As if signaling a start to a new age, the skies opened up, and the rain descended from the heavens. It was swift, aggressive, and drummed on the knights' armor like a metal roof. All three knights on the night shift that had accompanied Olympia tore their eyes off the headless corpse of Duke Ferdinand and glared at the suited man that had emerged from the shadows.
"He's a mage." A knight muttered, but the thundering rain drowned out his voice. But all three had reached a similar conclusion: an invisible force surrounded the tall man and direct rain around him like an invisible bubble.
Nothing reached him. While everyone else became drenched in the freezing downpour, he stood calmly watching them with his scarlet eyes.
"Which one of you is the weakest?" The man cryptically asked while stroking the top of his golden weapon.
Two of them subconsciously looked at the one that had spoken with Olympia during the walk. The man's father was a marquess, so they naturally listened to him, but he was hot-headed and terrible with the sword.
Damien followed the two men's gaze. "Perfect. You will do." He then raised his weapon, and two shots ran out. The two knights clattered to the ground like puppets cut from their strings, splashing water as they fell. Then without delay, Damien moved quickly and kneed the remaining knight in the chest so hard it crumpled his armor.
"Ugh." The man clutched his chest as he swayed to the side. Damien followed up by grabbing his helmet and ripping it off. The man had frizzy brown hair that flattened as the relentless rain assaulted everyone except the suit-wearing man.
Damien grabbed the man's chin with his gloved hand and glared into his eyes. Power caused his scarlet eyes to glow slightly as he cast Hypnosis. "Were you three the only knights on duty tonight?"
The man was dazed and trying to resist hurling up his dinner from the hit to his stomach, but he managed to nod.
"Good." Damien smiled, and while keeping his grip on the man, he asked Olympia. "Did you gain any intel? What did you tell these knights for them to come with you?"
Olympia ignored the rain that drenched her hair and clothes and promptly shouted over the howling wind. "Werewolf. They believe a werewolf has infiltrated the city and murdered the Yaeldrin princess."
Damien laughed manically, and stress vacated his body. He was worried the boy had crossed him, but to his surprise, Kharis came up with a clever alibi. Werewolves were not native to this land, but they were incredibly powerful assassins, able to shapeshift and dominate the area beyond the Kazimir mountains.
Damien locked eyes with the terrified knight and commanded. "Run home and tell your family, whoever it may be, that your group was attacked by a werewolf at the gatekeep, and you managed to escape up the hill. Once you arrived at the top, Duke Ferdinand helped fight off the beast while you ran away like a coward. Also, forget everything else that happened tonight."
The knight's eyes turned hazy, and he stood up. The rain dripped down his face, but he didn't even flinch. Instead, he dedicated his entire being to fulfilling the vampire's orders.
With that sorted, Damien used his spatial ring to store the two knight corpses and loomed down over the Dukes. Then, summoning a standard iron axe from his spatial ring, he swung down but failed to penetrate the duke's neck. "Stupid mages and their enhanced bodies." Damien snarled as he tried again and again. Only after the tenth strike did the skin break, allowing the axe to penetrate. 'If not for my orichalcum bullet and Ferdinand leaving his guard down by not summoning a mana shield in time. There is no way I could have killed him.'
Through the slit neck, a ghostly red spirit in the shape of a flaming salamander crawled out and fiercely looked at them. Damien tried to calm his excitement and beckoned it closer. The thing was hesitant as an A-grade fire spirit. But nevertheless, it was a family legacy and had to be treated with care.
Damien hid the bloodied axe in his spatial ring, crouched down to the spirit's level, and held out a waiting palm. The salamander stayed rooted in place and only cautiously sniffed his outstretched finger. Damien smiled and summoned a small flame that danced in his palm while scorching his flesh. With clenched teeth, Damien held back a scream and watched as the little rascal slowly approached the flame, its long tongue flicking out as if trying to taste it.
The thing looked like a red udon noodle with four legs ending in webbed feet. It was cute with its large eyes and black splodges coving its ghostly body. But, despite the spirit walking on his palm, he felt nothing but a light presence rather than pressure.
"Want to come with me?" Damien cooed the spirit. "My wife would love to take care of you." He didn't need a fire spirit, but Fay could use one. After transitioning from a VR game into real life, Damien hadn't been confident about obtaining spirits in this world. But he did know they could be contained in pocket dimensions or kept out as pets, but the second option was ill-advised as an A-grade spirit is rare enough to get you killed on sight.
