My Players Are So Fierce

Maxim's straightforward "speech" did not quiet down the restless barracks, as those rioters who exchanged glances still planned to resist, their unspoken understanding making them begin to move their feet.

But soon, more clan vampires entered the scene behind Maxim in the night, and the opening of pairs of Blood Wings made even the most resistant and crazed fellows show despair on their faces.

Although in the Transia region, Blood Vulture rebel vampires were hunted mercilessly by players like "bounty beasts," in other parts of the continent, vampires as creatures still commanded considerable respect.

At the very least, ordinary rioters didn't have the courage to charge against the defense line formed by vampires.

They soon retreated, and after the first person threw down their weapons, the concept of surrender was quickly materialized. Soon the ground was covered with all sorts of blades and some firearms, while Transian civil servants escorted by veterans entered with swords at their waists, holding paper and pen to begin registering names.

Even the wildest prisoners couldn't demonstrate their martial prowess in this situation when facing those dark, still smoking gun barrels.

They were just bad, not stupid.

After realizing that the Blood Vulture Clan vampires came with ill intent and would really kill people, they showed quite a "cooperative" attitude when facing questions and registration from the civil servants.

Actually, some people had thought about it, the vampires before them plus the Blood Servants only numbered around 100, while they had over 2,000 warriors. If they just mustered up the courage to charge, even vampires moving swiftly in the night couldn't stop everyone, and most people would have a "free future."

Even if they themselves were members of that scum.

This necessary caution unknowingly saved these dregs, because outside the camp in the darkness, Murphy and Kudel were waiting for "the worst case scenario" to happen.

Necessary Evil was already hanging in the air making expectant humming sounds. This demon blade didn't know what orders its wielder would give, it didn't even know why it was here. But it knew that with just a nod from Murphy, it could begin the slaughter and taste the blood of life again.

This was also where Maxim's confidence came from.

He was a quiet and practical person, and this operation was the first time Murphy had given him sole responsibility for an important task. Maxim was loyal and thus always worried about possible mistakes he might make.

When he knew his master and companions were guarding in the darkness, the cowardice in his heart would also be mercilessly slain, turning him back into that cold-faced person.

After seeing that the prisoner issue had been temporarily resolved, Maxim did not linger.

After ordering his subordinate captain from the Kadman People's Army to guard this place, he walked alone towards the depths of this temporary camp.

This was the second issue he had to deal with tonight, and in terms of importance, it was far above handling these prisoners.

He had to settle those armed Blood Servants for Master Murphy. These people were "special units" from Transia's past, and nowhere else on the entire continent would produce such special groups except this ghostly place, and Maxim had once been one of them.

Therefore, on the issue of Blood Servant prisoners, he could empathize.

Although he didn't say it out loud, Maxim also hoped these Blood Servants being repatriated to their homeland could have a decent outcome. However, the trouble with this matter lay in the fact that it wasn't something that could be decided by his personal subjective wishes.

"You should all have heard what I just said. Now let your commander step forward, I need to discuss your disposition with him."

Maxim stood outside the Blood Servant prisoners' quarters. He didn't actively go in but instead gave instructions in a voice they could hear, just like before.

After several minutes of waiting, a middle-aged man wearing the original Blood Vulture Clan Armed Blood Servant commander's uniform quickly walked out of the darkness with five young men.

They still showed some military bearing, and speaking of this, one must mention the difference between ordinary Blood Servants and Armed Blood Servants.

Although they were all humans serving vampires, Armed Blood Servants were after all trained as the Blood Vulture Clan's army, so during Salrokdar's rule, special vampires were also assigned to be responsible for the Blood Servants' training and organization.

This tradition appeared when the Blood Vulture Clan settled in Transia and continues until now. A fixed portion of the Blood Vulture Clan's newly embraced members each year were selected from among the Armed Blood Servant officers.

This was actually quite a good selection method for vampire clans, able to maintain the combat effectiveness of the Armed Blood Servant army while deepening their control over this group, and ensuring the loyalty of new members entering the clan.

The Blood Vulture Clan's prosperity over the past several hundred years and tight control over Transia were complementary to this selection system.

But this model also had its drawbacks.

The direct result it led to was that Armed Blood Servants were in quite a delicate situation in the original Transian society. As the human force most closely connected to and relied upon by vampires, the army composed of Armed Blood Servants even developed into a military noble class and "parasitic class" full of nepotism over hundreds of years of tradition.

They were clearly "collaborators" between vampire rulers and civilians, both despised by many while envied by even more.

