Thariel's focus snapped back to Virelith once she realized that the noble is coming her way. And isn't that a scary thought? Virelith is the one coming over!

  She has mentally prepared herself for this event ever since she woke up in this body but the real Virelith is just too much.

  The girl in front of her is the antagonist of Tainted Orchids. The extra dimensional invaders? The attacking army from the next country over? None of them come close to Virelith when it comes to causing wanton destruction during canon.

  Her burning down a bandit camp despite having a big enough army to overwhelm the criminals- as well as rescue the hostages, Thariel tried not to think about them. - into submission says a lot about Virelith's preferred methodology when dealing with problems.

  "You,"

  Thariel stared at the sword suddenly appearing next to her throat and gulped, she looked Virelith in the eyes and tried to open her mouth to answer but was unable to say anything beyond fish-like warbles.

  "Who are you?" Sylka, bless her heart, managed to utter something. Thariel is regretting not describing Virelith's features to her though.

  Virelith's eyes moved away from Thariel and narrowed towards Sylka, she quirked an eyebrow, "a thrall?"

  Thariel hated the ensuing silence that passed and hated Sylka's answer even more, "I don't hate my station,"

  Virelith didn't bother to reply and just went back to Thariel, "what are you doing here? Tenlor doesn't have Vampires. A stray?"

  "N-no?" Thariel stammered, does Virelith not know about the local brood? "I belong to a brood, I'm not a stray," her attempt at deflections bit her in the ass at that moment.

  "So you're saying one moved here?" Virelith pushed her bde closer, the tip touched Thariel's skin. Smoke sizzled outward but save for that, the contact did nothing else.

  Both girls' eyes widened as realization struck.

  "Silver?" Thariel muttered in fear, so it still burned her huh?

  "You're a Damphir." Virelith said at the same time, the confusion clear in her tone. "You've been living here all this time?" Thariel slowly nodded, Virelith scowled, "liar! You must've matured somewhere else!"

  "I'm not lying!" Thariel tried to back away but Virelith chased after her with speed that her untrained eyes could barely follow.

  The vilinness put one step forward and lowered her sword, the stance quickly shifted and her body moved towards Thariel's left. The movement synchronized with her ssh, one aimed at Thariel's neck.

  A stray arrow from the shadows struck the sword and caused its trajectory to falter, Sylka moved next, lunging at Virelith with a scowl. Though she failed to tackle her to the ground, Virelith violently grabbing Sylka by the neck made Thariel finally make a move.

  She didn't know why she could only do so little in reaction to the vilinness, but she was sure it wasn't fear. Respect, maybe. Caution is also a possibility but fear? Fear has never made her freeze up like this before.

  "Can you not?" Virelith coldly snarled while gring at Thariel's outstretched hand, which is currently holding her by the wrist.

  "Let go," Thariel bit out, "I don't wanna do this."

  "Do what?" Virelith asked, tone unbothered.

  Before Thariel could answer, another arrow shot out and she moved without thinking- Virelith got tossed to the ground and a fallen Sylka shortly followed.

  Thariel didn't know what happened, just that she was standing in front of the viliness one moment and in the next, she got pinned to the ground with Thariel's hand wrapped around her fragile neck.

  In her distress, Virelith moved and attempted another ssh at Thariel's neck but Sylka was faster this time. The Kobold came in and smmed her soles down at Virelith's hand. She didn't let go of her sword but at least she's now unable to make an attempt at Thariel's life.

  Or this would have been the case if not for a man in armor tackling Sylka away.

  A fight ensued and Thariel was forced out of whatever it is she's feeling to prevent the vilinness from killing her. She tightened her grip and dragged both herself and Virelith off the ground, she stumbled while moving due to Virelith's struggle but quickly caught herself.

  Thariel raised a cwed hand and aimed it at Virelith's neck, she made sure everyone saw what she's doing. "I'm gonna kill her!"

  Holding the person she wanted to join hostage against her own army was not part of Thariel's pn when meeting Virelith- none of this is part of it actually!

  A choking sound came from her hand, wait no, that was Virelith. Thariel loosened her grip and heard a strained yet cold tone, "let go-"

  "Not if Sylka's in danger!" Thariel yelled, she flinched when she noticed Virelith close her eyes in a painful wince. "Sorry-" she wheezed when the vilinness elbowed her ribs, "why are you doing this?!"

  "You're a vampire-"

  "I don't mean harm!" Thariel yelled, "you're the one who started it! I had a bde to my neck!"

  "Then let go!" Virelith's yell was followed by another elbow.

  "Okay! Okay!" Thariel threw Virelith away in panic and it didn't even take a second for her to realize that this was a mistake. She dodged the bde that swung her way, "what are you-"

  She dodged the constant sshes of the now silent vilinness and gradually, Thariel began to feel herself panic as Virelith picked up speed. She knew it wouldn't take long before her eyes wouldn't be able to follow the sshes so she needed to find a way to end this.

  "Why are you even here?!" Thariel shouted- oh wait. "You're looking for alchemists right?!"

  Virelith stopped and with a brief pause, stared at Thariel. Realization struck her and she glowered, "as if you're the people I'm looking for! Just because you're a Damphir?"

  Thariel backed away, she felt slightly relieved at the thought of having a bargaining chip. She spoke while dodging Virelith's attacks, "we're the alchemists! We can go to Liora and ask her about our identities!"

  ""We're?"" Virelith repeated skeptically, then her eyes went over to Sylka and her scowl got worse, "you're not humans."

  "No?" Thariel replied.

  "I've been searching for a va- damphir and a kobold this entire time?" Virelith cursed.

  "Uh, yeah?" Thariel smiled shakily.

  Virelith sighed and allowed herself to show a small moment of weakness by rubbing the bridge of her nose, she'll have to work with this? It was fine.

  She gritted her teeth, "we'll go to Liora but you both better not be lying to me,"