Finally, the salamander rested a foot on one of his spatial rings, and it seemed happy as it licked at the flame like ice cream. "So, little guy? Shall I leave you, or do you want to come with me?" Damien decided to give the intelligent spirit the illusion of choice. If it denied his offer, he would naturally still take it anyway, but forming a closer bond built on trust was ideal.
The salamander looked at the cold corpse of the human that had been its owner for the last couple of decades, then another look at the dark mansion that likely contained Ferdinand's young son, who should have inherited the spirit. Lightning briefly illuminated the dark house on the hill. Damien felt bad taking away the child's father and inheritance; he would likely lose this house in the coming years to hungry nobles or be robbed blind by the staff working in the mansion.
The salamander seemed to feel his thoughts as spirits often did and narrowed its eyes. Words that weren't comprehensible but held an age-old meaning weighed on his mind.
Help him, and ill help you.
Damien rose to his feet with the fire spirit curling itself on his palm.
"Sure." Damien knew just the green-haired man for the job... he would need a new place of operations after all. 'I just need to purchase this land before anyone else. A small price to pay for an A-grade fire spirit.'
Seeming content with his answer, the fire spirit tapped on his spatial ring and vanished inside. An overwhelming thrill went through Damien as he had finally obtained something so valuable after so many months of living in this world. 'It will also make a great gift for Fay... I wonder how she's doing with the princess?'
Shaking his head, Damien reached down, grabbed the duke's hair, and pulled with all his strength—snapping the neck and ripping the skin, Damien held the severed head in his hand and, using Psychokinesis, he directed the floating head over to the spiked wall and rammed the head onto one of the spikes.
"Why did you do that?" Vanity asked as she looked at the head dripping blood down the black metal spike atop a three-person high wall.
"Werewolves devour the heart of their prey and then leave a trail of heads in their wake. Sadly I doubt Kharis knew of this ritual, but ill do it to further the narrative. Also... it will be hard to stage a werewolf attack, so this method is more straightforward." With a wave of his hand, Damien stored the rest of Ferdinand's corpse in his spatial ring.
"Right." Turning on his heel, Damien departed down the hill with measured steps. "Let's leave before this place becomes swarmed with knights."
***
Damp air accompanied the rising sun that beamed through the castle's floor-to-ceiling glass windows. The mood within the castle was hectic as the masters of the place sent their servants scurrying around, trying to gather every last drop of information possible.
Even now, the bells continue to ring hours after the incident, letting the citizens know that Kassinki was under attack and for everyone to stay in their homes.
A man stood surveying the landscape of his city with narrowed eyes and weathered hands clenched behind his straightened back. Some called him a foolish king, others a talentless man. But nobody disagreed with his ruthlessness. Nobody stayed at the height of power without people working behind the scenes to tidy up the loose ends.
King Edward Greentail didn't even twitch as a pair of footsteps echoed on the marble floor behind him. The intruder paused an arm's length away. "My King."
"Mhm," Edward grunted without even turning.
"I have a report."
Edward hissed in annoyance. These fools gave him reports all morning, but none were good news. His Plague Doctors were working around the clock but hadn't located this supposed werewolf.
"Make it quick," Edward said with a venomous tone.
"Duke Ferdinand... he's dead."
Edward spun round and locked a hand on the messenger's startled shoulder. "He's what!?"
"D-dead, sir."
"Duke Ferdinand... an A-grade fire mage. Dead? In my city?" Disbelief was all over the King's aged face.
"Y-yes." The messenger didn't know what to do to quell the King's rage, so he hastily lowered his head. "His skull was found impaled on his estate's wall. The body is nowhere to be found."
A strong breeze blew around the enraged King. His birthday was twenty-four hours away, and his city had descended into chaos. With clenched teeth, he ordered, "assemble everyone."
"Everyone, sir?"
"Yes." Edward released his clasp and returned to looking out the window. "Gather all the nobles under my rule. Every. Last. One. We must decide on countermeasures for this werewolf and how to handle Ferdinand's death."
"As you wish... my King. But one last thing." The messenger raised his head. "Princess Emilia wishes to see you."
