Sweet Dreams, Little One

While they were traveling, Jason and Eve continued their morning training routine. They sprinted before the sun rose, did pushups, practiced handstands, trained their splits, and kicked trees for hundreds of reps. Given that they were close to the entrance of Curious Grove, the forest spanning thousands of square miles that guarded the entrance toward the south, there was an overabundance of trees for Eve to kick and destroy. Fortunately, Jason's training had paid dividends, and he was now nimble enough to escape the trees before they came crashing down.

As they continued deeper into the forest, Jason and Eve's habitual conditioning ("deforestation" for Eve) eventually captured the attention of the Grove's unique inhabitants, and wary eyes began to peer down at them with sharp gazes.

They continued for a few days until they found a lake. Eve had wanted to try a full-force kick instead of their normal conditioning, and Jason had recommended that they do it near the water so as to not destroy the entire forest.

Eve winded up and…released. The kick cut through the wind, leaving little in its path.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The sounds of the crashing Elderwood Oaks and BrittleLeaf Trees resounded around them as dozens of saplings were brought to their pitiful end. As Eve turned around to see the destruction that she had brought upon the poor trees, she noticed three creatures, squawking and screeching, in a hysterical fit of rage. After all, real estate in the Curious Grove was not cheap.

The first of the creatures was a black-striped Doom Monkey, a species of axe-wielding monkeys known for their tongues worthy of Satan himself. They were ranked by adventurers as C-rank threats for their formidable mental warfare and their D-rank physical prowess — Monsters are also ranked S, A, B, C, D, F.

The second was an Aquabird, a species of airborne creatures with a strong affinity for water control. In theory, they tended to fight through water projectiles and often had an elegant and refined demeanor. In reality, they just spat on you until you gave up. However, they were only D-rank threats as they had limited attack patterns but high agility.

The last was a Snuggleby, a species cute enough to charm you and strong enough to strangle you. These cuddly teddy bears could transform into savage eight-foot-tall grizzlies (2.4 meters) in a matter of seconds and were considered B-rank threats for their ability to charm and their relative surprise factor.

"Hey you! You stupid fucking shit. You know how much that cost me?!?" screeched the Doom Monkey.

"Ptoo" spat the Aquabird as she threw a wad of "water magic" at the duo. "Calm yourself Karl. This behavior is unbefitting of a gentleman. We must uphold ourselves to the highest professional standard."

"..." blinked the adorable Snuggleby as he opened his arms in a hugging motion.

Jason, whose resistance to charm spells was relatively low, had already fallen for the teddy bear's trap and began walking toward the fallen trees. He extended his arms, reaching out for a hug…and was instantly crushed by 500 tons of force.

"Jason!" Eve screamed.

A second later, Jason regained his senses and was immediately petrified by the gaze of a towering grizzly. The Snuggleby looked at the confused man and frowned. It had felt its hug connect, but yet...the man was still alive, staring back at him, dazed, as if nothing had happened.

Hate Counter: 846

"Hey Leo, what are you doing???" yelled the Doom Monkey as he pranced around. "Kill that mfer already. He just destroyed our waterfront house!!"

"Watch your language Karl" the Aquabird warned as she flew around, shooting a few more orbs of water magic at Eve.

"Shut up Chloe. You aren't my mother" the Doom Monkey retorted with a snort.

However, just as the Doom Monkey retorted to his fellow friends, a wave of killing intent spread throughout the forest. Eve, blind with fury, glowed red as she felt a surge of power well up within her. Even though Jason was strong, she was sure that he was hurt after being crushed by a bear as obese as…that.

Beads of sweat dropped from the Doom Monkey's forehead as he felt thousands of katanas hold his neck at blade-point. One wrong move, and he knew that it would be over for him. "So ummm...guys, what do we do now?" he asked.

Though Eve was only a young vampire, having lived only 15 years — veteran vampires can live for centuries, her natural fighting ability and bloodlust had already earned her a B rank (lower). Now however, through her undying thirst for revenge, Eve had unlocked her ability to control blood, a special bloodline ability, pushing her rapidly to a B rank (upper). And unlike the subjective rankings bestowed upon the Curious Grove residents that panicked before her, her abilities were the real deal.

Wielding a crimson scythe made from her own blood, Eve quickly decapitated the Snuggleby before jumping from tree to tree to catch the others. Her agility far surpassed the Aquabird's, who squawked as she tried to flee, and within seconds, the vampire pinned it to the ground with a horrifying grin. Eve licked her lips, immersing herself in the thrill of battle. On this bloody battlefield, there was no longer any sign of the cute girl that Jason had once known. Instead, what remained was a frenzied battle-maniac that wanted to fight the world.

*Slash*

Eve swung her scythe in a beautiful arc that seemed to paint the world in her blood. Hundreds of trees immediately fell, and the wind impact from the slashes caused a mini-tsunami in the lake. Karl, the last one remaining, shakily dropped his axe, and in the most polite phrasing he could manage, asked

"Ummm miss? Do you mind pardoning - "

Before he could finish his sentence, Eve slashed him with her claws and beat him black and blue.

Though she had awakened her special bloodline, her lack of experience and control had caused her to waste gallons of blood, draining her of her energy. Feeling dizzy, she propped herself against a tree before a wave of drowsiness took over her.

'I got revenge for you Big Brother' she thought as her knees gave way. 'I'm sorry...I'm still too weak.'

Eve collapsed to the floor, and the Doom Monkey thanked the gods for their mercy. Though he was barely breathing, Karl had already begun to climb to safety, wanting to warn his fellow tribe about the dangerous new tourists. He may have been a vulgar monkey, but he was still one who was loyal to his tribe.

Inches off the ground, Karl felt a menacing glare on the back of his neck. His hairs shot up with fright, and deciding to value his own life, immediately jumped to the ground. The Doom Monkey lay there face-flat before gesturing a quick thumbs up, signaling his surrender.

Jason had lost two additional lives during the battle, one to Eve's sharpened killing intent and one to a stray spitwad from the Aquabird, and though he was unsettled by the number of lives that he had lost in a day, something else took priority in his mind. He sprinted to Eve, clenching his heart with one hand and supporting her with the other. A sharp pain seared through his chest as he saw the pale girl, devoid of life, sprawled on the ground before him. Jason was a selfish person, who cherished his lives like anybody else would, but he felt that he would regret it for eternity if he didn't act now.

Inching his arm closer, he stabbed himself with the silver-haired vampire's fangs as the blood slowly dripped into her mouth. The little girl, who had returned to her normal, more innocent state, unconsciously gulped and gulped and gulped. His lives were important, but Eve's life was far more valuable.

Hate Counter: 844

Hate Counter: 843

Hate Counter: 842

.

.

.

Hate Counter: 823

Jason heard the many notifications ring in his head as he stabbed fresh arm after fresh arm of blood into the vampire's mouth. But this time he didn't care. The girl had protected him from harm's way, and he was forever grateful.

Soon, the young girl stopped drinking and closed her mouth. Tears of joy ran from his face as he released a sigh of relief. They had been strangers only a month before, with Jason even turning his back on her. But now, they were a true family, bound not through blood but by experience, hardship, and love. He wasn't sure how long he would be able to protect her for before he died for good, but as he glanced at his snoring little sister, he smiled and whispered,

"Sweet dreams, Little One"