Chapter 135: Just Forgotten

Once Vaughn healed Kyriil and Nokuti with white magic, the group continued deeper into the tunnel. Kyriil was still unconscious, so Marek carried him. It was the least he could do, he hadn’t been able to help in the battle earlier.

After another hour of walking and several turns, they spotted a pale white light emanating from the distance. The nearer they drew, the more the atmosphere changed. The air turned frigid and thick, they could practically taste the flavor or iron on their tongues.

“We’re getting close,” Crow said.

“So, what exactly is this weapon, anyway?” Lysaila asked.

“You’re from the Amber Realm, right? You must have encountered plenty of dangerous monsters in your life,” Crow said.

“I have,” the lamia nodded slowly.

“Is there any particular monster that is known to terrorize the jungles of your homeland more than the rest?”

Lysaila stopped in front of Crow, “You know what it is, don’t you?”

“We have them here too, albeit in far smaller groups, thankfully.”

“What are you two talking about?” Nokuti asked.

“...Dragons,” Crow sidestepped the lamia and kept walking.

“The dragons hunt the Amber people for sport. It doesn’t matter if you're beastkin or not, all die just the same,” Lysaila clenched her fists.

“Yes, dragons are apex predators wherever they go. Understandably, your people couldn’t do much to stop them,” Crow said.

“What’s your point?” Lysaila hissed.

“...I found it, over ten years ago. I was reading an old passage from a discarded tome. The book spoke of a time when dragons were not the hunters, but the hunted,” Crow said.

“What?” Lysaila’s eyes widened.

“What sort of person could hunt a dragon?” Grim asked.

“Not a person, an entire species. A void species,” Crow said.

“Void species? As in void mana? But, I thought void mana wasn’t real, only theoretical?” Nokuti frowned.

Crow shook his head, “Not theoretical, just forgotten.”

“That’s why we’re down here,” Marek said.

Crow turned to the group, “We are here for the Unildyr, the predator of dragons.”

“Wait, are you saying there is a creature down here that hunts dragons and you want to find them? I don’t think this is a good idea,” Grim stopped walking.

“Relax, you two, the Unildyr died out millennia ago,” Crow said.

“Then what exactly are we doing here?” Grim asked.

“Follow me,” Crow waved them on.

Marek walked next to Crow, Lysaila a few feet behind. Nokuti grumbled under her breath but followed along. The twins pushed past the tall axlean and kept walking quietly.

“I don’t have much of a choice, do I?” Grim sighed.

As the group neared the white light, the air grew colder. Suddenly the tunnel’s walls widened and they found themselves in a large cavern. A glowing pool sat at the bottom of the chasm, pale mist rising from its still waters. The bones of a long-dead creature rested near the edge of the pool.

“It’s just like what I read all those years ago,” Crow said fervently.

“We shouldn’t be here. This doesn’t feel right,” Nokuti took a step back.

“We’ve come this far, we can’t turn back,” Marek said resolutely.

Lysaila wandered down to the pool and the bones nearby. She slithered close to the gigantic skull amidst the skeletal remains. The skull had two large horns, each longer than her upper body. Two tusks the size of short swords jutted from its bottom jaw.

“Is this?” Lysaila pointed at the skull.

“An Unildyr, yes. Or at least what’s left of one,” Crow said.

“That skull is a little over 3 ft. The creature must have been at least 20 ft tall,” Grim swallowed.

“Most dragons don’t stand that tall,” Lysaila bit her lip.

Crow glanced at the skull, “That’s a juvenile.”

“...What?” Lysaila’s jaw went slack.

Crow walked down to the pool below. Marek placed the sleeping Kyriil on the ground and followed Crow down.

“The skolguls wouldn’t dare come down here, the scent these waters give off would scare any predator away,” Crow said.

“I thought you told me this pool is like the Mirror Springs above?” Marek asked.

“Compositionally? Yes, it is. But, this pool is alive. Unlike the waters above, you can’t see your reflection here, this pool is already full of souls,” Crow said.

Marek could see faint white silhouettes squirm within the surface of the pool.

“What are they?” Marek asked.

“Nourishment for the ones beneath,” Crow pointed at the pool.

Below the surface of the pale water sat a bundle of silver eggs.

“They have been dormant all these years, the last of the Unildyr,” Crow whispered. “The time has come for the true apex predator to return to this world.”

“Wait, you want to hatch those things, you can’t be serious!?” Nokuti yelled from up above.

