"She is recovering," the guard said in a bold voice without turning around to look at Ben. "I left her near the village gate with some healing potion. Her physical demeanor wasn't anything to worry about, but I sensed her being exhausted. So a few hours of sleep before she wakes up."
"Thx for the help…"
"Ray. You can call me that since we are the same age, and my friend here is Alex." The red-haired guy said he was smiling, his finger pointing at the bald dude from earlier.
"Yo yo! Itz me!" The bald person radiated a smile.
"My name is Ben Franklin; it's a pleasure to meet you all." He replied with a smile. "The girl you saved, whose name is Freya,"
"I see." Ray nodded slightly. "Now that the girl is safe, what are you exactly planning to do next?"
"Honestly, I might have one more favor to ask of you," Ben politely asked. Neither he nor Freya were in the condition to travel anymore; it would be a safe bet if they were to stay in the village in the meantime.
Not to mention, after evolving into a vampire and getting back into a humanoid form, Ben didn't know what to do anymore in this world, so he was clueless as it stands.
"I want to stay in the village for a few days. I know it's too much to ask, but I don't mind if there is anything I can do to return the favor." Ben asked, slightly disappointed. He didn't want to be a burden on someone, but there was just no other option for him.
"You can work to return the favor you said," Ray asked, and instantly an ear-touching grin appeared on his face as if he were waiting for this response.
"Ehh?!" Ben frowned a little.
"I saw you were holding up against an advanced-tier wolf, right? So you are decently strong." Ray said excitedly, "If you work for us to guard the village gates, then I will let you stay as long as you like."
"I guess I can do that." Ben agreed to the terms, not sure if he was doing the right thing.
"In that case, I will deliver your message to the village chief. But know that, until I get any response, you will have to stay outside the village." He said it in one line, a little hastily, before he and Alex walked towards the wooden boundaries.
Ben followed them but didn't get too close. He saw Freya lying there, next to the boundary and sat next to her while Ray and Alex discussed something while standing by the makeshift wooden gate.
"Keep an eye on them until I return," Ray muttered, passing across the guard at the gate with a sharp smile on his face.
"Sigh. Why do I always have to do these things?" Alex sighed while getting back to patrolling the walls. He shouted from far away, "Wait here until you get the next order."
"Fine by me," Ben said, just loud enough so the guard could hear him.
...
"Gruber"
Ben held his stomach tightly as soon as the guard disappeared from his sight. The pain was so great that he almost fell to the ground. A series of constant notifications popped on his screen; he could barely see what was written on it.
[ Low HP, hunger is increasing ]
[ Alert. Hunger: SERVE ]
[ Alert: If you don't consume blood soon, your hunger will reach a critical state ]
As Ben gritted his teeth in pain, the veins on his body started to bulge up, clearly visible from the outside of his skin. His eyes were constantly glowing in crimson as his canine teeth slowly elongated to become more sharp and pointy.
The only thing inside Ben's mind right now was a sweet smell. The sweet scent of blood came from the girl before him. All his senses were screaming at him, as if he were looking at fresh water after walking a long way through the desert.
"I didn't want to do this, but I have no other way," Ben muttered under his breath as if he were somehow fighting against his instincts, controlling himself from killing the prey before him.
Soon, the pain on his face was replaced by a sharp smile as he kneeled near Freya and bit her wrist.
[blood consumed: 10 ml]
[ HP: 40/100 ]
[ Half-Elf blood consumed: Exp: +5] Agility:+1 Strength:+1 ]
[blood consumed: 10 ml]
[ HP: 50/100 ]
As Ben gulped the warm blood down his throat, a satisfying feeling rushed into his body—the one with the utmost pleasure—that couldn't be described in words.
Just in a matter of minutes, Ben felt an unexpected change in his body; all the injuries were gone, as if there were nothing, to begin with.
As soon as he removed his fangs from her hands, the bite mark on her hands slowly started to heal and disappear like nothing. But Ben was in a sensation of his own.
From when he used to be a mosquito, Ben was consuming blood for survival, but this feeling was something he never felt before. It was like tasting an old wine, sip by sip, unpleasant yet addictive.
"Do I still have my human emotions left in me?" Ben wondered as soon as he stopped drinking blood. For a moment, he thought he might even kill the girl if he didn't hold himself back.
"In any case, this will probably be the last time I consume human blood. If I want to find my place in this world, then I need to rely on animal blood most of the time." He decided that his expressions were guilty and apologetic, while his gaze turned towards the silver gate in the far.
...
...
Inside a large shrine-like structure in a village, the guard in the leather armor could be seen walking with hasty steps. As soon as he reached the door, he slowly chanted something.
As soon as he did, the dark room slowly materialized into a complex, tridimensional structure with multiple lights floating around it.
"Tell him...I will meet the elder." He said, looking directly at the door, his eyes fixated on seeing what lies beyond.
In a matter of minutes, the red door in the shrine opened with a cracking sound, each crackle stating its history and the number of times it had opened.
Without wasting a single second, the red-haired boy walked inside the black corridor, a tight space, with nothing to see around. As he continued through the abyss, the red door behind him closed shut again, as if it were being controlled by an invisible force.
After a walk of a few minutes, Ray was welcomed by a white, blinding light coming from the other end of the channel.
"Second prince of Altria, tell me what brings you here."