Fogs that Breath Deaths (2) - edited

The scarred man watched the foggy scenery, frowning. Manasseh was right, even with this distraction, they should keep the majority of their main fighting forces intact. The dragon Adrei was already a huge problem, but the Witch Demond? He never knew who she is, but judging from his comrades' deaths, she was not to be trifled with. He took a step back, as he sank into the shadow of the alley, his mind racing.

As the shadow danced around the walls, he anticipated his next plan. Right now, the guards are efficiently distracted, the perfect opportunity to infiltrate the mansion. The scarred man's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching, and he pressed himself deeper into the shadows as he dashed from wall to wall.

But a certain arm disrespected his manoeuvres, as it smashed through the wall the man landed on. Gasping as his leg was caught, the scarred man found himself being dragged out into the alley. He looked up into the eyes of an amused Adrei, his dragon form towering over the alley, her tail swiping aside the dust and debris with a grace that belied his size.

The man clicked his tongue as he swiped his claw down at his thigh, detaching himself from the grasped leg. A silk bounced from the man's other arm as he pulled himself free, the silk dangling for a moment before snapping taut.

In Adrei's frowning, the scarred man's leg didn't reattach, but instead a new leg, formed of silks, grew from the stump, the crimson liquid freezing in the air. He looked at the dragon with a calculated glance, his eyes glinting with defiance.

"Adrei, the peacekeeper…" the scarred man hissed through gritted teeth, his new silk leg stabilizing him as he faced the dragon with a twisted smile. "I never knew Lady Adil had such a formidable ally. Well, it didn't matter."

Adrei's eyes narrowed, the dragon's tail swishing in irritation. "Speak. Is this Manasseh's plot? Why do you serve her?"

"Manasseh is killed by me, dragon."

"Funny, I heard a different story from my wife." Adrei's claws sharpened as she glared at the man. "Marie, is it? That silk scarf has the ability to change appearance…how impressive, Manasseh's trickery doesn't end at diplomacy, it seems."

"…so it would be." The scarred man took a deep breath, his voice filled with spite as he stepped back, his new silk leg flexing in an unnatural way. "I do not want to fight you, dragon, but…for my oaths for the dead." He raised his hand, and more threads shot out like whips, aiming for Adrei's eyes.

Adrei huffed, then puffed out a small flame, as the flicker of light enveloped the silk, turning it to ash mid-air. Undeterred, the man duck as he bounced from wall to wall, aiming to flee. Yet, Adrei was swifter. With a powerful leap, her claw booted into the man's neck, before twisting it mid-air and dunk him into the ground.

But the expected thud did not occur, as she grasped a…head, just a head. The body had vanished, leaving the scarred man's head in her claw, his eyes still flickering with spite. Adrei blinked in confusion, then a scream pierced the air, the man's body reappearing on the rooftop of a nearby building, his head snapping back onto his neck as if it had never been removed.

"We'll meet again, peacekeeper…" His throat was a twisted mess, the scarred man's voice echoed through the alley, yet as Adrei glanced up, she merely smirked, while pointing upwards.

The man blinked, then blinked again, before the war survivor couldn't help but looked upwards, as a small, tiny, plump figure descended from the sky, her scepter growing green with power.

"Shit!" The man's boots scraped the ground, yet the plump old woman had already slammed onto him, the rooftop cracking with dusts. Her eyes burned with a green flame, her scepter pointed at his chest. The old eyes, filled with an unyielding power that was beyond his understanding. Her step on his throat was firm, yet gentle, the scarred man's eyes grew wide with fear as he felt the pressure that could crush his entire body with a flick.

"Now." Lady Adil's voice was firm as she pinned the scarred man to the ground with surprising strength, "Tell me the cause of this charade before I go back and paint more runes, young man."

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The entrance to Manasseh's merchant guild is littered with corpses of knights and pieces of the vampires, all shards of a broken promise for revenge. The Witch Demond sighed as she patted Selene's shoulder, before she walked over to a certain corpse, the onlooker's eyes, now confirming that is safe, following her with a curiosity drawn towards their powerful savior, as she bent down, her hand hovering over the face of the dead.

