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It had started all those years ago.
"Vile vampire occupying this mansion-"
E'Rah had been disturbed in her evening readings by a brazen girl wielding a flaming sword.
"-I, Kiho, warrior of the Hope Clan have come to slay you!"
Looking back on it now, it was almost cute. But back then E'Rah had been more irked to be interrupted in her alone time to think about such matters. She frowned at the girl, looking at her once over from head to toe before closing her book with a thump and setting it down.
"Manners, young lady." The warrior faltered a little, probably not having expected such a reaction. "First of all, rude. You're interrupting my reading time. Second of all, you won't be able to kill me, let alone with that sword."
"Well then, when else was I supposed to have come? During your meal time?" The girl seemed quite confident in her sword, not even addressing the second point E'Rah had made.
"I suppose there is no good time for such things, unless I am awaiting to be vanquished in a throne room like some sort of story book demon king." E'Rah got up and moved over to the girl. "But you've got it wrong. There's no use in bothering to slay me. There's no bounty on my head and unless you bother with taking apart my body for parts like blood, nails and teeth, you won't make a penny off of me."
The girl gripped her sword tighter. "There is no need to be paid. One less evil in the world is good enough a reason."
"Wrong again." E'Rah's lips formed a mocking smile. "Kill me and my death releases mounds of energy that will possess wildlife and people alike. Really, letting me live is the best option." She took the girl's face in her hands. "Kiho, you said your name was?" White fangs gleamed in her mouth as she spoke. "Let me taste you a little bit."
Kiho still wasn't quite sure how she got to this point. After the vampire had sunk her fangs into her, she had passed out. Now she found herself on a luxurious bed, complete with a canopy, plushy pillows and soft blankets. Kiho was sure it hadn't been used in a long time.
"Good morning." Kiho's head snapped into the direction the voice came from only to find the vampire dressed in a loosely tied morning robe, leaning against the door frame. Kiho was pretty sure if the fabric slipped any further, she would be able to see the vampire's… Kiho mentally slapped herself. There were more important things to worry about right now. For example where her sword was. Fuck. Kiho hastily felt around until she felt her fingers slip around the handle. Weird. The vampire had not taken her weapon, but in fact made sure it was close to her when she would wake up. Kiho would almost question it, but it seemed like how she had faith in her sword, the vampire had faith in not being able to get killed by it. But that didn't matter. Kiho got to her feet and poured mana into the sword, letting its flames rise again.
"You may think you have bested me but this is far from over!"
The vampire yawned. "So?"
"The flames of this sword are imbued with light magic. One strike will burn you right up."
"So why are you not attacking?"
"Well…" Kiho faltered. Why wasn't she attacking? She should have lunged at the vampire by now. She settled on a reason. "You said you didn't like being disturbed in the middle of something. It feels rather impolite to attack right now."
"My, how thoughtful."
Kiho lifted her chin. "I am only returning the courtesy I was offered. You didn't kill me, but placed me in a bed and left me my sword. Even if you did take my blood."
"Hmm." The vampire tilted her head. "Yes, that I did." She tapped her finger against her chin a few times. "Fine then. I will let you attack me. As courtesy."
Kiho blinked. She looked around, checking if this wasn't a trap. When she saw nothing that could suggest a hidden underling or spell, she lunged. The vampire side stepped with ease. Kiho turned her body midswing to at least graze her. The vampire smiled and once again, Kiho could feel cold teeth on her neck.
The next time she awoke, her disorientation lessened. She easily found her sword and gripped its handle to calm herself. So the vampire was stronger than anticipated. No matter. She hadn't used her full force anyway. She glanced at the doorway and when she couldn't spot the vampire, she felt a sting of… something. Disappointment? Relief? She slipped out of the bed and tugged on her boots, lacing them up. It occurred to her that the vampire must have taken them off. Or perhaps one of her underlings. A curious thought. Someone who slept in coffins cared about the cleanliness of beds. Or the comfort of her enemy. Kiho couldn't decide which option was more odd. She found the vampire in a hall not too far from the room she had been sleeping in, casually sipping on a goblet filled with dark liquid. The vampire lifted her gaze.
"So you're awake." She motioned to a chair opposite herself. "Sit. I had food prepared." Kiho noticed a bowl of soup with some bread next to it. She eyed the vampire skeptically.
"Why would you care for my health that way?"
The vampire swirled her goblet thoughtfully. "Mmh. Good question. You interest me, young Kiho. You're entertaining. And you taste great."
"Ah." Kiho's expression turned cold, but she still took the seat offered to her. "I see. You don't want your food source to die."
The vampire had the gall to laugh. "Oh please! As if you're the only one I feed upon. No, you're simply someone that rose my curiosity."
Kiho narrowed her eyes. "Is that so. I suppose I'll have to recover fast then, to avoid you draining innocent people of their blood."
