Corven dodged the arrow with effortless grace, simply stepping to the side without losing a fraction of his montum. The arrow whistled past his face, missing by inches.
The bandits didn’t wait. Eight of them surged forward, blades raised, their war cries ringing through the trees like a savage chorus.
"Die, demonspawn!"
"Rot in hell!"
The shouts ca from all sides—rage, fear, bravado. It was less about strategy and more about keeping their nerves steady in the face of sothing they didn’t understand.
Corven let out a short, nervous laugh, montarily surprised they’d chosen to charge all at once.
"Bit of an overcommitnt, in hindsight." he muttered under his breath, a crooked grin tugging at the corner of his lips.
"Oh well."
With casual confidence, he jumped—vaulting clean over the heads of the swordsn below. His cloak fluttered behind him like a black wing.
All eight of them skidded to a stop, eyes wide, necks craning up as Corven soared overhead. Their expressions twisted with disbelief.
And before they could recover, Corven landed silently behind them, his boots barely crunching the earth. He didn’t even glance back as he sprinted toward the archer at the rear.
"W-Wait—!" the bowman stamred, fumbling for another arrow, panic blooming in his eyes.
Too late.
Corven was on him in the blink of an eye. His hand shot forward, grabbing the man by the throat in a crushing grip. The bow dropped. The man’s breath hitched.
Corven didn’t wait.
He sank his fangs deep into the archer’s neck. Hot, coppery blood spurted into his mouth—rich, pulsing, alive. His eyes glowed crimson as he drank deeply.
– Blood (5 Units)
"That bastard!" one of the bandits howled from behind.
But another voice cut through the chaos.
"Shit! The girl is charging as well!"
A blur of motion flashed across the battlefield—Rose. Her eyes glowed with a terrifying intensity. Her first feeding was over, and she was ready for more.
Corven finished draining the archer and hurled the lifeless corpse like a ragdoll. It struck a nearby tree with a sickening crack, the spine snapping on impact.
He turned, blood still dripping from his lips, and sprinted toward the remaining eight.
Now they were being attacked from both sides—two vampires, hungry and rciless.
"I don’t want to waste any more ti," Corven said, his grin sharpening as his voice dropped into a darker register. He decided now was the perfect ti to test another ability.
’Marrowbind!’
- Blood (0 units)
The thought surged through his mind like lightning.
His hand shot forward, targeting a bandit near the center of the group.
A sickening noise echoed—a deep vibration from within the man’s body. His bones began to tremble violently.
Then, with a grotesque pop, they exploded outward.
Jagged shards of bone erupted from his body in every direction, impaling four nearby comrades before they could even react. Screams tore through the night, wet and horrified.
The three remaining bandits stood frozen in stunned disbelief.
And that pause was all Corven and Rose needed.
The distraction gave them the perfect opening. They descended on the survivors with claws like blades, cutting through them in swift, brutal arcs. There was no ti for screams—only blood, and silence.
The hunt was complete.
They stood together amidst a pile of twisted corpses, mouths slick with crimson, their chests rising and falling in quiet satisfaction. The scent of blood hung heavy in the air, the forest eerily still.
Rose tilted her head to the sky, her arms lifted.
"That was... incredible!" she exclaid, voice breathless with awe.
"I didn’t know human blood could be so... delectable," she said, gazing at the dark pool forming beneath their feet, her reflection broken in the ripples.
Corven glanced at the nearby tents, still flickering with firelight.
"We’ll bring the bodies to the fire. Better to feed under watchlight than risk another ambush." he said, already lifting three corpses—one in each hand, another slung over his shoulder with practiced ease.
Rose nodded wordlessly, following his lead, her movents fluid and obedient.
The whole skirmish had lasted no more than two minutes. Factoring in the ti spent feeding, the entire hunt was done in under ten.
And both had taken their fair share.
– Blood (20 Units)
They now sat beside the campfire, fully satiated. The flas crackled softly, casting dancing shadows against their pale skin.
"Are you feeling better now?" Corven asked, wiping a streak of blood from Rose’s cheek with his thumb.
"Yes," she replied, smiling faintly as she stared into the fire. "It was quite thrilling."
"I... didn’t know it would feel like this."
"You’re quick to kill," Corven noted, crossing his legs as he settled into the grass. "Almost like you didn’t care about being human before."
She didn’t flinch.
"Well, it helps that I barely rember my life before this," she said simply.
Corven studied her face. "Doesn’t that bother you?"
"Not really," she answered. "After all, what’s the use of caring about the past when we can’t even rember it?"
"You’re quite pragmatic," he murmured.
"Guess I got it from you..." she whispered back.
She crawled toward him and sat beside him, gently wrapping her arms around his. Her warmth contrasted the night’s chill, her presence anchoring.
"You’re quite close..." Corven said with an awkward chuckle, glancing at her. The bonfire’s glow danced in her eyes, mirroring the pale moonlight above.
"Can’t help it," she said, voice soft. "You gave this life to , after all."
Their blood stirred faintly at the contact—an invisible tremor running through their bodies. It wasn’t lust. It wasn’t love.
It was sothing deeper.
Sothing born of shared hunger and death.
Sothing vampiric.
[Vampiric Ascension Activated]
[Condition: Deepen your bond with your progeny]
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