Helcin felt it within him. He wasn't connected to any of his men in any way yet he felt the pain smote his heart. He felt the deep feeling of sadness well upon within him.
Looking once more at the carriage he sighed.
"At least they bought you time" he whispered to himself before urging his horse on. The path was tricky and annoying. If not for the contingent offer then he was certain some dire beasts would have been upon them. Though he knew it was the weaker ones afraid. The true mighty creatures would just tear through his ranks.
"I see it, Captain!"
A holler from upfront got his attention as a scout his horse standing upon an elevated section looked down upon them from the front. Helcin smiled a bit of relief flooding his pained heart.
'Maybe we can make it.
The riders all broke through the pass out and fled the Black mountains riding nonstop. They'd barely made it twenty meters when a heart-wrenching shriek filled their ears.
Helcin and many of his men gasped in shock and then terror when they set eyes on the sight before them.
On a black horse aflame with blue fire was the cloaked figure of a rider. the dark space within his cloak was only illuminated by a pair of blue dots. Dots Helcin suspected as flames just like those burning it and its horse.
He stiffened as the thought of the various warnings his men gave rang in his brain. Was this to be their end? Did they flee the greedy and gluttonous blades of the fake royal family only to fall at the hands of some demon?
Why was fate so cruel?
Helcin urged his horse forward ready to intercept and buy the contingent time to flee. His eyes locked on tbe man next to him words spoken without the movement of lips.
Helcin pulled his blade ready to engage when the god of luck smiled at him. The Royale knights were all lined up pretty much to the left of tbe rider yet in a funny almost lucky for Helcin, way, it had been blocked by them too.
The Voltrons had caught up in the best of moments for the Royale knights and the worst of moments for them.
Using some of the crossbows looted of the fallen Royales they had attempted shooting.
A bolt unfortunately for them flew true in the worst way and sunk into the horse's side.
Helcin pulled back breathing heavily as he waited. Yet his hope grew as the rider looked past him, his men, and the carriage to beyond. Then it rode forth a sword pulled out from the darkness of its cloak and igniting in the tenebrous touch of blue fire.
It was only when the rider was actively engaged with the Voltrons, screams of pure terror blessing the dark air of the unholy land on which they had sought sanctuary did they move on swiftly.
Helcin made one glance back and he would have sworn he saw the rider stop its head swiveling to look straight at him. Its eyes brimming with the pure incandescent glow.
Helcin turned forward urging the contingent ahead. The black castle was the only safe place. Whoever won would be easy pickings there for his men.
Though a hateful side of him hoped for the rider's victory, logic screamed for its fall. After all, a rider capable of slaying men even they had to race from was definitely something dangerous.
*
The Octos and Octo had all geared up at this point. Each one taking a position within the city.
While there was no semblance of total sentience a bit of it came with intelligence. At least enough to recognize that the rising mass of dust cloud roaring towards them was danger.
The Hellwalkers each looked at the other as the cloud approached. Having a sort of undead talk pattern they each shared their roles and scattered into the ruins of the city.
It was time to hunt the living and please the master.
Octo himself retreated into the Castle heading straight for the circular room where he felt his master's aura from. Patting the last vines hanging from the entrance out of his way he spotted the huge lord of the Deadlands standing motionlessly by the broken wall of the room his eyes locked into the distance.
Without turning he spoke, his voice low yet impossible to miss. "We have guests".
Octo made no movement waiting for a command. Though he never expected the words he heard next.
"Let them in."
*
Mental connection.
Something I was already loving. Without it, I wouldn't have been ready for the information that I already had guests. In just one night a lot had happened. A new Solis was coming yet it felt like the night was unending.
After thinking about a lot of the things that Orion had informed me of, I made a little conclusion.
Not to kill them all and make them into my undead army.
Yet.
That decision would come with the conclusion of whatever happened after our meeting. Knowing they were being chased meant I had the option of bargaining their lives with whatever I needed. And I needed information.
Sure Crimson had some, but I felt his information depended on the fact that he was a dark-affiliated figure. I needed information from light-affiliated people and who were better than humans.
Worse come to worse I'd just kill them.
If they were scared of Orion then they must be weak enough for me to slaughter without problems.
"But. Knowing my former kind. We fear things like me." looking myself over I sighed as I pondered. "Do I have them communicate via Octo, he would be less frightening. Even Orion would do since we had a mental connection."
" Nah. They'd be too scared to believe. I need a human at least. But none.". As I racked my brain something finally clicked.
My runes appeared before me once more as my eyes scrolled through them. I had realized that while I had abilities I also got skills that were like subsidiaries of these abilities
Right now I was looking at the one skill I deemed important.
"That should work".
-SHIFTER - Transform your body from one form to the other. Each form comes with certain effects and also lacks other effects Cost 10000 Energy to activate but costs nothing to keep a form
My only ability that came with a cost and also had no subsidiary skills yet.
Feeling like I already knew the how on activating the ability I swiped the rune away before focusing.
At first, there was nothing.
Then a snap of bone and then another crack bringing the pain. " Ah fuck" I gritted my teeth