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Heike Eisen

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The woman lay dead in the road amidst the downpour. Her flesh was shriveled, pale, body drained and face left frozen in a horrific visage of fear. There were two fang marks in her neck, and a river of blood left to run out upon the hardpacked dirt and the splashing rain.

Herr Heike Eisen stared down at this corpse with a hard regarding. And her plated hand lifted up to the hilt of the longsword sheathed on her belt.

There was but one answer to this: find the vampire responsible and slay the fiend.

* * * * *​

Heike Eisen was a woman weighted down with a surplus of duty and always a shortness of time. Her task was immense, for it was nothing less than the restoration of an entire Kingdom from ruin, of a city from hostile occupation, and of a whole people delivered from their suffering. All of Reikhurst depended upon her, and she'd many endeavors in which to engage to build up a force capable of retaking Reikhurst itself from the clutches of the Slaughtern Vampire Host and the False King who led them.

But, first and foremost, she was a knight. This fact amplified now that she had cast off her own affliction of vampirism and regained her humanity. A Knight of the Golden Blade and an honorary Templar of the Night Watchmen, and both of these absolutely disdained vampires and would be called upon by their honor to rid Arethil of these creatures wherever they were so found. As it would be upon this very road.

Heike had been traveling through the Allir Reach upon one of the very endeavors her grand task called for: finding Herr Elias Schulze, one of her former knight-superiors, and as well other surviving Knights. In her easterly direction of travel the clouds overhead had graduated into dark gray, rolling thunderheads, lightning was visible in the distance beyond the trees, and the smell of fresh rain drifted her way before it begun to fall. Then the afternoon storm was upon her, the darkness of the clouds blotting out the sun and casting something of a dim, early evening over the land, and the rain came down in earnest. It plinked in relentless fashion onto her armor, onto the branches of the pines and conifers along the path and this along with the light wind causing them to sway. She rode her stallion onward.

Then she had come to the "T" intersection in the road, the eastern path continuing on, the southern path heading to a nearby town named Koninghaven. And there in the center of the intersection was the dead woman.

* * * * *​

Heike had dismounted. Had walked close to examine the dead woman and it was then that she stared down at the body and had placed her hand upon her longsword. Heike was a busy woman, yes, but her honor demanded that she bring justice to the woman's murderer, the creature who could walk under the dark stormclouds without fear of the sun. And, moreover, Heike had a personal stake in this. A vendetta, as unbecoming as that was. Not since the town of Gorinsbin had she been able to hunt and kill a vampire. The Battle for Reikhurst was so distant in the future, and this here, the unanswered murder of this woman, was now. Heike loathed these creatures for what they had done to her and to her home, and she yearned to exact retribution by the edge of her blade.

It was then she would notice movement, and would look up.

She was not alone on the road. Someone was coming down the east-west road toward her.
 
The one approaching was a man, tall and of relatively pale complexion. A dark haired, broad fella with wide shoulders and a medium-sized beard trotting down the street. He didn't appear threatening, but his dress code spoke of a certain level of upbringing. The stranger was no street thug or a pick-pocketter looking to prey on Heike. He had an air of thoughtfulness to him, amplified only by his height and unorthodox clothing style. It was none other than Jakub Corvinus, a relatively well known occultist and an "amateur" scientist in the field of supernatural.


Jakub came here with the notion of tracking down a possible vampire infestation. It wasn't his job to kill them, but getting his hands on a few living specimens wouldn't be too bad. He could experiment on them to his heart's content. Being the severely understudied disease that it was, vampirism could have certainly used some further exploration. Having live test subjects could prove quite advantageous in that endeavor.


Jakub noticed Heike before vice versa happened, courtesy of her temporary distraction with a dead body. Jakub saw it even from far away, but wouldn't pay it much mind until having a chance to inspect it up close. Jakub got a little closer, offering a friendly wave in an effort not to scar Heike. "Hello there." The towering man was within her earshot now, greeting Heike in an oddly formal tone of voice. "Would you happen to be Heike Eisen? Hopefully i haven't mistaken you for someone else, miss."

