Chapter 45

While the feast was going on a young woman was staggering towards the gates of Stormhaven. The guards on the wall assumed it was a drunk laughing at the figure stumble about. The clouds parted illuminating the woman, and the gate guards saw how beautiful she was. The wavy blonde hair and hourglass figure caught their attention.

Knowing it was a beautiful woman needing help they didn't hesitate to approach, and the men began a wager of who would get to bed her first. As the woman slowly got up from her fall they could see the splendid peaks before them. A few of the guards offered her help with lecherous smirks. She smiled as she reached for his hand.

The woman's calm smile went cold, and her blue eyes turned bright red. The guards had their eyes elsewhere missing the changes as heads went flying. Blood rained down around them as she tilted her head back opening her mouth. The gate guards didn't see what happened but could tell it was a monster.

The other soldiers around the mysterious woman tried to draw their weapons and had their arms lobbed off. One of the men desperately fled for the gate but was halted in his tracks. His brain stem was severed with a thrust as the light vanished in his eyes. The woman caught his lifeless body drinking from his neck while the blood was still warm.

The soldiers frantically closed the gate and the men outside charged forward to attack. With only one woman they were planning to corner her, but they didn't see the red eyes rapidly illuminating the forest. The guards on the ramparts were filled with terror seeing the imminent threat and scrambled to take action.

"Sound the alarm!"

The soldiers on the ramparts were preparing to turn around as a shadow dashed up the wall. When the captain checked on the commotion he noticed a large man whose killing intent caused them all to freeze. The domineering man in front of them was named Aleister.

Aleister has silver hair trailing to his shoulders, thick black nails an inch long, and was covered in black armor drenched in blood. When the soldiers around them fell to the ground the captain looked down in disbelief. Blood was soaking the ramparts, but he saw no attack. Before the captain could regain his composure a hand impaled through his helmet.

As Aleister's hand was sliding out of the skull a few soldiers attempted to strike his back. With a spin carnage assumed around him, and with it a display of sparks lit up the wall as limbs flew through the area. One of the soldiers managed to launch a ball of flames into the as his head rolled.

'Trash all of you.' Aleister spit at the human who gave away their position.

The front gate was opened as a swarm of dark figures flooded through it. Most of them are clad in black armor, but one common trait they shared was their red eyes. A tall man wearing a black suit addressed the army.

"Anyone who kills civilians will answer to me, but do what you wish with the rest."

The ones in black armor grinned taking off to begin the bloodletting. Alarms rang through the city as guards were marching for the front gate. Sounds of civilians screaming in terror rang through the streets forcing the guards to speed up their march. A group of soldiers was running around a corner to see the cause of the commotion. The sight in front of them was a horror show that froze them in place.

Their comrades littered the streets drenching it in blood, and six of the culprits were still present slowly drinking from live guards. They locked eyes with reinforcements in front of them unbothered by their presence. They continued to feed as the men went pale, and were dropped to the ground like trash.

"Vampires!"

The soldiers in front dropped a shield wall as archers laid volleys. Arrows filled the streets as the men in black stood calmly. Their armor was unscathed, and any arrows that struck flesh were forced out. The vampires sprang forward to breach their defense as the shield wall opened. A combined force waiting launched a large blast of fire from the gap incinerating several of them.

The other three vampires broke the line running the casters through the hearts, but one of the nearby guards decapitated a vampire in the exchange. As the soldiers surrounded the remaining vampires they took formation again.

"Your outnumbered!"

The vampires began laughing as the guards slowly tightened the formation. Ten more vampires dropped from the roofs shattering their attempts to rally. Similar battles were erupting across the streets as the civilians were trapped in their homes hiding in terror.

Anyone that ran out was caught in the volley of arrows by friendly fire. With chaos erupting in the streets the guards only cared for themselves. It was them being targeted after all. The humans were losing ground fast, and only one place was standing strong.

A guild was stationed in the town and had powerful fighters nearby. The vampire casualties were starting to increase due to their forces alone. The guild was called Invictus and was lead by a human named Ivan.

