Chapter 414: Bloodfang
“Rise, Lord Veres,” Stryga’s voice resounded clear in Stryg’s ears as if she was sitting next to him.
Warmth trickled into Stryg’s hands from the steel-white hilt of Krikolm. The parallel magestones in the pommel glowed black and white respectively. The scarlet blade hummed with power, its red hue shining in the dim blue light of the throne room.
Stryg gripped the hilt tightly and clenched his teeth. He steadied his shivering arms and slowly staggered to his feet.
The warmth emanating from the blade had dispelled the cold within his veins and he was able to stabilize his mana flow. The pain of his wounds still ached all across his body and his will was exhausted from his previous spells, but his mind was clear and his eyes focused.
Shards of giant rocks splintered off the ceiling and fell to the floor in ground-shaking crashes. The after-effects of Stryg’s green spell were weakening the foundations of the throne room, yet King Alok took no notice, his attention fully on the scarlet blade in the goblin’s hand.
“It’s not possible…” Alok muttered in disbelief. It couldn’t be Krikolm, the renowned ancestral blade of the Great House of Veres. “The sword was lost… It’s bound to the blood of Veres… You’re not even a vampire! So why… WHY! Why do you have Krikolm!” he screamed.
“Does it matter…?” Stryg asked.
“Of course, it matters! I have spent my life searching for the Frostveil armor, I sacrificed everything to find it! Even the lives of my people! And you—” Alok laughed hysterically, “You waltz into my mountain with Ebon Lord Koval’s masterpiece as if it were nothing! You don’t deserve that sword! You are unworthy to hold it in your grubby little hands!”
With his free hand, Stryg wiped the blood off his lips and rubbed it between his fingers. “Blood…” he whispered, the memories of Krikolm had shown him still fresh in his mind. “Blood is what binds us. Blood is the one thing that echoes through time.”