A Peacock Husband of Five Princesses by day, a Noble Assassin by Night

Back to the Present;

The desert sun bore down mercilessly as Kael and the party trudged through the golden dunes.

As they continue to press forward in the hopes of finding a food/water source, Nyx halts in its footsteps, alerting the rest. "Master, I smell the presence of life, humans and not humans at the same time."

Everyone suddenly stops at the same time, collectively shifting their gaze to the wolf.

"What does that mean, Nyx?" As Leiza asked, Mia replied before the others. "Must be the desert elves."

"Desert Elves?" Shiera and others exchanged glances in wonder.

"Sis, are they friendly to humans?" Kael asked.

Mia answered straight away. "Depends. They are just like humans. Some like other races, while some hate them."

"Nyx, lead us to them," Shiera replied, taking a deep breath in seriousness. "We'll see what to do if a situation arises."

"Umm… why not wait for another day?" Leiza voiced out her opinion. "Lord Moonstone said that Nyx can use that teleportation technique after another 30 hours, right?"

"No, that skill is highly unreliable." Shiera rejected it right away. "Who knows where it will take us. What if it teleports straight to a volcano?"

"Hmpf… it can also teleport us to the city, you know…" Kael snorted in response. "Ungrateful princess. I wonder how much the Queendom will suffer when you become the Queen."

"You…" Shiera couldn't help but hiss at him, but Mia interrupted as always to calm her down. "Alright, let's focus on the present, shall we?" She gazed at the spectral wolf. "Nyx… if you mind…"

*Woof*

Letting out a bark, Nyx charged through the desert. The rest followed it from behind until they reached a hazy silhouette of an oasis shimmering in the distance like a mirage. Except that it wasn't a mirage.

The lush greens surrounding the oasis seemed almost heavenly in this vast desert. Water glistened under the light, inviting them to jump into the pool and swim.

Kael stumbled forward first, only to be stopped by Shiera's voice.

"Looks like we've got company. Let's go."

Dozens of desert bandits emerged from the shade of palm trees and ragged tents, surrounding the group in a loose semicircle. Their blades were already drawn, their faces scarred by sun and sand.

Unfortunately for them, Kael's companions were starving, sore, and absolutely in no mood for negotiations when such an oasis appeared before them. They lost control over themselves in an instant.

Before Kael could utter a word, Shiera blurred forward, landing a solid punch on the nearest bandit, sending him flying into the water. Mia conjured a whirlwind, flinging sand into their enemies' eyes before locking down a group of them with glowing blue chains. Leiza moved like a shadow, disarming two of them and knocking them out cold.

The scuffle was quick and brutal, well, they thought at first, until the impossible happened.

One by one, the fallen bandits began to stir. Not like groggy men recovering from unconsciousness. Instead, a scarlet aura surged across their bodies. Their eyes glowed scarlet red as they rose with newfound vigor. Even their movements became triple times faster.

Shiera narrowed her eyes. "Someone's controlling them."

Before anyone could respond, a chilling presence erupted from the tents.

A tall woman stepped out of the biggest tent, maintaining a calm demeanor. Unlike the others, she wore dark, ornate armor, with a red veil covering the lower half of her face.

The bandits halted and knelt toward her.

"Boys, relax. These are my prey," She said smoothly, her eyes wandering all over, scanning the intruder before settling on Kael and the wolf. "That's an interesting dog you have, mortal. I've eaten a lot of them in my life, but this one seems special. I think it'll look good on my side. Don't worry, I'll give you a place by my side. There's none as handsome as you on my side. If you perform well, I'll let you on my bed too…" She licked his lips, her scarlet eyes glowed as she gazed at Kael.

But in the next second, the glow dimmed, and a frown replaced her smile. "I can't charm him? He doesn't even have any mana." Her gaze automatically shifted to the wolf. "It's this dog's powers? It must have strengthened his spirit. Now, I want this dog more than anything…"

"What are you waiting for… Attack…" Shiera roared, charging forward directly.

Mia followed it up by unleashing a layered binding spell, locking the area in a web of magical sigils. The terrain distorted as she created a dome of containment, trapping the enemies inside.

The dome of containment didn't even last three breaths. The scarlet aura erupted from that bandit leader, melting it down.

"Now, it's my turn." She pushed her hands forth, releasing tendrils of scarlet energy through her palms to attack the humans.

"Scatter!" Shiera barked, diving aside as the cursed energy pierced the sand where she had stood earlier.

Orin blocked those scarlet tendrils coming his way with his shield, pushing it away and slicing at them. However, when his sword met those tendrils, the blade couldn't cut through, and those tendrils pierced his body before hurling him into the dune like a ragdoll.

"Damn it…" Leiza rushed forward, twin blades glowing. "Thousand Cuts!"

The tendrils curved unnaturally, twisting midair and evading her swords when she was about to cut them. One caught her leg mid-dash and yanked her off her feet, slamming her into the ground with sickening force.

Meanwhile, some of those tendrils captured Kael and raised him high mid-air. Kael struggled to move. He could free himself, but in order to protect his secret, he could only shout. "Nyx…"

"You bitch… Leave my brother!" Mia screamed, weaving glyphs in the air, unleashing a no-chant spell. "Spiral Bind!"

Chains of glowing silver curled from the sigils, wrapping around the vampire from head to toe.

For a moment, the battlefield froze. Kael was freed, and Mia caught him before he hit the ground.

It was then that the bandit leader tilted her head. The chains began to steam.

"Nice try," she purred. With a mere flex of her shoulders, a wave of scarlet energy erupted from her, shattering the bindings like fragile glass.

Mia stumbled back, face pale. "That was a peak stage Tier-8 containment magic…"

Kael gritted his teeth. "Nyx, attack."

The spectral wolf turned invisible as it charged forward. It reappeared behind her, in a motion of lunging at her neck with its sharp fangs.

But before it reached, the bandit leader's hand shot upward and caught its throat. "The dog also wants to play, huh?" She giggled, catching one swipe with a single hand.

Nyx, however, didn't give up. Its other claw raked across her chest, tearing her flesh in the process.

The vampire flew back and skidded to a halt, boots digging trenches in the sand.

"Hmm…" she whispered, touching the flesh that was torn apart by its sharp claws. "You can hurt me. Now, I want you even more…"

*Grrrr*

Nyx growled at her.

The woman's expression suddenly turned serious, and she turned into a blur of scarlet streak.

"Above!" Mia cried out.

A crimson streak slammed down between them. Sand erupted in all directions. The bandit leader landed in their midst like a meteor.