Notice the names of the characters will be slightly different from the other chapters due to partial editing.

Val was changed to Vald.

Edited version.

{~0~}

Sly

Panting and sprinting through the forest their movement was fast and light, swift wind slashed against the ferns as they zoomed by. They didn't stop to rest, they were feeling exhilarated and even forgot about the feeling of tiredness. As they arrived closer to home they detoured elsewhere from the main entrance and towards a secret passage by the cliffs, they kept a lookout as they entered through a narrow gap of an elderly tree one by one, inside the tree its trunk was hollow, its dying remains acted as a natural shelter for a cave that was well hidden by an overgrowth of green moss and overhanging vines. Within this cave lay an intricate network of tunnels from which only the cave dwellers knew which route to take in order to return home — they had acquired this knowledge since childhood. Hence it was stick to one set passage or get lost in an endless maze of darkness.

A repugnant smell of sulphur attacked their sensitive noses, almost knocking them backwards into each other. Akihito and his friends would occasionally find decomposing corpses of animals, rarely humans along the way. Most deaths occur due to starvation or from open wounds that had been left untreated. Ignoring the stench from a rotting squirrel, they continued onwards, brimming with the excitement to announce their success. Finally approaching at a dead end, Akihito pressed his finger on a button that was well camouflaged to the side of the cave wall. With a soft rumble, dust ungratified and the stone door parted ajar.

They had arrived back home.

Hyperventilating breaths relaxed to normal. It was safe to forget about the outside danger, nothing could potentially harm them in this rocky fortress. Akihito and his friends stood on the highest level overseeing the main cavern, aka the capital of their underground kingdom. Happiness radiated from their smile, the remarkable sight of their home filled them with a warm sense of familiarity and hope. The main cavern was the core to their society, it was a place of gather, celebration and rest. Its vast space made the claustrophobic feel absent, like a whole new world upside down and the sky was high and almost impossible to reach. But unlike the outside world coloured by flora and fauna, the cave had its own inner beauty. Stalactites and stalagmites protruded out like sharp teeth, sometimes meeting to form monumental columns, a river streamed steadily on the ground floor, flowing from and away the canals it was linked to, this provided them with constant clean water. The cave dwellers were creative and decided to make use of the irregular land formation, they chiselled a pathway that started from bottom then spiralled around the entire cavern and to the top, creating multiple levels, each level was then excavated into to create storage rooms or homes for each family. They would use either wood or thick curtains as doors for their respective habitation.

A majority of cave dwellers gathered on the lower ground, a few families were sitting by the water bank, others mingled in front of the wooden stage while the children nearby frolicked around the tall stalagmites. A minority of these younglings were adopted humans who were left orphaned for unknown reasons. Though in spite of their racial difference the vampire children grew familiar to their scent, eventually welcoming them as their fellow siblings. Of course some did bite, but nearby adults were quick to chide and discipline those who broke the rules. Nevertheless, the total population of this colony was approximately ninety two dwellers — the number was higher before the bloodmoon hunt. Each individual was assigned with a duty of care and task in order to maintain a functional society, duties were often rotated for experience and work-related fairness. Those who were trained in a specialized field such as hunting or nursing were less frequently rotated than others but still had to acquire knowledge in other areas such as crafting and cleaning.

There were other cave-dwelling colonies out there too, but what made this one special was their strength in unity and defiance. After they were defeated on the surface by rampaging enemies their crumbling spirits healed overtime. They became resilient, stronger and smarter. However their personality was not the only reason why the Silverbloods were attracted to them, the cave dwellers possess a unique beauty rarely seen on land, no matter how poor they lived or how drab their clothes were, they had a face that looked as if it had been carved out by angels; slim in the jaw, silky pale skin, and doll-like eyes. The woman were adorable, not too small or too tall, just the right size for a cuddle and a kiss, the men were similar, though their soft features made them appear androgynous. Most hate being compared to their female counterparts and stride for a more manlier appearance, this meant the need to body-build and the need to grow facial hair, though this growth would take months before a stubble would even be noticeable, so many gave up on growing a beard and preferred a clean shave.

Akihito and his friends descend down the sloping spiral, a fellow dweller spotted the three.

"They're back!" A curly blond-haired woman alerted the others of their coming presence. All eyes, dull from anxious thoughts, awoke to life and shifted to where she had indicated.

"Oi we're home!" Akihito waved to his people with a grin.

