Vampire Reborn - Chapter 43: A Fated Encounter

The tables of battle had suddenly been turned, and the bandits were on their last legs. Their unity was completely broken, and all that was left of them was panic and their selfish will to survive.

Alucard used all of his powers and all his senses. He threw caution to the wind, yet in the current state of battle, caution was not nearly as required. He stayed in the shadows no longer as he showed himself in an attempt to take out as many enemies as he could. The bandits in front of him were nothing but piles of walking blood and XP, and it was a race against time to see how many he could eliminate before those four unknown warriors did it for him.

Like a grim reaper wielding daggers, he elegantly manoeuvred his way around the battlefield cutting down all those who stood in his path in a manner that felt all too natural. Anyone who recklessly approached from behind was blasted with a quick fireball they did not expect, and any others would be taken out from the dark with dagger-play they had never seen before in their lives.

As he neared his foes, he could immediately sense the fear overwhelming them, some even stood motionless as their heads were cleaved clean off and rolled on the ground, showering the battlefield in crimson blood like a sprinkler.

His blood furor passive seemed to be doing its job quite well. He did not feel much stronger than the average bandit, yet the air of dominance and death exuding from him killing so many sent fear down their spines, unlike any fear they had felt in a very long time.

Eventually, he had made his way towards the carriage, and there did he and the four warriors finally come face to face.

They simply shared a glance for a split second acknowledging each other’s presence, and in that split second, it was more than clear that they were on the same side.

The center of the battlefield was far more compact than that of the outskirts filled with weak-hearted, fleeing bandits, it posed much more of a challenge. However, he along with those four warriors worked together in ways he would have never predicted to combat them.

As they fought side-by-side, Alucard noticed the use of what he could only assume to be Ki arts he had never seen before in his life. Things such as the man with the great sword-swinging only a single time, but that single vertical swing would take out four enemies as if it were four slashes, and immense gusts of wind emitting from the bow user’s arrows as they cleave through the air.

They had each other’s back and covered their weaknesses, working in tandem like he too was part of their team, almost as though it were instinct.

And before long, all the bandits that once stood were dead, littering the ground, all but a few of them who had willingly surrendered themselves for questioning, and their leader cloaked in purple, not out of choice but by force.

‘Seems like all has been taken care of…’ Alucard breathed a slight sigh of relief beneath his mask and resheathed his blades under his now filthy cloak, taking slight looks towards the four men to his side.

‘Gold plates huh? Interesting…’ Through the mayhem and thick of battle, he did not notice it, but now that it was calm and all over did he remark the gold plate hung around all of their necks.

“S-sir Lisvern… The sound has stopped… Is it safe to finally come out…” The voice of a terrified man suddenly appeared as the doors to the carriage were slowly opened.

“Yes coachman, it’s all over! You did a damn good job staying calm when it came to it! You can tell the mistress that the danger has been taken care of! “The bloody-faced, blonde-haired warrior previously wielding a greatsword smiled towards the worried middle-aged man as he finished tying one of the surrendered bandits.

“Y-yes, sir!” He replied, quickly shutting the door.

“There we go!” He smiled, dusting his hands off. “If you guys don’t mind, tie up the rest for me will ya?”

“Got it,” His team nodded towards him like he was their leader as they continued doing as they were told.

The blond, greatsword-wielding man of slightly above average height and looks now known as Lisvern took a deep breath, and shifted his ocean-like aqua eyes to a certain man to his side.

“You’ve sure stayed quiet there leader… You’ve really got nothing to say? If you answer my questions you can save yourself a lot of pain… Why did you want to harm the mistress? Who sent you? Your men don’t seem to know, they just blindly followed you…”

“I ain’t sayin anything! Torture me all you’d like!” The leader scoffed, curling his lips.

“Fine, be that way…” Lisvern sighed, turning away from him and instead redirecting his attention to the masked man in the distance, and his serious expression immediately subsided into an upbeat smile.

“Hello there stranger! Thank you so much for your help! We really worked well together out there! Without you, I wasn’t sure we would have been able to protect the carriage. You’re a lifesaver! Sadly, I don’t think my lady has time to see you nor to pay you for your efforts, but me and my team and in your debt!”

“Oh, no need for the flattery, I just did what I thought to be best and nothing more… As soon as I saw those bandits I knew what had to be done… I just happened to be sleeping around here when I heard people come this way. It’s quite a coincidence really.”

“Come on man! You’re being too modest! My team and I and really do owe you one! Not only did you buy enough time for Taylor to complete his protection spell so they didn’t burn down the carriage, but you also caused distress in their ranks and split their formation almost in half when the leader sent people to look for you in the forest!”

“I see… Well, it’s truly my pleasure to help and fight alongside you,” Alucard nodded.

“Likewise!” Lisvern’s smile grew even brighter. “Anyways, why would you be sleeping in the forest so late at night? Do you not have anywhere to sleep?” He casually asked.

