Chapter 239 Ch236: A Night of Two New Moons

One of the nobles – that very gaudily dressed one – suddenly rises from his seat. The heavy, luxuriously furred cape draped over the back of his chair is picked up and so casually slung over a single shoulder. A dismissive gesture is made as he turns away from the table, leaving those that remain to their boring business.

That silencing, distorted dome wobbles as this nobleman steps on through it. It takes just a snap of his fingers for an impressive number of servants to scurry on after him as he wordlessly leaves this slowly emptying hall.

The Drakling watches all of that with disinterested eyes, too bored to even feel envious of those who are no longer trapped in here.

More than half of the nobles that had gathered around the rounded table have since left, trickling away one by one. The first few that got up to leave gave Krvavy some hope, as surely that means this whole thing is going to wrap up soon, right?

Wrong.

Very, very wrong...

The concept of ‘time’ is really starting to lose all meaning. A second could be an hour. An hour could be a day. The fact that there are no windows in here doesn’t help that feeling in the slightest...

All Krvavy knows is that her legs are starting to get sore from standing just about as still as she can for who knows how long. She really wants to... to pace back and forth right now. Or to sit down. Either one, really.

“Hhhhh...”

The barbarian blinks in surprise, glancing down at the maid standing by her side, closer than any knight.

Vera... almost looks like she is in pain. The albino almost certainly isn’t as tough, durable, or athletic as Krvavy is, so is all of this standing around actually hurting her...? No. That probably isn’t the case. This maid is as still as a statue. She isn’t slowly and slightly swaying side to side like Krvavy is. Not shifting her weight back and forth, almost as if walking on the spot, like some of the other servants around the room.

Though Vera is pretty disciplined, so maybe her standing so still is exactly what is causing her this pain...?

Or...

Or maybe the albino maid is just getting increasingly stressed over not being able to hear her Lady’s voice...?

That is definitely the cute option, but Krvavy is pretty sure that this aggressive albino is more mentally resilient than that. Vera isn’t a little puppy who does nothing but sit by the door whining and crying when her owner is away.

Krvavy stifles a sigh.

Maybe she is feeling sympathetic, maybe she is just bored out of her mind, but... Krvavy finds her tail twisting around Vera’s waist again, loosely hugging the girl who utterly hates her.

Vera’s pale pink eyes drop down. Her glasses nearly slip off her nose as she glares at the armoured appendage gently nestled against the slightly poofy fabric flowing over her hips, polite enough to stay above her apron.

The faintest smile finds its way onto Krvavy’s face as that maid’s gloved hands slowly and softly grab onto the very tip of her tail, holding onto it rather than shoving the thing away. Her grin grows a bit bigger as she sees the bratty albino’s pinkish lips twist down into a scowl.

Krvavy’s heart flutters a little at that sight, her smile slowly waning. She... misses her own beautiful brat. Her Thea. She misses Beryl, her sweet berry, her newly made Dryad. She misses Khalia, her precious puppy, so energetic and excitable. She misses Inanna, her anything but dull Dwarf. She misses Adeline, her cute and adorable Halfling.

Being able to hear their voices pretty much whenever she wants helps. It really does. That box of Far-Speaking jewellery was well worth the Favour. But... Krvavy hasn’t seen them, hasn’t held them, in two weeks. And this whole trip is only really half done. Even if they were to leave Vratsa tomorrow morning, it would still take a week to return to Raseyne and then another to hike her way back home again...

This –

Another noble rises to his feet. No, not a noble. The solder who is here representing the damned Duke who had Krvavy killed. Definitely one of the more important people present, despite being a mere placeholder. That militaristic man’s armour clanks as he, and his even more armoured guards, march on out of the room.

The others seated at the rounded table, increasingly few as they are, remain exactly where they are.

Krvavy inwardly curses herself for letting her hopes get raised again. At this rate Rina will be the last one to leave... Much to both the barbarian and albino maid’s dismay.

“Hhaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhnnnnnhhghhhhh...” Krvavy loudly groans, slumping even further into her half of the stagecoach... all but going limp.

“I did tell you that this job would not be an exciting one.” The Countess calmly comments, a subtle smile visible beneath her black silken veil. The soft sound of fabric brushing against fabric fills the cramped cabin as she openly and blatantly cuddles with her maid. Well, the curtains are drawn and the outside world can’t exactly see in here, so her cuddling isn’t really all that open...

“Yeah, but...” The Drakling tiredly sighs, rather roughly resting her head back against the wall behind her seat, an audible thump marking that motion. “Nghhn...” Her legs twitch, aching to stretch. There just isn’t enough room in here for that though...

