Completed Kenne deinen Feind

Moore heard the sound of glass shattering back down on the library's second floor. Seemed the knight convinced the wildwoman to do something, alright. Or, perhaps, no convincing had taken place at all, and the wildwoman was put down for her own good. Moore didn't see what happened.

But what he did see, as he reached the third floor landing, was the vampire opposite the large circular balcony from him. She was running--looking for a way out. He couldn't let that happen.

"Circle to the right!" Moore said to the three Monster Hunters behind him. "I'll circle to the left!"

Thankfully, they acted as he bid them to. Simple enough plan. Cut off the vampire from either side, so that her only option was to jump down or to go through them. And neither of those were going to happen.

Above, a loud bell began to ring, sounding the alarm and the call-to-arms for the Fortress. Good.

Moore ran. The bookshelves to his left along the wall and to his right along the balustrade blurred. He had to reach her. He had to. He couldn't let the fiend escape. It was no accident that a vampire would risk coming into the heart of the Monster Hunter Fortress. What sinister plan was in the works here? Would some unholy coalition descend upon the Fortress and seek to slaughter the Monster Hunters when they least expected? Just what was this vampire playing at here?

The sound of doors thrown open. Heavy wooden doors. More Hunters, or perhaps the vampire had found a way out of the library and into the halls. And as Moore drew closer and saw the group of three Monster Hunters coming around the bend, the answer became apparent.

To his left. The open doors, similar to the doors on the second floor. And the vampire, sprinting down the hallway.

Moore dashed after her. But it did not take long for the alarm bell to have done its work. Ahead, Moore saw another small group of Hunters--weapons drawn--beyond the vampire, cutting off her escape through the hall. The vampire turned, and Moore lifted his crossbow and aimed.

She was trapped. Hunters on one end of the hall, Moore on the other. Only a single door to her right.

"Don't move," Moore said, his voice pure iron. His aim was true and his walk slow and steady toward her. "Down on your knees, fiend."

The vampire looked at him with a measure of defiance, but ultimately with hesitation. She appeared unsure of what to do. She had not attacked anyone thus far, but she was still a cornered animal. She would lash out if foolish mercy was given.

The vampire's eyes snapped to the door on her right.

"Don't do it," Moore said.

He could see the slightest movement of her body--

"Don't!"

Moore fired the crossbow. The bolt hit her arm at shoulder level, a deliberately less than lethal shot. And the payload of glass bulbs and their encapsulated light magic burst inside of her arm. The vampire's body seized up as if startled by some great fright, she gave a sharp cry of pain and surprise, and fell flat onto her back on the floor. There she lay, her legs twitching, much of her body around the bolt's point of impact paralyzed, and her eyes wide open and staring up with a trapped sentience behind them.

Moore calmly walked to her. Shouldered his crossbow and crouched down beside her as the two groups of Monster Hunters--the one in the hall and the three who had followed him in the library--approached. To the blonde woman in the latter, Moore said, "Find the knight in the white armor. Bring him here."

He looked back down at the vampire callously. She looked up at him with a gaze--Moore reckoned--like a wolf that had just been bitten by a sheep. He said, "We will have much to discuss with this creature."

The knight Moore trusted. His instinct was keen, not to simply kill the vampire but to interrogate her and find out why she was here. Yes. Something foul was afoot, and Moore would find out what.

There were dungeon cells in the lower levels of the Fort. Moore didn't have his tools handy, but he could fetch them. The knight could watch the vampire, start the interrogation while Moore got them. Perhaps she would break before he got back. Perhaps she would not.

But she would break. At some point, she would.

They all did.
 
(Sorry, I got no notification that you replied.)

Eberwolf ran after the wild woman up until she leapt through the window. There he had to stop his chase, but watched for where she landed so that he might remember later, in case they decided to track her down like an animal. But he had other pressing issues, the vampire was still loose in the castle. Which meant that his work was nowhere near done.

He quickly returned to where he began and followed the sound of running feet, so.he wasn't far from the scene when Moore sent for him. Upon arrival he stood in front of Moore and stood at attention, "you called for me sir?"
 
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Moore was slightly taken aback when the knight not only called him "sir," but stood at attention. He was in no way accustomed to such a display, but he resolved to let it go without comment; it must be something of a custom within this knight's Order.

And Moore gestured with his head down at the incapacitated vampire woman lying there. He walked around and crouched and slipped his arms under her own, meaning to pick her up. To the knight he said, "Lift her by the feet, would you? We'll take her downstairs. To the dungeons. We need to find out what she was planning."

"So you've got this from here?" said one of the Monster Hunters gathered in the hall.

Moore spared the hunter a glance and a smirk. "Yes. This is my life's work."

* * * * *​

Soft candlelight lit the dungeon cell; a warm glow on the cold stone. The cell was starkly featureless, save the candlestands and the chains bolted into the walls.

