From the highest heavens, the mood spiralled back down to the deepest depths.

"YOU SHOULD HAVE SAID THAT EARLIER ASSSSSSHOOOOOLE!!"

The tense air was shattered by a roar that sent tremors in its wake. Vernon's eyes swelled, as he gritted his teeth with an aura forming around his skin.

In that instant, he picked up Taylor's unconscious body and like a blitz of lightning, left the scene heading towards the path through the forest ahead.

Alucard looked as Vernon's figure disappeared in the distance before laying his head down in the grass for but a brief moment of relaxation.

'Idiot…' He thought to himself.

Vernon must have made quick decisions in that moment, and what he did was undoubtedly the right call. The city where they came from was too far away from where they were, and the nearest place was that very same village they had come to save.

The setting sun was finally nearly over the horizon, and Alucard began to regain his lost strength, at least enough to stand and walk.

Yet, before he did that, he witnessed as two figures hovered over him, peering directly over towards his mask.

"You two seem to be taking this far better than that friend of yours…" He mumbled.

"Well, I think all the uneasiness was sapped out of me, my heart can't take much more worry." Lisvern chuckled.

"Shut it Lisvern!" Adam slapped his injured friend on the back.

"Ow! That hurt! You tryna kill me too!?" He blurted.

"What he meant to say is, of course we're worried! But a big part of the worry is now all gone thanks to you… And, especially thanks to him…"

"Vernon?" Alucard murmured.

"I just have that feeling that all's gonna be okay now… Yes, if he's the one taking care of Taylor, I'm sure nothing bad will happen…"

Alucard bit his tongue. He was almost ready to tell them how this poison had far exceeded his expectations of what he thought he knew, and that the chances of Taylor living were slim to none, but seeing how they spoke to him, he refrained from speaking.

"You sure have a lot of trust in that man…" He said instead.

"Well of course!" Lisvern stretched to recover his injury. "There's no one more compassionate and trustworthy!" He smiled and stretched his arms out towards the fallen Alucard who accepted with little to no hesitation except for puzzlement their last words.

******

Together, they walked the path that Vernon had previously trotted, leaving their carriage and food bags behind in pursuit of shelter.

Alucard, who knew not much of human emotions could not understand why these two were still being so casual while their friend was dying, their previous explanation did not satisfy him.

On the way, they struck conversations about what had transpired, and it was Lisvern who was the one who could not stop rambling.

All he talked about was praises for Alucard who had not only saved them from the goblin elites, but also from the poison to their friend.

Prior to this, Adam had begun to harbour doubts about Alucard's intentions, at least that was until Vernon showed signs of trust towards him when they had returned. But now, hearing his leader's words out loud put his heart at ease even more.

As they entered the forest, the sun had but fully set, and Alucard instinctively took the lead to guide them through the darkness with his night vision.

"Those goblins I was chasing after just fell like flies! You should have seen—"

*THUMP*

"Hmmm," Lisvern raised an eyebrow as he bumped into Alucard ahead who had suddenly stopped. "Is something up? Alucard?"

Alucard's eyes had caught something amidst the greenery, yet it was his nose that first caught wind of this stench, the stench of old blood… There were not just one, but several scattered about the entire forest…

"Hmmm, oh nothing… I thought I saw something ahead, let us carry on." Initially, Alucard was on high alert, until he looked closer, witnessing what it truly was with keen eyes before confirming it was no threat.

In fact, he could not help but smile beneath his mask. "Hmph… Human nature never changes…"

As they cleared the forest, they walked into an open plain with the moon shining upon their faces. And in the distance, they finally saw light, a glimpse at what was undoubtedly supposed to be the village.

The group hastened their pace to a steady jog. And as they did, they began to notice there were things on the road ahead.

It was the corpses of several goblins, all shredded by holes stabbed by what they all recognized as Vernon's rapier.

There were tens, if not more bodies littered throughout, yet luckily, none of them seemed to be of the elite variety Lisvern had struggled with. Nevertheless, such signs made them hasten their step even further.

The more they neared the village, they began to notice something odd; the greenery began to lessen. It was as though the plants were withering, darkening with every step. However, that was not what was most obvious to them, no, it was the fact that as they approached the village, the more boisterous it became. It was clear that there was a commotion…

The village itself was of modest size. The population numbered two to three hundred, and there were several establishments around the walls. However, the condition of what's therein was what was staggering. The buildings themselves were seemingly on the verge of collapse, the roads were filthy, and the villagers were even filthier… their faces were skeletal, dread and lifelessness past the thick layer of dirt, their hands were covered in wounds, and their stomachs, especially that of the children were sunken in so much to the point that all one saw were bone past the grungy rags they wore.

And within this run-down village emerged an entity that grabbed everyone's stare. His blue armour was bloodied, torn and tattered, and his panting mug sent shivers that ran down everyone's spine. At his side was his rapier, dangling around his waist sheathed incorrectly, and in his arms was a human being, dark, veiny puss covering their face with more blood than even the man carrying them.

That entity was Vernon.

In their distorted eyes, he was an outsider with an air more beast than man…

"ARE THERE ANY HEALERS HERE!? ANYONE WHO KNOWS HOW TO GET THIS DAMNED POISON AWAY!! ANSWER ME NOW!!"

