Born in Blood



Liam cursed and instantly took out his strongest blades, Nord doing the same with his lengthy glaive.

Both jumped back and created as much space as they could.

As the pair assessed where the invisible attacks came from, a red line formed on Nord's shoulder.

SPURT!

A chunk of flesh tore off Nord's body and flew through the air, even though the boy sidestepped to evade.

Nord growled in suppressed pain, but sharp wind swirled around his figure and coated his body to form air-made armor.

Liam's blades blurred as he felt something lethal aiming for his flank. 

He turned around just to see a nigh-invisible crimson thread attempting to cleave him in half, but a dual-swing of his blazing blades sharpened with Lethality Mantle severed the line.

"Show yourself, coward!" Nord shouted with scorn in his voice, blood pouring from his shoulder. Surprisingly, the boy had a good tolerance for pain.

Silence ensued. 

With each passing second, the two grew more tense, their eyes narrowed to slits.

"You know, I'm surprised by how well you know how to speak our language," an amused, feminine voice rang out from around them. It came from no specific direction, yet was heard loud and clear. "You've been taught well."

Liam heaved a small sigh to keep his instincts in check. 

Conversing to buy time wouldn't hurt. At least, until he found out where she was hiding. Slow and silent, his mental energy started to spread.

"I take it you're either Niveh or Shirzx? Why did you kill the old man first? I was under the impression he was with you."

Silence.

"Your questions caused his death. A pity. He was the head farmer too. It'll take us years before we grow another one."

Grow another one? 

Liam frowned, but didn't stop. Nord's condition was getting better by the second, bits of his shoulder were weaving together.

"I take it these people haven't left this place for as long as they've lived. Why? Are all vampires as hostile and heartless as they say they are?"

Silence.

The voice let out an entertained chuckle. Liam didn't know if she caught up to his ploy or was genuinely intrigued by his words.

"It's ironic I hear a human say that. Do you shed tears for the cattle you farm?"

Liam scowled, glancing at Nord from the side.

The vermillion-eyed boy looked battle-ready. His shoulder was no longer a mangled mess of torn flesh, but plastered with reformed muscle tissue and pale skin.

"By the way, stalling for time isn't the smartest move."

That's when it hit him. 

All around their surroundings, imperceivable lines of crimson strung around the air, ground and sky. They were multiplying like bacteria, at a point that even Nord realized them.

Liam let out a grumble of irritation, clenching the blades in his hands tighter.

Then, he noticed a detail that instantly soothed his anger. The newer crimson threads that formed were significantly weaker looking compared to the old ones.

Whatever the vampire was doing, it was sacrificing strength for numbers, thinking the two humans wouldn't notice. 

Liam stilled a smile from showing on his face, then relayed to the fearful Nord. At the same time, he positioned himself so their backs were to each other.

[Follow my lead.]

///

Back at the base, Rin and the others continued their studies. 

Gerald, although cowardly in confrontational aspects, was quite passionate in the art of formations. 

"Formations are like art," he mentioned to Nessa. 

She and Gerald had actually gotten along quite well, and she quickly realized they had a lot in common. 

"It just requires you to shape 'Ora' into specific ways using the earth as the canvas."

"That's the same thing with alchemy!" she beamed. Her warm smile made Gerald turn away to hide his blush. "Everyone underestimates it, but they all reap its benefits by using nourishing elixirs and pills!"

Rin, who was opposite them while examining the corrupted magical beast, currently wished her senses didn't allow her to pick up on lip movements.

Originally, she had wanted to ask Nessa for her advice, but found her to be completely absorbed in meaningless chatter with the peasant boy.

Her disability often isolated her from others. Unless they knew how to gesture back, she was stuck with her own silent thoughts.

Shaking her head, she was just beginning to cultivate, when a blood-red pole – the tip of which was razor sharp – pierced through the front door and aimed right between her eyes.

Rin cursed inwardly as she arched her back towards the ceiling, watching the pole whiz by where she was a second ago.

Nessa and Gerald instantly flinched at the sudden attack. The former stumbled to take out her staff, while the latter cursed loudly and took out his longsword.

Before the spear could continue on its trajectory and smash against the base wall... it redirected itself mid air, making a sharp turn towards Gerald's direction!

The peasant wasn't fast enough to block. He barely managed to sidestep the spear-like pole as it tore through his shoulder, falling back with a loud scream of pain. 

Rin unsheathed her fang-like daggers just then to sever the red line with burning blades, succeeding in doing so, but her brows furrowed as she saw the pole melt and boil like blood.

"The backdoor!" 

Nessa shouted hectically as she picked up the wounded Gerald and ran out the back, followed by Rin.

However, past the back door was a dead end. Blocked by the mountain. They couldn't climb above it either, since the rocky dome covered the top.

"Lawrence and Nord!" Nessa screamed panickily, and Gerald's shouts of pain had not stopped all throughout. "We need to regroup!"

Rin shot the pair a hard glare.

Nord was right. These two were beyond cowardly and weak. 

She gestured dismissively: 'Run. I'm staying behind.'

In Rin's way of thinking, she didn't want their base to be trashed as they sought help. 

…And also, how long were they going to depend on Lawrence for? 

The boy was two years younger than Rin yet the group would've fallen apart if he wasn't there.

Rin clenched her daggers, sparks blazing in her eyes as she ran towards the front of the base to confront the attacker, ignoring Nessa's pleading screams.