“Are you pent up, perhaps~? Seeking relief and exercise alike~?” A fair bit of life creeps into the Countess’ voice as she slowly, almost conspiratorially, leans forward. “Remember the reward that I had promised you~?”

Krvavy quickly perks up, emerald eyes staring intently at this gothic half-Elf sitting ahead of her.

“My, I do hope that you have the energy to properly enjoy such a gift~.” Arousal oozes from Rina’s very being, a husky need underlining her every word. “Because I for one am quite looking forward to giving it to you~.”

This cramped coach rattles slightly, giving a certain clingy maid the excuse she needed to ‘slip’ and ‘fall’ into her Lady’s bright pink breasts. A smile can briefly be seen on Vera’s face as she nuzzles into the Countess’ cleavage, her glasses going askew.

Rina doesn’t seem to mind that in the slightest, the corners of her painted lips curling in such a sweet and seductive way. “I could use – no,” she gently shakes her head, delicate fingers affectionately stroking through strands of snow-white hair. “I need the stress relief that this reward will bring~. It has been a long and boring day, my dear Draconic paramour, and I can hardly wait to end it with a bang~! But, if you are too tired, then I am sure that my sweet Vera here would just love to tak–~”

“No, no...!” Krvavy quickly snaps out of her daze, almost desperately holding up her armoured hands. “I’m far from feeling tired! There is absolutely no way that I’m missing out on that reward~!”

“Good~!” Composed as she normally is, the Countess simply can’t keep herself from sounding so very excited for what is soon to come, her pointed and Elf-like ears trembling with anticipation. Which is not a detail that her maid misses, that antagonistic albino turning to shoot Krvavy a truly hateful glare. “My own patience is running thin, but very soon we will be –”

Bang!

The stagecoach suddenly lurches back and to the side, nearly causing both Rina and Vera to fall from their seats. Luckily, Krvavy is there to catch them, a job made all the easier by just how little space there is in here.

Knock knock knock!

A thin panel at the front of the cabin hastily slides open, uncovering a lattice mesh too layered to let any light through.

“No need to be alarmed, my Lady!” The driver’s voice is firm and confident, despite the fact that the entire stagecoach is tilting back by at least thirty degrees. Probably more in all honesty. It isn’t the easiest to tell here on the inside. “The rear right wheel has fallen off, but worry not! We made it through the gate mere moments ago, and are far enough through for it to safely close behind us! Our destination is within sight!”

Rina takes a deep breath, holding it in for a few long seconds before so very slowly exhaling. “Thank you,” she calls back, her voice raised more than enough to be easily heard. “We will walk the rest of the way.”

The panel slides shut with a clack.

Amethyst eyes turn the Drakling’s way, a silken black veil obscuring whatever worries may linger within them. “Krvavy, dear, can you get the door?”

Krvavy simply nods, doing her best not to drop either of these women in here with her as she reaches a hand to the side. Fortunately, the door swings outwards and to the back, so gravity does most of the work in pulling it open.

With a degree of clumsiness, and just a little bit of difficulty, the Drakling climbs free from this heavily tilted stagecoach... which wobbles and rises up noticeably without her weighing it down. “Here.” Krvavy grabs that compact carriage, holding it as still as she can. Her other hand helps both Countess and maid climb out of that inconveniently unsteady thing, before taking hold of her Soulbound weapon.

“Hhhn.” Vera makes a quiet, almost snarling sound as she glares at the large spoked wheel resting off to the side. A couple knights are already in the process of lifting it up, another looking it over for signs of sabotage.

“Come. Let us not tarry.” A tinge of annoyance can be heard in those words, emphasized by the impatient clicks and clacks of Rina’s heels striking this cobbled road as she heads toward her wooden manor house. With both albino handmaiden and barbaric bodyguard following closely after her, of course.

Flickering lamps line their path, casting long and dancing shadows across the lawn and gardens beyond

As unlucky as it is to have a wheel just pop off like that, at least it happened very close to their destination, within the grounds to Rina’s estate here in Vratsa...

Krvavy lazily lifts her gaze, looking up towards the night sky. It is... quite cloudy. Entirely starless. Serene, but also so sad and empty... A thick and almost oppressive curtain hangs over them all, far far above, hiding away the moons.

Not that that changes much. This is, apparently, the one night in the year where both of those moons are utterly dark, casting next to no light down on the world. Tomorrow will be pretty similar as well, but much like yesterday, the smaller one will at least have the faintest sliver of silver along its edge...