Ivan led their guild into extra activities besides dungeon raiding. They are a dedicated force of radicals who desire only humans in the land and spend all their free time hunting other species. It was Invictus that fed the hostilities among the citizens in the city.

The king despised them, but they brought a lot of revenue through the city which caused the alderman to side with them. When the attack started they swindled the king into paying protection money. All of them had experience in sieges, and battling other species so the king accepted their offer.

With Invictus's advanced coordination, the bridge leading to the palace was a kill box. Even Aleister was struggling to rally his men to push through it. Ivan addressed the vampires wanting to goad them into an attack.

"Parasites hiding in the shadows is all you are, and this attack just saved us time. That bitch refused to tell us about your nest, and we tried various methods."

The members of Invictus snickered as a vicious aura erupted from the vampires. The man in the black suit caught up and was approaching the front line. He was a leader of one of the two factions present. His name is Marcus, and he organized this attack.

Marcus began undoing his jacket placing it down neatly. He approached the bridge undoing the buttons on his arm without a worry. The men felt offended that he was so calm, and released a barrage of fireballs in retaliation. All the vampires behind him took cover, but Marcus vanished into mist dodging the barrage easily.

Marcus swept past the front line reforming as he beheaded a few men, and roared loudly. The force of the roar caused those around him to be pushed back as their shields cracked. Before they could recover Marcus slaughtered another line of men. With their line in disarray, Aleister charged in with the others to provide assistance.

"Reform the line we'll handle him!" Ivan ordered.

Everyone shifted the formation surrounding Marcus as the vanguard engaged Aleister. Most of the members engaged the vampires charging, but their elites covered Marcus. It was their squad used for challenges, and they took position around Marcus swiftly as a massive battle ensued on the bridge.

A battleax enveloped in flames narrowly missed Marcus's neck, and he countered by speeding in with a flurry of attacks. With his opponents' wearing sturdy armor, the strikes were all shallow cuts, and vitals were avoided. The others were closing in behind Marcus as he delivered a push kick to the man's chest. The blow sent the raider flying back into the bridge fracturing several of his ribs.

The elites continued to exchange blows trying to get a grip on the attack pattern. During the exchanges, Marcus continued to land shallow cuts on those around him but he was slowly being cornered. Ivan's group took formating engulfing their weapons in flames slamming them into the ground.

A spell circle covered the earth beneath Marcus as a ring of fire rapidly closed him in. The flames intensified almost engulfing him, but he jumped up just in time. Marcus still sustained damage, but only to his right arm.

'Got ya now.' Ivan smirked.

Ivan chugged a potion extending his hands preparing to obliterate the enemy before he could land. All the warriors on the ground took formations preparing to strike him if Ivan failed. Marcus aimed his hand to the center of their formation, and scarlet-colored magic swirled around his hand as he clenched it shut.

All the shallow cuts began to bleed excessively as they flinched in pain. The blood began flowing out of them as a steady stream upwards. Above them, a pool of blood gathered rapidly expanding. Each one of them was struggling to stand up, and could no longer focus their mana properly.

They were already brought to the brink of death in an instant and didn't know-how. Ivan looked at their wounds and saw the same scarlet magic oozed from the cuts. Marcus opened his mouth as he consumed the orb of blood rapidly.

When Marcus landed he disappeared ensuing destruction on those around him. All the soldiers were attempting to help their elites, but healing magic wasn't working. By the time they were ready to give up, they were surrounded. Some of the soldiers attempted to die with honor, and it was swiftly granted. The rest dropped their weapons surrendering.

"Those five are mine, but do what you want with the rest." Marcus declared pointing at Ivan's elites.

"We know where the king is hiding. If you let us go i.."

The soldier speaking had a cut across his face, and his skull slowly slipped apart. Seeing this the rest dropped to their knees. Some of the vampires pushed forward to find the remaining soldiers. The vampires examined closely which soldiers to drink now, and which to put on tap. A soldier bowed his head to the ground.

"We can serve you! Not everyone was here tonight!"