Verse 41 Dying

"You don't need a particularly large army. Carrie continued. "I estimate a few hundred is enough. And you don't have to worry about being discovered, because it's a place that no one will visit. Even if someone finds out, it will be a long time later. ”

Ashrufat didn't answer, just pondered.

"Master, you don't necessarily need them...... This is a precautionary measure. Carrie further said.

Perhaps having figured it out, Ashruphat turned his horse's head and headed in the direction of the ancient tombs.

"Hey, master, where are you going?" Mimilu, who was behind the saddle, realized that she was not in the right direction.

"It's okay, Mimilu, just to do a prep. Ashruphat explained.

Mimilu tried to get back on her stomach, but suddenly she straightened up with a wary look.

"Master, it smells of blood!

The smell of blood?Ashrufat didn't smell anything, but he trusted Mimilu's judgment. Although he kept his horse at the same speed, his eyes were already looking left and right.

By this time they had left the "big" road (although it was narrow and unmaintained, and it was not at all "big") and headed for the mountains on the side. However, since it is still close to the main road, it is theoretically impossible for any wild beasts to hunt here.

But when it comes to daytime robbery and murder, this is not the right place to be. If you want to rob at night, this place is good, but during the day, it is too close to the city.

"It's thick!" Mimilu sniffed at the air, then left the Nightmare Pony and ran forward. Ashrufat also dismounted, and carefully followed, his shield and sword already in his hands.

It's so calm that you can't hear anything. Ashrufat followed Mimilu through the bushes and vines that spread everywhere. Now, he could smell the blood in the wind.

"Master, over here!" Mimilu beckoned, and Ashruphat quickened his pace and walked up a gentle slope to the source of the scent.

In front of him was a clearing in the middle of the woods. Since the ground is full of rubble, there is no vegetation here, which is suitable for travelers to camp - in fact, in the middle of the clearing, there is a fire pool that has been extinguished, but is still fresh. There were two corpses lying on the ground.

Both of the deceased were men, and their identities were not identifiable from their clothing and appearance. Although the two men were not wearing armor, they had weapons in their hands. One had an axe in his hand, and the other had a bow. From their posture and movements, it was clear that they had been attacked and killed while trying to meet them. One had his neck cut off, the other had been pierced through the chest, and there was blood all over the ground, while the corpse had barely decomposed, and the time of death was supposed to be less than a day.

But...... The bits and pieces that littered the floor, the pots, bowls, and travel gear...... of this trace...... There should be six or seven people in this camp, not two.

Although the deceased was dressed in ordinary clothes, he could not tell what he was doing. It shouldn't be a local, but why would an outsider camp so close to the city? Normally, since the city is already in sight, you should speed up your pace and spend the time preparing for camping to hurry.

As Ashrufat pondered this, he heard Mimi's cry.

"Here, here!"

Ashrufat walked in the direction Mimilu had pointed out, where there were more corpses. About three or four people. These people were all tied with their hands behind their backs, and each of them died the same way, with their throats cut.

Next to the dead, there was one more survivor - but only the last breath left. Eshuruphat recognized who the man was—it was the same young man he had seen before, named Pete, one of the leaders of the vampire rebels. His fate was worse than death. Someone nailed him to a tree. In a sense, it's a highly artistic death sentence – nailing a human like an insect and leaving him with a wound that is not too big or too small to slowly drain his blood.

The victim would be tortured for a day or two before dying completely. And if there is a savior who comes halfway, it is extremely difficult to save him. This kind of death penalty has an even more brutal accompanying measure, that is, the prisoner is given a stimulant so that he can maintain a general level of consciousness even after death. But this time it wasn't that bad. It seems that Pete has been tortured like this for a long time, and in fact, as mentioned before, there is only the last breath left.

"Master, if you can still use the power of the spatial portal to bring him back to the base, you can save him. Looking at this scene, Carrie whispered. "But I'm afraid it's no longer the show this time. ”

The world was drowsy, and even the nerves were numb from pain. Pete heard someone calling him...... He barely opened his eyes and saw the person in front of him. He remembered the man, and the man's name was Ashrufat...... It didn't matter who it was, Pete knew that he was dead.

"Who did this?" asked Ashrufat. He actually wanted to do the rescue, but found that he couldn't do it. The attacker is cruel and ingenious, and any reckless action will cause Pete to die faster.

Pete's eyes lit up, not because he had hope of salvation, but because he was able to get the word out before he died...... He pulled himself together and barely looked up.

