Dreadlords Blood Letting

[Gaage Eberwhit]

Usually, Gaage didn't mind his area of magical expertise being more combat oriented than anything else, but the sense of flying blind amidst the sea of fog that wrapped around the four of them was oppressive enough to make him wish he had training in sensory enhancement. Note that one down for later, he decided. Couldn't be too hard, right?

The fang-ripping he had going for him, as long as it worked like he figured it would. Last thing they needed was getting turned on one another.

Despite his own feeling of being in the dark, it seemed the two of them who should have been able to work their way through all the density in the air were having troubles of their own. Fermin wasn't seeing anything, and the look of bewilderment grew on Edric's face with every second he gazed into the wall of fog, despite his attempts to hide it.

No, they only saw something when the fog wanted them to.

"Fuck..." He muttered, cringing at the gruesome image revealing itself. It looked like a young girl kneeling over the body of somebody who'd been unlucky enough to meet the things they were hunting, sobbing uncontrollably. A fucked up sight to see, but...

Gaage didn't move forward to offer any comfort. No, the hairs on the back of his neck were on end.

"We're being baited..."

 

[Mae Heilig]

Fermin's words elicited a deep sense of disappointment in Mae. The stories they had of Rostev never said much about the fog but the fact it didn't just limit sight was concerning.

"We should stay alert in ca-," she immediately stopped speaking as the woman's sobs pierced the quiet of the night.

Mae Heilig took in the scene with bated breath. Gaage's sense that this was a trap was likely accurate which just sent a chill down her back. If they were using this little scene as bait it meant the fog probably didn't impair the vampire's senses. Something they had guessed at but...

Her features went stern and cold. "Kill her."

The crying woman was either a distraction, a decoy, or an alarming waiting to alert the fanged monsters that hid in the dense fog for new prey. Or it was possible that she herself was one of the creatures that had inflicted the wound they saw before them.

"Aye," Fermin said raising his crossbow, intending to fire it upon the woman unless Edric or Gaage took measures to stop him.

 

[Edric]

Edric didn't, but by the time Fermin loosed his bolt the woman was no longer sitting there.

She moved faster than even he did, which was saying something. One moment she sat upon the ground wailing, and the next she was upon him like a rabid dog. The lower half of her face was smeared in blood, her eyes were glazed and dead.

The front of her dress was covered in crimson, tattered and ragged.

She lurched directly at Edric, picking him for no particular reason other than he was the closest of the group. Within the blink of an eye she was upon the young Rogue. Claw like nails swiped at his flesh, dragging free a splatter of crimson which dashed across the cobbles. "KRESS FUCK!"

Edric shouted in shock, not having expected the monster to move so damn quick.

His hand shot up, catching the creature's hand as she took a second swipe. Yet as soon as he grasped her the vampire opened her maw. A screech-like roar echoed out as her jaw unhinged, massive rows of sharp fangs reaching out to bite down on Edric's shoulder.

 

[Gaage Eberwhit]

Before he'd gone with them on this mission, Gaage'd worried about whether or not he'd fallen out of shape. It'd been a considerable amount of time since he'd had a real fight, after all. When that vamp-bitch decided she was going to come to them rather than sit and wait any longer, he didn't have much time to worry about how sharp he was before he had to act.

As it turns out, Eberwhit didn't have anything to worry about in the first place.

The one-woman creep show pounced Eddy, catching him off guard and throwing him off his game. Shit, she was a speedy little fuck, but Ed was built like a damned brick house, and it took her a few seconds before she could fight past the batting of his hands to get ready for a meal.

Those couple seconds were all Gaage needed, on instinct he thrust his hands out towards the freak, feeling for those tiny little anchor points inside of her. It was tough; Vampires weren't technically alive, so their muscles and flesh weren't nearly as susceptible to his magic, which already wasn't terribly precise.

Bones though, they didn't die so easy. The marrow packed in those things was easy pickings if he could dig deep enough. Just before the woman could bring her head down to make dinner out of his partner, her head would jerk back violently, and her arms would flail, reaching for something to grab as Gaage pulled back on the very marrow within her arms, and the fluid in her spine.

To a living being, it would feel like one's own bones trying to claw their way out their body. He couldn't be sure he was hurting this... thing much, but she couldn't move, stuck flailing and bent backwards like a rope had been tied around her neck.

For now anyways.

"Can't hold her long! Lop her head off!"

