"Lin, if you please!" Buck said sharply but calmly, his voice echoing through the dimly lit chamber as he cast furtive glances at the lady who smiled back, her eyes glinting with determination. With a swift motion, she withdrew her katana, the blade glimmering ominously in the flickering light. Before the vampire lord could utter another word, she lunged forward, her movements a blur, and with a precise strike, she decapitated him in one fluid motion, the head rolling away as the body crumpled to the ground. She wiped her blade clean with the edge of her sleeve, a look of fierce satisfaction on her face.
The other vampires, witnessing their lord's demise, erupted into chaos, their shrieks of panic filling the air. One of them, fueled by rage, lunged at Lin, but she was quicker. With a swift twist of her body, she turned and cleaved his face in half, the sound of tearing flesh echoing as he fell lifelessly to the floor.
Meanwhile, on the ground, the vampire lord struggled to regenerate, his body writhing as it attempted to heal. Buck, not about to let him recover, conjured a flame in his palm, the fire dancing with eager intensity. He hurled it at the lord, incinerating him in an instant. As the flames extinguished, the room was filled with the acrid smell of burnt flesh, and most of the vampires had been reduced to ashes, their screams silenced forever. A few, half-burned and writhing, met their final moments in agonizing despair before succumbing to death.
"Pathetic!" a voice sneered from the window, cutting through the tension like a knife. Buck turned, his heart racing, and spotted the vampire lord, fully healed, floating just outside. The audacity! They rushed toward him, but he flew away in a blur, leaving only a gust of wind in his wake.
Lin, quick on her feet, hurled a dagger at him, the blade slicing through the air. It struck true, piercing his back, but he soared away unperturbed, the dagger falling to the ground as he pulled it out with a disdainful flick of his wrist.
"He got away! What are we going to do?" Lin exclaimed, frustration creeping into her voice.
"We'll chase him!" Buck replied, determination etched on his face.
"You know we need the lord's blood to survive. I'm already running low on mana," Lin said, her tone laced with concern. She moved forward slowly, her stance weak, as if she were about to collapse from exhaustion.
"Don't worry, all will be well," Buck reassured her, pulling Lin in for a hug. He slit his wrist and pressed it to her mouth, allowing her to drink slowly, the warmth of his blood revitalizing her. After a minute, he withdrew his hand, a playful grin on his face.
"Save some for me," he joked, chuckling lightly and Lin smiled stopped sucking and wiped her mouth clean.
With renewed vigor, Lin leaped out of the window onto a rooftop, her agility unmatched as she dashed away at high speed in pursuit of the vampire lord. The cool night air whipped past her, invigorating her senses as she navigated the uneven terrain of the rooftops with grace. Buck followed suit, adrenaline coursing through him. Just as he was about to hit the roof, he felt a surge of energy and sprouted enormous eagle wings. With a powerful flap, he lifted off the ground, soaring into the night sky.
As he flew towards Lin, the moonlight glinted off his wings, creating a mesmerizing display against the backdrop of twinkling stars. He quickly closed the distance, his heart racing with excitement and determination. Just as he reached her, he grabbed her by the straps on her back, pulling her close as they took to the air together. The sensation of weightlessness enveloped them as Buck flapped his wings vigorously, propelling them higher into the starry night. Below, the world blurred into a tapestry of shadows and light, but their focus remained on the direction of the Vampire Lord.
******************
The Vampire Lord had flown quite a distance, and given his speed, it would take his two pursuers about an hour to catch up. He used this time to rest and perhaps heal his wound. In the distance, he spotted a young lady who was oddly walking alone in the middle of the night. His gaze fell upon her neck; she was very pale, but a few visible blood vessels around her neck indicated that she was indeed full of blood.
He gulped deeply before pouncing on the lady and pinning her against a nearby tree. Just as he was about to rip open her neck and drink his fill, he halted in his tracks.
"Please, I need to urgently deliver these medicines to my child; he is sick!" she murmured under her breath.
"I have children too—far more than you could ever have in this lifetime!" replied the Vampire Lord obnoxiously.
At that moment, a doe dashed past them and into a bush, startling both of them.
"Always remember this, ma'am: you were saved by a deer," he said, then unexpectedly kissed her neck. Before she knew it, she stood alone by the tree, as if no one had ever been there. She straightened her dress and hurried home, running blindly through the dark trees—she definitely had a story to tell.
Deeper in the bushes, the Vampire Lord wrestled the doe to the ground. He could tell it was strong, but not wanting to prolong its agony, he quickly slit its throat from the back of its neck, completely severing it. He drank eagerly, filling himself and standing up rejuvenated with newfound strength.
He glanced at the carcass as it twitched lightly. Spotting a group of ants crawling into the wound, some getting stuck in the blood, he felt a wave of nausea. The sight disgusted him; human blood was far more appealing than animal blood. As he struggled to suppress the urge to vomit, his intuition alerted him to Lin and Buck approaching from a distance. They were flying at high speeds and would reach him in about 20 minutes. He had to think fast.
Flying up in the air would be risky since they'd easily spot him. Running on the ground was also dangerous, as he would definitely be slower. Hiding wasn't an option either, since they tracked his mana rather than his scent. He needed to mask his mana and become invisible. Scanning his surroundings for a hiding spot, he found none. He had to rush into the village and blend in with the people that night.
He quickly moved among the villagers, following a certain lady who, unaware of the vampire's plan, led the way. He pursued her until they reached her house. As she entered and was about to shut the door, the Vampire Lord stepped forward to wedge his foot in.
"Mark!" the woman said sternly. "Where do you think you're going?" She turned around, only to find no one there. As she turned to go inside, she was met by a tall, pale man, impeccably dressed but with bloodstains on his clothes and a few drops of blood at the corners of his lips.
She turned to run, but he grasped her hand and pulled her inside, swiftly covering her mouth. She struggled, but he was clearly too strong for her. Overpowered, she fell silent, allowing him to do as he pleased.