This was too big of a revelation that made no sense to Sylvester. But nevertheless, the various memories of Sir Dolorem passionately talking about his family recurred in his mind.
"What? Have you gone senile?"
Sir Dolorem firmly looked him in the eye and replied. "They died seven years ago when you were merely one year old. Died in a riot between factions of two men who wished to become the Town's Chief—burnt alive in their sleep at home. I-I see Nicolas in you… and I can't see you die too. So go!"
Once again, Sylvester ignored him and focused on the shield, but an audible curse escaped his mouth this time. "Goddammit!"
"We will talk about this later. And don't give up on me after I risked everything to save you—when it was you who volunteered for this suicide. So shut up and live—and see me grow strong." Sylvester snapped at him and focused on surviving.
Sir Dolorem helplessly followed the instructions and prepared to move. He was frustrated that Sylvester was not listening to his words, but he knew there was not much he could do. This boy was too stubborn.
Meanwhile, Sylvester had a new worry in mind. He was losing his vision for some reason, and the continuous use of light magic had drained his magical energy. It was a surprise to him how he was even alive. But thankfully, the light shield was still going strong.
"Prepare to move again." He instructed not Sir Dolorem but Miraj. He wished to hurry because Sir Dolorem was not looking good.
"Wait! Please save me!"
All of a sudden, a third voice came. It was faint but understandable. Sylvester recognized it immediately. 'Archbishop didn't die? How did he survive until now?'
As Sylvester shrunk the light shield to the size of his height and length that covered Sir Dolorem and Miraj's body, he saw a man running towards him with a magic lantern in hand. It was as he expected, Archbishop Lucas. But the man looked gravely injured as there was a deep gash over the old man's left shoulder. The face had the same horror as Sylvester had before.
As the creature was busy attacking Sylvester, he shouted to stop the man. "Wait! Don't come here! This thing will kill you! I am losing strength now; I can't keep it at bay. Do you have any Solarium Crystals with you?"
The Archbishop nodded and showed three tiny sparkling crystals. He had three of them shining in bright white light.
"Great, keep brandishing them and walk towards me," Sylvester instructed the confused panicked man.
The Archbishop hastily and clumsily ran towards Sylvester's shield with the stones in hand. The creature couldn't attack him since the Solarium Crystals were charged by concentrating a beam of sunlight with magnifying glasses for seven days and their presence alone was a bane for the creature.
They had a tonne of Solarium particles, which threatened the creature. But it was like an elixir in Sylvester's eyes as Solarium was like a healthy dose of caffeine and adrenaline for wizards. They could heal and replenish energy.
"Faster, Archbishop!" Sylvester widened his shield to allow the man to enter and be a respite from their misery.
Before the creature could even notice that there was another fish in the sea, the Archbishop had already jumped in Sylvester's shield, falling right to the latter's feet.
The old man seemed broken, scared out of his wits. It was understandable. After all, there are rarely any beings who can threaten someone of an Archbishop rank. And here, this man was utterly defeated and powerless against the creature.
Sylvester also noticed a few hole marks on the old man's back, which meant he was also infected. 'How is he even alive? Is it due to his higher rank?'
"Give me the Solarium Crystals, Archbishop. I am exhausted." Sylvester cried for help.
"Here!" Archbishop Lucas handed him all three Solarium Crystals. Sylvester used one by putting it in his mouth and breaking it with his teeth. He threw a spare at Sir Dolorem, who was on the verge of fainting.
And as soon as the energy returned from the crystals, Sylvester felt his vision get better to some extent. But his body remained as thin as a moment ago. 'All this new energy is going towards making the Shield.'
He glanced at Sir Dolorem. The latter's face looked better too. Then there was Miraj, dutifully sitting close to Sir Dolorem's collar, prepared to start pulling at moment's notice.
Sylvester took a long breath and glanced at Archbishop Lucas. The man was breathing heavily while sitting on the ground.
'There's no other way.'
He suddenly lifted his foot and shoved the Archbishop to the light shield. The man was left in shock and panic. "W-What are you doing, God's Favored?"
"You've lived long enough… I'm sorry, there is no room for three."
The reality dawned on his mind. He was weakened and couldn't even fight against Sylvester's foot. He truly cried in fear and powerless anguish. "P-Please… Don't do this to me."
