Chapter 37 of Twisted Choices if you want context.
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The vampire kept her side of the deal and led them to an entrance, where the horses were waiting anxiously. The others rushed to check them over, but Seto stayed behind, ducking behind some bushes to watch Hero and the female vampire. Hero stopped walking, and waits, staring blankly ahead. Seto stared as the female vampire gently put her hands on his shoulders.

"First timer?"

Hero shook his head. The vampire grinned, showing off her gleaming fangs, "Really? You've made a deal with others? Did they get what they want?"

Hero responded rather bluntly, "They did not follow through with their own deal like you did. They never got what they want."

The vampire hummed, then took Hero's chin in one hand. The Swede allowed his head to be tilted to the side, neck exposed to the vampire. Seto gulped as he watched the vampire extend her fangs, and hiss. Her red eyes narrowed to feral slits as she bit down. Seto saw Hero squint at the pain, but he did not do anything else. The female vampire's eyes snapped open at her first sip, and as if something had motivated her, she hungrily drank.

Hero actually groaned, the vampire pushing her weight on his shoulders. He stumbled, and the female released. Seto's eyes widened at her bloodstained mouth, as she panted heavily. She stared at Hero, who was carefully touching the bite wound on his neck.

"You... Weren't lying," she rasped.

Hero tilted his head and huffed, "Of course not. I know better than to not keep my end of a deal with a vampire, especially in my current state. Besides, I'm not one to hold grudges."

It was a half lie. He was still pissed at the species. The vampire was confused, slowly coming down from her bloodthirsty haze. She asked, "What do you mean, grudges? What did we ever do to you?"

Hero suddenly turned towards her voice, and Seto saw raw, angry emotion in the general's eyes for the first time in quite a while. The female vampire looked taken aback, and she raised an eyebrow. Hero spoke in a low threatening tone, "You think I'd forget, Nicole?"

He leaned back, lips curling into a mocking grin, "You really are a daddy's girl."

The female vampire hissed, "How did you know my name?"

Seto was careful to take out his weapons. If something went wrong, he may need to step in. Hero narrowed his blank eyes and snapped, "How could I ever forget after I nearly killed you and your father all those years ago?"

He stepped closer, and this time, his assumption for the vampire's location was accurate. He stepped right up her nose, and once he heard the female's harsh breathing in front of him, he stopped. He spat softly, but Seto could hear every word, "I will always remember you and your father. After all, you're the spawn of a murderer. You killed him all those years ago. Ring any bells, you filthy scum?"

The vampire stared at him with wide eyes, before her mouth dropped open. She whispered, "Y-You're the trespasser of our territory. Dad killed Noah from your clan, and you almost killed him and- Oh my god."

Hero stepped back, and growled. He heard Nicole step back out of fear, and he snapped, "Go away before I decide I shouldn't have let you off that easily."

Immediately, the vampire shifted into a bat and flew down into the cave system, screeching. Seto stared, eyes wide at the Swede, who was still standing alone. The general let out a sigh, before calling out to Seto's surprise, "Who ever is hiding nearby, you were making an awful lot of noise. Get down here and help me up the rocks."

Seto burst from his failure of a hiding place, and gently took Hero's arm, while checking the bite wound on his neck. The vampire saliva healed the puncture wounds, so he was good. He quietly led Hero up the slope, and to his horse.

Seto mentally took down notes. He had been trying to figure out the mystery of a man that was Hero. It was a bit terrifying to think that such a man knew everything about him but everyone knew nothing about him.

-

Everyone could see how Seto was going up and beyond his role of Hero's helper.

He was constantly by the blind man's side, and everyone could see how Hero was getting more ticked every day. It took at least two days worth of self control before the general snapped at the warlock to leave him alone. Seto obliged, but still watched him. Some of them even said that Seto looked suspicious or distrusting of Hero.

As they traveled, the stress and exhaustion were building up on the soldiers' shoulders. They hated it, and fights and arguments started to break out. Most of them were between Sky and Ty, both constantly fighting for control. Jason acted as a mediator, but he could do so much. Sometimes, even Mitch would snap, but only when his hybrid side took over. He was a different person, challenging Sky's authority and picking fights with everyone.

