"How do you know such a thing?" Raphael asked, still whispering.
"One of my uncles who worked in the judiciary worked on the case. Of course Jasper wasn't convicted, he was still a child. But since then he hasn't left the house unattended. To avoid trouble, Dubois said their son was sickly."
"Maybe he really is weak, the murder was just a coincidence."
"My instincts told me that he's hiding his power," Damian insisted.
"You're just a fan of conspiracies, you hope the rumors are true," replied Raphael unconcerned.
"Now back to our mission! Where did the Avalons go?" Raphael continued.
"They left the door open," Damian responded.
The two knights slipped back. They were trained knights who could move silently. They were able to practice their breathing and the friction of their feet so that they were not heard. They moved effectively and it didn't take long, they had already entered the secret room.
The fishy smell of blood immediately hit their noses. But the vampires didn't crave for it. Because they recognized that it wasn't the smell of healthy blood. It smelled like the blood of a carcass that had been sitting in the sun for too long. Rotten and disgusting.
The room they entered was like a hallway with minimal lighting. There were only stones on the walls and floor. Even if the torch fell, it wouldn't be able to burn anything. However, this condition makes it a little difficult for them to hide their existence.
Their steps—despite their caution—still resonate.
"Who are you guys?!" Avalon's knights ran towards the intruders while drawing their weapons. Surely they had no intention of hearing their answer.
Raphael and Damian stayed where they were while drawing their swords along. The Avalons, too, were pure blooded. And they only drink human blood. Of course it could be a disadvantage for the knights of Florentia at this time. But Damian and Raphael, were no ordinary pureblood vampires.
Raphael didn't allow himself to hesitate. He chose one of his opponents and dueled him. Raphael was one of the holders of the cursed weapon. A thousand year old artifact supposedly forged by the demons themselves. His sword named Demetria was very sharp and forged from black metal. Demetria could cut through the wind and injure his opponent without touching. It was a sword that had been passed down through the generations by the Chastain family and was now inherited by Raphael.
That incredibly sharp sword became many times more dangerous when wielded by a skilled swordsman as Raphael. It didn't take long, Raphael didn't show any hesitation either. One of his opponents fell to the ground with a deep slash in his stomach. There was no need for a silver plated weapon to kill them, as long as the wound was deep enough to hit their vital object.
Damian didn't have any cursed weapons, but he was also the best swordsman Florentia had. He uses a rapier, which was two very sharp short swords, to fight. He could play it so fast that the enemy couldn't see his moves. Sometimes because he was too fast his enemy saw as if he was caught in a storm.
The Florentia knights managed to effectively kill three pure-blooded knights of Avalon. Not too much blood and unnecessary incisions. All of their attacks were aimed directly at their vital organs. Raphael and Damian stepped over their corpses and continued walking without looking back. A slight weakness of Avalon's knights, they felt strong because they only drank human blood to the point of being reluctant to improve their abilities.
The purebloods earlier, might be able to defeat them if it was hand-to-hand combat. But Raphael and Damian were swordsmen who had trained themselves since their teens. Their swords seemed to have fused into their bodies. Raphael and Damian, were elite knights who were prepared to face the Avalon commanders. They would not allow themselves to be defeated by ordinary pureblood knights.
The passage ended at a slightly rusty trellis gate. The door was unlocked, so they slowly slid it open. There was a creaking sound that made them hold their breath. There was worry that more and more of Avalon's knights would come. No matter how strong, they wouldn't be able to take on a battalion of enemy soldiers.
Another drawback of the Avalons, they didn't recruit humans as soldiers. Because for Avalon they were just cattle. The number of Avalon's knights was not too much, so they overcame this weakness by making a lot of weapons and creating Shadows.
Speaking of Shadows, they finally knew what they were keeping in the Dungeon. Shadows, the number may be more than sixteen. Their eyes were covered with cloth, their ears gagged. It aims to reduce their sense of taste. Their mouths were open and they looked thirsty.
The strong smell of carrion actually wafted from the pile of human corpses that had been drained of blood. They were the food of the Shadows. The monster drank voraciously and never had enough. The human body looks like a mountain. The Avalons looked lazy to clean it. It seemed that was the reason why the knights had brought the wagon. But they have not finished their work because they were busy dealing with Raphael and Damian.
