Chapter 387: The Road South
Liora tried to move and, to her utter surprise, realized her legs responded without the trace of the agonizing pain from before. She slipped out of Alexander’s arms and took a few steps on the damp grass, turning around as she examined her own body.
"My wounds are gone...!!??" said Liora, staring at him in awe. "How did you heal me?"
"With a little magic," Alexander replied, walking beside her without making a big deal out of it.
"Tell me the truth," Liora insisted, quickening her pace to step in front of him. "I didn’t feel any flow of mana around me, and you didn’t activate any magic spell or skill."
"It’s just a little secret between a vampire and his patient," Alexander said with a smirking grin, stepping past her to keep heading south.
Liora let out a muffled growl, but didn’t press the matter further. She knew the intricate details of a Vampiric Emperor’s powers weren’t something given away easily.
As they pushed deeper into southern territory, the vegetation grew denser and humid. However, far from being peaceful, the environment carried a suffocating tension. Patrols of refugees and advance troops from the serpent clan were stationed everywhere, keeping the entire area under strict watch following the fall of the capital.
Suddenly, several figures emerged from the treetops and dense bushes. A contingent of scaled warriors, wielding double-ended spears and poison-tipped bows, immediately blocked their path.
"Halt right there!" commanded the patrol captain, fixing a glare filled with pure hostility directly onto Alexander. "He’s a human! A damn spy from the invading faction!"
"Wait! Don’t attack!" Liora exclaimed, stepping in front of Alexander to shield him. "I am Princess Liora of the Fox Clan. He is no enemy; he is my savior and travels with me."
The serpent warriors didn’t lower their weapons; instead, they tightened their grip on their spears, staring at Alexander with deep disgust and suspicion.
"His kind caused the massacre at the palace and sold out the Queen," the captain spat with disdain. "We don’t care if he comes with the princess. No human will ever set foot in our camp again without paying in blood."
"One false step and we run him through with our spears!" threatened the captain, her slitted pupils dilating with pure hatred.
Alexander remained unfazed. Instead of taking a defensive stance, he let out a low chuckle and stepped forward, gently brushing Liora aside.
"Be very careful where you point those things, vermin," said Alexander, his eyes flashing a bloody crimson. "I’ve already had a pretty long day squashing spiders, and I have no problem adding a few snakes to my body count."
"Who are you calling vermin, you filthy human?!" roared the captain, thrusting her spear toward Alexander’s throat.
Before the iron tip could get anywhere close, Alexander’s hand caught it out of thin air with ease. With a slight flick of his wrist, the wooden shaft shattered to splinters, and in that same motion, he landed a kick to the captain’s stomach that sent her flying into a tree trunk, knocking the wind out of her.
The other warriors gasped in shock and lunged at him, but Alexander didn’t even bother drawing his claws. He moved among them like a shadow, slipping past their strikes and delivering swift, precise blows that sent half the contingent crashing to the ground, groaning in pain with shattered weapons.
"Enough! All of you, stop!" screamed Liora, desperately throwing herself between them again. "I told you he is my guest and the sole reason I am still breathing! If you lay a single hand on him, I will consider it a direct offense against the royalty of the Fox Clan!"
The surviving warriors, their hands trembling on their bows as the captain struggled to catch her breath, backed off a few meters. Alexander’s raw display of overwhelming power had left them utterly chilled.
"Princess Liora... humans slaughtered our people at the capital," said the captain, spitting out a drop of blood as she forced herself up. "Bringing one of them into the Serpent Queen’s main camp is madness. The guard commander will never allow it."
"That is not your concern, Captain," Liora replied with a firm, authoritative tone. "Take us to the Serpent Queen immediately. I will take full responsibility for him."
Alexander brushed an imaginary speck of dust off his jacket and patted Liora on the head.
"Good job trying to save their lives, brat," Alexander mocked in a low voice. "A couple more seconds and they would have ended up as bat food."
Liora elbowed him hard in the ribs, her face flushing with frustration.
"Shut up and walk, you arrogant vampire!" she muttered through gritted teeth as the tense, defeated guard group began leading them deeper into the rebel camp.
The southern rebel camp was a hotbed of tension. Hundreds of fox clan refugees and armed serpent warriors moved between the tents, tending to the wounded and reinforcing wooden palisades. As the group crossed the entrance, dozens of glares filled with disdain and suspicion locked onto Alexander.
The captain guided them to the royal marquee, the largest structure in the settlement. However, upon pulling back the entrance curtain, Liora found only the guard commander reviewing battle maps over an improvised table.
"Princess Liora!" exclaimed the commander, stepping forward in surprise. "Thank the heavens you are alive!"
"Commander... where is the Serpent Queen?" asked Liora, anxiously looking around after finding no trace of the sovereign. "I need to speak with her immediately."
The commander’s expression darkened her fists clenching in frustration.
"Her Majesty is not in the camp, Princess..." the commander revealed with bitterness. "The Spider Queen deployed an elite force and managed to ambush our sovereign near the valley. At this very moment, the Serpent Queen and her royal escort are fighting for their lives against the Spider Queen and that damned human advisor."
Liora froze, taking a step back as the color drained from her face.
"So it wasn’t a trick..." Liora whispered, remembering what the spider guards had said before they died and looking at Alexander with panic in her eyes. "They really do have her cornered."
Alexander let out an annoyed sigh and crossed his arms, staring down the commander with disdain.
"Turns out those bugs were telling the truth after all," Alexander said in a cold voice. "Alright, brat... I guess plans change."