Your Blood is Mine

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"Whoah..... That is a deadly creature indeed, its claws are twice as big as mine." Vladstin said in amusement.

Sangfroid touched the claws with his brows furrowed. "These scratches were made not too long ago, perhaps a week or two. We must remain vigilant."

"Can you tell which creature it was from? Maybe a bear?" Leron offered.

"I don't think so, Your Highness." Sangfroid rushed to pick up his bow and arrow. "Bear's claw marks are usually not this big, I've encountered them before. And a bear wouldn't reach this height just to claw on an empty wall."

"Whatever creature it was.... It's sentient, and bears ill-will against the drawing." Sangfroid scanned the area for any threats. "We must remain vigilant."

"Since it's been a week, and there's a huge storm outside, it probably won't return here soon. Relax.'" Vladstin poked the tip of his arrow, pricking his own finger. "And even if it did, you can use me as a shield."

"We should still stick close to each other and keep watch." Leron offered. "By the way, can you two understand what the clawed drawing was?"

The drawing was about three feet tall, and pigments and dyes were used on it to stand out from the rest. The care for every minute detail seems to show some form of reverence by the artist or artists.

The figure had long hair and a verdant gemstone placed on its forehead, between the eyes, its face unclear. The gemstone is attached to a headpiece were composed of five sharp leaves springing up in scattered directions. The eyes were also somewhat virulent and hollow, but since it has been slashed, the expression of its face remained unknown.

It wore surrounded by an aureole of moss, grass, and vines.

This is the first time Leron had seen a cave painting with his own eyes, but he had seen them mentioned in books by scholars and travelers who seek to understand the ancient world.

He remembered his studies in Encielogy again, and couldn't help associate the green color with nature and the god Veridis. But it's not right.

Veridis was never presented like this.

Veridis was always presented as bright and nurturing and caring. Whereas this figure was none of those, and seems somewhat malicious, like it enjoys the turbulence and the hierarchy of power of the wild.

Always observing with dead eyes. Both uncaring and with keen interest. Not looking forward to any outcome, and merely anticipating how fate would unravel itself....

This reminds him of.....

"Doesn't this resemble..... The King or Queen of Fairies?"

The two men also noticed it. It does look like Mandrien a bit, only a little more..... Divine. Unlike the shady fairy they encountered, this was more like a god that people worship or pray for blessings from.

"Hmmm.... If this is really Mandrien, then I like this creature already." Vladstin rubbed his chin. "An enemy of my enemy is another enemy to look forward to.."

"If this creature does know Mandrien, I don't trust it more." Sangfroid frowned. "And even with Vladstin awake, Mandrien still managed to intrude us. So I'll be on the lookout when His Highness sleeps."

"I'll join you! I can protect myself, I have a sword and I would like to help the both of you." The prince's blue eyes were full of determination. "You haven't been sleeping well, Sangfroid. You must also take care of your health, not just mine. We can take shifts."

He's been lying around like a bloated fish and letting everything be to Sangfroid. As a return to his loyalty and friendship, he would like to do him a favor even once.

"I appreciate it, Your Highness, but—"

"No buts! My pride as a man won't recover if I just let you deny me of this."

Sangfroid immediately closed his mouth, blinking.

Did the prince just.... raise his voice at him?

The vampire found this hilarious and chortled, holding his stomach. "Ahaha, you should see both of your faces! Why so serious, like I said, I can serve as a shield!"

He gestured to the slashed cave painting. "Besides, Mandrien was just an exception because you cannot really physically fight an enemy of the mind. But I think this creature is more the brawling type than a mind-manipulator. So both of you can sleep easy and once I see it, I will put it to sleep as well, permanently."

Both humans didn't look convinced of this.

But Vladstin did not mine. "Well, it could not be helped if you feel unsettled. Be my guest then, one of you can join me to keep watch."

Leron immediately raised his hand. "I will—"

"How about this, Your Highness." Sangfroid puts a hand on his shoulder, unwilling to let him be alone with this vampire. "For this night, I will stand guard with Vladstin, then you will be on the next if the storm does not settle until then."

"Oh.... A-Alright."

Prince Leron can see that his childhood friend was just saying this in a place of worry, but still felt regretful to miss this chance to communicate more with Vladstin. The last time did not go the way he wanted, he was too emotionally charged and made him pick irrational decisions.

