The prince appears to be about my age, somewhere in his early twenties. He’s definitely not a dhampyr, as his skin is a shade of dark brown instead of gray. His black hair is woven into dozens of tight braids, which are tied back with a gold ribbon, and he’s wearing a matching pair of round, gold glasses, one lens of which is cracked. A handful of jewelry decorates his person: a few gold ear cuffs, and equally fancy gold bracelets and neck chains. Compared to his captors, each well-toned and athletic, the prince looks like he’s more used to wielding a pen than a sword. He’s wearing some kind of light leather-based armor, similar to mine, though the colors and design are different, the style more decorative. I would have liked more time to take in all the details, but my Sanity ticks down another percent, and I decide that’s enough reconnaissance for now.

Given the state of the prince and how things with Zetya went, it’s obvious they’re not about to hand him over willingly. Talking it out won’t be an option. Which means it’s time to use the element of surprise to my advantage.

[Sanity Level: 79%]

I step from behind my hiding place, take practiced aim, and throw the first knife. It strikes Goon #1 in their back, stabbing partway into their shoulder. They cry out and stagger forward, the others turning to their companion, even as I switch the second blade to my dominant hand and throw again. It flashes by Goon #2’s back as they turn to see what’s happening.

[9 points of Piercing damage dealt.]

I run full-tilt toward the group. The prince has turned to look as well, his eyes widening as I race toward them. Goon #3 catches sight of me and shouts, while Goon #4 draws a sword. She’s the first to react, so she worries me the most.

“Echo, summon the Crimson Aegis!” I say.

[Aegis removed from Inventory.]

The shield appears in the air before my arm, latching itself back onto me as I bear down on the group.

Ah! The shield emanates irritation. I did it again, didn’t I? Why am I treating it with such insolence? We should be working together. With the Aegis in hand, I would be unstoppable! It is a power worthy of… Wait, what’s going on? Oh yay, a fight!

I crash into Goon #2 shield-first and the two of us go sprawling to the ground. Echo rattles off some bludgeoning damage, but I’m already rolling over and springing to my feet: the Umbral Blade I hit remains stunned on the ground for the time being. I bring my shield up right as Goon #4’s sword swings toward me, and the shield and blade ring with a metallic clang.

“Devour!” I cry, activating the spell. Magic ripples over the surface as Aegis eagerly attacks the blade that’s still making contact with our shield, wrapping bands of red magic around it. The sword melts away like it’s being eaten by acid, and the woman jumps back, yanking her sword from Aegis’s grasp.

That doesn’t stop the others. Goons #1 and #3 circle around to opposite sides and race toward me at once. I swing the shield toward Goon #3, fending off another sword attack, while I turn to face #1. They’ve still got the knife in their shoulder from my first attack, so I figure they’re less of a threat.

Turns out less of a threat is still a threat. They swipe at me with a knife, and it’s either their off-hand, or the wound is getting to them, because there’s not much precision behind the slash. I jerk out of the way, then block their wrist and try to disarm them. Thanks to the Aegis I’m also only using one hand, however, so the move is awkward and clumsy.

They yank back as I twist, and the knife spins around in their grasp, slipping from their fingers. It still manages to nick me on the way down to the sand. Blood wells on my wrist, then drips down my arm. It’s not deep, but it burns like hell.

[2 points of Slashing damage sustained.]

[Status Effect: Blood Loss]

[Sanity Level: 78%]

The Crimson Aegis doesn’t let the status effect escape its notice, ribbons of magic creeping toward my wrist.

“Don’t you dare,” I growl. I deactivate Devour, as it’s already eaten a quarter of my available mana, and activate Endure instead. I pull away from the four fighters as I reassess the situation and mentally fend off the Aegis, who is desperate for another taste of my blood.

The problem is, I’m kind of feeling similar.

The smell of blood is driving me crazy once again, and it seems like the more I bleed, the hungrier I’m getting. I shake my head as if that can clear it out, but my mind is buzzing, and I’m not sure if it’s because of the blood, my Sanity Level, the Aegis’s intrusive presence, or some combination of the three. This is not what I need in the middle of a fight. I have to concentrate!

Even as I’m trying to figure out what to do next, the Umbral Blades are regrouping.

“Jan, take the captive,” Goon #4 barks. “We’ll take care of this and catch up with you.”

“Yes, Captain.” Goon #2—Jan, apparently—has recovered from my initial attack. He stumbles over to the prince, grabs his bound wrists, and yanks him to his feet. Jan drags the prince away as the other three step into place before me, weapons raised.