"They made it back safely!" Their faces brightened with joy and relief at the miracle sight of their return from a dangerous quest. They surrounded the boys and arms extended out to proudly hug and congratulate them, giving out a convivial atmosphere in this dark time.

"Well done boys! Glad to see you home"

"Akihiiito! My proudest achievement!" Came the deep voice of the chieftain. The crowd shuffled aside to make room for their leader. There stood a giant figure, Akihito's father, unlike his son Takaba Masato was a brawny man, his height intimidated those below him, his hair colour was the same as Akihito's but it lacked the same youthful style, instead he had long hair that stood thick and wild like a lion's mane, complimenting this hairstyle was his facial hair and goatee which added a couple of decades to his once young look. Masato's favourite clothing was a brown samurai hakama that parted slightly in the middle to reveal his muscular chest, all of this herculean structure was awarded from countless years of boulder lifting and he was boastful about it.

"Father!"

"Akii-kun!" Masato greeted his son with a big hug, ruffling his hair childishly before nudging his cheek with a chuckle. "What news do you bring us my boy?"

Without saying much Akihito brought out the golden paper and raised it up high in the air. "We've obtained the list!"

"He's got the list!" The people cheered with enliven expressions. "We're saved!"

"My son has obtained the participant list! We have a chance at annulling the hunt!" Masato crushed his son with another hug and with one fist raised in the air, flailing victoriously.

"Excuse me, sorry, excuse me." A fellow dweller with auburn brown hair, similar in appearance to Akihito, squeezed his way through the tight crowd. Following behind him was a sorcerer with long silvery hair, he was dressed in a grey mage robe and held a white staff in his left hand. "Aki!"

"Vald! Halvir! It worked!" Akihito broke free from his father's grasp to converse with the two.

"Of course it did. It took—" The sorcerer spoke but was interrupted by Masato.

"Everybody thank Halvir for developing our newest weapon in evading the enemy!" The chieftain singled him out for laudation.

"Wai—wai—" Halvir protested with his free hand but it was too late. The crowd had swarmed him with hugs. They then turned to do same to Akihito and his friends again, back and forth until they were feeling asphyxiated.

"Okay people that's enough, they need to breathe too. Come on." Masato intervened and the people released them. "Okay good. Alright everyone, since we now have the list we'll do what we can to sabotage these hunters."

"Sabotage! Sabotage!" The cave dwellers chanted.

Masato smiled, the spirit of his people had returned. "Dawn is approaching, get some rest my dear brothers and sisters. Tomorrow we shall hold a meeting when midnight strikes. That night shall be the night we plan out our move." The cave dwellers clapped and jumped excitedly. Soon they were off to bed and the chatters faded into the distant, the sound of water gently rippling returned to fill the silence.

Halvir turned to the three boys with his palm out. "Potion please."

"Aww can we keep it?" Kou pouted as he held it to his chest possessively.

"No. It is not a toy."

"Fine." He gave in and returned the purple crystal vial to its creator.

"So how did it go Aki?" Vald nudged his younger cousin with an elbow.

"Not bad."

"No one suspected you of anything?"

"Suspect?" Then Akihito remembered. He mentally smacked his forehead, Asami. He was so stupid, his damn cheekiness got the better of him, reckless youth fear nothing when they're pumped with adrenalin. Akihito faked a laugh and denied being seen after he saw how proud his father was.

Vald sighed harshly. "Ha, at least you had fun, I had to guard the entrance, even though its blocked by rocks."

"Did any of the Silverbloods notice anything odd about your scent?" Halvir interviewed him on the effectiveness of his product.

"Nope." Akihito shook his head.

"Good."

Masato stole their attention when he placed a hand on both Vald and Akihito's shoulder. "I'm proud on all of you. Together we shall save this colony. There won't be a repeat like the previous hunt fifty years ago." He looked down at the new generation, young and naive to the real world. "I'm glad none of you weren't born during that horrendous period." He eyed the sorcerer. "Halvir I'm also glad you've decided to join us, our alchemists are extremely impressed with your brewing skills."

The sorcerer merely grunted at the praises. The sangfroid human had recently joined the colony after he had been involved in a romantic relationship with Vald. Afraid that his precious cave-dwelling vampire would be snatched away during the Bloodmoon Hunt, Halvir decided to deploy all of his will to protect what was claimed to be his.

