Chapter 283: At the Gates of the Demonic Cult

"This Aerys is really good in the air." Rowena commented while remaining standing on the Wyvern’s back without needing to adjust her posture even once, even with the clouds passing rapidly around them. "There’s no turbulence at all. I’ve flown on mounts that seemed like they were trying to throw their own rider off with every gust of wind."

Aerys let out a low sound upon hearing the comment, but did not slow down. Her enormous wings moved in wide, controlled intervals, taking advantage of the air currents instead of fighting against them. Victor had noticed the difference shortly after they left the mountain range. The Wyvern barely made any unnecessary movements; even when she needed to change direction, all she had to do was tilt one wing for her entire body to follow smoothly.

"It’s because of the cartilage in her wings." Fafnir explained while observing one of the enormous membranous structures flex with the wind. "Smaller Wyverns normally don’t have enough stability to take advantage of currents this wide. They need to constantly maintain speed so they aren’t pushed around or lose altitude, so they look more aggressive while flying."

Victor ran a hand over one of the plates on Aerys’s neck while listening.

"And she doesn’t have that problem?" Victor asked while looking at the shape of the wings, now paying more attention to the way the tips adjusted almost independently from one another.

"Not to that extent." Fafnir replied while pointing toward the junction between the wing and the body. "Aerys is too large for an ordinary Wyvern. Almost a Dragon in proportion, even without possessing the same true structure. Her size strengthened some racial characteristics and reduced other limitations. Those wings can support her body without depending so much on speed."

Rowena slowly nodded.

"So the big girl is basically a premium Wyvern." Rowena concluded while looking down and watching the fields pass far below them.

Fafnir made a slight grimace.

"That was a horrible way to summarize it." Fafnir replied while crossing her arms, but did not try to correct her because, in a very simplified way, Rowena was not wrong.

Victor laughed and looked forward again.

The landscape had been changing for some time. The relatively open plains had been replaced by green hills, much denser forests and narrow rivers cutting across the terrain like silver lines. In the distance, however, something much larger was beginning to completely dominate the horizon.

A mountain range.

Not like the one where he had found Aerys.

Those mountains were so large that some seemed to enter directly into the clouds. Peaks accumulated one behind another, forming a natural wall that covered practically the entire region ahead. In the center, one mountain rose above all the others by such a large margin that Victor did not even need to look at the map to suspect which one it was.

Farther below, well before the first slopes, there was a village large enough to almost be called a small city. Roads converged on it from several directions, and Victor could already make out dark rooftops, simple walls and cultivated fields around it.

"Looks like we arrived." Victor commented while pulling the map from inside his cloak and quickly comparing the drawings with the landscape below.

Rowena leaned over his shoulder.

"Are you sure?" Rowena asked while trying to interpret the markings Serafall had made.

Victor pointed toward the largest mountain.

"The Demonic Cult is at the foot of the tallest mountain on the continent." Victor replied while putting the map away again. "At least that’s what I remember."

Rowena spent a few seconds looking at the mountain.

Then turned toward Victor.

"Did you tell them you were coming?" Rowena asked while her expression changed slightly. "Because the Demonic Cult I know has never exactly been famous for welcoming unexpected visitors with tea and cookies."

Victor remained quiet for a moment.

"No." Victor replied while adjusting the hood over his head.

Rowena sighed.

"Of course not." Rowena murmured while already expecting that answer.

"It doesn’t matter." Victor added while looking toward the mountain again. "Rakshasa will feel my aura as soon as I get close. The Heavenly Demon too."

Fafnir observed Victor from the side.

"You trust that quite a lot." Fafnir commented while analyzing the enormous stretch of territory below them.

"I prefer that to sending a letter and waiting for someone to answer." Victor replied while tapping Aerys’s neck twice. "Let’s speed up."

Aerys moved one of the small ears near her head.

Victor smiled.

"Faster, Aerys." Victor asked while leaning his body slightly forward.

The Wyvern responded immediately.

Her wings beat with force.

Victor felt the air change around them before he even noticed the acceleration. The clouds began to pass like white streaks, and the sound of the wind increased drastically as Aerys advanced toward the largest mountain.

What had once seemed distant drew close in a little over a minute.

Rowena looked down as they crossed a region of forests and small villages.

"She’s absurd." Rowena commented while holding her own hair out of habit, despite her spiritual form not really needing to worry about the wind.

"I told you she was good." Victor replied while stroking the mount’s neck again.

Aerys let out a satisfied roar.

