Fate - First Reply Slayers of the Wicked

[Jakub]

"She didn't have a lover, not that we knew of at least. Abigail did have friends, though, a handful that she was especially close with," Mumbled the older man, fiddling with his thumbs as if he felt uncomfortable with the whole situation. He looked at Heike like a rain-soaked puppy. His large eyes gave a clear contrast to his otherwise senior features. No matter how hard the tavern keeper tried to hide it, he couldn't quite conceal his fear. "Abigail did seem a bit fringe for the past few days. I...didn't pay much attention to it. The whole thing didn't strike me as startling. How could've I known that it'd culminate with her death....?" He was on the verge of tears, his wife rushing in to give him a tight hug with as much force as her tiny body could muster.

"There is nothing we could've done," She sighed, exasperated at the whole ordeal. The short woman gripped at the fabric of her dress, holding onto it for dear life. She had more composure than her husband, but not even then could she hide from the dreaded feeling that hung heavy in the air. "I almost forgot. My name is Gertrude. The man beside me is my husband, Albert," She added, absentmindedly introducing herself and her partner. "We've been here for years. I am all but certain that our tavern is older than most current inhabitants of Koninghaven." It was at this point that Albert regained enough strength to stand up. He adjusted his wrinkled, misshapen collar, looking at the corpse with an expression of abhorrence tucked away.

"I think that it'd be best if you sought out one of Abigail's friends. My wife and I can be of little help to your cause. Abigail was our prized worker and a good friend, but we didn't peer into her private life. Therefore there isn't much we can do besides giving you pointers," Albert sneered, face transforming into a light-hearted scowl. "I'll make sure that her body gets laid to rest with all honors. As for you, miss knight," He pointed at her, his hand trembling with righteous anger. "I expect you to kill the bastard who did this, kill it and present its head to us so that we may relish, knowing that the fiend suffered for the transgressions it committed against our kin."

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Jakub snooped around with the intent of finding something, anything that would aid them in their investigation. So far, nothing caught his eye. He found no bloodstains, no teeth marks, no secret entrances, and no foul odors. The occultist wouldn't be discouraged so easily. Something told him that the couple knew more than they were letting them on. Jakub hadn't quite reached the point of using overt violence against civilians to get his way. He'd have to make do with finding indirect clues, for now at least. The only thing about the tavern he found extraordinary was the almost complete lack of mirrors and religious objects.

It wasn't unusual for taverns to have symbols of faith, either belonging to the owners or the guests who resided there. Unlike them, Gobletooth was a spiritual void. Jakub rightfully wondered if the establishment was even sanctified. Even if he swatted it away as a strange coincidence, the absence of mirrors remained as something of a half-witted decision for a building this well built and this ornamented. In light of this, he decided to head downstairs just as Albert was about to finish his little speech. Jakub caught some passing glimpses of the trio's conversation, not paying much attention to it. He was expecting Heike to relay them in private, preferably far away from the prying eyes and ears of the local populace.

Heike Eisen

 

[Heike Eisen]

Heike listened to what the barkeep had to say of Abigail. And, moreover, paid attention to him, and it was clear that this ordeal had him deeply troubled; his grief was but one more stone of evidence upon the mountain of the same, the manifest result of the predations of vampires and other foul creatures. Arethil was, and perhaps had always been, besieged by such blighting forces that left solely ruin in their wake. But for the remaining nine years in which she had to still draw breath, Heike resolved to be the sword wielded against them. So long as women like her and men like Jakub who stood as the hope of the innocent, the defenders of the defenseless.

And so when Albert charged her with slaying the vampire who had taken Abigail's life, Heike's expression was set into serious affirmation. "I will see it done. Abigail will be avenged, and Koninghaven will be freed of the menace benighting it now. You have my word."

With her word, a binding of honor. This duty she now carried, and so would she be encumbered until its righteous fulfillment.

Jakub had come back down into the tavern's main room, so Heike thus closed business with the tavern owners. "Thank you, Albert. Thank you, Gertrude. We shall be off then."

Heike turned. Walked astride Jakub toward the tavern's door to confer with him. "Did you find anything of note?"

Jakub

 

[Jakub]

Jakub rolled his eyes, for he could see through those of his familiar. The huge insectoid currently skulked about, using its clawed feet to hang onto the plafond with methodic grace and wasteless movements. It had well-developed ocular organs, two compound eyes consisting of many smaller but equally precise light-absorbant surfaces. It saw the person below, and so did Jakub. The stranger must've thought themselves clever by hiding in plain sight. Two could play that game, with Jakub having the upper hand. His creation could not only camouflage by virtue of being far smaller than a person, but it also locomoted with an assassin's guille, to the point where an untrained observer would mistake it for an oddly shaped piece of wood.

Jakub's familiar shuffled, the abdominal area pulsating as a long, sharp stinger emerged from its butt end. The biomechanical weapon dripped venom onto the ceiling's wooden planks, creating surface-bound fissures with each globule spent. If the peeper tried anything funny, the vespid would take a nosedive, plunging its acid-coated stabber right into their neck.

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"Nothing so far," muttered the man, inching closer to Heike, grabbing her by the shoulder and physically hauling her away from the elderly pair. He remained silent for the longest time since they had met. Jakub didn't utter a word until he finished heaving Heike around the closely accessible corner. "Someone is observing us from across the room. My familiar spotted them and has locked on. I don't know whether they are a danger or not." The man frowned, his bristled eyebrows corrugating into an expression of indeterminable doubt.

"Do we attack first and ask questions later, or would you prefer that we apprehended the stalker without the use of force?" It was a serious question on Jakub's part. If their pursuer belonged to the ranks of living dead, then he'd have no qualms about killing him or her in a heartbeat.