Heike stood, bound by these taut chains at the wrists, at the waist, at the ankles. Her arms were stretched up and out to her sides, her legs similarly separated, such that her body was like an "X." Moore had stripped off the brown robe she had worn, her overcoat, her mask, her shawl, all of the cloth wraps about her forearms, her gloves, her potion belts, the insignia of the Golden Blade dangling from said belts, and her shoes, leaving only her pants and her sleeveless shirt. He had patted her down vigorously, checking every inch of her body without reservation, searching for any manner of hidden weapon or device. Moore had also removed the crossbow bolt from Heike's arm and tightly patched up the wound with his own bandages, wary of her infected blood spilling out.

And, to Sir Eberwolf, Moore shared his name. Said that he looked forward to working with him, and that he first had to go and fetch his tools. That Sir Eberwolf was welcome to start the interrogation as he did so.

With that, Moore left. Leaving Sir Eberwolf alone in the cell with the chained vampire.

* * * * *​

Heike felt some measure of strength returning to her by the time Moore left the cell.

It was like being caught in the sun, that bolt he had shot into her. Only it left her body paralyzed but not her mind. Trapped. She had been trapped behind her eyes, fully aware but unable to move as she was carried down to the cell and chained.

A small part of her, a cold pragmatic side, wondered if this was truly better than following Kyla out of the Fortress. Better than letting her do what Heike herself was not willing to: escape, by any means necessary. What would her morals, her Oaths, her duty and her honor, what would all these qualities achieve if they amounted to nothing? If she were to be slaughtered like an animal, here in this cell?

Heike dispelled the thoughts. Forcefully. Her eyes even pinched shut as she did so.

She knew what needed to be done, and she knew the risk. To avenge Reikhurst she needed to know her enemy; everything she could such that she might be as prepared as possible, for she was one against an entire strain of vampires. But, like the defense of Reikhurst itself, here in this pursuit she had also failed. She made her choice, and she choose in the moment the lives and well-being of these Monster Hunters over her own quest of avenging her home.

It was the right choice.

She could not give in to her rage. To her hatred of the vampires who had taken everything from her. She would not allow them their final victory: of her becoming the monster they sought to make her.

Now, she had two options left.

Escape. Somehow. As bleak a hope as that was.

Or die in a manner in which her fellow knights would aspire to. These the words of Herr Elias Schulze, one of her knight-superiors during her time as a squire.

Heike lifted her head. Saw that it was just the man in the white-clad armor in the cell with her. She looked at him from under her brow.

"You're a knight?" It would have been statement, but Heike was not entirely sure. Might well be that he was a Monster Hunter who just happened to be similarly armed as one.

Sir Eberwolf Kinniger
 
Eberwolf assisted the Hunter in getting the vampire into the dungeons and chained to the wall-rack. When the Hunter mentioned tools, he was a little skeptical about what that might mean, but had no reason to suspect the Hunters of dishonourable deeds just yet, so he gave him the benefit of the doubt. So he stayed there as instructed. When she spoke, he was quick to answer.

"I am. And based on your insignia, I'd say you were one yourself, or something like it. That means that you are bound by oaths of truth. Tell me, am I correct?"

After receiving her answer he proceeded to question her. "What were you doing here? What was your goal? How many others are there and where are they? Are you working for someone else or on your own initiative?"
 
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Outwardly, nothing.

But inwardly, Heike breathed a sigh of relief when the man confirmed that he was a knight. A good circumstance. Had he been a Monster Hunter like Moore it surely would have been her doom. Perhaps this was but an intrusion of wishful thinking--perhaps the last of any such intrusions--but if there was any path which led to escape now, it was with this knight.

"Yes. I am a knight, even to this day," Heike said. She raised up her head and straightened her body as best as she could, in an attempt to stand formally in respect. "Herr Heike Eisen, Knight-Valiant of Reikhurst. And I am bound yet by the oaths I swore: The Oath of Honor, The Oath of Justice, and yes, The Oath of Truth."

Before she could ask him his own name and order (or dare to ask; she did not quite have a solid feel for how he regarded her), he had a series of questions for her.

All of which she was happy to answer. Whether he believed her or not would be another matter entirely.

"I am here on my own initiative, and there are no other vampires." Her gaze fell askew for a moment: I would have killed them if there were others. She looked back up to the knight. "I came here for knowledge, and this place I reckoned--of all the libraries in Arethil--would have it. I do not know what strain of vampirism I am afflicted with...and I came to find out."

A venomous hatred seeping into her tone.

"For I must know my enemy. To avenge Reikhurst, my home, and all I love...I will slaughter every last one of them."

