Chapter 19

  I groaned as I slowly came around to consciousness. "Ugh… I had the strangest dream. I was drowning in some kind of slobber…" Then I noticed the constant wet tongue of Oden smacking me in the face. "Ah, that explains it."

  "Jacik! You're awake!"

  "Yeah, how long was I out?"

  "About an hour. We need to leave soon. It took that dragon another forty minutes to die, which means we have about half an hour to collect all the loot. Plus, you need to get back to prison," Jessica explained. "But you may want to take a few moments to see the changes to your body…"

  I looked down and became lost for words. My dark gray skin with small black scales was gone, replaced by smooth white skin adorned with various red lines crisscrossing in different patterns. I withdrew a large standing mirror and positioned it in front of me. The red lines extended downward from the center of each eye, past my cheeks, and continued down my neck. From there, many patterns covered my entire body, and I had to remove my clothes to see them all. I received a whistle from Jessica, but not the " oh wow " kind; it was more of the flirty kind due to my nakedness.

  Then there were my wings—no longer the large Lycerion design but rather a blackish-gray, shadowy substance that shifted almost like a cloak billowing in the wind, even in the absence of air movement. However, with a thought, I could still retract them into my body.

  "Jessica, you should go see if there is any untainted blood left in that dragon."

  "Already checked, there isn't, and I know we can heal pretty quickly, but I wouldn't want to see what kind of mutation that blood would cause me," she replied.

  "Good thinking. Alright, let me create a spell to summon all the loot. Plenty of monster cores and treasures to be found." Another ten minutes passed before I had gathered everything. I let Smog devour the dragon, except for the head, claws, and whatever undamaged scales we could salvage. Those would make great artifacts and weapons. Then we donned our Hunter illusions again and headed out.

  ~~~

  "So, the first S-rank party that went in there had four members, and it was confirmed they all died within two hours when the gate opened, and the last member barely exited before dying. Now it has been three hours, and that party only had two members. Think they're dead?" Asked Adam, the first gate guard.

  Sam, the second gate guard, rubbed his chin while thinking about the question. "Probably, although word on the boy is that he's a double S-ranker. So, maybe he's got a better chance. Plus, I think his power is over lightning. That's like super rare, isn't it?"

  "Supposedly. I wish I could do more than control a cup of water. Then I wouldn't be assigned these boring gate jobs. Hey, how long does it take for one of these to break if not conquered, anyhow?"

  "Usually, three to four weeks. It's only been one week so far. By the end of the second week, they will start placing more powerful guards here, just in case. Not that they could stop a break, of course, but they would have a better chance of surviving long enough to warn the guild."

  "Ah, makes sense. I just couldn't believe my first gate duty would be for an S-ranked one," Adam replied, a hint of nervousness in his tone.

  "Don't worry. However, I should probably pop my head in there and see if they're still alive and fighting or not. We should report in soon, either way."

  Just then, the gate opened, and both S-rankers stepped out along with a giant dog. The boy cracked his neck and then yawned. "Whew, that took ages. Huh? Why is it still dark?"

  "Uh, sir," Adam approached the S-ranker, "did you clear the dungeon?"

  "Sure did. Hey, what time is it currently?"

  "Almost 2 am, sir."

  "Oh, good. I still have plenty of time. Laters, babe," the SS-ranker said to his partner and then shot up into the sky on a lightning surfboard.

  "Wow!" Adam and Sam both replied at the same time.

  "Don't worry about him; he's always rushing off to do the next thing. Anyway, go ahead and report this one done. The gate should close within the next ten minutes or so," the woman S-ranker said to the two guards. "I'll make my own report in the morning at the guild."

  "Yes, Ma'am!" Adam replied and saluted her.

  ~~~

  I replaced my illusion back at the prison and settled in for the rest of the night. Since I don't sleep, I thought of ways to reach the former Governor without triggering the cameras. Despite my extremely old age, I spent most of that time away from technology. So, hacking cameras wasn't my forte. I could use a spell, perhaps, but that would be costly. Maybe I could put up an illusion on the bars to block what is happening on the other side, and then portal directly into his cell. No, that won't work; I don't know where his cell is.

  I'd have to scry him first, then place an enchantment on the cell bars from a long distance without alerting anyone in the process. Nah, it's too much effort. Sometimes, I forget that I'm more than a vampire who uses supernatural and magical powers. I now have a few Meta powers as well, although they register more as supernatural. But the point is, I can move through shadows, and who cares if the prison goes into lockdown over a prisoner suddenly vanishing? As long as I have time to question him or steal his memories, I'm just going to break out afterward.

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  However, before I could do anything, I faintly heard an explosion from a long way off. Judging by my cellmate's lack of reaction, it seemed that I could hear it only because of my exceptionally good supernatural hearing. Then came another explosion from a different direction, and finally a third one, which sounded much closer. Then the meta lights, glowing softly, all blinked out. The only hues of the meta dampeners left were those from the collars we wore.

  "What is going on?" Seiko asked.

  "I believe the prison is under attack," I replied as I reached up and tore the collar off my neck as easily as tearing tissue paper.

  "Woah, how did… can you do that for me?" I reached over and cut the collar off with a nail, since his neck wouldn't likely survive if I had just ripped the collar free from him as I did mine.

