Dreadlords Blood Letting

[Edric]

The Free City of Rostev - Former Vel Rostev
Mae Heilig

Rostev, whether free of Anirian, was a city perpetually cloaked within a constant mist. It's unique location within the depths of a natural harbor, the city had for centuries been a haven for smugglers and pirates until centuries ago Vel Anir had stormed it like it had so many others. It quickly became a stronghold for Houses Weiroon and Banick, serving as a tradeport mainly.

Over the years Rostev had developed into a rich city, both in coin and culture, becoming something of a landmark within it's region.

Dubbed the city of lamplight, Rostev could not see the sun even if it tried, though several Dreadlords over the years actually have. What keeps the city cloaked within it's shroud of fog still remains a mystery, and it is that very mystery that keeps Rostev from being reclaimed by the Republic. One of the few who have managed to maintain their independence, Rostev has with both it's natural obscurement as well as it's prodigious coin managed to keep itself free of the Anirian yoke.

Though there was no real telling how long that would last, it's relative calm and un-threatening forbearance had kept the Republic at bay, for now at least.

Yet without a Dreadlord to it's name, the city of Rostev now found itself with another problem entirely. One that once long ago plagued it, but ceased under the watchful eye of the Dreadlords of Vel Anir. A problem that would once again reappear.

"Vampires?" Edric still couldn't believe it. "What are we, fucking Templars now?"

Fermin chuckled. "No, but the Templar are currently barred from Rostev, and the town needs this little problem done away with. A problem that they will be very glad to see gone."

It didn't take a genius to put the pieces into place. Rostev was an indepndent city, the Republic couldn't touch it, meaning that Gilram could. If they cleared out the Vampire problem, they'd make some friends and with them make some opportunity. It made complete sense, but that didn't help the pit in Edric's stomach.

He didn't like Vampires.

 

[Gaage Eberwhit]

"S'the matter, Eddy? Scared of a few bloodsuckers?"

It had been somewhat of a surprise to more than a few when Gaage Eberwhit had volunteered for a mission. The hotheaded exile had been notoriously unenthusiastic about Gilram and his movement up until about a month ago, when suddenly he'd started pulling his weight.

Maybe he'd finally gotten over Delaney Lennox's abandonment of him. Maybe something else entirely was at play.

Either way, he'd managed to talk his way into standing beside Edric and Mae, arms crossed and a rather unimpressed expression on his face as he looked at the haunting sight of Rostev as they approached. The place looked like something out of a campfire story.

"We sure they ain't killing each other and blaming it on Vampires?" Gaage took a drink from the canteen hooked to his belt, wiping his unshaven lips with his wrist as he cast a look to Fermin. "I'd probably want to off something myself after living in a hole like this for more than a week. Matches Mae's aesthetic though, I suppose.

Heilig, quite frankly, gave him the creeps.

"So, our job is to go in, wipe the floor with any fang-having son of a bitch we come across, and leave?"

 

[Mae Heilig]

Gilram’s hideout, an undisclosed location

”Let me get this straight, you want me to take that maniac back out on a job with not one but two arrogant redheads?” Mae’s arms remained tightly crossed as she narrowed her eyes while staring at the Archon she not-so-secretly admired.

It wasn’t like her to ever question an order but this was an unusual circumstance.

“The boy acted out. He learned his lesson.”

Gilram was always so calm. So in control. It was one of the many things she adored about him. ”And if he didn’t learn his lesson? If he acts out again? You know that I can’t stop him if he chooses to defy me!” She hadn’t meant to raise her voice but she felt as if he wasn’t listening to her. As if he were expressing that side that seemed almost annoyed with the younger fangirl.

“Is this going to be a problem Mae? I can assign this task to Ulrich or Duncan if you don’t believe yourself up to it.”

Mae bit at her lip, her toe tapping up-and-down.

”No sir, no problem. I’ll take them to Rostev, we will fix this.” Her arms uncrossed and she flashed him a genuine, loving, smile. ”For you.” Gilram did not return her smile.

---

Rostev

The fog curled around her body as they stepped into the city. She’d attempted to ignore the younger men’s idle conversations, chiming in only when necessary. ”It’s vampires,” she answered as Gaage suggested an inane alternative. ”It’s always been a problem in this place.”