Sir Eberwolf Kinniger
 
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Well this was a surprise. A knight of Reikhurst, the Lord of Reikhurst was a dear friend to his father's family. They didn't have many official dealings, but they were on friendly terms largely due to similar culture and practices. But now he knew that he could trust what she had to say. But even more surprising was her hatred for her own kind, vampires. She looked as though she were ready to butcher each of them with her own two hands, which got him thinking.

He sighed. "I give you my word as the Duke's Heir that I will do everything in my power to ensure that you remain safe, your freedom I cannot guarantee, but I will see to it that you are safe from harm. Who knows? Maybe with such a hatred, these men could use a vampire as an ally or conscript. I will speak with the Hunter who brought you down here with me, he should be back soon. In the meantime, tell me, who are you?"
 
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Herr Dieter Roth, another of her knight-superiors while in training, had spoken briefly to Heike and several other squires one day of "discerning honor." He said that everyone had within them a sense of gauging another person--and indeed many other situations--and this often manifested as that soft voice in the back of one's mind, much softer than one's active thoughts. It was that same soft voice of one's intuition, for this was a facet of the very same.

He stressed that while this intuition was often not so useful in detecting a skilled liar (and, indeed, this was not the purview of a knight in either case), there was no better indication of identifying a kindred soul. Honor knew honor. It existed in the sum of one's words and tone and mannerisms and true intent, and a surety came with being in the presence of another who held themselves to an honor of higher standard. He was not besmirching the general populace when he said that they, as a whole, did not. Fine people, good people, but they were not oathbound the same as knights of the Golden Blade, as knights of any upstanding Order. It was simply a bold fact that to stand in the presence of a vastly honorable man or woman--a knight or otherwise--was a different experience than standing in the presence of any other.

It was easy, said Herr Dieter, for one to see a vivid reflection of oneself in another who exemplified the same high virtues.

Perhaps, Heike thought, the white-clad knight had discerned her own honor in a similar manner. Perhaps this was why he so readily and with a firm degree of certainty gave his word that he would ensure her safety.

Even so, this proclamation was met with a speechless brand of incredulous gratitude. It...it just seemed too good to be true. Perhaps it was. Perhaps this was an interrogation tactic. Moore, the ruthless one, and this knight, the friendly one. Who wouldn't want to talk to him as opposed to Moore?

She had little choice. She had to believe that the knight was sincere. She had to trust Herr Dieter, trust her own intuition, trust that she had correctly discerned his honor, and trust that she was among a kindred soul.

"I..."

She almost said I thank you, but she pivoted from saying it just yet. Went to answering his question. She had told him her name, but now she would tell him her story.

"...am the proud daughter of Albrecht and Sieglinde Eisen. I lived all my life in Reikhurst until it was destroyed." A pause. "I always wanted to be a Knight of the Golden Blade. Ever since I first saw them on parade down The King's Avenue when I was little. My family liked the idea less and less as I grew older and older. Mostly my mother." She looked off to the side. Smiled a little. "My father...hmm. He was like two different men. Disapproving while in the presence of my mother, but, quietly whenever he and I were by ourselves, approving. He said in no more elaborate words that it was the right thing to do; that he would have, had it not been for his bad leg." A laugh. "He only asked that I don't put the idea into the heads of my brothers and sisters. Not too much. Let them decide for themselves. He did eventually assuage my mother's fears, and she came around with enough time."

She looked back up to the white-clad knight. "I trained as much as I could before initiation. Reikhurst is--was--very...traditional. There were not a lot of women in the Order of the Golden Blade. Those who were there had to meet all the same standards as the men. No potions to aid you, and certainly no magic. Just raw physical ability. What you were born with. You could train until you were at your peak, but if your peak was not enough...then that was it. You either had it, or you did not. The Guard of Reikhurst had its fair share of aspiring knights who failed their initiation."

A full smile. Brimming with effervescent pride. "But I was not one of them. It was one of the most difficult things I had ever done, my initiation. The most difficult thing at that point in my life. I almost quit several times. I was so drained, mentally and physically, that I didn't even care about the shame of voluntarily quitting. I was so close. So damn close to quitting. But I persevered. One day at a time. This day, then the next...and then? Then I was kneeling down before the King himself, accepting my Accolade. My knighthood. I did it. I became what I always wanted: Citizen and warrior, loyal servant of the Reik crown."

The smile faded. "Then my home, the very home I had sworn to defend with my life, was taken from me. My home and everything I loved. And I was forced to watch."

She opened her mouth. No sound came out, and her eyes were distant. A refocusing then, and she tried again.

"They turned me into one of them. One of these...things."

A small silence.

"I do not think the Monster Hunters would ever accept me as an ally. But I support their mission with all my heart, and I wish them no harm. Which is why I had to break from Kyla--the red-haired woman." Another pause. "Do you know if the keeper--Gwendolyn--do you know if she is okay?"

