Vampire's Blood Ascension-Chapter 45: Deviant Horror

All three of them roamed the settlement, and while Sera and Kalien were looking for places that they could use for any advantage against the deviant horror, Rudy went to the chamber that Sera had been to.

As he had watched her at night, it didn’t take him long to find it, and unlike Sera, he didn’t have to be stealthy about it, so he explored it without a care of Sera finding out about him being there.

A few hours later, Rudy took the staircase and appeared at the ruined dome, which Kalien had used as a shelter before.

A thoughtful expression covered his face as he walked to other constructs.

’There used to be three entities that once had power capable of threatening the gods, and they were called spirits or daemons... why does this place have the mural of the three daemons? And what is that white flame?’

During his two years with the Moon Weavers, Rudy had read multiple reports on the history of the old realm in search of a way to become an irregular, but none mentioned a white supernatural flame.

’This flame is either something that only this place has, or it’s too rare to be recorded.’

For now, he pushed away all of his thoughts and began looking for advantageous spots that would help his circle fight the deviant horror.

’To think she is doing all of this for an epic armour rune. Crazy woman.’

A few hours later, the three returned to the chamber and listed their discoveries.

During which, Kalien made sure to spew insults at Rudy and did all he could to label him as someone inferior while buttering up to Seraphel.

Rudy didn’t really care, but he was sure that he’d be giving Kalien a painful end once all of this was over.

Sera was the same; she didn’t care if they fought or made love. The only thing she wanted was to leave the old realm as a breaker.

After a few hours of bickering, the three finally formed a plan and prepared to commit to it once night fell.

"Are you sure we can do this?" Rudy asked hoarsely as if his throat had sand in it.

Sera glanced at him with a somber expression and said in a grating voice, "You must have been to the underground tunnel, right?"

’Even now she is trying to make sure I don’t know beyond what she does,’ Rudy remarked inwardly.

Considering they had just made a plan that required absolute trust in one another, the way they were acting was absurdly laughable.

"I did see them," Rudy nodded and glanced at Kalien, who was glaring at him as if he had run away with his lover, which he would never do unless the person were useful to his plans.

Sera leaned against the wall and said, "Those tunnels are our only way to leave this place."

Rudy and Kalien’s expressions turned surprised, and Kalien asked, "But my lady, how are we going to use the tunnels when their gates are closed?"

"Can’t we just break them?" Rudy suggested, even though he knew the gates were too tough for deviants to break.

Kalien, being the man he was, scoffed at Rudy and muttered, "Are you dumb? If that were possible, I wouldn’t be here... you really don’t have anything but that giant frame going on for you, do you?"

’Here he goes again, when will he understand that she doesn’t give a fuck about this?’ Rudy inwardly shook his head.

Outwardly, his expression turned furious, but he controlled himself and said in a voice tinged with anger, "I was stating a possible solution."

"Let the ones with actual brains do that, alright?" Kalien commented with a wide smile and looked at Sera, who was annoyed and full of their continuous banters.

"We can’t break them, but there’s a possibility that killing that beetle would unlock them," she stated as she stood up and walked out of the chamber.

Rudy and Kalien also stood up, and after glaring at each other, they also made their way towards their spots.

Kalien followed behind Seraphel and shouted, "Lady Sera!"

Sera stopped and turned towards him with furrowed brows. "What—"

Before she could finish, Kalien raised a leather pouch before her and mumbled with a faint smile, "I just couldn’t see you straining your dry throat, so I am offering you the water I’ve left."

Sera looked at the leather pouch for a moment before she turned around and added, "It’s fine, I have water."

"Is that so...?" Kalien muttered as he stared at Sera’s departing back with a silent smile.

A few minutes later, Sera climbed the safest structure nearest to the dreadborn.

She took out the water bottle Vlad had given her, then she lifted it before her face and mumbled, "Empty..."

"It’s fine, I’d have plenty of essence during the night," she whispered.

Much like how regulars required food and water, irregulars could survive on essence alone, and the dark desert would make sure they had enough of it.

Opposite to her was Rudy, though unlike her, he was standing on the ground.

Some distance away from them, Kalien stood atop a tall structure.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, darkness engulfed the world, and Rudy paced near his spot to regenerate as much essence as he could.

A cold wind passed through the settlement, and the pristine white bones of the beetle rattled before they snapped together, and the daunting skeleton of the beetle appeared at the center of the ruined settlement.

Four corrupt cores flew out of the dark sand and floated within it.

Seeing the cores, the three of them mumbled at the same time, "Deviant horror..."

Sera gritted her teeth and took out her chakrams. "It’s just an insect."

A terrified expression covered Kalien’s face, and he muttered, "Is she crazy?! Why isn’t she calling off the plan?!"

He looked towards her and mumbled, "Crazy women do have a special charm, though."

The beetle rapidly vibrated its wings, and a loud hum echoed throughout the area.

Dark sand flew away from it, and Rudy picked up a dark boulder and hurled it towards the beetle.

The boulder did nothing but draw the beetle’s attention to him, and once the beetle turned towards him, he pushed essence into his feet and began running. "Come get me!"

The beetle chirped and followed behind him.