Laudis woke up slightly detached from reality. He caught some glimpses of the surroundings. The rest of his comrades were talking in the kitchen. The youth, supporting himself with a wall, stood up. He stretched his arms and back with a popping sound. He went to the room. Gladius and Dante were drinking beer pints with flatbreads and camel meat. Udania and Solisia were eating the same thing, excluding the alcohol. Marcus was cooking up the unusual meat. The burned fat produced a thick smoke, spreading all around them. Laudis glanced at them, but they didn’t even see him, let alone the grey cloud. He opened the window, letting the seaside wind do its job.

  “So you’re awake,” muttered Gladius.

  “Yes. I got a little tired after traveling fifty kilometres and carrying Marcus,” the boy responded, half-seriously, half-jokingly.

  “Yeah.. My bad. I’m bad at drinking. Honestly, I only drank to find a captain. One man promised to get me the captain if I beat him in a drinking game. As you saw, I lost. Mainly because of my lack of funds, but I don’t have a strong head, you know. I’m sorry.”

  The man scratched the back of his neck, somewhat struggling with the apology.

  “I waited with your food until you woke up. Here,” replied Nightwood, handing a plate with steaming camel.

  “Right…”

  He started eating the meal. It reminded him of tougher beef mixed with pork.

  ‘Edible, that’s for sure. Why the hell is he still here? It’s not like I care, but… It’s odd and off.’

  Laudis devoured the food in seven minutes, leaving some bread crumbs on the ceramic plate.

  “So… are you going with us, or what?” the youth interrupted the silence.

  “What’s your answer, Gladius?” replied Marcus, glancing at the knight.

  “You know, I thought you’d be a waste of space. From Dante’s description, you’re quite a fighter. You could be useful in the sea, especially against the Sea Drowners. If no one has any objections, I don’t see why we wouldn’t take you,” the paladin stated, playing with the empty cup.

  Thuck! Solisia rapidly stood up, banging the table. The half-asleep, drunk Dantenium jumped at the sound, hitting himself on the short ceiling.

  “Shit!” the crimson-haired yelled.

  “Manners, idiot, manners!” responded Laudis, looking at the man.

  Udania lowered her sight, covering her disappointed face with her hand.

  “You’ll train me.”

  “Huh? Shouldn’t you say: ‘Will you train me?’” murmured Nightwood.

  “Whatever. What’s your answer?”

  “I guess I’ve got no choice. When will we leave the city?”

  “In two weeks. We have to rest after…”

  “After you murdered Sloth. I couldn’t care less about your appearance. If you were a band of vampires, I’d behave exactly the same. Alright, so the 24th it is. I’ll meet you… Where and exactly when should we meet?”

  “If you’re positive about this, then you can meet us on the date in front of the hotel. We’ll book out of it around half past three a.m. What do you say about this?” summarised Lucius.

  “Great. Laudis, can you come with me for a moment?”

  “Yeah?”

  The two men left the room, then the apartment, and finally the hotel. It was already night, and the lamps lit the streets.

  “I’ve got to buy you a new shirt.”

  “Why? My red shirt is pretty tubular, isn’t it—”

  “Yeah, if you’re a fecking pimp, man. It’s fine here, but in Piscaria, it’s common for pimps to use these kinds of clothes.”

  The youth glanced at his new gift with disbelief.

  “Oh, good to know.”

  “Come with me, I’ll buy you something nice.”

  “I’ve got money.”

  “Don’t make me use force, kid.”

  He gave him a cold glance, giving the boy chills. They went to the market, searching for a shirt. Materials, colours, and cuts differentiated so much that it gave both of them a headache. Still, they were persistent. Mainly, Marcus, but still… After a while, they found a light grey shirt.

  “Remember, roll your sleeves up,” said Nightwood, handing him the clothing.

  “Why?”

  He raised an eyebrow.

  “Because, you’ll look like a cold motherfecker."

  “Feck this, feck that. What the hell does it mean?”

  “Swap the e with u. It’s a slur in Silvalis, at least it was. A milder version for fuck, I think…’

  The man scratched his head.

  “My father allowed me to use it at home. It has to be that…”

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Oh, alright. Thanks for that shirt, I’ll get going then.”

  “Yeah…”

  Laudis left him, observing Marcus wondering about the word. When he entered the apartment, everyone was asleep. He went to three separate bedrooms. In the first one, Gladius shared the bed with Dantenium. There was a wooden plank between them. It was hard to tell how it appeared there; still, it was the most normal thing about that day. Udania and Solisia were sleeping in the second and third bedrooms, respectively, leaving Laudis without a bed.

  “The couch isn’t here, great.”

  He yawned, irritated by the situation. The boy took off his clothes, stuffing them into the bag. He was sleeping in the living room in his undergarments. The youth stared at the dark ceiling in silence, waiting till he fell asleep. He had a dream, regarding his undisclosed past…

  Everything around him was blurred out, existing in grey. Laudis was about seven years old, a rather nonrandom age. Two taller figures walked with him. They were talking, but he couldn’t grasp anything about the conversation. Not even a bit. Suddenly, his mouth started saying stuff on its own.

  “Muycsei, noniermon nutuyonix. Mandragorin, hydroxipolis nancanvinienti.”

  ‘What the hell am I saying?’

  Suddenly, they faded into a crimson pulp of blood, scattering around him. A strong smell of iron and ozone filled his nostrils, waking him up. The vision sharply ended. The sun shone behind the curtains. He woke up with more questions than answers. Yet, Laudis sensed something was off.

  “Huh? Why am I under a duvet? More importantly, why is the floor so soft?”

  He glanced to the side and saw Solisia as surprised as he was. She was wearing a loose white dress. The youth turned the sight to the other side. Then he did the same two more times. Of course, he was still in his undergarments. That was his main concern, and for the right reason.

