Ascian waited until his brother finished quenching his thirst before he proceeded in search of his prey. The jungle was filled with wild animals, and it was not difficult for him to find a source of his food. Soon, he came across a cougar sauntering in the place, and without any notice, Ascian attacked it, sucking all the blood from it, killing it eventually.
Once he was done, he licked his lips, wiping the blood off them, and his red eyes glowed, turning a shade darker. Vulir was waiting for him, and the two brothers returned to the place where they had stayed the night, waiting for the other vampires to join them.
"Army," Ascian started, seeing the last vampire return, his loud, domineering voice garnering everyone's attention. "We will now be proceeding towards Ismene, which will eventually be our home. But before we leave, I have some instructions for all of you."
Whispers erupted in the crowd, and the vampires started to converse among themselves, wondering what their Lord had to say. However, Ascian's raise of hand was enough for silence to ensure immediately. "The kingdom of Ismene is on the verge of perishing, and the people are suffering from plaque." Ascian stopped, running his eyes through the crowd, which barely consisted of around a hundred vampires.
Confirming that all pairs of red eyes were transfixed on him, he continued, "We will try to save as many people as we can while we are at the place and if we cannot save them," He narrowed his eyes, his power radiating off him strongly. "We will convert them into one of us."
Ascian did not have to explain any further, for his army had understood what he wanted to convey. A vampire's blood was considered to have high healing qualities in Arran. However, they were unsure if it would heal a human, for they had never tried it before. Noticing their confused looks, Ascian smiled at them. "Although we don't know how much our blood will heal a human, or even if it will heal them or not, we must not concede defeat until we make an attempt."
Again, whispers erupted in the crowd, and Ascian waited until it died down before he put forth his next order. "Remember, we will try to save the humans first. Only if we unsuccessful, we will convert them to our kind." Although their Lord was commanding them, nobody missed the warning lying underneath it. They knew the consequences of going against the vampire lord, and that was something that neither of them wanted to face.
Ascian was an amicable Lord, who always cared for his subjects. However, when his power and dominion were in question, he did not compromise, not even if he had to deal with people who were close to him. As lovable and benevolent he was, there was a sinister and evil side of him that nobody wanted to meet.
"The journey to our destination is long, even for us, and we will have to travel through the kingdom of Ingora. We will not be halting anywhere, for we are already running short of time. We must reach Ismene before dusk."
Though the vampires were eager to explore the land they were in, they had to wait until they settled at their new home, for it was inconvenient to move around, especially when children were accompanying them. So, they agreed with the Lord and decided to follow his orders thoroughly. "If you encounter any problem, do not hesitate to tell us." Ascian did not forget to add, and his army nodded at him, excitement and curiosity evident on their faces.
"Good. Does anybody here have any questions or objections?" Ascian ran his eyes, meeting his subjects in the eye. When nobody came forward to speak, he continued once again. "I presume nobody has any questions to ask of me. In that case, let us start our journey. All the women, children, and the old will stay at the center, and the men will guard them. Liard will lead us from the front, and I will be at the back."
As soon he instructed them, the men formed a protective shield around the women and children, making Ascian smile and nod at them appreciatively. "Liard," He gave his man a curt nod and stepped back, allowing him to take the lead.
"Army, we will now be departing towards Ismene that lies towards the south of the jungle. Be careful, for we do not know what danger we might be facing. Other than our kind, do not trust anyone else." Liard's warning surprised even Ascian. But he perceived why he had said so. He did not forget what the man had revealed about the situation in Ismene. If humans could not be of help to their own kind, it was impossible of them to help those who did not belong here.
Liard turned to Ascian, waiting for his orders. "Be careful and attentive everyone. Make sure to stay within reach."
With that, the army of vampires departed on their journey towards their new home. They swished past the trees, the men keeping an eye on the women and the children at the center. Although they were equally capable of defending themselves when in danger, Ascian did not want them to be hurt, for it was they who held the future of his kind.
Except for the animals in the jungle, they did not confront any other living beings. Soon, they were out of the jungle and touching the borders of Ingora. The moment they approached the kingdom of Ingora, their pace slowed down, for people were walking around at the entrance. Although the vampires had to pass by the route that did not lead to the kingdom, it still belonged to Ignora and alerting them about their presence was not a wise choice.
"We will be walking on foot from now onwards," Liard muttered under his breath. But everyone heard it, and they cautiously followed him, focusing on the humans in front of them.
Seeing a large crowd walking towards their kingdom, the people stopped to stare at them, wondering who they were. Though the kingdom of Ingora had visitors from other kingdoms, this was the first time they were seeing more than a hundred people at once, especially when it was not a season of festivities. Their gazes did not faze the vampires as they continued to amble towards the gate that opened to Ignore.
Unlike the other people, who stood still observing the large crowd, the four guards, who were stationed near the gates, stopped them immediately. They scrutinized them with caution. Witnessing a crowd consisting of more than a hundred people was not a daily occurrence, and more so when their kingdom was at war with Nethilord. What if they were sent here to attack them in secret?
No. No. The guards could not take the risk and allow them to enter, especially when their heads would be on the guillotine if something were to go wrong. Neither their king Jorah or their Commander Finley would let them go.
The people in front of them looked nothing like normal humans. There was something strange about their demeanor that made the guards suspect them. Moreover, they had never seen eyes so vivid and red before. The guards were on high alert as they stopped them from entering.
"Who are you, and what do you want?" One of the guards questioned, his gruff voice making Liard rub his forehead.
"We are travelers. We are traveling to Ismene. Could you please allow us to go so that we could carry on with our journey?" His words only heightened the guards' suspicion. Who did not know that Ismene was hit with a severe plaque and all the other kingdoms had abandoned the kingdom, allowing it to perish forever? Who did these people think they could fool?
The guard scoffed and held his sword in front of Liard, the tip almost touching his chest. "I repeat. Who are you and answer truthfully? Otherwise..."
"Otherwise?" The guard lifted his head to find a man with blond hair staring back at him with his eyebrows raised. His aura was so strong and intimidating that unknowingly the guards shivered in their places. They had never met someone so powerful and formidable, even their king was nothing before him.
"Kind Sir, allow us in. We only want to take the path that leads to Ismene." Ascian smiled at them gently. However, to the guards, even his smile was menacing. But they remained adamant.
"No. You do not seem to be travelers. Tell me, are you from Nethilor? Are you here to attack us?" The guard's sword shifted to Ascian, and the moment he did so, the other vampires took a step forward in fury. This was the first time someone was pointing a sword at their Lord, and how could take it?
But Ascian lifted his hand, stopping them before the place was covered in blood. There was no way the humans could stay alive if the vampires attacked them, and Ascian did not want a bloodbath, not when he had other intentions in mind. Having had enough of the delay, he tilted his head, meeting the four guards in the eye one by one.
In an instant, the guards moved aside with their heads bowed, making way for him. "You are allowed to enter, Milord. Please forgive us for our insolence."