There was a tingle at the back of my head as I laid the new rune at the edge of the chasm. I watched as the pale blue light if my soul power faded from my fingertips. The rune glowed deep and bright as thick white fog began to spew from it. I covered the chasm in all direction as the little mines I had placed became obscure and hidden.

I knew the rune was going to keep on bringing that fog indefinitely until I deactivated it. It was a testament to my abilities now that my runes could now draw power from Nature itself and only needed a little of my soul power to keep it sustained.

I turned and moved ten meters towards the walls and placed my soul powered hand on its surface. The runes I had etched on it previously came to life as a cold wind automatically began to blow. It was not intense, just a little breeze, but it served its intention well by keeping the fog on the other side of the wall and preventing it from going out of control. The other runes on the wall also activated, the runes for[harden] [hot] [invisible] [poison] and[repel].

As the runes activated the wall which had grown in the past four days to be almost two thousand meters long immediately became invisible. And right behind it, the tower that was previously occupied by the guards and their other employee becomes visible.

I could not help but put my hand on my knees as I attempted to catch my breath. This was really draining and my energy was very well spent. I stumbled and almost fell but Kuyait was there to lend a hand to me. I was grateful for all the help she had rendered to me, she was always there when I needed help and she has always been there to comfort me every time my nightmares came calling.

But I could not help but remember Xaseah’s warning about her. Kuyait did not talk a lot. Apart from the fact that I knew she was serving as a maid for the then defacto leader of the blue district after she gave Teluna up. But her past as a prostitute or even before that was mostly obscure. I did not even know how to start a conversation with her about her past, because as far as I was concerned she was a little to distracting.

“Are you okay lord Kael?” she asked in concern.

I still couldn’t answer her and all I could do was nod my heard in response. She led me forward towards a tunnel that sloped down and below the wall. It was crudely made, but it was not long either. At the end of the tunnel Nisi and Teluna were waiting for me, along with a lot of vampires and dark elves who had come out to help.

I leaned down and placed my hands on both Nisi and Teluna’s head. This two have been with me right from the beginning, and apart from Asare who was not confirmed to be missing in action or even dead. This two were the people who I had the closest emotional bonds with, unless of course Cassie. But she’s just a baby anyway.

I moved my gaze to the other vampires and dark elves, news about the Nagas had already been leaked out, but once again this people surprised me. They could have panicked and descended into chaos, in fact it was the expected reaction to such a news. But they have all stood steadfast and composed. Those who wanted to help had lent their help, and a lot of other prisoners had spent their time training to familiarize themselves with their physical abilities that was no longer encumbered by Ionite poison.

I was sure I cut a sorry figure. At the moment I looked nothing like a king, I had patches of dirt all over my body. My cotton cloths looked like they had been soaked in dust and put on right away. And I could not stand straight, I was deeply breathing and was fighting with all of my strength to keep my eyes open and not go unconscious from exhaustion.

I felt embarrassed about it though. But as Kuyait led me past them, they all bowed their heads in respect and reverence. I really did not get this people a lot of the time. They acted in ways you never expected them to react in a situation.

Sometimes they are so childish, prideful and short sighted it drove me insane with frustration. But other times they showed a composure and a sense of understanding you would not expect to see from ordinary people. Somehow I got the feeling that they were all very different from humans, in fact I was sure they were all a lot different than any other race on Shearath. Being prisoners here for two thousand years had changed them, but what exactly were they changed into remains to be seen.

It was a long ride back to my tower, but that was mainly because I had to check out my other contingency plans. In the middle of the blue district, an almost two thousand square foot cave was excavated and reinforced with orhicalum twenty feet below the ground. You could call it an underground cave, but I like to call it a bunker.

Thanks to Nisi and a handful of other gnomes who have the abilities to manipulate and shape metal, much of the bunker was lined with metal and fifteen foot gate was already in place. The entrance to the cave was conspicuously hidden in eighteen different towers which were all connected by a maze like tunnel system that was meant to be confusing to anyone but someone who had spent years mining the dancing caves of Noxis Nyx.