Heike Eisen

 

[Heike Eisen]

Heike had initially been walking toward the tavern door, unaware and thinking that they were finished with their business in the tavern. But she felt the tug upon her pauldron, the firm guiding of Jakub into a different direction. Heike had to pivot her feet and swing her leg around to keep properly in stride on the turn, but managed it gracefully enough. Away from the door they went and around a corner behind the bar counter, and Jakub spoke to her in confidence, his silence broken with a direct statement that came without preamble.

Someone observing us, he'd said. A slight narrowing of her brow, an instinctual quarter turn of her head back toward the corner before she re-centered her attention back to Jakub.

"How do you--?"

He kept talking, tone laden with dire seriousness, and Heike dismissed the notion that knowing how Jakub knew what he knew was important at this particular moment. He knew it, what he had described was certainly plausible, and thus caution was best advised.

Do we attack first and ask questions later, or would you prefer that we apprehended the stalker without the use of force?

Her answer was immediate, one hand up in a slow down gesture. "Watching someone does not necessarily convey malice, and we'd best not become indiscriminate with the use of force."

Heike, keen as she was on upholding her word and slaughtering these abominable creatures, was concerned as well of not making an enemy of the town itself in the process. The people were distrustful of strangers and newcomers as it was, and on edge now more than ever to be sure. Yet, this also had to be balanced against the sinister wiles of the foe they faced.

Heike's eyes, down and to the left as she thought. Then back up to Jakub. "Does this observer know that they are, in turn, being observed? If not, and if this person is a foe, then perhaps careful watching of our own may yield something valuable."

* * * * *​

His name was Rodin Hemmerlind, and as soon as those two strangers to Koninghaven--Jakub and Heike--went around a corner in the tavern, he calmly stood and left his almost empty drink upon the table and dropped a coin on the bar counter and went to the tavern door and stepped out of the Gobletooth.

Rodin put his hands in his pants pockets.

And, to another low rumble of thunder, he turned right and began to walk down the main road through Koninghaven.

Jakub

 

[Jakub]

"I suppose you have a point," quipped the man, peeking around the corner like an oversized weasel he was. "That said, I doubt they can see us, much less discern that something is observing from a third angle." Throwing a half-hearted gaze at the ceiling, Jakub saw his familiar skittering across it at blinding speed. Despite its impressive display of maneuverability, the oversized insect made no sound as it exited through one of the open windows. It felt as if a thought was forming in the background of Jakub's mind, a silent whisper compelling him to move forward and do something. The occultist couldn't quite discern the situation. Whether it was his all-but-palpable curiosity at play or whether an outside force decided to fiddle with their perusal.

"I can't trace a reek of death emanating from them. Perhaps they are not a vampire themselves, but a willing conspirator," he wondered out loud, not bothering to rein in his wayward thoughts. Jakub, for all his size, wasn't a clumsy man. Seeing that the stranger had exited the tavern, he coiled around the corner like a slick panther. Jakub kept a neutral expression throughout the situation, concomitantly gesticulating for Heike to follow. There was no telling what awaited them or if the person they were about to stalk was a human in the first place. Vampires could be deceiving, and not all of them stank of carcasses. Those that did relied on clever ploys to mask their natural scent with things like perfumes, spices, and even magic.

A part of him wondered if Heike would turn a blind eye if he were to kill a thrall. Jakub had little sympathy for the undead, even less for their willing servants. Something about betraying your entire species while simultaneously siding with a parasitic abomination rubbed him in all the wrong spots. Those were some sad, pathetic excuses for human beings if one could even refer to them as such without feeling a deeply rooted sense of revolt within themselves. Jakub thought them more akin to forlorn cattle, deluded by fantasies of immortality, desperately hoping that their jailers would someday reward them with a blood kiss. All for naught was their woke, for in most cases, they would be drained to the point of death or liquidated in some other fashion once the leeches no longer required their aid. In a way, they had less humanity in them than tools. Even inanimate objects and accessories received more love and affection from the ones using them.

Heike Eisen

 

[Heike Eisen]

A third angle? Heike thought on this for a second, and then the answer came to her: the insect? Last she saw of it it had flown away from Jakub's palm to some indeterminate destination outside--she'd not even seen it come into the tavern. All the better, she supposed, that the thing was stealthy in this context. A useful creature, if repulsive. Jakub's skillset was proving to be as unorthodox as it was effective.

Vampire or conspirator. Two possible options for the identity of this person who seemed to hold more than a passing interest in the both of them. "Should either of those be the case, then their death will be the first step toward Abigail's justice."

In one sense she hoped it to be so, such that they could make tangible progress against the scourge tormenting Koninghaven that much more swiftly.

Jakub went back around the corner, seeing either through his own eyes or the eyes of the spying insect at his command something of interest. Heike looked around the corner herself, and there was one patron now gone. She was about to suggest following loosely behind their watcher, but the beckoning gesture from Jakub beat her to it. She followed, her hand resting on the pommel of her sheathed longsword like a guard holding sentry as she walked.

Out through the tavern door, and into the gloomy weather.

Heike sighed once outside, commenting, "What a day for these clouds to have the sun in full retreat." Their greatest ally, or what would have been for the next few hours anyway, hidden behind the dark curtain of the storm above.

Yet they had to press on, and so they would.

* * * * *​

Rodin--unaware--walked and passed through the town square with its vendor stalls closed early for the day and with the modest town hall at the square's head. He continued further down the main road of Koninghaven and went to the far side of town.

There he came upon a home like all the others.

Knocked on the door.

