Ascension of the Nephilim

Deep inside the Nephilim Sealing Temple...

Aron, Branze, and the Knights were busy fulfilling the many tasks that Kyros gave.

The team had already cleared out the Storage room as was instructed. The sets of items that Kyros sent from the outpost had also been cleared out and brought outside.

A set of tables and a few cushions which were used as beds were present. Kyros had sent various items, which came as a great relief to everyone. And since Kyros would be sending more items, the group.

  Since Kyros would be delivering item after item, he asked the team to make more items.

"This is really helpful. We should start listing what we need to Kyros." Branze nodded.

"Right. It\'s a very convenient way to get stuff in. What do we need?"

"For the current mission we have, we need a caravan or a cart to help us bring the items that he wants to carry. Although we don\'t have horses, anything with wheels can greatly help us moving around this place. Especially since we will be mining ores."

"Right it down on the notebook. If Kyros reads it, he might look for it soon."

"Alright." Branze wrote on the notebook that they needed a cart. 

"My lord, can you ask for Kyros to bring more tasty treats! Not that I\'m complaining, but I do miss meat. If Lord Kyros finds some..." A knight mentioned.

"You imbeciles! Don\'t you know that it\'s already hard for my son-"

"Brother. I want meat too. Kyros is strong. Bringing in meat should be easy for him." Aron chuckled.

"...Fine." 

"How about some bathing tools? We can relax at the deep underground river that Lord Kyros found the other day."

"Right. The villagers have those scented soaps they use for the pools they make in the southern part of the mountain. Maybe Kyros could go on a trip."

"My Lord... If it\'s not much of a trouble... Can Lord Kyros also look for some music box? I use to sleep well." A knight asked.

"Leg warmers for me."

"A new bag would be good." Another knight added.

"..." Branze and Aron glanced at their men.

Branze sighed and began to list the items as the rest suddenly recounted what they want.

After writing the last entry among the request, the notebook suddenly disappeared.

"Oh? Just in time. Kyros decided to get the notebook."

Along the way, Kyros would randomly get the notebook to see if there were any added entries or add new orders to the notebook.

But for some strange reason, Kyros kept his orders vague and left it up to his father to think or connect the dots.

"I hope that our requests aren\'t too much for Lord Kyros." The knight who requested a music box, a new traveling bag, boots, and delicious fruity treats sighed.

Branze was gritting his teeth at the comment of this knight but said nothing.

"Kyros will go over the things according to priority. I\'m sure that he will try to look for a cart and caravan. As for your other request, don\'t expect it to be sent soon! With all your crazy requests, I\'m sure that my son will get mad and chastise you all! Even you, brother!" Branze vowed.

Suddenly several carts and horse-driven carriages appeared.

"Is that a... cart?!" Aron was amazed.

"It\'s not just some cart. The wheels are actually designed for traveling on rocky roads!" Aron exclaimed.

"This has got to be some coincidence. Kyros might have seen several carts in the outpost that he said he is in..." Branze thought to himself.

"A music box!"

"Nice! Leg warmers!"

"Hey! Isn\'t this the famous Airom Vagat Mountain Spring Salt used for baths! Amazing!"

"Wow! These are good swords! Not as good as the Earth Swords, but this could be useful!" Another knight exclaimed.

"Wow! Vagat Boar meat! A rare, high-class ingredient!" Another knight\'s mouth watered. Aron ran and checked on the meat.

"Men! Tonight we feast on meat!" Aron cheered.

Branze spotted the notebook among the pile. He took it and opened the pages.

All of the items he had just listed were crossed out.

"See, Lord Branze! You were worried over nothing!" A knight laughed.

Branze was slightly irritated by being proven wrong.

"Move out the items. Kyros still has a huge caravan to send in." Branze ordered.

"Hey, bro! See! Kyros is this capable! You should consider writing impossible things instead!" Aron laughed.

"I might do that."

Branze began to scribble something on the notebook and showed it to everyone.

Written prominently and with large letters, the request was \'a wife for your uncle Branze."

The knights laughed, and Aron himself laughed as the carts were being moved out.

Suddenly, the notebook in Branze\'s hand disappeared.

"Let\'s see how Kyros will fare. Will he succeed like the last?" Branze laughed. His son had humiliated him. Just as he was thinking of this, a large caravan appeared again.

"There\'s the last haul. Branze pointed at it and found the notebook again.

He opened it and curiously looked for Kyros\'s reply.

Aron also took a peek. 

Their smirking expressions changed as they saw a very beautiful painting.

"This is...?! Isn\'t this the girl you liked at that tournament?!" Branze was amazed.