 

[Mae Heilig]

Fermin hesitated for a second, likely alarmed by the speed of the beast. Even Mae hadn't been prepared for it and a part of her was amazed that Edric had managed to wrangle the creature's wrist on her second swipe.

She drew her blade and prepared to intercept, unsure if someone with Ed's kind of magic would survive a vampire bite without being infected, but finding a second surprise it turned out the bone manipulator was quick on the draw.

More impressively, his magic seemed to work on the beasts.

It made sense, bone was bone and she didn't know of any reason why vampire's would have magical tissue or biological material that would prevent Gaage's magic from working. Still, it was a good thing to note in case they were overrun later.

Holding the creature back she moved gracefully around Edric and swung her weapon in an arc, beheading the creature and spilling its acrid blood upon both her clothing and the cobblestones of the street. "Likely the first of many."

A huff of breath exhaled from her lungs as she tried to focus on her surroundings, tried to see past the fog.

But it was Fermin who saw it first. "Fuck me... the rooftops." Even in the dense mists of Rostev the group could see figures standing atop the roofs, staring down at them.

"Stay together." Her voice was calm as she arched her back in the direction of her companions, waiting for the beasts to make a move.

 

[Edric]

Edric ripped free one of the fangs that had gotten stuck in his bicep. He let out a curse, throwing the malformed tooth onto the ground. The wound almost immediately began to close itself, magic drawing from his reserve and burning through his system. Though he could not feel it, that same magic rushed through his blood. Cutting away at the infection of vampirism before it every had any chance to take hold.

Fern let out a curse, and Edric's eyes almost immediately flickered up.

On the roof tops all around them moved hazed figures. Some dressed in ragged torn clothing that looked as though it had been slept in for months, others wore the stark finery of nobles, and still others wore no clothes at all. Their skin patchy and stained with dirt, their hair matted, looking more monster than man.

All looked like the girl who Made had just killed though. Their eyes more sunken, their teeth fanged and long. Not like the Vampire he and Henk had encountered. Less refined, but more bestial.

His eyes searched through the crowd. "Look."

The word was quiet, and came with a subtle gesture towards Mae.

One of the figure on the roof top looked different. Not shockingly so, he was still a man, but he carried himself different. Shoulders were straight back, hair was finally combed, a cane was cradled in his hand. Edric didn't recognize him, but he looked nothing like the monstrous vampires around him. His lips parted to say something, not loud enough for any of the Dreadlords to hear.

Yet as soon as he said it, the monsters on the roof top flooded into the alleyway below. Their maws opening up in a joined scream.

 

[Gaage Eberwhit]

One vampire he could probably handle. Two or three if he was really hitting his stride. That big clusterfuck sliding down the walls from the rooftop like a tidal wave of pale flesh and bared fangs? That wasn't good. Gaage had tricks, but he could only do so much at a time. Plus, he didn't like the odds of him shrugging off a bite like Edric had.

Fuck, though... He wasn't dying for Gilram. He didn't care how many of these bloodsucking cocks there were. He'd faced down far worse in greater numbers, and without backup too.

Following Mae's advice, he backed up against the others, priming himself to reach out and grab whatever he could as they came down at him, drawing his knife as a backup. "This is gonna blow..." He muttered, taking a quick glance up at the figure looking down at them, different from the rest. "Bet you a pound of coin that one's the ringleader. Figure taking him down might slow the rest of 'em?"

Easier said than done. He was up high, and Gaage didn't have any means of firing up there. There wasn't even any time to think about it, as the first vampire was lunging at him with bared fangs. Bringing up his free hand, Eberwhit quickly grasped the pointed teeth with his magic, and ripped them clean out with a downwards swing of his arm, blood shooting from the horror's mouth as it lost its balance and fell at his feet with a snarl.

It was... easier than he'd expected.

"Oh hey, that does work!" Without all the dead flesh in the way, grabbing those bigass teeth was far easier than what he'd done to the last vampire. Raising his boot, he brought it down on the fallen thing's head, crushing it's skull with a disgusting, wet crunch.

"Guys, I can disable them, but only one at a time. If you're losing ground..."

His speech was interrupted by another, whose teeth were also quickly yanked as they made their plunge toward the redhead

"BOOYAH, MOTHERFUCKER! GAAGE EBERWHIT, UNADULTERATED BADASS AND VAMPIRE DENTIST EXTRAORDINAIRE!"

 

[Mae Heilig]

The odds were, to put it simply, bad. Not impossible by any means but certainly not a walk in the park.

