Chapter 134: The Blood Debt
The air was still heavy with the scent of ash and decay.
Kael adjusted his grip on his sword as the last embers of the abomination they had just slain faded into nothing. The creature had been unlike anything they had encountered before—not quite demon, not quite beast.
But it bled.
And that meant it could be killed.
The squad gathered themselves, their breaths still uneven.
"Well, that was disgusting," Thalric muttered, wiping a bit of black sludge from his sleeve.
Saria scoffed, flicking her twin daggers. "I don't think disgusting covers it."
Raithon crossed his arms. "It was an insult to nature. Things like that shouldn't exist."
Vasaria, who had been eerily silent after dealing the final blow, let out a slow breath.
A breath that sounded… strained.
Kael turned his head slightly.
Vasaria was trembling.
Not from fear.
From hunger.
Her usually sharp crimson eyes were duller, her movements less precise than before.
And that's when Kael noticed.
The small glass vial she had strapped to her waist—the one that held her supply of preserved blood—was shattered.
She was starving.
And that meant—
Her next meal had to come from somewhere else.
A Deal with a Vampire
Vasaria lifted a hand to her temple, exhaling sharply. "Tch. This is a problem."
Saria frowned. "What's wrong with you?"
Vasaria tilted her head slightly, glancing at her. "I'm out of blood."
Silence.
Then—
Thalric clicked his tongue. "You're saying you need to—"
Vasaria cut him off with an unimpressed look. "Yes, Velmora. I require… a donation."
Saria stiffened. "You mean from one of us?"
Vasaria grinned, though her fangs looked a little too sharp this time.
"That is how it works, dear."
Raithon immediately took a step back. "Absolutely not."
Saria crossed her arms. "Find another way."
Thalric scoffed. "I'd rather fight another abomination than let a bloodsucker near my neck."
Vasaria rolled her eyes. "Oh, relax. It's just a little blood."
Her gaze flicked to Kael.
The only one who hadn't spoken.
The only one who was calm.
"Veyrin," she drawled. "What do you say?"
Kael met her gaze. "You need blood to stay strong."
Vasaria's smirk widened. "You catch on quickly."
Kael sighed. "Fine. Take it from me."
The group snapped their heads toward him.
"You can't be serious," Raithon hissed.
Saria looked at him like he'd lost his mind. "Are you stupid?"
Thalric rubbed his temples. "You're seriously just… letting her do it?"
Kael didn't answer them.
Because Vasaria had already stepped forward.
Vasaria's fingers brushed against Kael's wrist, her touch cold as death.
She looked up at him, amusement flickering in her eyes.
"No hesitation?"
Kael exhaled. "If you're going to do it, do it now."
Vasaria chuckled. "I like that about you, Veyrin. Always so decisive."
She lifted his wrist to her lips.
And then—she bit.
A sharp pain, but not unbearable.
Then, the warmth—a slow pull as she drank.
It wasn't just a sensation of blood being taken.
It was mana.
Something about it burned through his veins as if she wasn't just drinking but extracting something deeper.
Vasaria shuddered.
Her grip tightened.
Her body pressed closer.
And for a brief moment, her expression was pure bliss.
Then—
She pulled away.
A single drop of crimson trailed down her lips.
She licked it away, exhaling deeply.
"...Interesting."
Kael rubbed his wrist, the small puncture wounds already closing thanks to his Healing Rune.
"Enough?" he asked.
Vasaria tilted her head. "For now."
Saria looked disgusted. "That was the most disturbing thing I've ever seen."
Thalric clicked his tongue. "Veyrin, you're insane."
Raithon scoffed, but there was a trace of reluctant respect in his gaze.
Vasaria, on the other hand, simply grinned.
She had tasted his blood now.
And Kael knew.
She would not forget it.
With Vasaria replenished, the squad moved forward.
The ruins stretched on, the path ahead dark and uncertain.
But one thing was clear.
This mission was far from over.
And Kael had just become far more valuable to the vampire at his side.