Though in the past loyal and reliable Dreadlords kept them confined to the deepest recesses of the sewers or outlying caves.

”Remember that without a firm hand Rostev is what you get,” her face blanched as she turned her gaze over towards Edric, ”though let’s try to limit that firm hand only to the vile creatures we hunt.”

Mae abruptly stopped and caught Fermin, Gaage, and Edric in a long stare. A brief moment of silence hung in the air, not unlike the twisting mists that covered them.

”I mean that. No unnecessary killing. Am I understood?” A glare bore into Edric as she made that final statement.

 

[Edric]

Edric's lips thinned as Mae rounded on him, his expression souring but only a single nod tipping his head. "I understand."

The two words contained no small amount of shame, though he tried not to show it.

What had happened at the party still plagued him, and worse he could remember only half of it. There had been blood, there had been killing, but most of it was still a haze. As though he had been walking through some kind of dream. He could still clearly recall Chasmine speaking, telling him the truth of what he lacked, and then...

Edric felt that emptiness within him once more as he thought about it. That deep gash which seemed to have been carved into him. Always ignored, always pushed to the side. Healed with the constant thrum of his magic coursing through him.

A shaking breath filled Edric's lungs.

That was a problem which would be dealt with, eventually. He had asked for help, and Gilram said he would find it.

Though just how the Archon would find him solace, Edric did not know.

"I wo-" Before he could finish speaking the three of them reached the end of the heavy stone bridge into Restov itself. The lamplights of the gatehouse shining through the fog, a man holding a lantern stepping up. Almost instantly Edric recognized his uniform, it was that of a Guardsmen except altered.

The normally silver armor was a matte-black, the sigils of Vel Anir had been removed and replaced with what appeared to be the wings of a bat, and two swords hung at the man's waist.

"Oi!" The Guard called out. "You lot are calling it a little late to enter Restov, should be at an Inn by now. The suns almost completely down, its dangerous."

Edric frowned, hearing the genuine concern and urgency in the Guardsmen's voice. "Come on, I'll see you to the King's Blessing. They'll have rooms still."

Not even waiting for an answer, not asking for their papers or anything of the sort, the Guardsmen quickly waved at the four Rogue Dreadlords and began to lead them into the city.

 

[Gaage Eberwhit]

Mae started up a nice little parental lecture about killing and how violent they should and shouldn't be. Gaage was preparing himself to be adressed personally about that bit, so when she instead focused on Edric, his eyebrows shot up about a mile as he looked between the two of them with a small wave of confusion settling onto his features.

Edric getting scolded about being violent? Over him?

Well fuck, he was almost jealous.

The two of them had a little moment that Eberwhit was sure had some really deep introspective meaning to them before Edric's no doubt gripping response was cut off by an approaching Guard as they neared the gatehouse glowing dimly at the entrance to the city.

"Wanna be free of Vel Anir, but they sure ain't got a problem using it's leftover armor, do they? Figure those weapons came from the same place?"

Gaage muttered it quiet enough that the worried man hurrying them into the city and towards an inn wouldn't hear. It wasn't a complaint; if they were turned on by these people, at least Gaage would know what they were up against. Still, wasn't a shocker they were having problems against vampires with such old equipment.

"You guys install a curfew here? What time that usually kick in?"

It was a question to the Guardsman with another meaning: "When do we have to start worrying about collateral coming out onto the streets?"

 

[Mae Heilig]

It wouldn't have mattered if the guard had not interrupted them, there was nothing left for Mae to say. At this point the only thing Edric could do was show her that he wasn't some kind of mindless, sadistic, killer. His words meant less than nothing to her after their last job.

"No sense letting good equipment go to waste." The whisper was issued back to Gaage as they stalked through the misty streets of Restov.

Within the city she saw something of a reflection of herself and her allies. Wanting to be free of the corruption and games of Vel Anir they had declared themselves independent and the city was proving, so far, to make good on that claim. With the notable exception of their little vampire problem.

"No need to enforce a curfew," the guard called back, "everyone with a brain is off the streets after dusk."

