Chapter 142: Reaching The Apex
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The days continued like that. Sangfroid was feasted upon for seven days, until they have finally received the Noble Huntsmen's letter.
The letter came through a carrier pigeon that has become very tired upon finding them. Sangfroid got it himself, and read it in front of his companions:
"To King Sangfroid...." He started, then frowned. He truly dislikes being referred to as 'king', especially since he never once officially accepted the title, nor accepted such position in his heart.
Still, he waved this distaste away and continued reading. "This letter is to persuade you after the following events. I, as your friend and brother for many years, worry about your current state. We have seen from the mirror how much the travel with the Vampire Lord has affected you."
"Hah, I didn't expect them to have such a pacifist approach." Vladstin snorted, wearing a wry sneer with much meaning. After all, these were the very same people who turned torture into a celebration and a public spectacle.
"It must be Rothfir who wrote it." Leron, who is currently The Beast, suggested. He was already aware of who the Noble Huntsmen were and their involvement with Sangfroid thanks to Awful White.
"Yes." Sangfroid nodded. "He would not let Verise or the others who are much more skeptical of me to write it."
He continued: "We would like you to reconsider. We really need you, Sangfroid. The kingdom needs to be rebuilt from scratch and it is you who we are waiting for to place the first stone, and dictate how we must build it. The people of Ilvedia are continuously suffering without you on their side...."
Rothfir kept on using sympathetic words to persuade Sangfroid, going on and on about duty and the people's needs and stuff. The Beast increasingly became bored of this letter. He knows very well that behind all those words putting Sangfroid on a pedestal what they really need is the Amulet, not him.
For these seven days, he had gained enough information from Awful White and also from conversing with these two lousy weaklings to know enough about the situation. It didn't change his desire and disdain for Vladstin one bit, but his appreciation and fondness for Sangfroid had grown.
It turns out that this man is a childhood friend, eh? And he had been loyal to Leron since he was a child, even training to be the leader of vampire hunters called the Noble Huntsmen just to protect him from the future his adoptive father, the Bishop of Santimieda, had foreseen. Through this strong will, he had endured many difficulties, even had to face being scorned by his fellow brothers and sisters, and received a strong injury of an ax on the back to save Vladstin for his own sake.
He even abandoned the idea of being king!? Who in their right mind would do that!? And he even have an Amulet that could make him the greatest king of all the Thirteen Kingdoms, and yet he only used it to conjure chickens and fish to be food for his lover!!!
This is a man who will do anything for his desire towards another man. The Beast is very pleased with that.
He is crazy! Crazy to the core, absolute insanity running in his veins under the guise of 'love'!
What he dislikes is these people trying to lure him with ideas of duty to take away that desire from him. So what if Sangfroid wants to kill himself if he fails? So what if he will give the Amulet to Leron instead of these Ilvedians he is bound to as King? Let him do as he wish! He is his own person, he doesn't have to care about someone else, only blindly going through impulses for the sake of Leron!
The Beast wanted to rip the letter to shreds and bring havoc to New Ilvedia, killing all of them. After all they have done for him, these ungrateful idiots who see him as a traitor despite going undercover to another kingdom for many years just so they could win the war... They deserve to perish! Become a corpse puppet like Vladstin and burn in hell!
".... That is why, you must understand, Sangfroid. If you continue to lose your way, we will have no choice but lose grip on the reins too. Your downfall will be the downfall of the whole kingdom, it all relies on your hands, and I know that you will not abandon such responsibility."
Sangfroid had finally reached where Rothfir is truly getting at. "If the Hermit kills Vladstin himself, return to us. We will accept you and Leron, though we must inquire about that girl in a bucket you brought with you first. Don't throw your life away for such a thing. But....."
"But if you truly made up your mind to do such a thing, then please know that we will try to get the Amulet from your corpse. If it brings a curse to New Ilvedia instead of a blessing, then the fault could not truly be ours. Leron is transforming into a corpse vampire, and we shall have to kill him as well. Everyone dies when you die, Sangfroid. There will be no saving grace for all of us, we will all suffer in the end. Please do not let that happen. ---- Your dear brother and comrade, Rothfir."
Sangfroid folded the letter neatly into four quarters, and take a look at its sealed envelope. It was the seal of Ilvedia, a blue one, with the symbol of the dragon. His eyebrows were knitted, but he doesn't look too alarmed as expected.
"Are you alright, Sangfroid?" The Beast asked, recreating the soft tone of his gentler counterpart.
What he truly wants to say is 'Get over it, don't listen to those useless scums and tar that only know to grovel and stick on your feet!'
