Evelyn recovered her weapons shortly after dawn. Her sword was shorter than Claire's and had several marks near the hilt that showed years of use and repairs. She also carried a compact bow on her back, a small quiver, and a knife strapped to her leg.
Lilith found her checking the straps of her backpack for the third time near Gate Three, where the other three members of the expedition were already waiting with enough supplies for several days.
Claire arrived shortly afterward fully equipped and placed an additional bag beside Lilith. "Blood," she explained before Lilith could ask. Lilith looked at the bag and then at her. "How much do you think I'm going to drink?" Claire shrugged while adjusting one of her gloves.
"After watching you train, I'd rather have too much than not enough." Evelyn, who had been listening from a few meters away, raised an eyebrow slightly. "You carry bottles of blood as supplies?" Lilith picked up the bag. "We also carry water. I try to be a balanced vampire." Evelyn shook her head and continued checking her equipment.
The gates began opening shortly afterward. The sound of enormous gears echoed through the corridor as outside light slowly entered Gate Three. Evelyn was the first to leave the platform when they reached the ground and waited until everyone had gathered before pointing southeast.
"If we keep a good pace, we'll arrive before nightfall. We're going to avoid the old roads and any open areas." One of the explorers asked whether she expected to encounter creatures along the way. Evelyn watched the forest for several seconds before answering. "I always expect to encounter creatures." Lilith was beginning to understand why Evelyn seemed incapable of relaxing even inside the Eternal Bastion.
For someone raised there, crossing a forest filled with monsters was an expedition. For Evelyn, it simply seemed like an ordinary Tuesday.
The journey quickly made it clear how well she knew the region. Evelyn identified paths that looked like nothing more than empty spaces between trees to Lilith and recognized tracks with barely a glance. Two hours after leaving the Eternal Bastion, she suddenly raised a hand and ordered everyone to stop.
Claire approached while Evelyn crouched beside several marks pressed into the mud. They were enormous and had four toes ending in deep punctures. "Recent?" Claire asked. Evelyn touched one of the edges. "This morning." Lilith looked at the direction of the tracks. "South." Evelyn nodded.
They did not need to say anything else. Another creature was fleeing from the northern regions. They found similar signs throughout the rest of the journey: crushed vegetation, abandoned burrows, and tracks belonging to different species all heading in the same direction. At one point, they heard something enormous moving several hundred meters away, but Evelyn immediately changed their route.
Lilith felt a little disappointed until she remembered that she probably should not get excited every time there was a chance of being attacked by something gigantic.
Near sunset, Evelyn led the group to an elevated area covered by trees with violet leaves and finally slowed down. It took Lilith several seconds to understand what she was looking at.
Between the treetops, almost perfectly hidden by the vegetation, a thin column of smoke rose into the sky. "Is that it?" she asked. Evelyn remained watching the smoke and nodded. "My home." Her voice had changed slightly.
The hostile young woman who had tried to attack Lilith in the ruins disappeared for a few seconds and was replaced by someone who had spent several days wondering whether she would ever see that place again. Claire seemed to notice it too and avoided making any comments.
Before continuing, Evelyn turned toward them. "Remember what I told you yesterday. Let me speak first." The explorers agreed immediately. Claire did the same, but Lilith noticed that Evelyn was still looking at her. "Yes, me too," Lilith assured her. Evelyn lowered her eyes toward Lilith's fangs.
"And try not to smile." Lilith brought a hand to her mouth. "Are we still doing this?" Claire started walking before Evelyn could answer. "We could cover your mouth." Lilith followed her with an offended expression. "I'm glad to know my personal knight has such elegant solutions." Claire turned her head slightly. "You never said they had to be elegant." Evelyn walked between them, trying to hide a smile.
The first signs of the settlement appeared long before its buildings. Lilith noticed small symbols carved into some tree trunks and then discovered an almost invisible rope stretched between two bushes.
Evelyn warned them not to touch it. There were traps, false routes, and small watch posts hidden among the branches. In one of them, a man remained completely still until Evelyn raised her hand.
The lookout opened his eyes in surprise. "Evelyn?" She smiled for the first time since they had left the Bastion. "Still alive." The man quickly climbed down and almost approached her until he saw Lilith. His expression changed. His hand immediately moved toward the bow on his back.
Evelyn stepped between them. "She's with me." The man did not look convinced, but after several seconds, he moved aside. He said nothing as the group continued forward.
The wall appeared shortly afterward. It was built from enormous logs reinforced with stone and metal plates, and several magical symbols glowed faintly across its surface. There were towers, platforms for archers, and a trench filled with stakes around the most accessible areas. Behind the defenses, wooden and stone houses could be seen built around gigantic trees.
Lilith was genuinely impressed. She had expected to find a small village desperately trying to survive. Instead, she was looking at a community designed to withstand an entire continent.
Someone recognized Evelyn from the wall.
"It's her!"
The gates began to open as several people appeared on the other side. Lilith heard voices calling Evelyn's name and saw her shoulders finally lose some of the tension that had built up over the past few days. A woman ran toward the entrance, and Evelyn raised a hand to greet her.
Then one of the guards saw Lilith.
"Vampire!"
Everything changed immediately.
The gates stopped moving. Several bows appeared along the walls, and Claire instinctively moved a hand toward her sword. Lilith extended an arm in front of her before she could draw it.
"Don't even think about it."
Claire looked at the arrows. "They're aiming at us."
"Exactly."
A man standing on the central platform drew his bow and aimed the arrow directly at Lilith's chest. "Evelyn, move away!"
Evelyn looked up. "Lower your weapons! She's with me."
The man did not obey. "Do you know what she is?"
Evelyn clenched her jaw. "Yes."
"Then move away."
Lilith remained completely still. She could probably reach the wall before that man fired a second arrow. She could also imagine exactly how much that would help convince them that vampires were not monsters.
Evelyn took a step.
But instead of moving away from Lilith, she stood in front of her.
"She saved my life."
The man's bow remained drawn.
Murmurs began to rise from behind the gates.
Then someone said a word that made even Evelyn stiffen.
"Bloodrose."
Lilith slowly raised her gaze.
Apparently, making a good first impression had just become much more difficult.