As if signaling a start to a new age, the skies opened up, and the rain descended from the heavens. It was swift, aggressive, and drummed on the knights' armor like a metal roof. All three knights on the night shift that had accompanied Olympia tore their eyes off the headless corpse of Duke Ferdinand and glared at the suited man that had emerged from the shadows.
"He's a mage." A knight muttered, but the thundering rain drowned out his voice. But all three had reached a similar conclusion: an invisible force surrounded the tall man and direct rain around him like an invisible bubble.
Nothing reached him. While everyone else became drenched in the freezing downpour, he stood calmly watching them with his scarlet eyes.
"Which one of you is the weakest?" The man cryptically asked while stroking the top of his golden weapon.
Two of them subconsciously looked at the one that had spoken with Olympia during the walk. The man's father was a marquess, so they naturally listened to him, but he was hot-headed and terrible with the sword.
Damien followed the two men's gaze. "Perfect. You will do." He then raised his weapon, and two shots ran out. The two knights clattered to the ground like puppets cut from their strings, splashing water as they fell. Then without delay, Damien moved quickly and kneed the remaining knight in the chest so hard it crumpled his armor.
"Ugh." The man clutched his chest as he swayed to the side. Damien followed up by grabbing his helmet and ripping it off. The man had frizzy brown hair that flattened as the relentless rain assaulted everyone except the suit-wearing man.
Damien grabbed the man's chin with his gloved hand and glared into his eyes. Power caused his scarlet eyes to glow slightly as he cast Hypnosis. "Were you three the only knights on duty tonight?"
The man was dazed and trying to resist hurling up his dinner from the hit to his stomach, but he managed to nod.
"Good." Damien smiled, and while keeping his grip on the man, he asked Olympia. "Did you gain any intel? What did you tell these knights for them to come with you?"
Olympia ignored the rain that drenched her hair and clothes and promptly shouted over the howling wind. "Werewolf. They believe a werewolf has infiltrated the city and murdered the Yaeldrin princess."
Damien laughed manically, and stress vacated his body. He was worried the boy had crossed him, but to his surprise, Kharis came up with a clever alibi. Werewolves were not native to this land, but they were incredibly powerful assassins, able to shapeshift and dominate the area beyond the Kazimir mountains.
Damien locked eyes with the terrified knight and commanded. "Run home and tell your family, whoever it may be, that your group was attacked by a werewolf at the gatekeep, and you managed to escape up the hill. Once you arrived at the top, Duke Ferdinand helped fight off the beast while you ran away like a coward. Also, forget everything else that happened tonight."
The knight's eyes turned hazy, and he stood up. The rain dripped down his face, but he didn't even flinch. Instead, he dedicated his entire being to fulfilling the vampire's orders.
With that sorted, Damien used his spatial ring to store the two knight corpses and loomed down over the Dukes. Then, summoning a standard iron axe from his spatial ring, he swung down but failed to penetrate the duke's neck. "Stupid mages and their enhanced bodies." Damien snarled as he tried again and again. Only after the tenth strike did the skin break, allowing the axe to penetrate. 'If not for my orichalcum bullet and Ferdinand leaving his guard down by not summoning a mana shield in time. There is no way I could have killed him.'
Through the slit neck, a ghostly red spirit in the shape of a flaming salamander crawled out and fiercely looked at them. Damien tried to calm his excitement and beckoned it closer. The thing was hesitant as an A-grade fire spirit. But nevertheless, it was a family legacy and had to be treated with care.
Damien hid the bloodied axe in his spatial ring, crouched down to the spirit's level, and held out a waiting palm. The salamander stayed rooted in place and only cautiously sniffed his outstretched finger. Damien smiled and summoned a small flame that danced in his palm while scorching his flesh. With clenched teeth, Damien held back a scream and watched as the little rascal slowly approached the flame, its long tongue flicking out as if trying to taste it.
The thing looked like a red udon noodle with four legs ending in webbed feet. It was cute with its large eyes and black splodges coving its ghostly body. But, despite the spirit walking on his palm, he felt nothing but a light presence rather than pressure.
"Want to come with me?" Damien cooed the spirit. "My wife would love to take care of you." He didn't need a fire spirit, but Fay could use one. After transitioning from a VR game into real life, Damien hadn't been confident about obtaining spirits in this world. But he did know they could be contained in pocket dimensions or kept out as pets, but the second option was ill-advised as an A-grade spirit is rare enough to get you killed on sight.
