The Duke's Castle

It took some patience for Lyle to make his way up the castle. The guards patrolled the inside while the maids, butlers, and other servants all busily moved around, making it harder for Lyle to pass unnoticed with each floor.

He still gave it his all, blending in with the surroundings, and hanging on ceilings, Lyle even took the clothes of one servant at the very beginning of his infiltration and changed into them. His long hair and red eyes made him stand out a bit too much, however.

The fact that his fangs would be seen each time he spoke didn't help him either and Lyle had to stop simply walking around after reaching the fourth floor as he was almost caught a couple of times.

He still persisted, however. This was the most difficult part of his plan, well, except for the first part in which he could have died if the archmage wished to kill him and not take him, prisoner.

As Lyle stepped onto the 6th floor, he quickly kicked the wall and jumped up before hanging from the ceiling. He was using his legs and arms to push against two beams and stay above the 3 guards that were going down the staircase from which he came up.

He sighed in relief as the three guards disappeared down the stairs and hung his head down in order to observe if there were any more of them nearby. There was only one guard that stood some 10 meters from the staircase. His back was turned to the staircase and he wouldn't be able to notice Lyle.

Lyle let go of the beams and fell down on the ground. His graceful landing made no sound and he quickly went toward the guard with his knife held backward. He quickly stabbed through the side of the guard's neck, blocking his windpipe and making sure that he wouldn't be able to produce any sound.

The guard still struggled, however, his metal armor clanging as he moved his arms around in an attempt to grab onto anything. Lyle used his ability to control blood and made sure that no blood fell down on the ground, it all flowed to his dagger which was becoming more intricate and longer.

It no longer looked like a dagger made from blood, but like one that was made of weird red metal. Lyle quickly used the dagger to completely open the neck of the guard before dragging him to a nearby room.

He opened the room and scanned it, it looked like some kind of storage area, which worked perfectly for him. He took the guard inside and went to work. He started taking off the armor from the guard while still using his ability to make sure that the blood made its way to its dagger.

Well, it was no longer a dagger at this point, but a short sword.

Lyle put the armor on before grabbing the lifeless body of the guard and putting it in a giant sack of potatoes. The body would be well hidden inside and it would take a while for anyone to find it.

Before Lyle could fully hide the body, however, a creak was heard as the door opened. Lyle quickly let go of the body and bolted towards the door. A man dressed in servant attire, one that was of better quality compared to the servant that Lyle had killed and taken the clothes from stepped inside the room.

Upon seeing Lyle who was still not wearing a helmet and the dead body behind him, the servant drew in a sharp breath of cold air as he tried to scream. Lyle's sword was faster, however.

The sword quickly went through the servant's chest while Lyle used his free arm to grab him by the throat and crush it. Even though Lyle was not as powerful as knights were when it came to physical strength, he was still much stronger compared to normal humans.

With his heart penetrated and throat crushed, the servant, who looked like he was almost 30, died immediately. His eyes were wide open in shock as they stared at Lyle who sighed before closing the door and then the man's eyes.

"Another unfortunate casualty," Lyle said in a low voice as he moved the man's body to another large sack, this one filled with wheat. He didn't like when he had to kill those that weren't his targets, but he wasn't going to let anybody risk the success of his mission.

This wasn't the first, and it wouldn't be the last time Lyle had to kill somebody innocent in order to complete a mission. His heart had grown numb to the feeling and he cared little for his actions, as long as it could jeopardize his mission, he would go to any length to eliminate it.

After Lyle put the two bodies in the large sacks, he spent some time using his ability and drawing to blood to his sword. The sword had grown long now and although Lyle was familiar with using a sword, he felt much more comfortable with a dagger.

He used his ability once again, but this time on the sword. The sword started wiggling and in mere seconds, it split in two, and Lyle was now left with two daggers in his hands. He spun them around in his hands before nodding his head, satisfied by the two weapons he now had.

Lyle went for the door and opened it just a little bit, allowing himself to peek outside and make sure that there was nobody there. After confirming that the coast was clear, he went out before gently closing the door and making his way up.

With the armor he now wore, nobody even glanced in his direction, after all, the guards that were stationed on the 6th floor and above were all elites and the normal servants dared not even look them in the eyes, lest they offended them in some way.

Most of the guards would never bother with the servants, some would form a sort of relationship with some of them, they would offer protection and help while the younger, prettier maids and servant girls would give them their bodies in exchange.

Some, however, were almost as sadistic as the duke was. They would sometimes grab a servant and rape them, or torture them for their own amusement. They never killed, if the duke or any of his close aids learned that a servant had died after being taken by a guard, they would turn the castle upside down to find the guard and kill him.

The duke considered all the people in the castle as his property, and although he cared little for them and allowed the transactions between the servants and guards, and even the rapes and tortures, he would never allow one of his possessions to be killed without his approval.

One thing that Lyle noticed was that with each floor he rose, the atmosphere turned gloomier. Even though working or living on the higher floors of the castle was an honor, it was also a fact that the duke would mostly choose his victims from those that were on the 7th floor and above.

He lived on the 10th floor, while the archmage lived in one of the towers whose entrance was located on the 10th floor. Each of the 5 towers of the castle was reserved for somebody whose position was the same as the archmage.

The duke was arrogant and a bastard, but he was quite shrewd with people and knew how to please them and their egos. He deliberately allowed all the higher-ups to live on the same floor as him, while the 5 who were most precious would live above him.

The servants were only allowed till the 9th floor, the same went for the guards. The ones stationed on the 10th and final floor were those who had taken a blood oath and had become part of the duke's personal army.

Each one was not only strong, but they were also death soldiers who wouldn't even blink before sacrificing their life for the duke. It wasn't because they were so loyal, but because the blood oath forced them to.

The death soldiers wore special red armor that signified their position and power. Even the elite guards of the castle would bow down when faced with one of them. Only a handful of people knew what the 10th floor looked like and its layout and those that had gone there would usually only live for a couple of more days before the duke choose them as his next victim.

Lyle, unfortunately, didn't manage to get the complete layout, but he knew where the duke was. He talked with a servant girl that had gone there two days ago. She only knew the way from the stairs to the duke's personal chambers, but it was enough for him.

The poor girl was killed yesterday, the duke had called her up once more and she never returned. With each floor, a servant rose, and the fear they felt increased. They couldn't do anything about it, however, as quitting the job was not possible, it was a one-way ticket to hell.

Lyle stared at the staircase that led to the tenth floor before moving past it. There were still some servants and guards around and he wouldn't be able to go up at this moment, otherwise, everybody would become suspicious of him.