If they were to survive this encounter it'd be as a result of her assigned exiles performing to the top of their ability, a reality she knew even as she steeled her nerves to the incoming charge of vampires.

"We'll take him alive if he's the ringleader," if he was the leader he'd likely have the most reliable information and if he wouldn't engage in the initial onslaught it'd be all the simpler to spare his life. At least, initially it would be.

Mae batted away the first one with a riposte, though she failed to slay it, and the second suffered a clean swipe through it's skull. Eberwhit cried out, apparently he was easily able to yank the fangs out of the beasts.

A useful skill to have on their side.

"They're close enough that I can use my magic a bit." Fermin clarified before another shout bellowed, "Mae, above you!"

She raised her blade without hesitation and glimpsed upwards just in time to see the vampire that was trying to pounce on her impale itself through her blade. "Impressive." The mutter was genuine, she'd yet to see Fermin's foresight in combat but now she understood how he'd apparently been one of the more promising students from the academy.

 

[Edric]

Edric caught another of the Vampire's by the throat, letting out a grunt as he stopped it from biting at it's face. Like a beast it snapped at him, maw opening up to show a mouth full of fangs.

These creatures were nothing like what he had faced with Henk.

They were far less controlled, far less...aware. As though the only thing that was driving them at all was the utter lust for the blood coursing through living veins. The creatures claws snapped up to swipe across Edric's chest, but the momentary distraction was long enough that Edric managed to grasp onto the Vampire's hand with his other hand.

He shifted, and then twisted, a sickening crunch and the sound of tearing flesh entered the air as Edric ripped the vampires head off. Dropping both sides of the corpse almost instantly as he caught yet another of the creatures in his grasp.

It too bit at him, but Edric took a moment to spare towards the man on the roof top. He still lingered there, watching closesly. "Mae!"

Edric shouted in warning, motioning towards the man.

"I'm going up!" He told the others, then shouted. "I wish there was a ladder!"

Perhaps the woman be furious that he used her magic like this, or perhaps she would be impressed. It didn't really matter, the tide of vampires was one they couldn't match. The only way to end this was to reach the man on the roof top.

Least that was what Edric thought.

 

[Gaage Eberwhit]

Despite his rather boisterous enthusiasm, Gaage could only handle so much at once. Yanking the fangs of the vampires took a moment of focus, and focus was becoming more difficult to manage the more he was swarmed. A few close calls and he'd lost that obnoxious edge to his voice, and were it not for his dagger he'd have been bitten twice already.

Edric declared that he was going for the leader, and shouted out a wish to Mae for a way up. Well and good, but Gaage wasn't entirely sure he'd manage with what he had. The dagger worked, but he had to let these freaks get in way too close for comfort before he could lash out with it.

Taking a quick glance at Edric ascending the ladder, and then at Heilig. Gaage growled under his breath. "Ah, fuck it." Swallowing his pride down, he reached out and called to Mae as well. "Wish I had a bigger sword right about now." It was either get over his distaste for Heilig and ask for help, or it was becoming dinner. Right now the ghoulish looking girl might as well have been his guardian angel.

Still terrifying, though.

 

[Mae Heilig]

More of the fanged creatures assaulted them and their little group seemed to be holding up. But, the attacks were growing more ferocious and their numbers never quite seemed to thin.

As Mae shoved her estoc through the maw of another vampire she heard Edric call her name and her magic swept over him. He was taking action, doing something, which was a promising idea. They could only stay defensive for so long and the longer they just tried to hold their ground the more likely it was that they'd falter eventually. So, she was certain that whatever it was he needed would...

"A ladder!?!"

Her cries were in vain as the thing materialized to the exact height necessary to reach the vampire lord that stood upon the top of the building.

Well, a waste of a wish, but they still had Gaage and Fermin. She could still have one of them use their ace if things got too dire. So long as they didn't waste another wish on...

"Oh my fucking god."

A much larger sword precisely to Gaage's liking appeared in his hand. Well balanced, expertly crafted, and featuring a decorative green crossguard upon the hilt. "Fermin, I need you to listen to me."

He was was the only one left who could make a wish. If things got truly dire she'd need him to wish that the sun would rise. A colossal ask, a wish that would kill whomever made it, but the other two Dreadlords had sealed Fermin as the necessary sacrifice if things became too grim here. If was either he perish or all of them might.