To their escort's credit his words rang true. The streets were deserted despite the myriad of lanterns that cut through the dense fog. The man leading them held his own large torch with one hand constantly affixed to the hilt of one of his blades.

"Is the problem truly so bad that no one dares to go out?"

"Aye, miss. It's Vampires. The King's Blessing is likely the only inn with rooms available. If folks around here want to go out for a drink, or a night on the town, they plan to get a bed at whatever tavern they stop into before sunset."

Fermin chuckled. "I suppose it's also had the benefit of reducing homelessness."

"Aye, lad."

 

[Edric]

Edric stayed quiet as they made their way, instead studying the path they took.

It was one of the things that he had learned to do on these 'new' missions. When they had been with the Republic, or Vel Anir before, there had always been maps, dossiers, and other forms of intelligence. Documents that could be studied and information that could be learned.

Things were different with Gilram. Sure the Archon and his most trusted seem to know things, more than even the Proctors, but it was disseminated in a different way. There was no mission briefing, no maps to study. Everything was far more intuitive.

Dreadlords who had done the job for years worked different than Edric and his peers did. Different than they had been taught.

It was something that Edric had picked up on. As though each of them trusted only what they could see, or what they had learned themselves. Each one taking in information, but never trusting it until they could verify it themselves.

Edric kept that in mind as they made their way through Rostev. Studying signs, corners, and everything else he could. "When did this all..start?"

He asked as they turned a corner.

"Always been a problem 'round here, but usually we had the Dreadlords to deal with it." The Guard frowned, but didn't add more to that particular topic. "Folk started really disappearing around four months ago. We try to do our best of course, even sent out night patrols for a while, but..."

The man's head shook. "Don't seem to matter if it's one or twelve, they just end up dead with the rest of em."

Edric frowned.

"Best to just stay inside at night." The Guard finished, turning one more time until they reached a large marble building. Outside of it hung a sign with a crown upon it. He motioned to the three newcomers. "Best get inside, I have to run back to my post."

The three bid him quick fare well, though as soon as he left their view Edric turned to his companions. "Four months? That's well over a year after the Republic took power."

Meaning it took a year and some change for the Vampires to take hold, why so long?

 

[Gaage Eberwhit]

No curfew? Dead night patrols? They really were dealing with some heavy shit here. Gaage had seen towns with plague unable to convince people to go the fuck to bed, so for a bunch of vampires to do that he had to admit he was impressed.

Gaage, though he'd been with Gilram's group just as long as Edric, hadn't been on nearly as many assignments as him. The mess that had been his girlfriend up and disappearing on him had put him in an understandably sour mood, and what few jobs he'd taken, he'd cruised through without putting in much effort.

So this new, 'intuitive' way of doing things was still rather foreign to him.

His eyes followed the Guardsman as he hurried back to his post, likely not wanting to get caught alone by anything before he was back at the safety of the gates, and then turned his head to Edric, slipping his tongue into his cheek.

"Vampirism spreads, but not every time, right? Maybe it was just one, and it took them a while to 'spread the wealth' so to speak? Granted I skipped a few classes on the subject."

It wasn't out of the question that there'd been a couple Vampires living here for a while who saw a chance once the Dreadlords were out of the picture, but that gap in time was befuddling.

"Honestly, I'm surprised the place is as quiet as it is..." Gaage crosses his arms over his chest, looking further on down the dark, empty street. "With all the deaths, and the people knowing what's causing it? You'd expect either a mass exodus or rioting."

There were a few things about this situation that didn't add up, actually...

"Come on, maybe we can get some info out of the locals inside. No sense in going in totally blind, right?"

 

[Mae Heilig]

It was as Gilram had always taught. Society needed them. Needed the Dreadlords to deal with the elves, with the foul beasts of the night, and now the looming threat of the empire to the west. It was why it only made sense for them to rule. Why it was only fair if it were them upon the throne instead of bureaucrats in some newly proclaimed Republic.

"The reason why it took so long is a question for scholars and other so-called experts," she said only after Gaage finished speaking, "we only need to be concerned with where they're coming from, not the why of it."

They'd find the vampire's 'nest,' the place where they all slept during the day, and then eradicate them.