“The Unildyr are the only ones capable of destroying the walls of Hollow Shade,” Crow said.

“I believe you, but who is to say they won’t destroy us first?” Nokuti gripped her talismans.

“They will be imprinted to us once they hatch, we’ll be fine,” Crow said.

“Are you really sure about that? Are you one hundred percent certain they won’t try to kill us? Because if you are wrong, we could all die,” Nokuti said.

“Small chance,” Crow squished his index finger and thumb together.

“Oh my gods! Marek, we can’t do this! We don’t know what we’re even unleashing into this world!” Nokuti yelled.

“We need the Unildyr. They will be our greatest weapon in the war to come,” Marek said.

“Damn you, Marek!” Nokuti spun around and walked away.

“Nokuti, wait!”

Crow grabbed Marek’s arm and shook his head, “She’ll come around.”

“...What now?” Marek sighed.

“Once we take the eggs out of the pool the incubation process will begin to end and the Unildyr will hatch soon after. The hatchlings will need to eat. Not just meat, but souls. Preferably dragon souls, but a mage’s soul will do. In which case, we’ll need lots of them, at least a dozen.”

“And where exactly are we supposed to find those souls?”

“Several of our battalions wait at the base of the mountain.”

Marek grabbed Crow’s shoulders, “You can’t be serious. I will not sacrifice my own people.”

“I never said we should. Mortis Grove lies close to this mountain. House Mora’s ancestral home lies in that dead forest. The castle will have plenty of magi. With our army, we could easily take the castle and capture the magi within.”

Marek frowned, “House Mora may not be a part of Hollow Shade, but they control the main trade port between Hollow Shade and Frost Rim. We’d be declaring war against Hollow Shade at best, and declaring war against both Great Cities at worst.”

Crow pointed at the dark hollow sockets of his skull-mask, “My Lord, don’t you see? The valley tribes have been at war for centuries. Even if we destroy Castle Mora, Frost Rim’s armies won’t come down from their mountain to attack us, Dusk Valley is too far away.”