Sir Eberwolf Kinniger
 
He listened intently to her tale, believing every word of it. It sounded like a very good story, and the rise of a child he'd relish to witness on their journey to greatness. Then came the end of it, and pity touched his heart. He came closer to her before speaking, "I'm sorry to hear about what happened to your home, and I'm sorry to hear how it happened especially. What befell the Red-headed woman? She leapt through one of the window and was carried out by a great bird. She made it out, so you need not worry about her, she is fine. There were few injuries if any, save yours."

"I had a much easier time becoming a knight, I suppose it is because all of my family's sons are bred for it. But there was also this driving need to be one of them, and I was playing with wooden swords as soon as I could walk." He chuckled. "What happened with the vampires who turned you? Did you kill them, fleer or did they leave you?"
 
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So Kyla was alright as well--Gwendolyn the Keeper by extension of there being minimal injuries suffered. Yet even these were signifiers of why it was the Heike had to leave. While she admired Kyla's selfless sacrifice--especially for someone she hardly knew--and her commitment to doing what she believed was right, Heike could not risk the myriad ways in which both of these qualities could amount to tragedy for either Kyla herself or any number of Monster Hunters. In just about any other context, Kyla's commitment would have been welcome. Here against the Monster Hunters, whose bravery and mission Heike whole-heartedly endorsed, made for one of the few possible exceptions.

Which brought her to the white-clad knight. Just how was it that he would ensure her safety? What if the Monster Hunters--Moore specifically--adamantly disapproved?

When civil conversation failed, there was but one option.

No, she couldn't let it come to that. There had to be...something. Think. Consider every conceivable option.

In the meantime, the white-clad knight shared a bit of himself with her. Not as much as she had with him, but such was to be expected; she was the one chained, the one being interrogated. Despite the fellowship of being in the company of another knight, Heike could not stay a tiny bubbling of resentment in the pit of her chest when he said that he had a "much easier" time becoming a knight. He did not elaborate on "being bred for it," whether he meant it was simply a birthright or that he was physically shaped for it at a young age or something else entirely, aside from the mention of playing with wooden swords--as any child might. It was petty to feel such resentment, she knew, but this did nothing to assuage the inescapable feeling of her own experience being cheapened by his relative ease in attaining knighthood.

It passed quickly, when he had for her another couple of questions.

"I do not know. Hence, why I have come here: to find out what knowledge of them the Monster Hunters have collected," she said. "I killed one of the vampires. One. On the morning of Reikhurst's final day, I and a small band of other Golden Blade knights tracked him down and slew him. We thought he was the only one, for we had no reason to suspect that there were more." A heavy sigh. "We were wrong."

Recalling that horrible night drew her expression taut. "They had been planning it for a long time. Maybe the vampire I had killed was one of their scouts--I am uncertain. But they killed my fellow knights and took me captive; they knew I had killed one of their own. This happened before we could make it back to Reikhurst proper. There were hundreds of them. One I presume to be their leader, he and his retinue held me while the rest invaded Reikhurst that night. They were...methodical in their crippling of the Guard and the Order of the Golden Blade. I saw it. They worked in teams. One would capture a family member or loved one of a guard or knight, bring their hostage to the guard or knight in question, the guard or knight would hesitate or surrender...and the other vampire--lurking in the dark of night--would strike from behind. Kill them."

Heike paused as the memory of these slayings made it close to tangibly real before her eyes once more.

"It was coordinated; they did this almost all at once across the entirety of the city. They...they just knew so much about Reikhurst and the people within, down to the finest detail it seemed. It didn't work for every guard or knight, and some vampires were foiled in their attempts to carry out this plan, but it was a devastating blow. What followed when most of Reikhurst's fighting men and women were felled was a complete and indiscriminate massacre. The walls which had for so long protected us became a cage, we the livestock awaiting slaughter. Some people made it out from what I could see...but this paled in comparison to those lost. And vampires had no fear of putting Reikhurst to the torch. When the leader and his retinue had enough of gorging themselves on my weeping, he decided to turn me. To take the most sick vengeance he could."

A narrowing of her brow, driven down by seething hatred. After a moment it subsided, and Heike regained her composure.

"I awoke in a street filled with ash that following morning. Alone. My heart no longer beating, and yet I 'lived.' My skin pale and my eyes yellow and fangs in my mouth and my fingers having become these twisted claws. I was made to be one of them. And I was simply left like that. Stripped of my armor and my clothes, left naked and for dead in my ruined home, transformed into one of the very monsters who had done the destroying."

At the end of her recounting, she regarded the white-clad knight with a gaze of mild beseeching. A reserved manner.

"May I ask your name?"

Sir Eberwolf Kinniger
 
The tale recounted by the woman was heartrending, and brought him to sorrow and anger. He felt for her, felt bad for her suffering, something he had never had to experience. He took a moment to calm himself down before doing anything to respond.

