My Daughter Will Kill Me-Chapter 22: Vampires
Chapter 22 - Vampires
[System Warning]
[Vampires Detected]
[Suggested Action: Find an escape route]
"What?!"
A memory flashed in his mind, the tiny detail from the novel which he had not anticipated encountering anytime soon, but here he was, about to run into the warning despite knowing the consequences.
The Vyrmire forest is a vast expanse located within the demonic realm, nestled between Gorit land and the demonic realm itself. This was a detail that Arzoth failed to remember until now. The information he provided in the novel was so brief that he overlooked the fact that this forest is invisible to anyone except those whom the forest itself chooses to reveal it to.
Dragons and demons have the privilege of seeing the invisible. Skor knew that if the forest made itself visible to Arzoth, then there must be a reason behind it, which could not necessarily be a good one.
"I have to be cautious on my way. Vampires are known to live on human blood, but I have to stay prepared for any unexpected changes that happen."
He couldn't run away, not with Airsa out there, in God knows what danger.
The blue aura radiated again, this time covering a larger area of the forest than the last time. Arzoth wasted no time in darting toward the landscape. The closer he got to the core of the aura, the brighter it became. He shaded his eyes against the harsh glare of the blue aura before him, yet he refused to stop. He moved forward until the bright light faded ever so slightly, returning his vision. He blinked his eyes a few times to adjust to the sight in front of him. Just as soon as he opened his eyes, they widened.
A globe of the earlier radiant, blue aura shone brightly, illuminating the odd space between the dense forest. At the core of it, a small frame stood with its hands clenched at its side, with a force that dug its nails into its palms.
"Arisa?" he uttered in disbelief.
There was no doubt it was Arsia, with such mana capacity that even the greatest creatures failed to summon. The aura surrounding her was undeniably her mana; anything less can't have such an impact and power radiated off its source.
Arzoth frowned, and his heart rate increased; his mouth opened and closed like a fish in water. He had never seen anything like this before. It both amazed and terrified him.
"What is she doing?" he thought to himself.
His mind later registered the unknown presence circling Arisa's mana globe. They were just two of them, staring at the power source with wide, surprised eyes. They had a long cloak covering their frame from the dark and cold night, yet couldn't withstand the force of Arisa's mana.
His eyes studied the unfamiliar presence of the two, only to notice a pair of sharp, spiky white teeth on both their upper and lower sets. Their pale, snowy skin glistered under the moonlight, a contrast to their dark black hair. The one on the right had more feminine features than the other. They both took a step towards Arisa's globe. A gluttonous look on their face. They didn't pay a glance at the prince's presence, a few feet away
A sense of dread washed over Arzoth as a sinking realization dropped to his gut. They weren't after blood. They don't live on it. It is mana that they want. And Arisa's incredible capacity drew them to her. They would stop at nothing but draw every ounce of mana from her, leaving her weak and struggling to even make an effort to breathe. It wasn't Arisa who created this mana globe, but it was the vampires who extracted it from her.
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Arzoth cursed under his breath. It was bad that Arisa couldn't move, but worse as he felt deserted. Was Skor right? That he could hardly protect himself, let alone Arisa? No, it wasn't the moment to dwell on such judgments. He needs to do something and act fast before Arisa gets in more trouble then she already is.
He clenched his hands at his side in painful fists. His mind raced with a million thoughts, searching for any way out of this situation. He shut his eyes firmly, his brows frowning in a desperate attempt to make the sense of weakness disappear. He shoots them open after a fraction of a second as a striking idea crossed his mind.
"System!" he called out in his mind. The familiar blue screen appeared in front of him.
[System window]
[Stats: Lv 2]
[Mana: 105%]
[Strength points: 98]
[EXP: 150]
Arzoth took a deep breath as he straightened his posture, his nails dug deeper into his palms in determination.
"Unlock Swordsmanship level 15." He commanded, "Help me acquire a sword."
[Swordsmanship level 15 unlocked for 100 EXP]
[Basic sword acquired in the inventory for 50 EXP]
[Basic sword registered in the inventory]
Arzoth breathed out a sigh of relief, "Perfect!"
"I have enough mana to land a maximum of two attacks, which will definitely make them stumble back on their feet without much harm, but what I need is for them to fall unconscious, for which I will need to direct all my mana in a single strike. Because after that strike, I won't have any mana to land another attack."
"This is my last resort, if I miss it. I will not only put myself in danger but risk Arisa's life as well."
"Give me the sword."
Arzoth lifted his right hand in front of him. His eyes never wavered from the vampires while his newly acquired sword materialized in his hand. He could feel the weight of the object, and he adjusted his grip on the hilt of it, keeping it in place.
It didn't go unnoticed by the vampires as they halted on their way, only to face Arzoth's gaze. The vampires exchanged a look, judging the prince with a straight expression echoed on their faces.
They turned their head to face the prince once again, to convey some words of threat, to tell him that a simple sword like his won't kill them, that he was overestimating himself. But just as their eyes met, the prince, Arzoth, was already on the move. The first thing they felt was the icy cold blade slicing through both their throats in a single, swift motion. They didn't see him approaching, nor did they feel his presence up close until he was just inches away.
They didn't know what struck them. Arzoth passed through the creatures in a second, leaving crumpling bodies of the two vampires behind.
The vampires lay on the ground, unconscious. No blood stained the land, nor did they make any sound of protest; the clean cut was hardly visible with one's naked eyes. They didn't find any second to think or act against Arzoth.
When their eyes closed, breathing in their last attempt at survival, Arzoth watched as the glowing globe of mana around Arisa faded rapidly. Completely. Her body fell on the ground with a soft thud, and so did Arzoth's.
[System]
[User: Arzoth Draven]
[Mana: 1%]
[Warning: Further reduction to the mana will lead to death]
Arzoth watched the blue screen of his system, processing almost nothing from it. He felt too tired to stand, to help Arisa get up, even to breathe.
He heard several sharp footsteps growing closer to him and Arisa, and he made one last attempt at glancing up at the forms approaching.
"Vampires...." He murmured.
Soon his mind went blank, his eyelids relaxed, and eventually closed. His breathing slowed down. He couldn't move, and certainly couldn't fight.
