Return to Jorgaldur Volume IV: Reunion

Surprise attack

"What do we know?" a vampire with orange eyes and short blond hair asked. He was the leader of the group.

"They're plotting against another group, which has placed a space warp barrier. It seems that our target has set a trap for them, although I don't know why," a vampiress with orange eyes and grayish hair, short too, explained.

"Shall we attack?" a third asked.

"We aren't all here yet. Shouldn't we wait?" another one doubted.

"It's true that we aren't all here, but also that it's a good opportunity. If they fight, they'll be tired, plus we can take them by surprise. They'll be too busy," the second one suggested.

"Let's get closer, camouflaged. If there's an opportunity, we'll attack," another proposed.

"Let's do that. Get ready. Leave a message for the others," the first ordered.

They immediately got down to business. They warned those who were about to arrive that they were advancing the attack, as an opportunity had arisen. The newcomers could 'join the party' if they arrived on time.

After that, they came out of hiding and advanced rapidly, until the activation of the cloaking devices was needed. They had camped not far from the target, ready to act if the time came.

The camouflage had a similar effect to Darkness, although the mana consumption was higher, and it was much slower to activate. The main advantage was that there was no need to learn the spell, so that time could be spent acquiring others that might be useful.

It didn't take them long to locate Gjaki, their target. She was no longer in disguise, as she had taken it off to fight more easily. Nonetheless, nothing would have changed if she had been. The device that had detected her bloodline had recorded her aura. No matter her disguise, they had her located.

It was then that there was a huge explosion, and numerous individuals died. The vampires watched as their target and her group rushed towards the survivors.

They didn't know what animosity they had, and they didn't care. The only relevant fact was that the ancestral vampiress, their target, had separated from the rest, and all her attention was on her fight.

They approached her slowly, encircled her, and aimed at her with the anti-vampire device they had seized from an enemy long ago.

They closed the surrounding circle just as she finished off her opponent. At that moment, they activated the artifact to seal the vampiress' blood. Taking advantage of it, one of them launched a powerful attack with a spear also seized from another of their enemies. They had plenty.

They hadn't expected the attack to kill her, though if it did, it would be a lesser evil. They preferred not to kill her, but it was better than her escaping. If she could be seriously hurt, she wouldn't be able to resist.

However, not only did Gjaki dodge the attack, but she had sensed their presence. They could feel it in their own blood.

There was no point in staying hidden anymore, as it restricted their movements. Therefore, they stood up, defiant, threatening, surrounding her. All but a handful, who were ready to intercept the vampiress' companions if they got involved. Meanwhile, they were preparing something else.

"Worthy of an ancestral vampiress, you've discovered us quickly. Your senses are sharp. If you come with us, there'll be no need to hurt you. Please, could you surrender?" the leader of the group of vampires offered, feigning cordiality.

Gjaki's reply was silence. She looked at them with her red eyes, and those of her winged familiars. She could tell her connection to them was weakening because of the restriction on her blood.

The vampiress was paying special attention to one of her enemies, one that was further back. She felt that the pressure on her blood came from the device that he controlled. Unfortunately, it was out of her reach, though not her friend's.

The elf was watching the situation with Hawkeye, attentive to every detail, ready to attack, while her other companions were finishing their fights. She still had more than enough mana left to continue fighting.

She followed her friend's gaze to a vampire operating a strange device. Goldmi didn't know what it was, but she did know that she had to attack it. Gjaki was making a sign, pointing the dagger and holding up her little finger.

She had moved slightly to make sure her friend saw her, and trusted that the elf was using her skill. As soon as the hostilities began, she needed her to destroy that artifact as soon as possible.

"Your silence must be a 'no'. It's a pity. Do you think you can face us? Even without blood suppression, you couldn't take on so many. It'll be better for everyone if you don't put up any resistance," he tried to convince her again, while the rest of the vampires were approaching and preparing their attacks.

"Then, why don't you remove it?" the blood warrior sneered.

She had her legs slightly bent, and was wielding both daggers. She may have felt restricted, but that didn't mean she was helpless. However, there were many, their levels were high, and it was easy to tell that they were veterans.

In addition, everything indicated that she was their target. It wasn't unreasonable to assume that they would have been specially prepared against her.

Her only advantage was that she wasn't alone. Although the level of her companions was lower, the difference was no longer that great, and the vampires probably didn't know what they were capable of. Despite this, the situation was very dangerous.

"Don't ask for the impossible. You don't have much time. Surrender," the vampire asked one last time, while the encirclement tightened.

The silver-haired vampiress ignored him. Her attention was on the approaching vampires and her companions. They had finished their fights, and were running towards her.

She then decided to throw four vials around her, which crashed to the ground. Quickly, the smoke surrounded her and hide her figure.

This took the vampires by surprise. They didn't know what she was up to.

"Attack!" the leader ordered. He didn't want to take risks.

They were close enough now, and the other vampires had just summoned a barrier that prevented her escape, or reinforcements from arriving. Not that it were very powerful, but it was thick and slimy, so it would take time for her to get through. Their prey was trapped.

Before he even finished shouting his order, other vials went flying in all directions, this time farther away. They were a variant of the explosive potions, which could be imbued with mana to break in seconds the seal that kept them inactive. When this happened, they exploded. Gjaki called them grenades.

She was surrounded by them and her blood suppressed, in an undoubtedly unfavorable situation. However, she wasn't going to give up just like that.