"Now all of you get some rest. You need it. And Aki, well done. I knew you could pull through this my son." Masato ruffled Akihito's hair once again, this time even messier.

"Hey, stop hahaha." The blond chuckled along with his father's playfulness.

Meanwhile back at the Asami Castle.

The vampire lord was seated in his private office with his elbows rested on the exquisite table. Intertwined fingers leaned against his thin lips as he listened to a lanky aristocrat with a bruised eye and a swollen bump on his forehead.

"And they even took my family necklace. You know how irreplaceable that is! These skinny werewolves they were so barbaric." The vampire complained, he gesticulated with every word and sighed after every sentence, his distracting demeanour made it hard to watch.

"I don't think they're wolves sire." A servant of the aristocrat suggested meekly.

"Don't interrupt me serf!"

"Let him speak." Asami shot a glare at the guest for his disdainful manner. He wanted critical details about the incident, not to hear about some shiny jewellery.

"Ah, okay." The aristocrat swallowed in guilt. "Go ahead Gin."

"Lord Asami," the servant boy bowed formally, "when we were attacked, I knew that they weren't werewolves because when I tried to pull one of them off my master, its skin sagged. In other words, I think it's a man in a costume."

"Of course it's a man in a costume. If it was a werewolf neither of you would be standing here. Now if that's all you have left to inform me, you are dismissed. And with your necklace my men will look into it for you."

"Thank you Lord Asami." The two bowed in thanks before leaving.

Asami leaned back against his chair, these sly cave dwellers were gnawing down his thin line of patience. They had stolen the list of the participants and assaulted his guest. Even worse they were able to mask their scent without mud or fur. What sorcery was this?! He would need to drastically act against their attempt to derail the hunt. In past he had tried to corrupt at least one of these cave dwellers but they rarely left their cave. Only a few went out hunting but these hunters were snappy and difficult to approach, even with all the wealth he could grant them, it had always resulted in something being thrown over his city or castle wall the next day. Asami knew they had a catapult somewhere hidden within that cave. But what intrigued him was how they were able to dismantle the machinery before his men attempted to track them. He disliked setting foot into that claustrophobic environment, but on the other hand he was eager to determine the identity of the blond dweller. His daring personality was somewhat attractive to him. It was time to gather his men and meet with the chieftain. They were going to investigate the cave with force.

…||[]||…

Day 1

Akihito went to visit Vald and Halvir's quarters. The blond tapped on the ceramic pots outside to politely signal his presence.

"Come on in!" Vald invited.

Akihito brushed the red curtain aside as he entered. Inside, various herbs and spices strung down from the racks. Books, rare treasures, swords and collectable items were arranged along the shelf and wall. A round wooden table was situated on the side, opposite to a fireplace. To ensure that the burning smoke would not cloud the room, a small chimney was chiselled out, connected to an unused tunnel above. Halvir stood behind his metal cauldron, stirring the contents with a long ladle before adding fairy wings into the pot. He followed the instructions he had researched for three months. Emerging from the bedroom area Vald adjusted his maroon tunic down.

"Aki. How its going?"

"I'm fine, its time for the meeting."

"We'll be down there in a few minutes. Let me get ready. Havi where did you move my boots?"

"By the table." He pointed while his gaze remained fixed on the manual. "Akihito."

"Hm?" Akihito turned his attention to the sorcerer.

"How many sprays did you use to conceal your scent?"

"Three sprays."

"Good. Just as expected from clinical trials. You two go down ahead while I'll work on this."

"Alright. You ready Vald?" Akihito asked.

"Yep. Let's go."

The two headed down to where everybody gathered at the usual lower ground. The portable catapult had been reassembled, Masato stood by this 'advanced' technology, he leaned his shoulder against the wooden frame as he waited for everyone to attend. The people settled down on the floor with their legs crossed. Akihito and Vald joined but sat closer to the chieftain on the stage and faced the colony. Together they chanted a daily prayer.

"We solemnly pray to the world of eternal peace to never feast on the flesh of the living. But only to those gifted to us by nature, we shall take. Thank you for watching over us, Aurieas, mother of peace."

As the meeting began Lord Asami and thirty loyal soldiers had arrived outside the original entrance, the doorway was sealed with thick boulders, only a tiny gap was left open for communication purposes, after that it would sealed with more thicker boulders the day before the hunt. A messenger under the orders of his leader approached the sealed wall.