"I am. It's just that.... This letter arrived far too late. They must have learned of what had happened to you by now, and they might send another letter, which will take weeks again to be received. If we reply, it's the same thing." Sangfroid explained. "Communication is too slow, and it might affect our understanding of each other."
"It will take me just a few hours to get there, though." Vladstin said. "But of course, I cannot play messenger as I might get shot. Not that it bothers me in any way, since it will not kill me, but it is still troublesome."
"Is there even any point to communicate with the Noble Huntsmen anymore?" Leron suddenly said, tilting his head to the side while he was seated on a rock and still tied up.
"What do you mean, Your Highness?" Sangfroid asked.
The Beast smiled lightly. "No matter what, they seem to be fully against you and had grown distrust on which side you truly are. They only want you to return to them because of the Amulet. But even if you did formally pass the Amulet to one of them, say Rothfir... How can we be sure that they won't kill you afterward?"
He forced himself to cry fake tears. "Sangfroid, I worry about you. It seems you are in a truly helpless situation. Whether you choose your kingdom or not, it all ends horribly. Why don't we... Why don't we all just find a way to escape?"
"But then again, even the Hermit is not giving us any hope right now." Vladstin countered, only amused to see Leron cry for Sangfroid. "All roads lead to all three of us dying if your guess comes true. And we haven't even brought Ofelia to her mother yet....."
"How about we use Ofelia to convince the Hermit, then? Make him aware of her presence with us?" Leron offered.
"That still did not stop him from using the volcanic golem to attack." Sangfroid said. "I'm.... I'm truly lost. I feel pathetic, I can't even walk. It's like things are soon reaching their end, but in a way I don't like."
"Such is the tragedy of us three." Vladstin said, his inner poet coming to the surface.
"How do we reach the apex faster without alarming the Hermit..." If the Beast's hand were untied, he would have rubbed his chin. "We desperately need help. If we could distract the Hermits with something before reaching his abode, then we might be successful. "
"How? He oversees this whole Mountain, this is his domain." Vladstin asked.
Leron shrugged. "I am not certain, but something to misdirect him....."
"Misdirect..." Sangfroid's eyes widened.
Of course! Why haven't they considered it before!?
"What is it, Sangfroid?" Both vampire lords asked.
"The empty husks can follow our orders, correct?" Sangfroid asked. "They are very similar to corpse puppets, only less hostile and does not attack anyone. And..... Unlike vampires, they're not affected by the Hermit's warding power. Even if the apex has traps like that one with the kaverkai vines, they would not be affected."
The two vampire lord's eyes widen. They now also see where Sangfroid was hinting at.
The answer was with them all along, and they were too distracted by only using it for pleasure and for food.
"So, we use the empty husk. But what's exactly the plan?" Vladstin asked. "And the rocks have ears, the Hermit may even be listening to us right now. What do we do with that?"
"There is no need to worry about that. The Hermit hears nothing without the wind."
They turned around to the voice but it was nowhere. The source also seems to come from no direction whatsoever.
"It is I. I am here. I have always been here, for I am the Wind of the Libitinous Mountains."
The Wind had finally introduced himself.
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The days continued like that. Sangfroid was feasted upon for seven days, until they have finally received the Noble Huntsmen's letter.
The letter came through a carrier pigeon that has become very tired upon finding them. Sangfroid got it himself, and read it in front of his companions:
"To King Sangfroid...." He started, then frowned. He truly dislikes being referred to as 'king', especially since he never once officially accepted the title, nor accepted such position in his heart.
Still, he waved this distaste away and continued reading. "This letter is to persuade you after the following events. I, as your friend and brother for many years, worry about your current state. We have seen from the mirror how much the travel with the Vampire Lord has affected you."
"Hah, I didn't expect them to have such a pacifist approach." Vladstin snorted, wearing a wry sneer with much meaning. After all, these were the very same people who turned torture into a celebration and a public spectacle.
"It must be Rothfir who wrote it." Leron, who is currently The Beast, suggested. He was already aware of who the Noble Huntsmen were and their involvement with Sangfroid thanks to Awful White.
"Yes." Sangfroid nodded. "He would not let Verise or the others who are much more skeptical of me to write it."
He continued: "We would like you to reconsider. We really need you, Sangfroid. The kingdom needs to be rebuilt from scratch and it is you who we are waiting for to place the first stone, and dictate how we must build it. The people of Ilvedia are continuously suffering without you on their side...."
Rothfir kept on using sympathetic words to persuade Sangfroid, going on and on about duty and the people's needs and stuff. The Beast increasingly became bored of this letter. He knows very well that behind all those words putting Sangfroid on a pedestal what they really need is the Amulet, not him.