  Now free from the device that restricted his powers, Seiko flexed his abilities. First, golden armor appeared over his body in the traditional style of ancient Samurai. Next, a katana of pure golden light formed before both the sword and armor faded to their natural colors. The armor, now a deep red with accentuated undertones of black, paled in comparison to the brilliance of the shining silver sword, yet its hilt matched his armor. "Allow me."

  Seiko stepped forward to the bars and, with a devastating horizontal slash, sent a wave of golden energy outward. However, the golden light created two diagonal slashes without him visibly swinging his sword multiple times. The end result was the complete collapse of the bars along with the wall opposite the hall. We could clearly see into another prison cell from a different block, which revealed many bloody body parts. "Oops."

  Now I knew why he was here to begin with. Well, I'm sure that if the prisoners got caught once, they'll get caught again. For now, I'll let him free the Metas and create a nice distraction so I can snatch the former governor and escape this place before I find out who is attacking a prison.

  I told Seiko his part of the plan and left him to it, then I started to take off when I felt someone appear behind me. He emerged from the shadows with a similar skill I had stolen from another Meta. And then it clicked: The ones attacking the prison are here for me. Well, I guess that simplifies things. There's no need to get information on this group from the governor if they come to me instead.

  Before the hooded figure could fully emerge from the shadows, I spun and moved across the cell faster than he could blink, grabbing him by the neck and shoving him through several walls and eventually a fence, before arriving in an open field outside the prison.

  I was surprised that the assassin was still alive, but a quick twist of my hand snapped his neck. Dropping him to the ground, I turned back toward the prison and waited. It didn't take long for more than fifty hooded figures to appear as if from nowhere. However, I could tell how they arrived. Some used shadows, others invisibility, while the more unique ones employed portals and superspeed. I guess for a group of assassins, the ability to arrive without warning was a necessary skill to possess. Not that it helped them in facing me. I even clocked the three who had yet to visibly reveal themselves as my green glowing eyes shifted to blue.

  One of the three was a woman with long, almost mangy black hair. She wore a long black dress and was obscured by a purplish magical fog. I wouldn't have seen her if I had been using Energy Vision. Even then, all I could see was the magical effect. So, my eyes once again shifted to a blood orange glow, and everything became clear. Dragon Vision was a wonderful ability.

  Although the Witch was definitely a threat to keep an eye on, it was the man dressed in a black suit with a white mask featuring a simple question mark that made my danger sense prick up. He didn't walk directly toward me; instead, he casually circled around until he was behind me, and then he made his approach. I turned to face him, and he suddenly stopped. I couldn't tell why due to the mask, but then he started to move around me again. This time, I followed his movement with my head, which caused him to stop once more.

  Something started to itch within my mind. My mental barriers were being pressed upon, and the push became stronger and stronger. However, the pressure was still far too weak to make me break. Then, I wanted to test something. So, I shook my head and turned back to the witch, who now realized that I could see her as well. She dropped her magical cloak and smiled at me.

  My hearing tracked the masked man's footsteps, breath, and heartbeat as he began to approach me slowly from behind once more.

  "So, you are the one known as Jacik Korleven. The vampire. I saw your stunt during your trial; I must say, if I wasn't contracted to kill you, I'd offer you a job. Though perhaps we could work something out regardless. Let me kill you, then I'll resurrect you, which will free me from my contract, and then you can be my loyal servant. What do you say?"

  I extended my nails into sharp talons and then thrust them into my chest to the shock of everyone. Then their eyes only widened further when I ripped out my own heart. "It's a good offer, witch, but as you can see, it is not so easy to kill me." I then dropped the heart into the dirt. I purposely held back my supernatural healing for a bit to leave the gaping hole in my chest for all to see.

  The Witch frowned and clicked her tongue. "I see, that is rather bothersome. But, I have a few tricks specifically made for the undead." She then purred for a moment. "I never in my wildest dreams thought I'd get to meet a real unlife being. This is such a treat."

  "Why would you have specific powers for my kind if you never knew my kind existed?" I questioned. It just didn't make sense.

  "Because they also work on the living, silly. I just know that it doesn't really matter if you have life or unlife, you're still made of flesh and bones that are empowered by energy. And in a sort of way, I'm not just a witch, I'm a vampire too. An energy vampire. I'm sure whatever dark magic is powering your soulless body, it'll fail when I remove that power."

  "I see, well, I too have some 'tricks,'" I finger quoted, "for stealing energy as well. So, I guess we'll just have to see who's better."

  "Perhaps we will, but first, I'm curious whether you can survive without a brain as easily as you can without a heart."

  I moved my head to the left just as a blade thrust past my right ear. I reached up and snatched the wrist holding the knife and yanked it down, twisting in the process. I heard a snap as the wrist broke, then I squeezed and turned the broken bones into powder and shards. The knife fell from the now-useless hand, and I turned and grabbed the masked man by the throat.

  "I didn't forget about you. I could hear your heartbeat this whole time."

  "My power makes anyone forget about any and everything about me, including things like that," the Forgotten said through gritted teeth, the pain unbearable and definitely not something he could forget.

  "Ah, then you're the famous Forgotten. Sorry, I brushed off your mental attacks. I knew where you were the entire time. Stupid mask, by the way. Are you the question or the forgotten? Never mind. Just say hi to all your victims in the afterlife." I then snapped his neck the same way I did the last member of this Syndicate.

  A high-pitched screech from the Witch clued me in about their relationship. Perhaps she was the only person he never used his power on. Perhaps they were more than co-workers, partners, and friends. Whatever it was, it sparked the moment the war began.

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