Mae nodded along though to the younger man's suggestion, "but yes, let's go inside."

The King's Blessing was as packed as any bustling tavern the wish-granter had ever seen but for how many people were packed at tables and the bar it was oddly quieter than it should've been. Sure, it wasn't a library or anything but the shouts were subdued and the carousing was less joyful than one would typically expect. M

Mae confirmed there was a single room available but she held onto the stipend they'd received, there would be no sleeping tonight, and instead lead the four towards an unoccupied table nestled between several other groups that she hoped were locals.

"Fermin, why don't you fetch us some drinks," she passed some coin to the boy she felt was the most responsible of the three, "nothing too heavy." They needed their minds largely clear for tonight but it would look odd if they sat without any drink.

"Just listen." It was the only advice she could offer in the moment, "and try not to scare anyone."

 

[Edric]

Try not to scare anyone.

The words rang in Edric's head as they took their seats. A frown touched his face for a brief moment. He had never thought of himself as particularly scary, intimidating in the right moment and context, but upfront? There were far larger and more terrifying Dreadlords than him.

Still, he kept to Mae's advice.

As they sat down, Edric made an effort to smile.

The expression being offered to anyone, and everyone that looked at them. As he locked eyes with a few of the other patrons their faces seemed to turn, some looking dubious while others scoffed and turned away. One man muttered; "That smiles going away real fast.".

Which garnered some laughs with his fellows at the table.

Still, all around them the conversations continued. Most were far more ordinary than Edric were expecting. Talking about trade, or that Janice woman who was throwing cats at people, but a few times they would catch whiff of their query.

"Damned things shut down all the night trade."

"You been over to the docks at all? Might as well be fucking ghost town."

"Least it's all over, not just us commoners getting fucked this time."​

Edric frowned, not hearing anything helpful. As Fermin returned the other Initiate offered more of the same. The boy letting out a loud sigh as he sat himself down. "This is always the worst part, finding out what you need. Wish something would just fucking fall in our laps for once."

 

[Gaage Eberwhit]

"We only need to be concerned with where they're coming from, not the why of it."

Gaage bit his tongue as they walked into The King's Blessing, knowing that what he truly wished to reply with would kill any chance of the two of them coexisting on this mission. Still, it seemed odd that somebody so high up on Gilly's ladder would fail to see how understanding the root of a problem was a benefit in solving it.

Oh well, no skin off his back.

It didn't seem to bother Gaage how unusually subdued the place was as they took their seats. Not much to be loud and jovial about when you were being picked off like ants every night, was there? Mae sent for some drinks, which almost made him want to thank her, before she warned them all about spooking locals.

That one got a little laugh from him.

"Pretty sure I'm the least frightening of the four of us, but I doubt you want me doing any of the talking."

Something told him the people around here wouldn't appreciate his eloquent way with words. Edric seemed content to settle for eavesdropping, though what little Eberwhit could pick up on wasn't anything that could help them. Fermin returned and voiced a similar complaint.

Gaage leaned back and took a sip of his drink.

"Maybe if we, you know, asked somebody? These people aren't agents of the city, you guys. They're commoners. They want rid of the bastards as bad as anybody else."

Taking another swig, Gaage stood up. If they weren't going to do it, he would. Those folks muttering about the commoners getting fucked seemed a good start. Walking around to their table, Gaage placed his mug down on the surface and looked around at the confused faces that met him.

"Hear you guys have a Vampire problem." He muttered. "Where would I go if I wanted to be a Vampire solution?"

 

[Mae Heilig]

Mae usually kept her magic restrained because of the risks associated with someone not correctly moderating their words around her. Still, there was a slight wince at Fermin's choice of wishing for something to just fall into their laps.

The boy was lucky he was around Mae now and not at a time when she was still at the academy, still struggling to limit her magic as she could today.

An ambiguous statement like that could've been beneficial, could've gotten them exactly what they wanted. Or it could've resulted in a metric ton of bricks materializing and falling upon their laps. Or a single feather slowly descending to rest upon their thighs.

Her wincing only continued as Gaage revealed his grand strategy.

