10.4

Pant, pant, pant!

Pant, pant, pant!

Pant, pant, pant!

Heavy breathing of three humans echoed through the forest, footsteps became to slow down as exhaustion assaulted the three siblings.

“Big s-sis Mera, slow down, I-I c-can’t…”

The out of breath Meli called to her elder sister as she almost choked on air. Though she did not know what was happening, Meli did as her mother had instructed and ran away from her home with her two elder siblings.

Ever since she last heard her father’s shout for them to run, Meli immediately understood that the house she grew up in was no longer safe to live in. And so she ran, ran as fast as her little feet could carry her, she did not complain, nor had she asked any questions about who was by the door, all she knew was to follow her siblings.

But now, her legs had finally given up on her, she had no choice but to speak up, she knew she was causing problems for them, but there was nothing else she could do when she felt like falling if she ran any longer.

“I-I’m sorry… Brother Mirl… Sister Mera…” she said as her eyes watered. “I j-just can’t anymore…”

Her two elder siblings looked at each other for a moment before they finally slowed their running pace into a light stroll.

“We will slow down, but we can’t stop moving now, it is too dangerous here. We have to move until we reach Purefold Town for help, understand?” the calm voice came from Miril, his usual goofy expression was now replaced by a weary expression. “For all we know mom and dad are already—”

“Miril, please! Mera is just a child,” Mera snapped before her brother could say anything more.

“…But she has the right to know. Moreover…”

Miril’s ears twitched. His eyes furiously looked around their surroundings but there was nothing.

“We have to hurry up, now. They are near.”

Miril had taken a hearing enhancement potion that he made during his apprenticeship, it was one of the higher grade potions that Aron Olbaz had taught him to create, but its effects only lasted for a short duration since it still required further refining.

And right now, with the waning effects of the potion, he heard two figures approaching in their direction.

He was certain that the two figures were the vampires that the man named Palter brought with him.

While Miril escaped from the Harvest household with his sisters, he happen to overhear the man mentioning something about his mother’s sickly condition, about how his mother should moments from death from a certain curse.

He immediately understood who the man was. What Palter Harvest did many years ago when he visited them.

Palter Harvest…

It was the same man many years ago, the person who last visited them before his mother became permanently ill. It was not until John arrived did he use his [Heal] spell and returned his mother’s health to its former glory.

Palter was the reason for his mother’s wasted years of happiness, Palter was the reason why his father had to break his back to just support their family, Palter was why Miril always had his guard up when he spoke to strangers…

Palter Harvest, is a monster.

His stomach churned as he urged his sisters to hurry up.

It was something that even he would not forgive if he were dead.

Miril’s fists tightened as he led his sisters through the dense forests.

A minute passed, then another…

Though they were moving slower compared to when they had ran from their house, their speed was enough to outrun the two figures who were tracking them from behind.

Miril was confident that sooner or later, the familiar lights from the town that was the home to the Empire’s adventurer’s guild would be in their sights.

Then they saw it.

A flicker of light that came from Purefold Town’s bustling nightlife.

Crack!

A branch not far from them snapped. Miril’s eyes widened.

“The vampires are here…”

Miril was about to open his mouth asked his sisters to keep running, before he could, a large man in a dark cloak appeared before him.

The vampire’s eyes were as black as coal, body was thick as the trees that surrounded them.

You can’t even let me escort my precious sisters to safety huh? Since we’ve come down to this…

Miril who anticipated this, reached into his clothes and took a few vials of magic potions that Aron Olbaz had told him to keep around for self-defense.

Faster than lightning, Miril flung three vials of magic potion at the vampire, successfully spewing a corrosive paste that stuck on the vampire’s face.

Whether I get to learn to make them from Mr. Aron is up to whether I survive this… Man, I really want to learn alchemy.

“Garrrrrk!” the vampire hissed. The vampire used its large hands to pull the paste but his hands became stuck instead. “Y-you…” the vampire tried to speak but the paste quickly filled his open mouth, gluing his sharp fangs to his lips firmly.

