Great panic, trembling hands, fear in the hearts — but not in his.
Vay felt hundreds of auras rushing toward them from three directions. Valeria moved with the riders unit toward the center, aware that if Doirak fell, they would lose half the army if not more, before they fled back across the river.
The sapphire eyes of the powerful vampire shone under the moonlit sky. He smiled, fingers brushing the hilt, dark armor made of the finest steel, by the hands of the most famous vampire artificers, rattled. Beneath it, durable and light chainmail from Brec, a helmet with bat wings made of the finest metal, and everything a heavily armored knight — a king's son — needs. Durable, elegant and light! A full set of A and B ranks — including an enchanted medallion from the Misty Isles, two aura amplification scrolls and oil for his… for his S-rank sword! Acquired during his adventures on the western continent.
"Howl Screamer… Come at me trash! One by one! There's enough cuts for everyone!"
The massive orc swung at full strength, howling like mad, but Vay did not even bother to block. The improvised stones on rusty chains — unworthy of C-rank weapons — did not even scratch him. The swordsman closed the distance and slashed diagonally, cutting the orc's body in half, blood covering the grass, and the gray one fell lifeless. Battle fury took hold of him, mixed with experience and enthusiasm. He kept slashing fiercely even as the enemy pressed forward, until in growing fear of his strength they began pushing shields at him, throwing logs and stones to make him lose balance and fall.
Well… in numbers there is also a kind of quality, that is how the gray ones fought when they met someone like Vay.
"Kid! Tell lil sis to retreat! Now!"
He shouted furiously, taking hits, dodging and raising dark wraiths from the bodies of slain orcs to attack others. No one passed him the Nocturne house techniques! Everything he learned himself! Better than others!
"You! Answer me goblin!"
He shouted frustrated, his voice barely breaking through the gray wave. His sapphire eyes finally saw dozens of massacred goblins, trampled and slaughtered by the raging hordes. Heavy hammers crushed ribs and skulls, knives cut open guts, and axes falling threw pieces of green flesh into the air…
"Tch… you cursed bastards!" he shouted out of breath, another orc lost half its head. "For the God of Darkness! For the Misty Isles!" Screamer's dark silver blade flashed and howled!
He was alone, surrounded, pushing as hard as he could eastward, to pull away as many enemies as possible from the center of battle. He reached uneven terrain full of rocks, exposed roots under trees covered with thick branches and bushes.
"Dogur, curse him! Now idiot!"
The massive orc roared, and several gray figures in hoods and with staves struck the ground, scrolls in their hands ignited, and a strange aura rushed toward Vay, and although he used his power and turned into mist, part of it still caught him. He felt as if hundreds of needles pierced his body, as if something was burning him from the inside so everything was about to melt, the third scroll made him feel three times heavier and twice slower! Shaman tricks and powerful curse scrolls did their work.
"Together you failures, on him! Tear that filth apart!"
Fury filled the vampire, he bit his lip and focused massive aura into his sword, and it awakened! The gray aura of Screamer wrapped around the famous blade, and it thrown into the air began to live on its own, flying through the air stabbing and killing anyone too slow to block or dodge its deadly thrust. The gray aura weakened everyone around, and Vay reaching into his pocket pulled out two daggers, as long as small swords but slightly more curved than the two-handed Screamer!
"Come! Try the power of the son of the Vampire Isles!"
Heavy hammers struck black mist, thrown explosives exploded too late to affect him, and arrows missed through the dark aura. Finally when one orc tripped on an exposed root and falling ended up with a dagger in his eye, a huge orc with long hair and curved blade roared in rage and blew a horn. Two hundred of his warriors had fallen or lost limbs! Enough was enough!
"Try those who serve the Great Man! Haha!"
Soon more auras arrived from the east. Reinforcements? Units meant to strike if they retreated east? Some of their auras were strange, non-orcish. Orcs in dark tunics and a strange white symbol painted on their shields, in an unknown language, emerged from the treeline. Behind them riders! On horses! Creatures from the west of Montara! Mounts of human empires, creatures of the steppes and plains!