Suddenly, the foul stench of rotten flesh hit Sylvester's nose. The bitterness from before was still present, so combined with this, it was a vomit-inducing feeling. And he knew what it was. It was the smell of sadness—someone broken. Similar to the elf woman he saw years ago.
It ached his heart knowing what he was doing to the man. But Sylvester could not throw away rationality and risk the death of everyone. He was not everyone's savior. "I will remember your sacrifice."
"No…!"
Bam!—Sylvester kicked him and flickered his shield just enough to throw the Archbishop out of the protection.
The creature was alerted by it, too, and turned its gaze towards the human that fell out.
On the other hand, without wasting a moment, Sylvester seized the opportunity by grabbing Sir Dolorem's collar and making a run for it. The more distance he could cover before being caught again, the better. He had no time to think about the man he threw to a painful death… his own survival was the most important thing right now.
Sir Dolorem saw it all while being dragged, how the Archbishop used the last bit of his magic to make an Earth shield around himself. But that only slowed down the creature for a few seconds as it started to dig. And this scuffle gave them precious moments to get further.
Then at the 10th second, the Earth shield broke open, and the creature stabbed the Archbishop a dozen times, pulled the body out, and chomped the head off with its wide jaw.
"It's coming!" Sir Dolorem alerted.
Reacting, Sylvester slowed down again and faced the creature to reinforce the shield. He kept chanting more hymns and ensuring more light. Miraj was also back at work as they started to make slow and steady progress.
'I wonder how much time has passed here. I hope help arrives by the time I reach out.'
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The creature kept hitting the shield but to no avail. Not to mention, Sylvester also used the last remaining Solarium crystal now and felt much better. So all he had to do now was wait for his energy to deplete, see the creature strike and keep walking.
'I hope I'll last until the end.'
…
Holy Land
The Bishop that took off from Goldstown on the boat was named James. He used the downstream to quicken the time taken. He also used his wind magic to make the boat go faster and reach the Holyland in a record time of seven hours.
Being a man of Bishop rank, he quickly ran to have a meeting with Saint Wazir, if not the Pope. But thankfully, he learned that a Sanctum Council meeting was going on. So he rushed there, to the Pope's Palace.
He was allowed to enter only after he explained everything to the sentries. Even then, the sentries had to first take permission from inside. In doing all that, he wasted precious minutes and grew hasty.
He didn't wait and rushed into the sacred chambers as soon as he saw the sentries walking out. Then, without waiting for any pleasantries, he exclaimed. "Goldstown! A Bloodling has taken the caves. Two Bishops died, and the Archbishop was left alone with an injured knight named Sir Dolorem… they have likely died too. I request immediate help… it's too powerful."
Suddenly, the Pope stood up, and his expression changed to worry. "What about the God's Favored? Deacon Sylvester Maximilian?"
Bishop James replied. "He was standing outside the cave when I came out."
"Did you tell him the fate of Sir Dolorem?" Inquisitor High Lord asked suddenly.
"Yes."
The Pope took a long breath of worry. "I know him; this lad is as stubborn as me. I'm afraid he might enter the cave himself... but how did a bloodling spawn so close to the Holyland? What was happening in that mine?"
Saint Seer, the chief Spymaster, replied to that. "Mining and death go hand in hand, your holiness. Thousands of slaves have lost their lives in collapsed veins and were buried alive in the past few centuries. I reckon their corpses were never dug out, and a bloodling was born over time. It merely started attacking now because it feels powerful."
"Deacon Sylvester cannot fight it in any situation. I need someone to go there immediately and resolve this mess. Saint Scepter." The Pope looked at his right-hand man, the man supposedly only weaker than the Pope himself.
"I will go!" But the Inquisitor High Lord volunteered. "Sir Dolorem deserves a proper burial."
The Pope nodded. "Alright then, Lord Inquisitor. Reach there immediately. Use any means you must."
"I will take the river, holy father."
Saint Seer objected. "A boat upstream? It will slow you down, Lord Inquisitor."
But Inquisitor High Lord merely scoffed, for he knew where this naivety came from. Not all members of the Sanctum Council were men of supreme strength. Many were exceptional only in their respective fields, such as this Saint Seer, the master of spies.
"Fear not, Saint Seer. For a man of our strength, nothing is impossible, and don't forget, my fire leaves nothing improbable. I shall take my leave."