Chapter 143 – Progress in Phases
With Puff and the other house-elves having successfully established magical restrictions, and most of the high-ranking vampires having already escaped, the fate of the remaining thirty percent was effectively sealed.
Had the rest of the vampires stayed, Phineas and his forces might have faced a tougher battle. But with only a fraction of them left, victory was all but assured.
Just as Phineas had predicted, under his leadership, the Black family's wizarding force stormed the vampire castle. Any vampire they encountered was immediately struck down with Killing Curses, often before they could even react. Some were reduced to ashes mid-charge.
Vampire strongholds seemed to follow similar designs. This one was almost identical to the castle where Phineas had once been kidnapped. The familiar architectural style and layout brought back unpleasant memories.
After dispatching the remaining vampires, Phineas naturally made his way to the basement. While he didn't expect to find another teleportation circle, he checked just in case.
To his surprise, the room was in the same place—but instead of a teleportation circle, it held a vault stocked with combat-grade magical artifacts.
"Not bad," Phineas remarked with a slight smile. He turned to Lisa, who had followed him into the room.
"Lisa, take a team, sort through everything. Keep anything useful. Destroy anything that's worthless."
Phineas, having found nothing of personal interest, followed Puff to interrogate the captured vampires.
He hadn't forgotten his true objective: locating the Reformists' main base. He had already instructed his wizards to keep some vampires alive for questioning.
When Phineas entered the designated chamber, the remaining senior vampires had already been drained and weakened beyond resistance. He crouched in front of one of them, smiling faintly.
The vampire glared at him and hissed, "Do you even know what you've done? You've made a powerful enemy today. We vampires will strike back!"
His voice was hoarse and shaky, lacking any real conviction. It was more desperate bravado than a threat.
Phineas didn't even flinch. Still smiling, he asked, "Where is your base? I'll only ask once. Answer wisely."
The vampire snarled and spat a mouthful of bloody saliva toward Phineas's face. Puff casually snapped his fingers, freezing the spit midair.
Phineas chuckled. "Excellent."
He stood up and turned to a nearby werewolf wizard. "He's yours. I want a clear answer. And if he still refuses... well, I've always wondered what happens when a vampire is bitten by a werewolf."
The werewolf wizard's eyes lit up with cruel delight. "Master, I doubt we'll need to test that. He'll talk."
He approached the vampire eagerly, and as Phineas exited the room, agonized screams echoed behind him.
"Puff," Phineas said calmly, "ask the rest the same question. If they won't talk, hand them over to the more aggressive werewolves. I imagine they'll be very motivated in such a blood-soaked setting."
Puff nodded and vanished to carry out the order.
Phineas found a clean chair in a nearby hall and sat down, waiting for his wizards to finish securing the site, packing the loot, and preparing for departure.
He wasn't foolish enough to return to London alone. While he was away, the Black family's werewolf battalion had attacked one of the vampires' strongholds. Those who escaped would no doubt want revenge. Heading back by himself would be asking for an ambush.
Besides, he was tired from the battle. Better to leave with everyone else—if the vampires tried anything, they'd only be sending themselves to the slaughter. With luck, they might even reveal the location of the Reformists' true base.
After all, this was Scandinavia. London was far away. Even a great wizard couldn't simply Apparate across borders so easily.
Most international wizarding travel required Portkeys. The wizards Phineas had summoned came using Puff's coordination—first by Portkey to the Norwegian border, then by Apparition to the outskirts of the forest.
Phineas and Lisa had followed the same process when they arrived. The return journey would be no different. Those who could Apparate would do so. The others would fly to the Portkey location.
But the route back posed a risk. The vampires might choose to ambush them while they traveled, especially near the fixed Portkey site—an obvious bottleneck.
Phineas turned to Lisa and the other wizards.
"I doubt the vampires will simply let us leave after destroying so many of their forces and exposing their strongholds. They'll want to strike back—and the Portkey site is their best shot."
Lisa nodded. "It makes sense. If they're going to attack, it will be there. It's too risky to return in separate groups."
Phineas agreed. "Exactly. So, we'll fly together using the flying spell. Even if the Reformist vampires attempt an ambush, they won't be able to muster too many high-ranking members—certainly not many Earls or above. And as long as we stay united, they won't stand a chance."
A young wizard nearby grinned. "Then if they try it, they're just handing us their heads on a silver platter."