Shall We Meet (Part 1)

"How exactly do you intend on helping deal with the executioner?" Johan threw away the previous conversation for later. He could not tolerate such nonsense while they were dealing with such circumstances.

Ashley flinched at the question causing Leo to glance in his direction with a puzzled look.

"Well," Vorbuk thought for a moment before speaking further. "The vampire and Theapan's King are both outside the temple somewhere. Shall we meet them first?"

"Pardon?" Johan stilled. "Didn't you already send one of your group out last night on his own? You intend to go out there as well?"

"He went for something specific that only he can find quickly. Before he gets back I intend to confront the both of them personally." Vorbuk affirmed his decision to head outside the temple.

"If you get swept up inside the battlefield there is nothing we can do for you. My people are already busy protecting themselves and the temple. Protecting you outside the temple as well would only add to their baggage." Johan said bluntly so that Vorbuk would understand that it would be difficult to aid him if he left.

"Your Holiness, I do not need you to act on our behalf outside the temple. We can take care of ourselves." Prince Leo was the one who spoke up first.

Outside the wall was a fight between the werewolf king's knights and the temple's mages. Though most of the temple's people remained on the wall. Few had gone outside due to being adapt towards physical attacks. They did not wander far from the temple however in case of a quick retreat back inside.

Prince Leo knew it was dangerous to head outside just as much as Vorbuk did. He would not abandon his friend to go alone. They needed to coordinate with each other so that neither of them would get pinned down. Besides they also had Ashley who was of the same race as Aoki. Although Aoki was an elf they were both vampires from Drethia. His speed was the closest match they had to the executioner's movement.

Daryl would watch over Zoe as she learnt how to expand her talent in light mana from the priestess. Chase would also be watching over Princess Isis inside Vorbuk's room while they were gone. Everyone had their own tasks to complete while Bredret was gone.

"Mm." Vorbuk nodded in agreement with the prince.

"Very well," Johan gave in. "may the gods bless you so that you can return in one piece."

"I don't really need any more of the gods to pay attention to me. No matter blessing or a curse they want to give me the gods are only becoming tiresome to deal with." Vorbuk could not handle any more gods showing up around him. It did not matter which god it was. He did not feel fond of any of them in the slightest. The gods looked to him as though they only saw mortals as something to toy with for their amusement. Kindness or cruelness either action the gods took was always done with something in mind for themselves to gain.

Vorbuk's cursing of the gods caused the pope to give up talking to them.

"Open the gate! Their heading outside the temple!" Johan turned and shouted at his men.

The gateway to the temple began to open slowly. A loud creaking noise could be heard as the gate opened up wide. Those on the temple's wall tended to check out what was going on at the gateway with curious eyes. They knew that Vorbuk's group was not part of the temple and had no prior training like they had. To them it felt like the group going out was no different then feeding themselves to the battlefield.

"Are you going out like that?" Johan looked at the three of them and noticed that Vorbuk was still in his human form without a weapon in hand.

"Are you crazy?" Vorbuk questioned the sanity of the pope.

"What?" Johan's brow twitched. He could hear his own men behind him going silent when they heard those words as well.

"Going out like this the entire time would waste too much mana." Vorbuk stated what he meant as he realized the others from the temple did not understand.

The black fog enveloped Vorbuk as he slowly took on his true form. A living shadow of a wolf. Stepping over into the prince's shadow as he stood there. The wolf's body slowly sinking into prince Leo's shadow. He intended to remain by the prince while they left. Resting, hidden, within the shadow of the prince.

"Are you ready?" Vorbuk asked the prince since he was the only one that could hear his voice now.

"Of course," Prince Leo nodded in Ashley's direction while answering the wolf's voice. "Lets go."

Rushing out of the temple gate they could hear the whispers of others behind them fading as they put distance between them and the temple. All around them magic of all kinds could be seen and heard causing great damage to the surroundings. Werewolves did not have as much tenacity as a vampire but they were still very strong willed when they attacked.

No matter where they looked they could not locate the vampire. The three of them did their hardest to pin point where the executioner was. Beneath them the ground did not stop shaking repeatedly from the impact caused by the force of magic in the air. It was like running running an earth quake itself. Leo had to put a lot of focus just to keep his steps sturdy enough to remain standing as he ran in front of Ashley.

Ashley was remaining behind him to guard the prince from surprise attacks or any kind of stray damage to the land that may be sent flying at him. It was not that he wanted to protect prince Leo. He simply did so because it was what Vorbuk wanted. Since his master wanted him to work together with the prince he had no choice by to help Leo.

Fsshhh!

Ashley's blood scythe was summoned instantly. Swinging it through the air just pass the prince's shoulder.

CLANG!

"Fufufufu.." A chaotic and feint laughter could be heard from behind Prince Leo as he turned around.

Jumping back away from the three of them Aoki continued to chuckle into his hand. His pink eyes scanning the two of them that he could see.

Where is the last... Aoki's sense could smell the scent of a wolf beast among Ashley and prince Leo. His eyes slowly trailing downward til he found the prince's shadow. He could sense a presence among the shadow of the prince.

"Ah, I see." Aoki licked his sharp vampire fangs as he could feel the deep hunger within himself heavily attacking his own conscious. It was a hunger that wanted to devour anything he could find. It could not be quenched easily. He was hungry, so hungry.

How splendid it is when food willingly walks itself up to you! It felt like they were asking him to hunt them like the prey his instincts were declaring them. Impossible to think straight because of the hunger driving him. He could only think about ripping them to shreds and draining every drop from Leo and Vorbuk.

The other vampire was simply uninteresting to him. Aoki was not interested in feeding on his own kind. The blood of another vampire was not something vampires fed on for survival so he would never devour Ashley. He would only consider slaughtering the man in his way.