Apocalypse Reset: My Crab Can Heal the World! - Chapter 63

Chapter 63: A City of 10000
When Barns next wakes up, it’s already the next morning. Seems the town of Ordella made it through the night unscathed.

It’s still early. Barns equips his gear and gets ready to head out. Right before he does, he’s interrupted by a knock at the door.

“Hello,” Comes a soft voice. He recognizes it.

“Eldrie. Come on in.”

The door opens, and the former vampire steps in. He gives his signature salute before speaking.

“If you’re here, I take it you made it back to Dimartino okay?”

Eldrie nods. “That’s right. I heard from Clancy about Yunie…”

Barns closes his eyes. He doesn’t need to respond.

“Everyone is happy to leave you to do what you need, sir, so I am sorry to bother you…but one of the citizens of Ordella would like to speak to you. May I let him in, sir?”

“Of course.”

A new face appears from the other side of the door. A sallow, skinny man, though quite a bit taller than Barns. He peers at the hero with hollow, observant eyes. All of the man, from his eyes, to his hair, to his clothes, were a shade of verdant green.

“Nice to meet you,” Barns says, his voice still somewhat distant and empty. He’s got Yunie on the mind. He needs to get back to Dimartino, and to Roscoe – to tell the young Adventurer what happened. “What can I do for you?”

The man bows. “It is a pleasure,” he says, his eyes darting over Barns, reading his body language intently. He notices the slouch in the hero’s shoulders and the way he avoids eye contact.

“My name is Skado, and I am a Poisoner by trade. Though what I would like to talk about is not any of that, but rather where I am from.”

“I’m Barnacles, but you can call me Barns. So where are you from, Skado?”

“To the north of the Pale Court, there is a hidden city where humans live. We are ten thousand strong, with many warriors and users of the Secret Arts. We are one of the last bastions of humanity, and I have come to find you, Barnacles. We wish to ally with your kingdom.”

“A city of humans?” Barns can hardly believe the words. From what he understood, all of humanity has been wiped out – other than those he resurrected.

‘Ten thousand…that more than doubles the kingdom.’

“We live hidden in a large underground shelter, in a place where the monsters cannot reach. But my city is in danger, Barns. The twin vampires that occupied Ordella discovered our city not long ago. I have acted as a scout here in Ordella for several weeks, even branded myself to fit in.” Skado pulls back his collar and reveals an ‘X’ shaped brand on his neck.

“You could’ve just worn a turtleneck,” Eldrie says.

Skado continues talking. “Anyway, am I correct in saying that Adon and Adea are still out there, alive?”

“I only saw Adon,” Barns admits. “He got away, yes. Adea could be anywhere.”

“Actually, sir – if I may. It appears that Maria and Osmond defeated Master Vampire Adea. Though I do not know the full details…they were both critically injured, and were taken somewhere by Underhill.”

Barns frowns. Somehow, he didn’t like the sound of them being ‘taken care of’ by Underhill. Still, he’s proud of his allies – they took out Adea. The loss of Maria and Osmond during the counterattack on Ordella hit Barns hard, and he’s glad to hear that they were handling things on their own end.

“So they figured out how to kill a Master Vampire. Damn. Good on them,” Skado notes. “They’re the one enemy I’ve never been able to crack.”

“Actually, they didn’t kill her,” Eldrie starts again, face-palming. “Okay. I have a lot to explain. But it ends in good news!”

Barns and Skado strap in for the briefing.

“Now, none of this is first-hand knowledge…but apparently, Adea was still alive after Maria and Osmond fought her. Maria trapped her, somehow. But when they sent back a team to collect Adea, she was totally dead! And EATEN!”

“Lovely news,” Barns says.

“Ah, but then there is also the matter of Lord Osmond. He DID figure out how to kill a Master Vampire, and so they’re going to try and make a weapon!”

“Quite a series of developments,” Barns grins. “But Osmond and Maria – are they going to pull through?”

“It seems Osmond is fine,” Eldrie says. “Maria had a complicated wound, but…if you could believe it, Underhill was able to patch her right up!”

“Good, good. I didn’t realize Underhill was a medic. Excuse me, Eldrie. I fear we’ve been rude to our guest, Skado.”

The young poisoner smiles. “It is quite alright. I am as vested in the extermination of these vampires as you are. Might I prod you for details later, Eldrie?”

The former vampire nods. Skado directs his attention to Barns after.

“The entrance to my city has successfully remained hidden for the last twelve years, Barns. I would like to bring you there.”

“I appreciate the offer, Skado, and I will join you…but there’s something I have to take care of in Dimartino first, and that’s not negotiable.”

Barns averts his eyes to the ground. He must tell Roscoe what happened to Yunie – the boy should hear it from Barns. Not someone else.

Skado’s eyes follow Barns’, and he stares at the same spot of floor. ‘Does he see something here?’ Skado asks himself, overanalyzing the situation.

“Eldrie, I’ll take Skado to the kingdom. Can you let Clancy know, and hold down the fort here?”

“Of course, sir,” Eldrie bows, giving a claw salute. “I’ll report to His Majesty the crab shortly.”

As Barns and Skado leave Ordella to check back in at Dimartino, Haima is walking down the street. She catches a glimpse of Barns right as he leaves the city. Initially, she is spurred onward, and takes a few quick steps to catch up – but she quickly stops herself.

“I’m sure he’s busy,” Haima says quietly.

‘And tired. Yesterday must have been so difficult on him…I got off lucky, only losing a little bit of blood.’

Her mind focuses on her immediate surroundings. Ordella was a cautious and quiet town, at least right now. Some of the town’s native citizens remain holed up in their homes, fearful of retaliation.

She plays with her pocket. The cube of flesh that was once Incantra is long gone – Haima used it to replenish her own blood stores. Still, she managed to make a few morsels from the gators and chickens they killed yesterday. It’s enough to keep her going for the next few days.

Haima’s eyes shift to the sky. Her power is as much of a blessing as it is a curse, for it brought with it the need to consume fresh blood every day – not unlike a vampire, in some ways.

Haima tries to settle the thought, but it nags at her. The similarities between vampires and the Gore family’s Secret Art are often hard for Haima to ignore.

In her heart, she knows the truth. The original vampire, the one responsible for the entire Vampire Apocalypse, was a Gore.

‘Guess that makes us blood relatives,’ Haima huffs, unaware of the significance of such a revelation.

She may be the only person alive who could kill the leader of all vampires.