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A man. Traveler of some sort, so Heike reckoned upon initially seeing his approach. He did not appear to have any weapons, and with his hands clearly visible did not appear to be reaching for any if he did, and such helped set Heike's mind at ease. Some. She knew far too well that many strains of vampires did not need weapons, and some were very passing as ordinary humans or other kinds of people. And as it was, this woman's killer was still at large.

He drew closer. Waved as he did. Now that he was within speaking distance over the rain, his height was considerable, more akin to that of an orc or majestic elf than a man.

And the man greeted her. He knew her name, which came as something of a shock. She certainly would not have expected it, yet it was not entirely out of the question that he might. From Captain Bronmarch of the Allirian Guard to Tzuriel Alanthis of the Alanthis Trade and Co. to the remaining few Templar of the Night Watchmen Chapter, Heike had a number of friends who may have shared her name. She also had a certain number of enemies, even setting aside the False King--she had been a vigilante and a vampire before, as it happened.

Heike with a plated thumb brushed some of her wet hair away from her forehead. Friend or foe, her Oath of Truth demanded that she answer the question forthrightly. She said, "You would not be mistaken. I am Heike Eisen."

Before even asking the traveler's name in kind, the pertinent needed to be addressed.

"I have only just come upon this woman, and long dead was she before my arrival. What business you have with me I shall hear, but know that I must attend to this matter first and foremost."

The rain continued to fall and a low rumble of thunder rolled across the sky.

Jakub
 
"In that case, it is a pleasure to meet you, miss Heike." The taller man inquired, giving her a genuine, if not slightly excited, smile. "I am Jakub, Jakub Corvinus." Pacing towards her, he whipped up a makeshift umbrella, spreading it above his head for protection. Getting unnecessarily wet wasn't on his list of priorities; not currently, at least. "It is obvious that you are a little tense, but what I have to say might interest you." Jakub pointed at the corpse laid just ahead, his eyes squinting at the sight of it. "Concerning the body you've found."


"I am aware that you are looking for a vampire." Reaching into his pocket, he retrieved a piece of paper that looked like a letter. The edges were a little chipped, indicating its advanced age. "I've been summoned by the local authorities; concerning not only a single vampire but the possibility of early stages of an infestation." He looked at the paper, then back at her with a brilliant glint in his eyes. "They didn't tell me that I would have company, but it is a welcome one nonetheless." Jakub rolled up the old piece of parchment before sticking it into his coat. Something about the way he moved spoke of professionalism but also a healthy dose of morbid curiosity.


"I am sure that you are confused as to what I'm supposed to be doing here, so let me clear that up." Jakub scratched himself behind the air, culling an uncomfortable itch. The lady before him appeared a little tense, strangely blunt, and possibly a little vindictive. "My profession is that of an occult researcher. You could use my expertise in that field." He craned his head by a few centimeters to take a better look at her weapon. A nice sword she was sporting, it could be put to good use. "Likewise, there's bound to be some killing involved. So I thought, why don't we work together? You can kill the leeches and I can figure out how to keep this town uninfected."

Heike Eisen
 
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Concerning the body. And, indeed, Jakub went on to elaborate his purpose in so being here out in the dreary and adverse weather. At the idea that this was perhaps more than the work of a single vampire, Heike craned her head with a keen interest. One vampire was bad enough, but an infestation of them? Allowing these leeches to congregate, for evil to coalesce and grow stronger, was a deadly mistake, and this nearby community--Koninghaven, so said the sign at the intersection of the east and south road--was right to take action as soon as they were able. And by the way this man Jakub Corvinus carried himself, they had secured the right man for the task.

They didn't tell me that I would have company, but it is a welcome one nonetheless.

"I did not expect to happen upon such a grisly sight. Yet, I am glad that my arrival was timely, such that we might aid one another in this endeavor."

There was more to Jakub's being here, and quite possibly the reason he had been called upon by the authorities of Koninghaven to remedy this menace. He was an occult researcher. Perhaps there were other knights, certainly other Templar, who would balk at that choice of profession, but Heike was receptive. To defeat one's enemies, one had to know them first, and that is exactly what Jakub specialized in. Good fortune, seeing as they did not yet know the strain of vampirism that they were dealing with.