The children, elderly and those incapable of a fight have all been moved into the bunker, also every food supply and resources have also been moved there for protection and in the case of any eventualities. All that was left was for me to go and inscribe some runes on the gate and on its supporting structures so that they could withstand any attack from the enemy.

But that was one plan aside and the weaving of the gate would not take much out of me after I had rested. Next was the forming of a military unit and rapid training they all had to go through. This was been over seen by the vampire elder Mars, two dark elf priestesses Raes and Laes. Those two were actually twins, and by virtue of their birth they enjoy quite a lot of prestige and influence over the people.

I have not yet had a chance to go over and check them out due to how busy I had been over the past few days, I did not think them to important to add as options in my plans due to how limited physical prowess could influence anything in the coming confrontation, at least from our side anyway.

I passed by the area converted into a military base, but I did not stop by. It would have been recommended but I was too tired to care, as soon as I was stronger I would take my time to check through everything and see if this shoddy and shakily arranged military could be another asset in my hands.

When I got to my tower it was a whole lot crowded than when I first moved here. Vampires and dark elves who all chose to live next to their chosen leader erected tents and excavator towers as far as the eyes could see. They were all adamant about living close to me, this people were what you would consider the dregs of society, the people who even with all of their pride and strength needed to depend greatly on each other to survive. They had no aim or direction but to look towards the only source of hope they have….me. But somehow I saw them for what they could be, assets. Resources and quite frankly the makings of my own faction. My soldiers my retainers, my servants, my workers, my assassins, my spies and my shield against everything that would sought to hurt me.

Maybe it was wrong to take advantage of their pure intentions and unfortunate situations and use it to manipulate and twist them for my own gain. But I didn’t care, at least I thought I did not. If you look at it from a different angle I am actually helping them. If I give them direction, lay out a path and give them a proper reason to live. Then all of the respect and reverence they give me will be duly earned. They wouldn’t be the most miserable among their people and I will have a whole lot of subordinates than I need. But more is wealth, to much of everything is never bad for you, you just need to know how to manage and use it well.

As I walked into the tower I gave those that I could cursory glances, and nods. Showing my concern for them in whatever way that I could. I would have done more, like give a speech or start laying the foundation for my faction, but I was tired. And so it was with an extremely tired body that I dragged my self to the completed second floor of my tower, which doubles as my bedroom, office, bathroom etc. My eyes were already closed as soon as my head hit the pillow. The darkness was a welcome friend at that moment.

***************************************************

I was in that cell again. I felt the constant burn of the manacles on my wrist and the pressure they caused on my tired arms as I dragged them both behind me. The cuffs were connected to chains that led into the wall. I could pull it out, I was sure my strength was enough for that at least, but the cuffs were made of pure silver, and so were the chains.

They glowed eerily in my vampiric eyesight. It was bright and uncomfortable, but most it hurt really bad. That solitude alone was worse though, the silence was haunting. It made me dread what was going to happen next or if my short second life as a vampire will come to an end just after a year and a few months. What sucks was that it was the only life I remembered.

My thoughts were dull and depressing, but I couldn’t help myself, Adein’s reputation as a man quite accomplished in the art of torture preceded him. I could deal with dying, but to be under a serious amount of pain before that death was something that even the toughest of men will feel apprehensive about.

But most probably hints for me at this moment was all a lie, I acted impulsively again. But I couldn’t stand by and watch innocent people get slaughtered, well they were not exactly innocent considering we murdered a few pairs of werewolf guards, but it was in self defense. But non of that mattered now, I was not really fine with dying, and regardless of how I looked at it, I was seriously terrified.

