章節 5: No time to lose
NO!
The Empress vaguely heard. She was not sure of whether it was her who yelled or someone else-- be it even male or female. All she could do was to stare in horror as the monster turned its terrifying long, distorted head to face her.
It may have four limbs but to say that it was once a normal human being was somewhat surreal. The monster was at a height of approximately eight feet and had arms that were disproportionately long. Pieces of ripped clothes clung loosely to its bare greyish-black skin. What was more frightening was not its long claws that glistened with fresh blood dripping from it-- it was the eyes. It had bright crimson eyes that seem to bore into the very soul of its victim. Its next intended victim being the Empress herself.
The Empress took staggering steps backwards and nearly tripped over. Her feet felt heavy like lead and the monsters were already advancing towards her. Her heart was hammered frantically in her chest and in that moment, she felt as if she was nothing more than prey waiting to be slaughtered. The monster lunged forward and the Empress could not move quick enough to get to safety.
Then, everything just seemed to move slowly. The Empress felt someone pulling her backwards as a young woman jumped in front of her to block the brutality of the monster's attack. She saw the huge claws slash at the woman in front of her. Something foreign and warm sprayed onto her face. As the woman collapsed, a figure dressed in something shiny blocked the monster's path.
In a blur motion, the monster was shoved hard and landed a few feet away from them. An audible crack was heard as if the monster had either broken a bone in its massive body or that the marble floor beneath it had cracked. Regardless, the monster did not move again and laid there as if it was either dead or knocked out cold.
The person who had managed to cause this much damage to such a hellish creature was this palace guard-- or so he was assumed to be judging by what he was wearing. When he finally turned, the Empress noticed that the man's appearance was much too dirty and untidy to be that of a palace guard. The palace guards would not grow their hair long and leave it unkempt. Additionally, this person's face was scruffy looking and though he was wearing armour, there was this faint smell of body odor.
Overall, it was as if the man had not taken a bath in weeks or maybe months. Moreover, he possessed inhuman strength to push the monster a few feet away-- something that even a few of the nation's strongest men would struggle to do even if they were to work together. Glancing at his hands, the Empress realized that the guard had done it all with his bare hands. He held no sword or magical tool. Whoever this person was, he was no ordinary man.
As if sensing her realization and unease, the man decided to be direct about the situation. "Your Majesty, as you would have already deduced, I am indeed not one of the palace's guards. I have come to aid you in your time of need. I swear this upon my very being and existence." The man spoke in a very polite and solemn manner.
Sir Ethan immediately stepped in front of the Empress. "You are clearly not human. No man would be able to fend off a demon as powerful as that thing!" Sir Ethan accused as he placed his hand on his sword, ready to wield it in a moment's notice.
"Your Majesty, please step back. That man is dangerous", the butler said quietly to the Empress.
However, the Empress looked at the man and could see that he was being sincere. She felt no malice or animosity towards her very person.
"I will not pressure you into disclosing the reason a being like you would willingly come to our aid but may I know what exactly you are?" the Empress asked calmly.
The man hesitated but answered, "I am what your man would call a monster. Against my will, I require life essence from living creatures as sustenance."
"Life essence as in blood?" the Empress asked.
The man regarded the Empress quietly with dark eyes, "Yes."
"Shit!" Sir Ethan cussed and drew out his sword.
"W-what kind of c-creature would need--" the butler stammered.
"A vampire."
All three of the men turned to look at the Empress who calmly stated as if it was no different than saying that a fluffy, little kitten was sleeping. No one, not even the vampire himself, had expected the Empress to have inept knowledge about something like this. The very thought of vampires existing amongst humans was unimaginable. It was something their ancestors- many centuries ago- would say to trick children into behaving well and sleeping early.
Seeing the men's surprise at her revelation, the Empress looked away slightly and cleared her throat, "I did a lot of research in my attempt to uncover a solution to this monster outbreak."