[Sanity Level: 77%]

[Sanity Level: 76%]

Even as the prince moves away from me, I can feel the stat getting worse. It had slowed down a little since I began fighting, only dropping when I took damage, but I guess now that the distance between us is increasing again, that moment of reprieve is over.

This is going to be a pain.

I press my injured wrist to the shield, smearing a streak of blood across the surface. “Is that enough for a Blood Ward?”

The Aegis greedily devours my blood, which vanishes from the surface of the shield almost as fast as I leave it there.

Not much blood, the shield informs me with disappointment. But it will work with what it has. Defeat is never an option!

I huff out a laugh as the three Umbral Blades spread out, trying to encircle me. At least it’s confident.

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[Sanity Level: 75%]

The Blades rush in. I swing the shield around, but they dodge rather than make contact—still wary of Devour’s effect, looks like. That’s a problem, because the only other two spells I can use, Endure and Repeal, rely on contact to have any effect. Instead, they wait until I turn to face a different adversary to dart in and try to stab me. A spear makes it through, slicing across my back, and I cry out as I stagger away.

[4 points of Slashing damage sustained.]

[Status Effect: Blood Loss]

[Sanity level: 73%]

“How about that Blood Ward?” I gasp. My mind is full of bees. My mouth is watering at the smell of my own blood. Pain burns in my wrist and back, and Echo’s Role Requirement rings in my mind, urging me to protect the prince. I’m trying, dammit!

The Aegis still waits; there’s not much blood for it to work with. It needs to be intentional about when it activates the ability. Unless I want to give it more blood?

“There will certainly be more if you don’t do anything!”

Oh! Maybe it will wait then.

I let loose an exasperated growl and charge at the nearest soldier. They slash toward me out of instinct, landing a blow on the shield; finally a little bit of energy to store for Repeal, though I’ll need to take several more hits before it will be strong enough to turn against them. Seeing their weapons are no longer being corroded by my shield, the other two also grow more bold, launching a flurry of attacks at me. I block and dodge where I can, and take hits where I can’t. They’re landing glancing blows, leaving slashes across my arms and legs and back, slowly whittling away at my HP. This isn’t good. I shouldn’t have tried to take several people on at once. I know better than that. But it’s too late to back out now.

[Sanity Level: 71%]

I fight as hard as I can. I give it everything I have. I spin, deflect, dodge—but this is nothing like the cactus monster. People use strategy. People coordinate. People have experience. If I don’t shake these guys and go after the prince soon, I’m screwed.

A slash across the back of my leg sends me stumbling to my knees. The Umbral Blades close in, and I finally activate Repeal. The magic pulses outward, blowing away a pulse of sand and striking my opponents. They reel back from the unexpected blow, and one of them loses their spear, flung away like a twig on a gust of wind. I struggle to stand, but their captain has already recovered and is racing toward me, sword raised. I try to climb to my feet in time and bring the shield around, but I’m not quick enough. Luckily, the Aegis is.

[Blood Ward activated.]

A line of blood whips out of the shield and toward the woman just as her sword is about to crash into my head. Instead, her sword flips over me—along with her sword arm.

Just the arm.

Her blood sprays me and the shield, and the Crimson Aegis rejoices from the extra blood. The splash of red that hits the shield’s surface vanishes almost as quickly. At the same time, the Aegis’s presence in my mind feels stronger.

The woman screams, stumbling away and clutching the stump of her arm. I swipe a hand over my face where her blood had sprayed me—where I can smell it on me—but it’s a futile gesture. Fighting the pain as I struggle back to my feet, I instinctively lick my lips.

The taste hits me like a slap, and my mind short-circuits.

The blood should be revolting. I should be horrified. But it’s hard to remember those things when you’ve just hooked your tastebuds up to a live wire. When all your nerves feel electric, when you’re on the highest high you’ve ever experienced in your life.

Ambrosia.

[Bloodlust ability activated.]

The pain dims. I’ve never felt so powerful. So confident. So strong. I lick my lips again, and get a second jolt of ecstasy. I need more. I’d do anything for more. The world narrows in on the three soldiers around me. They meet my eyes with looks of horror.

