We were on the road, and the receptionist mentioned Yukina picking a quest related to slimes. On the south border was where she supposedly was, that's where we set off from. Our search party brought camping gear, plus rations for the night.
"Dad, do you think we can find Yukina?" My daughter asked, tugging on my sleeve. Her lips were quivering as if she wanted to cry.
"We'll find her, okay? Your big sister will be fine." As I reassured her, I rested my hand on her head. It warmed my heart seeing them interact and act like siblings. Allisa never had the chance to have a sibling, Melinda has fertility issues, so it's a miracle we had her.
"What if we can't…?"
"Sweetie, we'll find her okay?"
"If you want to find her, get a move on."
With Jin's words we started traveling. I could hope and pray it was safe.
Yukina… She changed a lot throughout the year we went around. We all have, but hers was the most notable. After her death scare, she calmed down and stopped being irrational.
At first it was subtle, she got quieter. Although she was so in the first place, it was different. It could've been anxiety, panic, but it changed when we saw the wanted posters in towns.
At first, she volunteered to go in. Melinda and I vehemently denied it, but she never stopped. Only when her adopted uncle: Jin agreed to go did we allow it.
In addition to her habits slowly changing, her manner of speech did too. It was horrifying, but relieving. Every night Melinda and I worried over her and Allisa.
Allisa only got more scared, she'd sleep with us every night. Her worries grew as the months went by, until Yukina encouraged her to join everyone with training.
Allisa wants to become an adventurer, she always took interest in my job. When she reaches sixteen she can become one, but right now we want her to be able to defend herself.
She aspires to be a healer, one like me. Therefore, I started training her in how to use daggers.
It was the only form of attack a healer could use if their life was in immediate danger after all.
Turns out my daughter is quite talented. She was wobbly on her first attempts. Shivering as I beckoned her to come at me.
Three times she tripped on her feet, falling flat to the ground. Everytime I had her heal her wounds. Haha… well it warranted a slap to my cheek. Thankfully Allisa is a good girl.
We checked her status everyday, her strength, agility and dexterity went up with every week. Although, she reached a peak of her capabilities at fourteen. Every stat was at eight, aside from her intelligence which was at twelve.
Pushing that aside, she grew steady. And unlike me, she was a quick study. She caught onto things quickly, her magic grew fast.
In addition, she was rivalling Yukina's growth. Well, discounting Yukina's physical disability. The latter was afraid of her magic.
Which… came prevalent when they sparred one day.
It was a warm, sunny day, Yukina was fiddling with her magic. Turns out that day she gained a passive skill of Mana Efficiency.
It was the same as any other, Allisa and her began a sparring match. My daughter made the first move, running in. A foolish move as Yukina raised her hand.
There was a hint of excitement; she was not shaking, but fully resolved.
"That's not good." Was all I could mutter. A ball of flames started to form, then quickly expanded. Even from a distance I could feel the heat.
It was assumed Yukina had realized something was off, so she tried to close her hand. But the fireball kept increasing in size. When her hand had snapped shut it flew at an immense speed, it was going to slam into Allisa.
She was about to be consumed, but Shaun had protected her at the last second. His clothes became dust, he had so many burns that covered his body. Additionally, parts of his hair became scorched.
After everything, Yukina stopped training in magic with others. She did it all by herself, whilst partaking in physical training more.
Thus… came to the end of the first day of our journey. We set up our camp, I set up my family's tent furthest away from others.
Before sleeping, we set up rotations. Jin first, second, Shaun, Verd, Shen then I. Melinda and Allisa fell asleep quickly. I sat up, watching them snore away.
Thankfully they can sleep… I had wished this ever since Untergrant, although Melinda struggled to sleep now, she held our daughter tight with her other hand holding mine.
"It feels weirder now." I mumbled, barely audible enough to wake her up. She's been like this ever since we married. "Let's hope we can find Yukina."
I eventually fell asleep, it went by quickly with no dreams. Tomorrow came and I went on watch until everyone woke up.
"It's been a day already! Yukina couldn't have gotten far!" My wife yelled, her hands were clenched. She was furious, all of us took a step back, she looked like she was ready to blow up. "Just what did you do to her?! What did you do to Yukina?!"
"Me-Melinda, that's not a good idea…" I said to her, although as furious as I am, Shen is not someone to threaten. I set my hand on her shoulders, trying to persuade her not to do what she wants to do… What I mean is, Melinda wants to slap her.
"Oh shut up! You're so calm about our daughter missing, don't you see how we're all stressed? I thought you cared for Yukina as a daughter!"
"She isn't someone you can thr-"
I couldn't see anything, but there was a loud crack. Shen's hand was on my wife's, obviously squeezing tight.
"Melinda Gabri, I do not recommend touching me like that. And I inform you not to threaten me, your husband and friends won't save you if you do that."
"Le- Let my hand-"
"I'll release your hand if you swear not to touch me again." With a broad smile Shen recommended. I'm trying to move, my body won't move a muscle. I want to kill her, she's hurting Melinda… Move, I need to move, I need to cut her hand off! Why can't my damn body move! I'm not scared of her!
I felt this rage, I need to protect Melinda! Why can't my body move?! Do I just have to stand here watching my wife get hurt?!
"Oh, and one more thing. If any of you try to attack me after I release you all, I will kill every last one of you." Shen threatened us, the cracking of Melinda's hand caused her to scream in agony. "Now… Melinda Gabri, do you swear to do that again? Or will I have to take off your hand before you will listen."
