Asher's face was contorted into a deep frown. He acknowledged that Milas had basically sacrificed himself for them even though they hadn't known each other for long. His respect for Milas had risen a few notches but he was also mad at him.
' Why did you have to endanger yourself you idiot? Now I can't leave you here.' A sigh of resignation escaped Asher's lips as he used the rapidly regenerating stumps of his hands to sit up. He watched the process and his expression darkened. The healing had ended at his wrists and he unfortunately knew the reason.
With a louder sigh than before, Asher struggled to his feet and his body was shaking like a leaf. His body was thin beyond reason and his eyes had sunk into their sockets. His clothes looked too big for him and bald spots had formed in his already short hair. A pitch black lining was forming around his sclera and crawling towards his iris.
Asher was aware of all this as he made his way towards his arms. He was starving after using up his energy to regrow his limbs. He finally reached his fallen arms and focused on the pitch black bracelet on his left wrist. There was some flesh in the storage space for these exact emergencies.
"Ugh, this is really not my day!" Asher yelled when he saw the stumps of his hands reach for his bracelet. "How the hell was I planning to wear this damn thing with no hands? I need to do something before I lose it."
Standing up, Asher made his way towards Step who was surprisingly unconscious. He was about to nudge her awake with his foot when he noticed someone kneeling a few steps away from her.
'So he never left. But why is he kneeling?' Asher said to himself as he walked towards him. "Oi, wake up and make yourself useful."
No reply.
"I said wake up. Can't you hear me?"
Silence.
"WAKE UP, DUMBASS!!!"
Asher kicked Gaston in the chest launching him backwards. He had slowed his attack before it landed to avoid breaking Gaston's ribs but it seemed like he failed. Gaston was now coughing blood but the good news was that he wasn't dazed anymore.
Killing intent surged from Gaston's glowing red eyes and a single edged sword appeared in his hand. His sword drew a horizontal arch aimed at Asher's ankles. His target expected it and jumped at the perfect moment. Carried by his momentum, Gaston came to a grinding halt with his face getting intimate with the ground.
Asher purposefully landed on Gaston's spine and instantly pushed off to gain some distance. Gaston pushed off the ground and an intense stare down ensued. Asher didn't take any stance and they began to circle each other. Normally, Asher would try to talk his way out of a pointless fight but he was angry and the guy in front of him had a very punchable face.
Gaston took a deep breath and his muscles grew taut as he prepared to unleash a flurry of strikes. He was about to leap into action when the demonic smile on his opponent's face made him hesitate. Something hit the back of his head making him bend over. Before he could process what had occurred, Asher kicked him in the face breaking his nose.
The next few seconds felt like an eternity for Gaston. The sword had slipped out of his hand at some point and he had curled up into a ball to protect his vitals. His attackers didn't seem to care as his body was showered by heavy blows. His ribs had cracked long ago and only his vampiric regeneration kept him conscious.
Gaston's futile resistance finally broke and he caught a glimpse of his attacker's face. Long black hair reflected the little moonlight that entered the forest making it look too silky to be real. The pale skin common to vampires contrasted splendidly with rose-red lips that were curled into a charming smile.
The only thing on Gaston's mind was how beautiful this girl was. It was only when on the brink of blacking out did he realize that she had charmed him.
Asher finally stopped kicking the now unrecognizable face of Gaston when he stopped moving. He turned to his helper who was tightly gripping onto a sword.
"Will you relax? I'm not going to eat you." Asher said to Aileen but she tightened her grip till her knuckles turned white.
"You say that but the fact that you keep drooling and your fangs are growing doesn't really help." Aileen said the words with an even tone that even Asher was almost convinced that she wasn't afraid. Almost.
"I'm strong and skilled enough to fight Milas to a standstill. This is without adding the effects of hunger. And we both know that taking down a starving ghoul is impossible for you. So here's the deal, you help me get the meat I stored in my bracelet and I'll tell Milas that you saved him."
" Why would I even save that despicable fool!?"
" It's not about why you might save him, it's about what you can get in exchange. He will owe you a life debt and you can ask for something with equal worth."
" His life isn't worth much in my eyes but I can turn him into my personal punching bag. I agree." Aileen was already planning on helping otherwise she wouldn't have sneak attacked Gaston. Milas owing her his life was just a bonus.
Step opened her eyes to see Aileen's face hovering over her. She was confused and tried to summon her backup daggers to defend herself. Asher showed up and explained everything to her but she stopped listening when she heard about Milas.
The three teenagers stood around Milas' body with different expressions. Step had tears running down here face and Aileen was staring daggers at Asher. She felt like she was fooled into accepting a deal she won't benefit from.
Asher was completely blank. He didn't know how to feel. He wasn't close enough to Milas to feel saddened by his death. He was just trying to find a way to pay back the life debt he owed him. 'Mom if you can hear me up there? Please tell me what to do because I don't know how to keep the promise I made.'
They could see Milas' skin taking on a light shade of blue. This was very unnatural since it had only been a little over ten minutes since he got stabbed. In the end, they decided to leave since they weren't safe and the smell of blood should have gotten the attention of a few vampires.
The group decided to move along the barrier in hopes of finding a gap. Aileen was gliding through the treetops with Asher and Step running below her. Asher was amazed by how silent Aileen was.
Her movements were mufled by his own footsteps to a frightening degree. Even when he intentionally delayed and increased his pace, she could still remain in sync.
But most terrifying of all was her scent. All vampires had a scent that was easily distinguishable. To Asher, vampire's smell like fresh honey with a hint of blood. The smell was somewhat disconcerting yet Aileen's was faint. The honey scent was completely replaced by the smells of the forest. She was pretty much untraceable in such an environment.
' Is she doing it consciously? If she is, then I've severely underestimated her.'
They had been moving for some time while constantly hitting the barrier with pebbles to test it's presence. It had become so repetitive that they couldn't believe it when one pebble went through. They slowly approached the assumed position of the barrier and continued past it.
They walked forward till they left the forest completely. Some distance away, a group of three teachers were playing cards on an improvised table made of blood energy. They turned to face the trio and one of them held out his hand to the others.
"Pay up suckers!," Two small pouches were placed on his hand and disappeared into his storage space. He called the trio over with a victorious smile. "You may be the first to leave the forest but you lasted much longer than every other first year groups we've tested. Come have a seat while we wait for the others."
"PEOPLE ARE DYING IN THERE AND YOU'RE MAKING BETS!!!! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!!???" Step seemed to have lost it as she dashed towards the teachers with her daggers drawn, baying for blood.She had only got within a meter of them before getting knocked out.
"Somebody explain to me what she was screaming about!" The one who won the bet asked with his previous smile gone with the breeze.
Asher quickly explained everything that happened to them but they didn't seem to believe him. That changed soon as more students left the forest with wounds that didn't heal. Even a few teachers walked out covered in blood most of it from the attackers.
That day the whole settlement was in turmoil as parents rushed to the school to check on their children. The leaders of the school and the settlement faced a lot of accusations of incompetence. They were blamed for allowing such a brazen attack to occur.
For the students, they were glad to have survived the forest of hell.