Finally, the salamander rested a foot on one of his spatial rings, and it seemed happy as it licked at the flame like ice cream. "So, little guy? Shall I leave you, or do you want to come with me?" Damien decided to give the intelligent spirit the illusion of choice. If it denied his offer, he would naturally still take it anyway, but forming a closer bond built on trust was ideal.
The salamander looked at the cold corpse of the human that had been its owner for the last couple of decades, then another look at the dark mansion that likely contained Ferdinand's young son, who should have inherited the spirit. Lightning briefly illuminated the dark house on the hill. Damien felt bad taking away the child's father and inheritance; he would likely lose this house in the coming years to hungry nobles or be robbed blind by the staff working in the mansion.
The salamander seemed to feel his thoughts as spirits often did and narrowed its eyes. Words that weren't comprehensible but held an age-old meaning weighed on his mind.
Help him, and ill help you.
Damien rose to his feet with the fire spirit curling itself on his palm.
"Sure." Damien knew just the green-haired man for the job... he would need a new place of operations after all. 'I just need to purchase this land before anyone else. A small price to pay for an A-grade fire spirit.'
Seeming content with his answer, the fire spirit tapped on his spatial ring and vanished inside. An overwhelming thrill went through Damien as he had finally obtained something so valuable after so many months of living in this world. 'It will also make a great gift for Fay... I wonder how she's doing with the princess?'
Shaking his head, Damien reached down, grabbed the duke's hair, and pulled with all his strength—snapping the neck and ripping the skin, Damien held the severed head in his hand and, using Psychokinesis, he directed the floating head over to the spiked wall and rammed the head onto one of the spikes.
"Why did you do that?" Vanity asked as she looked at the head dripping blood down the black metal spike atop a three-person high wall.
"Werewolves devour the heart of their prey and then leave a trail of heads in their wake. Sadly I doubt Kharis knew of this ritual, but ill do it to further the narrative. Also... it will be hard to stage a werewolf attack, so this method is more straightforward." With a wave of his hand, Damien stored the rest of Ferdinand's corpse in his spatial ring.
"Right." Turning on his heel, Damien departed down the hill with measured steps. "Let's leave before this place becomes swarmed with knights."
***
Damp air accompanied the rising sun that beamed through the castle's floor-to-ceiling glass windows. The mood within the castle was hectic as the masters of the place sent their servants scurrying around, trying to gather every last drop of information possible.
Even now, the bells continue to ring hours after the incident, letting the citizens know that Kassinki was under attack and for everyone to stay in their homes.
A man stood surveying the landscape of his city with narrowed eyes and weathered hands clenched behind his straightened back. Some called him a foolish king, others a talentless man. But nobody disagreed with his ruthlessness. Nobody stayed at the height of power without people working behind the scenes to tidy up the loose ends.
King Edward Greentail didn't even twitch as a pair of footsteps echoed on the marble floor behind him. The intruder paused an arm's length away. "My King."
"Mhm," Edward grunted without even turning.
"I have a report."
Edward hissed in annoyance. These fools gave him reports all morning, but none were good news. His Plague Doctors were working around the clock but hadn't located this supposed werewolf.
"Make it quick," Edward said with a venomous tone.
"Duke Ferdinand... he's dead."
Edward spun round and locked a hand on the messenger's startled shoulder. "He's what!?"
"D-dead, sir."
"Duke Ferdinand... an A-grade fire mage. Dead? In my city?" Disbelief was all over the King's aged face.
"Y-yes." The messenger didn't know what to do to quell the King's rage, so he hastily lowered his head. "His skull was found impaled on his estate's wall. The body is nowhere to be found."
A strong breeze blew around the enraged King. His birthday was twenty-four hours away, and his city had descended into chaos. With clenched teeth, he ordered, "assemble everyone."
"Everyone, sir?"
"Yes." Edward released his clasp and returned to looking out the window. "Gather all the nobles under my rule. Every. Last. One. We must decide on countermeasures for this werewolf and how to handle Ferdinand's death."
"As you wish... my King. But one last thing." The messenger raised his head. "Princess Emilia wishes to see you."