For these seven days, he had gained enough information from Awful White and also from conversing with these two lousy weaklings to know enough about the situation. It didn't change his desire and disdain for Vladstin one bit, but his appreciation and fondness for Sangfroid had grown.
It turns out that this man is a childhood friend, eh? And he had been loyal to Leron since he was a child, even training to be the leader of vampire hunters called the Noble Huntsmen just to protect him from the future his adoptive father, the Bishop of Santimieda, had foreseen. Through this strong will, he had endured many difficulties, even had to face being scorned by his fellow brothers and sisters, and received a strong injury of an ax on the back to save Vladstin for his own sake.
He even abandoned the idea of being king!? Who in their right mind would do that!? And he even have an Amulet that could make him the greatest king of all the Thirteen Kingdoms, and yet he only used it to conjure chickens and fish to be food for his lover!!!
This is a man who will do anything for his desire towards another man. The Beast is very pleased with that.
He is crazy! Crazy to the core, absolute insanity running in his veins under the guise of 'love'!
What he dislikes is these people trying to lure him with ideas of duty to take away that desire from him. So what if Sangfroid wants to kill himself if he fails? So what if he will give the Amulet to Leron instead of these Ilvedians he is bound to as King? Let him do as he wish! He is his own person, he doesn't have to care about someone else, only blindly going through impulses for the sake of Leron!
The Beast wanted to rip the letter to shreds and bring havoc to New Ilvedia, killing all of them. After all they have done for him, these ungrateful idiots who see him as a traitor despite going undercover to another kingdom for many years just so they could win the war... They deserve to perish! Become a corpse puppet like Vladstin and burn in hell!
".... That is why, you must understand, Sangfroid. If you continue to lose your way, we will have no choice but lose grip on the reins too. Your downfall will be the downfall of the whole kingdom, it all relies on your hands, and I know that you will not abandon such responsibility."
Sangfroid had finally reached where Rothfir is truly getting at. "If the Hermit kills Vladstin himself, return to us. We will accept you and Leron, though we must inquire about that girl in a bucket you brought with you first. Don't throw your life away for such a thing. But....."
"But if you truly made up your mind to do such a thing, then please know that we will try to get the Amulet from your corpse. If it brings a curse to New Ilvedia instead of a blessing, then the fault could not truly be ours. Leron is transforming into a corpse vampire, and we shall have to kill him as well. Everyone dies when you die, Sangfroid. There will be no saving grace for all of us, we will all suffer in the end. Please do not let that happen. ---- Your dear brother and comrade, Rothfir."
Sangfroid folded the letter neatly into four quarters, and take a look at its sealed envelope. It was the seal of Ilvedia, a blue one, with the symbol of the dragon. His eyebrows were knitted, but he doesn't look too alarmed as expected.
"Are you alright, Sangfroid?" The Beast asked, recreating the soft tone of his gentler counterpart.
What he truly wants to say is 'Get over it, don't listen to those useless scums and tar that only know to grovel and stick on your feet!'
"I am. It's just that.... This letter arrived far too late. They must have learned of what had happened to you by now, and they might send another letter, which will take weeks again to be received. If we reply, it's the same thing." Sangfroid explained. "Communication is too slow, and it might affect our understanding of each other."
"It will take me just a few hours to get there, though." Vladstin said. "But of course, I cannot play messenger as I might get shot. Not that it bothers me in any way, since it will not kill me, but it is still troublesome."
"Is there even any point to communicate with the Noble Huntsmen anymore?" Leron suddenly said, tilting his head to the side while he was seated on a rock and still tied up.
"What do you mean, Your Highness?" Sangfroid asked.
The Beast smiled lightly. "No matter what, they seem to be fully against you and had grown distrust on which side you truly are. They only want you to return to them because of the Amulet. But even if you did formally pass the Amulet to one of them, say Rothfir... How can we be sure that they won't kill you afterward?"
He forced himself to cry fake tears. "Sangfroid, I worry about you. It seems you are in a truly helpless situation. Whether you choose your kingdom or not, it all ends horribly. Why don't we... Why don't we all just find a way to escape?"
"But then again, even the Hermit is not giving us any hope right now." Vladstin countered, only amused to see Leron cry for Sangfroid. "All roads lead to all three of us dying if your guess comes true. And we haven't even brought Ofelia to her mother yet....."
"How about we use Ofelia to convince the Hermit, then? Make him aware of her presence with us?" Leron offered.
