Chapter Nine: Troubling

The two younger vampires openly scoffed at Lacy’s claims, but the older ones remained silent. Contemplating. Hesitating, even.

Finally, the woman behind Lacy said, “A story of questionable veracity at best. It is troubling.”

Lacy’s feet went cold.

“Yet she does not seem to lie,” the man said.

Lacy’s ears perked up.

“Surely, you jest,” the vampire boy said.

“He does not,” the seeming mother insisted. “Being so young, you cannot smell as we do. We sense truth, despite her outrageousness.”

Lacy collapsed from exhaustion and relief, crumpling onto the soft forest floor.

As if he hadn’t seen her dramatic display, the father said, “Can you offer more details of your journey?”

So Lacy sat up and told them everything. She died of an accident that killed her instantly. A Deity, which her world was known to host plenty of, returned her to consciousness as just a soul so that they could make a deal with her. She would be given a new life in a different world, and in exchange she would do her best to grow powerful so that she could enact the Deity’s as-of-yet unknown goals later. Of course, she accepted, then awoke in a small farming village some forty days ago, where she pretended to have amnesia and learned just enough about the local region before trying her hand at passing the guard exams so that she could be allowed to cultivate.

“I’m guessing from how you talked about my spirit root, you can tell that I have talent for more than just body cultivating?”

After a long pause the vampire dad said, “Yes. All humans can become body cultivators. Warriors with the martial power of beasts. However, only the lucky few born with spirit roots can practice spirit cultivation and wield the powers of the natural world, though their bodies are not empowered. You have a dense spirit root.”

“And how is it that humans find people with spirit roots?” Lacy boldly asked, trying her best to hold a normal conversation with the blood-sucking monster person.

The vampire dad exchanged looks with the vampire mom.

“Spirit cultivators of at least the Sapling realm can sense spirit roots just as we koroths can. Though, we do not know if the humans also utilize their noses for the search.”

“What is a Sapling realm?”

“A human stage of cultivation.”

“What are the stages in order?”

“They all begin as mortals, as you seem to be. No cultivation bases. From there they become Seeds, then Sprouts, then Saplings, and beyond.”

“You called them human stages. Do koroth have a different system?”

The vampire’s face deformed into an ugly scowl, turning what was originally a pretty normal human-like face into something far more resembling a demon’s.

“I’m sorry,” Lacy squeaked. “I don’t… I swear I don’t have anything against koroths yet, and I don’t have ulterior motives! I’m just curious about this world!”

Eventually the vampire mom said, “Dear, she seems truthful,” and the dad calmed down.

“Correct. Perhaps the thought that she could be gathering useful intelligence on an enemy people did not even cross her mind. She seems truly innocent, but the line of questioning is sensitive,” he said, the last line emphasized and directed at Lacy.

“I’m sorry,” she repeated, before taking a deep breath and trying again with something else. “Umm, so, what do you want from me? Do you still want to drink my blood?”

The man slowly shook his head.

“We still decide. However, since you truly seem to be mortal, your blood essence is worthless even to our young ones. Though leaving your corpse to be feasted on by spirit beasts is not out of the question, there is no need to fear that your essence will satiate us.”

Lacy gulped for what felt like the thousandth time.

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“That’s…not very reassuring.”

The vampires did not respond, chilling Lacy to the bone, forcing her to brainstorm what else she could do to save her own skin. She’d already partly convinced them of her origin, or at least convinced them that she believed she was from another world, but she hadn’t proven that she was useful to them…which was entirely possible for her to achieve.

These vampires could smell the truth. All she had to do was keep being truthful.

“Does drinking someone’s blood essence kill them?” she asked.

“Not unless we want the process to be deadly,” the mom answered, seemingly to the dad’s displeasure.

“Okay, perfect!” Lacy said as the spark of hope burned in her chest. “Teach me how to cultivate my spirit or whatever, let me live, and I’ll be your personal blood bag!”

The dad raised an eyebrow.

“To offer yourself so freely, is it desperation, or resolve?”

“Uhh, maybe both,” Lacy admitted.

“Still, it is not enough. Reaching Seed, and then the realm’s peak, will take you some time. Will you have changed your mind by then, I wonder.”

Lacy pursed her lips.

“If you’re helpful to me I will be enthusiastically helpful to you right back,” she insisted, but the vampires remained quiet. After a long pause, she added, “What else can I do?”

“You will offer your own blood essence and that of your fellow humans,” the dad finally said.

This time it was Lacy’s turn to take a minute to think.