Fermin turned towards Mae and blurted out, "ah, right, I almost forgot." A grin formed upon the redhead's face and he shouted, "I wish my magic worked despite the fog!"

In an instant Fermin's abilities were heightened. He was parrying and predicting every vampire that struck out at them. Quietly, Mae was muttering vulgarities to herself and accepting that if they all died this evening they probably deserved it.

 

[Edric]

Edric left behind his companion as soon as the ladder appeared. Having no time to admire the expert craftsmanship of the wooden support, the rogue Dreadlord went rushing up to the rooftops. Using his magic to practically throw himself up the rungs.

The Vampire Lord didn't budge, but his steely eyes flickered towards Edric as he ascended to the roof tops.

One of the vampires tried to stop him, turning on their heal and quickly biting at his leg. A heavy kick, and the crack of a broken skull rang out as Edric's magic propelled his muscles beyond anything that should have been possible, sending the creature reeling back to the ground with a caved in face.

Within seconds Edric pulled himself onto the roof, giving the Vampire Lord no time to think.

His magic poured through every muscle and tendon in his body.

A blink would have been enough to miss his charge across the roof. A single breath was all that could have been taken in the time it took Edric to reach the Vampire. He moved like a viper striking out against it's prey, pouring almost half of his reserve into the mad dash.

All only to find his hand suddenly caught in a vice like grip.

Strangely well manicured fingers latched around Edric's wrist, long nails digging into his skin.

The Vampire Lord stood face to face with the Dreadlord, his grip tight enough that Edric could practically feel the bruises forming. Nothing passed from the mans lips, his head cocking to the side as the young man tried to pull free. His muscles flexing and shaking as he attempted to pull back and away from the man. His hand, and the Vampire's, remaining absolutely still despite the effort he put into it.

Suddenly his other hand snapped up, fist moving to slam into the creatures face before that too was caught within a vice like grip.

Edric's eyes opened wide in shock, The Vampire Lord slowly beginning to tilt his head.

 

[Gaage Eberwhit]

"Hey, that's more fuckin' like it!"

Whatever the reason that his wishing seemed to infuriate Mae, (He hadn't really been paying attention when she'd explained it all to him) The wish nevertheless came true. A sword resembling the one he'd used on his extended 'vacation' in Alliria. It was just light enough that he could swing it with one hand, and just long enough he could lop off some heads without putting himself in a tight spot.

That's precisely what he did, giving his magic some time to rest as he began to swing at every exposed nape that came his way, using a small burst of power to push back any of them that got too incredibly close to him. It was still a pain in the ass, and he felt his muscles burning with every swing, but still, this was far less taxing than his career in dentistry.

"Shit, man. There's so many of them!" He shouted as he retreated towards Fermin, who all of a sudden was doing one hell of a job fighting off the horde like it was his day job. He nudged him between kills and nodded up towards Edric, whose gung-ho approach to taking out their supposed leader was paying off... less than excellently.

"He's not doing too hot up there..."

Gaage wasn't built for range; His magic wasn't going to reach all the way up to the rooftop, and he sure as hell couldn't chuck the damned sword up there.

Another freak lunged, digging its claws into his arm while he was lost in thought. Gaage hissed as the flesh of his wrist tore, using the wretched thing's weight to throw it aside and impale it with the blade. "Fucking...!" He raised his arm up, inspecting the wound with a disgusted expression on his face.

He got lucky it wasn't a bite. Edric wouldn't be so lucky, and as much as he hated to admit it, he'd kinda miss the asshole.

"Mae, Fermin and I can handle things down here if you can figure out a way to save Ed's ass!"

 

[Mae Heilig]

To their credit, Fermin and Gaage were doing a fine job holding off the non-stop crash of vampires. Just as Mae thought they were about to be overwhelmed Fermin would behead one of their foes, Gaage would rip the fangs from another.

While the next batch of Dreadlords were clearly morons who wasted wishes they at least demonstrated the martial talents one would expect of the previous classes.

"Dammit," she muttered under her breath as she noticed exactly what Gaage was pointing out.

Edric had, thus far, been an impulsive and reckless follower of Gilram. He'd slaughtered a bunch of nobles on her first outing with him and now he'd ran off to fight the presumed patriarch of this vampire's nest. And, judging by what they could see from down here, he was losing the fight.

Mae's knuckles glowed white as her grip on her weapon tightened and then, through gritted teeth, she affirmed Gaage's suggestion. "Stay safe, I'll go save our hero." With that she cut a hole through the vampires before them.

