Shall We Meet (Part 7)

King Luke did not order his men to go after them as they left. He did not need to fight them directly in his camp. Eventually they would face each other and he had allowed the meeting to take place for the sake of his daughter. When the time came on the battlefield they would face each other regardless of what they both wanted in the end.

"He's just letting us go like that." Prince Leo was bewildered by the King's judgement.

"There are plenty of knights and the vampire that could take care of us. Why would he need to dirty his own hands directly at his camp when there is a chance we could still die before we make it back to the temple?" Vorbuk understood the king's decision. "If we die on the battlefield before making it back he will not have to risk his own life. It's a gamble he is willing to take because it gives his life more of a chance to survive. If we make it back then he will have to confront us. If we don't then it means he doesn't have to worry about us at all."

Vorbuk felt the worlds King Luke had said to him lingering in the back of his mind as they left the area. Those were words that weren't meant for the enemy. They simply would not have been spoken to anyone. It was clear to Vorbuk and he understood that the only reason the king had said such things was because the king was hoping for his daughter to have somewhere safe to be after the war if he fell in battle.

Princess Isis was the reason the king had given advice in that manner. The king would fight with his life on the line in the end. If he lost he could not leave his daughters last ray of hope as a man that would be foolish enough to keep him alive. The king knew the risks that leaving him alive would bring Vorbuk in the future. That would only have meant his daughter being put at risk as well. He would not agree to becoming a threat to his own daughter if she stayed beside Vorbuk after everything.

"What do we do from here?" Prince Leo asked while following behind Vorbuk.

Vorbuk paused and raised his hand to brush back his hair in contemplation. His thoughts were all over the place as he thought about the future. Could princess Isis truly forgive him for killing her father in the future? Things were becoming more and more complicated.

"First," Vorbuk replied. "we head back to the temple."

"Ashley hasn't shown up yet. Do you think something.." Prince Leo hesitated to finish his words when he saw Vorbuk's face distort strangely. He could tell that something was bothering Vorbuk. What that problem was he could not tell.

"He should have gotten away safely. I am sure he is looking for us by now." Vorbuk could not imagine Ashley letting himself get caught easily. Ashley was talented enough to escape from Aoki.

The problem was that Ashley tended to take things too far when he was dealing with others outside of his own master. That wasn't the only thing that bothered him. The bond a servant's mark left between a master and his servant was embedded deep within them. They could feel deep within their soul if something happened to the other. It was a bond that allowed the master to sever that connection to life that kept his servant alive if the servant went against him.

Vorbuk could feel his connection to Ashley that told him that he was still alive. If Ashley had died the bond between them would become severed. It would not harm Vorbuk but he would still feel the bond disappear. That was why he knew somewhere Ashley was still alive among the battlefield and destruction that was going on.

Why is his connection weakening? Vorbuk felt something was wrong with the connection. A weak connection meant that the servant was wounded.

"Are you alright?" Prince Leo asked while looking for signs of Ashley near by as they moved. Neither of them were willing to abandon him on the battlefield. If they returned to the temple they had to locate him.

"It's nothing." Vorbuk lied. Not wanting the prince to worry in the current situation he could only lie about the feeling he was getting from his servant bond with Ashley. Searching the battlefield for Ashley was not an easy task. He could not afford to distract the prince with the feeling he was getting from the servant's mark.

They continued to run through the mountains towards the direction of the temple. Avoiding the werewolf knights as much as possible along the way. Every once in a while they would still come across a knight that would attempt to attack them. Fighting them off together as they made their way back.

The closer they got to the temple the louder the battle became as the attacks from the mages at the temple became closer. Magic destroying the surroundings during the effort to protect the temple. With no sign of Aoki in sight yet their travel was rough but durable.

"That!" Prince Leo called out to Vorbuk as he caught the glimpse of someone limping up ahead. The moment the other person caught sight of them they fixed their posture as best as they could to hide the limp in their weakened body as if it was never there to begin with. "Ain't that Ashley?"

"Master~!" Ashley had a bright smile on his face as he greeted Vorbuk. Stopping where he was as the other two rushed over to him. Blood and dirt covered Ashley from his struggle against Aoki. Impossible to tell what blood belonged to him and what belonged to the enemies.

"Are you alright?!" Prince Leo blurted out as he gave a glance over to Ashley's condition.

"I am alive." Ashley smiled still as he avoided the question. He was paler then usual and hiding his condition from them. How could a servant make his master worry about him in the given situation? The most important thing was his master's life. No matter how much pain he felt in his body he would just endure it. No matter how hungry he got from the wound he would force himself to push through and keep moving for the sake of his master. It was only temporary and he would find a chance to take care of himself later. After his master was safe and sound.

"Are you wounded?" Vorbuk blurted out the question causing Ashley to flinch. The vampire was not expecting his master to directly question him. Most master's would ignore the wounds that their servants took on. Many people who took in slaves would not even second glance at a slave even if they died because of their history and status. "Ashley, what the hell happened to you?"

Prince Leo and Vorbuk both stared at Ashley as they waited for him to explain what happened to him. Ashley was dumbfounded as he stood there still masking his pain in silence.