"What monster is that!? Now I know why you called for our help Gorkhus!" said a bearded man with a tattoo covering half his face, in a tunic covered with leaves mixed with resin and a hood. One glance at Vay was enough for him to become serious. He drew an arrow and said to the large orcs beside him: "Spread out, surround him! Crossbowmen! Forward! Get ready to fire! Everyone! Together!"
Vay deflected the arrow shot at him and rolled aside to launch himself like a projectile and pierce the body of a one-eyed shielded warrior. Splinters of the broken shield scattered and one piece hit his forehead near the eye, Vay cursed under his breath, riders closed in. He felt a strange green aura — weak enough to ignore — but then suddenly pain hit his back! The rider's arrow that missed! Guided by aura it lifted from the ground and pierced his armor! He felt strange numbness, he knew it was poisoned.
"Cowardly filth! State your names!"
Bolts whistled past him, the slowing curse was fading, he still had a lot of aura, and a simple poisoned arrow would not break his determination! He knew human empire weapons — crossbows — could pierce armor, but reloading took a lot of time! Then something strange happened! Another volley of dozens of bolts flew in the same second! "How is that possible!?" he said breathless, deflecting one bolt like an incarnation of the Sword God. Third volley, fourth, fifth up to twelve volleys while orcs and humans began reloading!
"We are Battle Ghosts, cold-blooded hero! Haha! At your service!"
Battle Ghosts!? No… how did an Emerald-rank mercenary army end up in this backwater!? Vay knew that was the fifth of seven ranks given to mercenary armies across continents. He had mercenary experience, he knew Battle Ghosts, he had heard of them. But to reach fifth rank an army must have at least three thousand members… who could have hired them!?
"What weapon is that!?" he asked, spitting blood, several bolts stuck in his body, though not deep, some bounced off stronger armor parts. More cursed scrolls and explosives flew toward him. More orc units were about to strike when the leaf-clad rider raised his hand and said:
"It is an automatic crossbow my friend, invention of our great leader! Even a demon lord would not resist us alone! Haha!"
Vay was stalling for time, barely understanding what was being said, he was weak, maybe ten curse scrolls had hit him, he dodged only three. He thought for a moment, sixteen crossbowmen, twelve riders and well over a hundred enraged orcs… could he defeat them? He had no doubt.
"Little man… your toy won't save you…"
He bit his lip, focused and reached for Screamer, held with difficulty by half a dozen orcs trying to stop it. The sword exploded with gray aura, Vay roared from deep in his lungs, tore off his medallion and crushed it in his fist. Bolts and arrows flew at him, some hit. He licked several blue drops that flowed from the broken item, and smiled…
"Purification… heh… let the fun begin."
His wounds healed, curses stopped! He felt faster and stronger! Blood flowed, black aura exploded into the sky. S-rank healing potion! One level below divine Z — in Vay's hands priceless like help from a god!
"Thank you father…"
He said under his breath, attacking the rider. The horse reared, one bald rider — huge and wild like half man half orc — struck with a glaive from the side but hit mist. Before he noticed the vampire swordsman appeared at his right and stabbed him in the throat.
Screamer broke free from the orcs holding it, split into copies and five of them killed five orcs from which dark aura creatures were born, taking bolts. Vay knew speed was key, he had only one "Divine Inspiration" — second S-rank potion he did not have… there was no second chance for him.
He cut wildly, limbs flew, screams of the dying echoed through the sky between wild trees and panicked horses.
"Come on Battle Ghosts!!! Show what famous mercenaries can do!" he roared, sapphire eyes burning like torches. "Trash, scum, idiots! I will kill you all! Argh!"
Fury, rage and insane speed, another rider fell headless, horse reared and collapsed dragged down by three dark entities born from corpses.
The leaf-clad rider swallowed, fired once then twice, but his shots fell into dark aura and burned. The slash missed him by millimeters.
Vay stood smiling, covered in blood, mad… like a monster. Like a king of monsters… horror and death.
"This is not someone we can defeat alone… The Great Man must hear about him…"