Moving slowly, purposefully, she managed to hold off the thinning numbers of the beasts until she arrived at the ladder her magic had summoned earlier. She hoisted herself up and began climbing the rungs, hopefully she wasn't too late. Hopefully the creature wasn't turning Edric into one of those things in the time it took her to ascend up towards the roof.

 

[Edric]

Edric and the Vampire stared at one another, the latter's head tilting as if he were searching for some sort of understanding.

Neither of them said a single word, working against one another in a singular struggle of strength. The young Initiate's teeth snapped together, his muscles beginning to ache as low grunt escaped his throat. Magic began to pour from his reserve, dragging out in a great tide.

That power flowed into him, drawing from his magics. Gaage, Mae, and Fermin would all feel it, so would those in the surrounding buildings.

A subtle, soft pull of strength.

As Mae reached the roof, she would come to see the two men silently staring at one another. Then, suddenly, as if something changed the Vampire moved. There was no indication from the outside, not really. A small shift of the undead creature's grip, a slight twitch of his expression, changes so subtle that perhaps even Fermin's magic might not have seen them.

But Edric saw.

No.

He felt it.

The moment the balance of power shifted. When his magic overcame the natural strength of the creature before him. It happened so fast, so instantly that by the time Mae stepped onto the roof it was already over. The creature tried to break off and away, move from Edric and flee, but supercharged by his magic the Initiate was simply faster.

When the Vampire released him, Edric struck like a viper. In an instant he reached out, grabbing the creatures wrist, pulling him forward and off-kilter before quickly twisting, turning, and dragging him into a tight head-lock. His fingers reaching beneath the Vampire's chin an instant later, where he grasped and quickly tore.

The man opening his mouth to speak -"Wait!"- as in a single fluid motion the Initiate ripped his head from his body.

In an instant some of the Vampire's within the alleyway began to scream. Their furious attack finding itself suddenly stalled as chaos broke out within their ranks, some continuing their assault with renewed fury while others fled, and still others simply seemed to break down.

Tumbling to the ground in loud weeping sobs.

 

[Gaage Eberwhit]

Gaage nodded to Mae as she set off, with a bit more respect for her than he'd had a moment prior. Much as he'd love to choke the life out of that motherfucker standing up there watching them get swarmed like some creepy nonce, he was a wee bit busy with all the bloodsucking cannon fodder trying to get at his neck. If he couldn't do it, he trusted she could manage.

Fermin for his part, was doing an excellent job of calling them out when they came in from his blindspot, and while they wouldn't be able to hold out forever down here, the mindlessly aggressive attack didn't seem to be doing the Vampires much good in terms of progress; the two redheads were holding steady, despite Eberwhit's waning stamina.

"Just hope she makes it -ngh- fast..." He growled through his teeth, his vision of the rooftop blocked as a smaller one began to climb over the shoulders of the others for its once-in-a-lifetime chance to be turned into fleshly little ribbons. The humid air carrying the otherworldly fog felt cool against his skin now, if only because he was blanketed by a crimson sheet of blood. "There... can't be too many more of these shitheads, can there be?" He called back to Fermin.

Then something changed.

He didn't see anything, but he felt it, and he sure as hell heard it.

Dozens of the bastards surrounding them screamed out in pain, some holding their heads and dropping to their knees. A few began to pull their own hair out in large clumps, muttering and babbling almost demonically as the pressure in the air began to lessen. He couldn't tell for sure, but he could've sworn the fog let up just a little bit too.

Gaage would almost be amazed if a fraction of the Vampires weren't still gunning for them.

With their numbers lessened though, it wasn't nearly as much of a struggle, and the two of them finally began to gain a little ground. Seeing the opportunity, Gaage shouted back at Fermin. "Push towards the ladder! If we can get to higher ground, they won't be able to get the drop on us again!"

 

[Mae Heilig]

Mae rushed up towards the rooftop as fast as she could. Explaining Edric's death to Gilram wasn't something she envied doing and from the ground it seemed as if the younger Dreadlord was struggling to keep up with the vampire that had likely lived a half dozen lifetimes.

Instead, right as her head crested the edge of the roof, she saw a spray of blood as the creature's head was torn from his body.

For a second time seemed to stop. The chill in the air intensified. Then the moaning and weeping started, mixed with a few blood curdling screams of rage. Fermin and Gaage were keeping their position, felling the vampire's blinded by fury much easier than before as many of their number began a retreat.

