Blood Arts (2)

He furrowed his brow at my question and shot one right back.

"How...? How do you know vampires live in this forest, human?"

I answered as if it were nothing of consequence.

"Do you really think a perfect secret exists in this world? I've heard your tribe has lived in this forest for a very long time. Believing that no one knows of you—that's arrogance, if anything."

"..."

He said nothing, merely glaring at me with eyes full of hostility. Beside me, Rudika and her sister fidgeted, glancing around anxiously. I went on.

"I harbor no other ill will. There's only one reason I came to this forest. These vampires you see here—the two who lost their tribe and their home. I came to find them a new place to live."

"...What?"

"They're vampires who lived in the northern mountains of Calderic. Fighting broke out among the tribes there, and most of theirs were killed. They barely escaped with their lives."

His gaze shifted to the two sisters. The Elrod Forest tribe already had a few vampires with similar stories, so he would have understood the situation immediately from my explanation.

"So would you show them mercy and take them ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠into your tribe? That's all I came to ask."

He looked back and forth between the sisters and me in silence, then spoke.

"...I don't understand. Setting aside those young vampires' circumstances—why would a human like you bring them all the way here?"

"I simply rescued them from slave hunters. And as it happened, I already knew a vampire tribe lived in this forest."

Then I sensed more presences approaching. New vampires appeared from the same direction he had come from, landing on the branches to either side. They spotted us, their faces flashing with surprise before twisting into scowls.

"...A human and vampires? What's going on here, Flock?"

So the vampire I'd been speaking with was named Flock. He explained the situation to his comrades. The vampires glanced at us as they listened, then wore peculiar expressions. They huddled and whispered among themselves about what to do—but with Super Senses, I heard every word.

"We should report this first..."

"Right. I'll go. You two stay here and keep watch."

Having reached a decision, they addressed me.

"Don't make a move. Stay right there and wait, human. If you truly have no other intentions and came only to help those young vampires, you can manage that much."

"Fine."

I answered without protest. They seemed to be fetching a higher-ranking vampire to decide the sisters' fate, so waiting here would suffice. One vampire departed, leaving two behind to watch us with wary eyes. And so we stood in silent standoff, waiting for someone else to arrive.

A space steeped in darkness and gloom. A vampire woman stood still, eyes closed, steadying her breath. She stood atop a massive boulder at the chamber's center. Embedded in a hollow at the heart of the rock was a red stone the size of a fist—an ominous stone that alone illuminated this lightless underground chamber with a sinister, blood-red glow. Below the boulder, other vampires watched her with uneasy eyes.

"..."

At last, the woman slowly opened her eyes and laid her hand upon the red stone. The moment her fingers touched it, the stone flared with an even more intense crimson light. An ominous energy poured from it, flooding the chamber. Even the vampires who merely stood watching found themselves trembling. The woman endured that energy alone, taking it all into herself. Then blood began to seep from her entire body, slowly absorbed into the stone. The composure she had maintained until then finally cracked, her face twisting in agony.

But it was not merely the blood being drained from her.

That overwhelming psychic wave echoing through her mind was something she could never grow accustomed to, no matter how many dozens of times she had endured it. The woman clung to her crumbling consciousness and waited for it to end.

Soon the light pouring from the stone gradually faded. And the stone, returned to its original state, seemed to glow just a fraction less red than before.

"...Hah."

Having completed the ritual, the woman staggered down the steps carved into the boulder. The vampires waiting below rushed toward her.

"Sister... are you all right?"

A man stepped forward to support her. He was the one who had watched throughout the entire ritual with agonized eyes, as if undergoing it himself. The woman nodded and gently brushed his arm away.

"I'm fine. Don't make a fuss over something I do all the time."

Even as she said it, her hands still trembled. The man's face grew even more troubled at the sight.

It was a responsibility that had to be fulfilled for the tribe's peace. And so, even as he watched his own blood kin's lifespan being carved away with every ritual, there was nothing the man could do. He turned his gaze back to the stone embedded in the boulder, glaring at it. How much longer did the tribe have to bear that damned thing, wasting the lives of their own? How much longer...

"...Please go back and rest, Sister." He turned to the others. "Escort the Chieftain."

The woman left the underground chamber with the other vampires. The man watched her receding figure, then let out a sigh.

Then a vampire came running from the opposite direction—a warrior assigned to periodic forest patrols.

"War Chief."

The man looked at him with a questioning gaze.

"What is it?"

His brow furrowed faintly as he listened to the report.

"...A human brought young vampires here? How did they know of our tribe's existence?"

"I don't know, sir. I thought I should report it to you as quickly as possible..."

"How many on the human side?"

"Just two."

The man glanced in the direction the woman had gone, then nodded.

"I'll go myself, with warriors. Don't report this to the Chieftain yet."

We'd waited maybe a few dozen minutes when I sensed a great many presences approaching from the distance. There were far more than I'd expected, and I was a little taken aback.

...Why the hell are so many of them coming?

The vampires revealed themselves, taking positions in the trees all around us as if to encircle where we stood. There were easily several dozen of them, and every last one was an elite exceeding Level 60. They looked ready for a fight. Ashel's expression hardened, and the two sisters ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠glanced around with terror-stricken faces.

"So a human really did set foot here."

