Drajkovane
'I remind you, brother, that you must remain focused on your task. Do not hunt any unnecessary creatures of the forest. Remain on task, or Lysander would not be pleased.'
The words of my younger brother played in my mind as I gripped the throat of the resilient Fox Man. His eyes began to bulge, and his tail swayed with desperation behind him. He was weakened prey, I could tell by his condition when I first attacked him.
I find it fascinating that he was able to survive a spear wound to his back and recover so quickly. I have yet to encounter a Fox Man like him before, but I am glad I disobeyed my elder brother's warning. This is a hunt that I could not overlook. The Fox Man tribe on this level was usually pathetic weaklings, whom I could kill with a single swipe of my nails, but this one was different.
He was taller and significantly more powerful, which means that he threatens the plan of our progenitor. I am certain that if I present his carcass to the progenitor as tribute, then not only would my family gain a name, but I'd be fully welcomed into the prestigious Night Raiders.
A smirk formed as the Fox Man's face tinted from suffocation. His eyes became wild before the light in his eyes began to flicker and vanish. His throat stilled, and his defiant arms went limp.
'Is that all he has to offer? Pitiful.'
"It was a shame, but expected... A Fox Man can not defeat a vampire. Nature decrees it," I declared, not for him, but for the returning rodent named Scurra.
The small, bipedal creature had returned, and this time it brought a friend. Unlock that abomination; it was slightly larger and a normal-looking rodent. He was injured, but that was due to the handiwork of the now-deceased Fox Man. The larger rodent was pulling a sled, one filled with treasures unbefitting their lowly statuses.
A tingle appeared in my mind, which was an indication that the lesser rodent was attempting to use her telepathy. I was still surprised that she was capable of using such a complex ability, but I allowed her voice to enter.
"Great Vampire... is he dead? Have you vanquished him?"
Her gaze was on the Fox Man, who dropped like a sack of rocks onto the ground when I released him. I nodded in confirmation.
"Your protector is no more, rodent, and further disobedience will be met with even swifter consequences," I declared.
The creature's eyes widened at my declaration, and then nodded solemnly. I clenched my fist around the throat of the Fox Man. Blood pooled from his throat as my claws tore into his throat like a hungry beast. Even if he lucked into surviving a spear to the back, there was no Fox Man alive capable of surviving that. I was certain.
I brought my fingers to my lips, and my tongue greeted them. It was beneath a vampire of my station to partake in the blood of such lesser creatures, but this one was the exception.
The blood of this fallen foe not only satisfied my hunger but also revitalized me. My wounds began to knit together, binding me to perfect health. My miasma responded, fluctuating with building power within my mana core. I have only experienced such a sensation on a few occasions.
My senses heightened, allowing me to detect the faintest of blood riding on the breeze. The foul smell of the rodent urine twisted my stomach, but I blocked it out of my mind. I focused on the approaching creatures and noticed that there were many magical catalysts present.
'How did such weak and lowly creatures find themselves in ownership of such fine material? I suppose Caspian was correct about these beasts after all. They do have some uses.'
"Nibba... Nibba. Nibba," The male creature said, but I had no idea what he said.
I had never learned the language of these weak creatures, and instead, they should have been forced to learn the language of my ancestors. That is why my face frowned at its audacity. I stepped forward with the nails of my right hand raised threateningly.
"If you can not speak my language, then do not open your mouth,' I ordered the beast.
The female stepped forward and stretched her arm in front of her friend. There was fear in her eyes, which was captivating. Seeing her small frame tremble upon my approach brought a rush of satisfaction through my heart.
"We apologize, Great Vampire, but my mate was cursed to speak the language of ancestors by our chief. He only asks why you have done the Great Fox-"
"There is nothing great about that Fox!" I snapped, utilizing my ancestral skill to appear in front of her.
The rodents jumped out of their skin as I loomed over them. My gaze bore down on both of them, and both cowered as they should. The sheer audacity to refer to that weak beast with the same status as me is unforgivable. My face flushed red as I erupted in Maisma.
The grass around my feet began to wither into dirt, and the creatures began wheezing from its toxicity. Caspian toted the intelligence of these vermin, but I am starting to see another story. If these creatures were truly intelligent, then they would have known better than to incur my wrath.
"You insult me, and you witnessed the fate of the last fool who insulted me. I demand the surrender of your treasures and the upperworlders! Bring them to me, or I will paint this plain with your blood as well!"
They hesitated, but I did not. I attacked the hairless bitch with my nails, piercing her chest like a sword. Her eyes widened in shock as I lifted her to meet my face. It was undignified, but I did not care. I brought my fangs to her neck and claimed her blood as tribute. My miasma weighed down her bastard mate, poisoning the magical creature into submission. I poured more of my mana into my veil, choking him with its volume.
There was hatred in the little rodent's eyes, and I blocked the mental attempts of the squirming female. I would not accept pleas in my mind from a worthless creature. I drank deeply, enjoying the surprisingly plentiful mana present in her blood.
