Supreme Magus novel Chapter 869

Chapter 869 Two’s Company, Three’s Crowd Part 1

"Don’t worry about that. Do you mind telling me what’s going on here?" Lith had no intention of explaining anything. At least until he learned how much the other Ranger knew.

There was a reason why he had pushed Acala through the Warp Steps and avoided submitting his report. For his story to be believable, it had to match with Acala’s.

"Sure." Acala nodded, emptying his cup and immediately asking for a refill. "As you probably know, I was tasked with dealing with the bandits while you took care of the important stuff. I’m just an emergency replacement, after all."

His voice contained a tinge of resentment and was coated with more envy than sugar on a candy bar. A Ranger was considered at their peak condition at 25 years, when they had gained enough experience and their body was still in its prime.

Despite having spent ten years in the corps, Acala’s name was just one of the many on the list. Moreover, being him past his thirties, no one expected anything from him but to keep things in order while Lith was busy.

Acala knew to be nothing more than a placeholder and he was absolutely livid about it.

"So, once I discovered that instead of bandits I was dealing with the undead, I followed them to their hideout to investigate. The reason I failed to contact my handler so far, is that the place is a goddamned maze filled with arrays that block dimensional magic.

"You have no idea what I went through. No food, no sunlight, no way to call for help, just surviving out of scraps while waiting for the right moment to get away."

"It sounds rough." Lith handed him a piece of fresh bread, eager to get back on topic. "Where is the place and what were they doing?"

"I was getting there." Acala nodded while wolfing down the food. "First of all, those vampires are weird. No matter how strong the sun shines, there’s always this thin shroud of darkness around their bodies that allows them to move freely even during the day."

"Also, their numbers are too little to have built a whole underground complex. My guess is that they either found the place by chance or they were looking for it."

"I heard from your handler that their plan can jeopardize the Kingdom. How exactly?" Lith asked.

"The network of caves they are hiding in is full of ancient junk. From what I could see during the past few days, they are using it to build a Gate. To make matters worse, their numbers increase by the day.

"Those leeches didn’t kidnap the travelers to feed upon them, but to turn them. If we lose too much time, the Kingdom will have to deal with a vampire nest capable of freely moving wherever there isn’t a protective array."

’Wow, a Gate and a nest at the same time. Way to go to jinx it, Lith.’ Solus tried to make it sound like a joke, but she was starting to believe in bad luck.

"That makes no sense." Lith replied to both. "A Gate requires a power source and a growing nest needs lots of food. The vampires should have emptied entire villages already if that were true."

"I saw what I saw." Acala didn’t bother to hide his annoyance at Lith’s disbelief. "I can’t explain the Gate, but one thing I know for sure. Those bastards don’t need to feed."

"What?" Lith blurted out with a bit too much enthusiasm for the liking of any sane person listening to him.