Chapter 7 Facing Hell, And the end of the year

The next morning I came out of bed. As I made my way towards the main hall I felt the effects of the poison in my feet.

In the main hall I sat down to eat, as I looked at the working schedule I saw that I had afternoon scouting duty. When I was done eating Mikael came to me asking me when he would have duty and so we started with giving him guarding duty every night for upcoming weeks, Mikael accepted this happily.

As afternoon came I flew away with one of my soldiers to scout the area, flying over the woods we did not see anything yet when we reaches the fields and more specific the place where we fought the Chimera his corpse was gone the onlythings left were a few bones and the skull, "It looks like someone at it" said the soldier.

"Well that person or platoon is most likely dead" I answered.

for the rest of our patrol we found nothing and went home.

Meanwhile at the plateau Jérome had being training all day with his cat of light which now started to get bigger.

As evening came Jérome went back to the southern base as he had guard duty tonight too. Mikael took his place as well in the eastern base. At the nothern base Maelith and Aegrith had guard duty and as such had already send their soldier to sleep.

Midnight came while I had fallen asleep at my desk when suddenly a crow came in.

Woken up by him landing on my head I took the message from his claws.

It was from Maelith and Aegrith, requesting back-up.

At least fifty unidentified flying beings were sensed by the twins, heading their way. I made my way to the main hall and showed Mikael the letter.

"I will take over here you help them out." I said.

Mikael nodded and made his way through the hallways. In the hallways he followed some soldiers from the southern base send by Jérome. Once there he met up with Maelith and Aegrith who were happy to see him.

As the sensed beings came closer the light of the moon showed them to everyone in the nothern base. Flying knights were used to hold carry a carriage and the rest were guarding it. Inside the carriage they also sended two beings.

As the knights came closer they did not seem hostile, they halted at a safe distance as two knights approached the nothern base.

"Bring us your leaders, our leaders want to talk to them " they said.

"You could ask nicer" Mikael said. "I do not just take orders from anyone." he continued.

"Kids should shut up when grown ups are talking" one of the knights said, unsheathing his sword. As spikes of earth suddenly came towards the knight, Aegrith said "I suggest you think twice before harming anyone, especially the "kid" okay"

The knight now surrounded by spikes smiled as more knights came to his aid, cutting of the spikes.

"Useless knights are taking to long, looks like we have to do it ourselfs" was suddenly heard from the carriage.

As all knights retreat to the carriage going on there knees in front of me the carriage. in pairs of two.

The two beings came out of the carriage each stepping on a pair of the knights who then made their way to the nothern base again.

In front of the base they stepped of their knights and calmly asked for a meeting with our leaders.

"Thats better" Mikael said while making his way to a crow. after writing to letters he asked the two if they would follow him, the crows had already left. Mikael spread his wings and flew towards the eastern base.

the two mens stepped on their knights and followed him, the other knights followed them with the carriage.

Once there I was already awaiting them and Jérome was underway. I had sent everyone to the hall and so the main room was empty.

I welcomed them and introduced myself after which Jérome came in, who saw the beings and also introduced himself then Mikael apologized and did the same.

after that the beings took of their helmets to introduce themselfs, the left introduced himself as Nerom and the right as Lucian.

Both looked quite human like, but I sensed extrodinairy amount of magic coming from both of them. A moment of silence followed as I waited for them to tell why they were here as they waited for us to open up the conversation.

To break the silence Lucian said "Damn to think vampires still exist, you would think they had gone extinct after facing "The Dark Queen."

"At least we dared to face her" Jérome said, grinning at Lucian.

"Enough!!!" Nerom screamed "Lucian thats not why we are here, even if I am indeed as suprised as you"

"Are you the ones who killed our harpies?" Nerom asked.

"I kind of was involved in that, they enslaved our kind" I answered.

"Yeah the underground market can be hard like that" Nerom said

"Were you also the once who killed the Chimera?" Lucian asked.

"Yeah was that also yours?" Mikael asked with a smile.

"Kind of, we paid the scientist who made them for us, yet the parts were delivered by our men." Lucian answered smiling too.

"So did you guys eat it too?" I asked.

"Yes I did it was delicious" Lucian answered.