My eyes closed briefly as my body filtered and converted the rodent's mana into a potent miasma. That miasma took form as a cloud that blanketed my surroundings like a low-hanging fog.
'This creature... her mana... it resembles the...'
Danger spiked in my mind, and I warped my body into miasma and vanished into the air. When I returned, I found myself several feet away from the hairless Kick-Rat, and that was for good reason. Where I once stood were mangled roots that twisted into a twelve-foot spire.
The roots writhed on the surface like worms and wrapped around both creatures in a protective shell. My blood began to boil as I immediately understood who was responsible.
'Impossible.'
A growl caught in my throat as my gaze moved toward the Fox Man, but he wasn't there. He had moved once again, which should've been impossible considering I had ripped his throat with my nails. My brain began to race as I looked all around for him, but I did not locate him.
Immediately, I began my chant, "Iarus, I grant you the harvest of my hunt! Bless me with-"
"None of that!"
The voice came from above, and I snapped my attention toward it. My jaw dropped as the leg of the Fox Man slammed into my shoulder. There was a crunch from the impact as I failed to react in time. However, I did manage to activate my ancestral skill to mitigate the damage. I vanished and reappeared several feet from the landing, the Fox Man. The impact of his attack exploded the withered grass and dirt, causing a cloud.
My shoulder exploded from pain as soon as I began to move it. Even when I brought my left hand to touch it, I found tenderness. The impact of his attack was so devastating that my bones were unable to resist it. That was ridiculous.
"Iarus, I grant you-"
Out of the setting cloud was the Fox Man, and he rushed me with blinding speed. Again, I found myself barely able to react to his attack as I vanished into a mist. This time, I did not move. His fist swiped where my head sat, but he found my figure intangible to his attack.
Despite my injury, a smirk formed on my face as I deactivated my skill. The Fox Man's punch had left him wide open, and I punished him for his insolence. His eyes flew wide as my nails pierced his chest from the front, followed by my entire forearm. Blood spat from his mouth as the muscles around his chest began to tighten.
"You should've accepted the kinder death, Fox. How dare-"
My words were intercepted as the Fox Man's head slammed into my face, forcing me to coil back. Pain erupted from my nose as blood streamed like a river down my face. I saw darkness briefly, but honed instincts forced my ancestral skill to reactivate.
I created a sizable gap between us while my vision returned. My head was clouded in pain, but I could see that piercing the chest of the Fox Man did a number on him. He clenched that hole before collapsing to his knees.
'He... isn't dead...yet?! How?!'
I have pierced the chest of this man on two different occasions, and each act should have rendered his lungs or heart inoperable. Stronger beasts of our home have died from similar injuries. I witnessed Battle Lizards, whose muscles deflect knives, be slain with one pierce on my nails. However, as I diverted the miasma from my surroundings to recuperate, I noticed something peculiar.
The tail of the Fox Man began to wag, not out of desperation like the rodents, but out of something else. He grunted loudly as he stood, nursing his wound with his right hand. His glasses began to slide off his face, but even as he coughed up blood, he made the time to catch them with his other hand.
'I expected resistance, but this? What the hell type of creature is this?!'
"So... you require blood to sustain that OP mist bullshittery, huh?" the Fox Man asked after finally coughing. He brought his wrist to his mouth and wiped his bloody lips. "I feel like shit."
"You should be dead," I blurted out before I realized.
His ears twitched at my words before he erupted into pained laughter. That laughter brought a frown to my face. He was mocking me, I could hear it in his tone. There was a portion within me that demanded that I rush over there and pierce his neck with my nails, but I didn't. Another side appeared, warning me to remain cautious.
"Pft- Ha! You couldn't kill me in a battle if we roleplayed!"
The Fox Man's tail began to wag faster as he repositioned his glasses onto his face. He removed his right hand, and my eyes widened. My blood chilled as the hole on his chest began quickly shrinking until it vanished altogether.
"Miasma madness is such a wicked, little infection," He said, raising his bloodied hand. "It is also an ingenious opening move, Drajkovane. You have my respect for that. I would say that you are powerful, but you're a third-partying hack! If you were strong enough to take us, then you wouldn't have resorted to this tactic!"
My bones popped into place as I stared at the grinning Fox Man. His mustache twitched before a deep smile from his lips. The air around him began to swirl and condense.
"I don't understand... Speak plainly! How did you survive all of my attacks?!"
My question fell on deaf ears, but I quickly realized that was not the question I should be asking him.
'What is he doing?!'
Babump...babump....babump...
"Iarus, I grant you the harvest of my hunt! Bless me with the..."
The Fox Man launched himself in my direction, crossing the distance in a single bound. Laughter exploded from his eyes as I moved to avoid his charge. A fist flew at my head, but I leaned away to avoid it. He was fast, but his speed was paltry compared to mine. I backpedalled, avoiding another punch aimed straight at my chest.
