The moon had already replaced the sun, leaving the sky dark and filled with countless stars. The two men had been walking for almost an hour, yet neither had broken the silence.

  Lucas had been with the Unbowed for over a day. He had seen that Gio made no attempt to feed on anyone. He thought he was past the fear, but now that he was completely alone with the man in the darkness, he was starting to reconsider.

  “You need not fear me,” Gio said calmly, noticing the tension in the air. The Sanguine’s crimson eyes shimmered in the gloom as he cast his gaze on Lucas. “Though I do acknowledge it is only natural for your kind to feel fear when facing… hmm, how should I phrase this without hurting your feelings… superior beings?”

  Lucas smiled faintly. Gio’s carefree remark actually helped. It pulled him out of the dark scenarios his mind had been conjuring.

  “I thought I was fine,” Lucas admitted. “Gio, how long can you last without… blood?”

  He decided that understanding the creature better might help him overcome the wariness. After all, it was the unknown that frightened people the most.

  “‘Blood’? Don’t make it sound so vulgar. I do not mock or reprimand when you feast on beast flesh, do I?” Gio snorted. “Fine, I will answer. I can endure hunger far longer than you, though the craving is overwhelmingly more intense. If you are worried about your safety, be at ease. I have no interest in feasting on something so... unappetizing.”

  “Are you saying I'm so ugly you wouldn’t even eat me?” Lucas chuckled, a tense, hoarse sound.

  “Well, I was trying to spare your feelings, but since you chose to open that door… Have you seen yourself? That hair - it looks as though Edir hacked at it with that rusted axe of his. Your clothes are also inelegant, and the worst is the stench of your blood.” Gio wrinkled his nose, as though the very scent of Lucas burned his eyes.

  “The stench of my blood? You can smell it?”

  “Naturally. I am a Sanguine. Your blood reeks of fear and I detest that flavor. I prefer my meal... contented. That is why I develop special arrangements with a select few. And I assure you, they are well-kept until they are old and gray. Ah, time. Such a cruel thing.” Gio shook his head, sighing.

  Lucas stared at the man for a long moment, struggling to believe his words.

  Gio was indifferent to the scrutiny. He tilted his head back, eyes fixed on the full moon as if embracing it. The silver light cascaded down, turning his long white hair into a halo of frost against the dark night.

  The silence stretched until the wet squelch of Lucas’s boot broke it.

  “The swamp,” he muttered in disbelief, body tensing. “But…”

  “Yes. The swamp doesn’t smell. The water is clear, too,” Gio said and extended a hand to stop Lucas. “Hush, now.”

  Both men froze, listening to the sounds of the night. No crickets. No frogs. The silence was overwhelming.

  “I smell blood, but I cannot tell where it is coming from. It is as if this entire place reeks of it.”

  Lucas tried his best to catch the scent of iron. He flared his nostrils and took as deep a sniff as his lungs allowed, but he smelled nothing.

  “I found the source,” Gio said calmly.

  He led Lucas away from the water, guiding him toward the treeline where a small forest began.

  “Wouldn’t it be better to first check the swamp? You said it reeks of blood…”

  “I generally find the superstitions of the peasantry to be... tedious nonsense. But when a tale survives for generations, there is usually a reason for it.” Gio explained. “We are not setting foot in that bog until we know precisely what we are dealing with.”

  Lucas nodded and followed. He did his best to smell the blood or see trails on the ground, but everything seemed normal to him.

  The forest was a few dozen meters away from the marsh, yet it was just as eerily quiet.

  “This is why I smelled so much blood,” Gio said, his red eyes narrowing on the treeline.

  On the edge of the forest, the grass glistened wetly, reflecting the moonlight. The ground was painted in dark red, marred by stains of brown. Chunks of flesh and innards were scattered everywhere, shredded into tiny pieces.

  Lucas pointed toward a bloodied head on the ground, then saw two more near it. “It looks like this creature eats dogs as well.”

  “And dislikes the taste of heads,” Gio nodded. He crouched, carefully examining the ground and the traces of the beast.

  “Look at this,” he called to Lucas. “See how faint the footprint is, yet how deep the claw marks are? Four legs, undoubtedly. And they brought friends - I counted at least four sets.”

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  Lucas squinted at the ground, but the only tracks he could distinguish were the ones Gio explicitly pointed out.

  “I’ll check the heads,” he said and reached for the nearest one. “Maybe one of the dogs managed to take a bite.”

  But before his fingers could graze the bloody fur, the snap of a twig and the rustle of dry leaves startled him. A cold sweat covered his forehead at once.

  Lucas shot to his feet. He unslung the bow from his back and adjusted his stance, his heart hammering against his ribs.

  “Finally, you noticed them,” Gio chuckled, sounding amused. He studied Lucas briefly, then grinned, showing his white fangs. “Why don’t we see if you can handle them on your own?”

  Lucas’s mind went numb. He snapped his head toward Gio, but the Sanguine was already gone.