And as if to enunciate the severity of the terror I was feeling, slow footsteps began to resound on the polished rock floor. He was taking his time, he could get here at any time but he was choosing to drag it out. He wanted me to feel fear, he wanted me to quiver in terrifying anticipation of what he was going to the to me.

I don’t know what was going through his mind at that time, but it was working. The fear I felt was so all consuming and powerful I began to shiver. It was strange, ever since I became a vampire my body had gained a high tolerance for cold and heat. But at that moment I was covered in sweat and buffered by intense shivers that traveled the whole length of my thin frame.

In that room that was neither hot nor cold, encompassed in darkness with only the light if my silver restraints illuminating this dark cell. I waited, and I prayed. I called on to any of the gods, I did not care if they were dark or light. I just wanted someone to save me. I could feel the seal of forgetting under my cloths, I regretted putting that on at that moment. I owed nothing to the baby that was just born or her mother.

I owed nothing to this people, in fact they should be the ones owing me. Why did I have to suffer for them, for what twisted sense of responsibility was I going to go through torture for a child whose ancestors doomed her to a miserable existence. I hated everything at that moment and I regretted much.

My thoughts at that time did not matter anymore as the silver forged gate to my cell opened and Adein stepped in. He looked the same as the last time I saw him. His stocky and short frame that had trace amounts of fat on him gave me the impression of a butcher or a monkey, a thick fat monkey with the most malevolent grin I had ever seen.

He moved around me till he was positioned at my back. I couldn’t see him, and somehow my fear, my terror which I thought had already reached the maximum capacity capable of been felt by any living being jumped up a notch. There was a glint of light and the sound of something metallic hitting the stone floor. It let out a resounding ding throughout the entire cell, it was a chilling sound and it shook me down to my bones. I heard it drag across the floor and heard a whish as it flew into the air. And then the pain began.

************************************************

When I woke up this time there was no one to help me. I was left stuck in the horrors of my own nightmares as I struggled to bring my self back to reality. The dreams have been getting worse over the past few days, with the knowledge of the Nagas moving closer everyday and the fact that I had a gut feeling of Adein being with them has made my nightmares more frequent.

This was a weakness that I did not relish, but it was enough proof to show that I was still affected by my torture at Adein’s hands. That I was still scared of him, that the fear and trauma he instilled in me has become a crucial part of my life. I hated this fear, but somehow I needed it. The more my dreams came, the more I realized my mental energy increased. Not to mention it made my rage and hate for Adein grow to an unprecedented level.

It was something that had already happened, but every time I saw his face again, every time I felt his whip, every time I heard him laugh in my head. I hated him more and more, I wanted him to pay, I wanted the whole world to pay. But Adein is just as good a scape goat as the entire world.

I got up from my bed as I prepared to finish my preparations and complete my Defensive plans for the time the Nagas arrive. But my heightened senses caught on to something.

I could hear somebody breathing, I could hear the sound of their heartbeat. It was steady, slow and weak. This person was a vampire, a half breed actually because his or her heart beat was a little faster than normal for a vampire. But what really made the whole thing weird was that I could not see the person, not even a shadow was cast on the ground.

I couldn’t pinpoint the exact location of where the person was in my room, but my sudden hesitation had alerted the person, he knew I had discovered him. There was a sharp glint of light, it wasn’t much but it was more than enough to blind me for a second. I instinctively moved my body to the right, and then I felt the silver blade plunge into my shoulder.

I roared and staggered back in pain, the pain I felt was not even due to the fact that I had a knife stuck in my shoulder. It came from the burn as it coursed through my blood. Silver. I hated that stuff, my entire left arm was paralyzed from the strike and the knife stuck in my flesh quivered with each breath that I took.

I was thankful, at least for a moment. If I had not moved when I was blinded by the silver, the knife would have gone into my chest and straight into my heart. Not that I was in any better shape with the knife in my shoulder, but at least I was alive.

I backpedaled away from my would be assassin to create some distance between us. He was between me and the door, and the balcony behind me was still a few dozen meters away from me. In my injured state I would not be able to get there in time.

