Chapter 6: Slaughter To Live

The cold woke me.

I sat up slowly, the cave damp and dark around me. Drake was still curled near the far wall, breathing softly. I didn't disturb him.

Something felt... wrong. The little critters were quieter than usual. I rose to my feet, brushing dust from my attire. The night air swirled in from the cave's mouth, brushing across my skin like a whisper from the dead. Colder than usual, I thought.

 "It's cold tonight." I said it out loud without realizing.

I stepped outside, my bare feet brushing against the forest floor. The trees before me swayed in the breeze, their leaves rustling like gossipers trading secrets.

I inhaled deeply. That's when I smelled it, faint, but sharp. A campfire. Not ours no doubt. And something else... The stench of bitter herbs and sweat? 

I didn't hesitate. Slipping into the shadows, I moved quietly through the trees, each step practiced and deliberate. My senses stretched out, feeling the heartbeat of the forest. Then I saw them.

A group of men, crouched near a fire. There were about eight of them, dressed in dark leather stitched with unfamiliar patterns. Nothing from the tribes I knew. Their skin was marked with pale ash, and their weapons, spears, clubs, and curved knives, lay across their laps, all being coated with some kind of thick, oily liquid. I crouched low and listened. Their words were clear to my ears, as if they stood beside me.

"We'll hit him fast," one whispered. "As soon as Ayak casts the binding. He won't be able to move."

"The moment he's frozen, we all strike. Blades to the neck. Clubs to the spine. No hesitation."

"And then?"

"We carry his head to Ayak's god's altar," another said. "He'll name us the first wraith hunters"

They laughed. I smiled, Idiots. My eyes narrowed, and I raised my hand slightly. 

Telekinesis 

A small stone beside me trembled, then shot forward like a dart, slamming into one man's back. He didn't move. Didn't even flinch.

So… what blessings were they talking about? They still have dull reflexes.

I rose slowly and walked out from the trees. They didn't see me at first. The fire crackled, casting dancing shadows across their faces. But when I stepped on a twig, heads turned. Every man stood up in unison, grabbing their weapons.

"Who the hell are you?" one of them demanded, pointing a blood-stained blade in my direction.

I tilted my head, grinning. "Just someone who hates being spied on."

Before I could say more, a voice cut through the trees like thunder.

"That's him!" came the shout. "That's the creature! Kill it!"

"Ayak!" Shouted one of the men. 

They didn't hesitate and they surged forward, faster than normal humans, blurs of motion.

But not fast enough. The first swung his club and I sidestepped, catching his wrist and twisting. Bone cracked. He screamed. I shoved him back into another charging fool. A third came at me with a spear. I leaned back, letting the tip graze past my neck, then drove my elbow into his chest. He dropped like a stone.

But they kept coming. And now, spells rained from the trees. A fireball screamed past me and exploded against a tree trunk. Splinters flew. Another spell followed, an ice spear that skimmed my leg and left a shallow gash. I growled. Ayak stood beyond the fire, his bone wand glowing with blue light. His mouth moved rapidly, eyes locked on me with fear.

Every time I tried to land a fatal blow, he hit me with another distraction, a gust of wind, a wall of flame, a sharp stone rising from the ground. He was good. Better than the others. But I'd had enough. I turned my gaze toward him and our eyes met. He opened his mouth to cast again, too late.

I vanished. The world stretched as I moved, faster than lightning. One heartbeat, I was among the warriors, next heartbeat, I was in front of him.

His eyes widened. His mouth trembled. I grabbed him by the throat and lifted him into the air. His legs kicked. His fingers clawed at my arm, scratching, struggling. I could feel his magic trying to swell, trying to charge through his body.

Too slow. The others turned. I saw their shock, their disbelief as they looked around frantically, and saw me, holding their leader like a rag doll.

I looked into Ayak's panicked eyes.

"You trust your power too much," I whispered.

Then I twisted his head. The crack echoed across the forest. I dropped his corpse like a sack of meat. The others stared in horror. The fire crackled, casting my shadow over them. I smiled again, licking the blood from a cut on my arm.

"So…" I said, stepping toward them, voice low and calm, "Where were we?"

Their hands trembled. I could smell their fear now, raw, desperate. They stared at me, seven men, eyes wide, weapons trembling in their hands.

Ayak's corpse still lay at my feet, neck twisted at an unnatural angle, eyes frozen in fear. I took a step forward. One of them screamed and charged, his club raised over his head. Too slow.

I caught his arm mid-swing, bones shattering beneath my grip. His mouth opened to yell but all that came out was a choking gurgle as I rammed my hand into his throat and ripped it out. Blood sprayed across my face, warm and pulsing.

He dropped like a stone.

Another came from the side, trying to flank me. He moved fast, faster than any human should, but not faster than me. I spun, caught him mid-motion, and slammed my knee into his stomach hard enough to fold his body in half. Then I grabbed his leg and swung him into a tree. The crack of his spine echoed like thunder. He didn't move again. The remaining five hesitated now, fanning out, trying to surround me. Smart. But pointless.

"You should've stayed home," I said, voice low.

Two lunged at once. One tried to jab his spear at my chest. I batted it aside and grabbed him by the jaw. With a twist, I tore his head clean from his shoulders. His body spasmed and collapsed, twitching.

The second man swung his axe toward my ribs. I stepped in, too close for his blade to land, and grabbed his wrist. Then I squeezed. He shrieked as bone splintered and the axe fell. I wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled, until his head popped like a fruit torn from the vine. Three left. They broke. Two turned and tried to flee into the trees. Bad idea.

I blurred forward, appearing in front of one before he could take a third step. His eyes widened in shock, and I snapped his neck before he could speak. The other screamed when he saw it, but I was already behind him. I punched straight through his back, my hand bursting out his chest, heart still pulsing in my palm.

One left.

He didn't run. I respected that. He rushed me with a curved blade, slashing wildly.

I let the blade cut across my chest, just to see the relief in his eyes. Then I grinned, pushed him back a few steps. He dropped his weapon and fell to his knees.

"P-please," he gasped. "Mercy…"

Mercy.

That word again. I looked down at him. Blood dripped from my chin. My body steamed in the cold wind, heat radiating from every part of me.

"Where was their mercy?" I asked, motioning to the coprses behind me. "Where was my mother's? My clan's?"

He wept, hands raised in surrender.

"But I don't know what happened to you clan" he said hysterically 

I sighed. "You followed a dead man into my woods. You prayed for my death."

"I'll grant your prayer," I wwhispere.

He nodded quickly, desperate, hoping. And with a single, clean twist, I broke his neck and let his body fall limp at my feet. The forest fell silent again.

Only the fire crackled and hissed behind me. The air was thick with blood, smoke, and fear that no longer had a mouth to scream from. I wiped my face slowly, smearing the blood across my cheek. My hands were soaked. My chest rose and fell with calm, steady breaths.

These men weren't hunters. They were a prelude to more situations like this. I turned and walked back into the trees, leaving the broken bodies behind for the wind to bury. I could feel Drake now, stirring back in the cave.

This wouldn't be the last group.

But now… the real war had begun, vampires are not liked in the slightest anywhere they go and I needed to grow stronger.