“Well, I’m an adventurer at the guild, so I have a roof I can call home in the room I’m renting. But that place is far less than comfortable.”

“Wait! You’re also an adventurer!? Huh… But… How are you only a COPPER RANK!? That’s unbelievable!! With your skill, you should be at least silver! No! Probably even gold!” His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he noticed the copper plate hanging around his neck.

“Well, I only joined the guild a few days ago and had yet to embark on a single mission yet. You see, I’m new to this city of Anri and I spent my first few days here getting accustomed to my new environment.”

“Ahhh! That makes a lot more sense now!” Lisvern’s bewilderment lessened.

“Anyways, if you don’t mind me asking. Seeing how you too are an adventurer, how have you been hired to do this? It’s strictly forbidden for my knowledge since an adventurer’s only job is to hunt down monsters.” Alucard asked with a hint of curiosity.

“Oh, well, that’s quite simple!” He smirked crossing his arms. “We were never hired to deal with bandits, we were only tasked to protect our targets from possible monster attacks as we escort them. What we did here was self-defence, nothing in the guild rules stopping us from doing that!”

“Smart,” Alucard simpered from beneath his mask.

“Lisvern! We’re all done here! We should really get going to tell the authorities to clean this up and to get our mistress to safety!” There was a sudden voice from behind, and Lisvern immediately answered and turned his head.

“One second! I’ll be right there!” He yelled back.

“I see that you’re busy. It was quite nice talking to you. But, I think it’d be best if we part ways here. I need not pry further into your mission anymore just like you didn’t pry too much into me. Whatever you’re doing seems to be pretty important and secretive seeing how many bandits were out to get you. Best of luck to you and your team.”

“Wait! But before you go! Can you tell me your name?”

“Alucard… My name is Alucard…” He turned around and responded.

“Alucard eh? Pretty cool name! Well, I’m Lisvern! The leader of the Hollow Slayers adventure group! It’s truly an honour to meet you! And as you leave! Remember this, I’m in your debt! If you even need anything please let me know!” He put his arm out for a handshake, and Alucard shook it with no real hesitation.

“I’ll be glad to take you up on that offer!” They tightly shook each other’s hands and let go at the same time, and without exchanging a single word more did Alucard once again turn around and stride back into the darkness where he emerged.

“Lisvern! Come on! What’s taking so long?”

“Coming!” He nodded and ran towards the carriage, and when he turned his head around for an instant, he noticed that the once masked man who was there was no longer visible and had completely disappeared into the night, and he could not help but smile as he turned around, running faster towards his carriages open doors.

“Lady Filiarnore, those bandits were certainly sent by someone from the capital! Not many knew of your departure, and so many bandits sent was no mere coincidence! An official from the castle wants you dead!”

“Apologies for being so late,” Lisvern spoke, entering the large carriage in the middle of another speech and closing the door behind him.

Inside the lightly decorated wooden carriage were six figures that had more than enough room to mark their own territory. The four adventurers who had just fought in battle were drenched in blood from head to toe, and had it not been for their spell caster’s expertise would the lady they were tasked to protect most likely find it uncomfortable, she and her assistant.

She was a lady with a gentle, elegant air to her looks. Her thin, tender arms were exposed through the snow-white dress that hugged her rather tightly, and her face was barely seen through the thick veil covering her features.

“Lisvern, what took you so long? We even cleaned out all the corpses so the carriage can properly move,” The short-statured rapier wielder spoke.

“Oh, I was just talking to the guy in the mask, that’s all…’ Lisvern casually responded.

“I see, but we’re in a hurry. I’m sure we’ll see him again soon…” He inwardly nodded.

That was when a soft, tender voice soothed into their ears, and their attentions were immediately grabbed by the fair maiden in white who had barely spoken to them ever since their depart.

“Who is this masked man you speak of?” She asked, and the stiff-looking Lisvern immediately responded.

“My lady, he was an adventurer who had been lying down here to relax when he sensed danger approaching. Then he helped us defeat those bandits attacking us by causing confusion in their ranks and splitting their numbers, we would have never survived without him…”

“Ahhh… I see…” She nodded slightly. “Where is he now? I would have liked to see the face of my saviour…”

Lisvern’s eyes grew wide hearing such a request, and not before gulping a mouth-full of saliva did he reply.

“Apologies my lady, but the man you seek is no longer with us. He had already left for the city of Anri.”

“Oh, tis a pity indeed…’ She sighed. “What was his name?”

“His name was Alucard, and he was a copper rank adventurer.”

“An odd name indeed…”

“Lady Filianore! I-If I had known you would have wanted his presence I would have not let him leave so easily. I-I just assumed that you did not want to slow down or risk exposing who you are… He shouldn’t be that far my lady! If I leave now, I should be able to find him and bring him back!”

“No need for that,” She waved her hands. “I have a feeling that this was not the last time we meet… Certainly, one day, we will be fated to meet again…”