"That still did not stop him from using the volcanic golem to attack." Sangfroid said. "I'm.... I'm truly lost. I feel pathetic, I can't even walk. It's like things are soon reaching their end, but in a way I don't like."
"Such is the tragedy of us three." Vladstin said, his inner poet coming to the surface.
"How do we reach the apex faster without alarming the Hermit..." If the Beast's hand were untied, he would have rubbed his chin. "We desperately need help. If we could distract the Hermits with something before reaching his abode, then we might be successful. "
"How? He oversees this whole Mountain, this is his domain." Vladstin asked.
Leron shrugged. "I am not certain, but something to misdirect him....."
"Misdirect..." Sangfroid's eyes widened.
Of course! Why haven't they considered it before!?
"What is it, Sangfroid?" Both vampire lords asked.
"The empty husks can follow our orders, correct?" Sangfroid asked. "They are very similar to corpse puppets, only less hostile and does not attack anyone. And..... Unlike vampires, they're not affected by the Hermit's warding power. Even if the apex has traps like that one with the kaverkai vines, they would not be affected."
The two vampire lord's eyes widen. They now also see where Sangfroid was hinting at.
The answer was with them all along, and they were too distracted by only using it for pleasure and for food.
"So, we use the empty husk. But what's exactly the plan?" Vladstin asked. "And the rocks have ears, the Hermit may even be listening to us right now. What do we do with that?"
"There is no need to worry about that. The Hermit hears nothing without the wind."
They turned around to the voice but it was nowhere. The source also seems to come from no direction whatsoever.
"It is I. I am here. I have always been here, for I am the Wind of the Libitinous Mountains."
The Wind had finally introduced himself.
The days continued like that. Sangfroid was feasted upon for seven days, until they have finally received the Noble Huntsmen's letter.The letter came through a carrier pigeon that has become very tired upon finding them. Sangfroid got it himself, and read it in front of his companions:"To King Sangfroid...." He started, then frowned. He truly dislikes being referred to as 'king', especially since he never once officially accepted the title, nor accepted such position in his heart.Still, he waved this distaste away and continued reading. "This letter is to persuade you after the following events. I, as your friend and brother for many years, worry about your current state. We have seen from the mirror how much the travel with the Vampire Lord has affected you.""Hah, I didn't expect them to have such a pacifist approach." Vladstin snorted, wearing a wry sneer with much meaning. After all, these were the very same people who turned torture into a celebration and a public spectacle."It must be Rothfir who wrote it." Leron, who is currently The Beast, suggested. He was already aware of who the Noble Huntsmen were and their involvement with Sangfroid thanks to Awful White."Yes." Sangfroid nodded. "He would not let Verise or the others who are much more skeptical of me to write it."He continued: "We would like you to reconsider. We really need you, Sangfroid. The kingdom needs to be rebuilt from scratch and it is you who we are waiting for to place the first stone, and dictate how we must build it. The people of Ilvedia are continuously suffering without you on their side...."Rothfir kept on using sympathetic words to persuade Sangfroid, going on and on about duty and the people's needs and stuff. The Beast increasingly became bored of this letter. He knows very well that behind all those words putting Sangfroid on a pedestal what they really need is the Amulet, not him.For these seven days, he had gained enough information from Awful White and also from conversing with these two lousy weaklings to know enough about the situation. It didn't change his desire and disdain for Vladstin one bit, but his appreciation and fondness for Sangfroid had grown.It turns out that this man is a childhood friend, eh? And he had been loyal to Leron since he was a child, even training to be the leader of vampire hunters called the Noble Huntsmen just to protect him from the future his adoptive father, the Bishop of Santimieda, had foreseen. Through this strong will, he had endured many difficulties, even had to face being scorned by his fellow brothers and sisters, and received a strong injury of an ax on the back to save Vladstin for his own sake.He even abandoned the idea of being king!? Who in their right mind would do that!? And he even have an Amulet that could make him the greatest king of all the Thirteen Kingdoms, and yet he only used it to conjure chickens and fish to be food for his lover!!!This is a man who will do anything for his desire towards another man. The Beast is very pleased with that.He is crazy! Crazy to the core, absolute insanity running in his veins under the guise of 'love'!What he dislikes is these people trying to lure him with ideas of duty to take away that desire from him. So what if Sangfroid wants to kill himself if he fails? So what if he will give the Amulet to Leron instead of these Ilvedians he is bound to as King? Let him do as he wish! He is his own person, he doesn't have to care about someone else, only blindly going through impulses for the sake of Leron!The Beast wanted to rip the