He had never intended to imply that he was her superior by saying he had an easier time, quite the opposite in fact. But he had never been the best with words. His view was that her greater struggles made her better because she worked harder, though he was not very good at making his true meaning known on the first statement he makes.

"Eberwolf. Sir Eberwolf Kinniger, from Kinniger Castle."
 
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Sir Eberwolf. Heike nodded in acknowledgement.

Kinniger Castle she had not heard of, which was no surprise; the vast expanse of Arethil prohibited knowing every Order of Knights, especially if one was not well-traveled--which, before her affliction, Heike was not. She felt bad for not knowing, for Eberwolf had mentioned being "the Duke's Heir" in a manner which suggested she ought to have been aware. Perhaps the Knight-Commanders of the Golden Blade had been aware of such relations between Kinniger Castle and Reikhurst.

"I wish you well, Sir Eberwolf, in all your endeavors. Stay true," she said.

And here she decided to hazard a question of her own, one that carried more weight than simply asking her interrogator his name.

"Do you know what will happen to me?"

Sir Eberwolf Kinniger
 
"I do not. But I will stand by my promise. What they will do I do not know, but I promised you your safety and I will keep that promise." He says with sincerity.

He had every intention of keeping his promise. He was honourbound. And she knew how binding such oaths were to a knight.
 
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"What promise?" said Moore, after he opened up the door to the dungeon cell and entered in time to hear the words keep that promise spoken by Eberwolf. This tone was curious and casual, not accusatory.

Moore shut the door with his foot. One hand he carried a stool, and in the other a black satchel. He set the stool down and the satchel on top of it. Opened the satchel. Rummaged through it.

His back still to Eberwolf and Heike, he said, "Have you made the vampire talk?"

Moore extracted a large pair of well-used pincers from the satchel. Held them up and examined them--this for show. Many vampires retained their intelligence, and thus some level of fear. They knew what pincers could be used for. The mere sight would be intimidating. Serve to break the vampire's resolve.

Heike did notice the pincers. And, wordlessly, she looked to Sir Eberwolf, with eyes made wide by worry. Worry about what both Moore and Sir Eberwolf would do. The lengths to which both of these men might go.

Sir Eberwolf Kinniger
 
"Yes I have. She's given us everything we need to know, and more. Those, 'tools', won't be necessary. I promised her her safety, I gave her my word of honour that she would be safe from harm if she gave us answers, and she is bound by the same oaths of truth that I am, so she cannot lie." He says with a tense voice filled with warning. He was subtly readying himself for a fight, but instead of reaching for his sword, he reached for the strap of his left gauntlet. If things went downhill, a formal challenge was the best option.
 
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I promised her her safety.

Moore went still for a moment. Then gently put the pincers back down inside the satchel. He turned to look over his shoulder at Eberwolf.

He wasn't reaching for his sword. Good. But the man had spoken in an alarming manner--not merely the words themselves. The tone. That very same tone Moore's father had used. When he was corrupted by the lies of a vampire. Beguiled by a monster to do its bidding.

Moore had been in error to leave Eberwolf alone with the vampire. He thought the man capable of resisting the creature's temptations. He was wrong. Vampires were not above using charm and sexuality as a means to manipulate their prey; it was for many strains one of their most potent weapons.

Perhaps it was not too late. Perhaps the man could be made to see reason. But Moore could not rely on it. He had to prepare for this not to be case. For the man to have been fully swayed by the vampire's lies.

Moore turned around slowly to face the knight. Said as he made a small, inching step to his side and toward the closed cell door, "You haven't thought this through. Have you."

Another small, inching step.

"You haven't considered that everything she told you is a lie, especially the alleged 'oath', to win your favor. You haven't considered that this creature will need to feed. What will you do? Give your own blood? To this filth? And when her thirst outpaces the blood you can give? Shall you hunt down prey for her?"

Another small, inching step.

Moore, in a beseeching voice, even gesturing in a pleading manner with both hands, said, "And there are so many other factors. You must see reason, sir knight, you must."

Heike, meanwhile, stood helplessly chained and could merely watch on. She spoke his name, her tone laden with concern, "Eberwolf..."

Don't.

Sir Eberwolf Kinniger
 
He smiled and chuckled humourlessly, "You do not understand my friend. It doesn't matter if I am being reasonable or not, I gave my word, and I must keep to it. Honour demands it. I did not say that I could guarantee her freedom, so there are few other paths that lay ahead of us. One, is that you give her over to my custody, two, you keep her prisoner under an oath to do her no harm and to keep her healthy, and the last is likely to be more beneficial for you. If my trust in her oaths is not misplaced, then she would be a valuable asset to your mission. She has expressed clear hate for her kind, and would most certainly relish the opportunity to assist in their ultimate demise, even if kept on a leash. You tell me to be reasonable, but it seems that it is you who have not reasoned out the possible benefits of such a situation."
 