"But you look human, how?" I asked

"Simple, I have the element of "Poison" it's what you get when combining the elements of "Nature" and "Black" The latter of which certain vampires were known for" Lucian answered smiling more and more like a maniac.

"My companion over here as an even more exquiste element, first of a kind find" Lucian smiled even more

"He calls it "Hell" and together we exterminate opposing cities to dust" Lucian smiled now maniacly and full of confidence.

"But the existence of you vampires has now taken our attention" Nerom interferred still calm.

So who wants to join us? Now we know you still exist we do not want you to go exinct. Nerom asked with a threatening voice.

"No one, we vampires do not take threats nicely it why the late Count Vaegir took his men towards The Dark Queen, my ancestors were among them. They who were known for the elements "Dark" and "Black." Jérome answered.

Yeah and they died in vain, as we speak "She" is being revived. Lucian answered mocking Jérome in the process

"Enough!!!" Nerom screamed. "We have our answer, they will not join us so they will die." he said.

At that moment a wall of flashes of grey lightning came down on the troops. "Lightning wall" Mikael said while roasted dead knights and the carriage fell to the foot of the mountain.

"Now its three versus two" Mikael said smiling.

"Make that five" Maelith and Aegrith said suddenly coming out of the hallway.

"No problem" Lucian said, full of confidence as six devil wings came out of each of their backs. They leaped a few meters back guitars appeared in their hands out of thin air.

"No mercy! These babies amplify our power" Nerom said smiling demonic.

As he started to play the whole surrounding started to catch fire and the snow on top of the mountain melted and came down on us as a massive downpour after which the mountain itself started to melt.

we leaped back inside to come up with a plan.

"Okay, we now what they can do, I mean Lucian's power is obvious. Jérome I will teleport us close to him we will take him out. Mikael, Maelith and Aegrith you guys take out Nerom." I said.

As the downpour stopped I screamed go, just to see Lucian waiting on the other side.

everyone charged and I teleported myself and Jérome behind Lucian just too late the first notes were played and poison gas filled the base.

the soldiers inside fled towards the plateau exit and the other bases warning the rest.

Mikael and the twins were out in time but had appeared where Nerom was waiting for them.

As for Lucian he was now outmatched by me and Jérome and took Jérome's hits as I held his wrist trying to keep his hand away from his guitar.

As Lucian was getting a beating so was Mikael, Aegrith's earth moves were nothing more then a tiny obsticale for Nerom and Maelith's wind and water attacks did so little that Nerom ignored them.

Even when Aegrith boosted us all with his Lunar magic they were still outmatched by Nerom.

Jérome, now even stronger start to hit harder and faster as Lucian just looked at the mountains and smiled.

Nerom's "Hell" had spread to all the mountains and Lucian's poison had gone through the entire base.

"What are you laughing at" Jérome asked while continously punching his foe.

"You will see" he smiled. A few moments later Mikael was launched kilometers through the air landing not far from the chimera bones.

Nerom followed the body and Maelith and Aegrith followed him. As they dissapeared out of sight, in the mountain of the eastern base the melting rock had met Lucian's poison which caused a silent explosion which moved us further away from the mountains.

Giant rocks and rubble once part of the mountain were now flying in every direction

moments later the other mountains silently exploded and parts of those mountains also went flying in every direction some of which ended in the trenches of Castle Dreadskull.

This angered both of us, yet after which we saw a troop division with the banner of Count Volgar come out of the city fully prepared, and another one and another one.

One by one every platoon and division came out of the city fully prepared, among them was Jérome's Cavalary unit, Anya and the Count himself.

Meanwhile at the Chimera bones Mikael finally had some distance from his foe and used it to counterattack. But Nerom just did not care. With now Mikael trying to beat up Nerom every hit did as good as nothing.

"Hey kid, Where is the grey lightning" Nerom asked mocking Mikael.

"Ha that will be your demise" Mikael answered

"Bring it kid because right now you three are boring the crap out of me" Nerom answered as the twins came running to Mikaels aid.

Mikael started to focus his energy, and with one giant flash of lightning he bashed his fist into Nerom's jaw. Mikael's lightning then dispersed across Nerom's entire body turning his armor and his guitar to dust.

