-----
The shattered blood core in Brunhild's hands slowly leaked the cursed soul of the ice elf. The soul groaned constantly in pain and agony. Although it had enjoyed a decent life as a Dhampir, its soul became heavily cursed upon death. Without proper exorcism, it risked turning into a vengeful ghost.
Brunhild clicked her tongue in annoyance, absorbing the soul into her Soul Orb before tossing the remains of the blood stone into her inventory. The fragments were actually quite valuable for medicine, especially for crafting strong healing elixirs. She planned to make one now for her mother.
Frigga was resting inside the newly built house. To set it up, Ragnar, Magnus, Brunhild, Kara, Ulf, and Sigrid had cut down dozens of trees and placed the structure directly over the stumps. It was not perfectly balanced, but it would suffice for now.
Using the leftover wood, Ragnar built a large fire outside and set up several bonfires around the house to ward off monsters. While the children stayed on the rooftop with Magnus to keep watch, Brunhild focused on brewing the elixir for her mother.
"What do you think about your mom?" Ragnar asked, his face filled with worry. "Will she make it…?"
"She is alive, but she likely suffered a heavy contusion. If we leave it untreated, she will die from a brain hemorrhage," Brunhild sighed. "I tried magic and the potions we have, but they cannot heal the internal damage so easily."
"Damn it!" Ragnar clicked his tongue sharply. "I lowered my guard. I am her husband, yet I didn't take the hit for her! What the fuck am I doing?!" He groaned in frustration and began slapping and punching his own face.
"Calm down, Dad," Brunhild said firmly. "It will be fine."
After purifying the blood stone with holy magic, Brunhild crushed it into fine red dust and added it to the cauldron she had brought. She then used synthesis and alchemy magic to blend it with medicinal herbs and several other potions.
Finally, she channeled her Evolution ability into the mixture, concentrating her power until only a small amount of golden liquid remained, barely enough for one sip.
"W-What is that?" Ragnar asked.
"An elixir," Brunhild replied. "If she were about to die immediately, I would have used the one we already had. But I believe this can solve the problem. If not, I will use the other one. Fuck it."
Brunhild carefully poured the precious golden liquid into a small bottle and hurried upstairs. She found her mother slightly awake, eyes fluttering in confusion.
"Is it ready?" Astrid asked. She had been crying at her mother's side the entire time, praying she would survive.
"Yeah, let's try," Brunhild nodded.
She fed the elixir to Frigga slowly. The woman nearly vomited from the awful taste but managed to drink every drop.
Slowly, spiritual energy and powerful healing forces began to converge inside her body, spreading to every corner. Each cell started to repair itself while expelling negative energies and built-up deficiencies.
The internal hemorrhage in her head, which had been temporarily stopped, ceased completely. The excess blood drained out through the wound as if guided by magic, which it was. Soon after, the small crack in her skull healed, leaving only a faint scar across her forehead.
"Haa… Uuh…"
Frigga slowly opened her eyes and woke up. She looked exhausted, barely able to breathe or move.
"Mom?" Brunhild called gently.
"Uhh… dear?"
"Do you remember us?" Astrid asked anxiously.
Fearing possible amnesia, they waited for her response.
"I… I was hit on the head by something… right? Ugh…" Frigga groaned.
"Yeah," Brunhild nodded. "Do you feel anything weird in your body? Any missing pieces in your memory?"
"I-I don't know…" Frigga groaned. "What happened to the monster?"
"It's dead," Astrid said.
"Alright… Ugh… my head is throbbing like crazy. Are you sure you healed me?" Frigga asked.
"Haha, we did. That is just the remaining phantom pain from being healed so quickly," Brunhild explained. "For now, you should rest."
"G-Got it…" Frigga sighed. "I'm sorry for being so clumsy… That thing really was tough."
"It was an accident," Astrid said softly. "It's okay, Mom. Just rest. I will stay right here for you."
"Hmm… my baby girls… I'm so… so happy you're with me…" Frigga murmured. She held her daughters' hands tightly before drifting back to sleep.
"Mom?" Astrid asked, worry spiking. "Mom!"
"She is fine," Brunhild sighed. "Can you hear her snoring? She will recover after a day of rest, give or take."