It was a bold decision that would draw undue attention upon him but the boy wasn't entirely wrong. Most of the folks here would be blackout drunk before sunup and if they felled the vampires it didn't really matter if anyone remember that an odd group of outsiders had asked about them.

"Where would you go?" one of the men asked while staring at the newcomer with a look of shock, "probably six feet under if you're lucky, boy."

The group of men laughed, albeit a nervous laugh, before another man chimed in. "And if you ain't so lucky you end up one of them beasts. That's what happened to poor Tamara."

In unison the table of men all took a swig from their drinks, likely remembering whoever Tamara was.

"Do yourself a favor. Tomorrow, after sunup, take care of your business and get the hell out of Restov, boy."

 

[Edric]

Edric was content to simply sit quietly and listen, mostly because he felt like a bull in a china shop.

Not that he was really worried about actually breaking anything, more than he was concerned of once again slipping into that odd sort of state. That place in his mind where he let his magic pull him, where he became a thing of murder and death.

Not too dissimilar from what they were hunting really.

Yet after the brief exchange between Gaage and the drunkards nearby, his lips thinned and he offered up his own summation. "It seems like our best course of action is just to wait until full dark and then go outside."

It was a very simple solution, and probably wouldn't yield any results that would end this full mission. But it might bring them closer to the finish line, so to speak. Any Vampire would at least know more than the miserable patrons of this bar.

Fermin laughed.

"Aye, well, guess that'll do it then. Maybe the docks? Seems they're the...deadest" His head turned and looked towards their other companion as he took a drink. "Nice try, Gaage, but seems your social skills weren't enough."

The rogue Dreadlord jested.

Edric shook his head, glancing at Mae to see what she would say about the proposed 'plan'. It was all about they could do, aside from talking to more people, but Edric assumed they would only offer the same answers. Even the nobility was confined, if the drunks were to be believed.

 

[Gaage Eberwhit]

Gaage feigned a smile at the men chastising him, though it wasn't feigned very well. Oh, to be mundane, weak and ignorant. Damn near sounded like a blessing to him at this point, with all the bullshit that game with being such a fucking badass. "Maybe I will, or maybe I'm luckier than you think. Either way, I'll give Tammy your regards. Thanks for the tip, boys."

Drumming his hands on the table, Gaage left the drunkards to their swill and returned to his comrades. A vague section of town wasn't much of a lead, but it was better than the jack-shit they'd been sitting on before. Still, Mae didn't look surprised, and Fermin did his best impression of somebody begging to be punched.

"Well we can't all be lucky enough to land barmaid duty, Fermin. Thanks for the drink, by the way." Eberwhit jabbed as he took a swig from his mug and winced. Was it just an unwritten rule that he couldn't be sent to places with decent alcohol? "Ugh... I'd rather get my neck bitten than drink a whole lot of this shit..."

Still, he drank more as Edric offered his take. It was sound logic, but just because it was sound doesn't mean it Gaage liked it. The idea of waiting around for another hour or two in this dump was about as thrilling as Mae's fashion choices.

But he'd picked his battle already. Sinking back into his seat, he nodded.

"Maybe keep one of us on watch out by the door, just in case we spot somethin'?"

 

[Mae Heilig]

Mae stifled the urge to roll her eyes at Gaage's childish attempts to demean Fermin. Clearly the Eberwhit boy had a fragile ego if his first instinct after failing at a task was to lash out at others.

Fermin, however, simply grinned and chided back with, "anytime, I know how poor your taste in alcohol, and women, is."

The wish-granter immediately cut in by responding to Edric in a hope to defuse the situation before either of the redheads she was tasked to babysit came to blows. "You want us to be bait?" A hand rubbed at her chin for a split second as he gaze rushed down towards the table. "Not a bad idea given how little we have to go on."

The Guard who had ushered them into Restov had been quite clear about the fact that no one went out at night, even in groups, least they be gobbled up by the vampiric scourge. It was why every inn, even one as ill-reputed as this one, was bustling with activity.

"No, the four of us stay together." The last thing she needed was any of them splitting away and being snatched up by a blood-leech. "We wait a bit longer, let the fog rise, and then we masquerade as lost, frightened, tourists by the docks."

