The forest was filled with towering Glowbark pines. A small river stretched far into the horizon, its water clean and clear, revealing moss-covered rocks on its bed. Schools of fish darted beneath the surface, shimmering in the fading light. The sun was nearly touching the far west boundary of the horizon, casting a golden-yellow glow that blended with the rising moonlight, making the sky look like a glowing gold coin.
Ignis bent over and cupped his hands to drink from the river. "The water is sweet!" he said.
"River water is supposed to be sweet, idiot!" Aaron snapped, though no one was paying him any attention.
The group remained silent, acting as if Aaron had not spoken at all. Aaron felt the sting of being ignored but kept quiet.
"The sun is setting. We should find shelter," Merlock said wisely.
"A wise thought!" Alaric agreed.
Aaron spotted a small cave nearby. "Look! There's a cave. Since I was the first to notice, I clearly have the best eyesight!" he boasted loudly.
The others, already heading toward the cave, barely acknowledged him.
"Maybe that wasn't the case after all," Aaron thought ruefully and followed.
They all laid down on the cave floor and soon fell asleep. Remarkably, Aaron also slept without causing trouble this time.
Outside, Merlock stayed awake, enchanted by the glowing bark of the pines, the flickering fireflies, and the river's gentle murmur. The night sky above was a spectacle—stars of many colors twinkled: bright blue, faint white, emerald green, and deep crimson red. The trees' glowing bark bathed the scene in a faint yellow light, beautiful enough to mesmerize anyone.
"I sense bloodlust in the air," Merlock whispered to himself.
Sitting alone by the river's edge, Merlock scanned the area and noticed strange vines creeping nearby. The plants bore dark red flowers with four sharp petals lined with tiny thorns, and at the stigma of each flower protruded a thin, five-inch thorn.
"What are those disgusting things?" Merlock murmured, bringing his nose close to a flower to sniff it.
Panic flashed in his eyes. "This can't be!"
Merlock rushed back to the cave, but dread filled him—the scene was grim. Blood stained the ground and vines twisted all over Aaron, Ignis, and Alaric, who lay unconscious and pale.
"I haven't seen so much blood before. And these three..." Merlock said softly, fear and despair hollowing his eyes.
"Blood!" he suddenly shouted, his voice echoing through the forest and startling even the birds.
He quickly cast a cutting wind spell to sever the blood-sucking vines, then followed with a water spell to wash away the remaining tendrils.
Rushing to Aaron, Merlock began healing him, his face pale purple from the blood loss. He administered a healing potion through injection, then did the same for the others.
After clearing the area, Merlock went outside to investigate the source of the vines. He noticed the vines drained blood into the river, which flowed eastward.
"Someone must be controlling these vines downstream," he muttered grimly. "Looks like I won't get any rest tonight."
He returned to the cave and took a guard post. Though the potions helped restore some color to their skin, Aaron, Ignis, and Alaric remained unconscious.
As dawn broke, Alaric stirred and tried to stand but collapsed back onto the ground, weak and sore.
"Why do I feel so weak? Why can't I stand?" he asked in a faint voice.
Merlock reassured him. "Just lie down and rest. Some creepy vines came last night and sucked all your blood."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Alaric said, struggling to keep his tone steady.
"Those rumors you heard about blood-sucking vines? They were true," Merlock said.
Alaric groaned. "I wish they had sucked my stick instead."
"Sucked your what?" Merlock asked, puzzled.
"Nothing!" Alaric replied hastily. "I've got some intel on this. Let the others wake up first."
"Alright," Merlock agreed.
About an hour later, Aaron and Ignis woke up almost simultaneously, though neither could stand yet.
"Don't move. I have potions to fix the blood loss," Merlock said. He cast an enhancement spell on the potions before injecting them into Aaron and Ignis.
"Why do I feel pain in my abdomen?" Aaron asked.
"I think I've already answered that," Merlock said.
"It's because he's using your mana!" Ignis explained, standing up.
Alaric and Aaron managed to stand as well.
"So, here's the thing. You all know about the Blood Queen from the vampire territory, right? She had many descendants, and supposedly one of them lives in this forest. Guess the vines were his magic," Alaric said.
"And since the vines drained blood into the river, the vampire descendant must live somewhere along the river's path," Merlock added.
"Maybe we should just avoid fighting this guy altogether. According to my calculations, we're near the Kingdom of Velkhantar," Ignis said sleepily.
"For once, I agree with Mr. Red," Aaron said with a smirk.
"You do know I have a name!" Ignis retorted, annoyed.
"This is no time for your bickering," Alaric snapped. "We should pack up and get ready to move."
After a few minutes of preparation, they departed, heading east toward the Kingdom of Velkhantar.