When they got close enough to the great mountain, Victor finally managed to see the true scale of the place. The peak disappeared into the clouds, and several smaller structures seemed scattered across the lower slopes. Stone roads led toward different levels, some so narrow they looked as though they had been carved directly into the rock.

At the foot of the mountain was a city much larger than Victor had imagined.

"Go down there." Victor said while pointing toward a forest near the walls, far enough from the main roads to prevent a gigantic Wyvern from causing unnecessary panic.

Aerys tilted her body.

The descent was just as smooth as the rest of the journey. She passed between the treetops and found a clearing wide enough to land without destroying half the forest.

When her paws touched the ground, only a small amount of dirt was thrown up.

Victor climbed down from her back and walked toward the Wyvern’s head.

"Good job; focus on healing now. You’re acting tough, but you’re still all banged up. And I’m not turning you into a vampire Wyvern for the time being—heal yourself." Victor commented while placing a hand on her enormous snout and slowly stroking the scales.

Aerys moved her head even closer, clearly beginning to get used to that kind of contact.

"I’ll be back soon." Victor continued while looking toward the city through the trees. "It’s better if you stay here. I don’t want to scare anyone before I even find out where the entrance is."

Aerys let out a low sound.

Victor did not know whether that meant agreement or simply that she was too comfortable to argue.

"If anyone tries to steal you, you can eat them." Victor added while giving her snout another pat.

Rowena looked at him.

"That isn’t going to reduce the number of frightened people very much." Rowena commented while Victor began walking.

"They just shouldn’t try to steal my Wyvern." Victor replied without any concern while pulling the hood over his face.

Fafnir let out a small laugh and followed the two.

Victor crossed the forest in a few minutes and found a dirt road leading directly toward the city. The sun was high and, even with the cloak covering almost his entire body, the light hitting his hands and part of his face was beginning to bother him.

He pulled the hood even farther forward.

"Being a Vampire has its disadvantages too." Victor murmured while observing a small reddened area appearing on two fingers that had been exposed for too long.

"You’ve been complaining about that since we left." Fafnir commented while walking beside him.

"Because it keeps being inconvenient." Victor replied while hiding his hands inside the sleeves. "I can regenerate an arm, but I have to walk around dressed like a criminal because the sun decided to hate me."

Rowena let out a laugh.

"At least it matches the place." Rowena replied while discreetly pointing toward the people beginning to appear on the road.

Victor quickly understood what she meant.

The difference from the Vampire Realm was obvious.

In vampire territory, especially near the major cities, well-tailored clothing, carefully worked stone architecture and noble family symbols appeared everywhere. Even warriors usually showed some concern for appearance and etiquette.

Here, everything seemed more practical.

Men and women walked along the roads wearing long robes secured by sashes around the waist. Some were simple, made from light fabrics without any decoration, while others carried embroidered patterns probably indicating families, schools or some type of martial organization. Swords were as common as bags. Spears rested across travelers’ shoulders. Some carried broad sabers, others weapons Victor did not immediately recognize.

The most interesting thing was their posture.

Almost everyone looked trained.

Even merchants.

Victor passed an elderly woman selling fruit who possessed an energy presence stronger than several ordinary guards he had encountered in the Vampire Realm.

"This place is interesting." Victor commented while discreetly looking at a man carrying two enormous jars over his shoulders as if they weighed nothing.

"Regions near major martial organizations end up like this." Rowena explained while observing two children practicing movements with staffs beside a shop. "Cultivation becomes part of the culture. Even people who don’t intend to become warriors learn the basics."

Victor entered through the gates without any difficulty.

The guards only glanced at his clothes and continued working. Apparently, hooded travelers were not particularly unusual.

Inside the walls, the city was even busier.

Dark wooden houses occupied both sides of the wide streets. Red and black lanterns hung from several establishments, even though it was still daytime. Small restaurants kept tables practically on the sidewalk, while vendors shouted offers for medicinal herbs, weapons, talismans, pills and ingredients Victor did not recognize.

At one corner, two men argued over the price of a sword.

At another, a girl carried three stacked boxes on a single arm.

Farther ahead, a man was literally sitting on the roof of a house drinking calmly while watching the movement below.

Victor liked the place almost immediately.

"Very different from home." Victor commented while slowing down slightly to observe the buildings more closely.

Fafnir looked at everything with even greater interest.

She did not speak much, but Victor could easily notice her eyes moving between shop windows, weapons, old objects and anything that seemed even slightly unusual.

"Are you controlling yourself?" Victor asked while looking at her from the side.

"I’m observing." Fafnir replied while maintaining as much dignity as possible.

Victor saw her eyes stop on a small shop filled with jade pieces.