She'd faced vampires before and while they were more resilient than regular humans they died all the same.

 

[Edric]

Edric watched as the Fermin and Gaage bantered back and forth, frowning just a little bit as Mae instantly cut Gaage off before he could retort to the other Initiate.

She was sent to manage us. The thought popped into his mind as he watched Mae move and talk. Realizing that she, likely not by choice, had been thrust here simply to point the three powerhouses in the right direction and just let them kill whatever vampires popped up.

The thought, of course, did not denigrate Mae in the least.

She was an experienced Dreadlord, powerful in her own right of course and with a wealth of experience behind her. But Edric did not think Gilram had placed her here because he thought her best suited for killing Vampires. That would have been Ulrich, or Erodin, one of those who'd walk through Rostov and kill everything.

No, Mae was here because she was intelligent, and shrewd enough, to keep Gaage, Fermin, and himself pointed in the right direction.

A frown touched his lips, and he wasn't entirely sure how to feel about that.

"Sounds good enough to me." He said with a nod, taking another sip of his ale and leaning back in thought.

Fermin grinned.

"Course it does." He said as he stood, already having emptied his flagon. "You can just heal wherever the bloody things bite ya!"

The words were a little bit too loud, a fault of Fermin's eagerness to drain his drink, and Edric flinched ever so slightly. Eyes flickering to the nearby tables to see if anyone had overheard. Which it seemed no one did.

 

[Gaage Eberwhit]

There was the slightest hint of excitement in Gaage's gaze as Mae seemed to legitimately consider his plan, but those eager eyes just as quickly rolled as she dismissed it in the end. You'd think they weren't badass killers with magical powers with how conservatively they were playing this, but he guessed he didn't blame her for wanting to risk somebody being picked off early and leaving the rest of the group weak.

Didn't change the fact that it was boring bullshit coward tactics.

"Fine then." Gaage stood a moment after Fermin's outburst, having finished his own drink. If they were going to keep him in this cramped old tavern, he was enjoying himself while he was here. "I'm going to go see what they have on the menu besides stale beer." Forget Lennox, he should have abstained from exile for the quality of the company alone.

More than a couple of eyes followed the auburn-haired exile as he sauntered to the front counter, a bit more interest on him after he publicly declared intentions to fight the beasts that were keeping them all under thumb. Some looked at him with spite or malice, and some looked at him like he was just plain dumb.

The doe-eyed woman at the counter though, face patched with dust and uniform a few hours too dirty, she was cute. No doubt she had plenty of admirers, especially in times as trying as this. People underestimated the power of eye candy on weary fighters. At least, those with taste.

Gaage wasn't here to try and whisk her away though, nor did he have the time or patience. He tossed a few of his own coins on the counter and flashed her a smirk, asking for whatever was good to eat and a refill on his drink before sitting back down at his table. "Y'know... If it weren't for the moody people and the bloodsuckers hiding in the shadows, this place wouldn't be so bad..." He took a swig of the newly poured drink and eyed his partners from over the rim.

"These our run of the mill vampires that we can gain an upper hand on with some fire? Or are we dealing with something more complicated this time around? Any intel on what's been seen?"

 

[Mae Heilig]

Mae kept silent as Edric offered his support of the plan and Gaage rose from his seat to grab another drink. Fermin jested, loudly, of things that were best kept private.

”I need to hear you say that you’re alright with the plan,” she spoke simply, without any indication of her actual mood.

Fermin just gave her a full smile with perfectly porcelain teeth. “I’m good.”

The absolute last thing she needed was for Edric, Gaage, or Fermin to decide to play the hero. To do something stupid that would not only put their lives at risk but by extension hers too. From the sounds of things they were all willing to cooperate.

When the other redhead returned he raised an important question. One that they possessed only part of the answer to.

”We don’t know.”

It was a bad answer but an honest one all the same. ”The fog could be related, though it’s probably not.” Coastal towns with cooler climates often had fog, though the fact that Restov had dense fog nightly for as long as history recalled was an interesting factoid.

Mae crossed her arms while looking at each of the three. ”These bloodsuckers have existed for as long as Vel Anir has records of this city. No matter how vigilant the Dreadlords were they could never fully purge them.”

