Archer smiled as he heard the man speak but swiftly dispatched him using his tail, while the two girls observed the scene.
Turning to Xanthe, he inquired, "What are you? You appear human, but your scent and magic are different."
The black-haired girl gazed back at him before answering, "We are vampires."
Archer was surprised, and he asked, "Where do you get your blood from?"
She narrowed her eyes, thinking for a moment before replying, "My sister gives me some. It's not pleasant, but it works."
Smiling, he raised his hand, using a claw to cut open his palm, and offered it to Xanthe.
Her eyes grew wide, and she couldn't resist the urge when she smelled his blood. She fixated on his hand, where the blood was.
His blood smelled irresistible, and despite only drinking Thalia's blood before, she found it difficult not to pounce on him.
He encouraged her to have a drink, and unable to resist, Xanthe stepped forward, took hold of his hand, and began drinking Archer's blood.
Sera was curious because she heard of vampires but had never seen one before, but her jealousy kicked in and she hissed at him.
''Why are you letting her do that? I thought female vampires only drink their lover's blood.''
Archer shook his head as he replied, ''Vampires can drink any blood, but drinking it from the neck is something a female will only do with her husband, so I let her drink it from my hand.''
Sera looked at him and nodded, she was still jealous but soon realized it was only blood. It wasn't like the maid had the same mark she did.
She touched the tattoo on her stomach and looked up at Archer with a smile. He rustled her red hair as Xanthe finished drinking.
The vampire looked at him with narrowed eyes as she wiped the blood off her lips and spoke, ''Thank you for that. But that doesn't mean I'll take my eyes off you.''
He nodded, "Naturally. Let's get going. I want to find the treasures."
Archer whispered to himself, "Draconis."
His draconic features appeared instantly. That's when he looked at Xanthe and asked, "Can you fly?"
Shaking her head, she looked at Archer, who responded with a smile. Stepping forward, he scooped up the vampire girl in a princess carry.
Archer started flapping his wings and took off, followed by Sera, who summoned her wings.
The two dragons flew north, looking for the abandoned castle. They flew while Xanthe kept huffing at being picked up but Archer could tell that she was actually enjoying it.
That's when he spotted a castle in the distance, he looked over to Sera and spoke. ''It's not far away now, let's land and go in on foot.''
Sera nodded her head and the two dragons descended, once they landed Archer let Xanthe down.
As they neared the castle, Archer used his Aura Detector and sensed more than a dozen signals.
The three moved carefully through the bushes, trying to stay hidden. The castle stood before them, old and worn.
They found a thick cluster of bushes that gave them a good view of the main entrance. Through the leaves, Archer spotted several rough-looking bandits loitering outside.
Sera turned to him and asked, "What's the plan, Arch?"
He began to think, but before he could form a plan, Xanthe rushed past him and charged at the bandits.
The bandits saw her coming and grinned, but suddenly she vanished from their sight.
In the blink of an eye, she reappeared, swiftly slashing the throat of one bandit and slicing the stomach of another.
Xanthe swiftly dispatched the bandits and stood amidst the carnage, covered in their blood.
Approaching her, Archer expressed concern, "Why did you rush off like that? What if something had happened?"
She gazed at him and retorted, "I couldn't help myself. Is that a problem?"
With a sigh, he shook his head, walking past her and entering the castle. However, upon entering, he found nothing inside.
Activating his Aura Detector, he noticed multiple signals coming towards him. Reacting quickly, he raised his wings to defend himself.
Despite his efforts, a variety of weapons struck him, including a blade that stabbed him in the lower back, eliciting a roar of pain as he cast Thunderwave.
A violet wave surged out of his body, slamming all the attackers into the walls. Archer pulled the blade from his back, feeling blood squirting out.
Glancing around, he saw some of the bandits starting to get back on their feet.
Using Blink, he swiftly finished them off, pondering how they had known they were there. Shrugging it off, he started ripping out their hearts and storing them away for later.
That's when the two girls walked in and saw the lifeless bodies. Sera hurried up to Archer, her eyes locking onto the blood patch on his shirt, and she became concerned.
But her worries eased as he turned around, smiling at her.
"Hello, my little dragon. Let's find their treasure and get out of here," he said, giving her a peck on the forehead, which brought a smile to her face.
Xanthe observed the interaction, feeling a bit miffed, though she remained silent as she had already deduced that they were attacked because of her.
With a sigh, she trailed behind the others, making an effort to remain quiet. Suddenly, Archer appeared beside her, wearing a charming smile that caught her off guard.
That's when she heard him speak, "Don't worry about it, Xanthe. I'm fine. Besides, they attacked us first, and that's what we needed to lure them out."
She looked at him with a neutral gaze before nodding. Archer smiled and led the two girls deeper into the castle.
He activated his Aura Detector and noticed a few more signals coming from below them. They moved forward until they reached a staircase leading down.
Archer led the way down the stairs, followed by the girls. As they descended, he used the Aura Detector and got two pings at the bottom.
Quickly casting Blink, he surprised the hidden bandits on the next floor and used Element Bolt to take them out, leaving them lifeless on the floor.
More bandits appeared, but Sera and Xanthe intercepted them.
Sera skillfully dodged her target's attack, using her tail to swiftly slice his legs before finishing him off with a quick decapitation.
Meanwhile, Xanthe sidestepped another bandit and swiftly impaled him through the back with her hand. Archer watched the girls and joined the fight.
He cast Blink again and activated Crown of Stars, sending orbs flying at the bandits and piercing through their bodies.
With a combination of his claws and tail, Archer took care of the remaining enemies.
The group stood amidst the fallen bandits, he began looting the hearts while the girls looked on, Sera was neutral and started cleaning her claws and Xanthe was puzzled.
She couldn't comprehend his actions and asked, "Why are you ripping out their hearts? Are you a savage?"
Archer didn't answer right away; he finished tearing out the last bandit's heart and disposed of the body. Before he could reply, Sera chimed in, "He uses them to get stronger."
Xanthe nodded, staying silent. Archer was done collecting the hearts, so he stored them in his Item Box.
He closed his eyes and counted how many he had collected so far – 54. Deciding to save them for later, he took a moment to rest.
Archer activated Aura Detection and scanned the castle and saw that it was all clear, he turned to the girls with a grin and spoke. ''It's all clear girls, let's get the treasure.''
He strode towards a room at the back, with the two girls watching. Sera laughed, and Xanthe shook her head in response.
Encountering a locked door, he kicked it down, and as he entered the room, he saw chests and hurriedly approached one of them.
When Archer reached the chest, he used his claws to slash the lock, causing it to drop to the floor. Popping the lid open, he found piles of gold coins inside.
His excitement grew as he laid eyes on the treasure; he loved the sight of gold and dreamed of creating a hoard beneath the treehouse.
Coming back to reality, Archer grabbed the chest and threw it into his Item Box, repeating the process with the other dozen chests.
Each one was filled with gold, gems, and other valuable items. Satisfied with his find, he glanced at the girls, who were staring at him.
Sera exclaimed first, "You're greedy, aren't you? The massive smile on your face while taking those chests says it all."
Xanthe shook her head, witnessing his greed. Archer looked at the two and sighed before replying, "Yes, I'm greedy, but it's gold we're talking about. Who wouldn't want a giant pile of it?''
Both girls simply looked at him, shaking their heads, but he paid no attention and began his way out of the castle.
As they walked outside, the weather calmed down, and the three of them returned to the road.
[A/N - Leave some comments, power stones, and gifts. It all helps support the book. Artwork in the comments or discord]
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