And, after a moment, the door opened, Rodin entered, and the door was closed after him. Inside he was in the company of another man, and the two set about conversing in hushed tones.

Jakub

 

[Jakub]

Jakub prowled with the proficiency of a wild cat, making sure to stay a fair few meters behind their target at all times. He didn't want to alert the stranger of his presence, much less the fact that they were following him. It seemed all too strange that the star of morning decided to abandon them at the worst possible moment. If the man they were stalking proved a thrall, then the sun's warm rays wouldn't be of much use. But if they were undead, then Heike and Jakub could exceedingly benefit from a home-field advantage. Jakub banished the thought at once, placing all hopes in Heike's supposed swordsmanship and his arcane arts. If they perished at the hands of a pitiful bloodsucker, then so be it.

They reached the building within a moment's notice. It wasn't a notable structure, lacking recognizable decorations or traits that'd make it stand out from other homes in Koninghaven. Jakub couldn't imagine an aristocratic vampire inhabiting a house so mundane and unassuming. Bloodsuckers usually fancied their homes extravagant, sometimes to the point of being tacky, if not outright kitschy. A tiny detail did garner Jakub's attention. It was the windows, a handful of which were barred up with wooden planks, making him wonder why someone would do that. Surely a clever person wouldn't barricade the exits of their own home?

Perhaps they tried to prevent a break-in, but that seemed unlikely, judging by their unlocked front doors. Obviating the sun's radiance from entering was likewise a possibility, one far more sinister and further aligned with vampiric modus operandi.

"I can't send my drone inside. The windows are all boarded up," spoke the occultist, lightly gripping Heike's shoulder. "Think you can go first? You are better armed and protected than me in that plate armor of yours," Jakub added while simultaneously looking at the estate, speaking with Heike without taking his gaze off it, for he feared getting spotted just as much as she did.

Heike Eisen

 

[Heike Eisen]

Heike followed after Jakub, staying close behind--he'd the extra set of eyes upon their observer, knew what they were doing at all times, and was ensuring that they didn't alarm him and thus ruin this opportunity. The house they reached was unremarkable compared to the others of Koninghaven, nothing particularly noteworthy about it from the exterior. The boarded windows were a touch odd, but not wholly unheard of--though they would, circumstantially, enshroud the interior in a certain amount of darkness.

Heike glanced Jakub when he spoke, gripped her shoulder.

Think you can go first?

Heike nodded. Unclipped her helm from the strap on her belt and slid it on and secured it. "I was thinking very much the same thing."

And then she drew her longsword. Not the most ideal weapon for fighting in a cramped, interior location, but she had been trained on how to mitigate this disadvantage: correct stance, half-swording, turning the sword into a primarily thrusting weapon instead of a slashing one. In general she preferred the open battlefield to these extremely close, confined spaces; the violent intimacy in them was uncomfortably frenetic by comparison. This was readily apparent even in her training for fighting within them, that she was to employ and leverage speed, surprise, and violence of action to subdue any foes who waited inside.

Heike approached the door, the wet dirt of the road muffling at least the footsteps of her sabatons. She waited by it for Jakub to get into position behind her. Then, knowing the front door to be unlocked, she reached over. Placed her hand on the door.

Then shoved it open as hard as could. Sword up, advancing into the home in the Inside Right stance, the point of her weapon leading the way, she saw them. Rodin and the other man. The sudden motion and sound of the door had already startled and confused them, so said their faces, and Rodin had flinched so fiercely that he actually stumbled backward and fell onto the floor. The other man backed up until he was against the wall. They were taken by surprise, but that did not mean that they were not still potential threats.

"Display your hands!" Heike shouted, stepping over Rodin and angling the point of her sword down at him. She kept vigilance up on the other man as well with quick flicks of her eyes. "Display your hands!"

The other man had his palms against the wall, glancing back and forth between Heike and Jakub.

Rodin held his hands up in a defensive gesture by his face. "Wait, wait, wait!"

Jakub

 

[Jakub]

Jakub peeked inside like an oversized weasel, coiling around the corner until his torso came into full view. Suddenly he felt a wave of disappointment wash over him. These men weren't vampires. If they were, Heike would already be getting assaulted by a barrage of clawed hands and fanged mount, but the blows never arrived. Instead, he faced a group of covering, skittering men on the brink of fleeing to preserve their lives. It made no sense for these commoners to be following them. They looked far too cowardly for a thrall's job, but Jakub didn't wholly dispose of the idea yet.

"What do we have here?" chided the occultist, scanning the group's table only to find it littered with silver coins and playing cards. "You bunch are gamblers, are you not?" Jakub queried, earning himself a half-dozen nods from the terror-stricken strangers. One of them even went as far as to empty his playing deck onto the floor, dreading that Heike would kill him if he were to answer dishonestly.

"M-Ma'am," sputtered one of the men, tripping over his words while trying to secure some semblance of composure. "We meant no harm, I swear! We were just curious as to what was happening." Jakub winced at the shameful display but nonetheless allowed it to slide, noting that neither he nor Heike were in any danger from these mumbling idiots.

"And why did you not simply ask?" Jakub interjected, leering closer to his trembling victim. "Surely that would've been smarter than trying to stalk an armed knight and a detective?"

Rodin jumped in to defend his friends, piping up with a shaky but stubborn tone of voice. "It is I who followed you, not them. Please spare my friends the hassle. They are guilt-free, sir." Jakub tilted his head from side to side, beckoning for Rodin to continue with his explanation.

"I...didn't want to draw the vampire's attention to myself," Rodin began, shuffling his feet against the creaky wooden floor. The man looked uncomfortable with the topic, yet it didn't stop Jakub from squeezing the information out of him.