"Good job you pissed me off" Nerom said as he punched Mikael, the power the punch packed send him towards the ground as he hit the ground a crevice was made from the impact with which Mikael hit the ground.

the twins jumped in the crevice looking for Mikael, eventually finding him bleeding yet on his knees.

"Any ideas" he asked the twins.

"One last combination." they said, "I will empower your lightning with my power to make it rain and Aegrith will make thick walls that surrond and afterwards hit him to end him for sure." Maelith said

Meanwhile back at the fight between Lucian, Jérome and Kyuro.

Lucian was being punched to a pulp while Volgar had arrived with his army. seeing we had this under control, they asked where Mikael was. Jérome pointed in the direction they had gone and Volgar took a part of his army towards the place Jérome point at, Anya loyal as she was followed him.

Lucian getting quite sick of getting beaten up broke free from me, dropping his guitar in the process, dived after it and grabbed it.

then came lunging at us with his guitar which had changed its flat edges into a blade.

We dodged his swings and he went from trying to swing at us to trying to stab us. As we kept dodging he started laughing "Yes dodge keep dodging, one hit from my blade and you will die" He said smiling.

"My most lethal poison is on those blades" he said laughing like a maniac.

"Split" I commanded. Jérome followed my order and as we split Lucian went after me.

Now with all his power Jérome summoned his cat now completly overpowered compared to the amount of power he normally was summoned with he looked more like a griffin then a Cat. This griffin like cat charged at Lucian biting him through his abdomen hitting his spine.

"I don't know what bit me but its dead" Lucian said as poison liquid exited his body.

"Are you sure?" Jérome asked at which the cat like griffin bit him again.

"Aaaahhh" Lucian screamed out in pain.

"You son of a bitch" Lucian screamed after which Lucian turned his body into poison gas and fled towards the direction of the other fight.

Once far enough away from us he turn back into his own form as he continued flying towards the other battlefield.

We followed him as Jérome's cat like griffin dissapeared.

Once everyone was in sight of the battlefield we saw the sight of destroyed walls, Mikael and the twins were exhausted and being treated by Anya while Volgar was fighting Nerom accompanied by his army.

Lucian interferred before we could help and as such multiple soldiers quickly died to his Lethal poison.

as we arrived to see the soldiers die of Lucian poison Jérome charged at him, he feinted first which Lucian fell for. after which Jérome broke Lucian's shoulder with an all out chop.

That arm now being useless Lucian dropped his guitar and punched Jérome with his other fist sending him flying. Jérome struggled to get back to the battlefield as physically he was close to collapsing.

He summoned his Cat like griffin again and he brought Jérome to Anya.

Meanwhile Volgar was still fighting Nerom who was taunting Volgar by threating to burn his entire city.

Volgar did not react to the continous taunts and kept going on fighting Nerom in a fight that seeming was between two equals.

Meanwhile Lucian was now swinging his fist at me, everytime I tried to counter he would coat himself in a poison goo just to aim it towards me with his next punch.

The battles went on for days when as no one gave any ground.

The wounded had set up camp not far from the battlefield thanks to Aegrith's earth magic. A part of the royal army was sent there to protect it other parts of the army waited for a chance to interfere with the ongoing battles or to aid me or Volgar any way they could.

Eventually the wounded were back on their feet. Jérome and Mikael would start a suprise attack on the enemy while Aegrith and Maelith would help Anya with the wounded soldier who were coming in from the battlefield.

While fighting Lucian, Mikael suddenly grabbed me dragging me away quickly as what followed was a barrage of grey Lightning igniting Lucian's poison in the process.

"Enough!!" Nerom screamed, as he made his way to Lucian. "You have entertained us enough, the vampires will live to see another year" he said while grabbing an exhausted Lucian.

"Enjoy it" he said as he divebombed with Lucian into the ground and dissapeared.

Realizing first that the fight was over we went to the wounded, once there we realized that tommorow was indeed the last day of the year. every commander started counting his men. We could not count our men yet except those of Jérome's cavalry who were all there.

that evening we sent up camp for on last night treating the wounded and burning the deceased.

the next morning everbody was in pretty good health and so we made our way back. Once at the plateau we saw our men had set up a small camp. everyone was fine. That night the whole city would feast outside of the city, vampires of all social ranks were coming together, enjoying this massive feast as everyone heard of the great fight against "Hell."