A sharp tingle stung at the base of Carmilla’s neck, the distinct, metallic stench of human blood catching on the wind long before it reached her nose. Her steps faltered in the deep snow, her pointed ears twitching as she focused her pureblood senses. Beneath the howling blizzard, she picked up the unmistakable rhythm of heavy footsteps, the persistent clanking of steel armor, and the faint hum of holy enchantments vibrating through the frozen air.
Stepping cautiously toward a rocky ledge, she parted the frost-covered pine branches and peered down into the narrow valley below. Her purple eyes narrowed.
A massive Holy Order outpost sat directly in the basin, blocking the only safe mountain pass like an iron wedge. Fortified wooden palisades, gleaming silver banners, and patrolling paladins completely choked the path forward. Trying to slip through that bottleneck unnoticed would be suicide.
"Oh, dear. It looks like the shiny tin cans have built themselves a little fortress," a smooth, amused voice purred right in her ear.
Carmilla didn’t even flinch this time as Malakai materialized beside her, his massive frame effortlessly blending into the shadows of the cliffside. He leaned over her shoulder, his slitted golden eyes scanning the bright campfires below with absolute boredom.
"We’ll have to bypass them," Carmilla whispered sharply, mapping out the terrain in her mind. Her gaze drifted upward, locking onto the sheer, jagged cliffs that loomed directly above the valley. The frozen rock face was steep, slick with black ice, and entirely treacherous.
"We’re taking a detour through the upper peaks."
Malakai let out a low, rich chuckle. He turned his head, his pale white hair brushing against her cheek as he looked down at her with a thoroughly mocking smirk.
"A detour? Through the death-cliffs?" he drawled, his tone dripping with lazy sarcasm. "My, my, Princess... whatever happened to that fierce, high-and-mighty pureblood pride? A legendary vampire queen, slinking through the freezing crags just to hide from a handful of fragile, mortal humans? The literal walking flesh bags. It’s almost tragic."
Carmilla’s jaw clenched, her face flushing with a mix of cold fury and embarrassment as his golden eyes danced with pure amusement. She whipped her head around, her arrow-tipped tail lashing violently against the snow.
"Shut up, Malakai!" she hissed under her breath, glaring at him with enough ice to freeze the valley over. "I am being practical. Now move your oversized legs before I use your face as a handhold on the climb."
The two continued navigating the treacherous hillside terrain. Carmilla was deeply regretting every single life choice that had led her to this moment, while Malakai was thoroughly enjoying himself, looking entirely too giddy and smiling like a cat that had caught a bird.
"Argh... huff, huff..." Carmilla exhaled heavily from the exertion of the climb. Why did there have to be a Holy Order camp of all things blocking her path? She grabbed onto a protruding stone, digging her fingers into the rock and pulling herself upward to continue her grueling ascent up the cliff face.
"You know," Malakai said, letting out a slow, deep purr from just below her, "I could easily just carry you up this peak until we reach the main mountain pathway."
"I am not letting you carry me, Mal," Carmilla snapped back, refusing to look down at him.
"Why are you putting yourself through all this manual labor anyway? You could have easily walked straight through the encampment."
"And alert every single templar of my presence? No, thank you. A common soldier or two would be no problem, but a high paladin and a holy mage would not be fun to deal with. And that camp is absolutely swarming with them."
"Ha!" Malakai chuckled softly. "A great, noble vampire, running from mere humans like you’re some scared little ball." He paused, his slitted golden eyes narrowing dangerously. With a slow, calm drop in his tone, he added, "Though... a very cute little ball, with gorgeous curves in all the right places."
The exact millisecond he said that, Carmilla’s concentration shattered. Her foot slipped on a patch of black ice, and she slid backward down the rock face. Before she could fall, Malakai instantly stopped her momentum, effortlessly catching her by pressing his large, warm palm against her small back.
"Careful now, Princess. I can’t have you dying on me just yet."
Carmilla didn’t even bother to thank him. She simply whipped her head around, glared at him with absolute daggers, and aggressively resumed her climb.
Reaching the upper ridge, the two finally scrambled onto a somewhat stable mountain path. They began walking, hugging the sheer stone wall tightly to avoid the watchful gaze of the guards stationed in the valley below.
