Saquin: Death To My Enemies

Boobs.

That was Saquin's first thought when he stepped inside—a pair of boobs on a half-naked young lady. Her face might have been pretty, but he didn't notice. His eyes were glued to the exposed, captivating sight.

"Woah."

[ Woah. ]

"Huh? Ahhh!" The young lady, owner of the mesmerizing sight, gasped at the sudden intrusion. But her shock was short-lived as she processed her situation and let out a scream.

"Burn to ashes, Pervert! Firewall!"

A wall of flames erupted, shooting toward the entranced Saquin.

Voom!

With a burst of super speed, Saquin darted to the side of the wooden cabin, the flames blocking his view.

"Ah… did I just… kill him?" She peeked around the firewall, unsure if her attack had been lethal. If he saw me, does that really warrant his death? Her mind raced with guilt. Wait, no one else saw, right?

Then, as the flames began to die down, she noticed a silhouette beside her. Turning, she saw the handsome intruder standing there, still staring.

"Ahhh!" she screamed again, this time grabbing a cloth off a nearby chair to cover herself. "Who are you?!"

"I'm Saquin," he replied, a satisfied smile on his face. Damn, those beauties made my day. He thought, If I could just touch them, it'd make up for everything since yesterday.

"I mean, who are you? Where did you come fr—" She paused mid-question, sniffing the air as she caught a strange, yet satisfying scent.

Sniff sniff.

"Vampire!" she gasped, quickly backing up. With her left hand, she grabbed a staff leaning against the wall while holding the cloth to her chest with the other. "No wonder I didn't notice you at first."

"How did you know?" Saquin asked, his smile now intrigued.

"What do you mea—" She stopped, sniffing the air again, then lowered her staff. Her shoulders relaxed as she processed the scent fully. "Ah. You scared me for a second. I thought I'd really have to kill you, newly bitten."

"Newly bitten? How did you know that, too?" Saquin's voice now carried a note of curiosity.

"Where to even start…" She took a deep breath, staring upward in thought. "First, let me get dressed."

"Okay," Saquin replied.

"Yeah…" She kept staring at him.

"Hmm? What?" Saquin tilted his head, confused.

"Privacy, please?" she said, raising her voice slightly.

"I've already seen everything; what's the point of hiding now?"

"Just go, or I really will try to kill you this time." Her eyes flashed murderously.

"Hmm, I doubt you could, but alright." He turned and stepped outside the cabin.

---

Outside.

Hey, Saquin called out mentally to Mythic.

[ Yes, Host? ]

Do you know how she figured out I'm a vampire? Even the Lord and his guards didn't know.

[ By scent. Higher Mythics give off specific SP signatures that can be distinguished by smell. It's surprising a witch could detect this, though—especially that she could sense your stage. Things must have changed a lot while I was sealed.]

So she got it by smell… but you're rusty, so you don't know how she pinpointed my exact stage? Saquin processed this information, then added, By the way, I thought you'd be female.

[ Huh? ]

I mean, I kinda expected a female guide, but alright, I'll roll with it.

[ Who said I'm male? ]

Ah.

[ .... ]

No need to fake it, bro. I heard your reaction when we got a glimpse of paradise back there. You're sus, dude.

[ I'm not 'sus.' ]

Yeah, you are. If not, why are you in a guy's body, huh?

[ Would you rather I be a young female child? ]

See? Even your thoughts are sus.

[ I'm done arguing. Anyway, she's coming. ]

Just as Mythic ended the conversation, the young lady—presumably a witch—stepped out.

"Now, newly bitten, allow me, Lilia Brianthin, fourth-level witch of the Brianthin household, to welcome and introduce you into the Mythic world." She curtsied, her tone formal and composed.

Confused by her sudden formality, Saquin could only respond with, "Thank you?"

"Now, before we go any further, I'd like to know more about you—your lord, your bloodline, everything," Lilia said with a polite but formal smile.

"Aren't you going to invite me back in first?" Saquin asked, dodging her question.

"No, I'm already leaving, so I won't go back in," Lilia replied, unbothered by his bluntness.

"Leaving? To where?"

"Back home."

"The county capital?"

"No. The other-side."

He frowned. "What's this 'other side'?"

Lilia looked at him with an almost pitying look. "Don't you know the other-side?"

Saquin shook his head. "If I knew, would I be asking? I don't even know what you mean by 'lord' and 'bloodline.'"

She stopped and gave him a quick, assessing glance. "Your clothes are shredded… wait. Did you just get bitten and somehow end up here from the other-side?"

"How many times do I have to say I don't know what this 'other side' is? And as for who bit me," he shrugged, "they aren't around anymore. They got killed by some wild mythic beast in the forest."

Her eyes widened. "The person who bit you is dead? Then how are you alive?"

He crossed his arms. "How would I know? I'm starting to think you know even less about vampires than I do."

"Excuse me," Lilia huffed, "I know plenty about vampires. But a newly bitten with no knowledge of mythics, somehow surviving after their turner dies? That's… unheard of."

"Yeah, yeah. Now, explain how you identified me by smell, and why we were attacked the entire way here until my turner finally died."

Lilia turned to face the river. "I will—just walk with me while we talk."

Saquin cast a wary glance around. "Normally, I wouldn't mind, but what about those attacks?"

She lifted her hand to reveal a charm hanging from her wrist. "This ward keeps mythic beasts away. They won't bother us with this."

He hesitated, then nodded. "Alright, I'll trust you… for now. Lead the way."

As she led him along, Saquin noticed an intricate sigil on the charm she held.

[ A noble. ]

huh, . Nobles among mythics… intriguing. He was curious, but decided against asking. More important things to deal with now.

As they walked, she launched into her explanation. "Let's start with the basics. Mythics are supernatural beings born from a complete spiritual mutation of humans, or from condensed Spiritual Power—SP—related to humans and their spirits. Mythic beasts are similar, but they're the result of these mutations occurring in animals."

"Born from human spirits, huh?" Saquin murmured. Shit is getting complex.