2172 Bottom of the Barrel (Part 2)

Once the group reached the end of the corridor, even though the secret passage wasn't in the same position as the White Griffon's, the activation mechanism worked the same way.

One of the stone blocks hid a mechanical switch that released the lock and the wall moved with but a gentle push thanks to its well-oiled hinges. Everything was mechanical in nature so that it would work even during a power outage, making it outside Hystar's senses.

The stairs turned out to go down, making Lith inwardly curse. Those going up weren't visible on the map, requiring more time and exploring to find them.

'You guys stay here.' Vladion said after putting the wall back into place. 'We can't afford the undead smelling you or detecting your presence with their senses. If they are as hungry as I expect them to be, the slightest hint could give you off.

'If they think that I'm part of a group of undead who has come to take down Thrud, they will be much more cooperative and they'll have nothing to gain by exposing my presence.'

'Okay.' Lith let the Vampire out of his body and took his rings back.

The dungeon was devoid of natural light, allowing Vladion to move freely even without the Abomination's shell. His strength plummeted slightly above Lith's level as daytime's abundant light element messed up with his core, but he was still a force to be reckoned with.

The Vampire walked downstairs slowly, to get used to his weakened state and his dulled senses.

The dungeon was nothing like Lith had described it to Vladion. The place where the Tiamat had undergone the second exam of the fourth year was a network of caves whereas the basement of the Golden Griffon was built like a prison.

Either side of the walls had been turned into holding cells, big enough to accommodate a single person and give them just enough space to lie down. Much to Vladion's surprise, not only was everyone awake and vigilant, but they showed no aggression.

Based on the memories that Lith had shared with Vladion, he had been expecting a ravenous bunch of mindless creatures who had fallen prey to their hunger. What lay in front of him, instead, were a bunch of people who stared at him in curiosity.

"He comes from outside." Said a White Lady with her dress reduced to shreds and almost no flesh between her skin and muscles. "He is well fed and his clothes are nothing I've ever seen."

"It's more than that." A Wendigo said. He still had the hulking size typical of his bloodline, but most of his fangs were missing and his frost aura was reduced to the point that his breath barely steamed. "He doesn't work for the Mad Queen.

"Otherwise he would have either Warped us to our destination or be thrown in a cell to garner our compassion. Instead, he's standing there, looking around like an idiot."

"You are both right." Vladion replied. "My name is Vladion Dragonborn, Firstborn Vampire, Son of Baba Yaga, and I've come here to kill the daughter of Arthan."

Before anyone could question his identity and motive, Vladion turned into a human, almost sending the famished undead into a feeding frenzy. Yet it lasted barely for one second, enough to prove them the power of his blood core.

Then, before asking any question, he walked in front of every cell, giving to each of its occupants the best nourishment he could. Fresh flesh to the Ghoul, entrails to the Wendigo, blood to Vampire, newborn's tears to the White Lady, and spells to the Mage Slayer.

For most of them, it was the first decent meal in over 700 hundred years. It wasn't nearly enough to sate their hunger but it still gave them peace of mind and rekindled the hope they had lost way before Thrud's arrival.

"I'm not going to lie to you. I didn't come to save you nor do I work for the Undead Courts." Vladion said once they were done eating. "I'm one of the rulers of the Eclipsed Lands and I came here to spare my people from suffering your destiny.

"Thrud knows that she can't control us and once she's done enslaving the living, she'll wipe us all out or worse." He waved his hands at them, putting the imprisoned undead to the bottom of the barrel.

"I want to stop her, but I don't know how nor how to navigate this place. I need your help." Then Vladion asked them about the content of the Golden Griffon's floors, the position of the power core, Orpal's whereabouts, and anything that might be of help.

"Let me get this straight." The White Lady said after weighing her options for a while. "No matter if you succeed or fail, we'd still remain trapped here."

"Correct." Vladion nodded. "But if I am to succeed, when the Golden Griffon is destroyed, you'll be free to go."

"Go where?" The Wendigo said with a snort. "After all this time, Mogar is bound to have changed beyond recognition. We'd be lucky if a few of our undead friends are still alive."

"On top of that, what if the attack takes place during the day?" A Banshee chimed in. "The moment the walls crumble, sunlight would turn us into a bunch of ashes. What you are offering us is either death or an eternity of solitude."

"I can offer you a home in the Eclipsed Lands." Vladion replied. "I can't make promises about the timing of the attack, but I can give you my word that I'll do my best to rescue you when the moment comes."

"It's enough for me." The White Lady stood up, cutting the thin skin of the palm of her hand before offering it to the Firstborn.

Vladion did the same before shaking her hand and mixing their blood in a sacred oath of their people.

"I have no idea who's on the second or the third floor, but I can tell you that the first floor houses the criminal scum that Thrud's army arrested in the territories she conquered.

"I'm often summoned there to break their mind to make it easier for her generals to bend the new recruits to her will."

"What do you mean?" Vladion asked. "Isn't the slave array enough?"

"The slave array forces them to obey the orders, but it cannot force its victims to execute them at the best of their abilities. Most of the criminals are capable fighters and ruthless people, but they don't demonstrate even half of their battle prowess if they keep fighting the orders and trying to find loopholes.

"During our sparring sessions, my duty is to scare them out of their wits and become the bogeyman they have to face if they fail to follow their orders."

"On top of that, there must be a limit to the number of people that the Golden Griffon can make immortal because before Warping me inside a cell, they order me to not kill the prisoner nor injure them beyond healing."

"Interesting." Vladion pondered her words. "It means that every batch of criminals is single-use and that Thrud cannot afford to lose them or the time to properly train them. The Golden Griffon is less powerful than we thought."