Trepidation filled the eyes of the wary villagers, their senses blinded them to what was being spoken. The clacking of their teeth filled the cold, sombre air. Women grabbed their children and hurried indoors, some simply hiding their children behind them instead while the men steeled whatever strength they had to pick up any close farming equipment they had as weapons, yet not finding the strength within themselves to take even a single step.

"Mommy… Who's that…"

"Don't worry sweety… Everything will be okay… Mommy promises…"

"YOU DAMNED VILLAGERS!! WHAT'S GOTTEN INTO YOU!! ANSWER ME!!"

"Everyone! At ease! This man is no enemy! He must be the adventurer we had called upon!" Abruptly, the strong voice of an old man seeped into the ears of the masses, and all slowly lowered their guards.

"Him… Is it truly him…" A man murmured, lowering his pitchfork.

"Hmmm!?" Lisvern's gaze immediately turned to the source of the voice.

There he locked sights with an old man's deep green eyes. His face gave off a completely different feel from all those other villagers. His pure white hair was long, falling down past his scarred, wrinkly forehead and furrowed brows, scruffy with remnants of grease and dirt, his beard connected with his hair making it almost as though there was no separation. His nose was long and arched, his cheeks were sunken into his skull, and his mouth sat firmly, slightly hidden by the hair of his beard. And, although it was hard to tell due to his red, baggy hooded attire, one could instantly tell of his stronger constitution.

"YOU!" Vernon roared. "ARE YOU THE VILLAGE HEAD!?"

"Yes, I am. I am Oliver, the village elder." The old man promptly nodded. "I see that your friend has been injured on your journey, please allow me to lend a hand. Our village had combated that poison for long now, we can help mend their pain."

As he spoke, maids in white walked hurriedly past him towards the bleeding Lisvern. And with only slight hesitation did Lisvern stare deep into their souls before almost reluctantly handing Taylor over.

"Don't you dare hurt them…"

Those few words along with the look upon that man's face had sunken the hearts and darkened their faces, nearly sending the women crawling back to where they came. But, with their elder to their hinds, they closed their eyes and gulped their thoughts away before carefully carrying the injured person away to where they could heal them.

"Sir adventurer… your way here must have been long and arduous. Please, allow us to tend to your—"

"Enough with the nice talk old man… Those goblins…" Vernon clenched his fists and narrowed his gaze.

"Goblins?" The elder tilted his head sideways.

"Yes… Now… STOP SHITTING ME YOU OLD FART!! WHO ARE YOU TRYING TO FOOL!?!" His voice exploded once again.

"Oh, whatever do you mean sir—" The old man raised his hands in shock, as though proclaiming innocence, but before he knew it, he found himself unable to breathe, his feet dangling off the ground.

In what felt like a mere instant, the adventurer who previously stood several steps away was right in front of him, his hands tightly grabbing him by the collar as he lifted him high in the sky.

Witnessing this sight, the villagers who had put down their weapons raised them back up, and with renewed resolve, they inched ever closer to save their elder.

However, as soon as that man opened his mouth, their resolve was shattered and their shaking legs could no longer move as they inwardly cursed.

"YOU KNEW THAT THOSE FUCKING GOBLINS WERE LIVING OUTSIDE YOUR VILLAGE!! BUT YOU DIDN'T MENTION ANY OF IT IN YOUR DAMN REQUEST!!"

"B…B… but… sir… I really didn't…"

"LIE TO ME ONE MORE GOD DAMNED TIME AND I'LL SEND YOUR HEAD FLYING OFF YOUR SHOULDERS!!"

*Gak*  Vernon tightened his grip upon his collar and raised the elder even higher in the sky.

"I SAW THOSE CORPSES OF DEAD VILLAGERS HIDDEN IN THE FOREST!! AND EVERY ONE OF THEM HAD A PAPER NEXT TO THEM!! YOU SENT SO MANY KNOWING SOME WILL DIE TO THOSE GOBLINS!! DIDN'T YOU!? YOU JUST HOPED ONE WOULD SLIP BY AND DELIVER THE REQUEST!!"

"B… b… b… but… w— we… had no choice… we spent—"

"'HAD NO CHOICE' MY ASS! I KNOW WHY YOU DID IT!! IF YOU HAD MENTIONED THE GOBLINS, YOU WOULD HAVE HAD TO PAY DOUBLE SINCE THE LEVEL 4 REQUEST WOULD HAVE BECOME A LEVEL 5!!"

*COUGH* "Y— yes… and that's why—"

"THAT'S WHY YOU ARE ALL SELFISH PRICKS! EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU! ALL YOU THINK OF IS YOURSELVES!! YOU DIDN'T GIVE TWO SHITS FOR US ADVENTURERS! WE WHO RISK OUR LIVES TO COME AND SAVE YOU! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT! HAD YOU TOLD US ABOUT THE GOBLINS, WE COULD HAVE COME PREPAIRED!! WE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN AMBUSHED, AND WE WOULD NOT HAVE NEARLY LOST ONE OF OUR CLOSEST FRIENDS!! FOR YOUR OWN SAKE, YOU BETTER SAVE TAYLOR OR ELSE I WILL—"

"That's enough…At this rate, you're gonna kill him…" Suddenly, Vernon felt a voice and a hand fall on his shoulders.

"Who did that?"

A blood vessel twitched on his face, and quickly, he turned around to see who it was that dared lay a hand on him…