"Okay…" Astrid was still very worried. She had feared her mother falling asleep meant something worse. "Ugh, what do we do now? We have been delayed again."
"Nothing can be done. We will wait here and keep watch for monsters," Brunhild said, narrowing her eyes as she stared into the distance through the window.
Astrid glanced at her sister for a moment, then sighed and nodded. "Alright. Um, do you know about Vampires?"
Brunhild met her sister's eyes. "I do. I know a bit… from before."
Astrid nodded. At this point, she knew better than to question the source of Brunhild's knowledge. It was likely something the gods had revealed to her.
"What are they? This is the first time we have encountered any. I don't think our family has ever interacted with such beings," Astrid said.
"Let's have a talk with the whole family," Brunhild suggested as she headed downstairs. "Leave Mom alone. Fenrir will watch over her. Come."
"…Fine," Astrid sighed. She kissed her mother's forehead and tucked her warmly under the blankets. "Love you, Mom."
"Take care of her, boy."
"Ruff!"
Fenrir let out a cute bark and nodded, settling down protectively beside Frigga.
Once downstairs, the group gathered for a serious discussion about the creatures they had just encountered and what it all meant.
"From what I know, Vampires are blood-sucking demons from the north, right?" Ragnar wondered. "I have heard very old tales about them coming at night, stealing women and children, or draining their victims dry until they look like mummified corpses. The worst part is that if you don't burn the bodies in time, they turn into zombies or something similar."
"Awful stuff," Magnus nodded. "But the clan has never encountered one before, has it?"
"Maybe not in a long time. Long enough that anyone who would remember is no longer with us," Ragnar said.
Brunhild thought of her great-grandmother and her advanced age. She might know more. Still, Brunhild was not completely ignorant on the subject.
She decided to share what she knew so everyone could gain some context.
"T-They have a whole empire in the north?!" Ragnar exclaimed. "First time I am hearing about that. It must be really far away!"
"Yeah…" Brunhild nodded. "Calculating the distance…"
In her mind, the journey from the Green Plains to the Northern Ice Lands felt comparable to traveling from South America to North America. From the maps she recalled, this world featured two massive continents connected by a thin corridor.
"So based on the maps we have and what I know, we are right here," Brunhild said, pointing at the map of the clan's known territory. "But very far from here lies the northern side of our continent. That is where the Vampires and other dangerous beings live. They reside near the tip of the continent, not quite at the north pole but close enough for it to be eternal winter."
"I see. So those damn bloodsuckers love the cold! That is why they are here. They came south because it is winter!" Ragnar said.
"Kinda. I am not entirely sure," Brunhild replied. "It could be something else entirely."
"What?" her brother asked.
"That is besides the point. What I am trying to say is that there is a lot we still do not know about this world, but we are discovering it now," Brunhild continued. "Anyway, Dad, you suffered hallucinations too, right? From the mist?"
"I did…" Ragnar muttered. "It made us trip and scream like lunatics. God damn it. This body is supposed to be resistant to most poisons! I really thought I would be fine."
"Yeah. Blood Magic can bypass poison and status ailment resistances. It is part of the powers Vampires wield," Brunhild explained. "You would need high-level curse resistance to remain unaffected. Even I saw some hallucinations, but I could ignore them. I guess only my body can resist it properly, though it is not completely immune."
"Damn it…"
"This power originates from one of the three main families," Brunhild added. "They are the nastiest of them all, and they love traveling across the world. House Belladonna."
"Are you suggesting that…?" Magnus asked. "A real Vampire is here?!"
Astrid's eyes widened. "If their servants are this tough, imagine how strong the master must be!"
"…Can we win?" Ulf wondered.
"We should run…" Kara said quietly.
"No…" Brunhild replied. She walked to the window and noticed several glowing red eyes staring at them from the darkness. "We have already been marked. They will hunt us down until we are dead. And if we flee back to the village…" She turned to face her family. "They will follow us there."
A chill ran down their spines as their senses suddenly flared, detecting the approaching presences.
Ragnar's hands trembled for a moment, but he shook his head and forced a smile. As the father, he had to stay strong.
"It is do or die now," Ragnar sighed, cracking his knuckles. "We have to protect your mother, kids. We fight until the last of those bloodsuckers is dead!"
-----