The Rules of Blood-Volume Two ; Chapter 72 (288) - Ignilupus
A third of the Domain of Noble Blood Rouge was covered by Wilderness. The Black Forest, as the Rouge ancestors called it. A good thing for the Noble Blood, but a horrible thing for the people living here.
Especially with a neighbor like Blood Seraph, who was so kind as to attack them.
The panic was everywhere.
As Blanc and his companions walked for the next few days and nights, they saw no threat themselves, yet all around them, people fled as far as their legs could carry them.
Some were on carts, a select few in carriages dragged by giant lizards, but most were on foot.
It was the first time on Blanc’s journey he had seen so many running, even in the dead of night, torches in hand, not caring if the light drew attention.
If they didn’t run, they would die either way.
Many warned Blanc and Velakia to turn back, to flee, but each time they refused kindly. And as yet another group gave up trying to convince him, Blanc could only pray the kind strangers would escape the Domain unharmed.
With battles raging in the northeast between Noble Blood Rouge and Blood Seraph, no guards remained to protect the roads. And with most of those roads passing close to the forest’s edge, it was no wonder people were panicked.
The wild lizards that roamed it were dangerous enough… but the forest’s top predator knew no mercy, turning the southwestern part of the Domain into a different kind of battlefield.
One fought against panic, time, and beasts.
The Black Forest was merciless.
But where were the people supposed to run? Blanc couldn’t say. On one side was a war, on the other side were vicious beasts. Nobody even thought of going north, for there was more of the same in the next Domain over.
To the south, the impossible Surem Mountain Range made it, as the name suggests, impossible to cross.
And even if they were to cross it, entering the Imperial Domains meant a quick visit to the executioner. In any direction these people looked, death stared back at them. So, they chose to try their luck at the beasts of the Black Forest and hope that they were lucky enough not to become a meal.
A meal to one of the most dangerous of the Raw Vita in the Empire’s existence. The Ignilupus. A species of wolves that evolved and is found only in the surrounding Domains, and in the greatest numbers, here in the Black Forest.
A magnificent beast with dark gray fur and orange eyes.
A terrifying beast with incredible stamina, strength, and durability to the heat present. With an evolutionary trait that made their bodies the second closest beast to True Vita, making their mouths capable of conjuring fire.
It was a power honed over countless generations, first to kill and feast on the wild lizards that prowled the Black Forest. But they never spared that power when it came to humans. Still, a beast was a beast. With the right numbers and the right hands, they could be driven off or slain.
The problem was that the Ignilupus thought the same way. They hunted in large packs, taking anything that looked like prey. And if it didn’t look edible… they burned it until it was.
That was what the people were running through the Ignilupus’s territory.
For a beast is at least doing it out of instinct, while humans do it because they want to.
As luck would have it, Blanc, Velakia, Tahreni, and Lendros did not get the opportunity to fight against the beasts up until this point, on the sixty-seventh day of their journey. And realistically, neither did they want to.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, the violation.
It would be an amazing Mark to have, not only for the benefits it would give them, but also because it would remove the uncomfortable sensation this heat gave them. But the Black Forest would soon come to an end, as they slowly approached the battlefield lines.
What took priority in Blanc’s mind was to think of a way to either walk past the battlefields or find an important person in Blood Seraph’s army who would take them directly to the reason this journey even happened.
“What do you think?” Blanc asked after he finished explaining his thoughts to Velakia.
“Well, my dear,” Velakia began, “How possible do you think it would be to just pass through a battlefield? One of the sides will certainly spot us.”
“Yeah,” Blanc sighed, looking at the road ahead, “Once we pass the Black Forest, there will surely be more and more scouts noticing us as we approach. The question becomes whether they will approach us or not. Or which side will do it first?”
“Do you think they will?” Velakia asked, curious.
“Depends on whether we make ourselves known, on whether we are peaceful or not,” Blanc explained, “If they recognise me, they won’t attack with common soldiers, especially Blood Seraph who are expecting us.”
“If that’s the case, I think it would be simpler if we just made ourselves known and required passage through the battlefield,” Velakia thought out loud. “It’s common to leave a corridor open for civilians wanting to run away.”
“Common for decent people, my dear,” Blanc sighed, looking towards the smoke-covered sky, “Even the weather in these lands is not decent, the Noble Bloods in them are even worse.”
“How do you know that?” Velakia questioned, “If that were the case, why would your family marry your sister off to such people?”
“Desperation, maybe. After all, we were less than fifty thousand against millions,” Blanc replied, shrugging, “But never did we think they would betray the Empire, regardless of how they were as humans.”
“Once again, I do not understand how this Empire of yours works,” Velakia shook her head, “How is it possible to know the type of people you have leading part of your Empire and still not remove them from power for someone better, more fit to rule, to listen, to obey, to remain loyal.”
“Because some of these Noble Bloods are rooted in these lands for centuries,” Blanc began, “And many of their citizens are loyal, regardless if it's fear or pure loyalty that drives them. And Domains fighting is akin to smaller kingdoms fighting, and war of that scale can spread like wildfire, and before you know it, you have civil war on your hands.”
“Oh, my sweet Blanc,” Velakia sighed, “Tell me, what is it you have in your Empire going right now? Isn’t what’s happening in the south, isn’t what’s happening here, in the north, considered full-on civil war?”
Blanc couldn’t reply to her question, for only the truth left Velakia’s lips.
“Listen,” Velakia continued, “I am not familiar with the Empire’s politics, but in Ishkahul, a boyard is limited in its powers, with several ways to deter civil war or rebellions, even without the crown present. They do hold power, and can be a headache, but they cannot just rebel as they please.”
“Panic is a breeding ground for greed, and greed is a breeding ground for opportunists,” Blanc countered. “The Iron Line was one such organization you spoke of. And the High Monarch has used it in the past to destroy the Noble Bloods that were considered a danger. But that same sword of his turned the moment he passed. May Iskahul never be in the position to find out if your words are right or wrong, my dear Velakia.”
“Let’s hope so,” she sighed, “But still-”
A branch snapped in the distance.
“Shh,” Blanc muttered, interrupting her and closing his eyes.
He focused with everything he had on his hearing.
Tap, tap, tap. All in quick succession. Fourteen pairs, west of them.
He then focused on his smell, the two white dots, the Mark he had in between his nostrils, a courtesy of the Giant Mole, making his work a lot easier.
The first smell that touched his nose made it obvious. Sulfur.
It was pointless to hope they would get off facing a few.
“Ignilupus, fourteen of them, behind the tree line,” Blanc said in quick succession, all the while preparing his bow to fire.
Velakia just as quickly translated it to Tahreni and Lendros, who prepared for battle by summoning their weapons the next moment.
And there they were, orange eyes staring from inside the Black Forest, walking from behind the treeline towards them as if on a casual walk.
They were large, easily past Blanc’s waist in height.
The four at the front of the pack barred their teeth as they approached. The other ten behind them growled, barked, or let out a sound as if they were laughing. Blanc nocked an arrow, holding the next one in the palm he held the bow with.
“Take care of yourselves,” Blanc muttered, looking specifically at Velakia, “And may the Vita be with you all.”
With that, he aimed at one of the Ignilupus at the front, and… released.
And as the arrow cut through the air, approaching the beast at incredible speeds, an idea came to Blanc’s mind. An idea that would solve a few of his current problems.
Thud. Whimper.
One Ignilupus fell dead, the arrow halfway buried into one of the beast’s eyes.
“Kill as they come.”
.
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Volume Two ; Chapter 72 (288) - Ignilupus
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