The lance pierced a bloody hole right in the Vald’s chest. The lance was very effective, with its direct damage focused on one target. Vincent, the only vampire not caught in Essence Fissure, was walking over toward Luke. Blood spilled all over the velvet cloth adorning the stone floor.
It wasn’t planned, but Luke could still reach Vald with his sword, an advantage he couldn’t waste. He rapidly slashed at the vampire, getting off four attacks before the effect of Essence Fissure wore off. The vampire’s blood was thick on his sword, and bits of it were acidic on his skin.
Back in control of his body, Vald took his axe and tried to parry Luke's assault. It was a half-effective measure, as the first block wasn’t entirely stable, allowing Luke to get a shallow incision on Vald's shoulder. Letting in one normal attack, Luke tricked the vampire into thinking it could now adeptly block his strikes. Then he let an Infusion empower Whispering Edge and himself.
A blood spike shot out of Vald’s other hand, and Luke blocked it as he could with his left arm, shielding Sooty. The next moment, Whispering Edge came down, with the fresh cast of Infusion powering the blade.
[Target has been silenced for 1 Second]
The next blood bolt coagulating in Vald's free claw dissipated, his snarling mouth shut. The vampire lost its composure for a second. Luke used the proc to land a fierce side slash onto the neck of the vampire.
A large critical strike of minus ninety showed above the head of the vampire. While Luke usually ignored the numbers subconsciously, the pop of this attack was tremendous. Even with the critical strike, Vald was still alive.
“I’ll rip you to shreds and feast on the bird while I’m at it,” Vald said, blood dripping from his mouth.
This is going terribly. The thought slipped into Luke’s mind. The vampire was as sturdy as he feared.
As the strike to Vald’s neck landed, Lilian supported Vald. A blood heal was about to be cast by her onto Vald. That healing would seal the battle. With Vincent only a little over a second away, Luke would have no chance against three vampires of this caliber at once, even if Essence Bond weakened them.
He couldn’t let that happen.
Luke used Whispering Edge's active on Lilian, interrupting the blood heal in time. With the aura around her slowing the speed of all three by 50% for 5 seconds, Vald moved like a snail. And Vincent would take a larger window of time to reach them.
Time that Luke desperately needed. This vampire, Vald, must die before him now. Luke used Temporal North, sending a second single-target Essence Lance at the vampire. The lance pierced through Vald’s head, and despite not being able to be a critical hit, the ability put him on death’s door. Luke’s face was etched with worry. Close to death wasn’t enough.
“Don’t you dare, human!” The vampire Lilian screeched, the horror effect ending.
Luke answered with a thrust of his sword, going through the beating heart of Vald. The vampire slowly started to turn into a gory mess. He was dead. With Vald's body out of the way, Luke knew Lilian would have an easier time reaching him. As he pulled out the sword, he stepped back, letting the swipe of her blood claw miss him. The blood over the floor made Luke have difficulty keeping his stance.
“Oh dear, Lilian, what did I tell you? He surely was going to be an entertaining guest. Vald was beginning to be such a bore.” Vincent’s voice sounded out. His lips played a hint of amusement, with his chin jutted up.
Luke brought his sword up before him. He cut the cloth holding Sooty off him. “Sooty, you need to fly away. Now.”
Sooty's defiant caw met Luke's urgent command.
"NOW, Sooty!" he shouted, more forcefully this time.
"Feathered lass, now's not the moment for bickering. The lad's keeping you from harm's way. He can't be fending for you while focusing on the battle," Wayfinder chimed in, backing Luke's urgent directive.
Sooty was reluctant, unwilling to leave her Reaver behind. She used her Shadow Wing, having it help Luke as much as possible. Before she flapped away, she left an Iron Feather on Luke, communicating a feeling of desperate worry through the Reaver’s Link. A forlorn rattle could be heard as she continued to flap away.
Even when his partner was in a harsh state herself, she gave her only defensive ability to him. It made Luke feel warm and firm. He was the only thing between these two vicious monsters and her. With a determined grip on his sword, Luke steeled himself, his focus sharpening.
"Good. With Sooty out of harm's way, I can pour all I've got into taking down these bloodthirsty freaks. They'll get what's coming to them."
