Nyx snatched the bottle from the man's trembling hand and drank from it like a starving beast. The water spilled down his chin, but he didn't care. Every gulp was desperate, primal—like he hadn't tasted water in days.
He didn't waste a second. There were only four and a half minutes left—he was sure of it. Four and a half minutes before they arrived.
Lowering the bottle, he let out a long, sharp breath, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and looked directly at the two frightened men in the carriage. His voice came fast, almost tumbling over itself in panic.
"There are two vampire—some kind of bloodsucking monsters in the forest. They're heading right this way."
He was panting as he spoke, the words strained from his throat.
He didn't know what these creatures were truly called in this world. In the stories of his past life, such monsters were called 'Vampires'. But here, everything was different. Names held power—and mystery.
As Love had mentioned, those creatures might take their time if they decided to toy with their prey first—stretching the horror before the kill. But Nyx wasn't willing to gamble on that possibility. He couldn't afford to. Instead of hoping they'd waste time playing, he chose to assume the worst. He counted every second as if they'd come straight for the kill. Seven minutes. That was all he would give them—no more.
The moment those words left his lips, he saw the color drain from the men's faces. Whatever blood remained rushed out of them in terror. Tears welled in their eyes—silent, glistening proof of their dread.
Nyx didn't pause.
"But don't panic. I have a plan," he said quickly, stepping further into the carriage.
[Hey—do you even have an ide—]
'Keep quiet for a minute and let me handle this,' Nyx snapped in his mind, cutting Love off mid-sentence.
Love went silent.
Nyx turned back to the men with newfound confidence in his voice. "There are two of them. But I can kill them. I can take them both down."
He paused as if thinking—buying their trust. Then he nodded to himself and added, "Yes… yes, I can. I'll be injured, maybe badly. But if you help me, if you do exactly what I say, we all might make it out of this alive."
The two men stared at him, too stunned to speak. Their lips parted, but no sound came.
Still, they didn't say no.
And that was enough for Nyx to begin.
He continued, his voice low but steady, "If I face them head-on without any tricks, I'll be dead within seconds. But I have a plan. It's dangerous—yes—but if we follow it exactly, I swear I won't let anyone die."
There was something in his tone—a sharp edge of confidence, raw and unwavering. It wasn't arrogance. It was something else. Like he knew what he was doing.
"I just need the two of you to follow my lead. You won't have to fight or risk your lives. All I'm asking is that you do exactly as I say and watch from a safe distance. I'll deal with them myself."
He locked eyes with each of them in turn, his stare piercing, urgent. "So—are you with me or not?"
They both looked into Nyx's eyes—uncertain, afraid—but after a moment of hesitation, they slowly nodded.
"We'll do whatever you say… just please, save us," one of them whispered, his voice quivering.
Relief flickered across Nyx's face. He exhaled sharply, then spoke with urgency.
"Alright. Here's the plan. If I try to fight them head-on, or if they attack me directly, I won't stand a chance. But… if I can strike them from behind—when they're distracted—I can take them down. Or at least injure them badly enough that they won't be able to stand again."
He paused, meeting both of their eyes with intensity.
"A-and how are you going to manage that?" the man in red asked, his voice shaking with fear.
"They're stronger than me, yes," Nyx admitted, "but strength isn't everything. If we can distract them—pull their attention somewhere else—they'll forget to guard their backs. That's when I strike."
"So… you want us to be bait," the other man said, his tone a mixture of fear and rising anger.
"No, not like that," Nyx said quickly, shaking his head.
"Look, I'm here to help you—so please, just listen to me," Nyx said, his voice firm yet urgent.
He locked eyes with the man, trying to steady the fear in them with his own conviction.
"I'll be positioned ahead of you, hidden behind the trees where they won't see me. When those things come for you—when they focus all their attention on attacking—you won't move. Just stay where you are."
He paused, making sure they were truly listening.
"And right before they reach you, I'll strike from behind. Fast and hard. They won't even know what hit them."
Nyx's voice held a quiet but unwavering determination.
"You two will be safe. I promise."
He stepped closer, his voice firm with resolve.
"Trust me. I'm not here to sacrifice anyone. I won't let anything happen to either of you."
One of the men finally spoke, his voice filled with suspicion and unease.
"And why should we trust you? We don't even know who you are—we just met you a moment ago."
His gaze swept over Nyx from head to toe, narrowed with clear doubt.
"You say you're a scout from royal palace, but look at yourself. You look like someone who's been starving for weeks. Your clothes are torn, your face and body are covered in dirt—like you've been crawling through the forest, not protecting cities or nobles."
His words struck with a cold truth. Nyx knew he looked far from convincing. His clothes were ripped and stained from scrambling through the woods, his hair disheveled, his skin caked with grime after lying on the forest floor to stay hidden.
But the man wasn't finished.
"And most importantly," he continued, his voice lowering with a sharp edge, "I've heard from a knight friend of mine that those bloodsucking monsters you're talking about—the Crimwights—they always hunt in groups of three."
He looked straight into Nyx's eyes.
"But you said there were only two. And how does you know that there's monster in the forest?"
Nyx met the man's sharp gaze, eyes steady despite the tension coiling in the air. Internally, however, he cursed Love under his breath for not warning him about the Crimwights traveling in groups of three.
'Thanks for the useful information, after the fact,' he thought bitterly.
But truth be told, he had expected this kind of suspicion from the beginning. Who wouldn't be skeptical of a stranger in the dead of night, looking half-dead himself, claiming to be a scout sent from royal Kingdom?
Still, he was prepared. He had anticipated doubt, and he'd already planned how to deal with it.