Skylar and Alucard escorted the new residents to their new homes, then headed to the front of the castle to remove Sumi and Taka's bodies and to bury them. In Skylar's eyes, it was better than they deserved, but she knew Alucard thought differently, so she went along with burying the two. Then, they heard clip-clopping behind them. Skylar turned, raising her hand to her sword in its sheath, but stopped when she saw a black horse with a man slumped on the horse's back. Skylar looked at Alucard with concern. Alucard's brow furrowed. Then, he made his way to the horse. Skylar followed closely. The horse came to a stop. The man on its back reeked of the metallic scent of blood from injuries where blood soaked his clothes.
"What happened to him?" Skylar asked as she pulled the body off the horse's back, and Alucard took the note tied to the dead man's hand.
"I don't know for certain," Alucard said as Skyler lay the dead man on his back against the ground. Then Alucard unrolled the small note and began to read it aloud. "'To the Alucard of the castle,' for God's sake. Why am I the Alucard now?"
"Keep reading, the man died getting here," Skylar said while looking at the man dead on the ground.
"'To the Alucard of the castle,'" Alucard began to read aloud again. "'We, the people of Denesti, beg your aid. Night creatures, vampires and terrible demons assault us, and we know not why; our defences weaken, and our numbers dwindle. Please, sir, save our souls.'"
"Save their souls," Skylar quoted. "Sounds like this man was desperate to get the message here."
"Yes," Alucard confirmed. Looking over the note to find a map on the back of it. Skylar stood up and walked around the man's body, and ran her hand along the horse's neck as it whinnied. "It's a good twenty miles away by the map here. And he still kept on riding, until he either died from the pain or the blood loss. Or both."
"I'll go get Tara and some day creatures," Skylar said, making her way away from the castle. Alucard watched her go as he picked up the dead rider. "I'll have Tanya come with us for a little extra help."
"I will get this man buried to rest," Alucard said, but didn't move until Skylar was out of sight. He let out a sigh and carried the man to a hill some ways away from the castle, and set the rider against the tree. "I sometimes wonder if I'm doing things correctly with Skylar. She's never had a partner before me. I don't have experience in that either."
"I wonder, does she think I'm doing enough for her?" Alucard asked the deceased rider while digging up a grave to bury the rider in. "Did you have one? Can't imagine losing someone, as someone lost you... I have lost my mind, haven't I? Skylar is right to worry about my mental health."
As Alucard talked to the dead body, Skylar made her way to the settlement and looked for Tara and Tanya. The day creatures were busy preparing and building needed items for the village settlement to be both more efficient and functioning. The day creatures have also begun working on some farmland.
"Tara? Tanya?" Skylar called for the two, looking around. Then she saw the two walking together from the river nearby. "Tara! Tanya! We gotta go! Alucard got a message requesting help from monsters! We need to head out now!"
"Got it," Tara said, almost running to some day creatures nearby. Tanya flew off to gather the vampires with the daylight charms in the area to head off and give aid to Denesti. Skylar made her way back to the castle.
"Pray we get there in time," Skylar said aloud to herself as she walked. Skylar couldn't help but think the worst. If she and Alucard don't make it to Denesti with help, that village is as good as dead. "I can't fail, I can't let Alucard fail either. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if that village dies before we reach them."
Skylar kept walking until she reached the front of the castle. The horse was still standing at the entrance. Skylar then saw Taka and Sumi's bodies were still on stakes. Skylar looked around and didn't see Alucard anywhere. It wouldn't hurt to tell a little white lie, right? Skylar snapped her fingers and sent two daylight sparks at Sumi and Taka's bodies, shattering them into dust. Alucard wouldn't know unless someone told him.
"Don't you tell him," Skylar told the horse. The horse whinnied and stomped its hoof. "Don't tell him, and I will get you an apple as a treat."