"To whomever can hear us! Lord Asami has greeted you with his presence! Respond now and open or we shall force our way in!"

A dwelling watchman was startled upon the unexpected visit. He stood up from his stool to peek through the hole and saw Asami and his black hooded legions waiting for his response. The vampire lord was dressed in a black leather jacket, its length dropped to his ankle and he had his gloved hands dipped in his pockets. The dweller shrieked inwardly, his movements fell frantic.

"Who goesh shthere?" He replied with a fake lisp, hopping to add some form of muddle in their talk, he knew very well who it was, he just needed time to warn his people. Turning away momentarily he patted and whispered instructions to his rat companion. As he plopped the animal on the floor it scurried off to the next watchman who would then relay the message to the chieftain.

"This is under the orders of the great Lord Asami that you will remove this wall at once or we shall use force!"

"Who goesh shthere?! I've sgot sha hearshing froblem?"

The soldier inhaled deeply, frustrated by the lack of compliance. "This is under—"

"Shorry, I sgot sha hearshing froblem! Shay it again!"

The rat scurried towards the second watchman. It squeaked a specific pitch to him. Blue eyes shot wide open at the news. "Asami?!" Immediately the blond haired man dashed full throttle towards the main cavern, blowing his horn.

Toot, Toot, Toot!

Masato paused his speech when he heard the alarm.

"ASAMI! CHIEF, ASAMI IS HERE! HE'S COMING IN!" The watchman hollered to the colony way below.

All eyes screamed open and a wave of apprehension flooded them. Their enemy was at their front door, the catapult was visible and Halvir was in the middle of a concoction. Masato knew that one day this would happen and that's why he had implemented an action plan. "Okay everyone calm down, quickly but don't panic, commence renovation just like we practiced!"

"Yes chieftain!"

The crowd dispersed in a hurried manner to perform their designated role. Akihito's heart sank at the news, Lord Asami knew what he looked like, if he were to be spotted, this would have a detrimental effect on the colony's relationship with the Silverbloods, well they never had a great relationship to begin with.

"Uncle! Halvir is still in the middle of his work!" Vald alerted the chieftain.

"Well, tell him to stop, now!"

Vald nodded quickly. "Let's go!" He tugged Akihito's arm. The blond was unable to escape his distressed thoughts and could only robotically follow his cousin.

"Whad?!" The watchman asked the messenger again.

"By orders of Asa— look here—!"

"Whad?! Me hearing ish bad! Gum again?!"

"BY ORDERS OF—!"

"That's enough!" Lord Asami had spoken. These cave dwellers were being crafty and he knew it. They were getting reeled in by this watchman's excuses, clearly it became evident that he was attempting to buy time for his people so they can conceal the evidence. "Blow it up. We're going to greet them." There was no pity in his tone.

"I suggest you stand back, gatekeeper. This wall is going to explode!" The messenger warned before sniggering.

"Explode?!"

"And he finally hears." Asami let out a cruel smirk. The older vampire waved a command to his men. "Bring in my toy."

"Eeee! What is that?!" The gatekeeper's red hair stood up like a frightened cat. A cannon mounted with wheels was aimed at where he was. Unwilling to watch the weapon unleash its true power the gatekeeper scrambled for dear life.

"Halvir!" Vald and Akihito burst into the room. The sorcerer was seen dumping tomatoes into the bubbling cauldron.

"Yeah yeah, I've heard it!" Halvir grumbled a barrage of curses. To have his work tarnish midway pissed him off.

"What are you doing? We travelled far for those ingredients?!" Vald exclaimed.

"We don't have time. I can't conceal this giant pot." He walked over to Vald and placed a jar of tomato paste and a costume in his arms.

"What do you want me to do with a jar of tomato paste, and this?!" He held up the items in protest.

"We are tomato soup venders. Just act your part and go with it."

"But—"

"No buts, we don't have time."

"Aki? What's wrong?" Vald waved his palm over his cousin's blank face.

"I can't." Akihito muttered.

"Can't what?"

BOOM!

"What was that?!" Vald looked around unsettled.

"They're in!" The gatekeeper fell to his knees when he made it to the main cavern, his breathing was wheezy. The colony went into a state of shock. The enemy was able to blow their way in but they couldn't do much besides play their part.

"I...I need somewhere to hide!" Akihito stammered

"Why?" Vald looked quizzical.

"He saw me obtain that list. Asami. He saw me." He finally blurted the truth.

