Chapter 197 - We Start Again

Groo, Kuma, and the other orc family heads had recovered.

As soon as they heard that their lord had left his private space, they came running to greet and thank him for saving their lives.

Kuma, the leader of the Gnoll Tribe, is also with them.

They’ve been vampires for a long time now, because of this, they already adjusted to their body so they recovered fast.

"Lord Verc!"

Groo called out, his booming voice echoing across the courtyard as he and the others approached.

Groo immediately dropped to one knee, lowering his head until it nearly touched the ground. Kuma and the rest of the family heads instantly followed suit, kneeling in a circle around their master.

"We owe you our lives once more, Lord Verc."

Groo declared, his voice trembling slightly with emotion.

"We are eternally bound to your service."

Kuma, nodded firmly, his sharp eyes filled with deep gratitude.

"The Gnoll Tribe had been until alive today solely because of your mercy, Lord Verc. Once again, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts."

Standing slightly behind the group, Pwyll, Bernia, and Rick—the three humans had endured the transformation as well and successfully recovered.

They stepped forward, bowing respectfully to Verc. Though they looked somewhat paler than before, their vital signs were completely stable, and the heavy physical trauma they had suffered during Morcant’s raid was entirely gone.

Though, Nara and Onyx are still included to those who are still in the midst of transformation.

Verc glanced toward the back section of the facility, a faint flicker of concern passing through his red eyes. He knew those two kids were still fighting for their lives on the stone beds inside.

Anyway, Verc greeted the 10 of them with a light smile on his face, he was genuinely glad to see them doing well.

"Stand up, all of you."

Verc said softly, waving his hand slightly to gesture for them to rise.

"I am genuinely glad to see you all on your feet and doing well. You don’t need to bow so low."

Groo and the others stood up, though their postures remained exceptionally respectful.

Then not long after them—Grainne, the leader of the agriculture team, arrived as well.

She was one of the first to wake up, she and her team were away from the village experimenting with mutated plants when Morcant attacked.

Though they were caught by his mana wave and some attacks, they only lost consciousness and sustained minor injuries.

"Lord Verc!"

Grainne called out as she jogged toward the group.

With her are the whole agriculture team; the three beast women and the five dark elves. Their new members, the three elves and the dryad was tailing behind them.

"We came as soon as we heard you were awake."

Grainne said, breathing a slight sigh of relief as she bowed to him.

"We were out near the western fields when the wave of pressure hit us. By the time we woke up, everything was... like this."

"Are all of you alright?"

Verc asked, looking over her team.

"Yes, my lord. None of us suffered critical injuries, mostly just minor cuts from falling branches when the shockwave blew through the tree line."

Grainne replied quickly.

And after them, Aodh and the other dwarves arrived.

They were in the smithy during the attack, it was destroyed and collapsed when Morcant attacked, burying them in the rubble... But their bodies are naturally tough so they survived it.

They were hidden from Morcant’s sight because of this as well, saving all of them.

Aodh wiped some soot from his forehead as he stepped up to Verc, letting out a loud, gruff laugh despite the heavy situation.

"Hah! It’ll take more than a collapsing roof to crush a dwarf, Lord Verc!"

Aodh exclaimed, clapping his heavy hands together.

"The stone forge gave way when that demon released his aura, but the main beams held long enough for us to be crushed like bugs."

Verc greeted them all.

Even them, Verc made them drink his blood and transformed them into vampires while they were passed out.

He had made sure to give every single one of them his blood while they lay unconscious, not leaving anyone in the village.

Verc looked at Grainne, Aodh, and their respective teams, his expression becoming serious.

"While you were all unconscious, I gave each of you my blood."

Verc stated calmly, his voice carrying a steady weight.

"You have all been turned into vampires as well, just like me and the others."

He paused, looking directly into their eyes.

"Do you resent me for making that decision without asking for your permission first?"

The group fell silent for a short second, looking at one another.

But in unison, they shook their heads.

Grainne was the first to speak, stepping forward with a warm, resolute expression on her face.

"Resent you, Lord Verc? Never."

Grainne said firmly.

"We know why you did it. You did it to save us, and to give us the strength to protect ourselves from future harm. We are grateful for your gift."

Aodh let out another short laugh, nodding his head repeatedly.

"Aye! Being a vampire just means I can hammer iron longer without getting tired! You saved our skins, Lord Verc, and none of us are foolish enough to complain about getting stronger."

Verc was glad to hear that. A small burden lifted off his shoulders knowing that his people understood his intentions and accepted the transformation without fear or bitterness.

*****

It wasn’t just the officers, the gnolls and orcs who had recovered came over to greet and thank their leader as well for saving them.

Dozens of villagers gathered near the entrance of the newly built facility, stepping forward in small groups to express their loyalty and gratitude. The Orc warriors, the Gnoll hunters, and the surviving citizens all looked up at Verc with absolute reverence, recognizing the immense effort he had put into saving every single life he could reach.

This genuinely made Verc happy.

Seeing the warmth and life returning to the settlement brought a rare feeling of comfort to his chest.

Though... The anger within him didn’t disappear.

He looked past the crowd of smiling faces toward the empty, ruined pathways of the village.

Their village’s original population was over a hundred... A lot of them are gone.

The quiet emptiness where houses used to stand was a harsh reminder of the price they had paid. The loss of so many citizens left an ache in his chest that no amount of victory or blood could wash away.

And so, with a resolute look on his face—

Verc raised his hand, and the crowd instantly went silent, every pair of eyes focusing entirely on him.

"Listen to me, everyone."

Verc spoke, his voice echoing clearly across the place, carrying an unshakeable, powerful tone.

"We suffered a heavy loss. A monster came into our home, destroyed our buildings, and took the lives of our brothers and sisters."

He looked over the faces of the Orcs, Gnolls, Dwarves, Elves, and Humans standing before him.

"I have already eliminated the threat, but that is not enough. We cannot simply rebuild this village back to the way it was before. We are going to fortify this entire territory. We will construct thick outer walls, establish defensive watchtowers, and turn this base into an impenetrable fortress."

The crowd listened intently, their eyes shining with newfound determination.

"I cannot do this alone."

Verc continued, his eyes scanning the crowd.

"I need every single one of you. The smiths, the builders, the farmers, and the warriors—we will work together to make sure that no enemy ever sets foot in our home again."

"We are with you, Lord Verc!"

Groo shouted, raising his heavy fist into the air.

"Rebuild! Fortify!"

Aodh bellowed, followed immediately by the roaring cheers of the entire population.

Verc offered them a firm nod, his expression resolute.

"For today, rest up and recover your strength."

Verc commanded, waving his hand slightly toward the facility.

"Eat, sleep, and take care of your bodies. And tomorrow—"

"We start again."