"What are you?"
"A curious fella," Eryth replied.
"Which is why I'm throwing your question right back at you. "What are you? A vampire, but that's a myth? Perhaps a Lurker?"
"I am but a normal being searching for my purpose of being alive." She paused and narrowed her eyes at Eryth.
"Are you a god? Or perhaps a Demi-god?"
Eryth let go of the lady and took a step back.
"I am not," he said. "Am I the first person you have fed on or are there others you've already killed?"
The lady stared into Eryth's eyes for a moment before turning her back to him, now facing the tree.
"It is not my fault I am like this," she said, her voice low and sorrowful.
"My people were cursed by Askiyol, the feeder goddess to forever hunt people for their blood, I am a Lamia."
Eryth looked down at her legs before levelling his eyes on her face. "You don't look like one."
"I happened to be of the fortunate ones that has control of my transformation with minimal desire to hunt and feed."
"I'm guessing no one knows what you truly are?" He queried.
She shook her head no, while turning back to face him, staring deep into her eyes. "My husband does, but I erased his knowledge of what I am"
"You're married?"
"To the chief of the village."
Eryth thought back to the man he saw back at the village gathering with women all over him.
The lady leaned forward and placed her hand on his cheek. As Eryth stared into her blue eyes, he noticed as though her eyes were switching colours.
There was something more within them, something enchanting. He got lost in her eyes he didn't realise that her arctic blue hair had turned into multiple snakes and was now crawling around his neck.
"Forget what you saw and be lost in eternal sleep." She closed the distance between them and slowly pressed her lips against his.
The moment their lips touched, Eryth pushed her off him. He swiftly pulled out the dagger in his boot with his left hand and unhesitatingly severed the heads of most of the snakes that were crawling over him.
The lady screeched and staggered backwards but Eryth didn't stop there, he switched the hand he used to hold the dagger then stepped forward, swinging the dagger at her neck but she managed to move back just in time to only get a small cut in her neck. She crashed on the ground, her hair back to normal and her breath ragged.
Eryth aimed the dagger at her. "Among the things I detest, is one using any techniques that force an action out of me."
She looked up at Eryth with sheer horror all over her face. What she saw wasn't the same man who allowed war to feed on him, it was something darker, something, cruel.
He slipped the dagger back into the scabbard in his boot before walking away.
Eryth exhaled deeply as he stepped into the hut assigned to his group. He walked up to the bed where Danila lay. Her body wasn't as hot, but she was unconscious, Blutox as well.
He fixed the blanket on them before sitting with his legs crossed on the ground. He then shut his eyes, trying to get some sleep, but was distracted by a slight movement around his hut. He quickly opened his eyes and looked up at his sword which was hung against a wall then at the door where the slow steps were getting closer.
He pulled out his dagger, hoping not to make any sound while the door slowly opened. Eryth quickly hurled the dagger at a figure that stepped into the room. The assailant managed to dodge the dagger before charging at Eryth, fearlessly.
Eryth also bolted forward. He grabbed his sword and swiftly used it to parry the assailant's attack.
The assailant tried many attacks but Eryth just as quickly parried them all. He used the wall to propel himself over his opponent and slashed a cut in his back. He gave the assailant little time to recover as he pulled out his dagger from the wall and thrust it forward.
The assailant raised his sword to parry but only managed to change the direction, letting the dagger brush past the side of his face, and incurring a cut. The assailant felt overpowered and tossed a smoke bomb in the air. He used the cover to quickly bolt out through the door.
Eryth chased after the assailant but he had already vanished. He chuckled before stabbing his sword into the ground while looking around.
"Interesting."
.
.
.
The next morning, Eryth yawned while walking around the village with his sword at his belt. After getting attacked, he stood up throughout the night and didn't get enough sleep. He sat on a bench and held his hands over his mouth, yawning even wider.
As he sat there, he overheard the conversation of two individuals passing by.
"Is it full moon tomorrow?"
"It is, do you think they'll come?"
"Definitely, but you and I have nothing to worry about, we have very little energy they won't even consider us," they both laughed and continued away from Eryth's earshot.
The lady who had a little predicament the night before approached him and sat on the bench next to him.
"Hi," Eryth shot her a smile as though the previous night never happened.
"I'm here to apologise for last night, I'm sure you understand why I did that," she said.
Eryth nodded. "Of course, you wouldn't be alive if I didn't."
She looked at him with raised brows. "Really?" She raised her neck to reveal the scar from his swing. The wound still looked just the way it was when Eryth cut her.
"You used an enchanted blade and aimed for my neck... You would have killed me if I hadn't managed to dodge," she said. Her voice was soft and steady, causing Eryth to smile as he listened to her speak.
He had no idea the dagger was enchanted but since the wound wasn't healing he knew she was right, it could be an enchanted blade.
"Honestly, I didn't mean to kill you, but I'm not going to apologise for it, you deserved every second of it."
She nodded understandably. "I understand. I am Syrie by the way."
Eryth noticed everyone eyeing them and whispering words as they passed by.
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure."
"What's special about the full moon tomorrow?"
"The collectors."
"The collectors?"
"They are people who come to this village every full moon to collect the corpse of those with the most energy."
"Why?"
"I don't know, but what I do know is when a person dies, their energy remains in their body for days later before it is dispersed into the air. The more the energy, the longer it takes for it to fully disperse—"
"I see you've met my cursed wife."
Eryth raised his head to see the chief of the village. "Gal, I didn't know you had such a beautiful wife."
"Beautiful? Perhaps. But try not to get too close or you'll also get cursed like she is."
Eryth stood up on his feet. "What makes you think she's cursed?"
"She gave birth to a cursed child. Enough about that, please, come with me, I need to speak with you."
Eryth looked behind Gal to see a man with a dagger wound on the side of his face. The wound looked as though it had just been inflicted a while ago.
Eryth thought back to what Syrie told him about the enchanted blade before scoffing.
"Of course, I also wish to speak to you."
....
ns216.73.216.12da2