Halvir paused his cooking to stare disappointingly while Vald was hit with a sudden burden. "Saw you? We're denying our involvement! Why didn't you tell us earlier?!"

Akihito was quiet, he looked away, eyes were dejected as he became filled with guilt. Vald's anger softened at the sight of the pitiful vampire. "Here take my disguise I got an eyepatch somewhere, I'll find something to act my part. Asami doesn't know your smell, just as long as you don't look like yourself you should be fine. So wear this now!" Vald shoved the clothes on him promptly.

Asami and his men marched through the entry tunnel until they were greeted by Masato. The chieftain had his arms crossed over his puffed chest. "How did you get through our barrier?" He eyed the vampire lord irately, his facial muscles were straining as he tried to bite back the tirades.

"You don't need to know. I'm not here to discuss about that. I am here because I am certain that the culprit who had attacked my guests and stole an important list from my office was a member of your colony. If I find any evidence, this is the last time you bats will live in peace."

Masato scoffed at the accusation. "We have nothing to hide especially the list, we are cave dwellers not thieves."

"We shall see about that." With a quick snap of his fingers, the Silverblood legions scattered in search for five things; catapult, sorcery, werewolf suit, necklace and finally the dirty-blond vampire.

Asami completely ignored the chieftain and walked to edge where he looked down to the bottom. The cave dwellers eyed him back meanly before resuming back to their activities. The catapult had been dismantled, the wheels used as table for their board games. The thick wooden lever and frames were placed on the floor and seated as temporary stools. Children skipped with the brown ropes while a woman used the catapult cup as a bucket for her dirty laundry. This painted a very convincing picture of innocence but Asami was not dull-witted, he counted the number of circular tables but his detective thoughts were then interrupted by Masato offering him rabbit blood. This only invoked a menacing back off growl from the vampire lord.

Soldiers barged into each homely cave with no regards to privacy, they searched every crevice, tossed and rummaged through their belongings, finding no signs of sorcery or stolen jewellery thus far. As they passed by, the dwellers were wary of the enemy, one of them could be a potential participant so they set about to make themselves less appealing to the scouting eyes despite how embarrassed it made them feel. They dishevelled their hair and dirtied their clothes and skin with dirt, spat on the floor and swore as the enemy passed by, and when interrogated they responded in a brash and arrogant tone. The Silverbloods grimaced at their filthy appearance and their behaviour added another notch to their dislike. One soldier forced his way into Halvir and Vald's private quarters. Halvir remained by the boiling pot, he paused his stirring to stare expressionlessly at the intruder. Vald was dressed in a rugged tunic, he wore a black eye patch and covered his hair with a straw hat, resembling a poor farmer. Meanwhile Akihito hid in the other room. He had been disguised as a travelling merchant, whose outfit consisted of a stick on beard and a brown ponytail wig. The soldier spotted the cauldron, his inquisitive eyes swayed from the metal pot then to Halvir left and right.

Without warning he ran outside. "Lord Asami! I've found the sorcerer! He's here brewing something!" His voice echoed through the cavern, drawing everybody's attention. Masato's hair stood upwards. Was their cover blown? Asami gave him a displeased look before moving off to investigate.

"We don't have a sorcerer here. He's cooking us morning breakfast!" The chieftain obstructed his path. Asami shot him a black look, one that could spear through him before he dodged around him. Akihito could chew all of his nails off if he could. Lord Asami was coming in.

"Shit!" Kou shook Takato's collar when Asami entered the sorcerer's quarters.

"We have to do something. Psst guys this is what we have do…" Takato whispered to his fellow dwellers. The two were seated around a board game on the lower floor, dice cubes and cards sprawled out all over the catapult wheel.

Asami brushed the curtain aside, once in his golden orbs surveyed the interior. Vald was spreading tomato paste onto a soft bread slice while Halvir sprinkled salt into the soup. Akihito remained hidden, his heart pounded against his ribcage making his breathing erratic.

"Hello." Vald greeted with a cheeky grin.

"Step aside from the cauldron." Asami commanded to the silver haired. Halvir obeyed and stood aside, leaving the ladle in the pot. His movement was stiff, as if he were wearing metal armour around his body.

"You're a human. Such a pity, vampires living with their meal." The vampire lord eyes downcast to examine the red cloudy liquid. Steam was emitted in the air, followed by the aroma of irony ginger, which was odd for a tomato soup. "Are you the sorcerer providing magic for these bats?"

