“That’s our cue,” Cole said, moving swiftly towards the cave. Sofia followed close behind.

“Wait!” She whispered as low as she could, but the edge of her words was notable.

“What?” Cole turned confusion in his eyes.

“Again. What’s the plan?”

“I’ll let this t-shirt here,” Cole said, removing one battered shirt from his portable inventory and removing a piece of it. “This will be our way out.” He pulled one and gave it to her. “Just use the [Tracking] skill, and you’ll be fine.”

She nodded to him, showing less fear now they had a plan to escape.

“I’ll follow the scent of the boy and you’ll hold my hand along the way. If we need to fight use your skills to light up the cave and be ready to cleanse me.”

“Seems like a solid plan. Do you know how many are there?”

“The woman said they were two.”

“Two… okay. We can handle this.” She said to Cole, but the man suspected she was trying to convince herself more than him.

“Yes, we got this. Stay close and stay sharp. We’re doing the right thing here today.” They nodded to each other and walked towards the cave.

----------------------------------------

The small entrance was pure blackness, but the scent showed by the [Tracking] ability shined with a fierce light. Cole looked to the horizon and saw the white light was close now. Sun Tie’s revenge and search for his lost power were close.

Cole didn’t want to end his life with another resentment, but in a way, he felt he was saving the boy’s life by being away. Good luck, kid. He glanced back to the dark entranced, crouched, and entered. Sofia followed him close behind.

Grasping Sofia's hand firmly, Cole used his free hand to feel the wall's rough texture. Guided by the faint scent, he moved cautiously, alert for any pits or traps that could lie in their path. Each step was measured, and each breath was controlled to ensure silence.

Constantly surveying his surroundings, he took longer strides only after ensuring the coast was clear, yet the scent remained his primary way of navigation.

The atmosphere of the cavern was surprisingly breathable, but its tight confines, coupled with the weight of their situation, manifested streams of sweat on Cole's brow. He could sense the subtle tremors in Sofia's grip, her anxiety palpable.

As they ventured further, the constricting space gradually opened up. The ceiling rose higher, and they could walk more freely. The scent was becoming more pronounced with each step.

A child's distant, muffled sobs drifted toward Cole, haunting in their softness. It was as though the child was suppressing the urge to weep, a futile attempt that only made the sound more gut-wrenching. Anger bubbled up inside Cole. Monsters, he mentally spat, with the muted cries becoming more pronounced as he treaded further.

As the melancholy sound played with Cole's senses, he quickened his pace, nearly driven by a primal urge to protect. As he noted his faster footsteps, an eerie conversation drifted to him from the shadows ahead.

"Did you hear something?" A silky, chilling feminine voice asked. The woman's voice was impatient, "I'm just weary of this wait. I say we feast and leave this wretched human shithole."

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

As her sinister words faded, the child's cry rose to a haunting crescendo, despair apparent.

"Silence, Slave!" The command was cold and ruthless.

A sharp crack reverberated within the cavern's confines, momentarily causing Cole's pulse to halt. The unsettling ambiguity of the sound left him torn — was it a slap directed at the child or the ominous flap of the creature's wings? Cole breathed profoundly and waited. If he was to win this, he needed to remain calm.

Silently, he edged forward, trying to gauge his surroundings. His fingers brushed against the rough, cold stone, trailing until they met the defining edge of the tunnel's corner. Peeking out, he hoped for some semblance of light to aid him.

Nothing. Only darkness.

It was evident that these creatures thrived in it, their eyes possibly accustomed to such depths.

Drawing back, Cole raised his gaze to the ceiling, absorbing a deep breath. He realized this was his moment to attack, his narrow window of opportunity. It was time to make a move.

Cole opened his menu and selected his new skill. He was wasting all his points to get it.

As he released Sofia’s hand and drew an arrow from his quiver, the arrowhead began to glow brightly. As if the metal were burning, but the heat was illuminating his surroundings. The archer heard some movement ahead and aimed the projectile.

Cole could now see two of the most strange creatures he'd ever witnessed. They bore humanoid bodies but were distinctly aberrant, with long legs, knees flexed backward, elongated torsos, and arms crowned with extensive wings.

Their faces were a macabre melding of human and bat—long, sharp fangs protruded from their mouths, noses practically sheared to the skin, and bulging red eyes pulsated with an unholy glow.

A shiver rifled through Cole as he unleashed the arrow, targeting the heart of one of the beings.

Everything unfolded within mere moments.

In the corridor's corner, he spotted a small boy, likely around ten, seated with his head tucked between his knees, evidently paralyzed by fear.

The creatures' eyes locked onto Cole, but they were left no time to counter his [Incandescent Arrow]. The projectile speared through the air, striking one of the monsters in the chest, igniting it into a blaze reminiscent of a Fourth of July bonfire. Cole received system notifications but swiftly dismissed them.

The creature, within a fraction of a second, was annihilated. Before Cole could digest the swift outcome, the other being was propelling towards him, taking momentum with its legs and wings against the ground in a predatory bound.

Cole tried to target the other one, but it was already upon him. The incandescent glow from the charred remains of the first vampire dimmed as Cole fought the monster grappling him.

Claws and fangs lunged at the archer, but he retaliated with fierce punches and kicks. A luminous burst illuminated the cave as Cole succeeded in thrusting the monster away, now able to discern its features, revealing a female creature.

Seizing his daggers, Cole swung with determination, Sofia's healing light cascading over him, mending his wounds. The creature before him was unhumanly fast, even more so than Cole with his upgraded agility.

It kept dodging and trying to hit Cole again and again.

Cole hit its wing in one of the beast’s swings, causing the monster to shriek. He pressed the attack, striking the beast in the chest, and drove his right dagger deeper, trying to find the heart.

Sofia’s light continued to infuse Cole, but it suddenly stopped, followed by a hollow sound. Darkness once again claimed dominion over the room. Alarmed, Cole spun around, searching for Sofia, whose screams echoed as she grappled with another monster.

A moment of realization hit the archer. The creature he had seen entering the cave was the third monster entering another entrance to the darkness, and now it was there, ready to kill them.

Cole jumped to the beast and grappled it with only one dagger in hand. Sofia’s light shone again, and Cole saw his bow lying close.

The cave became a maelstrom of yelling, lights, and cries.

As far as he could tell, the archer continued to pummel the beast beneath him, another male.

They rolled on the ground, and Cole attempted to strike it with his dagger, but the monster was faster, kicking him away.

As Cole braced himself to leap again, the other creature—whom Cole had been fighting earlier—grabbed him from behind. Fear gripped Cole’s heart as the second monster crawled toward him.

Locking eyes with Sofia, he saw despair in her gaze.

“Go! Run!” Cole screamed. If she had any chance of escaping the caves, it was now while they had their focus on him.

Sofia hesitated briefly, but with Cole's reassuring nod, she turned and fled. Then, Cole felt death’s sweet and chilling embrace encircle his neck.