The shadow let out an Essence Screech, hitting the two remaining vampires. The screech had the vampires clap over their ears for less than a moment. The strong slowing effect of Whispering Edge opened a lull in the battle—enough time for Sooty to get away and for Luke to orient his sword into a two-handed grip. Lilian charged forward, ignoring that Vincent would've been there to attack with her if she had waited another second and a half. A mistake Luke was going to make her pay for.
The shadow was like a berserker, fearless and completely ignoring defense for the most effective offense. And for good reason. It was practically invincible at this stage for its duration. With Lilian aiming toward Luke, the shadow had a perfect position. Attacking at the side of the vampire, a Reaver Beak tore in. The Essence Bond on Lillian became even more potent. Then, even with only 30% of the damage, the critical strike and extra vulnerable angle make its following Talon Strike wrecked part of Lilian’s entrails.
“Urgh!” Lilian had bits of blood involuntarily come up. Rather than continue to charge at Luke, she swiped at the shadow. No matter the blood magic she brought out, the shadow remained indifferent, striking her constantly.
Luke didn’t waste his time at all. His sword struck through her back, straight through her lungs, in an ordinary world, that’d kill almost anything. Here, the strike was extra damaging. He continued to slice and dice the sword at her. Before Lilian even tried to turn around, Whispering Edge proced yet again.
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[Target has been silenced for 1 second]
Even the powerful vampire, Lilian, pinned down on both sides, was being torn down quickly. Vincent finally came to her rescue. He took the time to attack the shadow once and noticed it was fruitless. He manifested a blood sword, a move Luke hadn’t seen before. A seamless transfusion of blood healed the most grievous wound of Lilian. That being the strike through her lungs. A heavy bleeding could still be seen on her right side.
However, that blood heal of vampires seemed to have a restriction or cooldown, as Vincent didn’t use it again. Trying to separate Luke from Lilian, Vincent’s sword came down on Luke. The Iron Feather Sooty left took most of the blow. Luke continued to focus on Lilian. If he could forcibly kill her, the situation might be survivable. The shadow left an Iron Feather of its own on Luke. It was giving him another helping hand.
“A pity Vald couldn’t be entertained by you any longer. You sure are an exciting guest.” Vincent laughed to himself. He was utterly relaxed, even with one ally of his dead and another on the way out.
The shadow perfectly positioned itself, reducing the support Vincent could give to Lilian. Meanwhile, it assisted Luke in slaughtering the vampire. While Luke’s health stayed relatively high from the two rings of his healing, his short-term stamina showed limits.
Lilian had a bloody mist surrounding her claws. She ignored the shadow, deciding to take its strikes. Luke knew the Shadow would dissipate any second now. He let her land a full strike on his stomach. Even with the shadow’s Iron Feather, the strike was highly damaging.
But it was a worthwhile trade to Luke. With her motion forward, keeping her claw in Luke’s gut, he thrust his sword straight through her eye. Then, shifting, he smashed his leg against the wall beside him. Both of his hands forced the blade straight through her eye and cut the bridge of her nose. The sword’s momentum continued, slicing the next eye and leaving out her temple.
Despite it all, Lilian still wasn’t dead. Seeing a mouth talk with practically no face above it was horrifying.
“Bloody vermin, you’ll pay dearly for that. Vincent, when are you going to stop playing with that shadow? This human rat needs to be taught his place forcibly.” Lilian still managed to speak.
Luke’s heart beat fiercely. He couldn’t stop now. Even if he used the momentum from the stacks of Infusion on himself, there was a chance he’d still not outrun these vampires. Lilian couldn’t be allowed to live. That blood heal had made this fight too prolonged for Luke.
“Shut up.” Luke coldly said as his Whispering Edge came straight down the mutilated head. The sword stopped at her neck. The shadow dissipated. With Vincent now having a clear shot at Luke, he dashed forward, his sword descending. Luke kicked the barely breathing Lilian toward Vincent’s sword. Even with Vincent forcibly trying to stop his swing, the power was enough to end the female vampire.
Through manipulation, Luke maintained a strong front and barely finished two vampires, but Vincent was still fresh.
I’m out of ideas. Why couldn’t I be plopped in a retirement village with Dad in it? Luke internally groaned.
Luke closed his mind, putting his sword between him and Vincent. The vampire finally looked angered, being tricked into executing his own ally. Cracks in his refined visage began to form.