Due to vampires being long-lived beings, when selecting new Armed Blood Servants they would tend to favor human descendants who had served the Blood Vulture Clan for generations. This once again strengthened the covenant between Blood Servants, leading to a situation where after 400 years, almost all humans who could become Armed Blood Servants came from "red-blooded" vampire worshipper family backgrounds.

These fellows weren't just Transia's once main armed force, but more importantly were the Blood Vulture Clan's most important means of maintaining rule.

Under this issue one could understand the difficult choice Maxim now faced.

He couldn't be certain what attitude these Blood Servants who had been loyal to the old clan had towards the new Blood Vulture Clan. If they were unwilling to continue obeying, then every single one of these fellows would be the most dangerous destabilizing factor.

Maxim really didn't want things to reach that point, but if he had to make a choice, he believed he wouldn't hesitate at all when swinging down the butcher's knife.

"Salute to you, Commander!"

The middle-aged man representing the Armed Blood Servants quickly stepped forward and gave Maxim a standard Blood Servant salute.

There was somewhat of a servant's fawning towards their master, but in the view of their special group this was the most normal thing.

"State your identity, soldier!"

Maxim said.

That middle-aged man immediately straightened his back and responded loudly:

"Colonel Flanders McKent of the Transian Blood Vulture Guard 3rd Brigade salutes you! Sir, our unit's General Randolph was severely wounded in battle with the Northerners. When they demanded surrender, he ordered us to lay down arms, left a suicide note and died for his country.

I am currently temporarily in command of the 3rd Brigade."

"Hmm, so you're the famous 'Vulture Claw' Colonel? The most outstanding soldier among the Armed Blood Servants, I once viewed you as an idol, Colonel."

Maxim had heard this name before.

He carefully observed the middle-aged man before him who was probably in his forties. When he was still Jed's Blood Servant, Colonel Flanders before him was an "idol" among their group.

This soldier came from a poor background and became a Blood Servant when very young, then relied on his own loyalty and talent to gradually stand out among the Armed Blood Servants step by step.

If the Ten-Year War hadn't happened, he would probably already be a prominent figure among Blood Servants by now, promoted to general and awarded formal honorary member status in the Blood Vulture Clan.

However, Maxim could now easily detect certain injuries remaining on this middle-aged man's body, as well as a hint of weakness left after being abused under extreme conditions. The whole person seemed to have aged over ten years out of nowhere, with wrinkles on his forehead and even his hair turning grey as if he had lost his "highlight."

Combined with the explanation given by the Thorn Clan, Maxim knew these were traces left when these prisoners were sent to build steam train railways in the wilderness of Nordtov.

Facing Maxim's praise, Colonel Flanders chose to remain silent, probably feeling that as a defeated general he had no right to be an "idol" to a formal vampire.

"So, is this all that's left of the 3rd Brigade?"

Maxim asked:

"Were all the missing numbers lost during hard labor in the wilderness?"

"Not quite so, my lord." The colonel sighed and said:

"Although working on railways in the frigid land under the command of frost dwarves wasn't a good job, the Northerners needed us as laborers and wouldn't arbitrarily kill us.

The main reason the 3rd Brigade dropped from 6,000 men to only 3,300 now is that traitors appeared among us!

While we persisted in our shacks in the wilderness, the demise of the Blood Vulture Clan hit our spirits like a heavy punch. As more and more news was sent back, especially after learning Kadman City was destroyed by the Pioneer Army, many people's will began to waver.

The cunning Thorn Clan recruiters seized the opportunity to extend invitations to us, and those who were already extremely disappointed with the current situation chose to abandon honor and glory to leave.

To prevent this situation from continuing to worsen, we organized a revolt. The result was inevitable, we lost several hundred more men in that night's brutal suppression.

But my lord, I can guarantee to you!

All soldiers who have returned to Transia with me now are loyal!"

Speaking to this point, the colonel looked at Maxim, hesitated for a moment, and asked:

"The only question now is, does the still-existing Blood Vulture Clan still wish to accept us, these defeated soldiers who have lost all honor and return in such a sorry state?"

"Good question, I actually have a question to ask you all as well."

Maxim didn't beat around the bush. He looked at the colonel before him and asked in a deep voice:

"Whether we accept you depends on your attitude. I want to know, what are your views on the Blood Vulture Clan that has now crawled up from disaster and regained control of Transia?

I can tell you very straightforwardly, Colonel Flanders, the only thing today's Blood Vulture Clan has in common with the regime you swore loyalty to in the past is this name.

The Blood Vulture Clan now established by Grand Duchess Tris and Count Murphy follows a new order that is completely at odds with your worldview. Everything you were familiar with has already vanished with the wind, and in this new era there are many choices left for you.

The premise is, you must offer loyalty anew.