One of the vampires muttered as if to himself. I met his eyes. I could tell at a glance that he was their leader. His attire said as much—and so did the level floating above his head.

...A powerhouse on the same level as Ashel. The moment I confirmed his level, I knew who he was. Among the Elrod Forest vampire tribe, there was only one warrior this strong.

War Chief Calderburn.

The Chieftain's younger brother, and the finest warrior of the Elrod Forest tribe. If I remembered correctly, five years from now his level would be 83—even higher than it was now. I hadn't quite expected the War Chief himself to show up.

"Human. Answer my questions properly."

He had been locking eyes with me in silence. Now he spoke.

"How did you know of our tribe's existence in this forest?"

I'd given a casual answer earlier, but now he wanted something definitive. And to be fair, this was a matter of grave importance to them. They had lived quietly in this forest for ages, hidden from the world's eyes—and now, out of nowhere, a human who knew of their existence had come calling.

I considered for a moment, then answered.

"Wouldn't it be stranger if I didn't know?"

"...What?"

"No outsiders set foot here, but this is still Calderic territory. The Lords have eyes, and there are countless intelligence networks. I understand you've been settled in this forest for close to a hundred years. Did you truly believe no one would know of your existence?"

In truth, the Grand Lord and several of the Lords already knew they were here. They simply didn't care enough to do anything about it. And the tribe had actually been settled in Elrod Forest for well over two hundred years—but I'd deliberately gotten that part wrong. If I knew too much, their wariness would only deepen. Better to let them think I didn't have the full picture.

I could feel Rubika looking at me with a puzzled expression. When I'd explained these vampires to her, I'd told her I had a connection with someone from this forest tribe. She was probably wondering why I wasn't mentioning that—but of course I couldn't, because it was a lie. The vampires of Elrod Forest lived and died in this forest their entire lives. How would I have any connection with them?

At any rate, the War Chief, who had been glaring at me without answering, seemed somewhat convinced. He changed the subject.

"You said you came to bring vampires you'd rescued from slavery to our tribe. Those children?"

"That's right."

Then Rubika, who had been watching the mood, stepped forward.

"...We're vampires who lived in the mountains in the north of Calderic! And these people truly saved us out of pure goodwill and brought us all the way here. So..."

The atmosphere was hostile enough that she wanted to speak in my defense. He stared at her for a moment, then nodded.

"If they're kin who've lost their home—and children, at that—we'll take them into the tribe without hesitation."

"..."

"But not humans. We can never allow you into the village. So send those children over first."

At that, they looked back at me with uneasy eyes. I nodded.

"It's all right. Go."

And so they hesitantly made their way toward the vampires. The War Chief gave one of them a look. The woman who received it scooped the sisters into her arms and leapt from branch to branch, heading deeper ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠into the forest. Soon they were too far to see.

I turned my gaze back to the War Chief. Now it was time to bring up my real purpose.

"There's something I'd like to discus—"

I stopped mid-sentence. The atmosphere had taken a turn. The hostility radiating from the vampires surrounding us had grown even stronger. And then—

BOOM!

Ashel stepped in and blocked a sudden attack from the front. A thorn of blood shattered to pieces against her blade. Her face twisted into a fierce scowl as she glared at the War Chief who had launched it. I looked at him as well and asked,

"What do you think you're doing?"

He withdrew his hand and answered in a calm tone.

"I'm sorry, but we can't let you leave this forest alive."

"...Because I know of your tribe's existence? I already told you I'm not the only one who knows."

"No. That's not it."

He shook his head.

"We're deeply grateful that you saved our kin. But we have never once let an outsider who entered this forest live. That is how the tribe has protected its home and its peace for all these long years. There are no exceptions."

The vampires surrounding us immediately took combat stances. Blood flowed from their bodies, coalescing in the air and sculpting itself into form—some vast and crushing, others honed to a killing edge.

I sighed inwardly.

These fucking vampire bastards...

Had I been too naive? Even so, I'd saved their own kin and brought them here. I hadn't expected them to try to kill us for it. Blood was about to surge in from every direction toward where we stood. I grabbed Ashel's shoulder as she prepared for battle and pulled her close.

"Wha—"

"Stay close to me."

At the same instant, attacks poured in from all sides.

A relentless barrage of blood-streams concentrated fire on the spot where the humans stood. While the other warriors poured on their attacks, War Chief Calderburn prepared an all-out assault of his own. There was no such thing as letting one's guard down against an intruder.

Ssshhh.

The blood that flowed from his body coalesced in the air, then took on a violet hue.

It was his unique Blood Art. Anyone struck by this extremely toxic blood would melt away without a trace, no matter how strong they were. The purple blood, wrought into the shape of a colossal thorn, spun like a vortex and scoured the ground where the humans stood.

BOOOOM!

The earth the blood-stream had swept across vanished, reduced to ruins. They hadn't even tried to dodge. The combined assault of the elite warriors ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had scored a direct hit, every last bit of it. Calderburn had no doubt that this was the end.

But when the blood-mist and dust cleared, his eyes went wide with shock.

"...!"

The humans were still standing there, completely unharmed. Not so much as a thread of clothing out of place. Faced with that sight that defied all common sense, the War Chief and the other warriors were too stunned to move.

Impossible...

The human man leisurely surveyed his surroundings.

"Is that all?"

He murmured it with a face utterly devoid of interest.