"Keep going," demanded the jaded occultist.

"Erm, well. I felt like the leech would pursue me if I knew too much. Come into my home, kill my family, the whole ordeal. They are heartless monsters and all that..."

Heike Eisen

 

[Heike Eisen]

"Heartless monsters that hide well among the populace, and heartless monsters that Jakub and I are pursuing," Heike said with a resigned air--these men were hardly a threat. Simple onlookers, whose curiosity had spilled over into the dangerous territory of making them appear suspicious. Heike relaxed her sword and held it off to her side and offered a hand down to Rodin. Helped him up to his feet. "Surely you understand the cause of this mishap."

Vigorous nods from Rodin. "Yes, surely I do."

Heike glanced out among the other men present in the house, and her hackles were raised by none of them. Ordinary citizens so it would readily seem. Jakub was similarly unconcerned, and that as well was reassuring--he was between the two of them the one more capable of detecting the presence of a vampire through some magical means. It was this man here--whose name unbeknownst to her was Rodin--that could perhaps, perhaps, be of some use to their hunt, given something that he had said. Jakub had already narrowed in on him, and Heike would do the same.

"You said that the leech would pursue you if you 'knew too much,'" Heike said to Rodin. Another quick glance of the interior and of the men (one never quite knew) before returning her gaze back to Rodin and asking, "Is there something that you do know of these assaults upon Koninghaven?"

Jakub

 

[Jakub]

"Very little, ma'am..." Rodin glanced from side to side, his palms sweating profusely. "There are rumors of bat-like creatures abducting people near the abandoned cemetery. But that place is decrepit. Not to mention, it's also a fair few miles outside of Koninghaven." Jakub squinted, unconvinced in the man's hastily fabricated story. It dawned on him that Rodin could be lying to save his own skin. Then again, torturing these men in broad daylight would do no good to Jakub's rep.

"Interesting, is there something more that you'd like to tell us?" chided the blue-eyed man, emphasizing the word 'more.' It was then that Rodin glanced at the wooden planks, feet uncomfortably shuffling as he struggled to find clever words. "Uhm, well, there's a detail that comes to mind." Jakub's brow instantly perked up, and he was all ears, boring a hole within Rodin with his icy, dagger-like gaze. "Go on," Jakub compelled, expecting to find clues within Rodin's awkward exposition.

"The deserted cemetery has a large crypt underneath it. Tunnels span for hundreds of meters underground. Gods know what kind of fiends may dwell within that forgotten place, but if you ask me, it's a perfect hiding spot."

Jakub paused to consider the implications. He turned on his heel, looking Heike dead in the eye. If they were to go, they wouldn't go unprepared. "Does the crypt have a scheme, a map we could use to navigate it?" wondered the occultist, out loud this time, earning himself a concerned gaze from one of the men.

"Yes, but I'd personally not recommend going there. If you are hell-bent on it, the town scribe could issue you the required documents..."

Heike Eisen

 

[Heike Eisen]

Heike met and matched Jakub's gaze. A crypt. It was certainly well within the purview of these vile creatures to inhabit and desecrate such a place, befouling the solemn sanctity therein and the rest of loved ones passed on from Arethil with their despicable presence. The darkness pervading crypts and mausoleums, if nothing else, drew in many foul monsters seeking to escape the wrath of the sun--vampires perhaps chief among them. Fortunate, then, that Jakub had managed through the sheer force of his presence to coerce the man into revealing this; Heike, despite her arms and armaments, knew that she was not so well dispositioned toward intimidation. Still, curious, was it not? That the man would be reluctant to tell them of the crypt in the first place. Though it could amount to no more than the lingering nervousness of Heike and Jakub's sudden and jarring entrance into his house, it was nevertheless irksome to her.

She turned her attention back toward Rodin when Jakub asked him of a map for the crypt. This cemetery and the crypt beneath it: a strong lead, even if they had acquired a host of others to pursue. The questioning of Abigail's friends could wait until after this crypt had been explored.

"Then we will pay the scribe a visit." Heike sheathed her longsword. Glanced to the other men present in the home, and said in general to them, "Carry on."

With that see departed from the home, back outside into the domain of the overcast sky and the fresh smell of recent rain. She took off her helm and secured to the strap on her belt once more. Waited out on the main road for Jakub, wishing to confer with him in confidence away from the ears of those men.

And when he came out she would ask, "Did it bother you that they were not so very forthcoming with the mention of this crypt? If they'd Koninghaven's best interests at heart, why not simply come to us at the tavern and relate it to us there?"

Jakub

 

[Jakub]

Jakub mumbled something into his chin and began to head out, slamming the doors shut upon exit. He placed both hands behind his back, prancing around with a neutral expression obscuring his true intent. It struck him as weird that none of the men attempted to escape. Jakub thought of Rodin, who was clearly fearing for his own well-being far more than the well-being of his so-called friends. It didn't make sense to stay put and get interrogated by two complete strangers. Rodin couldn't fight them, but he could've fled as they were breaking in.

"Of course, it bothered me," chuckled the tall man, walking step-in-step with the female knight. He was significantly broader than Heike, yet that didn't prevent him from throwing a faint grin her way. That tiny smile, with teeth barely showing, betrayed his growing amusement. "Some details about this story aren't adding up. I hope you noticed that." Jakub snorted, unable to contain himself. "The crypt? No self-respecting vampire of the ilk we are looking for would live in some musty, decrepit crypt. They are vain creatures who like leading luxurious lives much the same way mortal nobility does."


