"Why not squish us? It'll be over quicker."

"Humans are not as feeble and pathetic as you seem to think. However, I can allow you to keep some of your more benign magic if it will convince you to cooperate."

"What do you mean?"

"Change you so you are mostly human but still have a measure of strength and speed, perhaps, and the immunity to sickness and the infirmity of age. Something like this is more complex, but easier overall if it means you will not fight the change."

"What would we lose?"

"You would lose the desire for blood. I would like to make sure you do not fail to care about life for its own sake as you do now. Whatever is making you a vampire is suppressing some of the feelings humans normally have. If I release it you will end up with the morals a human child might have. Some of your various superhuman traits would be diminished - I can try to minimize this but it is very closely entwined with the consumption of blood."

"Is there anything actually good about this?"

"I do not kill you for being a blight upon the world instead."

He giggles nervously. "I guess that's a plus."

"Tell us exactly what will change about our bodies."

He is reluctant to discuss the details of the magic involved, but tells them of the tradeoffs he would be able to make - keeping their senses is easy, keeping their durability is harder, speed harder still, and strength the most difficult. They would lose about half of everything but can choose to make tradeoffs of small amounts of hard things for larger amounts of easy things if they wish.

Also, the sun will no longer burn them nearly as badly. It will be only somewhat worse than a human gets, entirely tolerable.

"Will we...have to grow up as fast as humans do?"

"I feel that would be for the best, but if you truly wish otherwise I can attempt to preserve that quality. Again at a small cost to other things. Your skin will no longer be quite so deathly pale. Furthermore, you will not be able to cause people to become like you, or, perhaps, only a limited number of people through potions I prepare now and save for later. If you two ever have children, they will have most of the same qualities as you, but slightly diminished with each generation until your descendants are effectively simply human."

"Even if we have them with the people like us?"

"Yes. This is necessary for the balance of the world. I will be powering your new bodies with natural magic, and an entire race of such beings covering the world would eventually starve the magic and all become sick and die at once."

"...I guess it's better than being dead."

"Many things are. All the humans you two now will not eat think so as well."

"What if we somehow get back to our home?"

"Most likely, my spell will fall apart and your natural state will take over once more. But I cannot know for sure. That stone you are holding brought you here?"

"Yes. Stupid rock!"

"May I see it?"

"Sure, why not!"

He doesn't touch it. He peers at it very carefully and chants a bit.

"It is not any kind of magic I know of."

"Whatever. Let's talk about what we'll keep. Do we lose less if we grow up like humans?"

Yes. But not a huge amount, perhaps ten percent more.