On Miril’s other hand were two more vials, he quickly moved to his two sisters that were still frozen at the sight of the burly vampire before them. Miril snapped the two vials and poured the contents over Mera and Meli.

“These will mask your scent. Mera, take Meli to the town, get there and report what happened. I’ll stall the vampires.”

Mera opened her mouth to protest, she was about to call him names like she always had, insulting him for being selfish and want to die on his own. But the look on Miril’s face made her oddly quiet.

“Please… I don’t know what will happen to me, but I need to know at least you two are alive.”

“Brother Miril…” Meli squeaked.

“Now go!” Miril pushed them closer towards where the light from Purefold was at. “Go or I will cut all my ties with you two!”

Mera and Meli had no choice but to leave hurriedly as Miril watched them disappeared into the dark forest.

When Mirl was sure that his sisters were far from him, a trickle of tear trickled down his cheeks.

This was Miril Harvest’s last stand.

He knew that already.

The moment he heard his father and mother’s bodies collapsed by the entrance with his temporary enhanced hearing, Miril understood that it was just a matter of time before he meet his end.

The magical potions that he carried around him were limited, there was only two left, he would soon die by the hands of the vampires just as his parents did.

All he could do was to stall time for his sisters in hopes that they will reach Purefold Town before the vampires caught up to them.

He lived a decent life, aside from the few petty things he did, he had little regrets.

If anything, he wished he sent a letter to John and got along with the guy for healing his mother from her blindness.

“Sorry, John. Guess you won’t get that letter from me.”

He said to himself as he watched the paste on the vampire’s face slowly disappeared, Miril grabbed the most durable looking branch he could find and wield it in his hand.

Miril had no combat experience, but having a weapon is better than none. He curled his hands around the wooden branch, aimed at the burly vampire and charged with all his strength.

Wind brushed through his hair, the grass by his legs rustled, Miril thrust with all his might at vampire heart, hoping that he would somehow survive this nightmare.

The branch had a pointy tip, if his memory serves, a stake to a vampire’s heart would mean…

“So this is where you are, Kelgrim. Interesting stuff you’ve got on your… face.”

The second vampire had used his two fingers to pinch at the tip of the wooden branch, stopping Miril’s charged attack as though it was nobody’s business.

“D-don’t mind me, Sozak. T-the other two...”

“Do you need my help killing this brat? I can help.” Sozak asked

Still stuck to the paste that the Harvest boy used on him, Kelgrim shook his head defiantly.

“Kayyy. Then, do you know where the other two went? I can’t follow their scent anymore, it’s like they disappeared. It would be bad if the humans learned about what we did here.”

Kelgrim nudged his body towards the direction the two girls ran ti. The paste might have impaired his vision, but his hearing was still as sharp as ever.

“Oho, thank you! I’ll be going then!”

Miril quickly reached into his pockets and took a vial.

“Not so fast vampire!” he shouted in attempts to gain the Sozak’s attention. The other vampire turned towards him, then vanished before his very eyes.

“???”

And overwhelming force grabbed the back of his skull and slammed Miril’s head against the ground.

Bang!

Miril’s vision blurred, his head became damp with warm liquid, his ears rang loudly. His lost all sense of balance as the world around him spun.

“I won’t fall for your slimy tricks, human. Consider this as punishment for hurting Kelgrim,” Sozak the vampire said and left with a loud woosh from his cloak.

I-I messed up…

Miril crawled on the ground as the pain finally seeped into his senses. His body no longer responded to him as he desperately crawled towards where his two sisters were.

I’m sorry mom, I can’t...bring them to safety.

Any moment now, the paste on Kelgrim’s face would disappear, and when it does, so will his life.

Mera’s grip on Meli’s hand tightened, she too was now feeling the pain and exhaustion her little sister did, but she bit her lip, ignored the sensation and persisted onwards to where Purefold Town was.

She can’t stop.