She nodded briskly at the suggestion that they work together.

"Yes, I do very much agree, and I would be delighted to have your accompaniment. These fiends, wherever they may be hiding, must be slain, and slain they shall be."

Jakub, evidenced by the letter he had produced from pocket earlier, was more appraised of the situation than Heike, so she had in her mind a collection of questions that she wished to ask. But they need not be asked standing out in the pouring rain; prudent, it would have been, to have fetched her traveling cloak from her rolled tent bundle on the saddlebag of her mount before the storm had arrived. Other than the rain, there was something else to be done.

Heike crouched down by the woman's body. Looked up to Jakub. Said, "I do not know if this woman was from the nearby town of Koninghaven, but it would be right to take her there, to at least ensure she has a proper burial."

After ensuring that she did not turn, of course. A grim task, that.

"Would you help me load her onto my horse?"

Jakub
 
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"I am happy to hear of your predicaments, yet we should not be too hasty. I'll gladly offer my assistance with transporting the body after I run a few tests on it." Jakub got closer and closer, kneeling beside the corpse to offer it a better inspection. The corpse, the cadaver, was missing that soul-spark that made it a person, yet once it had been. The woman's body was pale, with a bluish tint around the lips. These were the tell-tale signs of death via blood loss; the gaunt skin, the unnatural lack of warmth, and the unfamiliar sensation of stiffness. It wasn't a fresh corpse, judging by how it was currently undergoing the beginning stages of rigor mortis.

But Jakub had to make sure. Reaching into his coat, he retrieved a small blade, no more than 4 inches long. The knife was well crafted, its wooden handle perfectly fitting into his palm. Jakub had to let go of his umbrella for a moment and grab the deceased woman by her wrist. It took him a good bit of effort to pull it towards himself. Her muscles were rigid as hell. Even as the blade bit into her flesh, he could feel resistance unlike any you'd expect from a living person. Cutting through the skin and into the muscular tissue, he found that no blood came out. Everything was dry; no blood present sans for a small quantity of coagulation near the surface of her skin.

You'd expect human muscles to be red, or bright pink at least, but no; her's were faded, bleached like lightly boiled, or perhaps steamed pork loin. Jakov dug his fingers into the open muscle, moving bits and pieces aside to check for any hints of necrosis. He found none. The lady in question couldn't have died more than a handful hours ago, of that he was assured. Jakub went for her neck afterward, noticing two peculiar puncture wounds around the jugular vein. Patches of violet skin encircled the marks, looking similar to a hickey. Something, or to be more precise, someone, was sucking on that area with vigor.

"Hmmm, I have some good news and some bad news for you, miss Heike." Jakub stood up, letting go of the woman's wrist and looking at Heike with a trifling frown. His bushy eyebrows slopping into a semi-serious expression. "Which ones would you like to hear first?"

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"Very well then. Perform your tests," Heike said. Care and respect for the dead was important, yes, but justice for them, for the wrongfully slain as this woman most certainly was, more so. Perhaps more ardent believers in Celestialism, in other religions across Arethil, might agree, reckoning that her spirit would not find a peaceful rest until the aforementioned wrong was set right. For Heike it was the hard principle: Order must prevail. It was the eternal duty of the righteous to answer the misdeeds of the wicked.

Jakub set about inspecting the woman's corpse, and Heike stayed crouched beside the body and watched. Grisly work, but no more so than the business of a warrior. The fair argument could be made, and quite easily, that it was more elegant than the comparatively brutal affairs of combat.

Heike's expression soured with disdain and disgust when Jakub's attention turned to the bite marks on the woman's neck. She knew the taste of blood all too well, how the affliction of vampirism turned it from being repulsive to being utterly euphoric, like a combination of the blissful feel of water upon a severely parched tongue and the sensual intimacy of sex. And this was the result--an abject lack of restraint. The sinful pleasure of it, surely in addition to whatever other wicked intentions might well apply, drove scores upon scores of vampires to simply drink to kill. They fed until there was nothing left, gorging themselves in excess, either deficiency of willpower or callous choice preventing them from stopping. Perhaps if it was not for the iron discipline instilled in her by her knighthood, she might have succumbed to this as well. A horrific thought.

