THE HUNTED HUNTER

Chapter 6: RISEN FROM THE DEAD

His arms burned as though they were on fire and his heart felt like it was about bursting out of his chest. Images, memories he didn't have, flashed through his thoughts, flooding the halls of his mind. 

The vision Eldrin had shown him kept playing in his head on repeat like a haunting nightmare-the bloody creatures, Maltheon cackling as he ordered his archmen to shoot more arrows, and he and the other Grandmasters feeding off the Bleeding Veil. 

“Wake." 

Kael grunted, his eyes shooting open as his body jerked forward. His muscles felt loose and his heartbeat slowed down. He felt weak, as though something had drained him of all his strength. It was the weakest he had ever felt before. 

He tried to scream but his voice came out muffled as though he had something over his mouth. No, it wasn't just his mouth. His entire body felt as though it was being held down by something. 

He moved around, trying his best to dislodge himself from whatever had him pinned down but the more he moved, the more trapped he became. He tried to breath but whatver held him down also blocked his airways. His eyes darted from left to right, trying to make sense of where he was, but all that he was met with was darkness. 

It wasn't until a patch of dirt rolled down his ear that he suddenly realized where he was. He had been buried… alive. 

Fuck.

Kael's heart pounded against his chest as his thoughts raced. How did he get here? Where was the Order? Who had buried him? More questions poured through his mind but he had no one to answer them. 

The last thing he could remember was drinking with Grandmaster Maltheon. He had felt a burning sensation surge through him before collapsing on the floor. And then Maltheon stood over him and said–

His brows rose up. The drink that Maltheon had given him… it was poisoned. The Grandmaster had poisoned him…

Kael refused to believe it. There was no way a Grandmaster of the Order would poison him. There had to be an explanation. 

But that didn't matter to him at the moment so he decided to push it aside. He had more pressing matters to address. 

The first, getting out of the grave before he ran out of air. 

Kael tried squeezing his hands, hoping to get a hold of his god-blade. If only he could touch it, maybe he could dig his way out of here. But then, a realization dawned on him. His god-blade wasn't here. He could not feel its presence and his connection to it had become weak. 

Realizing he had no way of escaping, panic set in. 

Someone help. 

Kael screamed in his mind, trying his best to shift as much dirt as he could from his body as his lungs struggled for air. He clawed at the dirt underneath him, as his chest began to burn. He could feel his life force begin to slip away as his mind drifted into darkness. His limbs began to tire and his heart slowed down.

And then, everything went black.

___________________________________

“Kael." 

The voice calling his name seemed to come from a distance and Kael wanted to answer but no words left his lips. 

“Kael, stand up." 

That voice… It sounded so familiar. 

"KAEL!!!" 

His eyes shot open, his mouth widening as he gasped for air. His sides felt like they were pricked by needles as oxygen filled his lungs. Turning to his side, Kael began coughing, wheezing between each ragged breath. 

“Hell," he muttered under his heightened breath as he laid back on the ground. His chest rose and fell repeatedly and his strength slowly began to return. 

But as he laid there, a thought hit him. He could breathe. And the pressing weight he had felt over his body from earlier wasn't there anymore. His blurry vision began clearing, the outlines of trees and shrubs finally coming into focus. 

“Kael, you're alive." 

Kael let out a low grunt as he looked up. Standing above him was a figure clad in a long flowing robe. He recognized the face… it was–

“Eldrin?" Kael muttered, his face squeezing into a light frown. 

Eldrin smiled, showing his fangs as he dropped the shovel he was holding and grabbed Kael by the hand, lifting him to his feet. “I thought you were gone there for a second, Hunter," the vampire said with a small chuckle as he wrapped his arms around Kael's waist, aiding his stance. 

“Where… where am I?” Kael asked, his weak voice barely above a whisper. “Why… why was I buried? Who buried… me?”

“We'll answer your question, but first, let's get you out of here." Eldrin's grip around Kael's waist tightened as he bent down. Grunting slowly, he leapt out of the five feet pit they were in before landing on the ground with a soft thud. 

“Ugh," Kael grunted as he fell from Eldrin's hold onto the grass covered ground. He rolled around, trying to get his bearing before crawling towards a heap of sand. 

Looking around, Kael realized that they were in a forest. Large trees surrounded them, hiding whatever stood behind them in thick foliage. The moon had risen high, but dark clouds had begun to gather. 

Not too far from where he laid was a large pit that looked like it had been freshly dug. That was probably where he had been pulled out from.

“Did… did you say we?” Kael asked as he rested his back against the heap of sand by his side, lifting his eyes up to meet Eldrin's. 

“Yes," Eldrin took his hands to his side before unsheathing a long blade, “we." The sword hummed, glowing brightly and Kael smirked. 

"God-blade,” he whispered under his breath as he leaned forward, stretching his hands towards Eldrin. The sword flew from the vampire's grip, before landing in Kael's hands. The moment it did, a surge of power flowed through his body. His cuts and bruises instantly healed and his lost strength returned. 

He was back.