Crow pointed at the pool, “Now is not the time to hesitate. We finally have a weapon powerful enough to strike back at Hollow Shade. The only question left is, are you brave enough to deliver the first blow?”

~~~

Stryg walked up the stairs and up to the deck. The moon was already high in the sky and the cold breeze was a refreshing respite from the stale air in his cabin. Dinner had ended over an hour ago and Stryg had left Callum and Clypeus to get some rest. But it was difficult to fall asleep with the constant swaying of the ship.

In the end, Stryg had decided to go find Rhian and sleep next to her. It had been a while since they had gotten a chance to talk just between themselves. He suddenly found himself missing his days traveling in Dusk Valley. He wondered how Loh and Maximus were doing on the Noir ship.

Most of the crew of the Dread Shadow were human and already below deck. The rest of the crew were vampires, and they were wide awake and going about their daily duties throughout the deck. Stryg raised his hood to not garner attention and made his way towards the quarterdeck where the centaurs were staying.

For sake of practice, Stryg created a shadow spell around his body. The inky shadows wrapped around his small form and hid him from even the night vision of a vampire. He quietly stepped by the patrolling guards and climbed his way up to the quarterdeck.

The quarterdeck was empty save for the familiar figure of Callum near the railings. The hybrid vampire’s shoulders were slumped and he swayed with the rhythm of the ship. His legs wobbled and he held a bottle with a flimsy grip.

Is he drunk? Stryg wondered.

Stryg didn’t know much about ships, but he had a pretty good idea of what would probably happen if a drunk stood too close to the edge of one. He glanced between the stables and Callum.

“Dammit,” he sighed.

Stryg released his shadow spell and dragged his feet over to Callum. “Do you want to take a dip in freezing waters?”

“Huh?” Callum slowly turned his head. “Oh gods!” He stumbled backward and tipped over the railing.

Stryg caught his leg and casually threw him back on the deck. Callum hit the wooden floor with a thud. His bottle rolled away from his trembling fingers.

“And this is exactly what I meant,” Stryg shook his head.

“S-Stryg? Is that you?” Callum groaned.

Stryg looked down at him with a frown, “Do you know anyone else with purple eyes?”

“You’d be surprised,” Callum sighed. “...I thought you were an assassin.”

“Assassin?”

“You’re wearing a black cloak and your face is hidden under a hood. And that little threat of throwing me into the Dire River didn’t help.”

“I was being sarcastic. I’m still not very good at it,” Stryg admitted.

“Ugh, just help me up will ya?” Callum lifted his arm.

Stryg pushed the arm away, grabbed Callum by the waist, and lifted his whole body up above him with ease.

“Let me down, please,” Callum wheezed.

“Sure thing,” Stryg dropped him on his feet.

Callum stumbled over to the railing and took deep breaths. “...Thanks.”

“So, what are you doing up here anyway? I thought you were drunk.”

“I’m trying to get drunk,” Callum picked up his bottle.

Stryg sniffed the air, “Are you drinking blood? What happened to your maids?”

“I left them behind. The captain thinks it best to not drink any blood straight from the source while on the ship, it makes the human crew members uncomfortable. The last thing you want is an angry crew while stuck on a ship. He’s my father’s best naval captain, so I just agreed. Now I’m regretting it.”

“I understand, your maids are quite pretty,” Stryg nodded. “Wait, if you’re trying to get drunk why are you drinking blood?”

“Vampires can get drunk off blood, though it’s much harder than alcohol,” Callum took a swig. “But, it tastes a whole hella lot better.”

“I disagree.”

Stryg’s head did not reach above the railing, so he was forced to rest his chin between the rope railings. He looked down at the large waves crashing against the hull. He had never seen such large waves before, the Dire River indeed.

Callum bit his lip, “I forgot, you’ve tasted blood before, right? Back in your tribe?”

“A couple of times. It was a ceremonial drink. The cooks always served it mixed in with these herbs. They said the herbs would make it taste better, but the whole thing was nasty if you ask me. The only bright side was that we only had to drink very little,” Stryg grimaced.

“...Herbs, huh? That’s the wrong way to go about it,” Callum smiled wryly.

“What do you mean?”

“Ask any vampire and they will all tell you blood tastes best pure, nothing added.”

“I somehow doubt that.”

“Taste for yourself,” Callum offered him the bottle.

Stryg reluctantly grabbed it and took a hesitant sip.

“So, what do you think?” Callum asked.

“It’s… not bad.”

“Yeah, I thought you’d say that,” Callum muttered.

Stryg handed the bottle back. “Hey, Cal?”

“Mm?”

“Why did you think I was an assassin?”

“Oh, well, I’m an aristocrat. It’s an occasional threat. Falling into the Dire River is always dangerous and at this time of the year it basically spells death.”

Stryg glanced at him, “Are you worried about your siblings trying to kill you?”

The bottle slipped from Callum’s hands and fell into the crashing waters below.

“What?” He swallowed.

“I talked to Clypeus’ older sister, Gale. She told me of the battles for succession that will probably happen between your siblings and you. Assassins don’t seem far-fetched,” Stryg said.

“Gale was exaggerating. Killing my siblings? That would be ludicrous,” he laughed awkwardly.

“Oh? It didn’t seem that way to me. Having to kill people to become chief of a tribe? Ruthless? Yes. Necessary? Most definitely. People in power never give it up. It’s just the way it is.”

“Stryg…”

“If you stand in the way of someone obtaining power? Well, then it’s a hunt or be hunted situation. And if it were me, I’d always choose to be the hunter.”

Callum gripped the rope railings, “Are you saying I should kill my siblings to become the leader of my family?”

“No. I’m saying that when the time comes when it’s you or them, I will be there to make sure they don’t kill you first.”

“Why?” Callum swallowed.

Stryg scratched his nose, “You’re my friend.”

Callum’s throat felt tight. This wasn’t how he thought things would go. He wasn’t ready to tell Stryg and Kithina about his family’s internal affairs. And he never thought Stryg would act this way after learning the truth.

The truth? Callum grimaced.

He wasn’t sure how, but if Stryg shared Stryga Veres’ blood, then he was a child of the direct line. Callum stared at the small unassuming goblin.

You’d be the last direct descendant of Veres I. The heir apparent of House Veres, Callum thought bitterly.

Callum chuckled to himself, not that his family would ever agree to letting some stranger rule the family, let alone a goblin. His siblings would kill Stryg first.

Callum felt ashamed that the thought had crossed his own mind. Stryg was a potential danger greater than even his eldest sister, Carmilla. And yet, the goblin had just promised to protect Callum from all of them.

Everything was so blurred, Callum didn’t know what to think anymore. He ran his hands through his black hair and sighed.

“Hey, Stryg?”

“Mm?”

“Thanks.”

“Mm.”