Bloody Reunion

-----Kaede's POV

After close to 2 hours had passed, we were finally on the move once again. I relayed the information to Iris that they're right on our tail, but it doesn't seem like that'll be an issue as the horses are now moving at a decent pace unlike before. Better yet, the army also just started their break, leaving us to gain back some of the time that we had lost. It wasn't much as they were back to moving again within 30 minutes.

Natalie: "How close are we now to Azalea?"

Iris: "We'll likely make it by nightfall if we don't get any unnecessary stops. With the horses now have had a proper rest, we should all rest while we can before we arrive."

Alice: "Agreed."

Yui: "Well! Natalie."

Just like before, she tapped on her lap, signaling for Natalie to rest again. She doesn't say anything this time as Natalie obediently lays down on Yui's lap before Yui drapes a blanket over her. And without saying anything, Yui leans up against my shoulder.

Yui: "I'll be borrowing this~"

I smile before resting my head onto hers. I managed to get a bit of rest a day or so ago so I'm quite awake now. I'll make sure to drink some of the blood I harvested before the fight though, just for some extra energy if the fight does indeed come.

Nothing really happened during the day, except for the army having a few more run-ins with some more monsters. My guess for the reason why we haven't been having those issues is because of me. I've been hunting through these parts in the past, so the other monsters know of my existence and are most likely trying to stay clear from us.

I'm actually glad that it's not becoming dark as I'll most likely have an advantage against the army since I have clear vision in the dark. In some cases I think I see better in the dark. But the same can't be said for humans, so I'll make sure to make full use of it.

Everyone slowly wakes up as the sun sets, rubbing their eyes while stretching their bodies.

Iris: "Everyone got enough rest?"

Yui however was still relaxed on my shoulder, seeming to be wanting just a little extra time. But with Azalea right around the corner, I think it's better to wake her up now. I gently nudge her as her head slowly lifts up from my shoulder as she too begins to rub her eyes.

Yui: "Mmm-mmmm~"

Kaede: "We're nearly there."

Natalie: "So carefree, hehe."

Alice: "I'll say this again. You 3 stay with me. And the moment I say to leave, we're leaving."

Kaede/Yui/Marcus: "Got it."

Iris: "Natalie. You'll be assisting me in the meantime."

Natalie: "I'll do my best, my lady."

Iris: "Kaede. How far is the army?"

Kaede: "Mai hasn't notified me of any changes, so they should be a little under an hour behind us."

The look on her face is much different than the previous days as she looks to have found a new sense of hope as a smile slowly appears on her face.

Iris: "Great. Then we'll try and get as many people as we can."

Kaede: "Actually. I'd like to visit the guild before heading with the soldiers."

Iris: "I don't see why not. We have some time to kill. Just as long as you're back in time to defend."

Kaede: "Thank you."

One of my biggest concerns was if Sicily, Lillian and Mell were going to be left out. I'd like to make sure personally that they get into the caravans as soon as possible. Also, I may as well take Silver along as well. He might prove to be useful.

Yui: "I'll stay back with Alice then?"

Kaede: "Mhmm."

Yui's arguably the most important asset to the plan, so she must stay back with the soldiers in case the army arrives. As long as she's there, magic will be difficult for the enemy to use. Plus with my speed, Yui will only slow me down.

With everyone knowing what to do, we eventually arrived at the gate to Azalea just as the sun finished setting, as the darkness now engulfs everything.

Kaede: "I'll go on ahead."

Iris: "Okay."

I leap off from the caravan before running straight to the gate. The gate was closed, but surprisingly there were no guards nearby as I immediately kicked the gate open, breaking the wooden beam that was locking it shut. After seeing as there was still no guards around, I continue forward, running straight to the other end of Azalea, keeping an eye out for any guards.

My heart would soon begin to feel hot as I pick up the smell of blood as I continue further ahead. I could smell human blood, but I could also smell demi-human, which only makes me more nervous on top of my heart starting to burn up from the smell.

Kaede: "Please..."

