My (Monster?) Hero Life

Chapter 138: Sleeping Serpent

"Cammie!" Lauren screamed at the top of her voice.

The door to her office burst open as a scrawny man with a rapier at his waist marched in. He had a displeased look on his face, and his blonde hair was a mess. He was just in time to witness the Guild Master scrunching a letter into a ball in frustration.

"I told you not to call me that! It sounds like a girl's nickname!" Cameron gave her a cold look, completely uninterested in what new drama was unfolding. As the Vice Guild Master, he still had a ton of work to do. Especially since Lauren never bothered with any of the paperwork.

"Who cares!" Lauren scoffed, as she started to tie her black hair that was peppered with grey into a ponytail. She did not like to discuss her age, but she was indeed closing in on the big four zero. That did not stop her from acting like a young twenty-something, though. "Prepare everyone in the guild. We're going to war!"

Cameron took a moment for this to register. As though his brain could not process it at all. Then when it sunk in his eyes nearly fell out of their sockets from bulging so much. 'War? Who with! We've pretty much been inactive for decades!' He really wanted to know the answer to this. Had they been recalled to be sent to support another world? This branch was basically where the trouble makers who were not expected to achieve anything were exiled to.

"Pardon me, but who exactly will we be fighting?" Cameron could not contain his curiosity or excitement. Anything was better than doing all that paperwork waiting on his desk.

"The vampires! Who else!" Lauren gave him quite the scowl to his stupid question.

"The vampires? Wait! THE vampires! Are you mad!" Cameron almost lost his shit when he heard this. The vampires had been a thorn in the Heroes Guild's plans for this world. The problem was that a lot of them had survived the Great War and were unimaginably strong with centuries of experience behind them.

"We have no choice. We must act now before it is too late." Lauren declared with a solemnity that she rarely used. "If we don't, we will lose this world."

Cameron could not help but stare at her in disbelief. They had been in a stalemate and had left each other alone for so long. So what had happened on the vampire's side for the sudden change to the situation? Cameron did not like this one bit. But if the situation could get out of hand enough to cost them this world then even if they survived, they would be executed by the elders in the Guild's Headquarters.

"I will get it done," Cameron replied as his face became similar to a mask of death. "Is there anything else, Guild Master?" 

Lauren paused for a moment before picking up the quill on her desk. She quickly wrote a few lines explaining the situation on a piece of parchment. She sealed it in an envelope before using the wax seal of the guild on it. She handed the letter to Cameron with a grave expression.

"Relay this letter, when you hand it over, use the codeword 'Nightfall'." Lauren stared hard into Cameron's eyes. Both of them knew that such an undertaking could be the end for them. In reality, Lauren did not want to use this word. It was the emergency code for this world if their presence was in danger of being annihilated. It was only told to the current Guild Master. Using it meant that she could not contain the situation alone. It was a humiliating thing to admit.

Cameron bowed his head before racing out of the office. Less than ten minutes later, an alarm sounded throughout the fortress. It was the call to arms. 'So many of them will not return.' Lauren thought as she cast her glance out of the window to the courtyard. 

Agitated heroes were rushing around in shock and disbelief. Searching for their weapons and armour. They had been overly lax in their training since they felt pretty secure in this world. At this moment in time, they were panicking, believing that they were under attack from an unknown enemy. Word had not been spread amongst their ranks yet.

There was a hero amongst them who was actually excited instead. He had been banished to this godforsaken place for ignoring orders and killing a commanding officer. The other heroes always gave him a wide berth when they crossed paths.

This man was Charlie. Also known as The Cobra for his use of poisons and speed. He was especially good at striking first. Making sure the fight would be over before it had even really begun. A large smile crept across his face as he marched to his room. 'It's about time I get some exercise! Things have been too boring around here!'

Charlie was one of the few who had never slacked off. He had taken the time to go outside of the fort and hunt the few monsters and wildlife of this world alone. He spent the remainder of his time experimenting with sparse plant life to create new poisons. His thoughts turned to which ones he should bring to this fight. 

A pair of his comrades rushed past in the opposite direction. Holding what seemed to be a meaningful conversation. Usually, Charlie would never bother with idle gossip. He prefered to wait for hard facts. Misinformation could be more lethal than no information in a fight with your life on the line. However, there was something that one of them said that caught his attention.

"I heard it from Cameron himself! I'm telling you! We're marching on the Vampires City! I was right there when he informed the warden to sound the alarm!" One of the men said to his companion in fear.

'Vampires? Oh, ho. And here I thought I'd never get a chance to use 'that'! Just as well I bought it from the Headquarters supplies when I found out I'd be sent here.' A sinister smile crept across his face at this piece, of what he considered, good news...