The Shadows, bound by chains around their necks and long arms. Their free feet were busy scratching the stone floor, creating a not-so-shallow hole around them.
They were not ready to be released into human settlements or into states that joined forces with Florentia. Those Shadows weren't strong enough yet.
www"We have to kill them all, now," said Raphael.
"That's obvious, but is this what that boy Dubois meant by weapons of destruction?"
"Maybe, maybe not. Obviously we have to finish here and find another nest," Raphael concluded.
As they began to draw swords to decapitate the Shadows—an animal screech sounded above their heads.
"Scouting bats!" Damian exclaimed pointing at a group of bats sleeping upside down with their feet gripping the ceiling of the dark cave-like room.
"They're too high! I can't reach them!" Raphael sounded frustrated. The bats will return to their master and announce the intruder. They wouldn't be safe if that happened.
"Immediately kill these Shadows and then we go!" Raphael the commander decided.
***
POV 1 (Juliet/Valor)
It was boring, but scary at the same time. It's like repeatedly watching horror theater all the time but couldn't go even just sneaking off to the bathroom.
I couldn't find anything other than a long, dark hallway. there might also be some bats scouting over my head. But I didn't have to worry because they won't do anything as long as we walk quietly. They're not that smart.
I always had the fear of being surprised by something down the road. Maybe a group of knights, or Shadows deliberately released on patrol. That was crazy, but Avalon did contain crazy people. So the possibility remains.
I only brought Kyle, a knight no less amateur than me. Plus he was human. The smell of his blood could invite female vampires to approach. Hopefully there weren't too many female vampires in this place.
But when would this end? It was like a trapping maze. I was not blind. But the scenery around us was the same. I didn't think this place was built by Avalons. This was a very old ancient tunnel.
If only this place hadn't been ruled by Avalon—I might have gotten a little excited. Maybe there was a secret treasure? Or a shortcut to an interesting place?
Gosh I had to focus! Sir Raphael and Damian must have risked their lives there. I had to find them first, before I was found by Avalon's vampires.
We should have gone together. I might not be strong enough to fight a normal vampire. Moreover, Avalon was filled with pure-blood vampires.
Should I just go back to the room earlier? I didn't want to throw my life away. The gods have been kind enough to give me a second chance. I didn't want to die silly. Breaking through Avalon's secret Dungeon alone with a human was too risky! Even stupid.
"There's room over there," Kyle whispered.
"Like a chapel,"
The room was brighter, felt like an anomaly in the suffocating darkness. I didn't know where they got that light from. As far as I know it was still pitch black outside. Maybe they used a mirror to reflect the moonlight more strongly.
There was an offering table, I didn't know which god they worship but there was an altar that smelled of musk mixed with strong frankincense. There was something sanctified there.
I saw a sword stuck in the altar table, which turned out to be made of solid stone. The sword looked solidly stuck there and I felt a strange aura there. As if calling me to come closer.
"Sir Valor? What are you doing?" I heard Kyle ask. But I felt hypnotized and kept walking to the altar. I touched the hilt of his sword with a dramatic feeling. A strange sensation immediately ran through my body. There was a feeling of excitement followed by a passionate breath.
I had to take this thing home.
I felt like I was pulling a sword from the corpses. Though clearly it was a hard rock. The sword was black in color, with silver veins evenly distributed there like a bolt of lightning. This was a very beautiful and strong sword. I read the engraving. There were some ancient Latin characters in there that I couldn't quite understand.
"What are you doing?!" There was a voice I didn't recognize. I turned around and saw three vampires with bloodshot eyes and Avalon uniforms looking furiously at me. My hand, still holding the sword.
"You can pull it out? Who are you?! We have to report this to the general!"
They wanted to kill me, at least capture and torture me. Bad memories from my past life flashed through my mind. I didn't want to repeat that!
"Kyle!" I shouted for him. Then I moved behind his back.
"Sir Valor, what are you doing?"
"I'll explain later," I said before slicing his back with my dagger. Fresh blood dripped not too much and I—drank it.
The Dubois family, apart from being a pure-blood vampire family, also has other privileges. We move faster than other vampires. I need more strength to do that.
I was lucky to bring Kyle. Because even though half serious, I thought that he was my emergency food.