Fear is one of the greatest driving forces in nature. It can give prey the push they require to escape a predator or even turn the tables. Despite the advantages, it can also freeze a creature where it would remain at the mercy of its hunter.
Vampires usually have one emotion or character that is heightened while the others are generally dulled. Most have a high sense of pride and others have a short-temper. This makes them rather immune to fear but Milas was learning that everything is relative. He wouldn't be afraid of the beasts if he could outrun them. His situation was really making him panic.
A loud hiss came from the tunnel with the snake and a serpentine head materialized from the darkness. Its eyes scanned the cavern and its forked tongue tasted the air. The snake picked up multiple scents of different blood. It followed the strongest source which happened to be the two dead leopards.
It swallowed them with some effort which took it some minutes. Milas had already healed and eased his grip on the stalactite he was holding onto. Deep holes could be seen where his fingers had dug into the rock. The serpent was tasting the air and was approaching his location at a steady pace.
Milas was looking for an escape when he caught a glimpse of white at the corner of his eye. The snake was now below him and it had caught his scent. It looked up and Milas was shocked to see its blank eyes. The vertical slits could faintly be seen but they looked completely milky.
"It's blind. Which means that it can only taste the air to find me." Milas was formulating a plan but he needed to test something before executing it. He pulled out the dagger and aimed some distance away from the serpent. The snake had lifted its body and was about to reach the stalactite Milas was on when the dagger hit the ground.
The serpent's tail whipped the area with the dagger and bent it out of shape. The speed of the attack shocked Milas but he wasn't the only one. A small beast with white stripes had been walking around the edge of the cavern and the attack had scared it. It had jumped a little but the noise was enough for the snake to face its direction.
The snake hissed to incite a reaction but the little beast remained motionless. Milas tried to move to another stalactite but he slipped a little producing a scrapping sound. The snake faced his exact position and started to lift its body. Milas decided to take a risk and leapt onto another stalactite.
The serpent changed its target quickly but Milas was already moving to another stalactite. Furious hissing was echoing throughout the cavern as Milas played a deadly game of cat and mouse. The snake was now striking with its tail and lunging at any sound Milas made.
Milas leapt onto a relatively thin stalactite and span to the other side, allowing the serpent's tail to break the rock. The stalactite fell and Milas used the sound of it smashing to bits to roll away. He was now a few steps away from the snake and it was hissing and trying to find him among the broken rocks.
Milas picked up two rocks and threw one of them at a stalactite in the opposite direction. The snake attacked the stalactite and Milas ran towards the furry little beast that had been watching the scene the whole time. The serpent had stopped attacking the stalactite and was hot on his heels.
The cat sized beast raised the fur on its back to intimidate Milas but he completely ignored it. He reached into the waist pack and brought out a flask of blood. The little beast realized that he was bringing trouble to it and tried to escape. Blood splashed on its fur giving it multiple red spots of varying sizes.
Milas knew that he couldn't catch up to the little beast but he wasn't planning to. He threw the rock he had been holding at it as he leapt onto a nearby stalactite. The beast let out a loud welp which garnered the attention of the snake. The little beast ran around with shocking agility that kept it a step ahead of its pursuer.
The situation started to change as the little beast got tired and the serpent reduced the distance. Milas wondered if he should take a chance with a tunnel while the serpent chased the beast. The cat sized beast let out a growl that sounded like a cry for help. This allowed the serpent to pinpoint its location and unleash a barrage of attacks on it.
The little beast used its small size to get into the snake's blindspots. This was going well till it slipped and a tail slap sent it flying into the wall. The snake slithered towards its fallen prey to ensure that it doesn't get the chance to escape. It was frustrated after losing the first one among the stalactites and this new prey kept dodging it.
It would finally devour the annoying little fur ball. It lunged at the helpless little beast and its maw closed with a snap. The snake expected to taste blood but there was nothing in its mouth. It could feel something tugging at its tail and any attempt to move forward were futile. The snake tasted the air to find out what was holding it and it was scared by the result.
Milas, who had seen the whole thing, was speechless. He had jumped down from the ceiling and was running towards a large tunnel when he saw a bear-like beast with black and white fur charging towards him. The padding on its feet negated the sound of its footsteps even when it pushed Milas aside, no sound was produced.
Milas was doubtful of the safety of the cave as he was wondering if there was something that had scared the bear. He looked at the bear and it did the last thing he expected it to do. It bit the serpent's tail and dragged it back just enough to save the little beast.
The snake tried to escape the bone crushing bite but all it managed to accomplish was slightly pull the bear forward. The tug of war was in a stalemate for about a minute before the serpent decided to lunged at the bear. Its backwards facing fangs dug into the flesh of the bear forcing it to let go.
A standoff was initiated with constant hissing and growling. The furry little beast took the chance to escape and rushed to the tunnel that Milas was in. The beast saw salvation in the tunnel while Milas saw a free crystal heading his way. He decided to recreate the same situation that allowed him to kill the two leopards.
Milas found a dark spot where he climbed up the rough wall and stuck there like a gecko. His muscles were aching due to the constant feats of physicality that he had to perform. Milas did his best to stay attached and waited for the beast which ran past him before he could react.
Milas got down from the wall and followed behind the beast with both swords drawn. He had to chase it for sometime before catching up to it at the end of the tunnel. The beast was growling at him with its fur raised looking ready for a fight.
Milas laughed menacingly before attacking with his swords. The beast may have been fast for normal vampires but Milas had been on the receiving end of even faster attacks. One sword managed to slash across its back but the fur reduced the depth of the cut.
The little beast tried to escape but Milas managed to cut a tendon from its back leg. The beast could no longer move and looked at its aggressor hoping to get some mercy. Its large eyes were watery and looked like pools of vulnerability that would incite remorse from the hardest of hearts.
"That has to be the cutest thing I've ever seen. It would have made me feel bad if I wasn't dead inside." With that, Milas beheaded the little beast and took a sip of blood to restore his lost energy. He wasn't proud of his actions but he didn't feel bad either. Maybe Deogratius was right about him no longer having a beating heart.
Milas was truly dead inside!