He pondered for a moment, dipping into the wayward machinations of his thoughts. Then it hit him like a sack full of brick. "Remember what I've told you about human thralls?" The question was more rhetorical than sincere, and Jakub didn't let Heike answer, expecting that she already knew what was afoot. "There are specific creatures that vampires like to keep as pets. Giant snakes, ghouls, wolves, and n some cases, humongous, flesh-eating bats." Jakub reached into his pocket, retrieving a tiny, silver-lined contraption. Its protective covered popped off, revealing an arcane pocketwatch. The cogs were powered by magic, hence why they gave off such a brilliant green aura.

"Tell me, Heike," piped up her taller, more muscular companion, "what are the chances that we'll run into an entire colony of man-sized bats down there, hm?"

Heike Eisen

 

[Heike Eisen]

Some details about this story aren't adding up.

Heike, admittedly, had not particularly noticed it--all the better that Jakub was alongside her. Her own experience did not lend itself to such a noticing. She had only read and heard about the shadow society of vampires, lurking like some simultaneous twisted mockery and pathetic imitation of civilization. Base, abhorrent creatures pretending at being something possessed of dignity and nobility of spirit. How much she would enjoy rooting out these wretched enclaves, if she could perhaps find them.

But Jakub was right. Based on their earlier assessment of the type of vampire they were most likely dealing with, one not so very monstrous in appearance, the crypt seemed a place reserved only for desperate times to this manner of fiend. However, his further mention of "pets," that was something Heike was familiar with, something she had seen among those of the Slaughtern Vampire Host. Gregory was fine example of such a pet, sequestered away in the dusty confines of the Old Gold Mine in Reikhurst.

Heike glanced down at the pocketwatch, brow narrowing slightly in consideration and fascination; she'd not before seen a thing of its like, save perhaps a much larger device found during the Portal Stone Crisis.

She looked back up. Said, "I would say that the chances of encountering some menagerie of vileness down there would be fair enough indeed. Mayhap the fiends themselves will not be present, but we could force them to confront us by destroying what is valuable to them there."

And a visit to Koninghaven's scribe could do them well in this endeavor.

Jakub

 

[Jakub]

Heike and Jakub arrived at the scribe's building minutes later. It wasn't as big as the previously seen tavern, but the structure was impressive nonetheless, especially for such a small town. Jakub eyed it up and down, expecting to detect human movement inside. When his search proved futile, the raven-haired detective crept closer, using his knuckles to knock on the door frame. He tapped them several times, leaving several seconds behind every bout of knocking. Ultimately, no one came to greet them, so Jakub took it upon himself to enter the establishment. The doors were unlocked, much to his surprise, hence why Jakub had no issues prying them open. He stepped inside with minimal effort, only to see a distressed-looking woman hurriedly making her way downstairs.

She was relatively short, with pale skin, ginger hair, and green eyes. Her face was a face dusted by freckles, creating a colorful contrast with the nearly alabaster hide. She wore a simple, short dress that hugged her curvy body, leaving the top of her ample bosom exposed for everyone to view. Jakub wondered if this female was the scribe, only moments before she cleared his doubts by shouting, "I am so sorry! I was dressing and couldn't answer the doors any quicker." Jakub pinched the bridge of his nose, deadpanning at her clumsiness.

"I hope you didn't wait on me too long," exclaimed the scribe, her face washed over by a goofy smile, "my name is Katherina, a pleasure to meet you." She extended her hand forward, expecting a shake. Jakub indulged Katherina on the matter, grasping her palm a little too firmly. "The pleasure is all our's. I am Jakub, and this," he pointed at Heike, "is my companion, lady knight named Heike." Katherina's eyes suddenly lit up with excitement. It had been ages since she had a pair of intriguing travelers visiting her. These days the most she could get were small business owners, local architects, and lawyers, all of whom were tiny fish atop of being incredibly uninteresting.

"Is that so?" beamed Katherine, earning herself a half-hearted nod from Jakub. The man was having a visibly hard time keeping up with such an energetic creature. "Indeed, we were looking to enlist your help in matters regarding the death of a local woman." It was at that point that Katherine's barely noticeable eyebrows scrunched into a more serious expression.

"Her name was Abigal. I presume you knew the lady in question?" Katherine shook her head at Jakub's question. "Hardly, I've spoken to her once or twice at most. I am still appalled to hear that she's dead. What happened?"

Jakub blinked. It seemed like information didn't spread as quickly as he had expected them. It was all the better for their investigation. They didn't need unwanted attention. "A vampire killed her." As soon as Jakub said it, Katherine's face grew paler, if such a thing was even possible in the first place. "I see," she paused for a moment, unsure as to what she should say, "how could I possibly aid you against such unholy creatures?"

Heike Eisen

 

[Heike Eisen]

The two of them towered over the town scribe when she answered the door. A touch flustered and certainly eccentric, the scribe hardly exuded any malice. Which, concerning the looming uncertainties hanging like a mist over Koninghaven, was a small relief to Heike. Both she and Jakub had yet to touch upon the apparent internal strife plaguing the town, and there was no telling how deep it ran into the community's veins.

"I am pleased to make your acquaintance," Heike said to her once introduced by Jakub.

It was mildly amusing to note, as the conversation went on, that Katherine's general cheer seemed to be grating to some degree against Jakub's demeanor. There had been no shortage of men like him in both the Order of the Golden Blade and within the Reikhurstan Guard, men of a character that spared no time for nonsense--or even what they perceived to be nonsense. It was not a bad thing. Certainly not. These were the men one would well prefer to have at their sides whilst facing down an enemy charge. But Heike, serious yet not to such heights as those, rather did like to see them out of their strict norm and in an unfamiliar, innocent context like with Katherine here.

The cheer, however, was iced over immediately once Jakub shared Abigail's fate with Katherine.