But then there were the others.

The ones who just collapsed to the stones of Restov with tears streaming down their cheeks. Only a handful were like this but it was such a stark contrast that it was impossible to ignore.

"What... did you do?" Mae's gaze finally broke from the bloodsucker's that were paralyzed by grief as she took Edric in. He'd managed to paint his clothes crimson during the fight. "We should question them."

A slight nod towards the grieving creature's of the night as Gaage and Fermin worked their way towards the rooftop.

 

[Edric]

As Edric held the vampire's remains, he could feel them begin to rot.

The head in his hand began to squish beneath his touch, the skin sloughing off the skull as eyes melted and tongue fell free. The Vampire's body on the ground quickly beginning to decay and rot away, as though a hundred lifetimes were falling on the corpse all at once.

Edric made a face, dropping the grim souvenir just as Mae came clambering over to him. "I uhh...killed him."

He said plainly, frowning at the now skeletal form as he glanced down at the crying undead.

Most of the others had now broken away, those which Gaage and Fermin hadn't managed to carve down before their flight. The little alleyway was strewn with more than a dozen corpses, half that number again still laying on the ground and sobbing blood.

Edric shook his head, but it wasn't long before the gathered Dreadlords found themselves standing within the alleyway again. Edric stepping up to one of the male Vampire that remained. He grabbed the figure by the hair, wrenching his head back and pointing him up towards Mae and the others.

"What do we ask?" Edric said, the vampire sobbing uncontrollably still. Never even trying to fight Edric off. As though he'd lost the very will to live.

 

[Gaage Eberwhit]

The look Gaage had when ordered to climb back down the ladder as soon as he'd reached the top was sharper than any he'd given the vampires, but seeing as the danger had apparently passed for now, he relented, and they descended back into the alleyway.

Mae and Ed seemed to think they might be able to learn something by interrogating the sobbing messes that had been left behind after they'd killed what seemed the leader of the group, but Eberwhit wasn't convinced. He tilted his head, watching the defeated, pitiable wretch of a vampire as he wept in despair.

If they hadn't just tried to kill him, he'd almost feel bad for the bastards.

"How about what the hell just happened to them, for starters?" He suggested with a shrug, crossing his arms impatiently. "That wasn't like any Vampire encounter I've heard of before, and..." Gaage hesitated for a moment, contemplating his words before unfolding an arm and gesturing towards the crying figure. "...Fuck man, look at him. He looks like he just woke up from a nightmare. What if they were being controlled by the guy you offed?"

Normally that thought wouldn't have bothered him, but they were here to try and 'save' this place, right? If these lesser vampires, as they seemed to be, were being made to attack others against their will... It wouldn't exactly put them in the good graces of the people missing them, would it?

"If we can neutralize the majority of them by taking out specific ones, that'll be a hell of a lot easier than mowing through them all, is all I'm saying."

 

[Mae Heilig]

Mae considered Ed's questions and to her credit she even listened to Gaage's suggestion.

He spoke sense. The vampire they'd isolated was wailing, seemingly oblivious to their entire conversation. Mae doubted that the leader Edric had slain was controlling them all but there was no denying that he had some sort of hold over these followers. Enough that his death triggered such a visceral reaction.

"We ask what happened and," she glanced at all three of her charges, "we ask where their nest is."

If they knew where they where hiding it'd be a massive advantage. For as long as the records went back Dreadlords came to Restov to cull the numbers of bloodsuckers here. They never could find where the bastards laid their heads when the sun came up though.

And it wasn't like they were going to go charging into their hovel but poking a few holes for the light of day to poke in was one solution. Cooking them all alive with fire could be another.

It was Fermin who took charge, placing a firmly against the vampire's side and kicking. Hard. "Alrighty friend, dry your eyes," the Dreadlord with future sight said in a mocking tone, "what the hell are you crying for anyway?"

Fangs poked out through the beast's lips as a sob slipped out. "He's... he's... gone," was the only thing the vampire managed to utter.

"What was he to you?" Fermin asked again, a touch of annoyance growing.

"The nest." Mae's gaze lingered on the pile of undead flesh that writhed in agony in the moonlight. "Where's your nest, creature?"

 

[Edric]

Edric watched with a curious interest as they all circled around one of the creatures in particular.

His form was pale, more so than was natural, the blue of his veins standing out starkly against the color of his skin. He looked as though he hadn't eaten in weeks, his ribs showing rather clearly through the rags he was wearing. Tears still streamed down in his face, but he offered not a single answer to any of their questions.