Miss Heike. A minor bother, but she had not provided Jakub her full address. It was fine--there was sure to be a proper occasion for it later. "Miss" would do for now. In a way, though, it was pleasant to hear. She'd only regularly been addressed as such before her knighting, back when she was seventeen years of age and younger than that, back when Reikhurst was in its full glory. Better times.

Good news. And bad news. These she was presented with.

Heike rose to her feet as well. Inclined her chin and cast her glance askew for a brief moment as she considered.

"The good news first, if you would be so kind."

Best to know what, if anything, from the good news could be leveraged to assuage the bad news.

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"Well then, I take it that you are an optimist, a lovely contrast to that which I'm used to." Jakub coughed theatrically, clearing his throat before speaking up. "Good news, the vampire strain that we are dealing with is one of the less physically overwhelming ones." He grasped to woman's head, his long fingers wrapping around it like a ball as he hoisted it up with unusual strength. Pointing at the puncture wounds, he noted how tiny they were, no larger than a snake bite. Yet, there were four of them instead of two. "Larger, less humanoid vampire strains wouldn't leave these pin-prick-sized punctures. No, they'd tear the entire throat out, let the blood gush freely like a macabre geyser, and then lick it up, usually with a long tongue."

"I am sure that the vampires you dealt with in the past were more on the...aristocratic side, but there are others." Jakub spread his arms apart as if he were emphasizing something. "They are hulking mountains of muscle the size of an adult bear. Some can fly, and some are so big that they can carry away a whole draft horse in their talons." Lifting the dead body wholly off the ground, he placed it under his armpit like a sack of flour, doing so with surprising ease. "They are bigger, meaner, and can tear apart their 'classy' counterparts, limb by limb. They are also much better at infecting other people since they use saliva as a vector for the disease."


"Just about anyone they feed on is bound to turn within hours. Either into a vampire or an undead thrall in the beast's servitude." Picking up his umbrella with a free hand, Jakov shook off any excess liquid. The raid had stopped, so the contraption was no longer of use to him. "There's always a 'but' though. The more monstrous vampires have a harder time going undetected; they can't slip under our radar, same can't be said for their better-looking cousins." Jakub sniffled, knowing that they would have to bury the body as soon as possible, its stench already becoming apparent. No matter how many bodies he worked with, the smell of early decayed always stuck to him as the most unpleasant one. They still smelled somewhat human, but with underlying tones of something seriously wrong going on.

"All in all, we'll have a much easier time killing the more refined vampire types. The difficulty lies in finding them. We'll have to open an extra pair of eyes, you and I, least we risk the leech getting too close to us."

Heike Eisen
 
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Good news indeed. All of what Jakub said made sense from what Heike knew. She was not a professional vampire hunter or scholar on the subject, but she did have a fair base of knowledge. Personal example, of course and to her chagrin, but also from general familiarization during her education whilst squiring in the Order and from having procured a compendium on vampire strains from the Monster Hunter stronghold of Elbion. Here, in this endeavor, perhaps she could expand her combat experience against these creatures, this persistent scourge of Arethil. She did yearn for such an opportunity.

So a less monstrous, less twisted and deformed vampire. One like the Slaughterns, mayhap, with only freakish elongated claws for fingers. Or more passing than that, a strain whose spawn were nigh indistinguishable from a normal person. Good, in that they were, as Jakub had said, less physically overwhelming; Heike's current arms and armor were more suited for battle against enemy soldiers, not yet these abhorrent fiends. Bad, in that such vampires would be blended well amongst the unsuspecting populace they had chosen to prey upon.

"Then it will be incumbent upon the two of us to maintain a steady vigilance," Heike said. A wry smile, and she added, "Though I would welcome one of these creatures to try to feed from me rather than another innocent. Such would hurry them along to their rightful demise."

Heike turned about and went to her horse and took hold of the reins and led the stallion along. The rain had let up--even if the occasion bouts of lightning and thunder had not--and that was a blessing. Jakub already had the body secured. With one arm, even. The man had impressive physical strength, and Heike had a thought that he would have made for a fine knight.