Not when Meli who was about to burst from tears held her complaints in. As Meli’s elder sister, she had to get to them both to safety before she dare think about stopping.

If they stopped now, it would meant their death.

Mera can’t afford to waste her brother’s sacrifice.

The countless times that Miril had annoyed her with his relentless teasing, the countless times that they had argued insignificant things with the other, the countless times that he made the corny jokes just to garner an eye-roll reaction from her, they frustrated her to no end.

But, the fact that Miril had done all he could to give them the slightest chance to reach safety remains to be true.

Mera knew that will never get the chance to thank him.

That vampire that Miril had somehow impaired was at least three times her height, even if Miril was a trained swordsman and had a proper weapon with him, the chances of him surviving against that vampire will remain the same, zero.

So, she swallowed her breath and did what her brother told her to do, to run away as far as she could with Meli, away from the relentless vampires who chased after them.

The two girl’s footsteps had not stopped since, regions of their body as they ran with all their might in this gloomy forest that were the outskirts of Reperane Woods, hoping that somehow, someway, that they will reach Purefold Town without encountering any dark beasts or vampires.

They kept their eye on the lights that Purfold Town radiated, ran towards it as the light rays became brighter in their view.

“We are almost there, Meli. When we reach the town, we’ll get help for Miril,” Mera said to her little sister in an attempt to keep her hopes up.

But she was greeted by Meli with a horrified face.

“Meli?” worried that Meli might cry any second, Mera halted the running.

“M-Mera…” Meli raised finger and pointed at the sky where the lights from Purefold Town were supposed to be shining, above the very trees that shaded them, a dark fog thickened an expanded “I-it’s, disappearing…”

The moment those words came from her sister, a freezing chill assaulted their damp bodies.

Their surroundings became pitch black.

The dim light from the waning moon disappeared, leaving not a single trace of light illuminate their path in this horrible forest. It was no doubt, a magic cast to rob them of their guiding light, magic to stop them in their tracks.

Then they heard it.

A sinister laughter from all around them.

Yahahahahaha! Gahahahahaha!!!

One that informed them of their fates.

“I. Found. Youuuuu.”

Mera instinctively shield Meli who crouched herself upon hearing that voice. Her hands wrapped her little sister in attempts to calm her down.

“Shh, don’t cry… It’s a bluff to make us reveal our location.”

Meli’s head bobbed in her hug, implying that she understood.

Ba-dump, ba-dump…

The sisters’ heart beat in synchronous rhythms, they softened their breathing to avoid being detected the by the vampire, to the point where breathing through a straw would provide them more air to their lungs.

Ba-dump, ba-dump…

Their heart pounded for the hundredth time as they crouched silently in absolute darkness.

…

…

…

…

A long minute passed, but nothing came for them. They remained still as the vampire awaited some form of response from them.

“Aww, I guess they aren’t here after all. It’s such a shame that they ran off that quickly, kind of makes you wonder if their brother could run that fast if he isn’t dead already…”

Hic.

A small noise escaped Meli at the mention of Miril, Mera was quick to cover Meli’s mouth before the vampire that was pursuing them heard it.

“Sigh… guess I need to go back empty handed,” with that, the vampire snapped his fingers and lifted the dark fog surrounding them and left with a loud rustling of the leaves.

Mera and Meli breathed a sigh of relief.

“Or that’s what you two girls might think.”

The same voice came from a branch above them. Prompting the Harvest sisters to break into a run.

“Meli! Run as fast as—” a pair of sharp fangs sank into Mera’s neck before she could finish her sentence, “—you can…” the lights left her eyes before her lifeless body slumped to the ground.

“Such a pity she died instantly… As I thought… One isn’t enough to fill my stomach...”

The vampire ripped his teeth from Mera’s, leaving a wound so large that exposed her flesh and bone to the cold air. Slowly getting to his feet, the vampire took a grandiose pose as he raised a finger to the sky and lowered it and pointed to Meli who was paralyzed from her sister’s death.

“You are next.”

The last thing the little girl saw black blur dashing towards her.