Once inside the cave, Arthur saw many adventurers, usual teams of three or four people from different races. Out of all of these teams, there was one Arthur knew well: Nykka, Tarinne, and Yeva, who were there too.
They did not know he was Arthur, but they recognized him from the shop, as they had seen an elf when speaking to Jane and Wisa but never imagined they would meet that elf there again.
Everyone kept looking at Arthur, Garry, Larry, and Terry, and no one spoke as if they were waiting for something. Sure enough, after one minute, someone came to talk to them, and it was the person in charge of all the adventurers there.
A man who looked to be in his early thirties, with a scar on his right eye that came all the way down to his neck, a thick black beard, and a curved sword was hanging on his waist.
"Who are you? I heard there are hunters here," the man asked.
Garry retook the lead, showing his identification, "yes, my two brothers and I are hunters, and we are here to help investigate these vampires."
"I see. What about this elf?"
"Elf is just one of his forms. He is a dragon, and we became friends. He is here to help us too."
"A dragon! I thought I heard things when you said this outside the cave!"
Dragons still existed in the demon continent, but they were still viewed as legendary creatures, and there was even a law that arrested or killed those who tried to hurt dragons. They were like historical beings that could not be touched unless you didn't care about the consequences.
"Well, I appreciate your help, but we have everything under control. We already know why the vampires have an army."
"You do?"
"Yes, I will tell you because a dragon is present, and I don't like lying in front of it. They gathered an army to fight the beast that was guarding some inheritance. There are no rank four mages there, as this area has some fields that do not allow them to come near."
"A beast guarding it!" thought Arthur.
It was something he already knew, as he had read that in the diary, but what type of beast? If he remembered correctly, the last inheritance had a skeleton dragon there, so could it be the same thing here?
"So what's the plan?"
"We will let the beast fight the vampires, and both sides will lose, with the beast possibly dying. When that happens, we will finish off the vampires and get the inheritance."
The man shared their plan with the hunters and Arthur, as he did not believe they would get in his way. But Arthur could not let that happen! He needed to get the inheritance to cure his blood essence problem and put it in his avatar to make it complete!
"I see," Garry said, leaving afterward to the corner of the cave to speak privately with Arthur and his two brothers.
"What will we do now? There is no way we can match against all of these adventurers!" Larry said, looking visibly scared.
"I think we need to get the inheritance while everyone else is busy fighting and then flee from this place," Arthur said.
"Yes, I had the same idea."
That was their only chance, as the number of all the sides was way higher than just the four of them. Arthur and the three brothers waited inside the cave for the adventurers to move, and when it happened, they also left the cave.
~~~~
There were around 150 vampires in front of an area covered by three mountains, just like the diary said. It was no longer a beautiful forest with tons of life, but a desert area, and the once majestic mountains turned into three small pieces of their true self.
It made sense. Many years passed since the Blood Monarch was there, and looking for the place, thinking it would look the same, was stupid.
"You see them? They are waiting for the beast to come forward! The inheritance is supposedly inside a crypt, buried in the sand, but first, they must kill the beast!"
Arthur was there with all the adventurers and was uncomfortable with the stares of Nykka, Tarinne, and Yeva, who knew they had seen him elsewhere but could not tell where.
At that time, they barely paid attention to him in the shop, so it was understandable they did not remember him. Then, while all of them were hidden, looking at the army of vampires and waiting for the beast to come and fight them, a voice echoed inside Arthur's mind.
He knew what it was. Something nearby was trying to contact him, and when he heard the language, he knew exactly what it was.
"Dragon's tongue!"
"A brother here, in this desert, what a surprise. Can you help me?"
"Depends. What do you need?"
"Someone called the Blood Monarch trapped me in here to protect his inheritance, and I cannot leave; only after someone unlocks the crypt can I leave, but I must fight any intruders, as the Blood Monarch put a spell on me."
"He enslaved you...."
"Yes, pretty much. The destiny of our kind is not that great. I assume everyone else died a long time ago."
Arthur clenched his fist and said, "no, our kind will not disappear like this! There are still dragons in the northern mountains, and I am your Lord, Placidusax! There are also two more dragons on another continent, one trapped that we must rescue. We can rule again if we all get together and get our revenge!"
"P-Placidusax? Are you? Hahaha, this must be fate! Out of everyone who rescued me, the lord of dragons comes in person!"
"What do you need me to do?"
"First, I must survive the upcoming battle against these vampires. Can you join me?"
"Fight side-by-side with a fellow dragon to toast these vampires? I am in!"