Wayfinder let out a rough chuckle, tinged with grim amusement, "Ye've ruffled the proud git's feathers now. Keep your wits about you, lad. He's angry and deadly."
“Certainly the most deadly guest we’ve had in ages. I’ll be sure to enjoy the sound of slicing your flesh—the most exquisite entertainment to grace these forsaken halls in far too long.
With those chilling words, a crimson aura burst forth from Vincent, and the battle log popped up.
[Coven Lord Vincent’s aura has affected you. -5% to stats]
Luke didn’t have the time to see Vincent’s other information before him, but it was clear he was the strongest of any vampire he’d faced. Luke held Whispering Edge firmly between them, closing any excess mind clutter. He would do what he could; if it wasn’t enough, so be it. There was a tense moment of waiting. Luke put strength into his feet. He was going to push off when Vincent’s shoulder moved.
A muscle twitched. Luke’s enhanced vision could catch it. He pushed back, his body entirely in the room with the bloody stone table now.
Vincent’s façade of being composed started to crack. A red tint began to cloud his eyes. His blood sword turned a shade of dark crimson. The thrust was barely out of the range. Luke’s preemptive step back let him figure out the new range of Vincent at a low cost.
Luke switched tactics. He was going to meet Vincent’s strikes with his own. As Vincent kept coming to strike him, he continued to dash back. Occasionally, he had no choice but to strike forward when Vincent did. His hands started to bleed. He was taking damage even with total blocks.
Infusion came back up. Luke immediately empowered his sword. The sudden increase in swing speed let him land a full strike on Vincent. Even with a solid swing, the vampire’s body was much tougher than the previous two.
“You’ll have to try harder than that, my guest.” Vincent calmly said. He felt in control. The hapless Reaver before him had run out of tricks. The two continued back, with Luke losing more ground. He was out of the bloody feasting hall and now continually backing into the hallway connecting to it.
“The Coven Lord is the most demanding to entertain, don’t you know? As the master of these halls, I’ve witnessed many Reaver guests. Be sure not to disappoint.” A suppressed grin was on Vincent’s face.
Vincent's empowered swings were wrecking the stone walls around, ruining everything on them. Torches were quickly snuffed out. Dust came up, and stone fragments pelted Luke’s face. Finally, Luke caught a break. He struck forward. Vincent had overextended his swing in his haze. Whispering Edge had its passive proc.
[Target has been Silenced for 1 second]
Surprisingly enough, the blood aura around Vincent ceased, as did his sword. All his blood-related skills vanished. Luke flashed forward, and Vincent practically yawned, then blocked with both his claws.
However, his arrogance had gone too high, and Luke ducked down, taking his sword through Vincent's knee. The coven lord’s mobility was handicapped for a time. But his natural regeneration would eventually have his knee as good as new. It wasn’t a permanent solution.
Coven Lord Vincent’s blood aura exploded back out, and Luke took the pushing force behind it to open a wide gap between them. Luke continued to step back. He communicated over the Reaver’s Link to Sooty. He was letting her know the general situation through its broken messaging. He sent a silent Sorry to her as well in his head.
Luke didn’t think he was going to make it this time.
Wayfinder's voice cut through the tension with a fierce whisper, "Use the fool's pride to your advantage. You've drawn out the battle this far; chances will present themselves. Don't yield till you can't draw breath, lad."
Luke wanted to believe that, yet even as Wayfinder spoke, he could feel his focus fraying at the edges, as was his grip on his sword. His own wet blood on the hilt of Whispering Edge was causing his hands to slide slowly. Still, his mobility and speed were faster than Vincent’s. Add in the damage healing of his two rings, and drawing out the fight a little longer was possible.
The Coven Lord didn’t come chasing after him with a sword again. Instead, he pelted blood rain at him. The tactic was effective, wearing Luke down, and he didn’t have an answer. They were in the middle of a long hallway. It’d be minutes before Luke would reach the entrance of this place. To make things worse, Essence Bond wore off. For the next six seconds, Coven Lord Vincent could use the full power of his stats.
Vincent paused, checking the strength in his grip. “So that spell of yours isn’t permanent….” He muttered. He turned into blood mist as his aura traveled with him. In this form, his speed increased, as did his defense.
Seeing the situation worsen, Luke ignored his protesting body and sprinted down the hallway. Running for his life again.