  Fuck you. Lucas cursed internally, not daring to speak aloud. He backed away slowly, trying to put distance between himself and the treeline where the undergrowth obscured his vision.

  Low, guttural growls vibrated from the forest, winding Lucas’s nerves tighter. He pulled an arrow from his quiver and nocked it. He didn’t draw the string yet - holding it would only tire his arms. He waited for the beasts to reveal themselves.

  He was about twenty paces from the trees when two red eyes finally loomed just above the bushes.

  Lucas knew he was no master archer. He needed to land as many shots as he could before they closed the distance.

  He drew the string back, holding his breath to steady his aim. But his heart pounded so hard it seemed to shake his entire body. He closed one eye, aiming between the two shimmering red circles. Then, he loosed the bowstring.

  The arrow hissed through the air, passing just above the glowing eyes and disappearing into the foliage.

  He missed.

  He cursed and reached for another shaft, feeling a flicker of comfort as his fingers brushed against the full row of arows in his quiver.

  He quickly nocked one and inhaled deeply, holding the air in his lungs.

  He gulped as he noticed another pair of eyes had emerged from the forest.

  Lucas steadied his hand as best he could, this time aiming a little lower.

  I must hit this one. I can't miss. He thought, adjusting the tip of the arrow with his index finger.

  The arrow whistled through the air. A sickening crunch followed, then a sharp yelp and the sound of wind chimes.

  [You’ve gained 5 Experience Points!]

  [Archery (Novice) proficiency has increased: 3/10.]

  Lucas ignored the blue windows shimmering next to him and quickly readied the bow. He knew he didn’t have much time.

  The surviving beast paused for a split second, startled by the death of its packmate, but quickly recovered and charged.

  Lucas was already ready, string drawn.

  I have just one shot. He realized he wouldn’t be able to fire another arrow if he missed now. He held his breath, closing one eye to track the trajectory of the beast. It was already a few steps away, quickly closing the distance.

  It was a large dog, its dark fur brightening near its head. That was where Lucas aimed - right where the neck met the shoulder.

  He loosed the arrow.

  The beast yelped immediately. The shot went wide of the neck, burying itself deep in the creature's leg. It stumbled and crashed into the dirt, sliding toward him.

  Lucas dropped the bow and unsheathed the knife at his waist.

  Add 2 ability points to Agility and 1 to Dexterity! he screamed in his mind.

  The system responded instantly.

  [2 Attribute Points allocated to Agility and 1 to Dexterity.]

  Lucas shivered as a strange, pleasant heat washed over him. He felt his speed increase immediately; his limbs felt lighter, easier to control.

  He lunged at the struggling dog, raising his hand and driving the knife down with his full weight. The beast howled and snapped, but Lucas pulled the blade free and struck again. He stabbed repeatedly, fueled by adrenaline, until the dog stopped struggling and the sound of wind chimes rang.

  [You’ve gained 5 Experience Points!]

  [New skill acquired: Coward’s Eye.]

  [You’ve leveled up!]

  “Splendid. Job well done, Lucas.” Gio’s amused voice came from right beside him as the man blurred into existence from the shadows.

  “How?” The word escaped Lucas’s mouth before he could stop it.

  “Merely one of my myriad talents,” Gio said with a lazy smile, stepping closer to inspect the dead animal. “I must say, you performed better than I expected…”

  “Better? Had I missed that last arrow, I would have died!” Lucas interrupted, unable to hold back the anger rising in his chest.

  “My, my. Aren’t you the dour little thing.” Gio shook his head. “Had you died to creatures I had already numbed and slowed down… frankly, it would have been a mercy. I cannot fathom how you would survive in the world of the Unbowed with that level of talent.”

  Lucas stared at the man, wide-eyed. He was appalled by how lightly Gio viewed human life, but he was even more confused by the claim.

  “You slowed them down?” he asked.

  “And numbed their instincts,” Gio responded nonchalantly. He raised a hand, coating it in a faint red sheen. “See? Why else would two predators wait for you to take aim? My Goddess, you have a lot to learn!”

  Lucas was lost for words. He was still angry, but he had survived, and he had even gained a new skill.

  “You rest while I harvest the Essences,” Gio said as a familiar triangular tool appeared in his hands, seemingly out of thin air.

  “What are Essences?” Lucas asked, watching as Gio held the object above the beast's body and channeled his energy into it.

  “Each beast has a chance to yield an Essence, which can be used to improve your attributes,” Gio explained, then added quickly, “Please, ask Evelyn to explain the details. She loves talking about these kinds of nauseating matters.”

  He quickly repeated the process with the second corpse, and then the tool vanished from his grip.

  “Just as expected. Such weak beasts rarely yield Essences.” He turned toward Lucas. “Lucas, we must return to the village. I already checked the heads and found no clues there. We must tell Qalda what we found and let her decide.”

  “But we found nothing,” Lucas snorted.

  “No, you found nothing.” Gio grinned and waved a hand, signaling him to follow.

  The next chapter will be out Tomorrow.

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