The crest belonged to the Bowheart clan. And along with it was a magically preserved image depicting the face of Martha.

In the notebook, Kyros wrote his reply.

"Can\'t send humans directly to the Temple. I\'ll bring uncle\'s wife back together. Uncle may need to rescue her sister. More details next time."

"Wha-what?!" Aron was shocked.

Meanwhile, Kyros was absorbing the blood of the rest of the knights they had killed. They took out the armor of the knights and sent them to the temple. Kyros was busy absorbing blood to recover all the mana he depleted from sending those things in.

"Alright. This should do it." Kyros stood up. Around him were sixteen ghouls. Adding the eight ghouls they left with Scarlet and Gregory, the Coven had twenty-four ghouls in total.

"Let\'s continue moving!" Kyros ordered as they traveled northward.

The vampires and the ghouls began to sprint with fast speed towards the top of the mountain.

Back in the outpost...

A conversation to convince Martha continued. Scarlet and Gregory eventually found a great argument that practically made Martha listen.

The Airom Vagat mountain range is a region that was founded by the collaboration of various kingdoms. Just as the other side of the mountain range consisted of a series of forts constructed by the different orc kingdoms, this region was usually considered to have its own culture. 

It took years and years of diplomatic offers, compromises, and collaboration until the chaotic region found a system. All knights in this area would work together even if some kingdoms were enemy kingdoms. The ore, the metal, and other resources were just too valuable to give to the orcs.

But despite the chaos, this region was primarily untouched by the orcs and other races. Aside from avoiding a conflict that will spur all human kingdoms in the lowlands, the other races had already entered into lucrative deals with the humans, which relied heavily on the mountain region\'s resources.

The peace that this land experienced made it an ideal place for most soldiers, knights, and other kingdom officers to stay in. While patrols and security were the one thing the soldiers didn\'t treat with contempt, everything else in line with their duties was largely ignored.

The many towns and cities that developed over time were lawless. Too many kingdoms, each with their agendas, made murder very common in this region. 

Scarlet and Gregory, who grew up here, used this knowledge to convince Martha to join their team.

"So that\'s your argument? This place is bad in the first place, and that gives your lord the right to kill them?" Martha challenged.

"Well, he doesn\'t have the right. But we\'ve already told you. The Steele family is in a bind. Very soon, they\'ll die out. Would you rather a wicked and corrupt family would survive or one that upholds justice?" Scarlet asked.

"Is it alright if we put it here?" Gregory asked.

Scarlet and Gregory, and the ghouls began to move the many woods they have from dismantling the tallest wooden tower in the outpost. This wooded tower was suppose to be used as a beacon to warn the other groups when the outpost would be attacked. Martha ordered the group to dismantle it and after weakening the joints and clearing out the large flammable oil and wood on the top, Scarlet and Gregory managed to collapse the entire thing with the help of the ghouls. 

"These logs are made of Amber Ordin trees. Unless they plan to slowly cut through this tree, not even level thirty warriors can cut it down." Gregory noticed the wood used that made up the entire outpost and even the tower.

"What\'s going on anyway?" Scarlet asked.

"I don\'t know... But I feel that a threat is coming. I just know it. Thank you for agreeing to do this. Can you communicate with your Master? Just in case the threat that I feel is too dangerous..."

"No. Right now, our Coven level is too low. Lord Kyros said it might be possible when our Coven level increases. But right now, only he can command us, but we can\'t communicate with him." Gregory answered.

"Then prepare for battle. I am not fit to fight the coming enemies."

"There is a way to heal you. Kyros left a lot of his blood here. If you allow us to turn you and drink the blood of Lord Kyros, you will become one of us. But that means you\'d be giving your life to Lord Kyros and will be joining our Coven. If you do this, you may drink the blood of the remaining corpses and heal."

Martha was in deep thought. The threat seemed to increase as time went by slowly.

"For now, we continue setting up these traps. I don\'t know what will come that\'s making me feel uneasy, but it should be a force that\'s many times stronger than my former companions in this outpost."

Scarlet and Gregory had solemn expressions as they heard that.

"You can choose to leave. I will stay to fulfill my duty as a watcher of this post. The enemies that are coming here are strong. You can try to catch up with your lord and escape."

Scarlet and Gregory looked at each other.

"We refuse. Our orders were to stay here and convince you to be our allies. There is no way we can convince you if you are dead."

Martha smiled.

"You two seem rather courageous for your age."

"We\'ve died once and faced horrors that make warriors as you faint. It\'s normal." Scarlet laughed.

"Fine. Then I appreciate this. Follow my plans and set up more traps. If the enemy is too strong, then you may turn me into a vampire."