She gestured with her head toward the southern road of the "T"-intersection, the one leading to Koninghaven. Maybe someone there could identify who the woman was, maybe not. But they could at least attend to her final needs there in town.

She started to walk, her horse trotting behind her. And from that collection of questions that had coalesced in her mind earlier, she picked one and asked of Jakub, "Do you know if this has been the first such incident? Or have there been other attacks?"

Jakub
 
Jakub rolled up one of his sleeves, revealing a bunch of gnarly scars littering his forehand. "I was once bitten by a vampire. It mauled my arm pretty badly to the point where I was unable to use it for weeks. It would've likely fallen off if not for my extensive use of regenerative magic." Looking at up Heike, he smiled a little, reaching out to pet her equine mount. He always liked animals, especially dogs, horses, birds of prey, and oddly enough, invertebrates. "Regarding other possible instances of vampiric activity, I compiled a little set of notes. There have been a few 'strange' cases that the locals wrote off as animal attacks. Of course, they don't match up with any species of wild or domestic animal known to me."

Jakov extended his long arm towards Heike, offering her a small, leather-bound notebook. It was tattered, with pages slightly bitten out and the leather discolored in some places, but it still did the job just fine. "Feel free to look through it. Some of the stories may appear slightly unclear due to multiple witness testimonies, something that I can do little about." Jakov ran into a wayward pebble by the roadside, punting it a few meters away just for fun. They'd have to bury this woman somewhere, but who'd do it? They didn't know her family or if she had one in the first place. Even if she did, another question presented itself. Would they have enough money for a proper burial?

The gears in his head began turning as he thought of all possible outcomes. In the end, he concluded. If no one could bury her, he'd finance a funeral out of his own pocket. He wasn't the type to let the dead get disrespected. "What concerns me is that the local authorities also wrote off these accidents as a work of dangerous animals. Which is a bit strange, they aren't the most educated folk, but I am sure even they know the difference between a bear attack and a vampire feeding." He spoke a little absentmindedly, not looking at Heike throughout his monologue. It felt like he was talking to himself. "It could be that they are in cahoots with the bloodsuckers."

It was at that point that he noticed a pair of men in the distance. Both were sporting humble brigandine armors, morions, and two pikes. He assumed them to be a part of the roadside patrol, probably looking out for any caravans or travelers that passed nearby. Mmmmm, yes, bandits were a thing to worry about, coming in just under the vampires on his alert list. One of the men was taller, with lanky limbs while the other appeared to be unusually short and stout. The second man could've passed as a dwarf/human hybrid.

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Heike eyed the scars on his forehand when they were presented. He was lucky not to have been turned; the utter virulence of vampirism and the dearth of adequate cures made the disease the persistent scourge that it was, and necessitated vampire hunters of all kinds. Perhaps when the dawn came again for the Kingdom of Reikhurst, Heike could see to it that a new order of vampire hunters were added into the fold.

She accepted the notebook, flipping it open with her free hand to one of the first few pages. A number of victims, both animal and human, so said these written quotes in the book, and this underscored the emphasis Jakub had placed on the word strange when he'd said it. Wolves and bears didn't butcher livestock and people and leave them as these notes described. Perhaps it was denial or wishful thinking on the part of the locals of Koninghaven.

Heike took a moment for a consideration. Those few attacks on livestock...was this vampire a fledgling? Trying to feed off of animals to see if such a thing was possible? Heike herself had tried it in the first months of her own vampirism, tried it with the thin hope that there might be one, just one, kind of animal out there whose blood could slake her thirst. But there had been none, and she could only drink the blood of humanoids--it had been a devastating fact to accept. With regard to this vampire (or vampires) that they were dealing with now...a fledgling, maybe, or a cunning, older vampire making their attacks appear amateurish.

Jakub spoke of the local authorities. How they too had dismissed the killings as the work of dangerous animals.

"They did as well?" Her brow had narrowed with surprise and consternation. Perhaps there was some sort of fracturing that had occurred in Koninghaven, where one faction of the leadership had taken it upon themselves to summon a man like Jakub to investigate, and the other was...

...in cahoots with the bloodsuckers.