I increase my pace as I bolt straight to the door of the guild before barging straight inside. There I could see where the blood was coming from. Many bodies were spread out on the ground. Some being soldiers and some being adventurers. The bodies continued towards the stairs and even towards the counter where Fleur and Faye tends to serve adventurers. However there's no one in this area that's alive.

Suddenly, I could hear the slightest sound of cries coming from upstairs. It's so faint that I can't tell who it's from, but I immediately rush upstairs as I could smell even more blood. More bodies were plastered on the ground, leading to one door in particular. The smell of blood is one thing, but my heart's now hurting for an entirely different reason now. I rush on over to where the bodies met against the door as I begin to knock.

Kaede: "Hey! It's me. Kaede!"

Within a few moments, the door opens. My heart soothes once I see the sight of Faye who had answered the door. But her face was quite concerning as I could see that she must've been crying buckets until just now.

Faye: "Kaede?"

Kaede: "W-what's wrong?"

The cries I heard before were more apparent now as Faye had a bleak expression on her face. She doesn't say anything as she lets me inside. There, I could see what had happened.

There on the floor, was Fleur, with Silver nestled up beside her. She's covered in bandages that were all stained in blood.

Mell: "Mom!"

I rush over to Fleur who's on the ground. Sicily and Lillian appear to be mostly fine, but are still quite beat up. But not to the extent of Fleur.

Without a moment to lose, I begin to heal Fleur as quickly as I can.

Faye: "Kaede..."

Kaede: "No!"

I'm not letting this happen. Not to Fleur.

Faye: "It's too late... Her heart stopped just before you arrived."

Her voice was broken as more tears began to fall. Just like Faye, I couldn't contain my own tears as they fell onto Fleur's face.

Kaede: "!"

My body grows in anger but the tears continue to pour out as I try to desperately pour as much of my mana into Fleur as I can. I've healed the wounds by now, but I still try to pour my mana in hopes to get her heart pumping again.

Sicily: "Kae-"

Kaede: "I don't care!"

I'm not sure why, but my body moved on it's own as I lunge forward, sinking my fangs into Fleur's neck, pulling her up into an embrace as he arms dangle to the ground.

Faye: "K-Kaede?"

But instead of drinking blood, which was quite tempting, I fight back to urge to drink and instead, I can feel something coming out of me, flowing directly into the bite. This is a completely different sensation to all the other times, but I let it happen as I continue to battle my instincts to drink Fleur's blood.

Faye: "Kaede stop it!"

Faye comes up to me, trying to pull me off of Fleur. I wait a moment to pour one more burst of whatever this is into Fleur before taking my fangs out of her neck before healing her neck. However, her heart was still not beating.

Faye: "Are you crazy?!"

Kaede: "I'm trying to help!"

Faye: "By drinking my sister's blood? I know she's dead, but that's not right!"

Kaede: "I- wasn't drinking her blood."

Faye: "Huh?"

Kaede: "More importantly. What happened here?"

Lillian: "It all happened so fast. Soldiers burst into the guild, slaughtering everyone. We didn't know what was happening, but Fleur made sure everyone was safe."

Faye: "...If only I was there when it happened... Maybe sis would still be alive..."

From that, I assume Faye was out doing some job while Fleur was manning the counter. I can just imagine the sight of walking back only to see that amount of blood. While imagining that, I continue to pour mana into Fleur, even if it's futile now.

Sicily: "Don't blame yourself! Your sis protected us. It's like what my sister said. We never could've known that this was going to happen."

Faye: "..."

Mell: "Mom?"

I relate to Faye a lot right now. If only I rushed on over faster. They said that she just died before I arrived. Maybe if I was here sooner I could've healed her before she died... Please god. Please.

The sound of caravans could be heard as my thoughts snap back to what's actually going on.

Faye: "Wait... Iris is already here?"

Kaede: "Yes! We're leaving, now!"

I end up picking up Fleur off the ground, still continuing to heal her as we all walk out of the room before exiting the guild.