Man, they never told me this was a horror game. I swear the atmosphere suddenly turned bleak and dreary the moment we walked through.

If Gael was being frank, it was like they had just walked through a portal to a different world. The lighthearted essence that could be felt outside was nowhere to be felt in the dark reaches of the cave.

The intoxicating stench of blood overpowered the nose, almost forcing Gael to throw up. He held it in, however, and continued. 

"Human, cast a light spell," Phremene ordered. 

"Don't have to tell me," Gael replied, still retching. "Visiror, visirom!"

A small ball of light, twice as bright as a torch's blaze, began glowing above the party. It followed them, granting a clear view around for ten meters, but any more than that, and the darkness seemed to swallow up the radiance.

Even so, for the party, that was a major improvement. The assistance from the light spell gave Phremene enough leeway to be able to see the darker corners of the room. 

The good thing about Inveridium that makes it a tiny bit more convenient than normal magic is that it doesn't tire out the invoker. I could stand here, blabbing all day, and only stop when I can't speak anymore. 

Perhaps that was the developers' own way of balancing out the difference in power between actual magic and Inveridium. The former required one's Mana Core to still have mana, while the latter worked by commanding the world to do their bidding. 

It probably wouldn't matter in high levels. Gael heard magic at levels eight and above were basically powerful enough to destroy entire cities.

"This part of the cave is empty," Phremene informed the party. "The stench of blood is coming from the inside. Still, make sure you are prepared for an ambush."

Their presence was most likely already known, and not tolerated. The vampire who lived here most definitely wasn't the type to receive guests warmly, based on her description.

As they moved forward, the interior of the cave seemed to converge into one single tunnel, just barely tall enough for them to walk through. There didn't seem to be a danger of the tunnel collapsing, but if it did happen, Drugo most likely could lift the debris. Half-orcs were known for their physical strength, after all.

Gael invoked his light spell once again, this time, commanding it to be in front of the group slightly. This way, they would be able to have a much bigger view of whatever they were entering without actually, well, entering. 

Just then, they could hear a soft moan. It was accompanied by a teary weep that seemed to come from further inside. 

The party continued advancing as quietly as they could. Each step was made with caution, making sure they didn't alert the person the voice belonged to. 

It didn't take long to spot the culprit. All around the room, there seemed to be numerous torches, covering the cave in a dim orange light. 

In the middle, a white-haired girl was seated. Covered in robes, she sobbed softly. Hands to her face, she wiped off a couple of tears that seemed to be forming.

Her back was turned, so the party was able to get a good look at the two, gigantic bat wings that protruded from her back. Skinless and hairless, they stood out from the rest of her body like a sore thumb. 

"That's 'er, alright," Solov whispered. "Don't be tricked, the description says she's a cunning 'oman."

I wonder why she's crying. Must've been the wings. I understand it must be horrific to have them.

"I'll attack first," Solov told the party. "Drugo will follow me, and Phremene and Gael will stay back to assist whenever possible."

It was a simple plan, but there was nothing much they could do. Perhaps their vast difference in numbers would be more than enough to completely overwhelm the vampire before she could react. 

Say, but haven't I seen her before? She looks an awful lot like the girl who blew my head off.

Before Gael could scan her closer, Solov approached the girl. Hammer raised, he shouted in a fiery tone, "Your time has come, vampire-witch! You'll die for your existence!"

…did you seriously just give up our element of surprise by announcing your intent to attack? Oh, dear.

In an instant, Solov was already upon the vampire. He slammed down his hammer.

Despite looking very vulnerable just a few seconds ago, the vampire reacted quickly. Her gaze shifted to look at Solov. 

Her saddened expression turned to that of fear. By pure chance, she had made eye contact with Solov, and the dwarf suddenly stopped in his tracks. 

Is that Intellection magic? Did she ask Solov to stop? 

"Get away!" She screamed. 

Her voice seemed to have hints of concern in them. Gael managed to spot the hesitation in her eyes–plain as day, given how desperate her words sounded. 

Drugo, being the narrow-minded barbarian that he was, believed Solov had been affected by some sort of magic. Perhaps he was, unintentionally or not. For the half-orc, it was all the same. 

"Grurahhh!!!" He screamed in a fit of rage and charged with his halberd raised. 

Her hand forced, and the vampire shifted her hands to cast a spell. 

However, nothing seemed to come out. The vampire angrily clicked her tongue tsk. Then, she began casting in an old language that was all too familiar to Gael, who had been practicing it for the past few days. 

"Dotimur, fihndra!"

There it is again. She used Inveridium instead of normal magic. 

A forceful beam of water shot out from the vampire's palm, forcing Drugo back. In response, Phremene nocked a few arrows and began to provide cover fire.

"Phremene, don't you think the vampire seems a little hesitant to fight? She hasn't made any attempts at taking Solov or Drugo's lives yet."

"I know. It is probably weakened." The elf nodded as she continued shooting.

Are you sure this isn't something else entirely? 'Cause when I look at it differently, we're just a bunch of adventurers who decided to come into her home to kill her. And she isn't even trying to kill us. 

"Leave me alone! I never wanted to harm you humans!" The vampire cried. 

Definitely not what a vampiric serial killer who sucks their victims dry would say. Might just be me, but maybe she genuinely doesn't want to fight us.

Seeing that she couldn't convince the party that she didn't want to fight, the vampire thought of something else. The very next moment, she laid her eyes on Gael, who was hiding close to the entrance. 

Then, in the blink of an eye, she covered the distance with a single flap of her wings. She grasped Gael's neck in her hand, brought him with her to the corner, and held her finger close to his neck. 

Ow, not exactly making a good case here! I wanted to help you, you know?!

"Leave alone, or I'll… kill him!"

Yeah, you don't sound quite sure about that, miss. You've killed me before, so you should already know that I can't die. Outworlder stuff.

"Release that man from your grip, vampire-witch!" Solov shouted. 

"Drugo will save human. Human just need to let vampire get hit." Drugo announced. 

"Move your head. I'll pierce her skull with an arrow." Phremene ordered.

Gael turned his head and looked at the vampire who was holding him hostage. She didn't exactly seem sure about what she was doing. 

I sincerely hope what I'm about to do is worth it. 

Gael raised his hands. "Hold on, guys. Let's all calm down for a bit. I think Miss Vampire here just wants to talk. Maybe let's put down our weapons."

"Hah! Have you lost your mind, Gael?" Solov laughed. "The vampire's got her nails stuck right beside your throat!"

Right… so that's where the sharp pain was coming from. I'll be honest, I didn't even notice it. 

Gael turned around to look at the vampire. "Hey, help me out here! How do you expect them to talk it out if you're going to continue your threats?"

"I'll let you go if they drop their weapons." The vampire replied.

"So, uh, you guys heard what she said. Can we all promise to calm down and speak for at least a few minutes? You know, set our differences aside and converse like a couple of intelligent people?"

There was an awkward silence between the group before they collectively nodded. For now, they seemed fine with diplomacy. 

I pulled that one out of my behind. Glad it worked. 

"So, uh… mind letting me go?" Gael asked the vampire. "You've already killed me once, so you know killing me again won't do anything."