Private Tales Secrets in the Shadows

[Lana Alaric Vladimir]

They say that death is the final stage of life, that when you die your soul lives the realm of earth and travels to a far better realm... maybe a realm like heaven or even a realm like a hell. Your body sleeps endlessly as the rot and decay settle in, while your soul and mind live through a final dream but that's only true for the mortals who are lucky enough to die on the battlefield or from the time limit mortality gives a mortal, but what happens when that time glasses of mortality is shattered into pieces. What happens when some mortals are reborn as a creature of darkness incarnate? what happens then? No mortal knows for sure but an immortal... well that a different lens to look through. As you look through those lenses you will come upon a blood moon... don't forget this blood moon for it is important, so hold it in the back of your mind for you never know when you might see it again. From the view of the blood moon, the shadows will continue over a graveyard which in the middle of this large graveyard sit a fortress... a fortress in which seems to be holding something, not wanting it to escape. Then there's the door, a door decorated with skulls and a sign that forbids any soul to go through the door. ​

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The shadow which saw the view of the blood moon and the endless resting places of mortal souls, stop at the door and begins to transform into a figure. Not a figure of a woman but a figure of a man. "Over a decade ago, under this very blood moon, a promise was made. A promise that darkness would spread across the countryside, and throughout the city possible unsettling the balance of nature itself. Well Its time that the prophecy is filled, that my blood oath which stains my body and tattooed on my neck is filled and broken. With the rest of my powers... my dying fate, I release one of the grandest immortal to walk this earth... I release my sire and the darkness that she will bring." said the figure with the male tone voice. He raised his boney grey fingers to the door and then his other hand to the moon... then he waited. Deep within the fortress of a dark tomb, thuds, and rattling of chains could be heard. The view would float to a very beautiful designed coffin wrapped in chains of light the rattle would come again and again, and the thuds would get louder and louder until the chains of light began to dampen and break. Finally, the moment had arrived and the top of the coffin busted open, and from the smoke of the debris, came the figurine of a woman. Her eyes glowed with hunger and the veins beneath ran black, her fangs bare with deadly hunger. Here stood a very hunger hunter, or rather what people use to call her "The Night Huntress". ​

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Look around before letting her hues glance over to a mirror which revealed her very bare body, to this she grinned as she was finally free from the bondage of her entrapment. Without another moment to waste, she dissolved into the shadows only to bust through the front door of the dead fortress and reappear in front of her savior. "my sire... I finally free you..." but before he could get another word, the woman gripped his neck and let a low growl push forward. with hesitation, she dined, and once finished she held up the head of her feast in the moonlight. "you have served me well..." she spoke before dropping the head and rushing to find more people who would fill her hunger. The only other thing she could remember that night was a feast on an ambush of soldiers and almost feed on what seemed to be their captain but ended up infecting him with her fangs, so that he could be born anew. What was the point of it? Was there something special about the mortal who she didn't feed on? or was he just another pawn in her cruel game? ​

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She had kept near the mortal she had turned and watched him lose everything that was good in his life but never did she once reveals herself to him until the day of his burial. There she sat looking at the coffin, waiting for her little pawn to wake up. This soldier who thought he had left the life of war behind was in for a treat, for war existed in the immortal world just as much as war existed in the mortal world. But was this solder who the Night Huntress had recruited ready for such games of immortal war? ​

 

[Captain Wark]

The weeks preceding his death were unique.
That fateful patrol that ended his career as an Elbion city guard.
He and his men were tasked with a special commission to follow up on a lead having to do with an alleged cult that were allegedly out in the woods performing dark rituals.
The mission was to simply break up the meeting, arrest the group in question, and bring them back to be dealt with by the College authorities. Things of a magical nature were generally the jurisdiction of the College so as to avoid witch trials and unjust prosecution for innocent magical practices.

This was practically routine for Captain's precinct. Students often stole books from the college and left the city limits to practice unsupervised, the city guard simply rounded them up and sent them back to face their teachers and the Maesters. Farmers and hunters would tip off the guard whenever they saw robed groups sneaking around the woods and they would handle it. The same had happened on this night, a runner from one of the rural homesteads informed them and that's what brought them into the woods unwittingly approaching the resurrection of an ancient vampire and already being far too late to prevent anything from happening.

Nobody got a good look at the monster, it moved too fast and the darkness shielded it from clear sight. A blink, a flittering of movement out of the corner of his eye, and another one of his guardsmen were either missing or clutching their bleeding throat.
Even taking control of the situation and ordering his men into formation couldn't save them...
They found Captain the next day, unconscious and wounded in the forest amid his slaughtered comrades.

