Sword of Vengeance (Bjorn and Zyro #2)[COMPLETED]

18: Creeps From The Deep

The murky tunnel stretched out before them, water lapping against the ancient stone walls as a faint, eerie glow reflected off the surface. Violet led the way, her eyes scanning the dark, ominous water. She could feel the tension in the air, her every step weighed down by the nagging presence of memories she had long tried to bury. Even the steady rhythm of the water was unsettling-too calm, too still.

Bjorn, Zyro, Spike, and Conrad followed behind her, the air thick with silence. They all knew something was coming. They just didn't know what.

"Alright, anyone else have a really bad feeling about this?" Spike asked, his usual humor cutting through the stillness. "I mean, tunnels with water? Classic horror movie setup. Not a fan."

Zyro rolled his eyes. "Spike, literally every situation we've been in could be a horror movie setup. This isn't new."

"Yeah, but this is a watery horror movie. I don't do well with wet shoes."

As the group continued forward, Violet couldn't shake the weight of something lingering just beneath the surface of the water. It wasn't just the tunnel or the eerie atmosphere. It was the visitor. Someone from her past had been clouding her mind, haunting her thoughts ever since they had entered the tunnels. A familiar, unsettling presence that gnawed at her concentration, threatening to unearth old wounds.

Suddenly, the calm of the water was shattered. Something large and dark broke the surface, rippling the water violently. From the depths emerged grotesque figures, their pale, bloated skin glistening in the dim light. They had elongated limbs, webbed fingers, and sharp, jagged teeth. Sea Vampires.

A creature of the depths and the night, they embody a fusion of Shokoy’s aquatic terror and a vampire’s immortal hunger. Their skin has a pale, bluish tint, reminiscent of the ocean’s twilight depths, with scales glimmering faintly along their forearms and legs. Gills hidden behind their ears allow them to breathe underwater, while their fangs, sharp as coral, hint at their vampiric thirst. Their eyes shift between an eerie sea-green and a deep, bloodred, depending on whether they’re in water or darkness. They possess the Shokoy’s ability to command sea creatures and control water, while their vampiric nature grants them speed, strength, and a thirst that’s difficult to suppress.

Caught between two worlds, their duality makes them an outcast, not quite belonging to the ocean’s depths nor the shadows of the night. Yet their abilities, though a curse, make them a force of unpredictable power, feared by both vampires and sea dwellers alike.

Bjorn, ever alert, was the first to react, unsheathing his blade.

The Sea Vampires circled them, their gurgling growls echoing off the tunnel walls. Violet's breath hitched, her heart pounding. It wasn't the sight of the creatures that unnerved her-it was the flood of memories that came rushing back.

Him.

Her visitor, a figure from her past, his face now so clear in her mind. His name was Alejandro-a vampire she had once loved. A killer, a deceiver, the one who had pushed her further into darkness when she was younger, more reckless, before she found her way to a different path.

As the Sea Vampires lunged, Violet hesitated for a split second. That was all it took.

One of the creatures swiped at her, sending her flying back against the tunnel wall. She landed with a grunt, pain shooting through her side as the foul stench of the water filled her senses. Her mind was racing, but she could still hear Alejandro's voice, whispering venomous words into her ear like he used to: "You were always meant to kill, Violet. Why fight it now?"

"Violet!" Bjorn shouted, fighting off two Sea Vampires at once. He noticed her hesitation and frowned, worried that something was wrong. But he didn't have time to dwell on it, slashing his blade through the first vampire's throat.