Ascendant Path of a Lustful Vampire

Chapter 574: Alternative to Imprisonment or Execution

The Lead Guard opened her mouth but before she could speak, there was a roar from behind the encampment of Northern-Star Guards.

Someone was bounding over and just as the Guards turned, the person jumped, twisted in the air, and landed in front of Caius, facing the Northern-Star Guards, claws at the ready.

It was Hugo.

”My Lord,” Hugo said in greeting while his red eyes remained trained on the Northern Star Guards in readiness to attack.

”Stand down,” Caius said calmly.

Hugo blinked in surprise.

”What—” he started to say.

”We won’t be fighting them,” Caius said with a head tilt at the Lead Guard to show he was serious about settling this whole situation amicably.

Still with a look of confusion, Hugo relaxed his stance and stepped aside so Caius’s view of the Lead Guard wasn’t being obstructed.

”You will have to follow us first before we can determine if you will or will not be tried as criminals,” the Lead Guard said.

The Leopolds shifted uneasily but Caius remained calm.

”Very well,” he answered.

With a nod, the Lead Guard addressed her underlings,

”Take them in.”

•••

Caius and the Leopolds were allowed to drive their Carriage while being escorted by the Northern-Star Guards. The attackers, however, were forced into the Northern-Star Carriages and carted off like the nuisances they were.

The grace he and the Leopolds had been afforded so far gave Caius hope. He and the Leopolds had been planning to rest a night here anyway, so as long as they were back on the road tomorrow, this might not have been all that terrible an experience.

They were escorted to what appeared to be a massive estate. There were multiple two-story buildings, and what had to be the main building stood taller than the rest at three stories. All the buildings appeared fortified.

There was a sign at the entrance that read: North-Western Garrison.

As they followed the escort of Northern-Star Guard Carriages into the Garrison, squads of Guards—all women as far as Caius could see—were having drills, whacking training dummies, practicing their aim with spells, and overall just bettering themselves as combatants.

Eyes turned toward Caius and the Leopolds when they stepped out of their carriage and he felt that was to be expected. After all, they were still wearing hoods and masks.

The Lead Guard made good on her word so Caius and the Leopolds weren’t locked up in dungeons but granted a section to stay within the Garrison while placing Guards at every entrance or opening out of there to ensure no escape.

The section they had been allowed wasn’t particularly furnished but it had a common area to stay and multiple, albeit small, bed-chambers for them to rest their heads separately.

Neither Caius nor the Leopolds took to their bed though and they just sat/stood with an air of people waiting for the other shoe to drop.

At the time, the Attackers that had been taken along with Caius and the Leopolds were being interrogated. Once that interrogation was over though, Caius expected that it would be his and the Leopolds’ turn to be grilled. Maybe it would be with a bit more ease and they would continue to be treated with grace and dignity but there were going to be questions to be answered regardless.

Still, their pending interrogation, while a big part of it, wasn’t the only thing that created the tense air in the room.

”Do you think they’ll tell us what they learned from the Attackers?” Roxanne asked.

”We could ask,” Caius said, ”Maybe they’ll be willing to share.”

”Or maybe they’ll let us interrogate those scum ourselves,” Nadine said and flexed her fingers like she really welcomed that possibility.

”I doubt it,” Caius said with a little smile.

Sharing what they learned was one thing but letting strangers—potentially dangerous strangers—interrogate others within their own garrison seemed like it would be a tad much for the Northern-Star Guards to consider.

”Oh well,” Nadine said, a little disappointed.

”I’m more curious if they’ll really be willing to let us go,” Hugo said with his eyes narrowed and then he rolled his shoulders before he continued,

”Will money be all they need from us?”

”Let’s hope it is,” Caius said.

”And in case it isn’t, we need a plan,” Meline said.

”I agree,” Roxanne said and suddenly had her inscripting tools in her hands, ready to start carving a Formation.

The other Leopolds were eager for this. Caius was less so but he didn’t dissuade them. A Plan B was always good. He even offered input but left the overall coordination to Roxanne and Meline since they seemed much more interested in this than he was.

Thirty minutes later...

A plan had taken shape. Roxanne was already moving all about the common area of the residence they had been granted, etching Arcane symbols that would be unseen to the eye until activated in case their escape attempt was to start from right here. They had ironed out kinks in the order of actions and the best spells to use.

The goal was primarily escape and not carnage so it was all about how to quickly exit the building they were at, neutralize the Guards placed at the entrance, get to the Carriage as quickly as possible, and then drive like a maniac out of Northern-Star.

It wasn’t at all a perfect plan; there was sure to be more property damage, possible deaths, and the Khione Duchy Militants would stay on them until they left the Empire entirely and maybe even then, they’d still give chase.

The plan was only to be effected if there were no other options, if their hands had been forced, and a chaotic escape was the only alternative to imprisonment or execution.

And then, the door opened and all talk of a plan stopped while the Leopolds were on high alert.

A Guard walked in.

”Captain Zaila will see you now,” she said curtly.

Caius assumed then that Captain Zaila was the Lead Guard whose name he hadn’t learned so far because he hadn’t asked.

”Alright,” Caius said and stood up.

”Lead the way,” Hugo said as he and Nadine stepped in front of Caius as was their place in the earlier-planned formation.

”No,” said the Guard as she pointed her finger past Hugo and Nadine at Caius, ”Just him.”

That caused the Leopolds to pause.

”Absolutely not,” Meline protested, stepping out from behind Caius as was to be her position in the formation so she could watch his back.

”He’s the only one the Captain wishes to speak with,” the Guard insisted.

”And we won’t let him go alone,” Roxanne said.

The whole point of them being here was for Caius. If things did go awry, they needed to be close enough to protect him. That was why they had devised Plan B with the focus on a Formation with Caius at the center.

The Guard sneered.

”Do you think because the Captain let you stay here rather than the dungeons, that you can just do whatever the hell you want?” She asked and let out a disparaging chuckle before she continued,

”The Captain wants just him and that’s it!”

Other guards walked in now, all looking menacing.

Nadine and Kyre drew their swords immediately in retaliation. Hugo unsheathed his claws. A dark purple spell circle appeared at the tip of Meline’s fingers and Roxanne held up her inscription pen, ready to drop down and activate the Circle she had drawn in the Room.

The Guard looked at Nadine and Kyre’s swords and rolled her eyes.

”Please, the Captain let you keep your weapons because she knew it would have no use here,” she said with another harsh mocking laugh,

”Put those away. The only ones you’ll be hurting with it are yourselves.”

”Well, let’s see if you’re right or not, shall we?” Nadine said in a taunt.

”No, no,” Caius shook his head, ”It’s alright. I’ll see the Captain. Alone.”

”My Lord!” The Leopolds protested instantly, their fiery readiness to fight replaced with outrage and some betrayal.

Caius stepped out from behind Hugo and Nadine and walked toward the Guard whose expression remained the same.

”Lead the way,” he said.

With that, the Guards nodded curtly and exited the room with Caius close behind. Right before the door closed, Caius looked at the Leopolds and despite their masks, he could tell their expressions by their eyes.

”I’ll be back,” he promised.

And the door closed.

...

The Guards led him through the Garrison and Caius allowed his eyes to wander about, taking in the many structures, the practice drills, and taking in the palpable air of discipline.

He didn’t speak to any of the Guards, neither did they speak to him and before too long, they had entered the three-story building, walking up the steps to the topmost building where one Guard knocked the door sharply.

”Captain, he is here,” she announced.

”Come in,” Came the Captain’s calm voice from behind the door.