The Empress then pointedly looked at the vampire, "I don't have time to explain but I trust you to keep us safe. I must retrieve an item from the throne room."
The Empress then turned to both Sir Ethan and the butler, "After that, we will need to return to my palace. Now, where is Lucy?"
Her question was met with silence as the many other people,servants and nobles, continued to rush past them. After a few moments, it was the vampire who spoke, "Your Majesty. I believe that the one whom you call Lucy was this woman", he gestured to a body that lay on the floor.
"N-no…" the Empress was at a loss for words.
The pale face that stared back expressionless at her was indeed that of Lucy's. There was no longer any life in Lucy's eyes. In the midst of all the terror, the Empress had briefly forgotten that a young woman had blocked off the monster's attack. That young woman was none other than her faithful lady-in-waiting.
The once active and kind servant laid motionless in a pool of blood on the floor. The Empress could still vividly hear the young girl's voice who had called after her in a sing-song manner.
'How could this be?' the Empress thought to herself in disbelief.
"Your Majesty..." the butler started but could not find the words to continue.
Then the Empress recalled the warm liquid she had felt spattered on her face. Anxious, the Empress raised a shaky hand and touched her cheek, at the place where she could feel the warm liquid slowly flowing down. Then holding out her hand, the Empress saw that the substance was red in colour.
"Blood."
'This shouldn't have happened. I should have moved quicker. She died in vain because of me. If only--' but the Empress' train of thoughts were interrupted when a loud roar was heard.
The monster was not alone. Another monster had emerged from the direction of the palace's kitchen and it still had most of its clothes stretched across its body. It was one of the royal chefs. Unlike the first monster, this second one was smaller but seemed to be growing as it made its way to the main hallway.
"What the--" Sir Ethan started to say when the vampire cut in.
"This is a new monster. Victims who managed to survive the monster's attack would transform into monsters themselves."
"We know that!" Sir Ethan snapped back and he raised his sword as the second monster that slowly moved towards them. From it's unsteady movements, it could be assumed that it was somewhat disorientated. The rather clean ripped clothes across its body was not soiled or grimy looking in any way. It was as if the vampire's theory that this was a newly turned monster was true.
"B-but how? It has not been long since the first monster appeared." James, the butler said.
Remembering the contents of the letter from the Western territory, the Empress replied, "The interval of transformation has shortened drastically."
"Bloody hell!" Sir Ethan cussed.
The Empress bit at her lower lip. 'I need to perform the ritual no matter what. It is the only way to save us all now.'
The vampire was the first to act.
"You both protect Her Majesty and take her to safety now! I will take care of this monster!" the vampire ordered and rushed at the monster without waiting for a reply.
"What?! Hah! That arrogant fool!" Sir Ethan growled.
James, on the other hand, did not raise a complaint. "Your Majesty, we need to go now."
"Yes, but I need to retrieve the ceremonial sword. I need it for the ritual."
The men both hesitated for a moment but proceeded to guard the Empress as they made their way to the throne room. Upon entering the room, the men closed and then locked the huge, heavy mahogany entrance doors. The room was instantly in eerie silence as the screams from the hallway outside were muffled by the thick doors.
As the men further secured the doors by blocking it with movable furniture, the Empress went to the throne and twisted one of its legs. A hidden entrance was then revealed about a few feet behind the throne. Looking into the entrance, the Empress noted that the long, narrow passage was shrouded in pitch darkness and there was a musty smell to it. It was the same as she remembered it. Nothing has changed since the previous Empress had first shown it to her upon her coronation.
It was a passageway known to only the Emperors and Empresses of the nation in case of a dire situation occurring. Thus, the chances of there being anyone or even a monster lurking within this passageway was highly improbable.
The Empress then called out to Sir Ethan and pointed towards one of the swords that was mounted on the wall.
"Sir Ethan. Help me remove the ceremonial sword from the wall. We need to hurry. There is no time to lose."
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