At length, she asked, “Do you mean I have to kill humans to give to you?”

“No.”

Lacy sighed in relief.

“We need only that you lie to your superiors about us koroths. Claim there are only two. One Seed, one Sprout. They will send hunting parties which we will feast on.”

Lacy couldn’t help but clasp her hands together nervously.

“I don’t think I’m comfortable with that.”

“You value their lives over your own, despite no filial or even cultural connections? Where does your loyalty to these people come from?” the dad asked dangerously.

Lacy shook her head hard.

“No, no! That’s not what I mean, not at all. Really, I won’t cry about you eating a few people. At least, not right now, when my life is in your hands. I’m thinking about the future! I’m willing…to lie exactly like you want me to, but only if you try your hardest to let them come back alive. You can drain them of blood essence all you want, just don’t kill them, please! Because even though I don’t care about them now, I don’t want the knowledge of their deaths by your hands changing my mind in the future, at which point you might hunt me down for the betrayal… Does that make sense?”

The dad seemed genuinely flabbergasted, so the mom stepped forward.

“You make too much sense, little human,” she said with a hint of amusement. “To analyze yourself and your future actions so conclusively, you must have spent many long hours meditating, discovering your true self.”

Lacy nodded.

“I guess.”

“All of that sounds ridiculous!” the boy said. “In no way can we trust—”

“Silence,” the mom said gently. “This is a subject meant only for the aged to decide. Learn patience from your sister.”

“… Yes, mother.”

“It is decided!” the dad said suddenly and authoritatively. “We have a deal, Mathews Lacy. Since you are presently useless as a meal, I will teach you what I know of human spirit cultivation. When you return you will inform your superiors of two koroths—a single Seed and Sprout each, who kidnapped you hoping you were a body cultivator. Never reveal it was us who taught you of spirit cultivators, or they will question why we let you go. We will eat from the koroth hunting parties but will attempt not to kill, so that they may flee and heal before trying again. You will become a repeat meal for us. For that, we will seek you out in time. Questions?”

“I can agree to that!” Lacy said emphatically. “So long as most of them come back alive I think I won’t mind this at all, actually. This world is cruel and dangerous. I’m only looking out for myself. Helping you guys drink some blood is an easy price to pay for not just my life, but access to spirit cultivation, too.” She took in a deep breath. “However, I do have one concern…”

“Speak.”

“If I become a spirit cultivator, will everyone know about it? You mentioned people sensing my spirit root. Will they sense that I started cultivating all on my own? I obviously don’t want to reveal that I learned it from you guys.”

The dad looked stumped for a moment before clearing his expression.

“A very relevant concern.” He nodded, hesitating. “You…will be safe. So long as you do not learn and showcase any spirit techniques, no one will be any wiser of your status as a cultivator.”

For some reason, Lacy had the feeling that he wasn’t as confident as he was trying to seem.

“However,” he added quickly, “there is one issue. Are you aware of cultivators and their immortality?”

Lacy blinked rapidly as she attempted to process what she’d just heard.

“What?”

“Then you do not.” The vampire dad nodded, seemingly to himself. “Know that cultivators shed the mortality of ordinary humans, but at a price. They must slay spirit beasts at regular intervals to maintain their youth. This is the true reason cultivators hunt so often.”

Lacy just stood there with eyes wide, processing the implications of immortality, and the dad continued.

“You will simply know if you manage to reach Seed, Mathews Lacy. When you do, it is imperative you slyly reveal your spirit root’s existence, lest you cause problems for yourself when you need to slay beasts and force others to question why.”

Lacy finally pulled herself together.

“Okay…I think I understand. But, uhh, how do I do that slyly? Do I just…tell somebody that I’ve never been seen by a Sapling?”

The koroth man shook his head.

“That is a challenge for you to overcome. If it comes to it, simply pretend that you have awakened on your own. That is…possible for spirit cultivators, unlike body cultivators.”

Again, he didn’t seem quite as confident as he was trying to sound.

……

An hour later, Lacy was dropped off at the edge of the forest hunting trail by the koroth dad, who didn’t even say goodbye before somehow disappearing from her sight. As though by magic.

It wasn’t long before she saw and waved down a guard who was probably posted there in case she returned. Sure enough, he came running with an amazed expression, and the act began.

Lacy stumbled with every step and took rapid, shallow breaths as her eyes flicked from left to right and she blinked sporadically.

“Fiends…demons!” she mumbled, before falling into the guard's arms, for which he dropped his spear. “I need…to tell someone! Koroths… There are koroths!”