This time, loyalty is no longer based on blind worship of vampires, but requires you to swear to all of Transia that you will dedicate your own strength to this homeland that accepts you again."

"So, this answer will directly decide our fate, right?"

Colonel Flanders sighed, seeming to have long predicted this outcome.

Under Maxim's gaze, the colonel's straight back bent down at this moment, seemingly representing his current confused state of mind.

The several young officers beside him who had also weathered storms helplessly exchanged glances.

They couldn't directly say they were willing to offer loyalty, after all they knew nothing about this new regime. Even if they said they would offer loyalty, Maxim wouldn't believe them.

But if they didn't offer loyalty, what could they who had escaped death from the wilderness to return home say?

As members of the Armed Blood Servants, they had been indoctrinated since childhood with the idea of dedicating everything to vampire authority. Their entire lives also progressed along this track. Now the main force that supported them to step onto the battlefield and supported them to never surrender had all disappeared forever with Salrokdar's death.

The situation they had to face was more complex than anyone else on Transian soil, so complex that even Maxim couldn't give them advice.

"We won't resist."

After a silence lasting half a minute, Colonel Flanders looked at Maxim, who was young enough to be his son, with a complex gaze.

He said in a dejected voice:

"Although the vampire superiors we once swore loyalty to have eternally rested, although the clan we once served has perished in history, but we were born in Transia and once fought against foreign enemies for this land.

Our hot blood was once spilled on the borders, those lands that once belonged to us are filled with our brothers' bones! They are watching us, which makes us unable to resist this land.

We will continue to obey, continue to step onto the battlefield under the Blood Vulture banner, as long as you allow it."

This answer was full of resignation, but Maxim nodded.

He said:

"My Kadman People's Army will select a batch of new recruits from among you, to rebuild Transia's first formal army for Governor Murphy. But I'm not from an Armed Blood Servant background, I'm not familiar with your group, so I need you all to submit a report to me within one week.

I will select 1,000-1,500 people from among you, I only want elites and those soldiers who can still be saved."

"Hmm?"

Colonel Flanders looked at Maxim in surprise and asked:

"What does 'can still be saved' mean?"

"In Governor Murphy's planning, vampires will continue to live on this land as an ordinary race in Transia, so those extreme vampire fanatics are existences that must be cleared from the army."

Maxim explained:

"You can separate those people out, I think Lady Tris might give them a path to take, after all the current Blood Vulture Clan is also in ruins and needs rebuilding.

We need some trustworthy Blood Servants to rebuild the clan structure.

But they must learn to adapt to the new environment, to start their lives with new identities. I know some Blood Servants have already gone too far down the path of blind loyalty.

Without masters they can't even find the center of their lives, like mentally disabled people who can't take care of themselves.

Those are abnormal people twisted by past vampire culture. The Blood Vulture Clan will accept these people and support them until they die of old age, but we won't cultivate new fanatical Blood Servants.

That was a mistake of the past.

It shouldn't appear again in new Transia's history."

Speaking to here, Maxim paused. He looked at Colonel Flanders before him, and after several seconds of contemplation he said:

"As for you personally, Colonel, your efforts in protecting Transia over many years in the past deserve recognition. Therefore if you are willing, I can grant you the Embrace to make you a formal member of the Blood Vulture family. The Kadman People's Army also needs experienced commanders.

But you must understand the difference between these two things, it's not because you became a Blood Vulture member that you gained command authority!

Rather, it's because you yourself are our war hero that Governor grants you command power. In other words, even if you refuse to become a vampire, you can still serve as military advisor in the new army.

However, as an exchange condition for this preferential treatment, you need to cooperate with me to complete the dismantling of the 3rd Brigade. The soldiers under your command will be assigned new work according to their individual skills.

They will become farmers, militia, or workers. They will always be able to find new trajectories for their lives."

Maxim stopped speaking.

He thought for a moment and decided to use what Master Murphy had reminded him earlier as the end of this conversation. He stood straight and gave a military salute to Colonel Flanders before him, saying in a deep voice:

"What I want to tell you is, don't worry that you will face special treatment, because the Blood Vulture Clan never forgets those who have contributed to us.

Even though things have changed, loyalty is forever a virtue worthy of praise!

Salute to you!

Past defender of Transia."

These words made Colonel Flanders's eyes widen. Then, this dejected middle-aged man also straightened his back. He reached to adjust his old-style military cap and collar, returned Maxim a military salute and said loudly:

"Blood witnesses loyalty! Salute to you! Future defender of Transia! In the name of temporary commander of Armed Blood Servant 3rd Brigade, I order… 3rd Brigade, dismissed!"