The college was summarily informed of the incident and Captain was given leave of duty for a few weeks to recover... During those few weeks his life crumbled around him. It was as if he wasn't himself, like the grief of losing so many of his friends and subordinates brought the horrors of war back to the forefront of his mind and his semi-peaceful life was over. He drove everyone away for reasons not even he understood, the woman he thought he would marry he practically cut from his life... It was an unconscious knowledge, something his body instinctively knew that he couldn't comprehend... He was dying from the bite of that creature.

His death was a surprise to everyone. During his time of grief he never turned to drink or other vices to drown his sorrow, people admired his immense discipline and his death was cause for many of his former colleagues to suspect foul play. Naturally there was no evidence or clues and nothing could be discovered by returning to the clearing where he and his men were attacked, no evidence to suggest who or what did it.

Captain's funeral, in spite of his attempts at cutting ties, had full attendance. Friends, colleagues, former war comrades, grateful clients and even a few extended family members all came to say their goodbyes.
He was buried with full honors.
He was buried... And after three days in the grave he awoke to darkness... He was dead but he gasped for air anyways, trying to fill his lungs but no air was left, panic took him as he desperately looked for a way out... But there was something else too that he felt... Hunger... Gut tearing, soul wrenching, chest beating hunger!

He was surrounded by wood, he beat, tore and clawed his way through the wood. Dirt was next, he dug through six feet of soil until finally one hand erupted from the ground, then a head and shoulders.
Captain Wark, Captain of the Elbion Guard and Veteran of war, killed in the line of duty... Arose again, a Vampire... Immediately he took in the fresh fog ladden air, filling his lungs with the sweet nectar that he no longer needed... But then upon looking about he saw her... The beautiful woman that waited for him.

He let the air calm him as he brushed dirt from his face and hair. He was dressed in his officers uniform, now dirty and torn from his subterranean escape. He looked at the woman and put out his hands to show he's not armed, "Miss... I mean you no harm... I'm not sure what happened, but as you can see, I'm not dead..."
He didn't recognize her, nor did he comprehend what she was or what had happened to him.

 

[Lana Alaric Vladimir]

"Oh I know you're not dead but your heart isn't at the rate of a normal mortal... so you aren't really alive either. Have no fear Solider... you could even harm me if you tried, after all, you are still running on low fuels. You feel it don't you? the hunger for something more than your average human food... blood perhaps." spoke the woman at last as she sized him up. "names... Lana... Lana Alaric Vladimir. you probably heard of me in your history books or haven't. I don't know if your a hunter because hunters were the very people who locked me up but I'm back now and you're going to help me. I promise you, the world of vampires is more than you think and the hunters... they aren't the savior's mortals perceived them to be." Lana said as she knew she was dumping loads of information onto the new turned but would help him understand it with time. ​

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"I've watched the rest of your pathetic mortal life slip away into the darkness and now that you have finally reawoken there is no turning back. You can thank me later for giving you a new purpose but right now we should probably get you somewhere safe for when the sun comes up, only one of us will be a pile of ashes and my ring assures that it won't be me." Lana said as she turned away from the soldier and let him have a few moments to process what she was saying. Seeing a newly turned reminded her of when she first became a vampire. It was scary at first because what person wants to be told they will be living in the darkness forever, not going to heaven or one of the seven hells but yet staying in a hellish darkness trapped on earth. ​

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It was until darkness consumed her heart and feeding became cold blood murder did she enjoy her life. So many vampires want to be good, to be a force of light even though they were reborn in darkness but none of them have had the taste of luring death as lana had. It was what set her apart from most. She did turn a lot of people but was respected by many vampires because she would hunt vampires and humans alike. No matter who or what they were, the beast inside Lana didn't care. If it could be conquered then it would be conquered by her hand, and if it could be killed, she would kill it. Lana would be called a noble hero but one of those heroes of the darkness, always one threat away from being called a villain. She didn't help people because of their benefits or because it was kind. No, Lana helped people because she could do whatever she wanted and there was power in having the abilities she had. ​

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"So are you coming or are you going to wait for the sun to come up?" Lana question as she turned slowly back to the soldier who had finally risen from the dead. She had a good feeling about her choice, he might not be strong yet but once he steps into his untamed powers... he might even be more powerful than her but she still could find a way to conquer even the most powerful. ​

 

[Captain Wark]

"Oh I know you're not dead but your heart isn't at the rate of a normal mortal... so you aren't really alive either. Have no fear Solider... you could even harm me if you tried, after all, you are still running on low fuels. You feel it don't you? the hunger for something more than your average human food... blood perhaps."

He blinked at her in surprise, he was taken aback by her words. Not really alive? Blood? Why on earth would he want to drink blood... But why did the thought of it appeal to him so much?