  “A—”

  The youth quickly covered her mouth.

  “Listen, I didn’t go into your bed yesterday. I despise that action. Even if I wanted to have sex, I have enough money to go to a brothel. It makes no sense for me to try making a move on you. It’d make things awkward for everyone, especially for you and me. I had a weird dream yesterday. As I had said, I don’t remember anything before the age of seven. I saw two figures, probably my parents, walking beside me.”

  “And what about it?” she replied, somewhat quietened.

  “They turned into pulps of blood. It means they’re dead. That is, if that vision is reality, but I don’t doubt it for now.”

  “Oh…”

  The silence was too loud even for Laudis. He stood up. The boy was in his shorts.

  “It’s awkward even for me,” he muttered, leaving the room.

  Chop! Chop! Chop! The butcher prepared the meat for sale. The leg was cut off from the body. It was thick and hard; it had to come from a muscular animal. The blood poured down the steel board into a special drain. The steaming liquid was stored in fifteen-litre buckets. The smell was awful to say the least. The flesh was fresh, too fresh; it’d give any sane man a headache or at least a stomachache. However, it wasn’t a normal butcher’s shop. The building was located in the Vampire Empire, Notitalis. The flesh was a human corpse. Still, it wasn’t the most sickening thing. Because the butcher was a man, also. The man deprived of humanity was cutting his own kind. A vampire entered a store, ringing a bell located over the door.

  “Hi, I’d like ten litres of blood and three kilograms of minced meat,” the devil said, looking at the products.

  “Coming right for you.”

  He put two crimson jars on the wooden counter. Then, he scooped out the pale pink meat. The sound with each scoop was getting longer and louder. That odd, chilling, slimy sound would be fatal for those with weak hearts. He had to control himself not to puke all over the place. The butcher packaged the slop with greyish-brown parchment paper. Lastly, he put all of the shopping into a paper bag.

  “That’d be twenty golds.”

  “Twenty golds? I remember when we used to hunt your kind for free… To hell with those reforms,” he muttered, throwing the coins on the counter.

  The man, humiliated, bent down and started picking the money up. The vampire rushed out of the shop, filled with anger. Despite the harsh sun, Notitalis, including vampire residents, was safe. Not so long ago, Sanguisius ordered a dome to be put over the whole city. He bumped into a hooded figure.

  “Huh? Who the hell do you think you are?!”

  The figure placed a hand over the creature’s forearm, burning it to charcoal.

  “Argh! Guards!”

  A troop of five devils flew to the site, but it was too late. The sorcerer was already gone. A few kilometres away, in the castle, there was yet another meeting. Six Upper Hands were kneeling in front of Sanguisius, sitting on his throne.

  “Sloth has failed me. Omar was executed and fed to dogs for his insolence. That is, Zachiria defended itself. He drew his guards, and yet we lost to the Crusaders and the Vampire Butcher. One man murdered over five hundred vampires,” the king stated, supporting his head with his left hand.

  “As you may know, I can’t make any more Upper Hands, because I don’t have enough time. Listen, Lust.”

  “Yes, your majesty!”

  She lowered her head even more.

  “They’ll be coming after you now. We can x out Dante and Gladius from attacking you. They’d be easily influenced by your power. However, Laud… Lawd? Laudis, that is, it was Laudis. He’s a new player in my game of chess. We don’t know much about him. He killed Sloth with the help of Solisia and Denir. His element is a mystery. He uses obscure Sword Techniques. The last time I heard about them was seventy years ago. Summing up, you have to be cautious about him. Udania can be a threat too, especially with her abnormal mana capacity. The girl is a pawn, but with that boy, she can become a bishop.”

  “Yes, of course, my king!”

  “I’ll get going.”

  “Farewell, your majesty!” they said in a synchronised manner.

  Deneb clapped twice with her hand, opening a yellow portal. The king left them.

  “I knew he’d be of no use,” muttered Wrath, remembering the last meeting.

  “You’ve got no right to talk about your fallen comrade like that,” interrupted Pride.

  “Shut up.”

  Thuck! The strongest Upper Hand pinned his subordinate against a wall.

  “One more word, and I’ll cut your head off.”

  “Calm down, Pride,” murmured Gluttony, playing a hand over his shoulder.

  “Yeah.. My bad.”

  He let go of him.

  “Do you have a plan, Lust?” asked Pride, glancing at her.

  “I’m currently residing in Piscaria. I can bribe some mercenaries to help me. I’ve got a thousand-man army, so I think I’ll be fine. Especially when you exclude that monstrous Vampire Butcher. Sloth had a hard time because of him.”

  “What about Jeu De Cartes?” remembered Wrath.

  “I think some fraction was in favour of vampire rule.”

  “Yeah, Cartes de Coeur. They’re predominantly in Terminara, so they won’t be a huge help,” the weakest Upper Hand replied.

  “Right… So, you have everything covered, right?”

  “I think.”

  “Great, so I think we can leave now.”

  “Yeah, I see no objections, why not?”

  They left the throne room, each going to their respective portal created by Deneb. She was the first and the last person to be in that room.

  Day after day, and week after week. The time flew fast, and the Crusaders were ready for their voyage. Marcus was on time, standing in front of the hotel.

  “Cold as hell!” he stated, shivering.

  “Indeed,” replied Solisia, clenching her teeth.

  “We have a ship ready. You’ll pay nothing for the transport. The only thing you’ll have to do is take care of sea monsters.”

  “Aye, captain.”

  “Shut up, man,” the knight responded, embarrassed.

  They started walking to the port. The sun was still hidden behind the horizon, making the smouldering lamps the only source of light. They walked in the cold to the sea.