kekeke!
Just as Adam was thinking about how to make money off of the Count, the dark sky was suddenly illuminated by a bright red color.
He raised his head and looked in the direction of the light. His face turned solemn when he saw a red orb of light flying toward the sky, leaving a bright trail in its wake.
The ball of light reached an altitude of about fifty meters and exploded into a brilliant display of fireworks!
"That's the emergency signal!" One of the guards behind Adam blurted out.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Adam turned around and solemnly instructed, "I'm going ahead. You both follow after, but no need to rush. Be alert at all times!"
Without waiting for their reply, Adam jumped on the tiled roof of the nearest building and vaulted over the next building as he made his way toward the location where the emergency signal was shot from.
The guards were shocked at the sudden development. But they calmed their nerves and unsheathed their swords. They also readied the potion that Adam had just given them and then ran in the direction of the emergency signal.
"Let's go!"
"Follow Lord Adam!"
…
At a large, stone plaza in front of the Rhodes Shipyard, something shocking was taking place. Two figures with pale skin and red eyes gleaming with ruthlessness had cornered three people.
Two of them were Count Hanne's guards and the last one was surprisingly Magus Karl!
Magus Karl had already been injured, his shoulder bleeding profusely. He was unable to cast spells now because he was poisoned from the attack. Looking at the two guards protecting him, he couldn't help but smile bitterly, "Forgive me, lads. This old man is truly useless…"
Although he was a Bone Stage Magus, his old age had caught up to him. Forget being able to construct a proper spell model, he wasn't even able to realize when one of those undead creatures had sneaked up on him and landed a blow.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})Looking at the two pale figures standing in front of him and the guards, Karl spat through gritted teeth, "Vampire spawns!"
One of the spawns, a brown-haired man, looked at the other and said while pointing at the two unconscious humans tied up in the distance, "You grab them and head back to Master. I'll deal with these three and come after."
The other spawn, a black-haired woman, nodded. "Be quick. That old Magus shot some sort of signal in the air. Their reinforcements must be on the way."
"Reinforcements? Heh!" The man licked his lips, an expression of mockery marring his pale face. "I'll be done with these three before they even arrive."
The woman rushed towards the tied-up humans, grabbed them, and disappeared into a nearby alley.Meanwhile, the man dashed toward the two guards and Karl with a sinister smile, displaying his sharp and jagged teeth.
"Die!"
Right when he was about ten feet away from the three, the ground beneath him suddenly vibrated intensely, causing him to abruptly lose balance.
Rank 1 Spell: Tremor!
As he lost balance and was falling face first, from the corner of his eyes he was able to glance at a figure dressed in black and wearing a pointy hat, who at some point had unexpectedly appeared in front of the two guards and Karl.
The figure weaved hand signs and then pointed a finger at him. Following that, a resplendent magic circle materialized at the tip of his finger. And then, a bright ball of energy shot in his direction.
Rank 1 Spell: Magic Missile!
Intense brightness.
That was the last thing that the vampire spawn saw before forever being embraced by darkness.