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I gave my word, and I must keep to it.

Heike felt a powerful wave of admiration overcoming her, a gripping sense of respect for Sir Eberwolf and his adherence to his word and his honor, even in the face of great danger and adversity. The bearing of an oath, the keeping of one's word, was not meant to be easy, but through the discipline in staying true to one's vows a betterment of self came. According oneself to a higher standard, in swearing to always do what was hard and right, forged a superior spirit.

So it hurt Heike all the more that he was so adhering to his word. Yes, she felt this kinship and admiration, and yes, she knew well those root philosophies behind being oathbound and, here, honorbound. But Sir Eberwolf's noble upholding of his word pitted him tragically against Moore. Against the Monster Hunters as whole, likely. Deep in their own Fortress.

The agony of these conflicting feelings slammed her eyes tightly shut. She exerted herself and pulled against her chains. The chains rattled and clinked quietly, but did not break or come loose from the stone walls.

She cried out, "Please! You are both good men! There is no need for this!"

Moore simply ignored her. Kept his eyes on Sir Eberwolf and pressed his back against the cell door, blindly finding the handle. He said, "None of those things are going to happen."

He turned the handle. Kicked back against the door to open it. Stepped into the doorway between the cell and the dungeon halls; it was still very early in the morning--pre-sunrise--but Moore would rather not fight the knight alone if it so came to that. If the knight could not be turned back to reason, then Moore would prefer to catch the attention of any passing Monster Hunters to assist him. If nothing else, perhaps the shrewd play would be the most practical: lock both Eberwolf and the vampire inside the cell until the vampire starved to death. Such was a drastic measure, and would likely result in the death of the knight, for he would surely in his blindness attempt to keep her alive with his own blood...and, alone, it would not be enough.

But Moore could not allow the vampire to leave under any circumstances, lest she prey further upon the innocents of Elbion.

Could the knight be turned back to reason? Possibly. But it was slim. Very slim. The vampire's guile had gotten deep into him.

"What are you going to do, sir knight," Moore said, an odd wiry quality to his voice, the fusion of fervent hatred for the vampire and beseeching hope for Eberwolf. "I hold the key to the vampire's chains. Will you take it from me by force? And then what? Free the monster? Give her the opportunity to betray you as she had the red-haired wildwoman?"

Moore's eyes: wide, fanatical, and tragically committed.

"I do not wish to harm you, Eberwolf. But I will." He drew his silver dagger and stood his ground in the cell's doorway. "I. Can. Not. Abide this creature drinking the blood of another innocent man or woman. Can you not see that you have allied yourself with such an abhorrent fiend? Listen to me, Eberwolf. There is no honor lost in recognizing that you have been deceived! I implore you to hear reason! For the sake of your humanity, listen to it!"

Sir Eberwolf Kinniger
 
He sighed, and began to undo the strap of his left gauntlet. "Very well. I know that you Hunters are somewhat akin to knights," after saying this, he struck Moore across the face with it, then cast it to the ground between them, "so you are held to the rules of trial by combat. Accept the challenge and we each name our terms, refuse, and you blatantly insult the honor of the Duke and his family, which will result in open war. So, what say you? A duel to decide the woman's fate, or war to spell the end of the Hunters."
 
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Heike actually gasped when Sir Eberwolf struck Moore. Struggled briefly against her chains and felt utterly helpless to stop these men from what she was certain would be a deadly fight, right here and right now.

Moore face turned to the side in the direction of the slap. He simply stood there, head askew, as if frozen while Eberwolf issued his challenge.

I know that you Hunters are somewhat akin to knights...so you are held to the rules of trial by combat...

A quiet second after Eberwolf finished.

And Moore said, "Wrong."

He stepped back into the dungeon hallway and dropped his dagger and quickly snapped both hands to the heavy wooden cell door and slammed it shut. Engaged the deadbolt on the outside to lock it. He took a step back from the door and the small, barred window of it, keenly aware that while Eberwolf was sealed inside, the knight was still armed.

Moore crouched and picked up his dagger then and stood up again and looked through the door's barred window. Said, "I will not play a game of 'honor' with a knight corrupted by a vampire's guile. I will not gamble the lives and well-being of innocent people in such a manner. And I will spare this Duke of yours the shame of knowing that one of his knights has fallen in league with the worst monsters of Arethil; he will never know the truth of what happened here. But he will be informed that you died a hero, in defense of the Monster Hunter Fortress during a vampire attack."

Moore moved to the side, out of view of the cell door's window. His voice from elsewhere outside in the hall, saying, "You have until you starve or until the vampire kills you to see the light of reason, Sir Eberwolf. I pray that you do."

