Outskirts of the Misty Mountains, Three Days Later
Kaen and his companions had arrived.
The Misty Mountains, the mightiest mountain range in all of Middle-earth, stretched high into the heavens, its snow-capped peaks like jagged teeth dividing the East from the West. But this was no ordinary border—it was a land steeped in peril and darkness.
Towering cliffs draped in eternal frost, bottomless chasms where sunlight never reached, and the lurking presence of monsters and evil things made it a treacherous place few dared to tread.
In the canon tale of the Battle of the Five Armies, it was here that the Dwarven expedition first witnessed stone giants clashing amidst a thunderstorm, and later stumbled into an underground Orc kingdom—barely escaping with their lives.
Kaen and his group now faced that very same deadly passage. Their goal: to traverse the Misty Mountains and reach the western lands.
From dawn until dusk, they had pushed forward, their journey taking them deeper into the cold and shadowy heart of the mountains.
As the sun dipped beneath the jagged skyline, beasts stirred in the gloom, unleashing chilling howls that echoed through the valleys.
Kaen and his party found shelter in a cave.
"Caden, Mundar," Kaen ordered, "chop some timber—we'll use it to barricade the entrance for the night."
"Lairon, gather dry firewood. I want the flames to last until morning."
"Cathril, Ameliah—tidy up the cave and lay down straw so we can sleep comfortably."
"Zakri, you're with me. Let's scout the area before nightfall—if we're lucky, we might bag some game and spare ourselves the dry rations."
Everyone split off to carry out their tasks.
Kaen and Zakri, bows in hand, moved swiftly through the forest, eyes scanning their surroundings with the practiced vigilance of hunters.
They stopped near a babbling brook.
"My lord, most animals come to drink at streams . We should split up to cover more ground."
"Don't stray too far. No matter what, regroup here at nightfall—prey or no prey."
Alone, Kaen soon spotted a target—a lone elk grazing peacefully in a clearing.
He crouched behind a tree, nocked an arrow, drew back the bowstring, and took careful aim at the beast's head.
But just before it struck, a black blur streaked across the clearing at an inhuman speed—snatching the elk away in the blink of an eye.
Startled, Kaen instinctively reached for another arrow, swiftly nocking it as his eyes swept the forest in high alert.
There, embedded in the earth where the arrow had landed, was a piece of black silk ribbon, wrapped loosely around the shaft.
Kaen knelt down and picked it up. A faint, haunting fragrance drifted from the fabric—elegant and unnatural.
Such exquisite cloth had no business existing in a place .
His body tensed. Whatever had snatched the elk was far beyond his current strength. That much was certain.
Pocketing the ribbon, Kaen turned and left without hesitation. He wasn't about to stick around any longer.
What he didn't know was this—
From behind a thick canopy not far from him, a tall silhouette watched him with silent amusement.
Kaen found a new location.
This time, his prey was an antelope drinking cautiously by the water's edge.
After confirming the area was safe, he fired in one smooth, practiced motion.
The arrow pierced the antelope's throat—clean kill.
He smiled in satisfaction… but the smile froze on his face almost instantly.
The antelope—vanished.
It was gone without a trace, as if it had never been there.
He rushed forward, doubting his own senses. If not for the system registering experience gain, he might have believed he'd hallucinated the entire shot.
That black blur wasn't coincidence. He was being watched—hunted, even.
Yet… whoever it was didn't seem to mean him harm. Not yet, at least.
Still, Kaen detested this feeling of being in the open while his enemy lurked in the dark.
He paused. A plan formed quickly in his mind.
This time—he found a herd of elk.
Drawing in a breath, he pulled three arrows from his quiver, loosed them in rapid succession—three clean hits. The rest of the herd fled in terror.
Feigning nonchalance, Kaen stepped forward, as though to retrieve the kills.
In that instant, the black shadow returned.
It darted forth once more, lightning-fast, and snatched up one of the elk.
Without hesitation, he fired two more arrows—one for each remaining carcass.
A sound of tearing fabric rang out.
Kaen was about to fire again—until he saw what the shadow really was.
What emerged was unlike anything he had imagined.
A tall, graceful woman with flowing black hair and a dress of sheer black gossamer.
Her figure was flawless. Her skin, pale as moonlight. Her features, breathtaking.
But it was her icy blue eyes that met his gaze—and those sharp, fang-like teeth that revealed her true nature.
She let out a strange, piercing cry as black mist coiled around her, wrapping her form in swirling darkness.
And in the blink of an eye—she was gone.
Kaen's heart sank. He really had run into something foul.
In Middle-earth, the origins of vampires could be traced back to the First Age.
The earliest vampires were once Maiar, twisted and corrupted into shadowy horrors by Morgoth, the mightiest of the Valar.
Even Sauron, the infamous Dark Lord, had once assumed vampiric form in ages past.
Vampires fed on blood and shunned the sun. The higher breeds bore divine lineage, capable of taking human form, possessing immense intellect, and commanding legions of lesser blood-drinkers.
In the Battle of the Five Armies, the monstrous bat-swarms that appeared at the end were, in truth, low-tier vampires.
Kaen hadn't expected to encounter a high-level vampire this soon.
Had she desired his death—he would've been dead. No question.
He took a deep breath and slung his bow across his back. Then, facing the empty woods, he called out:
"O fair vampire lady—
I don't know why you're toying with me. And yes, I might've fought back a little…"
"But I'm leaving now, and ending this thrilling little encounter. Your beauty, I shall remember. Farewell!"
(And may we never meet again.)
That last part, he kept to himself.
Hoisting one of the remaining elk over his shoulder, Kaen made a quick exit.
High above, where Kaen had stood moments ago, a shadow descended silently from the trees. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs NoveI~Fire.net
Those same icy-blue eyes followed Kaen's retreating figure.
Her lips curled upward, revealing those sharp, pale fangs.
Kaen regrouped with Zakri at the rendezvous point.
Zakri held three wild chickens and two hares. He grinned as he saw the elk over Kaen's shoulder.
"Looks like you did pretty well, my lord."
"I'd love to brag, but something dangerous is prowling these woods. We need to get back."
Zakri frowned in confusion.
"What happened? Did you see a monster?"
"Something worse—a vampire."
"A shapeshifting, woman vampire?"
"Those are real? I thought they were just stories the elders told."
Kaen tried to keep him calm.
"Don't panic. It's just one female vampire. Nothing we can't handle."
But Zakri shook his head.
"My lord, you don't understand. The legends say that when vampires take human form, they gain terrifying power. Their bat swarms can darken the skies, and they drain the blood from every living thing—bugs and beasts alike."
"Uh… I think draining bugs might be pushing it a little."
"Maybe. But when they're bats—who knows?"
The two chatted uneasily as they made their way back to the cave.
By now, night had fully fallen. The Misty Mountains echoed with monstrous cries—dark creatures on the hunt.
Inside the cave, Mundar, Caden, and the Lairon-Cathril siblings had already lit a fire.
They'd sealed off the entrance with thick logs, leaving only a narrow gap for coming and going.
When Kaen and Zakri returned with their haul, the group was overjoyed.
They praised their hunting prowess and wasted no time roasting the meat.
As they worked, Zakri shared the tale of Kaen's encounter with the vampire.