"He's gone...he's gone....How..." His words were little more than blubbering.

"I'm with Gaage." Edric said, gesturing to the useless lump, then paused, frowning. "Completely."

Weird. "We find a few more like that guy and kill them."]

Usually the other lad was too busy trying to rile everyone up to find an effective solution, but this one seemed like a good one. Although, he did add.

"But, killing the fucker wasn't easy." He admitted. All of them had been trained to hide their abilities and weaknesses. To compete and never allow anyone a glimpse at what you could do. But...that wasn't how it was supposed to be even more. Even among Gilram's ranks, folk tended to be far more open. "I basically had to drain my reserves to do it."

Edric said, not explaining any further. "I've ever met anyone that...just strong."

The pure physicality of it had seemed impossible. Muscle and bone simply incapable of lasting through such an ordeal. The only reason Edric had overcome the creature was the unique nature of his own abilities. Magic both increasing his strength, while simultaneously healing his muscles. Allowing him to do things that ordinary men would harm themselves permanently doing.

As Edric spoke, he didn't notice the gibbering welp of a Vampire standing in their midst slowly beginning to crawl away. His hands digging into the cobbles as he dragged himself over the ground, slowly whisper. "Maybe...maybe he'll be back in his coffin...at the Harrow...he has to be...he has to be there...he always is..."

The man said to himself, over and over again.

 

[Gaage Eberwhit]

Gaage listened, but he also stepped over towards the slowly fleeing Vampire clawing and whimpering as though he hadn't just been acting like a savage beast a few minutes ago, leaning down to grasp him by his collar and hoisting him back up to his knees. "The Harrow huh? Awful sweet of you to give us a point of reference. I'll let you go in a minute, darling." He deadpanned, looking back towards Ed.

"Has to be a reason for that strength. Where's his corpse? I might be able to get some idea of what we're working with." It wasn't a guarantee, but his bones wouldn't be dry so soon after death, and shifting them around a little should at least tell Eberwhit if there was something unusual about the muscle surrounding them. "Then we... oh, hold on." Gaage dropped the vampire and brought his hands to the pathetic bastard's ears, covering them. "We follow this sorry sack of shit to whatever the Harrow is, and look for more answers there, yeah?"

The confused look on Edric's face almost made him laugh. Yeah, Gaage enjoyed fucking with him, but it almost seemed like Eddy was convinced he was an idiot. He'd been about to graduate just like him. He knew what the hell he was doing. The difference was that he wasn't afraid to have a little fun in the meantime.

Lifting the Vampire back up to his feet with a little grunt, Gaage then dragged him around and gave him a rough shove toward Mae. "Alright, your turn. Put the fear of God in em' Mae."

Edric Mae Heilig

 

[Mae Heilig]

"Fear of God?"

Mae looked at the slumping vampire that was pushed in her direction before nodding. These things were cursed beings but their curse also gave them a twisted gift. Immortality. Of course, that immortal life that awaited them was contingent upon not getting themselves killed. Which is why, in her experience, they only truly feared anything that threatened their own self preservation.

Or at least, that's what she believed until tonight. Apparently they feared losing their sire or lord or whatever that vampire that Ed had killed was. "Hush now," she said to the whimpering creature before her, "it is as you say, he's just resting. In the Harrow. Recovering his strength."

For a second the light seemed to return to the vampire's face. "Yes, of course he is," the glimpse of a smile returned to the bloodsucker's face, "just have to get to the Harrow, he'll need me there."

With renewed vigor their captive creature shambled onwards and Mae cut a look towards the three other Dreadlords. "We go with caution, I'm not certain we want to rush headfirst into whatever the Harrow turns out to be."

---

Their new vampiric friend would occasionally mutter something like, "I can't feel him, why can't I feel him," or, "he has to be resting, at the Harrow, we'll find him." Other than that he marched along like a good little whelp. Leading the quartet of exiles to a cemetery where the fog swirled and gathered at specific tombstones or iconography.

The group found themselves standing before a large gray mausoleum. Runic carvings of a religion long lost to time littered the thing and despite it's ancient age the structure seemed remarkably well maintained.

Mae felt defensive as the vampire pulled a small shiv from his waist belt and gulped in contemplation. "He has to be," was repeated once more as the creatue of the night slashed the palm of his hand and immediately placed a streak of his foul undead blood on the stone slab of the mausoleum.

