The First Vampire of YGGDRASIL

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Oriana POV

The carriage rattled over a stone, shaking us violently inside. It had only been a few hours since we set off again and I was already fed up with traveling in this mode of transport. Unfortunately, teleportation magic wasn't omnipotent. No one from Nazarik had ever set foot in the Dragon Kingdom, which therefore denied us the opportunity to open a portal there directly. The only glimmer of hope was that we didn't have to start the journey from scratch - after all, we had already crossed the land of the undead once when we tried to infiltrate the theocracy.

I let out a loud sigh and looked out the window. The dead landscape also quickly became boring, especially if you hadn't been able to see anything else for a while.

"My Lady, is everything allright?" asked my most loyal subordinate, Mariana

This made me take my eyes off the window and turn around. Mariana looked at me with the look that could only be compared to that of a loyal dog or a faithful beliver that ha just found their god. Her red eyes almost glittered with adoration, making her look even more humbled

I liked that

It was no longer a secret that as a Primordial Vampire I loved it when my subordinates submitted to me and yet...

"Everything is fine, I'm just thinking about our next steps once we reach our goal" I anwerd her

"Ohhh, so you already have a plan related to the Dragon Kingdom? I expected nothing less from you, my lady" praised Mariana 

"No, that is not correct. I am not much of a planer, at least I dont think I am. However, I already have a basic idea of ​​what we will do as soon as we reach the capital" I said, looking at the third person in our carriage

The creature I was referring to was completely pale and seemed to only have three black holes instead of a face. Not a single hair was to be found on his body and there were only 4 fingers on his hand. It was a greater doppelganger that I had borrowed from Nazarik. He wasn't Pandora's actor but he had definitely proven his worth when it came to taking his place as the deadly sin of greed within my organization.

"What do you know about the dragon kingdom?" I asked looking arround the carriage

"I don't know much about the Dragon Kingdom my Lady, except that it was founded by a true Dragon Lord and is currently ruled by his granddaughter." She Mariana answerd

"That is correct, but you have forgotten the most important thing. I mean the danger of the beastmean that has brought the country to near extincion" I finished

"Ohh, that's why you brought me with you, my lady. As a member of the organization, I will make a deal with the queen and ensure that she submits to us." remarked the greater doppelganger

"Precisely, but we don't have to offer her our help straight away - it would be easier to wait for a major catastrophe - after all, the more desperate the business partner's situation, the better the deal." I clarified

"However..." I wanted to add but the carriage had stopted

"Ahh, it seems we have arrived" I said as one of the hanzos that acted as my bodyguards oppend the door

"In the dragon kingdom my Lady?" Asked Mariana 

"Not quite, this is the end of the Katze plane, our desination is more east, as you know I prefere to travel by carriage rather than flying since it is much more noble but I fear the mountain range before us will not allow that" I explained putting a mask on my face and gesturring to the other to do the same

"From now on, please slip into the role I assigned to you. It's unlikely that anyone will meet us out here, but I'd just like to make sure. Remember, we are traveling adventures. understood?." I asked and they nodded

"Good, the Hanzos will follow us on the ground, if you are ready..." I said and shot into the air

"Follow me" 

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??? POV

He looked to the west, where large mountains stretched into the sky in every direction, and let out a suppressed growl. He would have liked to say more, but he hadn't been able to do more than growl for a long time. An anomaly had entered his territory, that was also something that didn't happen to him every day. Usually travelers or the villagers of the nearby village knew to stay away from here, but sometimes a traveler who knew nothing about the rules in his area got lost here. A mistake that the intruders then paid for with their lives.

But the anomaly was different, not only could he feel their strength, but also the wild life seemed to fear her like prey fears their hunter. It awakened something in him, a feeling he hadn't felt in a long time. A fear he hadn't felt since he was a little boy and went hunting with his father. When the wild boar had shattered his bow and with it his best chance of success. 

But it also awakened something else in him, the excitement he felt when he and his father chased the wild boar down, and the joy when he finally brought it down himself. Hunting had always made him curious, but what really captivated him was the fight, when he threw his useless bow aside and faced the wild boar with nothing but a knife, that was something that really made his blood boil.

Hunting was one thing, but a fight was where a warrior could truly shine. There was nothing more glorious for a warrior than to die in battle, whether for a lord or his own ideals. The ultimate death of the warrior, so final and yet so beautiful.

Unfortunately, this honor was not granted to him at the time. Not only was he bound to this terrible form, no, he also had to watch as strangers desecrated the place of his ancestors. At first he thought it was all just a bad dream, but he soon realized how true everything was. His remaining family was dead and the residents of the village had not survived the disaster either. Only he himself was left with an eternal damned life into which he had condemned himself.

He raised his half-rotten arm, which he had barely bandaged, and with it his gold-decorated katana. It was all that was left of his family. Inherited from generation to generation and said to have belonged to the great Shogun Akami, the legendary samurai who is said to have been able to split mountains.

He valued his family history almost as much as he revered the Path of the Sword. That's why it was unthinkable for him to ignore the anomaly, even if it reawakened in him the long-forgotten feeling of fear. So if the anomaly made its way to the property, there was, as always, only one answer. 

A fight

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