How could I possibly aid you against such unholy creatures?

"There is an abandoned cemetery outside of Koninghaven, under which we have come to be aware of the presence of an old crypt," Heike said. "We have likewise been told that you may have a map of this crypt. Jakub and I intend to search this place, and such a map would be of great help to us. For the sake of Abigail's justice and Koninghaven at large, I hope that we have been informed correctly."

Jakub

 

[Jakub]

"Erm," paused the woman, head hanging low as she stared at her uncomfortable, shuffling feet, "The crypt? Why would you wish to go there of all places?" She wasn't sure what to tell them. The crypts were abandoned for ages now. It had been more than a few decades since anyone stepped a foot within their vacant halls. Why did these two feel brave enough to go? There was no telling what manner of fel beasts awaited Heike and Jakub down there. Katherine's upper lip quivered, betraying her distress. She desperately wanted to turn them away, to tell the pair that she didn't have the papers they needed but couldn't bring herself to do it.

If what Jakub said was true, then more would die if the vampire remained unchecked. "We have reasons to suspect that a bloodsucker, or a group of them, are taking shelter within the confines of the crypt's tunnels." Jakub's words didn't skip a beat when it concerned conveying the situation's true extent. "Before you ask, our source is anonymous and would like to remain as such. Hence why I cannot leak their name to the public." Katherine could do nothing but nod at how quickly things were moving. Moments ago, she was arranging her books. Now she was dealing with a possible incursion of the living dead.

"If you'll excuse me," Katherine piped up, temporarily switching to a more light-hearted topic, "I forgot to offer you refreshments. Would you like tea, coffee, prune juice, or just a glass of water?" Jakub's eyebrow arched at the mention of drinks. Nonetheless, refusing hospitality would be rude, so he graciously accepted Katherine's offer. "I'll stick with sweetened tea. Please use honey as a condiment. Refined sugar is bad for health."

Katherine nodded, a small smile gracing her paper-thin lips. Her mood was quickly uplifted by Jakub's act of courtesy. Whether he intended it as such or not was up for debate. It took Katherine mere moments to return with a large silver tray carrying several teacups alongside a still steaming pot. "You are in luck," exclaimed the ginger woman, setting the platter onto the nearest table, compelling the pair to come and sit down. "I brewed some tea earlier. Much to my surprise, it is still hot. Hopefully, you don't mind your brews strong since I added some aromatic herbs."

Jakub pulled up a chair in the meanwhile, letting his large frame sink into the cushioning comfort of its leathery frame. Observing Katherine, he noted that she was a little hyperactive. Her's was a behavior reminiscent of someone who took recreative drugs. Nothing heavy, but it didn't prevent the male from snorting in amusement. "A bit high, aren't we?" It was more of a rhetorical question than a genuine one. Jakub already knew that Katherine was on something, yet his curious mind desired further confirmation.

It took Katherine a moment to take in the implications of his statement. Suddenly, a rosy blush unfurled across Katherine's face, all the more enhanced by her pale complexion. "I- uh-" she began to stumble over her words, profile steaming from overt embarrassment. "Yes..." she finally admitted, unable to look either Heike or Jakub in the eye, "I've been taking some supplements to help me with my studies. But it is nothing illegal. I swear!"

Heike Eisen

 

[Heike Eisen]

"Yes, tea will be fine," Heike said, feeling a similar sentiment about hospitality as Jakub had. A matter of course, part of good social decorum, and yet the embers of determination to examine this crypt still smoldered.

Good, then, that Katherine already had a pot of tea brewed and ready for serving. Heike entered the home and likewise pulled a chair up to the table. She adjusted her sheathed longsword and then sat down, tiny clatters of her armor as it came to rest. Strong brews, Katherine had said. Mayhap it wasn't too much--powerful tastes, like some potent coffees one could once find imported from Belgrath in Reikhurst, were unpleasant to Heike's tongue.

Heike was pouring herself a small cup of tea when Jakub commented on Katherine's...state of being. His comment all but confirmed in the following moment. And this gave Heike some pause on the cup of steaming tea she held in her hand. Alright...just how strong (and of what manner) were those aromatic herbs Katherine had mentioned? She and Jakub alike had the task of delving into the aforementioned crypt ahead of them.

Heike set her cup down on the table, not yet taking a sip. She did not know the specific laws or decrees of Koninghaven, but even if she did and there was some illegality afoot here, there would be a necessary triage of action to administer: the safety and well-being of all Koninghaven came mightily before sorting out one woman's contraband.

Crossing her arms as she sat, Heike said, "We are not here to fashion a fuss over what you do to augment your studies. There are larger concerns about than your vices. So please, if you would, be calmed."

A small wave of her hand, as if dismissing the matter which had brought on all that embarrassment for their host.

"The map, Katherine."

Jakub

 

[Jakub]

"Right! Give me a moment, please." As Katherine shuffled off to retrieve the necessary document, Jakub cranked his head, curiously observing the nearest shelf. Someone stacked it with hard-covered books from head to bottom, many of which related to herbalism and alchemy. Jakub couldn't help but notice occult signs plastered upon some of the tomes, most of which he recognized as protective sigils. Did Katherine dabble in the occult, or was she merely curious about it? It struck him as strange that such a ditzy person would own so many academic documents. Especially given the fact that quality produced books costed a small fortune each.

"Hmmm," hummed the man, impatiently tabbing his digits against the table's smooth surface. It was easy to notice that something was off when considering the bigger picture. His gut told him so, and Jakub trusted it wholeheartedly. Jakub was about to say something just as Katherine came back, sporting a leather sash which he assumed was where she stored crucial files. She laid the olden thing before them, retrieving a yellowed parchment out of it. The sheet was a little too flaxen, a little too bitten to be something created in recent memory. Even a fool could discern where the mice had taken out its chunks, leaving behind gnarly, chipped edges.