"I'm not a sorcerer. I'm a tomato soup cook. I am developing an alternative food option for vampires, an almost vegetarian option." There was a moment silence in the room, the vampire lord looked at him seriously, this was no joke to him, the human's claim was laughable and it wasn't convincing enough for him to believe it. Halvir demonstrated remarkable equanimity around Asami's daunting presence, anyone in his place would be nervously shaking and sweating.

The vampire lord took the ladle into his hand and swirled it around, bringing up the added ingredients from the bottom, unidentifiable debris along with a cow eyeball resurfaced. "Why is there a eyeball in here? If it were soup?"

"It adds flavour to the soup."

"If this is soup and not some potion your trying to hide, prove it." Asami stepped back, inviting the human to attest his claim. His palm indicated to the cauldron, eyes locked on with the silver haired, almost like they were participating in a staring contest and challenging one another. The atmosphere grew tense, very tense.

"Very well but first I need to add some sugar, it's not ready for tasting yet."

"Drink it." Asami ordered coldly.

"Fine." Halvir capitulated to the tyrant. He hadn't casted a spell or added anything toxic yet but it was the taste that had him worried. The silver haired raised the ladle, pausing for a brief moment as he stared at the soup of horror, bubbling like lakes of hell. Halvir scooped up a sample and brought it close to his lips before giving it a gentle blow to cool it down. Vald wanted to object, but what was he going to say? He could only watch and wince for now. With the vampire lord eyeing him and waiting to prosecute his every move, Halvir took a full gulp. Taking small sips were for cowards and he did the right thing to demonstrate his will to drink. The taste was as he predicted, vile like bitter medicine and it tortured the back of his throat. He tried to keep a still face but failed to suppress an involuntary twitch at the corner of his eyelid.

"It's a bit plain. If it were magic I'd be dead." Halvir dropped the ladle down, not gently, but carelessly as to show his indignant.

Vald jumped in. "Yes we sell this soup, it will taste almost like blood. And you people can stop preying on humans for blood. We'll even give you a discount. Order two barrels for the price of four silver coins." He held the jar of tomato paste in front of the vampire lord who did not appear to be impressed by the offer.

"I don't—" Asami scowled but was again interrupted by the chieftain. His soldier had failed to bar the brute from disrupting his interrogation.

"Ohh that soup does look yummy mhmm mhmm! It feeds the colony. This is what you need Lord Asami. Hearty soup!" Masato rubbed his belly in a circular motion.

"I'm sorry my lord. He got through." The Silverblood apologized formally.

"You can't stop me from going about in my own cave you pathetic little—" Masato angrily prodded the Silverblood on the shoulder.

"ENOUGH!" The room fell silent. Asami was frightfully mad, he was fed up with the web of lies and childish behaviour the cave dwellers were displaying. "I won't be deceived by bats! Tadao, search him for any traces of sorcery practice!" He pointed at Halvir.

"Yes sire!"

The human backed away slowly, denying vehemently. "I don't have—"

"Ahhhhhhhh!" A feminine screech pierced through the cavern hall.

"What was that?!" Asami growled, annoyed by the constant interferences. Everybody went outside to check, except for Halvir, Vald and Akihito. On the lower ground a woman ran around in circles screaming hysterically. "There's a rat in my shoe! Raaaat! Raaaat! Raaaat!" Asami sighed while frowning, again he had fallen for their antics.

"Ah rats, they're critters. Getting into people's shoes, haha its common!" Masato chortled.

"LORD ASAMI!" A voice erupted from the entrance tunnel, along with the echoes of a horse clomping. All heads swayed to the him. Out revealed Kirishima in a long cloak, his face visibly troubled as he galloped towards his leader on his Friesian stallion.

"What is it Kirishima? What ails you to come all the way here?"

"Sire our village up north, it's under heavy attack from werewolves, Fei Long and his army! They have declared war after we purged their villages!"

Asami almost lost his balance, eyes widened to the fullest before narrowing into rage. "How dare he?! Order all of our soldiers to the north now!"

"Yes sir, but a fellow villager who had escaped he says that Fei Long wants to meet with you."