"Let me go… please… NNNGH! PLEASE! I-I'll stop. I'll… I'll stop please… .Let my hand go…"
"Alright… good, good…" As these words left her mouth, Melinda dropped to the ground. Then whatever held me back was released. I ran to her side.
Without speaking, I tried to use my healing magic on her hand. It was… crushed completely… The bones in her hand were pulverized, it was hanging limp and flat.
"Oh, ho… I wouldn't recommend doing that, Mister James."
"James… no, don't… please… It's- It's okay…"
I'm going to kill her – I'm going-
"You do not want to do this, James. You're going to get us all killed."
I have to-
"James… please… don't do anything rash…. I'm.. i'll be okay!" Her words left me in my tracks, I have the urge to strangle Shen. I want to kill her, pay what she did back a hundred fold!
"I lost my temper…. Please forgive me.." I muttered as my weapon dropped to the grass. I have to stave that flame in my heart, if I act on it, we're dead.
"Um… Miss Shen, what really are you?" Shaun asked, the answer was pretty damn obvious. No need to ask. He was never the brightest…
Shen has abnormal strength for a healer. She had shown her status, some seemed off, both her classes were healer based; priestess and the same as mine: healer.
Stories we were all told when younger, there were these fiends of the night. Pale skin, eyes that can make red jealous. They would suck the blood of anyone they can find, devouring them whole…
Vampire, that's what Shen is. They're incredibly rare, their physical strength unparalleled to other races. I don't want to think about it, but I feel this ache in my heart.
If Yukina had gotten captured by her, and taken… she will never be the same.
"What do you mean, Mister Shaun?"
"I mean… you're very strong, no? Um…"
Everyone jumped from a loud sigh from Shen. She seemed frustrated, shaking her head and swishing her tail. That fucking moron, if he's-
"I won't be killing you, that threat was so you could stop pestering me." She said with a slight grumble. Then, she pointed at me, then in order to my wife, daughter, Jin and Shaun. "If you show me any more hostility, I won't be afraid to kill you. And to answer your question, big guy, I am an otherworlder."
We all let out an "Eh?". I was the most confused, was she actually a vampire? That makes sense why she talks manly, she was a man in her previous life
"It isn't as shocking as it sounds."
"Ah… I meant what are you. You're way too powerful to be a healer, physically. "
"That's a secret of mine. Ask anything else, and I will tell you."
"What did you actually do with Yukina? We know you were with her." I spoke before everyone. I maintained contact with my wife, if I wanted her to be free from pain. My healing was too weak to heal her hand properly.
"She's alive and should be. I left her out a day or two out there. If she was trained properly, she shouldn't be that much further."
"Why did you take her?"
"...." Shen fell silent, her eyes were looking at the ground. Once again, her chest rose, lips pursing. I think we got the answer we needed. "Seems like you are smarter than I gave credit for. Only one individual lived after learning of me."
There was a brief pause, slowly she stuck her hand out. Smoke started to bellow off her bare skin.
"You're actually a vampire?"
"Yes. When I don't drink blood for extended periods, my cravings take a hold of me." Shen explained, her face contorting in pain. The skin on her hand was starting to char. She did not scream in pain, just staring at her deforming hand. "Yukina has a special bloodline, she won't turn into one."
"What do you mean by one?"
"A vampire. We transform others into vampires by a bite, it's a virus. It transfers through saliva."
Everyone turned their heads in confusion, Shen opened her mouth. With her burnt hand she opened her cheek, revealing her sharp teeth.
"Ash you can shee, I use theshe to bite into my victims. The vampire who transformed me was a high vampire, so my victims transform in a matter of hours."
We all fell silent, my gaze was fixated on Shen, to my wife and daughter. We're seriously screwed, we are in her hands.
Walking in silence, contemplating our decisions. Our life has gone downhill. We're lost renegades… now prisoners in this journey. Our lives are in another's hands, at that… a vampire.
Please… let Yukina be okay… I sucked in my breath, as a small hand touched my right hand. It was my daughter, she gave me a smile, as Melinda took my other.
"We'll be fine…. As much as my body is telling me otherwise, Shen won't kill us." Melinda reaffirmed, she's truly an angel like our daughter. "Yukina will-"
Just in the distance we could see a figure… it was limping. A familiar limp, it kept coming towards us.
"Yukina!" Melinda screamed her name. She didn't flinch as she let go of my hand, she ignored the pain that was emanating from her hand.
"It's Yukina!"
Everyone ran as fast as their bodies could.
"Yukina! Are- Are you okay? Hey… hey, J-James she's hurt!"
Yukina had so many bruises, scratches. Her left eye was swollen. Fucking… if I ever get the chance… Calm down, I need to heal her!
Poison from a slime on her hand, a scar on her elbow, did she get shot? It looks burned, there's black skin on her arm…
"Is… is she going to be okay?"
"I think so-"
Yukina started to breathe heavily, her eyes unfocused. Even when I used the Hands of Remedy on her. Her injuries weren't healing!
Repeatedly, I kept using my healing abilities. Nothing, absolutely nothing wasn't working, all of it!
"You need to let them heal naturally."
"What in the gods name did you do to her?! Did you curse her? Just what-"
"It's the vampirism in her system. Her body is actively fighting it off. During this period she'll be immune to external healing."
"You mean she's-"
"She isn't. It's a symptom."
"And how can we trust your words?" Jin's voice appeared behind Shen. His blade was at her throat. Do it…
"I've been through that. I did not wish to become one, but as she hasn't changed yet, she won't turn."
"..."
"And you can try to kill me, I guarantee that blade will reach your heart before it cuts my neck."
"...Is there anything we can do to stop it?"