"So, Marie." She smirked, the head of 'Manasseh' under her hand, which now glittered with icicle crystals. "Better tell me what Manasseh is planning, or else enjoy a nice trip with your brothers and sisters."

The shocked eyes of 'Manasseh', now detached apart from her body, remained still, as if truly dead, but Demond knew better. She waited, the tension in the air thick, as the frosty silence was only pierced by Selene's shallow breathing.

"Um…Uncle Demond? Please do not insult the dead…" Serene stuttered from a distance, her legs still clasping together on the ground, the sword her mother gave her for honor now coated in a mix of ice and blood.

Demond only frowned, before an idea popped out in her mind. As she smiled gently, her fingertip was now coated with ice as the icicles retracted from her palm, the calmness of the claim she made didn't waver.

"Do you know? I have a unique ability to peer through someone's head through my mana!" Demond's voice was light, yet the iciness in her tone was unmistakable. She tapped her iced fingers on the face of the corpse, the shard of icy fingers reflecting the dimming light of the sunset.

"Well, the process is unstable. The victims will be in dying pain, and later, their eyes will splurge out blood as their bodies reject the unnatural injection of mana, but it's fine for you vampires because of that weird silk you have, right?" Demond's voice was cold, yet Selene could see the amusement in her eyes, something that brought a strange distance for her, for the passing friend of her mother, a mentor that taught her, had never been this...playful before.

"Well, don't worry. You might think oh, maybe this witch is bluffing! No one in centuries invented a magic for brainseeking! But…let me assure you," Demond leaned closer to the corpse, her eyes glinting, "you may not believe the former, but the latter is a common method used by the hero Alice to torture a prisoner. And I am the one who taught her. Now, shall we proceed?"

Selene felt the chill run down her spine as she watched the witch's cold smile, realizing the gravity of the situation. This was no ordinary vampire she was dealing with, and Demond had a plan that seemed too cruel to be true. Yet, the inexperienced knight had to trust her, for the sake of the town, for the sake of finding the truth.

Soon, the eyes of 'Manasseh' were washed over with a calmness, a calmness that only came with the acceptance of defeat. The threat by Demond was clear, yet despite the tinge of fear, there was something more profound in those eyes that Selene couldn't quite place.

"Go to hell." Marie's voice was weak, yet carried a strange dignity even in her last moments.

"Ah sorry. I've had a glimpse at it just two nights ago. Not a nice place for a bath, I would say." Demond chuckled darkly, her eyes never leaving 'Manasseh's', whose skin is now peeling off to reveal threads of silks weaving through her flesh.

Serene watched in shock as 'Manasseh's' head was now someone different, someone she had never seen before. The silk threads had retracted back into her skin, revealing a face marred by pain and resentment. The revelation was as surprising as the coldness that had just struck her heart.

"This is…well well well, no wonder some of you have more mana than the others." The witch chuckled, her eyes gleaming with dark amusement. "Alice's mana. I'm not sure what the silk did, but it helped you survive against Lady Adil's runes under you, huh?"

"It doesn't matter." The once-Manasseh's head, now revealed as Marie, spat out a mouthful of blood. "You'll never, never get the truth out of me. Torture me if you want, but I won't betray my queen!"

"Loyal as always for a vampire." Demond said, her voice filled with a mix of admiration and disgust as she curled up her legs like a scientist towards a white rat, her hand now glowing with a darker shade of blue. The head of Marie quivered under her touch, before a piercing scream echoed through the square, her eyes bulging out as she tried to fight the intrusion. Yet, Selene watched in horror as the witch's mana pushed through the head's barriers, the scream grew louder, and Selene felt a strange pressure building around her, not even the crowds' terrified voice would cease her drumming heartbeats.

"Please stop, Uncle Demond!" Selene's voice trembled with desperation, but her protests were met with a cold gaze from the witch.