"Fine, lets go!" The older vampire gritted his teeth. He whistled out loud, signalling his legions to abandon their search and to follow after him. The drama unfolded in front of the colony and they were celebrating inwardly as the Silverbloods were leaving. Meanwhile inside, spells books and scientific journals dropped down from under Halvir's robe. He had padded the items underneath his clothing in hopes to hide his work. The silver haired bent down to recollect his belongings.

Akihito emerged from his hiding. "Are they gone?" He whispered to Vald.

"Let me check." Vald went outside to confirm. "Uncle. Are they gone?"

"I think so." Masato looked fairly perplexed himself, he scratched his head as he tried to discern reality from dream.

"Chief!" Kou and Takato ran towards Masato.

"You two, go follow the Silverbloods to see if they are actually leaving our cave."

"Yes chief!" They replied in unison and sprinted off into the distant. The cave dwellers all stood, heads turned to their chief distraught for answers.

The gatekeeper rushed to Masato as Vald, Akihito and Halvir exited the quarters to stand by the chieftain. "Chief!"

"Rei, how did Asami and his men get in?"

"This weird hole metal thing with wheels. It was the size of a man!" He explained while moving his hands to describe its shape.

"They've developed a weapon to penetrate our walls. But that's against the rules, the hunt is limited to ancient weapons such as swords. This is not good!" Masato squeezed his forehead as a the new threat emerged.

"Chief, how are we going to stop them?"

"Yeah chief, what's going to happen to us?" The dwellers below grew restless, they wanted a solution that would assuage their fears. Kou and Takato later returned, they were the fastest athletes but not that good as Akihito, the blond was like a stealthy cheetah.

"They're gone, they were even sprinting. Never seen them this serious before!" Kou informed, panting at the same time.

This was the best news they've received thus far. A light of hope shone through and Masato wasn't going to let this opportunity slid. "Alright men, here's what we're going to do..."

…||[]||…

The chieftain and the dwellers gathered to resume their meeting. This time their focus was on getting rid of the explosive weapon Asami possessed. There was a looming fear of the weapon being used against them, so while the enemy was distracted by the massacre up North, this was their moment to infiltrate and find a way on how to destroy this machinery. Akihito, Kou and Takato had volunteered without hesitation. They left as soon as the meeting finished, the trio barely spoke, their ran with determination and when they arrived back at the castle, they took the same route. They tip-toed behind the castle shrubs, their scent was masked by the potion. The number of Silverbloods guarding the castle had dwindled to merely one guard per sector, evidence that an army had been summoned to aid one of their villages. Akihito and his friends were feeling fortunate.

The three waited for a maid to exit with her laundry before they snuck through the back door. The barracks was situated next to the castle west wing but the easiest route for them to access was the east. The castle was quieter than it should be, Akihito slowly opened a double door and popped his head in. The spacious hall was unlit, only the moonlight shining through the giant glass panels provided some vague details of the interior. An arm chair, padded with royal red cushion and framed by black stone was situated in the centre end of the room supported by a marble platform. This appeared to be the throne room, even though Asami was not king, some did acknowledge him as one. No guards were present here, only eerie silence. They crept inside, glancing around and listening for any movement nearby, a scent of lavender filled this hallway.

"So it takes all of that acting just to draw you bats out off your cave?" Lord Asami emerged from behind his throne, a cast of moonlight revealed the side of his face while the rest of his body remained covered by shadow. The three young vampires froze. This wasn't meant to happen.

"A—sami?! You've tricked us!" Akihito stuttered in shock, his legs trembled visibly.

"Surprised?" The vampire lord smiled, he was revelling at the sight of them panicking. Just as they were about to bolt, Asami's men had placed a rag over their mouths, they tried to resist but the smell of chemical was strong, eventually their vision became distorted and they fell into darkness...

A shift in the bed caused Akihito to shudder and force himself awake, his eyelids fluttered as he adjusted to the dim lighting of the room. He groaned and shook his groggy head. After a few seconds he recalled being captured but as he budged, he found himself chained up, his wrists were shackled apart and onto the headboard. This was not a good sign, Akihito fretted, his eyes searched wildly until they landed on Asami. The vampire lord wasted no time in showing his intentions, he leaned over with his golden eyes sending signals of amorous desires before teasing the flesh that was unclothed with a knuckle.

"What are you doing?! Let me go!" Akihito protested, his limbs flailed uncontrollably in attempts to break free and end this perverted fondling.

Asami brought his face closer to reply. "You are going to be punished. By me…"

Akihito looked horrified at the sadistic smile.