And Moore slid the metal shutter on the hallway side of the door closed. Blocking both his view into the cell and their view out of it. He did not dare to leave the vicinity of the cell just yet. He would need to wait until a Monster Hunter--or someone, anyone really would do--came along in the dungeon hallway. Moore had to make it known to the Masters and Grandmasters of the Fortress, send word of what had happened. Perhaps they would assemble an overwhelming force of Hunters to breach the cell, attempt to take Eberwolf alive (very likely against his will) and kill the vampire--it was likely the knight's only chance to live.

But, more likely, the Masters would simply be content to guard the cell and effectively lay siege to it. To starve both the knight and the vampire to death without risking any Hunters.

So Moore kept his vigil outside the cell door and waited for happenstance reinforcements.

* * * * *​

Once Moore slid shut the metal shutter, Heike hissed a whisper to the knight, trying to beckon him over, "Eberwolf...Sir Eberwolf!"

She did not want to risk being overheard at first, but the worry was quickly rendered moot in her mind as she thought of what needed to be done.

There was a window of opportunity here. Only a select few Monster Hunters even knew what--specifically--had happened in the library, and that Heike was being held in the dungeon. Unless Moore was planning on sounding another alarm, it would remain that way for a fleeting while; the dawn had yet to break, and many Hunters were still asleep. If she and Eberwolf could just get out of here--toss Moore inside a cell if they could help it--then it was likely that they could both escape cleanly.

And it had to happen. It had to. Sir Eberwolf was talking dangerously--far more dangerously than Kyla had. He was talking about outright war between the Duke he swore fealty to and the Monster Hunters. Under no circumstances could Heike allow that to happen. Even...even if it meant...killing...

Don't think about it yet, Heike. Only if it is unavoidable.

"Eberwolf," she said, slightly louder, now with the concern for quiet judged pointless, "do you have something you can do about these chains? About the stone they're bolted to? I could possibly pull them free if you can damage the walls."

It would cost her blood--a lot of blood--but such an expenditure was absolutely necessary. With Eberwolf's help, she was certain she could pull the chains loose from the walls. Yes, she would have to do it five times, and yes, they would either need to take the key from Moore (if he was still around outside the cell door) or simply deal with the racket five rattling chains would make during their escape.

But they had to try something.

By the Reik crown...Heike never wanted any harm to come to the Monster Hunters. She didn't want any to come to Kyla or Sir Eberwolf. Ill would befall someone--that now seemed assured. The only thing left in question was who.

Her thoughts of her original mission--of finally knowing her enemy--were furthest from the forefront of mind.

Sir Eberwolf Kinniger
 
He hid his surprise of Moore honorless action under a mask of calm. In his heart, fury built, and he spoke with th words of vengeance. “So you have chosen war.”

When Heike asked him about the chains he thought. Then seeing that the chains were forged of iron, not steel, he thought of another solution. “That won’t be necessary. Iron cannot be broken easily through tension, even with the strength of a vampire. But on impact, iron is brittle. Put your back to the wall and keep your arms as close in as possible. I’ll break the chains, I am quite sure that you understand how.”

He pulled out his sword and gripped the blade, for a murder stroke.
 
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So you have chosen war.

The words chilled Heike's spirit. It felt like she was falling inevitably down a steep hillside, grabbing and clawing for anything to stop her and failing at every turn, and down at the bottom of this hillside in the deepest trough of a dark valley lay a terrible choice. One she would have to make, as her Oath of Justice demanded.

But she was not there. Yet.

Sir Eberwolf drew his sword. He'd told her to back up and keep her arms close, but she could only do so to a negligible degree. Both her arms were stretched out far to either side, the chains binding them pulled taut; her range of motion was severely limited until at least one of the chains was broken.

"Do it," she said. All she could sincerely do was simply eye the sword in Eberwolf's grasp and prepare herself.

Sir Eberwolf Kinniger
 
He nodded to her in understanding that she was ready. He swung the sword, gripped by the blade, and struck the links like a pickax against ore. The chains did not break the first swing, nor the second, but the third had an affect though didn’t quite break the link. The fourth swing allowed the chain to snap in two pieces and let her arm free. He moved to the second chain, this time with five swings. Her legs were free in an equally short amount of time. Then he began to think of what they would do about the door.

“Is there anything that we might use as a ram? Or do you believe that we might be able to kick it out?”
 
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Eberwolf broke all five chains in a series of grueling strokes with his weapon. The man had to be tired to some degree, but they weren't done yet: the cell door itself, and Moore beyond, awaited.