"Selene. Stay out of an adult's work." The war veteran's voice was monotone, yet firm. Selene's heart was racing, but she knew better than to argue. Her eyes remained glued to the scene unfolding before her, as Marie's eyes now gorging out bloods with a tint of ice, her head wobbling in pain.

The crowd of knights and townsfolk had gathered around the disturbing spectacle, their expressions a mix of awe and horror as they witnessed Selene's confrontation with the vampire mercenaries and Demond's interrogation of the disguised Marie. The square that had once been a place of laughter and commerce now bore the grim stench of iced deaths and the bitter aftermath of families once again lost to humanity.

"Please…please stop it…I will tell you…tell…" Marie's voice grew weaker, her forehead convulsing under Demond's mana.

"Pretty easy, isn't it?" The former old mage murmured, her eyes still focused on the writhing Marie. "But, I don't have all night, and the townsfolk doesn't need a young hero to clean up this small trouble. So, spit it out before I make this permanent."

The pressure grew stronger, Selene felt the air crackling with energy around them. The witch's grip tightened on the head, and Selene could see the veins on her hand pulsing with the force of her mana.

"Uncle…Demond…" Selene stood up, her legs still weak as she stumbled towards the witch. "Please, enough…"

The witch took a glance at the young knight, her tears staining her cheeks. For a moment, Selene thought she saw a flicker of something in Demond's eyes—perhaps…it is that sympathy she once spoke of to her, a sympathy unique to a recruit who has only first witnessed war. But it was quickly replaced by a stern resolve, the spirit for a war taking over as she swiped her glare back at Marie's head, now confessing through clenched teeth.

"I…I don't know what Lady Manasseh is planning, but…I know what the silk does..." Marie's voice grew weaker by the second, her eyes now bulging out of their sockets.

"Mmm-hm. And?" Demond's brows curled up, her grip on Marie's head not loosening an inch, the mana continuing its relentless intrusion, now softening a little for her to talk.

"The silk is from Chirav's Mercy, the Northern Iceland where Alice left her mana. Before the final battle…that wiped out the vampire clans…Lady Manasseh discovered the spider caves, which is feasting…upon Alice's ice magic…" Marie's voice trailed off into a gurgle as more blood spurted from her eyes.

"Ah, that brat Alice…she has no idea again how her powerful mana won't easily leave the world again, didn't she? Chirav's Mercy, you say?" Demond's eyes lit up with curiosity. She released the pressure, the head falling limp to the ground. "Continue."

"The silk harvested from the cave and the enduring spiders…if we inject it into a human or vampire's body…it fundamentally changes us." Marie's voice grew weaker, her brows furrowed in pain. "It allows us to regenerate, to survive even the most grievous wounds, some…some vampires even manage to speak despite not being a royal because of it…"

"So that's why your guild is so silent when you escorted us to this town, and how that scarred dude speak." The witch murmured to herself, piecing together the puzzle.

"Yes…yes…so please…stop this pain…my eyes…" The once-Manasseh's head begged for mercy, her voice barely a whisper.

The witch sighed as she let go, the pressure around Marie's head dissipating, leaving Selene feeling both relieved and nauseous. The head fell to the ground with a wet thud, no longer twitching. She turned to Selene, her gaze that of a calm war veteran. "Take care of the rest, young lord of Rouen. And remember, Selene."

Demond's icy stare reprimanded Selene, as she warned Selene of the truth, the truth the crowd would find themselves agreeing with. "All, and I mean all vampires are pure scums. Regardless of how you see it, at least Manasseh and her little band did try to kill, and succeed in killing a few of your knights, am I right?"

Selene nodded, swallowing the bile rising in her throat. The revelation of the silk's origin and its effects were overwhelming, the memories of the 'peace' Marie promised now tainted by the truth. She looked down at the lifeless head, feeling a mix of pity and anger. "I understand, Uncle Demond. The…the town's safety must come first."

"Great, now." The witch stretched her arms, the coldness in her eyes was replaced with casualness. "Send a servant to the mansion to prepare dinner. I'm leaving."