To her shock the blood was seemingly absorbed into the stone. Then, the slab shifted and the door opened, revealing a spacious crypt with glowing red gems hanging down from the ceiling, a wide staircase descending into pitch black nothingness in the center of the mausoleum.

Wordlessly the vampire shambled forward and in an instant Mae drew her blade and beheaded the beast.

"He outlived his usefulness," she said without emotion as the spilled blood of the vampire also began to flow into the stone. "This place is... wrong."

 

[Edric]

"No shit." Fermin commented, gesturing towards Edric.

For a moment he simply stared at his companion, and then after a moment caught the hint. His eyes rolled, and he reached up and plucked a torch from one of the nearby walls.

As they had walked through the city he had gently tugged at the lives of it's citizens. Taking a trickle of their vitality and filling his reserves. The magic would be enough for another fight, but if he had to take on more than one of those guys?

Edric wasn't entirely sure they would make it out of this.

Taking a breath, the rogue Dreadlord stepped into the darkened tunnel and began to move forward. The others quickly stepped in behind him, and it wasn't long before the light of the moon disappeared completely behind them.

Not soon after that, music resounded in the air ahead of them. Edric's steps slowed as he began to hear it, his gaze flickering back towards the others. "Do you..."

He didn't finish his question, the music growing louder.

Before long the tunnel began to grow, and a massive hall...no, that wasn't the best way to describe it. It was a Keep, a tavern, a dinning hall, all rolled into one. Great roaring flames flickered in dozens of fireplaces, beds and sofa's lay scattered everywhere. Huge plush chairs stood around the huge space, dozens of halls and doorways branching off every which way.

This was a warren, and in every corner Edric could see there were Vampires. Lively music played from a dozen stages, and men and women wearing leather or steel collars walked by every now and again carrying trays of goblets. "This place is fucked up."

Edric said, still holding the torch...not a single one of the creature acknowledging them.

 

[Gaage Eberwhit]

Mae did her thing, and soon enough their new friend was leading them right to where they wanted to go, or so he hoped anyway. The stammering fool wasn't exactly moving at a brisk pace, but that was fine; It gave them all a chance to catch their breath after the slaughter they'd just endured. That, and Eberwhit wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea of charging headlong into any more fog.

They didn't need a verbal confirmation to figure out when they'd found their Vampire Clubhouse. A mausoleum was about the most stereotypical place to find a hideout of bloodsuckers he could think of, and in retrospect maybe they could have figured this out without the tour guide.

Then he hacked at his own palm and started smearing his blood everywhere.

Gaage thought maybe the dude had just finally lost it, but then the surface of the stone seemed to drink the blood not unlike the creatures themselves and opened in turn.

"That's weird as shit."

No sooner had he said the words had Mae drawn her blade and swung at the Vampire's neck. Eberwhit felt his mouth open, his hand begin to raise to object, but there wasn't anything he could do to stop her. The bastard's dome fell to the stone with a thud that echoed through the tunnel ahead of them.

"He outlived his usefulness,"

"He was harmless." Gaage grumbled, rolling his eyes as he stepped over the body to enter the passageway. "And we have no way of knowing if there's more blood gates like that, but you do you I suppose." Fucking... Gaage liked a kill as much as the next guy, but sometimes he swore these exiles didn't think first.

The tunnel they travelled through was interesting. It didn't look to be made with a mausoleum in mind... no, people didn't typically use expensive-looking gems to dazzle up the corpses. In Gaage's eyes, it more resembled what he'd expect if a crypt and a tacky brothel hate-fucked and had a gaudy ass baby.

Then the music. Oh lord the music.

By the time they reached the mouth on the other end of the tunnel, Gaage's jaw hung low, dumbfounded at what he was looking at. A community, a whole damned ant farm of the Suckers, prancing around, shopping, dancing, and judging from the smell...

"I've done some kinky shit..." He looked pointedly at the leather and steel collars that every one of the freaks seemed to wear. "But I really, really don't like where this is going." Spinning around, Gaage spread his arms and flashed an award-winning grin at Edric, Fermin and Mae.

"What do you say, guys? It's not too late to -not- go inside the skeezy Vampire love den. Maybe we can head back outside, chill out until daylight, and find a way to flush them out? I hear for hornets they just pour something real hot in the hole... kills the whole nest."

Gaage wasn't even fooling himself. He wasn't seeing daylight until they sorted this shit out.

Mae Heilig
Edric