Hopefully all these clouds are gone by then... Krvavy doesn’t get to see the stars very often...

Which is mostly on her, in all honesty. She chose to live underground. But even then, there is nothing stopping her from heading outside – on her own or with any of her girls – to go stargazing...

The metal cap at the base of Krvavy’s Soulbound weapon taps into the ground every other step she takes, treating this oversized axe of hers as nothing more than a walking stick. Albeit one that is quite top heavy.

A calm and peaceful quiet hangs in the air, barely a breeze blowing through these gardens. The sound of Rina’s men dealing with the broken stagecoach can be heard, but the few knights flanking the front door of this wooden manor house are still and silent, standing on guard as they await their Lady’s approach.

The faintest crack cuts through the gloomy clouds hanging high above, twinkling motes of light peeking through that already shrinking slice of the sky.

They’re beautiful, those gently glowing stars... A small island of hope in a sea of darkness...

Krvavy’s idle thoughts trail off, the pressure at the back of her mind fading away as she simply enjoys that sight. Her brow furrows just a bit as one of those stars briefly blinks, the smallest speck of a shadow passing beneath in the moments before those dark and dreary clouds reconnect. Was that a bird...? Or a bat even, considering the time...?

A distant and almost unnoticeable gleam catches Krvavy’s eye, approaching from above.

“DOWN!” The Drakling roars, driven by instinct alone. Her Soulbound weapon flashes, leaving reality to free both of her hands. Her core flares up like a furnace, mana surges through her channels and veins. Spells activate, her skin and scales hardening like bark beneath her armour as a cloak of wind swirls around her.

“Wha–?!” Surprise fills the Countess’ voice as Krvavy all but tackles her, strong arms wrapping tightly around that elegant noblewoman as a large body shields her from danger. At great cost.

-1,143.01 Health

An agonizing pain punches into Krvavy’s upper back. Jagged metal digs into her flesh. Her shattered ribs scatter. Liquid fills one of her lungs. Something sharp and cold touches her heart.

You have been inflicted with a Major Wound: Severe Bleeding. You will lose 2.25 Health per minute as long as the bleeding continues.

You have been inflicted with a Major Wound: Severe Internal Bleeding. You will lose 6.75 Health per minute as long as the bleeding continues.

You have been inflicted with a Major Wound: Collapsed Lung. Your Stamina Regeneration has been reduced by 50%. Physical exertion will see your Stamina drain at twice the usual rate as long as your lung remains inoperable.

You have been inflicted with: Gloom-Bite Venom. You will lose Health equal to 10% of your Total Mana per minute, increasing by the value of your Mana Regeneration every minute. Your Health Regeneration has been nullified. Effects will grow more severe as Gloom-Bite Venom spreads.

Shadows tinged with purple hues twist and curl, jumping from the ground and blocking the darkened sky. “Move!” Rina’s voice, authoritative and firm, echoes through the cool night air. A dozen dimly glowing hands blink into existence, hefting the heavy barbarian onto her inhuman feet.

“Gkhhk! Khhgha!” Krvavy chokes and coughs, blood pouring down her chin. Her vision spins, her head so heavy and light, growing more murky by the moment. Overlapping voices and stomping footsteps drone into her ears, making it hard to even think. Her core burns. “Hnnngh!” Pain shoots through her very being as she slumps forward onto a table.

“Krvavy!”

A hand grabs onto one of the Drakling’s horns, lifting her head up. A sickeningly sweet and revoltingly bitter scent assails her senses, bringing unwanted clarity as it cuts through the shock and pain.

The Countess stands before her, veil and tiara removed. Worry fills that elegant half-Elf’s face. Worry and panic. “Vera, her cuirass! Can –?!”

“Yes, my Lady.” The maid hastily replies, her tone void of nearly all emotion. Gloved fingers deftly undo the straps that hold the front plate to the back, before pulling that fur-padded sheet of metal away from Krvavy’s spine.

-3.45 Health

Pain shoots through the barbarian’s very being as the bolt embedded deep in her body is jostled around just a bit.

“Shit!” The Countess crudely hisses. “Krvavy, Krvavy!” She roughly taps, almost slaps, the Drakling’s cheek. Again and again and again. “Poison! Krvavy! What is it?! Look at your status effects! What kind of poison is it?!”

“Kghhahk...!” More than a mouthful of blood spills past Krvavy’s pallid lips, that crimson fluid visibly darker and murkier than is normal. “G-gloom... bi...te ven... gkhh!”