Overtime I had realized I had built up a little tolerance for silver, it still hurt as much as it always did. But my mind would not be always as muddled by the pain as usual. But even in that case, I was still helpless here, with the knife still stuck in me, it kept on sending waves of pain and agony through me such that I was finding it very hard to focus on anything at the moment.

My assassin did not waste his opportunity as he quickly pressed his advantage. He was fast, way faster than me. He appeared almost instantly in front of me with another dagger in tow, this time it was heading straight for my head.

I ducked down, with more instinct than skill, as I narrowly evaded having a knife shoved into my skull. I was able to get a good look at my killer, which was dumb because he was covered head to toe in black clothes, even the mask he wore had no holes whatsoever for breathing or seeing.

The momentary distraction from his appearance cost me, he swung his leg straight for my head. And this time I was out of luck as the impact sent me flying almost twenty feet across the room. I landed hard on the floor, and subsequent the rolling on the ground caused no small amount of pain and agony as the knife in my shoulder was repeatedly jostled and shoved deeper into my flesh by my rough movements.

I screamed. Of course screaming was the right thing to do at the moment, apart from the fact that it could alert others about what was going on here, it just hurt like a bitch and at the moment a good amount of screaming in pain was required.

My head was ringing as I quickly got to my feet. My vision was blurry and my eyes were filled with tears. But I didn’t need much strength to drag that knife out of my shoulders, but my shaking hand made it all the more painful.

I positioned the knife in front of me in what I can assure anyone was a pathetic attempt at defense. This was a little different than when I fought with the werewolves. Apart from the fact that I was ambushed, it was a clear fact that my opponent was better trained than those werewolves, better trained than me.

My assassin came towards me with a slash, I Parried his blow with the knife in my hand, but the impact of both weapons hitting each other flung the knife from my grasp. But thankfully I was not surprised, I knew with the effect of being stabbed with a silver blade, my strength would not be enough in a direct confrontation, so as soon as the knife was out of my grasp I kicked out with my right foot, putting much of whatever strength I had left in that strike.

I felt my feet make contact with my opponents chest as he shot back from the force behind the strike. Going through much of what I had experienced when he kicked me himself. Only difference is there was no knife in his shoulder. I did not dally as I took advantage of the situation, I sped over to where he is and rammed into him with my shoulder as I tackled him to the ground.

That was a mistake as my opponent used this opportunity to stab me in the back, twice!!. I roared in pain, as I grabbed his masked covered heard and rammed it to the ground, spider web cracks appeared on the floor as the rock could not withstand the pressure of the strike. The assassin was only stunned for a moment as he placed his knees on my stomach and pushed up, flinging me over his head and body, only for me to land on my back, on my still open and burning wounds. I arched my back in pain as shudders and vibrations went through my body from the impact.

My head was rattled, but my vision was still clear enough to see the assassin’s hands raised to deliver the final strike. Well that is until a ball if pure darkness made itself acquainted with his face. The assassin was thrown a few feet back from after the sudden strike. He quickly got up and pulled his mask away as the darkness had begun to corrode it like acid.

I couldn’t get a good look at him because of the huge cascading waves of silver hair that fell all over his face. And then I heard Nisi shout.

“Leave him ALONE!!!!”.

And then she slammed her small fist on the ground, huge spikes flew up from where her fist had hit the ground and moved like a huge land snake to the place where the assassin was standing and stabbed the assassin carrying his body out the balcony and left him hanging in the air, in the same grotesque and similar version as the vampires and dark elves who were killed trying to protect Teluna.

I dragged my battered, bruised, and bleeding body to my balcony and move my gaze to the somewhat crucified assassin. My assassin was actually a woman, not the woman expected though after I saw the silver hair and its extravagant size. But a woman non the less, and whether she was better trained than me or not, from where I was standing. She was very much dead.