"Are you saying everyone I take blood from dies? Even though you're sitting in front of me, very much alive?"
Kiho pulled out a silver knife from a compartment in her sleeve to test the soup for poison. "I doubt everyone you feed from is an elf like I am." When the silver didn't change colour, she wiped the knife and put it back in her sleeve. "Besides, I have the strong feeling that you only take small amounts of blood from me, enough so I pass out but won't die. I am just a toy for you."
"A toy huh." The vampire seemed to consider the thought. "Not a bad idea. You amuse me greatly. But I believe I'd grow bored of your futile attempts to kill me quite quickly. No, a toy won't do." She tapped the table with one of her manicured nails. "How does playmate sound?"
"That's it!" Kiho rose to her feet with a clatter, sword in hand. "If you don't want to take me seriously, just kill me because I will not stop until I've killed you!"
The vampire sighed in exasperation. "Didn't I already talk to you about manners before? Look at you. You've spilled the soup." She rose as well, her movements eerily fluid. "Do you know how hard it is to cook when you have no sense of taste?"
Kiho faltered. The vampire herself had cooked for her? She had always assumed vampires like her had some minion like butler that waited on their hand and foot. "You… made it yourself?"
"Why, you thought some one eyed guy with a hunchback and speech impediment did all my chores?"
Kiho lowered her sword. "Apologies." She sat back down and tried to blot up the spilt soup with the bread.
"So you do know some manners." The vampire sat back down as well. "Nevertheless. About the previous subject. I suggest we agree on a time you attack me. If you try to attack at any other time, I will throw you out and will adjust my barrier so you won't be able to enter again. During the times where we don't fight and you're not recovering, you're free to do as you wish."
Kiho's mouth was full with bread and she did her best to chew as fast as she could before swallowing. "A killing contract?"
"I'd hardly call it a contract but if it pleases you, then yes."
Kiho licked her lips in thought. It might give her the advantage she needed. She could explore the castle, shadow the vampire, search for weak spots to target. "Deal."
They agreed on sundown. With E'Rah just waking up and Kiho having stayed up, it was a good balance of their awakeness. E'Rah would notify Kiho that she had woken and they'd move to the great hall. With enough space for both long and short range attacks, Kiho would run up to her, dodging the shadow magic she sent her way, sword raised and ready to strike. E'Rah didn't always help herself to Kiho's blood, but when the young woman had been rather impudent the day before, she'd sink her teeth into her neck without hesitation. Kiho slowly noticed how her behaviour affected the rate of blood being taken, but she seemed to be too stubborn to change anything about it. E'Rah found it to be quite a charming point about her. Other days there were times when Kiho would stay with E'Rah after their battle, watching her or making small talk.
"Would you say we've gotten more casual?" Kiho started one of these days, sat on an ottoman, sword held between her knees.
"We've certainly reached a point beyond trying to kill each other." E'Rah dropped her tattered dress behind the screen and reached for a new one. "Does it worry you?"
"Yes."
E'Rah was so taken aback by that blunt admittal that she halted mid-movement. "I see."
"I fear that I'm not giving it my all anymore. Am I even truly trying to kill you?"
"That might be a problem. For you, that is." E'Rah stepped out from behind the screen and sat in front of her makeup desk. "I do not know your reason for wanting to kill me in the first place, so I'm not much of a help there."
"Someone's been draining elves around the village of all their blood. Since you are the closest living known vampire, we assumed it must be you." Kiho watched as E'Rah applied her eyeliner and blinked at the mirror. Yet another misinformation. Vampires did have a reflection. "But the more time I spend with you, the less I think you're the culprit."
"I see. It certainly makes sense you would come to that conclusion." E'Rah reached for her lipstick. "However, I drain blood only to the point of passing out for that exact reason. I quite like it here and it would do me no good if someone was sent to drive me out." She popped her lips and turned towards Kiho. "We shall investigate this next sundown. Get a lot of sleep, you will be staying up late." She took Kiho's chin in her hand, turned it towards her and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "I will see you tomorrow."
Only after E’Rah long had left the room did Kiho process what just happened. “What the-”
“Good morning, my dear Kiho.”
“Good evening, Miss E’Rah.” Kiho eyed E’Rah. It seemed nothing had changed for her. She was the same as always. If anything, it was Kiho who suddenly felt different. She was more aware of how revealing E’Rah dressed. The amount of effort her make up took. The way the shadow magic around her made her look slightly ethereal, having her hair sway in a nonexistant wind. Her glistening li- Kiho mentally slapped herself. E’Rah was pretty, and that was all. Just because she wasn’t trying to kill her anymore didn’t mean she had to feel all funny about it. E’Rah pulling her travelling cloak around herself pulled Kiho’s mind out of the gutter.