Once freed, Heike quickly went to work dressing herself in all of her clothing again, the only exception being the cloth wraps which she pocketed in her overcoat; it would have taken far too much precious time to wrap her forearms again. She debated briefly whether or not to don the simple brown robe again, then decided it needed to be worn to cover the shackles; if they got past Moore, then they could potentially just walk out from the Fortress, provided they didn't suffer the misfortune of chancing across one of the Hunters who'd been present for the library incident.

Is there anything that we might use as a ram?

"Yes," Heike said. "Me. I couldn't pull the chains from the wall, but I couldn't build any momentum for it either."

She still had the iron shackles around her wrists, her ankles, and her waist--minor inconveniences. Easily removable if they could secure the key from Moore. Said securing being the harder part of the task.

And at this, a grim reminder. Heike looked to Eberwolf, clapped a hard hand to an armored bicep, and said adamantly, "Don't kill him." A pause, during which her gaze only solidified further. "Do. Not. Kill him."

She had not wanted any harm to come to the Hunters--Moore included. It was the very reason she had departed from Kyla, a preventative measure against such transpiring. But now that lofty aspiration had slipped cleanly from Heike's grasp. What remained was the measure of how much harm would inevitably be cast upon somebody. As Herr Elias Schulze might have said of this: Your enemy can be defeated. The nature of violence, its inherent ugliness, cannot.

This was all she could do at this juncture in time. Of Eberwolf's talk of war, Heike would address it if and when there came a time more suitable.

Heike broke from the knight then and went to the back wall of the cell. Readied herself to burst forth in a sprint across the cell's small gap of distance. She had to aim herself carefully: not too close to the hinges for leverage, not too close to the deadbolt to allow it the chance to perhaps splinter through the wood of the door instead of the stone of the jamb.

And Heike bolted in a blur of inhuman speed, exerting herself as much as she could, fueling this charge with a great expenditure of afflicted blood within her body. She hit the door hard, shoulder-first. Her bones, hardened by her vampirism, did not break. A snapping instead of the door's wood, a jutting out of broken pieces and splinters as the deadbolt tore halfway through the door's thickness.

One more. One more should do it.

Heike went back to the back wall of the cell and readied for another sprint and before she took off again she just knew this effort was going to leave her thirsty--she could already feel it in her throat. Inhuman strength, speed, reflexes, all these qualities where on offer in great bursts from her affliction...for a price. And that price was all too often the blood of an innocent man or woman. Exactly what Moore had been talking about.

Push it aside. Do this, Heike. Get out of here. For Reikhurst.

Heike sprinted again and crashed into the door and the door burst open as a small spray of wooden splinters and shards tumbled back into the cell and the deadbolt jutted out exposed from the stone jamb. The cell door was flung open wide and slammed loudly as it swung all the way in a crescent motion to hit the outside wall. Heike spilled out into the hallway and had to hold out her hands to stop herself from running into the opposite cell door.

Moore was there. Ten paces down the hall to Heike's left. Alone, and aiming his crossbow with a bolt magically consumed with fire right at her.

He shot.

Heike threw herself down to the floor. The bolt whistled past where her body had once been, obliquely hitting the wall and hissing furiously and leaving a streak of fire across the stone.

Sir Eberwolf Kinniger
 
His arm was seized, and the order given. Though he was in no way obligated to obey or even consider such words, he did so anyway, at least partially. “I won’t kill him if I can avoid it, but if he becomes too much of a threat I will not hesitate. I want you to understand that much. I will try, but I won’t go out of my way.”

Heike struck the door, and seeing what was happening he stood to one side of the door, ready charge in after her. The door was broken, Heike dove, and the bolt whizzed past. Moore.

He charged out, going towards the crossbowman who had loosed a bolt on Heike. It was Moore. With his longsword held at the ready he charged. It was time to get him out of the way. The first strike was to the shoulder.
 
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Moore dropped the crossbow; he wouldn't have time to reload it. Instead he drew his iron broadsword, leaving his targe on his back for much the same reason he had dropped the crossbow. The iron was meant for fighting certain strains of vampires, but it would have to serve here--he had no choice.

Moore parried the strike from Sir Eberwolf. And, his vision blocked by the knight's large frame and his focus squarely on the foe that was imminently in front of him, Moore didn't see Heike going in low.

Heike used a similar tactic against Moore she had also used fighting alongside Szesh at Rennegast's Tower. Where Eberwolf had gone in high and occupied Moore's attention, Heike flowed around her partner and dived for Moore's legs. Caught them in her grasp and drove her shoulder into his waist and brought him down to the floor in a hard tackle.

I'm sorry. I don't want to do this to you.

"Take his weapon!" Heike said as Moore, too close while entangled with her on the floor to slash effectively, bashed her head with the pommel. This while, with his free left hand, clutching for something on his vest.

Eberwolf was a position to do just that, take Moore's weapon.

Or inflict a grievous injury upon him.

Or deliver a killing blow.

Sir Eberwolf Kinniger
 
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