Druids
Druids were capable of many things, their powers raw and unrefined in comparison to what imperial mages could wield. Still, they were talented from an arcane point of view. It was not strange to encounter druids in barbarian tribes, since they were close to nature and their rituals linked with spirits.
They were formidable opponents because of their unpredictability. One druid might be able to shapeshift into a bear, but the next one might be restricted to healing magic. The most fearsome one might even be able to use nature magic and poison you to death.
However, none of that could compare to the reincarnated leader of the Crimson Clan, who monopolised high-level knowledge and researched blood rituals in depth. Lewis had used the excuse of interrogation to learn from the young druid, but he held far more interest in extracting value from his soul and body.
The young druid was already in a bad shape. Yet, despite all of the wounds he had received from his executioners, he said no word. For his age, he possessed a strange valor and resilience, something that was very uncommon. Still, he was older than Lewis.
But even the most unyielding spirit would break, when faced with the unknown. Resisting cuts and drowning was still in the realm of mankind, and the imperial army was not exactly lenient towards druids and barbarians. As a military empire, they did not consider monstrous and alienating creatures like barbarians plundering villages and burning entire fields as humans. To them, these barbarians were just monsters, gifted with some intellect and treated as such, but they would never be shown any form of leniency.
Lewis Steelguard was not exactly spared from this cultural xenophoby, though taking a step back allowed him to see every single human as such, not discriminating towards barbarians or not. Anyone who lacked magical talent was inferior in value. Lewis was a broken individual, who had lost humanity and traded it for a much more pragmatic mind, one that allowed him to reach the pinnacle of the acolyte realm before, a spirit that was shared among most magi.
The druid had already spilled out all the information Lewis needed. He did not even have to ask. Seeing the hex that was being drawn around him, the druid could sense an ominous presence and aura. It did not come from Lewis, but from the entity he was making an offering to. Such rituals were forbidden, as they proved times and times in History that they could cause extraordinary catastrophes.
Lewis, however, was very prudent in choosing the demon he was making an offering to.
Actually, he was very familiar with the demon in question.
[Noctis]
Noctis was an intermediate rank acolyte-level demon. Invading Burion was simply impossible for such a demon. One had to be at least a magus-level demon to accomplish that. Furthermore, the gate with only one offering would only allow a beginner-rank acolyte, equal to the strength of the offered individual, to cross over. If it came to that, Lewis could always ask help from Jorg and Orianna to take care of him.
The deal was simple.
The druid's soul would be exchanged for a drop of Noctis' blood essence.
Because of the cruide materials used for the array, Lewis could not communicate with Noctis, the young demon, but Lewis was familiar with him. In fact, one of the reasons he managed to reach the advanced-rank acolyte realm as a vampire was partly thanks to his many trades with Noctis.
A soul was worth a lot to a demon. First and foremost, without a soul to feed on, demons would literally starve and lose reason, hence the bad reputation they earned in the multiverse. But more importantly, a demon could integrate the knowledge and experience owned by the said soul. This meant that the understanding, theories and enlightenments that souls went through would be amassed, partially, by demons. The process was long and arduous, though, and it might even cause them to lose their own identity.
Yet, it explained why such souls could be traded for a drop of their blood essence.
As Lewis finished noting down the last piece of information from the young druid's ramblings, he sighed.
'There are four beginner-rank druids, and a grand-knight level chieftain among their forces...Plus, the 150 barbarian warriors are most likely as strong as knight-in-training, with the strongest probably on par with imperial knights...No wonder the imperials lost times and times again. Unlike regular barbarians, they are using their environment advantage and magic to deal with them', Lewis analysed the situation.
[Noctis has accepted your offering]
Soon after the Byrion runes reached his mind, a drop of blood materialized in front of him, the sight all too magical for regular soldiers or acolytes to even grasp.
Lewis carefully stored the blood essence drop into a small vial and grinned.
There was no way Lewis would abandon his research on vampires and bloodline integration, just because he had experienced its limits the harsh way. Assimilating another creature's blood essence could be done in various ways. And naturally, Noctis, a demon from the demonic plane itself, was the perfect target for his little experiments.
Lewis took his time, and somehow, no one bothered him.
When he left the tent, however, his blue eyes had turned grey. His presence had become more noticeable. More importantly, his muscles had become slightly more refined, and his limbs nimbler. There was something dangerous about him now.
Casting an analysis spell on himself, Lewis nodded in satisfaction...