She chanced another sip of her ale before making a sour face and crossing her arms.

”We just pushed them back,” she leaned back in her chair at that last statement, ”don’t expect we’ll eliminate the problem on this venture either.”

They could thin their number, give the people of this city a reprieve for a few months as the bloodsuckers became more cautious. To think they’d be able to pull anything else off was folly.

 

[Edric]

Great, a mission they couldn't even really succeed at.

The thought soured his mood even further, but Edric decided not to pile on the complaints that had already been offered. Restov it seemed had been plagued by Vampires for longer than any of them had been alive, and at least they had the excuse that even the old Vel Anir hadn't been able to solve the problem.

"I guess we'll find out." He offered in his own response to Gaage.

"But, it seems like a lot of bodies." A frown touched his lips for a moment, and then he continued though his voice was noticeably lower than before. "Henk and I fought one of the things once, It's appetite certainly didn't seem this...ravenous."

It had been deadly, yes, and even captured several Initiate Dreadlords, but plaguing an entire city and taking dozens seemed excessive for just one Vampire. "I think we should start with trying to take one alive."

That would be the best way for them to answer at least of the questions they had.

 

[Gaage Eberwhit]

Gaage raised an eyebrow and looked over at Edric, stopping mid-bite of the slab of meat that had been placed in front of him. It wasn't often Edric name-dropped about any of the Initiates who hadn't crossed the line at Graduation. Maybe he thought it was some kind of taboo to talk about the poeple who were technically the enemies now.

"You and Henk... so it took both of you to take down one of em' not nearly as hungry or mean as whatever we're dealing with now." Well then, Edric knew how to make a fight sound more appealing in the blink of an eye, didn't he? Lousy assignment aside, it had been way too long since he'd had a real fight. His muscles practically ached at the thought of a workout like that. He finished eating the chunk of beef, leaning back in his chair and thinking things over in his head.

"You know..." He began. "One of the few things I do remember from class is that Vampires aren't exactly what you'd call social butterflies. They meet up now n' then, but they like to have their own individual hunting grounds. For a group of them to bunk together and share... There's gotta be something here. Something they want more than just blood."

 

[Mae Heilig]

"They've always been like that," Mae responded to Gaage, taking a gingerly sip at her awful tasting beer that had now gone room temperature.

The vampires here had always seemed to conspire together. Working with one another to recruit more members.

She shook her head in disgust. "In old Vel Anir," when things were more efficient, more precise, "we assumed there was a vampire count, centuries or possibly even millennia old, who simply stayed put."

A sad existence, to be sure, but it would almost guarantee that he could replenish his supply of servants. Mae obviously had no idea if that was the actual cause of the constant threat Restov faced but it sounded as good of a theory as any. "And if we're surrounded by vampires we have a trump card. As long as we stick together I'll let you three make the calls."

Fermin answered immediately. "Sounds great to me."

Her trump card involved a wish, and while the ask was so great it'd likely mean the death of whoever made the wish it would at least ensure any vampires attacking them died to spare the remaining three.

As for letting Edric, Gaage, and Fermin call the shots that was tactical as well. She was here to evaluate them. Ensure they were capable and strong. See if they had qualities that made them leaders.

 

[Edric]

Edric nodded along with Gaage's point, though in truth he still knew next to nothing about Vampires. The one he and Henk had killed hadn't been too talkative, and after the incident he'd really made almost no effort in finding out more.

Something he'd done often, and now found himself regretting.

So much time had been wasted, so many hours had been thrown away. He could have known so much more, understood so much more. He'd been a fool. "So first step, find out what's really going on."

He declared, glancing around the tavern.

It was obvious that the folk on the living side of Restov had no ideas, at least not really, so the only ones they had left to ask were the dead. Capturing a vampire alive would be difficult, but not impossible. They just had to be careful, and hope these creatures weren't as powerful as he and he ones Henk had faced.

"And we hope we meet a private in the Vampire army, and not a count or whatever." He said with a shrug.

It was really the only lead they had to go on as a group, and thus it was just about the only thing they could actually do.

