The Greatest Sinner

Bas was a trusted man of Count Rosl. He was calm, judicious, and, most importantly, a strong mage. Bas was an excellent commander and was capable of making good decisions. He had long lived in Vextin and was well acquainted with everyone who had at least some influence. Naturally, he knew Viscount Pol very well.

"Damn! All right, I have faith in you, Mr. Bas. Please go as soon as possible, they may want to kill my daughter in their hideout. I don't know their aims, but it's quite possible." Said Viscount Pol.

He wanted to join the rescue operation, but he could not ignore Count Rosl's request. Moreover, he trusted Bas and believed that the people here were strong enough to save his daughter.

There were several nobles in Vextin, but one of the most important was Count Rosl. He ruled most of the town and most of the nobles here respected him. He was a close friend of Viscount Pol, so he immediately sent one of his best men to help him.

Bas nodded and, looking at Evan, and the others calmly said, "The operation will be effortless. My assistants will track down the vampires. We will sneak into their lair and rescue Miss Laila. After rescuing Viscount Pol's daughter, we will decide to destroy their lair. If there are not too many vampires, then we will attack immediately. If not, then we return to Vextin, and this case falls under the jurisdiction of Count Rosl. We leave in 30 minutes, my men will be here shortly. Everyone who contributes to the rescue of Miss Laila will receive a thank you and a reward from Count Rosl. Is that clear to you?"

The mages nodded. At this point, the squad consisted of eight people. Evan, Aimee, Bas, and his two assistants, and three other people decided to help Viscount Pol. Such a group was enough to destroy the den of monsters of the first rank easily. But they shouldn't have been rash. The vampires were strong, and there could be about a hundred opponents in their hideout.

Bas said goodbye to Viscount Pol and went to the banquet hall. This was where the vampires had attacked, so this was where they would begin their pursuit.

...

As Bas said, thirty minutes later, everything was ready. They were joined by a squad of eight mages, each of them on stage - One-Pointed Star with one flame.

Bas was the strongest in this squad, and he was the only one in the One-Pointed Star stage with three flames.

When everyone was assembled, Bas nodded to his assistants, and they quickly cast two special spells. The man's eyes glowed with a faint golden light, the girl stood quietly in place with her eyes closed.

Their searching methods differed. The man used a spell to see the slightest trace left by vampires. Moreover, he could easily see the mana particles the vampires had left behind.

The girl used a spell that greatly enhanced her sense of smell. At this point, she could plot the entire route the vampires had taken by smell alone.

After about a minute, Bas signaled, and the entire squad followed the vampires' trail. Evan was at the end of the group.

<These spells are pretty useful, but I can spot small trails without using special spells. I wonder which is better: his spell or my eyes?>

At the exact moment, Evan used Mammon's Gaze. He wanted to check the status of everyone who was here. Moreover, while using Mammon's Gaze, Evan's vision got even better. Even considering it was now dark, he could see every trace, every broken branch.

<Hmm, judging by the stage, I'm one of the weakest in this group. I wonder how strong Bas is? Count Rosl personally sent him and apparently, Viscount Pol trusts him. Hopefully, we'll get this sorted out quickly, and I can go home.>

Evan didn't think a simple banquet could turn into a vampire chase, yet it did. Viscount Pol, offered a good reward for his help, and Evan couldn't refuse such a lucrative offer.

...

After about an hour, Bas stopped the group. They had already left Vextin and were outside of it. There was nothing around them but layers of snow and massive mountains.

The girl turned and said, "It's here, all the tracks lead there."

"I think so too." Calmly said the man with the shining eyes.

Bas nodded and said quietly, "We're out of luck. Their base turned out to be a cave, but an unusual one. This cave is the entrance to the abandoned mines where the Flame Crystals were mined fifty years ago. Most likely, they will be waiting for us and may have even prepared traps. There is no other entrance to this cave, but we will have some advantages."

He nodded to the girl, and she immediately cast some kind of spell. A large, white magic circle appeared above the group. It slowly descended through each member of the group.

The vampires couldn't see them, as they were behind a large boulder far away from the cave. Moreover, the weather was not clear. The snowstorm gradually intensified, such a phenomenon was not uncommon for Vextin.

When the magic circle disappeared, everyone noticed a thin shell on themselves. It had a similar effect to Avice's spell in the battle in The Hills of Bloody Falls.

Their footsteps were barely audible now. What's more, as long as the shell was still there, their footsteps would be silent.

<It's not invisible, but it's not bad either. With this spell, we'll be able to get close to the entrance without being seen. What's more, this shell is only 10% transparent. Considering how much snow there is, if we duck, it's impossible to see us. Now we look like small, piles of snow.>

The silent effect wasn't the only advantage of this spell. The white, mostly non-transparent shell worked like camouflage.

Bas dal knew, and the group slowly headed toward the cave entrance. Even if a few vampires were guarding the entrance, Bas could easily kill them quickly and silently. Bas was the Creator, and his assistants were the Summoners. Bas was the core of their small team, while his comrades made him several times more potent.

It was in such situations that the Summoners were the most welcome allies. Without this spell, the group might have been spotted by now.

As expected, two vampires were patrolling outside the entrance. Bas gave the command for everyone to stay where they were and approached them alone. When he was close enough, he cast a spell.

Two sharp, icy spikes appeared beside him and flew toward the vampires with a bullet. The spikes pierced the vampires' heads quickly. Moments later, the spikes turned into multiple needles that tore the vampires' heads apart.

The games themselves were not powerful, no human or monster would die from such a wound if you didn't hit the critical points. However, such a tearing of flesh was like a silent explosion. Such an attack was truly formidable.

Bas signaled, and the group moved on. The cave itself was quite small, but the abandoned mines were a whole system of different tunnels.

<These vampires were quite strong. But, Bas was able to kill them in just a few seconds. However, he had the effect of surprise on his side.> Thought Evan and headed after the group.

Bas said quietly, "First, we have to find Miss Laila. Her safety is our most important concern. Once we find her location, we will save her quickly. Regardless of how many vampires are guarding her, we must kill them all. With all the vampires we meet on the way, they will be dealt with without too much noise. Use only silent spells."

Bas was an experienced commander. Time was not on their side, so Bas acted on the situation. He gave commands and acted immediately.

<They stole this girl and didn't even go on to attack Viscount Pol. She is definitely important to them, but why? Isn't she just a regular mage with a purple Warp?>

Evan didn't like this situation. If possible, he wouldn't want to fight all the vampires in these abandoned mines. Evan was sure that only a fraction of the vampires came to the banquet.

<If she's that important, she'll probably be protected by all the vampires that are here.>