The silence in the cave, broken only by the flickering torchlight, stretched taut with anticipation. Edward Bloodrose, crucified and emaciated, watched Adam with an unnerving intensity.
"We free you," Adam reiterated, his voice steady. "And we bring you blood. As much as you need." He looked at Julian, who nodded, already moving towards Edward.
Together, Adam and Julian worked to unbind Edward, the ancient chains groaning in protest. With a final clang, the Vampire Lord dropped to the cave floor, his limbs stiff and weak, but his crimson eyes still burning with an unquenchable fire.
"Now, the blood," Edward rasped, his gaze fixed on Adam.
Adam didn't hesitate. He pulled a small, sharp knife from his newly acquired gear and made a quick, deep cut across his forearm. Crimson droplets welled up, shimmering in the torchlight. Edward's eyes widened, and he lunged, not with aggression, but with a desperate, primal hunger. He pressed his lips to Adam's arm, drinking deeply, his body trembling with the sudden influx of vitality.
As Edward drank, the impossible happened. His gaunt frame began to fill out, his skin losing its ashen pallor, regaining a healthy, if still pale, glow. His muscles visibly swelled, and the strength returned to his limbs. When he finally pulled away, a faint red stain on his lips, he stood tall, imposing even in the dim light. The weakness was gone, replaced by a formidable presence.
"Ah," Edward sighed, a deep, satisfied sound. "Centuries. That was… exquisite." He wiped his mouth, his crimson eyes now fully alive, sharp, and assessing. "My strength returns. Now, for the sword." He looked at the group. "My Bloodrose Sword is located on a top mountain here in the Eternal Darkness. It was cast there by Azazel himself, a final act of spite. It will be awaiting me."
They prepared to depart, the weight of their new task settling upon them. They had a Vampire Lord as an ally, but he needed his ancestral blade.
As they began to walk through the straight passage of the cave, towards the inevitable confrontation outside, Panchenko, unable to hold back his curiosity, risked a question. "Edward," he began, his voice surprisingly soft, "why did you… you know… kill your whole clan?"
Edward continued walking, his expression stoic, unreadable. "I don't know."
Panchenko blinked, genuinely surprised. "You… you don't know?"
"No," Edward replied, his voice flat. "It was like I was asleep. A long, dark sleep. And when I woke up, all of my family were dead. And they say it was me who killed them, because I was the sole survivor. And my sword… my sword was soaked with their blood."
Adam exchanged a glance with Julian. The theory they had discussed now seemed terrifyingly plausible. "Maybe you were being manipulated by someone?" Adam ventured, his voice cautious. "And you didn't know what you were doing?"
Edward simply shrugged, a gesture that seemed out of place on such a powerful being. "Perhaps. Or perhaps I am just a monster, as they claim."
"Or you were hypnotized," Astrid added, her mind working, "that's why you were like asleep."
Edward offered no further comment, his silence a testament to his uncertainty or his unwillingness to dwell on the painful past.
As they neared the cave's entrance, a palpable shift occurred in the air. Edward stiffened, his crimson eyes narrowing, his senses far keener than theirs. "They are here," he growled, his voice a low rumble. "Numerous murderous auras. We're surrounded by demons. And there are so many." He turned to Adam, his gaze intense. "We need to find my sword fast if you need to survive. I'm going to make a path for you." He then looked at Astrid and Panchenko. "You two, you're the fastest. Run towards the mountain and find the Bloodrose Sword. It will be calling to me."
Astrid's eyes widened. "What about the anglerfishes that are still lurking outside?"
Julian, who had been listening, scoffed. "I'm pretty sure there are no anglerfishes outside now. Not with that many demons. They'll have scared them all away."
Just as they were about to step out of the cave, a thunderous laugh echoed from the darkness beyond. The sound sent shivers down their spines, a laugh they knew all too well.
"At last, my prey is in front of me!" Ursa's voice boomed, amplified by some unseen demonic power. His silhouette, massive and menacing, appeared at the cave mouth, surrounded by a legion of demon guards, their weapons glinting faintly in the gloom. "Your futile struggle ends here!"
Edward's crimson eyes blazed with pure hatred. "Oh, shut the fuck up, demon!" he snarled, a primal fury in his voice. "You demons are the ones going to die!" His eyes locked with Julian's. "Julian! Now!"
With a blinding flash of speed that barely registered to the human eye, Julian launched himself forward. His blade was a streak of silver, impossibly fast, impossibly precise. He cut through the front line of demon guards as if they were made of paper, carving a bloody path.
"Astrid! Panchenko! RUN!" Adam roared, his voice desperate. "Find the Bloodrose Sword fast and go back here immediately!"
The inevitable battle started, a clash of steel, magic, and monstrous might, as Adam, Julian, Jones, Harry, and Tom faced the overwhelming force of Ursa and his demon legion. The fate of their escape, and their lives, now rested on Astrid and Panchenko finding a legendary sword in the heart of Level Five.