What could they be walking into here?

"I should hope none in Koninghaven have abandoned their humanity by siding with these unholy fiends," Heike said. Infuriating memories of the wretch Gregory, who had willingly served the Slaughtern vampires occupying Reikhurst, came to her. "But we shall need to be mindful of them nonetheless."

Along the road. Through the soaked ground, the mud, the small puddles.

And ahead there were two men, armed and armored. Heike could not say if they were from Koninghaven, part of a town watch or something of the sort, or if they were not, if they were other travelers or something else altogether, for good or for ill. Unlike when Jakub had approached earlier, these two did have weapons. Heike had the notebook in one hand, the reins of the horse in the other. She handed the notebook back to Jakub, to free a hand. Prudence dictated.

A quick, measuring glance to Jakub, gauging his appraisal of the men down the road from them. Heike was alert but as of yet had no cause to think they meant her and Jakub harm.

"Hail," Heike called out to the two armed men. Here her full address would be apropos, if it could at all serve as a means of dissuasion if such dissuasion was indeed needed. "I am Herr Heike Eisen, Knight-Valiant of Reikhurst. Do you come from Koninghaven?"

Jakub
 
Jakub shrugged half-heartedly. He wasn't worried about the two men; they didn't appear threatening. As Jakub could closer and closer to them, the stouter man came forward. "Aye lass, my partner." The man gestured, pointing at the taller companion. "Are members of the town guard. The chief tasked us with patrolling the road for any bandits or vagabonds." Jakub snorted at these words, paying attention to the more reluctant of the two militiamen. He was taller, lankier, possibly a bit younger than his dwarfish-looking companion. He didn't say anything, only to shuffle a tad uncomfortably when Jakub's gaze locked onto him. Jakub wasn't the type to judge a book b its covers, but something about the guy just felt off.


The shorter militiaman reluctantly gazed at the dead body hanging from under Jakub's armpit. Shivering, he threw a glance to his coworker, who didn't say anything, only nodding in response. Apparently, the two had good chemistry, understanding one another without the use of complex sentences. Jakub found it admirable but also a little worrisome that these two felt a need to hide something. "Is....Is that Abigail?" Inquired the militiaman, a question to which Jakub could only answer with a light shrug. He had no clue who Abigail was, but perhaps one of them knew the deceased woman. "This body belongs to someone named Abigail?" Jakub lightly shook the corpse, re-adjusting it to make himself more comfortable. He was undoubtingly strong, but one-armed carrying a grown woman proved to be no easy task.

"Yes, yes it is. And could you please show some respect for the dead? That's a deceased person you are trotting about, not a sack of flour." The short man was getting heated up, only for his companion to give him a light squeeze on the shoulder and whisper something, something that made the short stack simmer down. "You came here to hunt vampires?" The taller man spoke up for the first time since the two groups met. It was a disciplined voice with a hint more depth and power than the frail frame would suggest. He eyed Heike and Jakub with curiosity; without showcasing any overtly ill intent. There was hope in those eyes of his. Why? Jakub could not tell.

"Tell us what you know about the deceased lady, and we have a deal." Jakub extended his free hand for a shake. Looking at each other, the two men agreed to the truce. Though, they were a little scared of Heike. She was both better armed and better armored than them, and that is without considering her mount. A fact that Jakub found a little comedic since 'threatening' is the last adjective he'd place on the lady knight.

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Heike took them at their word, and so men of the town guard they were. If the sun had been shining in full, instead of the sky being choked by the dark stormclouds, then she would have been able to relax more. Even so, she had not noticed any overt fangs when the stouter man, at least, spoke to them. The taller one kept to himself for the moment.

The shorter militiaman identified the woman: Abigail. And with the name came the amplification of the tragedy, that she had been someone's daughter, mayhap someone's sister, mayhap someone's wife, and she had been stolen away from those who loved her. These vampires...they would answer for their crimes, and their very existence which so befouled Arethil would be remedied.

