Sanguine Paradise

Chapter 12: [Day 4] – “Mysterious Death”

Day 4

Yrmel

(Scream)

Darshan and I froze in place.

"Did yer hear that?" - Me

"Yeah..." - Darshan

A moment passed where Darshan stares dumbly at me, as he usually does.

"Well get off me then!" - Me

I rolled him off me with a shove, and I rushed to my clothes. Finding Darshan's pants entangled in mine I quickly untangled them and threw them in the face of the very confused Darshan rummaging through another pile of clothes looking for them. Before a minute went by we both had our clothes on and were rushing out of the door and out into the night gloom.

"It was over by the healer's house!" - Darshan

Following him, we both sped towards the commotion and a gathering group of people over by a lonesome house. Making way through the crowd of villagers, Darshan and I managed to get into the living room where we hear and see Hannard seemingly trying his best to calm a wreck of a woman who was bawling against his broad chest.

Getting into the bedroom, Hannard, the healer's wife Yieve, Vrol the village head, were all present. Only a second later, an exhausted-looking Elias came rushing in, heaving deep breaths. I give him a questioning look at his exhausted demeanor wondering what could get him so tired at this time of hour.

"W.. (hughhh) I was... (puff) out... (hughhh) training" - Elias

I could barely understand was he was saying with him dry-heaving gulps of air but I got the gist of it.

"What the hell happened?! And why were you already here?" - Darshan

Hannard glanced at the village head Vrol and he caught on to what Hannard wanted. Walking over to Yieve he began to be the one calming her down as she was taken out of the room.

"(Sigh) I was out walking with one of the rather nice ladies of this small village when I heard the scream, so I got here first. But It would seem something killed old Maliek over there" - Hannard

He threw a thumb over his shoulder, towards the direction of the pale and gaunt figure of Maliek. Winching at his wretched current state, I walked over to the side of the bed where he lay. Getting down on my knee at the edge of the bed, I began inspecting him.

"What the hell could've done this ol' prick?" - Me

"It ain't a vampire right?" - Elias

Collectively, we all look over to Elias with a deadpan expression.

"Stop joking Elias, even if such a monster would even dare sully their precious fangs on peasants like us, we would've all been wiped out in a single breath" - Hannard

"Yeah, I know. But it's just that he's drained of blood. What the hell else could've done that?" - Elias

"Hmm... -huh? What the fuck?" - Me

Looking down towards Maliek's exposed thigh, I discovered a single weird puncture hole that had grown slightly red in contrast to the pale and wrinkly skin of his thigh.

"Oi, boys - I think I've found something 'ere." - Me

Turning on their heels, everybody assembled around me, looking at where I was pointing.

"Is that an... insect bite?" - Elias

"What the hell kinda bug could drink so much blood. Like as it was a... mo... squi..." - Elias

Slowly trailing off Elias suddenly paled, as did the rest of us.

"No-no-no, there's no way a Sanguinite Queen has appeared here at the Glades of Mordria, right?" - Elias

"W-well yeah, I guess. I've never heard of such an incident happening anywhere close to here, only ever in the southern regions of the kingdoms has there been outbreaks of a few queens appearing... but..." - Hannard

"W-w-w-wait, that insect's buzzing and what triggered my danger sense back at the glades wasn't whatever did this, right?" - Elias

Suddenly having stark realization appearing on our faces, all four of us stared at each other, both dumbfounded and horrorfied.

"W- (Urgh hum) We need to abandon the quest for the alpha horned rabbit's horn and immediately return with our findings and report to the guild. If this really is the doing of a sanguinite mosquito from a newly formed nest, we have to report it before we end up with a full-blown infestation on our hands." - Darshan

"U-uh do we have to? We might be sent back out here as guides and witnesses for the extermination parties..." - Elias

"Yeah, I wouldn't do it either if we had a choice. But we've registered on our guild quest that we would be here at the current scene. If we abandon this report, they will sooner or later find out and hang us for treason." - Darshan

(Sigh)

"C'mon yer wusses, get a hold ya' panties. It'll just be some big ass bugs we'd have to murder if ey' decide to dick us with the extermination squad." - Me

Looking at me, Darshan was about to blurt out some argument, but he ultimately sighed with a defeated look on his face. Taking a deep breath, he spoke again.

"Yeah, she's rigt-" - Darshan

"I'm always right." - Me

I said interjecting him and enjoying the slight wince that appeared on his face.

"(Sigh) We need to get his body out and buried" - Hannard

Moving over, taking my place, Hannard and Darshan began covering Maliek's gaunt frame in the blanket. Effortlessly, most likely due to their high strength stats and the fact Maliek now longer weighing all that much, they lifted him up and approached the exit. Right before leaving the room tough, Darshan stopped to look into the living room with a curious gaze, seemingly being told something by another person.

"Okay, I will." - Darshan

He responded. Redirecting his gaze at me he spoke again.

"Hey, can you grab a small wooden box that should be under the bed? Yieve said it was over by the side where Maliek laid. It's some sort of heirloom, and Yieve wants it to be buried with him." - Darshan

"Aight, I'll go get it." - Me

Kneeling down once again, I reached my hand in under the bed trying to see if I can feel any wooden object. Having to get longer in, I lowered my body a bit more to reach my whole arm under there. But no success. Just about to lower my head under the bed frame to get a better glance, I all of a sudden felt my hand touch something wooden and rectangular.

Pulling it out I saw that within my hands, lay a small wooden box.

"Got it!" - Me

Moving with the rest of my party, we left the bedroom. But just as I'm the last one to leave and about to close the door behind me, I furrowed my eyebrows, giving a glance to roam the seemingly inconspicuous bedroom.

I'm not really sure but something about my intuition feels off...

(Sigh)

It was probably just my imagination, and anyway I couldn't really worry about it now. I snuffed out all of the candles that had been lit in the house as I made my way back out with the wooden box in my hands. Stepping outside and closing the wooden door behind me, I spotted Hannard and Darshan already digging a hole not too far off from the house.

A few meters away from them, stood the wreck of a woman in the arms of the village head Vrol, who was trying his best to console her. It was only fifteen minutes later we all stood before a grave, as Maliek is slowly lowered into it. Approaching the Maliek, I bended down and placed the wooden box on his chest.

We all moved away, allowing Yieve one last glance before we started to fill the grave.

"Urgh, I signed up to be an adventurer, not a gravedigger for some peasants out in the middle of nowhere." - Elias

Hearing Elias's whisper, I slapped him over the back of his head and returned his whisper with one of my own.

"Fuck either if I care for this. But this is more of a return of hospitality for lettin' us stay 'ere." - Me

Rubbing the back of his head with an affronted expression on his face, he immediately shut his trap and continued to shovel dirt into the grave. Sighing at the folly of boys, I just gazed up into the starry midnight sky.

Looking straight at the moon, a splotch of dark suddenly appeared in my vision moving across the sky. A bit confused I rubbed my eyes and looked at the moon again but nothing was there.

This imagination of mine is really getting the better of me these days...

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