After another few hours of tentative planning, a few jokes by Fermin, some near jabs thrown, the four Anirians finally departed the Tavern. Sneaking out of their rooms, the group elected to move unseen into the streets, finding themselves near the dock when midnight came rolling around.

The fog was already so thick it was near impossible to see, and the lamplights on every street corner barely provided any visibility. "It's like walking through soup."

Fermin commented in a quiet hiss.

 

[Gaage Eberwhit]

"Yeah, this fog is ridiculous..." Gaage found himself agreeing with Fermin, a rarity. "We're practically sitting ducks, save for the fact that there's four of us." Part of him wondered if this fog was natural, or some effect of the infestation this cursed city seemed to be facing. He didn't bother voicing the question, lest Mae make him feel like an idiot for considering such a possibility. She was good at that. "Stay close. You get separated, there's no guarantee the others will be able to find you."

The lamps provided little more than a bread crumb trail through the streets, and even then some were totally cut off from others by the thick sheets of fog in the air. Gaage tightened his collar around his face, trying to block some of the chilly night air from biting his skin as he muttered. "Never fought a Vampire, but you figure if I ripped out his teeth he wouldn't be able to do much damage?" Teeth were organic bone, even in Vampires, right? Or... did their undead status grant them some immunity from his magic of choice? He'd never really tried to use his powers on the undead before.

Up ahead of them, darting across the street as little more than a black shape in the fog, Gaage saw a figure and raised a hand. "Something's moving up ahead. Could be an unlucky civvie, but..."

He didn't need to finish. Just as easily could be one of their targets running back to report them, or even setting up an ambush for the vulnerable cluster of killers. Gaage had felt the sensation of being watched since they'd left the tavern, but now it practically burned.

"I really don't want to get in a fight before we find somewhere better lit. I don't like our odds."

And while he wasn't entirely sure of its nature, he didn't like the idea of Mae's 'trump card' either.

 

[Mae Heilig]

Mae sat silently through much of their time at the tavern. Listening to the trio banter, overhearing conversations of residents, indulging in no more than the initial drink she was given.

Once the quartet departed for the streets of Restov she couldn't help but think Fermin had been right about the thickness of the fog. It was like walking through soup.

"If you can tear out their fangs, you should," Mae imparted to Gaage, "they'll still be powerful enough to rip you limb from limb but they shouldn't be able to infect you with their curse without those fangs."

Mae had only dealt with vampires a time or two before but she went with another fourth level Dreadlord, as she was, and his abilities allowed him to freeze very specific muscular movements. For dealing with vampires he was wonderful, he froze their ability to open and shut their jaws, but because his magic was limited to one specific muscle at a time it had limited uses elsewhere.

Not to mention he was an idiot. Regardless, that's where she'd learned that vampires converted prey into fellow vampires through bites. Or at least, the specific tribes that she was familiar with did so.

Hair stood on end and goosebumps formed upon her arms as the call to freeze came. She'd seen the movement too. Gaage's intuition had been correct, getting into a fight within this dense fog with little illumination was risky. They were just as likely to behead one another as they were an enemy vampire.

"Fermin?" The redheaded Dreadlord had a limited form of precognition. He could likely tell them what the creature ahead was.

 

[Edric]

Edric remained watchful, but more than that, he prodded out at everything around them with his senses.

Flickers of life popped up almost everywhere, mostly rats and other things which scurried along the underside of the wharf. A few humans, at least what appeared to be humans, were within the various warehouses around them.

He remembered well enough that the Vampire had not flared with life when he and Henk had fought it, but that didn't mean these ones would be the same.

As Mae had pointed out, there were different strains, different types of these creatures.

A frown seemed to pull at Fermin's lips as the leader of their group called out to him. His gaze swept at the figure ahead, through the mist, but he shook his head. Unease filtered his voice as he spoke, eyes flickering to his companions. "I don't know, I can't...the fog is doing something."

The sound of a woman crying echoed out, and within the fog the shape of a young girl took place. She sat upon her knees, long red hair trailing down her back, her clothes nothing more than a few scraps of rags covering half her form.

Before her lay a body, it's throat half-ripped open.

Her sobs filled the air, echoing upon the docks.