"You want to go inside." Victor commented while a smile appeared on his face.

"Later." Fafnir replied without taking her eyes off the display. "First we find your Cult."

Victor nodded and began looking for someone who seemed to know where he should go.

The problem was that no one seemed to have signs saying exactly where the Demonic Cult was located.

He continued through a few streets until he found a nearly empty small teahouse. A middle-aged man sat at the entrance, cleaning a cup with a cloth while watching the movement.

Victor approached.

"Can I ask a question?" Victor asked while stopping in front of the entrance.

The man raised his eyes toward the hood.

"Depends on the question." The merchant replied while continuing to clean the cup, apparently unconcerned by the visitor’s suspicious appearance.

"I’m looking for the Demonic Cult." Victor said directly while looking toward the enormous mountain visible above the rooftops.

The cloth stopped.

The merchant examined Victor again.

"Are you a disciple?" the man asked while placing the cup on the table.

"No." Victor replied while keeping his hands in his pockets.

"Do you have an invitation?" the merchant continued while narrowing his eyes.

"No to that too." Victor replied with the same calmness.

The man remained silent for a few seconds.

"Then you’re brave." He concluded while picking up another cup to clean. "Or you don’t know what you’re getting into."

Victor smiled beneath the hood.

"I’ve heard that before." Victor replied while waiting for the directions.

The merchant pointed toward the end of the street with his chin.

"Follow it to the north gate." The man explained while returning to work. "Then take the mountain road. You’ll find three forks. At the first, left. At the second, right. At the third, take neither."

Victor blinked.

"What do you mean, take neither?" Victor asked while trying to decide whether the man was joking.

"Go straight." The merchant replied while shrugging. "There’s a stone wall. If you have enough reason to reach the Cult, you’ll figure out the rest."

Victor looked at Rowena.

She shrugged.

Fafnir seemed amused by it.

"Right." Victor replied while taking a coin from the pouch Serafall had given him and placing it on the table. "Thanks."

The merchant looked at the coin.

"If you die, I don’t give refunds." He commented while quickly pocketing it.

"Fair." Victor replied before walking away again.

The indicated route ended up being surprisingly simple.

Victor left through the north gate and found the road slowly climbing the slope. The traffic decreased as he left the city behind. Merchants disappeared first, then ordinary travelers, until only a few people wearing similar training clothes remained.

At the first fork, he turned left.

At the second, right.

At the third, he really did find two roads.

He ignored both.

He continued straight along a narrow trail almost hidden by vegetation.

A few minutes later, he reached the wall.

"He wasn’t joking." Victor commented while looking at the enormous rock formation completely blocking the path.

There was no gate.

No door.

No obvious symbol.

Only a vertical wall dozens of meters high.

Rowena approached and examined the stone.

"Formation." Rowena commented while noticing small changes in the surrounding energy. "A good one."

Fafnir observed as well.

"It isn’t meant to prevent entry by force." Fafnir replied while crossing her arms. "It’s meant to hide."

Victor placed one hand against the wall.

He felt it immediately.

There was energy circulating behind the stone.

A lot of it.

More importantly, there were presences.

Hundreds.

Maybe thousands.

Victor smiled.

"So this is the place." Victor commented while removing his hand from the wall.

He thought for a few seconds about how he should announce his arrival.

He could knock.

He could look for the mechanism.

He could simply break the formation.

The last option would probably be considered rude.

Victor chose the simplest solution.

He stood in front of the wall, put his hands in his pockets and allowed his aura to escape.

Not all of it.

Just enough.

His vampiric presence slowly began to fill the trail. Black Ice appeared subtly beneath his feet, a few small bolts of lightning ran across the stones and, mixed into all of it, there was the energy Rakshasa would certainly recognize.

Victor waited.

For a few seconds, nothing happened.

Then the mountain responded.

The stones in front of him began to vibrate.

Black lines appeared across the wall, forming symbols Victor did not recognize. The formation’s energy reorganized itself and an opening began to appear in the center of the rock.

Narrow at first.

Then wide enough for one person to pass through.

On the other side was an enormous stone staircase leading into the mountain.

Several men and women dressed in black stood around the entrance.

All armed.

All looking directly at Victor.

An older man stepped forward while keeping his hand close to the hilt of his saber.

"Identify yourself." The man ordered while the pressure of his energy slowly increased.

Victor looked at the group.

Then at the long staircase behind them.

Finally.

He removed one hand from his pocket and pulled the hood back, revealing his face.

"Victor Valentine." Victor replied while a calm smile appeared on his lips. "I came to get Rakshasa."