I leaped away, and much like a fox pouncing after a rabbit, he pursued. The chase was relentless as each landing further aggravated the injured shoulder. The miasma I was pulling in was slow when it came to repairing my injury, which meant my situation was becoming more dire.
'Impossible... His speed is... no, I am getting slower. That's it! I can not allow myself to be slain by an inferior creature, not when I have a role to play in Lysander's plan! Tch-'
Unable to resist his opening, I activated my ancestral skill and reappeared behind the aggressive Fox Man. Upon my emergence, I quickly turned and spin-kicked the man in his lower back. His body jerked forward, but before he could recover, I vanished and reappeared in front of him. I leaped, kneeing him in his throat with enough force to decapitate him!
'Tch- He blocked it?!'
As if he had expected my attack, the Fox Man blocked the knee strike with his forearm. He somehow had managed to brace himself from the impact. Undeterred by my failure, I activated my ancestral skill to avoid his upcoming attacks.
His fists passed through my misty form, yet there was not a hint of despair present on his face. That was unusual. His eyes followed me with frightening accuracy, and whenever I appeared behind him, his body snapped to face me. His speed had remained the same, but oddly, I was becoming slower.
I understood that my body had become heavier due to creeping mana fatigue. The Fox Man's movement became more erratic, with him suddenly throwing multiple jabs in a row. It was unpolished and brutish, but I could already tell that this man was not properly trained.
He isn't a warrior, nor a skilled hunter. It is likely he only survived thus far in this world due to his regenerative abilities. Each successful swipe of my claws brought a grievous wound to his stomach or his arms. While not fatal, a normal creature driven by self-preservation would take those injuries as a reason to retreat and regroup.
This Fox Man appears not to share that philosophy. No matter what wound I inflicted on him, he merely gritted his teeth and pushed forward. He rushed me until I was the one forced to retreat.
The well of mana I was using to power my ancestral skill went dry, and I was forced to evade without it. It was not ideal, but I was able to do so due to the Fox Man unexpectedly breaking his pursuit.
He had failed to land any attack since he managed to fracture my collar, but he seemed more pleased than troubled. His tail waved behind him as he caught his breath from his previous exertions. Normally, I would have attacked at that moment of weakness, but I couldn't, and the reason was simple. I was exhausted.
The relentless pressure from his attacks had brought me to the brink. My muscles were woven tight, and there were likely bruises underneath my garments. I managed to block and parry most of his attacks, but the impact of his fists still took a piece of my defenses.
'Just what is he? Where did he come from?'
I had never encountered a Fox Man of his strength before, and that frightened me. While I enjoy a life and death fight as much as any vampire, the reality is I would usually walk out relatively unharmed. The prey I've set my sights on would fall long before my nails would be necessary. My miasma should have been enough, but that raises the question: 'Why isn't it?'
'I know that I've managed to infect him with a debilitating amount of miasma. He should be rendered unconscious like the upperworlders and rodents, yet he stands. Not only does he stand, but he fights as if he were unburdened. This is a creature out of my nightmares...'
"You look winded. How about we call it a day and go our separate ways? " the Fox Man said after catching his breath. "I can imagine we both have better ways to spend our days. You do not have to die today."
His words brought a frown to my face. To think that he was brazen enough to insinuate that I would be the one to die from this encounter was disingenuous. It had no standing in reality, I know that, but I found consideration creeping into the back of my mind.
'It would be better to retreat and return to the others...However, Caspian and Lysander would be unsettled that I acted on my own and then fled without taking anything. It would dishonor my family, and that is something I could not afford.'
"I am dead either way, Fox Man, so unless you hand me something of significant value, then I can not accept this outcome. You have proven to be resilient, but you are in worse condition than I am. I can sense the instability within your core as my miasma plunders your strength," I said, pointing a blood-tipped index finger in his direction. "You are cornered prey, ripe for harvest. Your effort is fruitless. Can't you see that?!"
Contemplation appeared on his face as he brought a finger to twist his mustache. I wouldn't have expected him to consider my words so thoroughly, but I accepted the few minutes of silence that it brought. His beady eyes locked onto mine, all the while his tail wagged like a pet observing its master.
'What a fool...'
I didn't understand how such a formidable opponent would allow for such a vast gap in time, but I am fortunate for his incompetence. I slowly reeled in the miasma from the environment and began converting it into mana. The process was slower due to my own exhaustion, but his inaction allowed me to do so. This battle must come to an end soon, before the others realize my insubordination.
The mana within my body began to swell, but I needed more time for the conversion. It would be quicker, consuming his blood to empower myself, but it is risky to engage in another skirmish. There is no guarantee that I would come out on the other end powerful enough to activate it.
I weighed my options in that moment before a solution was found. I would have to do it no matter what the costs are. I merely need to finish him before the others are notified that I have used it prematurely.
'It can not be helped. I either die or use that accursed item to put him down for good.'
There was one of those options that I would ever entertain.