"......Hurry up," he said in the voice of an extremely weak man. "Go back and tell everybody...... Cade betrayed. ”

"For what?" asked Ashrufat. As he spoke, he caught the wind of magic - he had seen similar actions from prophetesses. You don't have to do anything, you just need to grasp the wind of life and let this magical energy emanate through your body, which can have a great healing effect on the people around you. Of course, he couldn't do as well as the prophetess, but it did have a certain effect. It may be futile in trying to save Pete's life, but at least it will make him suffer a little less. As in the past, a filthy and greasy feeling filled his heart.

"He knew that Baron Pinod was a lie......," replied Pete. Suddenly, he remembered the purpose of Ashruphat joining them.

"I'm sorry. A grin barely appeared on his chapped lips. "I lied to you. He was relieved, however, that there was no anger or such a fierce expression on Ashrufat's face. On the contrary, he was calm.

"Was it a hoax from the beginning?" asked Ashrufat. Pete nodded.

"Why are you making up such a lie?" I don't know what Lu Dao is for, and a complicated expression appeared on the face of this person named Ashrufat. "You must just be trying to start a revolt against Count Casseck, his heavy taxes are really making life difficult for the people, but why do you want to use the name of a vampire?"

"Because Kasek is afraid of vampires......" Pete smiled wryly. "I heard that because he killed the vampire queen, he has been having nightmares and is afraid that the surviving vampires will seek revenge on him. Neil says that if we pretend to be a vampire, he'll be too scared to act. In fact, it is also true...... But then...... Things got out of hand. More and more people are joining us...... I know that this lie will be exposed one day......"

"So Cayde is dealing with you like this?" Ashrufat asked.

"He attacked us," replied Pete, perhaps under the influence of the winds of magic, as he spoke slowly and quickly and coherently. "Killed two people and captured the rest...... He has a strange amount of force, his hand can discharge, and if he catches someone, that person is immediately immobile. He grabbed us all and forced me to confess. I don't want to say that he just killed the others one by one in front of me. I had no choice but to tell him the truth. But he still killed the last of his companions. He then told me that he had lost his access to vampire blood and wasted his precious time because of my lies. So he's not going to let me die well......"

"What are you trying to do with someone like Cade? You know it's a lie. And sooner or later this lie will be exposed!Can't you even think of this?Are you an idiot!" Ashruphat suddenly seemed to be angry.

"I didn't choose ......," a hint of helplessness flashed in Pete's eyes. "CapitaLand is very capable...... Our development requires his ability. I want to save more people from the clutches of the nobility...... In fact, he did just that. I thought maybe I could find a chance to talk to him in peace...... But I didn't expect it...... After he learned the truth, he ......"

He looked at Ashrufat's face, watching the fangs slowly peeking out of the man's lips. Suddenly, he realized the truth.

"So you're ...... By the way, you're Ashrufat...... The name...... I remember, you're the Scarlet Duke!

"I was here to find Pinod. Ashrufat replied. "But it looks like I don't have to. ”

"Ah...... Hahaha...... I told a vampire lie, so I attracted the real vampire instead? Am I really ...... It's really ......" He suddenly let out a cough, blood foaming out of his mouth.

"You don't seem to be the same as the legend...... Vampires are not ......"

"Greedy, selfish, evil?" Ashrufat asked rhetorically. "Maybe that's the case. However, it seems that no matter what I do, I will not be able to save you. You've bled too much. Do you have any last words to say, or do you have any temporary wishes, and if that's appropriate, maybe I can help you. ”

"How long have I been unconscious?" he asked

"A day or two. Ashrufat replied. I don't know what Lu Dao is for, but hearing this answer, a kind of fanaticism appeared in Pete's eyes.

"A day or two......," he repeated hoarsely. "Please, can you save the others? You're a vampire, you have what it takes to save them!"

"I'm going to save them?" Ashrufat was stunned. Although Caeder has some ability to discharge, he won't be able to deal with hundreds of people alone.

"When he left, he said he was going to look for Kasek. He will take Kasek's troops to our camp...... Everyone else is there, he's going to lock everyone inside...... The soldiers of Kasek will kill them all!"

Ashrufat did not answer, but remained silent.

"They are all innocent...... Only Neil and I know the truth, and the others ...... It's all ...... Innocent! If you're going to get angry, you can do whatever you want to do with me! But please help the others...... Please......"

He inhaled heavily, and his muscles spasmed. His agitation had drained the last vestiges of his life force, and even Ashrufat's magic couldn't help. Not to mention him, even if the prophetess was present at the moment, there was nothing he could do.

"I'll help them. Ashrufat replied. Pete's twitching suddenly stopped at a frightening speed, and then he lowered his head, and the vital force left his body.

"Xie Lu, thank you, ......" This is his last sentence.