He just wanted to glimpse if he could bring back a bit of the old Vladstin again.

It seems so hopeless, but he wanted to hold on to that no matter what. It's the only way. If there is even just an ounce of the Vladstin he knew in him, they could still escape the Ilvedians together, leaving somewhere far away.

He had to hold on to that possibility. If not, if he gives up... He will lose Vladstin again.

These worries stayed even in his sleep, reflecting in his dreams.

-----------------------

"His Highness is aggravated.... Maybe it's the light?" Sangfroid's brows creased. "But I cannot put it out."

"I told you. I can see perfectly well in the dark, you could just rely the guarding to me." Vladstin climbed up on a stalactite.

He then let go, and just hang in there using his legs. Upside down, like a bat. "And I have better chances with this unknown creature too than you. I can't lose my life, while you could lose yours. Who knows what would happen to the effects of the Amulet if you die?"

"I... I never consider that before." Sangfroid was stunned by how logical this point was.

But then again, as long as it's about death, that is when Vladstin would be reliable and not burst out singing like a lunatic.

In order to keep him quiet from all the poem chanting and making up random songs, Sangfroid better pursue pacifying him by speaking about all things macabre and fatal.

"This creature..... Do you have any idea what it might be, and how dangerous it truly is?"

"Heh, why do you humans always think that I have all the answers just because I am different from you?" Vladstin swing to another stalactite. "I'm not an omniscient god, I also don't know."

"What do you know then? Anything at all to help?" Sangfroid decided to tolerate his antics and not call him out for it .

Thud! Vladstin jumped down, landing on his feet. "Nothing more than you do. The creature has claws, the creature is huge, the creature hates Mandrien."

Sangfroid continued to push through. "Why do you think it could hate Mandrien? You still haven't explained the whole test. How did you..... Get inside my dream?"

"What dream?" Vladstin flashed a cheeky grin.

"You said you never lie."

"I truly do not know what happened in your dream. That is no lie." Vladstin said. "I just told you to wake up, like a rooster cawing in the morning. Mind telling me about it?"

"I don't remember much...." Sangfroid said.

"Nonsense." Vladstin scoffed."You remember more than Leron does."

The one-eyed hunter narrowed his eyes. "How did you know?"

"The trees have ears." Vladstin whistled innocently. "And I have your blood. I can feel what you feel, be agitated when you're also agitated by your endless swirling thoughts."

"You really think too much, Min Libitino. That must be why your blood is pungent." Vladstin took his hand wrapped by bandages, drawing circles around it. "Too much being kept hidden, the bottle might break eventually if you keep too much sand. You should let some out."

Sangfroid took his hand away. "I don't know what you're talking about. Your turn of phrase is strange, it must have been lost in translation."

"But your a smart boy to understand me. You just don't want to." Vladstin says in a manner that's halfway genuine praise and halfway taunt.

This put the usually impenetrable Sangfroid at a loss. This vampire really does know too much about him and he hates it.

He eventually relented. "The claw marks..... They remind me of my dream."

"Yes?" Vladstin prodded him to continue.

"I remember a creature and a full moon night..... The body of a human but not quite..... A mix with a wolf." Sangfroid finished.

This also stirs up another memory, something very far, far away, and also unreachable. But thanks to seeing it again in a looking glass, the windows of his mind have been opened up to behold it once more.....

He had always hated wolves and hounds.

That's what makes Vladstin more insufferable than he already is. He acts too much like a wolf, and comes from a kingdom that has all to do with the lot of them. Clawed creatures are full of ferocity and destruction that can send even the bravest men running.....

"And?" Vladstin waved a hand over his face. "You seem a bit lost for a while, love. What else do you remember?"

Sangfroid let out a gruff, and then sighed. "That's all. Specific events.... They were all lost."

"That is all. What a shame." Vladstin frowned, crossing his arms like deeply disappointed.

Then, he thought of something. The green flame, and Mandrien saying he and Vladstin had a deal. Could it be that....

"Then.... How about you? Did you also have a dream?" Sangfroid asked.

Vladstin suddenly went quiet.

He did.

"What was it?"

Still no answer. The vampire had now been frozen like an unfeeling statue. They were locked into a standstill and the tensions rose high in the gloomy and stifling cave.

Then, they heard a howl from the outside.

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