"There you go. I assume the two of you know how to navigate with these things? Because boy, I have no clue what any of the symbols mean." Katherine's voice washed over them like a bird chirp, so full of life, yet frail and without much confidence. Jakub felt inclined to probe into her mind, curious about her peculiar tastes, but ultimately refrained from doing so as it had no impact on the investigation.

"Say, Katherine," unfurled the man's voice, lazier and more relaxed than ever before, as if they weren't dealing with a bloody murder but a bout of Sunday gossip, "how long ago was the crypt constructed?" Katherine blinked, taken back by Jakub's unexpected question. She stared at him for the longest time in an effort to conjure up a correct answer. "Uhm-" stumbled the flame-haired beauty, showcasing her profound confusion, "I am not quite sure. But it has to be over a century old."

"And when was the last time someone stepped a foot in there? By someone, I mean living, breathing people. Vampires and beasts notwithstanding." He leaned further back, letting the chair's cushioning envelop him in its soft embrace. If not for the work that required finishing, Jakub might've fallen asleep then and there.

"Ah, again, I cannot give you a precise number, but it's more than likely a few decades in passing. The place is, from what I've heard, barren."

"How quaint." Jakub finally straightened out, taking a better look at the document. "If what you are saying is true, then we cannot take the crypt's scheme as a gospel." He carefully wrapped his fingers around it, unsure whether the fragile material would crumble in his grip. With a resounding sigh, Jakub's head ebbed from side to side. "It is likely that some parts of it caved in due to lack of maintenance. Previously charted tunnels could be completely sealed by now."

Heike Eisen

 

[Heike Eisen]

The occult signs on the books, had Heike looked as well with Jakub, she would not have recognized. Such things were outside her realm of expertise. The bookshelf, the faint smell of parchment lingering around the aroma of the fresh tea, these were all rather ordinary to expect in a scribe's abode. So when Jakub let out his considering hmmm, Heike glanced sidelong to him, curious as to what he might be on about.

But Katherine came back before long.

Heike leaned forward in her seat, turning her head to better see the map as it was laid out. Familiarity with maps and the conventions of cartographers was part of her education, a crucial skill to land navigation and battle planning. Katherine's lack of understanding was fair, for Heike as well had not seen any of the map's symbols before either, there was no adherence to any aforementioned cartographers' convention, and there was no useful legend to help. Regardless, the layout would be well enough.

Would, depending on the current situation. Jakub raised a good point about the possibly unreliable state of the map, and Heike nodded in agreeance. It was the best they had to go on, but a certain adaptability might well be needed when they were down there.

Another point to bring up:

"We'll need a source of light," Heike said, turning her gaze onto Jakub. "If we must, torches are an option. One that does not lend itself particularly well to my current armaments, but it remains an option. Unless you, Jakub, have some other means by which we might be able to see whilst inside?"

Jakub

 

[Jakub]

Jakub snagged a piece of paper and a pen from the table. He didn't ask for permission, yet Katherine's expression hardly changed. She was ambivalent to his behavior, if not slightly intoxicated by the bearded man's icy eyes. "I could provide you with some torches!" the woman proclaimed, her excitement bubbling over like a boiling stew. Koninghaven wasn't an exciting city, and she seldom found herself entertained by new faces. "Though, it'd be ill-advised. Torches can go out quite easily, in which case you'd be stuck down there, in total darkness..."

Katherine's worried tone reached Jakub's ears, but he was too busy drawing a strange symbol. The male leaned back, conveniently placing himself in a position where neither Heike nor Katherine could see what he was painting. Once finished, he neatly folded the paper four times, placing it in his pocket, far away from the unwanted and prying eyes of other people.

"I have an idea." Jakub raised his hand, finger-wagging as if making an immaterial sign. The air shimmered with otherwordly brilliance, forming a tiny crack suspended mid-air. An uneducated person would've called it a hole in space when in reality, it was more of a breach between the material and the immaterial world. A creature squeezed its way through the crack, revealing a tentacle-clad, translucent body. Its body was no larger than a soccer ball, yet one had to wonder how it squeezed through a fist-sized hole.

Besides the stubby little tentacles, Jakub's familiar had no visible organs, not even a brain. It floated around him, orbiting as its wondrously strange form began emitting powerful light, only stopping once Jakub concluded the demonstration.

"Why bother with a torch when we can bring this," he pointed at the alienesque jellyfish, "with us?"

Heike Eisen

 

[Heike Eisen]

Katherine certainly was enthusiastic. Said enthusiasm in Heike's estimation was leaps and bounds better than the reservation and reticence they had been encountering thus far. She at least was willing to help in whatever manner she could.

Torches were an option. Not the best option, for the reasons outlined by Heike and Katherine alike. But, with the way Jakub had grabbed that paper and had begun sketching upon it, perhaps he did have some other means of illumination. Ah, so long as it wasn't another kind of gargantuan insect.

And it wasn't. It wasn't some sort of etching that gave off light or a spell that would otherwise generate it, but it wasn't an insect. His conjuration magic was something that Heike could scarcely compare to other kinds of magic, and the creature that came forth this time was something Heike...couldn't fathom at first. Her brow furrowed quizzically, mouth open as if in preparation to make a comment but she just stared at the creature for a moment longer. What was that thing? Its body was like frosted glass and seemed bereft of any bones, it floated and had dangling appendages with no hands nor feet. A curious creature, fascinating in its own way.