“Well then. Let’s investigate.” She swept Kiho up in her hold and seconds later, they were high in the air. Kiho didn’t even have time to scream, so she clutched her sword tightly and prayed to all known elf deities that E’Rah wouldn’t get the idea of dropping her for fun.
“Kiho. Young Kiho. Open your eyes.”
Kiho noticed she couldn’t feel wind around her anymore. She dared to crack open one eye and noted with embarassment that they had reached the ground again. She cleared her throat and released her death grip on her sword. “Of course.” She slipped out of E’Rah’s arms. “Why did we land?”
“I smell blood.” E’Rah moved forward, towards a collection of shrubs surrounding the clearing they were in. She manouvered around it skillfully, not even a branch snagging on her cloak. Kiho followed her hurriedly, albeit less elegantly. She found E’Rah kneeling next to a dead body, sniffing at it. Kiho stopped dead in her tracks, then lurched forward.
“Sorako! Sorako, can you hear me?”
E’Rah pulled her away from the body. “She’s long dead.”
Kiho’s lip trembled. “She was. Well. I didn’t know her that well, but she always was so cheery. Made really good pastries.” She swallowed. “It used to be only from the nearby village. But she’s from my clan. Branch family, but still.”
“I see.” E’Rah was oddly quiet. It occured to Kiho that E’Rah must have lost loved ones by simply outliving them, not aging while everyone around her grew old. Was that why she appreciated her company? Because, as an elf, Kiho lived so much longer? “Well.” E’Rah got up and interrupted Kiho’s thought process. “I can tell you already one thing. This was no vampire.”
“... what?”
“I understand your confusion. All blood’s been drained, there are two puncture marks on the neck, what else could it be, if not a vampire. However.” E’Rah motioned to the girl’s painfully contorted face. “When vampires take blood, we simultanously inject magic into the person we’re drawing from. The effects vary, but it’s on the range of making the person faint to them experiencing ecstasy. This is so our ‘prey’ won’t struggle and will willingly accept being fed upon. As you can see, this Sorako of yours tried to fight off her attacker and was in pain as her blood was being drained. Furthermore,” E’Rah kneeled next to the body and lifted her leg, “there’s a small puncture wound in the back of her knee. The blood was most likely drained from there, since it’s less noticable. The wounds on her neck were made after she had already died.” E’Rah put the leg back down. “‘We’re looking for someone with medical knowledge.”
Kiho stared at E’Rah, then slowly kneeled beside Sorako and closed her eyes, making her expression look a little less pained. “Thank you for telling me.” She picked up the body and stood up. “I’ll bring her back to the others. They’ll want to pass her through the rites.”
“Of course.” E’Rah’s voice was unbelievably soft. “I’ll search for someone who smells of her blood. I will see you when I have news.” Soft lips touched Kiho’s cheek again. “Until then, young Kiho.”
The elders had just finished burning incense around Sorako’s body when E’Rah formed out of the shadows and rested her hands on Kiho’s shoulders. “Young Kiho.” Kiho lifted her head to meet E’Rah’s gaze and found it hardened. “I believe I have found the one we’re looking for.” She took a seat next to Kiho. “It is a truly disturbing thing, that person.”
“I see.”
A cold hand reached for Kiho’s and squeezed it. “I have brought the perpertrator with me. Your folk may decide what to decide with it.”
Kiho stayed silent, just holding onto E’Rah’s hand, running her hand across the back in search of comfort. E’Rah scooted closer. Kiho rested her head on her shoulder. “Do you know why?”
E’Rah lifted their hands to her mouth and pressed a kiss to Kiho’s knuckles. “It was something about using the blood of beautiful maidens for eternal life. Even if it worked, that person lost its humanity long ago. All I found was madness.”
“I see.” Kiho lifted her head from E’Rah’s shoulder and took her face into her hands, turning it towards her, before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to those soft, soft lips.
“What was that for?” E’Rah’s smile was almost unnoticable.
“An apology for trying to kill you all this time.” Kiho didn’t meet her gaze. “And a thank you.”
“I see.”
“Yes.”
“However, that is not nearly enough.” Kiho didn’t have time to ask what E’Rah had meant by that when those soft lips met hers again, this time for longer than when Kiho had kissed her. E’Rah pulled away only to press more kisses to Kiho’s face, her cheeks, her jaw, her neck. “Young Kiho.”
“E’Rah.” Kiho returned the kisses, E’Rah’s lipstick staining her skin whenever they didn’t quite meet in the middle. “I like your lipstick.”
“You may try more of it later at my castle.” E’Rah smiled. “I like your smell.” Kiho tilted her neck to invite E’Rah in and was rewarded with very careful bites and lipstick marks all over it. “This is for the brave, stubborn warrior who didn’t stop trying to fight me.” She kissed her lips again. “And this is for the lovely lady who kept me company despite it all.”