Suddenly, they don’t seem so scary. I leap toward them—and I really leap, like six feet in the air—and swing the shield down on them like a baseball bat. I blast Goon #3 in the side and send them skipping over the sand until they slam into a boulder. Goon #1 comes at me from my non-shield side. I can’t block with my free hand, so I don’t. I snap my head to the side, dodging their thrust, then bite down on their hand. They scream. Blood fills my mouth. My mind goes white with elation. The Aegis is thrilled, too.

Things start to feel like they’re moving in slow motion after that. The Moonfall soldiers try to fight back, but I’m too fast for them. I tear weapons from their hands. I jump on the back of one who tries to flee. The Aegis sucks up any blood that manages to spill over its surface, and I likewise lick my hands, like a cat cleaning its paws. There’s a distant part of my mind that itches at me—something that’s trying to warn me this is wrong. Something is deeply wrong. But I don’t want to pursue that thought. I like feeling this way. Powerful. Invincible. Floating. Buzzing.

Buzzing?

The prince. Right. That voice is still ringing in my head, that mental pressure still urging me on my quest. In fact, it’s starting to resolve into a headache. A pinching, painful corkscrew drilling itself into my head. I growl; it’s hard to enjoy the high with the Role Requirement still pressing at me. And my Sanity Level… what was that again?

What… what am I doing, again?

I frown, trying to concentrate on that itch of alarm. Trying to bring it into focus.

There are three bodies around me. None of them move. The sand is stained red and smells like summer rain. I lick my lips again, and the pain dissolves, my briefly-realized concern melting away with it.

The prince. That’s the only thing that matters.

I kick off the ground, sending up a burst of sand in my wake. I race across the desert so fast it feels like I’m flying. The wind whips through my hair and across my skin, drying the wetness on my face. I’ve never felt so alive. I never want this feeling to end.

The arrow in my vision keeps me on course. After a few minutes, I can make out two figures ahead of me. They’re running. I’m faster, though, and I know I’ll overtake them in another minute. But with the Role Requirement urging me on, I’m impatient. I grin, and the Aegis grins with me.

I wait until they’re only a hundred feet ahead. Then I grab the Aegis with my free hand and pull it from my arm—and the shield lets me, dissolving the arm band that previously kept me from getting rid of it. Maybe it knows what I’m thinking. Right now, it’s hard to tell where my mind stops and its mind begins. Blood. We both crave blood. That much at least we have in common. For now, that’s enough.

I aim, spin, and launch the shield. The Crimson Aegis flies through the air like a refrigerator-sized frisbee. The last Umbral Blade doesn’t even stand a chance.

They go down as the shield skewers them into the ground, and the prince stumbles and falls next to them. When the puff of sand clears, the Aegis remains upright like an oversized gravestone.

I don’t stop running, the excitement of the chase still coursing through me, the high of more blood calling me—maybe even more insistent than the Role Requirement which still rings in my ears. Oh, and that Sanity Level. What is it at, now? I try to focus on the numbers, but they’ve stopped making sense. Like I’m staring at meaningless shapes. 5… Fifty something? It doesn’t matter. Just blood and the prince matter.

I clear the final dozen feet with an excited leap, coming down on top of the corpse of the Umbral Blade. To my disappointment, however, there’s no new blood. Aegis already drank it all! I angrily turn to the shield as it exudes smug satisfaction. I snatch it from the ground, but there’s nothing I can do about it now. As punishment, I add it back to my Inventory. I lick my lips again, but all the blood there is already dried or gone. There’s no new hit of elation to be had. Frustrated, I turn away from the dehydrated, bisected corpse, and look to the prince.

[Role Requirement fulfilled,] Echo says. [The Prince is no longer in imminent danger.]

[Sanity Level: 55%]

Even behind his gag and broken glasses, the look of abject horror is apparent. The expression pulls a laugh out of me. Doesn’t he know? He’s no longer in imminent danger!

[Sanity level: 65%]

I stalk over to him, and he tries to scramble back through the sand. I catch up to him anyway, and he stops moving when I crouch down beside him.

[Sanity Level: 75%]

“Don’t worry, I’m not the enemy,” I say, grabbing his wrists and tearing the rope bindings apart. Then I grab the gag in his mouth and rip that away too. “In fact, I’m The Knight. Your knight, I guess!”

[Sanity Level: 85%]

Gradually, I’m becoming more aware of a general stickiness all over my body. A tackiness on my hands when I pull his bonds away. Right: they’re covered in blood. Probably all of me is covered in blood.

I give the prince what is intended to be a wide, reassuring smile. “I’m here to save you. You’re welcome.”