"names... Lana... Lana Alaric Vladimir. you probably heard of me in your history books or haven't. I don't know if your a hunter because hunters were the very people who locked me up but I'm back now and you're going to help me. I promise you, the world of vampires is more than you think and the hunters... they aren't the savior's mortals perceived them to be."

Indeed it was all too much too fast. Hunters? vampires? He knew of such creatures and such organizations dedicated to destroying them... But she was saying he was a Vampire?!

"I've watched the rest of your pathetic mortal life slip away into the darkness and now that you have finally reawoken there is no turning back. You can thank me later for giving you a new purpose but right now we should probably get you somewhere safe for when the sun comes up, only one of us will be a pile of ashes and my ring assures that it won't be me."

He was still trying to process everything, again it was too much too fast, he couldn't keep up.
"Wait wait! You're the one who attacked me? You're a Vampire?!"
He squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his temples as his head began hurting.
"You... You slaughtered my men?!"
He opened his eyes, the irises glowing red and his fangs extended in his anger.
He angrily stepped towards her as she turned her back to him.
"You killed good men that night... You killed me! In the name of everything holy I swear I'll kill you!"
He broke into a charge, lunging at her.

 

[Lana Alaric Vladimir]

Before anything more serious and maybe even fatal could happen, Lana moved with impeccable speed wrapping her fingers around the new turn's throat. Her fangs came out and her eyes became more deadly. "Yes... of course, I killed you, and your men... I was hungry what else was I suppose to snack on. I mean I killed another vampire before I attacked your group but that a subject for later." Land squeezed tighter. "now I would hate to rip out your throat because you did something stupid, I'm going to let you go... and you can stay here and grieve over your old life or you can stop being a child and grow up. Yes, your dead but now you are something better than you were before. I give you my word that I won't harm you any further than I already have but if you force my hand... I will kill you." Lana said as she pulled his face closer and let her cold glare tell the rest of her threat.​

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She then sighed and dropped the lad as she wiped her hands on the midsection of her dress. "I will give you more answers to your question once we get back to town but after I have answered all that needs to be answered then it's my turn to ask the question. I have been gone for more than a century and now that I'm back I need someone to be my eyes.... you will be just like that. Fail me and I will rip the handsomely shaped head off your body." Spoke Lana as she softly cocked her head to the side. Her sense was alarming her as felt a swift cut in the air flowed towards her direction. She lifted her hand with speed and caught an arrow in midair... she dropped it. "hunters and pathetic ones at that..." She said as she sped off only to return with a living heart in her hand and blood stained all over her dress. ​

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"not the greatest look but I have a feeling more hunters are on their way.... It's now or never. Die here alone, thinking of a new life... no new purpose that you could have had or come with me and make your final destiny a reality." Lana said getting more serious now as she knew that, where there was one hunter there would be a band more to follow. Mortals really thought they could keep her out of the world and now she was back to finish a hunters organization the only way she knew how. dark and gory bloodshed. ​

 

[Captain Wark]

Captain didn't account for a strength and speed that far surpassed her physical appearance. She checked his charge and rebounded all of his full weight and momentum with just one hand on his throat. He wasn't about to simply give up though, she was easily within his reach now, his longer arms still have him an advantage, but as soon as he purpose himself to strike her... his body refused to respond... He raised his fist to punch her but he simply couldn't make it move to strike her... That's when despair filled his heart. Her grip was like a bear trap just shy of causing injury, and now all he could do was simply wait for her to end it all... Again...

"Yes... of course, I killed you, and your men... I was hungry what else was I suppose to snack on. I mean I killed another vampire before I attacked your group but that a subject for later." Her hand squeezed tighter. "now I would hate to rip out your throat because you did something stupid, I'm going to let you go... and you can stay here and grieve over your old life or you can stop being a child and grow up. Yes, your dead but now you are something better than you were before. I give you my word that I won't harm you any further than I already have but if you force my hand... I will kill you."

He gasped when she released him, but again for some reason trying to remember to breath was becoming a chore. He was surprised that her hand his throat didn't choke him or do anything but present a physical threat to his flesh, asphyxiation didn't seem to work on him.
The pain, however, was quite present and real.
He massaged his neck but he never stopped glaring daggers at her, it was plainly obvious that she was superior to him in every way, he couldn't possibly kill her even if he were able to fight her... Something kept him from attacking this Vampire that turned him...

"I will give you more answers to your questions once we get back to town, but after I have answered all that needs to be answered then it's my turn to ask the questions. I have been gone for more than a century and now that I'm back I need someone to be my eyes.... you will be just like that. Fail me and I will rip the handsomely shaped head off your body."

The blood cravings stirred when she mentioned the town, the place where people resided and people had blood... People who knew him.
She mentioned ripping his head off and he believed it... But that wasn't the reason he felt the need comply and give her his obedience... He felt like he physically couldn't say no.