Shuffle, shuffle.
"Hey! Keep closer to the wall, you idiot!" Carmilla hissed, her temper flaring. Malakai wasn’t even trying to conceal his massive frame; he was casually strolling right along the outer edge of the cliff, where anyone could spot him if they just happened to look up.
"Relax, Princess. No one can see us all the way up here."
"The hell they can’t! Get over here right now!"
"Why? It’s all rough and scruffy over by the wall. I want to stand out here and enjoy the cool breeze."
"A cool breeze?! It’s a frozen mountain, for fuck’s sake! Everywhere is freezing! Now get over—"
Crackle. Mumble. Snap.
A loud, violent trembling suddenly echoed across the hillside. Before Carmilla could even register the sound, a massive chunk of the cliffside shattered, fracturing under the weight of the snow. Ironically, Carmilla was standing directly on the edge of the breaking point.
She felt the solid ground beneath her boots give way completely.
"Shit!"
Grab.
With blinding, effortless speed, Malakai reached his long arm out and snatched Carmilla tightly around her voluptuous waist. He pulled her up and away from the falling debris, slamming her body flush against his hard, toned chest.
A thunderous crash echoed below as the boulder plummeted into the abyss. Carmilla’s heart hammered violently against her ribs, her mind spinning as she realized she had just been a fraction of a second away from falling to a brutal death.
’I almost died...’ Carmilla thought, her breath catching in ragged, terrified gasps. ’I almost—’
Lick.
Her panicked thoughts were instantly cut short as an all-too-furious, warm, wet tongue lazily swiped a stray flake of fallen snow right off the tip of her pointed ear.
Completely forgetting that he had just saved her life, Carmilla snapped her head up, her face exploding into a mix of pure disgust, embarrassment, and rage.
"Would you stop doing that already, you absolute idiot?! And let me go right now!" she shrieked, desperately pushing her hands against his chest to force some distance between them.
"I gladly would," Malakai purred, an amused smirk playing on his lips, "but you seem to thoroughly enjoy being this close to me."
"What the hell are you talking about?!"
"Your tail, Princess."
Carmilla blinked, slowly looking down. To her utter horror, her own arrow-tipped tail had instinctively wrapped itself tightly around his leg, anchoring the tip into the solid ground behind him for stability.
"Oh... I am sor—ahhh... mmm..."
A soft, breathless moan escaped her lips as Malakai suddenly leaned down, his sharp teeth gently biting the sensitive edge of her ear before running his tongue smoothly across the lobe.
The sensation was so intense and unexpected that Carmilla instinctively grabbed a fistful of Malakai’s dark shirt, burying her flustered, burning face directly into his chest to hide her reaction. She tried to step away to regain her regal dignity, but her legs instantly trembled. The grueling trek, the steep climb, and the sudden adrenaline drop from slipping had completely exhausted her muscles.
Carmilla let out a defeated, shaky sigh, realizing she couldn’t even walk properly on her own anymore.
"Tch... I really, truly hate you so much," Carmilla whispered sharply under her breath, her face still buried in his cloak. "Let’s just call it a day..."
"Eeep!" she squealed as her feet suddenly left the ground.
Malakai looked down at his thoroughly flustered master, opting to say nothing. In his mind, he had won. Carmilla was completely spent, and they desperately needed to find shelter before the nighttime blizzard rolled in.
Adjusting his grip, Malakai pulled her voluptuous frame securely against his torso, holding her effortlessly in a comfortable princess carry. With powerful, demonic strides, he began leaping from rock to rock, clearing the treacherous cliffside in mere minutes.
By the time the darkness of night completely enveloped the mountain range, the two had safely stationed themselves inside a small, secluded cave. A dim purple light cast from Carmilla’s mana crystal illuminated the stone walls.
Sitting across from the giant demon, Carmilla adjusted her combat gear, her curiosity finally getting the better of her. She looked up, her purple eyes locking onto his golden ones.
"Hey, Malakai... I’m curious about something," she started, her voice echoing softly in the quiet cave. "Why exactly is a powerful, ancient demon like you stuck all the way down at Rank 2?"
The playful, constant smile on Malakai’s face instantly froze. The confident curve of his lips wavered for a fraction of a second before smoothly returning to its usual, lazy composure.