letter to shreds and bring havoc to New Ilvedia, killing all of them. After all they have done for him, these ungrateful idiots who see him as a traitor despite going undercover to another kingdom for many years just so they could win the war... They deserve to perish! Become a corpse puppet like Vladstin and burn in hell!".... That is why, you must understand, Sangfroid. If you continue to lose your way, we will have no choice but lose grip on the reins too. Your downfall will be the downfall of the whole kingdom, it all relies on your hands, and I know that you will not abandon such responsibility." Sangfroid had finally reached where Rothfir is truly getting at. "If the Hermit kills Vladstin himself, return to us. We will accept you and Leron, though we must inquire about that girl in a bucket you brought with you first. Don't throw your life away for such a thing. But.....""But if you truly made up your mind to do such a thing, then please know that we will try to get the Amulet from your corpse. If it brings a curse to New Ilvedia instead of a blessing, then the fault could not truly be ours. Leron is transforming into a corpse vampire, and we shall have to kill him as well. Everyone dies when you die, Sangfroid. There will be no saving grace for all of us, we will all suffer in the end. Please do not let that happen. ---- Your dear brother and comrade, Rothfir."Sangfroid folded the letter neatly into four quarters, and take a look at its sealed envelope. It was the seal of Ilvedia, a blue one, with the symbol of the dragon. His eyebrows were knitted, but he doesn't look too alarmed as expected. "Are you alright, Sangfroid?" The Beast asked, recreating the soft tone of his gentler counterpart.What he truly wants to say is 'Get over it, don't listen to those useless scums and tar that only know to grovel and stick on your feet!'"I am. It's just that.... This letter arrived far too late. They must have learned of what had happened to you by now, and they might send another letter, which will take weeks again to be received. If we reply, it's the same thing." Sangfroid explained. "Communication is too slow, and it might affect our understanding of each other.""It will take me just a few hours to get there, though." Vladstin said. "But of course, I cannot play messenger as I might get shot. Not that it bothers me in any way, since it will not kill me, but it is still troublesome.""Is there even any point to communicate with the Noble Huntsmen anymore?" Leron suddenly said, tilting his head to the side while he was seated on a rock and still tied up. "What do you mean, Your Highness?" Sangfroid asked. The Beast smiled lightly. "No matter what, they seem to be fully against you and had grown distrust on which side you truly are. They only want you to return to them because of the Amulet. But even if you did formally pass the Amulet to one of them, say Rothfir... How can we be sure that they won't kill you afterward?"He forced himself to cry fake tears. "Sangfroid, I worry about you. It seems you are in a truly helpless situation. Whether you choose your kingdom or not, it all ends horribly. Why don't we... Why don't we all just find a way to escape?""But then again, even the Hermit is not giving us any hope right now." Vladstin countered, only amused to see Leron cry for Sangfroid. "All roads lead to all three of us dying if your guess comes true. And we haven't even brought Ofelia to her mother yet.....""How about we use Ofelia to convince the Hermit, then? Make him aware of her presence with us?" Leron offered."That still did not stop him from using the volcanic golem to attack." Sangfroid said. "I'm.... I'm truly lost. I feel pathetic, I can't even walk. It's like things are soon reaching their end, but in a way I don't like.""Such is the tragedy of us three." Vladstin said, his inner poet coming to the surface. "How do we reach the apex faster without alarming the Hermit..." If the Beast's hand were untied, he would have rubbed his chin. "We desperately need help. If we could distract the Hermits with something before reaching his abode, then we might be successful. ""How? He oversees this whole Mountain, this is his domain." Vladstin asked.Leron shrugged. "I am not certain, but something to misdirect him.....""Misdirect..." Sangfroid's eyes widened. Of course! Why haven't they considered it before!?"What is it, Sangfroid?" Both vampire lords asked. "The empty husks can follow our orders, correct?" Sangfroid asked. "They are very similar to corpse puppets, only less hostile and does not attack anyone. And..... Unlike vampires, they're not affected by the Hermit's warding power. Even if the apex has traps like that one with the kaverkai vines, they would not be affected."The two vampire lord's eyes widen. They now also see where Sangfroid was hinting at. The answer was with them all along, and they were too distracted by only using it for pleasure and for food. "So, we use the empty husk. But what's exactly the plan?" Vladstin asked. "And the rocks have ears, the Hermit may even be listening to us right now. What do we do with that?""There is no need to worry about that. The Hermit hears nothing without the wind."They turned around to the voice but it was nowhere. The source also seems to come from no direction whatsoever. "It is I. I am here. I have always been here, for I am the Wind of the Libitinous Mountains."The Wind had finally introduced himself.