Heike averted her eyes from the brilliant thing when it shined, briefly and casually shielding her eyes with a hand. She looked to Jakub. "Yes, this creature will serve well. Torches could serve as a reserve source of light, their fire mayhap a potent weapon as well."

Then, in a bout of inquiring thought, and genuinely curious about the strangeness of it all, the jellyfish and the insect and the magic which had brought them forth, she asked him, "From where do these creatures that you summon come? What are they? If such a thing you would not mind to tell?"

Jakub

 

[Jakub]

Jakub pressed his hand against the thing, feeling its soft, jelly-like consistency. Despite lacking a developed nervous system, the creature instinctively pushed itself against Jakub's palm as if asking for affection from the male. Jakub tilted his head sideways, relenting to the desires of a much smaller entity.

"A curious question indeed." Jakub stood up, straightening himself out in an effort to relieve the unsightly wrinkles plaguing the surface of his expensive dress shirt. He gazed at Heike with a foxy expression, his faint smile barely betraying him. It was the corners of Jakub's lips that gave him off, lazily curling like a teacher's question mark. "My magic, especially conjuring one, operates on a set of laws and mechanics that have a no-small amount of complexity attached to them." Jakub caught Katherine peeking at the creature as she extended her limb towards it, much like a curious child would.

"I can try and dumb it down a little to keep things short. Time is of the essence after all." Jakub showed Heike his barren palm, entirely devoid of arcane writings or magical objects. He made sure to emphasize it. Then, through sheer concentration, he conjured up a 2D sigil in the shape of an eye, allowing it to float inches above his bare skin. Much like the jellyfish, it irradiated the room around them with a purple hue.

"This is a conjuring rune," the man spoke, his faint smile morphing into a bemused pout. "An insignificant looking thing for sure, but quite powerful. It allows me to draw upon an array of colorful familiars from worlds that lie beyond our physical understanding cosmos." He allowed the rune to float off and be absorbed by the air-bound jellyfish, only for its body to gain in size, nearly doubling in proportions due to the otherwordly energies which engorged it.

"As you might imagine, these other worlds operate on different laws, hence why their denizens appear so alien to us. Furthermore, this magic should not be undertaken lightly, for its toll on the psyche of mortalkind is not pleasant."

Heike Eisen

 

[Heike Eisen]

Despite her curiosity, topics of a certain esoteric nature were difficult for Heike to follow with real astuteness. This, naturally, stemming from her coming from a culture that was generally apprehensive of--if not outright suspicious of--magic in general. Still, while Jakub's methods were strange to her, he was her ally in this endeavor, had shown a level of righteous commitment to this cause, and she resolved to be open-minded.

The concept of other worlds was both alien and familiar at the same time. Familiar, of course, because were not the promised fates of those true believers in Celestialism, in the Annunaki Pantheon, in Jura, that of being shepherded off in their afterlife to another world, divine in character, that was something essentially separate from Arethil? But of course, this had to do with death, with souls, with the hereafter. Other worlds like Arethil? Worlds of physical things, worlds that had their own dirt, sky, and seas? Worlds from which things like...whatever the proper name for the luminous creature floating about Jakub's hand happened to be...lived out their lives too? It was a bit much. Heike had so much to concern herself with here, her feet so firmly planted in the familiarity of Arethil that she bothered only to spare a thought for the unfamiliar when, say, demons came calling. Or, in this case, when she met an occultist who could summon fantastical creatures like this one now.

After a moment to let it all sink in, Heike placed her hands on her knees and smiled politely and said, "I will say that you, certainly, are more accustomed to this field of knowledge than I could ever be."

His final comment concerning the "toll on the psyche of mortalkind" was troubling, however.

"So long as your control over these beings is firm enough to prevent any such toll from being paid by those around you, then there will be no objection from me."

Cognizant of the time, Heike rose from her seat, her armor clattering quietly from the graceful movement. "Thank you for your assistance and your hospitality, Katherine. Mayhap, Jakub and I will return with naught but good news from this crypt."

And she nodded then to Jakub.

Jakub

 

[Jakub]

Once outside, Jakub spun on his heel to face Heike. His was a neutral expression, with arms neatly folded behind the back. The stygian-haired male stared at her for the longest time without as much as uttering a word. "I hope that my arcane proficiency doesn't discourage you, Heike," came the voice of a man who was neither honest nor dishonest. A flat, nearly emotionless tone devoid of any subtlety or intrigue. "You strike me as a religious woman, one who believes in the afterlife and the existence of an immortal soul." Heike's nature as a genuine follower of the faith seemed all but assured, yet something about her demeanor made him raise an eyebrow.

Like a worm of doubt, Jakub's magic penetrated into her, and with his own eyes, he saw the faltering within the woman's soul. A most delicious sight, one telling volumes of who she really was. "Peg me as suspicious, but was that fear, concern, or amazement that flashed in your eyes?" Jakub took a step forward, his icy gaze locked onto Heike like a homing missile. For a split second, one could have mistaken Jakub's eyes for those of a snake. Eyes most curious, sharp, and in no small amount alienating. He didn't budge from the spot, impatiently tapping his foot against the grey cobblestone below. Jakub wanted to know the answer, even if he had to wait a hundred years for it.

"Isn't it ironic? The majority of the gods worshiped by mortal races have attributes of their followers attached to them; emotions such as greed, love, malice, lust, wrath, and so on." His brow fell as if disappointed by the implications. Jakub's face softened like wet clay. A combination of disinterest and pity washed over it. "How can one be called a god when they are still susceptible to mortal creeds?" He kicked a stray stone out of the path, turning his back to Heike before forming some much-needed distance between the two of them. "Is godhood merely a title to which nothing but power has value?"

Heike Eisen