Book Four: Chapter 128

She let out a shaky breath, her fingers trembling as she reached into the side mesh of her tactical bag. This was the spot usually reserved for a standard water bottle, but what she carried there was far more vital to her continued existence than mere hydration. She pulled out a small, unassuming thermos and unscrewed the cap with a practiced flick of her wrist. Tilting it sideways, she let a single, glowing glass vial slide out into the center of her palm. It caught the dim light of the jungle canopy, looking like liquid gold trapped in a jar.

This was her emergency food source, a concentrated essence designed for the moments when her strength flagged and her undead nature began to gnaw at her from the inside. Without hesitation, she popped the seal and drank it down in one long, desperate gulp.

Immediately, a wave of artificial vitality surged through her veins. Heat, thick and heavy, flooded