“Gloom-Bite?!” Rina’s vibrant pink skin pales, her amethyst eyes going wide. “No, no no! We –!” She violently shakes her head, snatching a large bottle of some brightly glowing red liquid from her spectral, summoned hands. “Krvavy!” A cork loudly pops free moments before she forcibly presses the glass rim of that bottle past that Drakling’s teeth, partially pushing aside a slightly swelling tongue. “You must drink this! Vera, now!”

-63.49 Health

+1,000 Health

Agony overwhelms Krvavy, threatening to take away her consciousness. She coughs and hacks up yet more blood. As well as a mouthful of that restorative potion, most of its magic having already seeped into her. Which only brings more pain as her insides shift back into place, meat mending and bone regrowing. Her muscles burn and tremble as a foul toxin flows through her veins... that venom flourishing alongside her briefly revitalized heart.

“Antidotes! C four! Q sixteen! T eight! Get them!”

Vera enters the Drakling’s hazy line of sight, tearing off her blood-soaked gloves and tossing them aside as she hastily marches forth. The dutiful maid reaches up to pull a book from a shelf across the room. Her sleeve slips, revealing an undeniably artificial wrist. A soft click can be heard as the bookshelf begins sliding to the side.

“Krvavy! Hold on!” The Countess gently lifts the mask-like helmet from her bodyguard’s head, letting her bloodied fingers cup Krvavy’s uncovered cheek. “Stay with me! You will be –!”

“Nnghhhn!” The Drakling hisses as an agonizing deluge of damage notifications flicker through her perception, numbers growing larger by the second. Her wavering eyes drop down and to the side, drawn towards her right bicep, one of the few parts of her body that her armour doesn’t cover.

Bulging, blackened veins burrow through her sickly skin, spreading like roots through her bruising, browning flesh.

Despite that mind-numbing pain, Krvavy is... calm. She weakly and shakily grabs onto one of the Countess’ hands with both of her cold and clammy ones. The bare palm of her right hand can feel Rina’s warmth. Her left, in its armour, cannot. “D...don’t... Kghh! Ghn!” she coughs, blood still filling one of her lungs. If she could just clear her head and focus, then that would be an easy thing to fix. But... at this point... why bother...? “Don’t wo...worr...ry... I’ll be... al...alright...”

“No you wont.” Rina softly responds, her voice low and dripping with despair. “Gloom-Bite Venom is... I do not have an antidote for it, Krvavy. It... feeds on magic. All I can do is make you more comfortable and keep it from scarring your soul.”

The clicking of Vera’s shoes across the floor heralds the return of that maid. Three vials of different coloured liquids and an empty bottle are held in her bare hands.

Without wasting any time, the Countess’ summoned hands grab those vials and pop all three open, pouring a different amount from each one into the bottle, before gently shaking it. That mixed liquid bubbles and seethes, roiling as its colour shifts to an oily grey. It is barely given any time to settle and set before being brought to the barbarian’s bloodied lips.

That antidote tastes foul. Krvavy can barely swallow it down. A greasy residue clings to her mouth and her throat. Her pain lessens slightly, but the damage notifications continue. If... if perhaps at a slightly slower pace...? And maybe with slightly lower numbers...? They... are too blurry to really tell...

“I cannot stop you from dying, Krvavy.” Rina slowly sighs, her voice so close to cracking.

Shaky, black-scaled fingers loosely grasp at a pink-skinned wrist, armoured claws glancing across a silken sleeve. “That’s... kghhn! Okay... I –”

“Can come back from death,” Rina speaks for her bodyguard. “I know.”

Bewildered confusion sweeps through the Krvavy’s hazy, emptying head. “Wha...?”

“I... Shadow... We...” The Countess can’t seem to find her words. “We do not have time right now. Please, come back to me as soon as you can. I will... cover up your death. To all but Vera and I, this will have only left you wounded. Severely, but not gravely. Not even the assassin will know that you have passed, nor will they gain any experience from it. Of that I promise.”

A tingling sensation prickles across Krvavy’s skin and scales, sinking into her withering flesh. A firm but reassuring pressure soon surrounds her channels, nodes, and core. The bite of that venom lessens a little as her mana – her soul – is shielded and suppressed... but it continue to eat away at her life regardless. A haze of power and darkness surrounds Drakling and Countess, separating the two of them from all else that exists.

“Ring...” Krvavy’s vision dims and fades as she drags Rina’s warm and delicate hand towards her lower right horn, where the Far-Speaking ring rests. “Thi...nk... to...ward...s... Be...ryl... T..ell...”

The Drakling’s voice fails her.

Inky black tears trail down the Countess’ cheeks, blending into the darkness that overcomes Krvavy.