"hunters and pathetic ones at that..." She said as she sped off only to return with a living heart in her hand and blood stained all over her dress. "not the greatest look but I have a feeling more hunters are on their way.... It's now or never. Die here alone, thinking of a new life... no new purpose that you could have had or come with me and make your final destiny a reality."

He could smell the blood as she slaughtered a human not far away after her impressive reflexes caught the arrow. The blood on her dress was so tempting, so inviting... He shook his head and looked away from her and the blood that made his own boil.
"Alright... I get it... You call the shots or I'm dead again."
He couldn't look at her, now he glared and was angry at himself for allowing this to happen.
He brushed some grave dirt off his uniform jacket and prepared to go with her.

 

[Lana Alaric Vladimir]

"Alright... I get it... You call the shots or I'm dead again."

"Awww... come on it will be fun. I'm sorry for attacking you... but I don't like to be disrespected. I will respect you, and serve you as you serve me. First lesson... Feeding. I left a huntress for dead because I wanted the others to get the message. I sense that she is still alive and slowly dying but still has a good amount of strength for you to feed. Follow me, after I'm done teaching you. You will be strong." Lana said as she helped him up. "you're a vampire now, your not dead... you are just beginning to live."​

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Lana's eyes shimmered for a little but darken back into reality. She turned and led the new vampire toward his first meal and once she got there she picked her up the mortal and held the huntress by her throat. Blood seeped out and the huntress's eyes looked weak. "and they call her a huntress, nothing compare to me. Anyways, come here newly turned... it time to take your first kill." Lana said her voice in a little bit of mockery. "now I'm going to hand her over. Treat her gently. you're going to want to take your time because you are new at this but once you get the hang of it... you be feeding yourself and no time. your sense are probably very sensitive right now, so this will make it really easy to find the vein on the neckline. once you find that vein, slowly bring your fangs to the vein and then pierce the vein. that should be enough instruction to start with. I will help you through it." Lana instructed as she pushed the weakened huntress into the soldier's arm. ​

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"oh and don't forget to move the hair aside. you don't want to taste hair." Lana said with a bit of laughter. She looked up into the sky, it was still a bit dark but probably wouldn't last long. "go ahead, your the one bitting, she won't bite you." ​

 

[Captain Wark]

"Awww... come on it will be fun. I'm sorry for attacking you... but I don't like to be disrespected. I will respect you, and serve you as you serve me. First lesson... Feeding. I left a huntress for dead because I wanted the others to get the message. I sense that she is still alive and slowly dying but still has a good amount of strength for you to feed. Follow me, after I'm done teaching you. You will be strong." Lana said as she helped him up. "you're a vampire now, your not dead... you are just beginning to live."

He shakily went with her, following that delectable scent, listening to that slowing heartbeat...

"and they call her a huntress, nothing compare to me. Anyways, come here newly turned... it time to take your first kill."

The Vampire held the dying woman by her throat. Her life force was pumping out of her slowly, it was the most delicious scent that he'd ever smelled.

"now I'm going to hand her over. Treat her gently. you're going to want to take your time because you are new at this but once you get the hang of it... you be feeding yourself and no time. your sense are probably very sensitive right now, so this will make it really easy to find the vein on the neckline. once you find that vein, slowly bring your fangs to the vein and then pierce the vein. that should be enough instruction to start with. I will help you through it." Lanana instructed as she pushed the weakened huntress into the soldier's arm. "oh and don't forget to move the hair aside. you don't want to taste hair." Lana said with a bit of laughter. She looked up into the sky, it was still a bit dark but probably wouldn't last long. "go ahead, your the one bitting, she won't bite you."

Suddenly the huntress was in his arms. His stomach wrenched as the pain of hunger stabbed him like a knife in the gut. He held her in his arms, her head turned to the side as she began to go limp... Blood oozed from her wound and she smelled so good.
He knelt on the ground and moved her hair to the side as instructed.

He stared at her neck, her slow pulse struggled to pump blood through her veins and he could smell it, hear it, actually see it pumping beneath her skin... All he had to do was bite her to free the blood from its unjust imprisonment...

He leaned down towards her neck, his fangs glittering in the darkness and his blood red eyes flashing with desire and bloodlust...
But he stopped, clenched his teeth together, and laid the huntress in the grass. Finally she took one final breath and died. Captain closed her eyes for her and placed her arms across her chest as if she were sleeping peacefully...

He was in absolute agony, every fiber of his new undeath wanted blood, craved it in the worst way possible, it was like he was already addicted without ever having tasted it and knew he was going through a withdrawal.
Teeth still clenched and body and mind locked in desperate combat, he turned to the Vampire that brought him back from the dead.

"I won't... Drink... I don't know who you are... But I'm not a monster.... I won't drink..."