One particular bad fight between Mitch and Ty got Seto and Hero injured. The two pissed hybrids were wrestling in the sky, leather wings flapping as Mitch set fire to nearby flora. Mitch tackled Ty to a tree Hero and Seto were resting under, and the enderdragon could not support both of them. One of his wings got hit badly, and the two heavy soldiers fell right on Hero and Seto.

They landed on Hero's lower half, and the general got whacked up the head with Ty's tail. Seto, however, took most of the hit as both Mitch and Ty landed in him. This resulted in Seto having to treat his own wounds before helping the others. Ty was unable to fly after a particularly sharp branch scratched a hole on the leathery limbs. It would eventually heal over, but the enderdragon was pissed enough. When Mitch calmed down, he apologized profusely to Hero and Seto, who waved him off.

One day it got bad, when a huge argument that was originally between Sky and Ty had Mitch and even Jason got involved in. Seto hated these arguments, and stood by. Hero did not want more bullshit on his shoulders, and it was not like he could do anything. However, the two witnessed frustrated wither Jason. He was stuck in half-form, but his instincts took over. This started a huge fight, and they almost set fire to the forest they were in.

Mitch bailed out in distress, and joined Seto and Hero on the sidelines. The three watched as Sky, Ty and Jason wrestled for the last say. Sky, powerless, lost easily, and crawled to Seto, tail in between his legs in defeat. The commander licked his wounds as Seto lectured him, but their attention quickly went to the last pair. Jason and Ty had both given in to their instincts.

Ty's wings has healed, and he was soaring, lips drawled back in a snarl at Jason. He swiped his claws and snapped at the wither, doing his best in getting a scratch or bite in. Jason, in his half-wither glory, dodged easily, and the usually skittish soldier roared. The roar got birds flying out of trees, and Ty answered in a mighty growl of his own. The two met on the ground, wrestling in the dust.

Jason had won, holding down Ty's throat with a bit of telekinesis.

-

The group had been standing a safe distance away from each other when they reached the wall. Tension was still high from the last fight, as Jason emerged winner. He and Ty stopped speaking, but everyone noticed the dirty looks Ty sent the wither hybrid when he was not looking.

"Is it just me or am I getting the creeps?"

Everyone turned to Mitch. The air around him started to grow warm once again, but this time they appreciated it. The West felt cold, and the old walls were sending intimidating vibes. Even the horses were stressed, shaking their heads and not daring to go closer. The group circled round the walls until they found an old gate. They find the remains of the gate, broken metal twisted on the grass.

Creepers and weeds had grown on the rusty metal, and the horses refused to step closer. The group released their horses, and Kaizer promised to keep them safe. The stallion galloped the tiny herd away to a safe meadow to stay for the time being. Hero would whistle his calling tune once they came back, and Kaizer would bring the horses back. If they did not return in the next four months, Hero instructed Steve to declare all of them dead.

That would be the signal to ward off the West even more, as the West had taken the seemingly powerful Hero and Sky. Stronger walls would be built, and regular patrols would keep curious people at bay.

All of them taking in a long breath, the group stepped in.

The change in the air had been immediate. Mitch's temperature rose to keep himself warm, as the surroundings suddenly grew chilly. Ty gave a full body shake, before wrapping his wings around himself. He started huffing out short puffs of purple fire to keep himself from freezing. Jason welcomed the chill, and he visibly relaxed, surrounding by his rightful temperature preference.

Seto, Sky and Hero put their cloaks on before venturing further. The canopies above blocked most of the sunlight, and Hero was glad he could not see. If he could, no doubt he would be getting a panic attack. The mere vibes he was getting off of everyone and everywhere were eerie enough. He clutched someone's sleeve, and hearing their soft gasp of surprise, it was Seto.

They walked deeper into the woods, and due to Hero's experience, the group looked out for any hands coming from the ground. They stepped carefully, avoiding holes that were already there. They explored aimlessly, until their compasses' hands spiraled out of control. The hybrids were not able to pick up their scent trail to go back, and it was colder than ever.

They stood in the dark, huddled close. Ty growled at every sound, and Mitch did his best to warm up the shivering soldiers. Jason seemed to be in a trance, staring into the distance, eyes flashing to their pure wither silver. Everyone let out a yell of surprise when the wither was the first to fall to the cold grass, unconscious. Before Seto could reach and evaluate him, he collapsed as well.

Soon, everyone was out cold on the cold forest floor.