Born in Blood-Chapter 563: Proxy

The Binding Oath was set.

Gorock grumbled. Perhaps at the notion that he would live paralyzed for three months.

Despite that, his eyes softened ever so slightly, at the notion that he was going to live, at the very least.

"The owner of the scythe is an individual by the name of Gurney," Gorock started speaking.

"I’ve never seen him, and I don’t even know if that’s his real name. I wrote to him through a proxy, and that was only when he contacted me first."

"What proxy?" Liam asked, interested.

"A glob of slime with an eye inside."

Liam’s eyes widened slightly. So that’s what that thing was... a proxy. He still had no clue whether or not it was a living thing and not just some masterfully made puppet.

"Why did he contact you?" Liam asked.

Gorock shrugged with his face. "I don’t know. I suppose it was after I killed a Rank 5 Ocean Reaper, which probably sparked his interest in me."

So... to get this individual’s attention, one had to achieve something great.

Either way, Liam didn’t know what he would do, even if he managed to find this... Gurney. Nevertheless, it was a good bit of info to have. Just in case Liam was suffering from a lack of inspiration, and a talk with a renowned expert could relieve him of it.

Anyway...

"How was it made?" Liam asked.

Gorock sighed. "I gave them my requirements and the materials needed, and they requested a large quantity of my blood. I have no idea what happened afterward, but the slime delivered the scythe to me."

Liam hummed non-committedly.

That was... lackluster, he had to admit.

"Your turn," Gorock said firmly.

Liam scoffed.

"I was lying," he said.

Gorock’s eyes widened. "You... you’ve actually met him?"

"We are allies," Liam said.

"Allies?" Gorock said. "Allies?" he repeated with shock. "Why would he need to be an ally with you?"

For a second, Gorock genuinely expected Liam to explode into bits... but he didn’t.

He was speaking the truth.

And that made it even more ridiculous.

"How?" Gorock said, still aghast.

"Not part of the agreement," Liam said nonchalantly.

Silence.

"What?! No! You have to tell me more!" Gorock said, desperate.

Liam found the vampire’s strange obsession with Alucard weird. "Why are you so interested in him, anyway?" he asked.

Gorock paused for a split second, unsure whether or not to answer. Then, he spoke with a serious but somewhat dramatic tone:

"He’s the founding father of all vampires. How could I not have an interest in my own progeny? A single droplet of his blood could do... so, so much for my research. In the entire world, only he and the Unholy Lamprey are the only two Rank 6’s with blood-based powers."

His face grew serious and slightly bitter.

"But he is a tyrant. Even the Unholy Lamprey would allow someone to talk with it, yet Alucard is indifferent."

Silence.

’Who isn’t?’ Liam thought.

It would be hypocritical for Gorock, or Liam, to criticize Alucard while they were monsters in their own right.

"Which brings me to my next point," Gorock said. "How did you get an alliance with him? Are you from some sort of organization?"

Liam was a little impressed at how close Gorock came to grasping the truth. But he killed the idea before it spread.

"Not part of the agreement. We’re moving on."

Gorock rolled his eyes, frustrated.

That was it for the exchange of verbal information. Now, it was time to explore the castle and see if he had chosen the correct course of action.

He looked at Gorock. "I’m entering the fortress. Tell me what traps I need to be aware of."

Grumbling, Gorock pointed his eyes towards a certain patch of the stone castle walls. It was a slab large enough to fit in a human, and obscure enough to be marked as insignificant.

"Put my hand on it," Gorock said, his paralyzation forcing Liam to act as aid.

Grabbing Gorock’s hand, Liam put his flat palm on it.

A second passed.

As it opened, the slab let out a long hiss, expelling a sour-smelling smoke. Liam gave the stone beneath a peek, just to see densely packed charges of vials, filled with shimmering red liquid.

Blood.

Were these... explosives?

"Are these set to explode?" Liam asked, knowing the vampire would have no choice but to respond.

"Yes," Gorock responded.

"How?" Liam asked.

"I tweaked it. I cannot alter the composition of the blood running through my veins. But once it’s outside, I can add or take away things from it." Gorock gave him a sharp look, remembering how he lost the fight. "But somehow... you already have that ability."

"Now what?" Liam said, changing the topic.

Gorock pointed his eyes at yet another section of the fortress, above a large tower.

Another trap.

***

For the next fifteen minutes, Liam continuously disarmed the traps laid around the stone fortress.

Liam patted himself on the back for not being irrational. Truth be told, his intrusive thoughts told him to decapitate Gorock as he was making his demands, but he held back.

If he hadn’t , he would have been reduced to atoms the second he set foot into the castle.

After a while, Gorock no longer mentioned any hidden locations.

"I suppose that’s all of them," the vampire said.

"You suppose?" Liam said, frowning.

He had disarmed... so many damn traps. Not only did Gorock want to destroy his research, knowledge and any items, he wanted to erase every trace of whoever forced his way in. freeweɓnøvel.com

"I’m entering," Liam said.

A moment later, Liam set foot on the castle’s gate, taking slow steps inside. The deeper he went, the unnatural darkness went away. Only then did he see how neat and tidy the interior of the castle really was.

Large bookshelves stacked with all kinds of books met his eye, among the brocaded carpets and cozy, flame-lit chandeliers.

Stone hallways were illuminated by flaming torches, leading to different corners of the castle.

Liam was... decently impressed. He had seen all kinds of luxury. This almost paled in comparison.

Liam smiled slightly.

"Show me the study room."