"Oi, Old Ghost. How are you doing?" A youthful man, dressed in a Royal Blue uniform and carrying a musket, remarked as he approached an older figure with a smile.
The one the young man referred to as Old Ghost glanced at him for a second before returning his attention to the scene ahead.
The streets were currently filled with the nobility.
With the end of the theatrics performed by the dance troupe, they went into the second act which was the March of the Emperor.
This ritual involved the reenactment of Emperor Enoch’s march into the newly built Imperial Capital where he established his rule as the master of Zion.
It involved the nobles riding on horses while a chosen one rode ahead in a golden carriage pulled by four white horses.
The commoners, or better still, those from the Extensions were given the task of carrying flower baskets and adorning the streets with flowers while singing victory songs and dancing.
The procession was meant to go around the city before ending at the central square where the chosen one would be required to climb the bronze statue of the Emperor and give the famous speech that the great figure gave on the day of his coronation.
Letting out a tired sigh, Old Ghost said. "I don’t get why this celebration is still happening despite the glaring troubles rising in the city."
The young man chuckled as he came to walk beside Old Ghost. "It’s not like the celebration can be postponed. Any city loyal to the Empire that doesn’t celebrate the Emperor’s birthday ends up getting into a lot of trouble. I’m sure the nobility are worried about that."
"Ugh, such situations are disasters waiting to happen."
"Oh come on, lighten up. If we do this well, we can get off work early." The young man said.
Chuckling lightly, Old Ghost remarked. "You young bloods are all the same. If only my old bones could be as carefree as yours."
Just as the young man was about to comment, a scream was heard.
Normally, the duo wouldn’t have heard it if not for the fact that the procession had already moved quite a distance from them, with the noise dying down, allowing them to be more perceptive of their surroundings.
"What was that?" The young officer asked with a frightened expression.
Old Ghost frowned as he grabbed his weapon. "Come with me."
Rushing down the street, they came upon a dark alleyway where the screams originated from but strangely enough, there was no one there.
"Uhmm... did we make a wrong turn?"
"No... this is the right place." Old Ghost remarked as he aimed his musket into the alleyway, priming himself to shoot.
The sudden shot caused the young man to swallow the rest of his sentence.
"Why did you do that?"
Confused by the man’s act, the young officer stared on in confusion but his perplexed state didn’t last for long when a strange voice emerged from the alleyway.
"You are an interesting human."
With those words, the scene before the two humans dissipated like a lie, revealing one quite different from what they had first seen.
"By the angels." The young officer said as he gazed at the gruesome sight.
Several people, numbering a little over 24 lay motionless in the alleyway, with multiple bite wounds on their bodies.
Most looked to have been completely drained of blood while two were close to that state.
And of course, amid such a terrible sight were 10 vampires wearing armor and wielding weapons with one of them carrying a sack bag dripping with blood.
The young officer wretched as he took a step back, shaken by the reality before him.
Meanwhile, Old Ghost, seemingly used to such a sight recovered quickly as he aimed his gun at the one that spoke.
"What the fuck are you monsters up to?" He asked while preparing to shoot.
Chuckling at his audacious action, the Vampire remarked. "You must be a retiree from that blasted Department."
"You guessed correctly. Now die."
The attack came without warning but the Vampire in question didn’t even bother to dodge as he brandished his spear and knocked the bullet aside as though he were swatting a fly.
"..." Old Ghost’s eyes flickered in surprise for a moment but experience told him hesitating when faced with murderous vampires was dangerous so he quickly recovered himself, firing four more shots in quick succession.
With a sinister grin, the Vampire at the forefront knocked the bullets aside with ease before rushing forward to grab Old Ghost.
All the latter saw was a blur before he was lifted off his feet with his gun tossed aside like some sort of toy.
"Ugh." Old Ghost tried to pry away the vampire’s hand with minimal success.
"Pathetic." The vampire spat coldly as he pressed on Old Ghost’s neck.
"...Ugh, damn it, boy, shoot this bastard."
"Ah, ah... I...I’m sorry." With fear gripping his heart, the best the young Royal Blue could do was toss his weapon aside and run like a crazed fool, hopeful that if he ran far enough, he’d escape the horrifying reality before him.
Of course, the Vampires were not about to let him escape as one rushed after him, taking him down within a fraction of a second.
"Shit." Old Ghost cursed as he watched the Vampire rip apart one of the young man’s hands with the latter screaming at the top of his lungs.
"You are strange. Despite him abandoning you, you still worry for him."
Old Ghost spat. "That’s because unlike me, he still has his whole life ahead of him."
"Oh?... Quite unfortunate but the Monarch has already passed a decree. By the end of today, no human in the vicinity of Krobridge shall remain alive."
"Quite bold of him to utter such words. But there aren’t only humans in Krobridge. What does he intend to do with the rest of us?"
A strange voice and an unfamiliar sound echoed almost simultaneously.
At the same time, a dull thud was heard drawing the attention of the Vampire holding Old Ghost.
Glancing toward the origin, he found that not only was the young Royal Blue safe, but his comrade’s headless body was currently sprawled on the cobblestone streets with his head a few meters away from his position.
That was the last word he uttered before his vision tilted and darkened.
Old Ghost turned wide-eyed at the sight only to glance back and find two figures standing a few meters behind.
One was wearing a white shirt with a black leather jacket and trousers with a red tie and black shoes with her hair tied back while the other was dressed in a long black tailcoat with a black shirt, trousers, hat, and a black cane.
"Liaison!" Old Ghost exclaimed in delight upon verifying the identity of the former.
Acknowledging him, Elizabeth replied while sheathing her bloodied blade. "Have you been well?"
"Of course." Old Ghost remarked and was about to add more but realizing the situation, restrained himself.
"Take care of the boy and inform the Royal Blues out on patrol. We are at war."
"War?" Old Ghost shook at the unexpected news.
Though curious about the specifics, Old Ghost understood the gravity of the situation and immediately did as instructed, leaving Elizabeth and Alex standing before the alleyway with 8 angry but terrified Vamps to tend to the injuries of his unconscious subordinate.
Taking a step forward with a cane in hand, Alex scrutinized the expressions of everyone present before asking in a casual tone. "Gentlemen... shall we?"