Chapter 216: Greasy Thrulls, And The Thirsty Alpha

I floated in the air with Helaina walking beside me, with Thanos in front, walking as fast as we would follow. As excited as he was, he didn't stray from me, and that was a good feeling.

"We are bonded to you, and we will stay with you for the rest of your life. As long as you live, so do we. There is a split in the tunnel up ahead; both routes are blocked by monsters. The first is Giant Ceni-Sects, they are like the Monstrapede, but they are a quarter of the size with long blade-like legs. The other tunnel has two Slug Folk Thrulls that are complaining about being hungry," Atom explained to me as we came up to the fork.

"Helaina, what do you know about Thrulls or Vampires?" I asked, turning to Helaina as we slowed to a stop at the fork.

"Vampires… we don't want to go near them. They are powerful and old, and they don't like people bothering them," Helaina shook her head, but I wanted to know more. 

"Do they go out and drink people's blood at night? Do they burn up in the sun? How do you kill them?" I asked with rising interest.

Depending on the traits and weaknesses that they had, I was very interested in getting some Genes from them. If I could hunt some of the stronger ones down, I could make myself and my Hive much more potent, but there were certain deciding factors. 

"They can drink other people's blood, but they don't as a rule they tend to stick by. Instead, they prefer certain types of monster's blood. They have sensitive eyes that are better suited for the night, and their pale skin doesn't do well in the sun, but they can go out in it if they cover up; they just prefer not to. As for killing them, they have highly regenerative capabilities, but if you cut off their head, they die like anything else, or so I was taught," Helaina explained to me, and I nodded excitedly.

That was precisely what I wanted to hear, and I pinged the Thrulls on my mini-map. I heard Atom groan, but Thanos started to jump around. 

"You can go ahead, I will catch up," Tigra called to me in my mind; I could see her up the other tunnel on my map near the monsters, but she was coming back. 

"Will they talk with us or just attack straight away?" I asked as I motioned for the tunnel that Thanos was already starting to go down, but I then called ahead to him. "Don't attack them, and wait for me."

"I know, but if they get frisky, I'll be ready!" Thanos said with eagerness burning in his red eyes as he turned to walk backward to tell me.

I smiled at him, and then he turned around and started to bounce again.

"They will talk, but depending on how hungry they are, they might be insulting. While they don't make a habit of killing people, that doesn't mean that they won't," Helaina explained but then gave me a strained look. Didn't you just hear how I just said that it was a bad idea?!" 

"If anyone knows or has an idea where to find something inside of this mountain, it will be the people that live on the inside of the mountain, right? I also would like to talk to them and maybe try to get them to join me," I said, but then Helaina burst out laughing but then stopped right away when she saw that I wasn't joining her.

"You have to be joking? I have never met a Vampire, but from what I was taught by the workers in charge of educating me was that they are not submissive creatures. That is why they live alone, and the only ones that they listen to are their progenitors or certain other Vampires that are much stronger than them. I can see that you are powerful, but if there is even one Thrull, that means that there is an Ancient Hemomancer here, an Alpha Vampire," Helaina explained while waving her hands around frantically to get my attention, but I was set.

"It is not about being stronger than them; it is about what you bring to the table to sweeten the pot. I can do things that no other person on this planet can do, and I think that I could help the Vampire and make them all valuable subjects," I said, starting to focus on the situation ahead.

Helaina stayed quiet for the rest of the walk, but I could tell she was deep in thought. We were coming up to the cavern, but I could tell that the atmosphere in that chamber had changed.

The two Thrull's were now hiding in separate places and angled to have a view of the entrance that we were coming up too. I mentally signaled Thanos to wait, and when I was almost to the cavern entrance, I paused.

"My name is Ashia, and I am a DragonBee. I do not wish to fight you, but I will if needed. I would prefer to talk with you or your Alpha," I called out as I floated forward with Thanos proudly walking beside Helaina and me hiding behind me.

"Ah man, I really thought that it was going to be lunch!" One of the Weird looking pale men called in a slow voice.

He was tan skinned, but the Thrull was dripping with slime that was leaking from him. There was also a Snail's shell that sat at the back of his head; he had no weapons, but I could see sharp claws on his greasy hands.

"I don't think you want to go speak to the Alpha right now; we are having a bit of trouble with food right now. He might not be in the right frame of mind to talk without getting more Bug Blood and Nectar," The other Slug Folk Thrull said in the same slow voice, as he stood shaking his head, but the something happened.