He did have a point though, the shorter militiaman, about respect for the dead. It was true that Heike and Jakub's options for transport were limited, that the weather and the situation had been adverse, that they had needed to get moving, and, bluntly, that it was tactically sound for Jakub to have a hand free, in case they be set upon suddenly by Abigail's very killers in ambush. Being slumped over the saddle of Heike's horse would have scarcely been an improvement for Abigail, but carrying her body with both arms did court a certain risk. Aside from the manner of carrying Abigail's body, Jakub had spoken of her in a detached way, which probably did help to spike the militiaman's irritation--perhaps this was just a quality of how Jakub talked.

As the tall man bent to whisper to the short man, Heike said, "Allow me to apologize, then, for we meant no offense. It was our foremost concern to return her to Koninghaven as soon as possible, such that her final needs could be met swiftly."

The tall man spoke, and yes, he was of course right, Heike nodding in firm affirmation. Jakub had already been summoned, and Heike could not abandon a town plagued by the predations of those wicked creature.

Heike's stallion snorted and shook its head, wet mane flapping about and Heike's arm swaying slightly as she held the reins. She glanced to Jakub. Then back to the two men, "Yes, if you would please. Anything you might know of Abigail could be of great assistance to us in this endeavor."

Jakub
 
"She was a barmaid; god bless her soul; an innocent and well-meaning gal, but not the sharpest tool in the shed." The shorter man dwindled his thumbs uncomfortably, looking down as if in shame. His partner didn't add any quips, remaining silent. "You see, people could easily sway her. She'd get used by men and women alike, I...." He choked a little, swallowing a lump in the back of his throat before wiping his face with an elbow. "It's not unlikely that a leech seduced her, used her, and then ate Abigail as a snack. To think that we could've done something to prevent it, but the town never paid much attention to her. Rumors circled that she was a wench, possibly a witch too. The older women didn't like Abigail due to her good looks. Those same looks made the eyes of their husbands wonder..."

"With all due respect." The taller man interjected, snorting derisively as if he had just recoiled in disgust. "I talked to her on a few occasions. It is without a doubt that Abigail was neither a witch nor a sorceress, not even a herbalist." He crossed his arms over his chest, appearing dissatisfied with his co-worker's tone. "A pretty girl is all she was. Coming from a bigger city, she dressed differently, spoke differently, and acted in a way that made her stick out like a sore thumb. You know the people around these parts, they don't take well to difference or change. They'll hammer you in like an uneven nail." Jakub listened to the conversation with care, feeling some oddly specific emotional attachment in the man's voice. Maybe, just maybe, this was their ticket to finding the vampire. Information was incalculably valuable when dealing with unholy subterfuge.

Jakub turned to Heike, casting her a wry dance as a tiny simper danced in the corner of his lips. For a moment, it made him look like a Cheshire cat, but just a moment. He quickly averted his attention to the two militiamen, both of whom were on the edge of engaging in a verbal show-off. The two had an age gap between them, at least ten years from what Jakub gathered based on their physical characteristics. The shorter man must've been in his early 50's, while the taller one was entering his mid 30's.

Jakub moved to put Abigail's body on Heike's horse. The action seemed mundane at first but was actually a clever decoy for something else. As he got on his tiptoes to deliver the corpse, Jakub's face brushed extremely close to that of the lady knight. "I think we hit the jackpot." He whispered, his voice barely tickling her delicate earlobe.

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They spoke of Abigail, and Heike listened, shaking her head in disgust when the notion was put forth that she had likely been seduced and eaten "as a snack." Vile creatures to the last, these wretched vampires, and no mistake. There had been some dramatics in town about her, those mentioned rumors circulated for petty reasons, but it all fit soundly into the ordinary. Abigail had come from elsewhere, though, and maybe that would be an important characteristic to note.

Heike flicked her eyes to the side as Jakub passed, whispering in her ear as he did so, and then her gaze was back on the two men. A gambling term, jackpot, but one that could be apropos. The two men had provided a fair background of the vampire's latest victim, and such could potentially be used for predictions and to track the fiend down. Now they had the information, they just needed the right context in which to apply it.

With Abigail draped over the saddle of the horse, Heike gestured forward with her hand, down the road toward Koninghaven. Said to the two men, "Come, we may walk and talk, lest the rain return and we find ourselves caught out in it once more."

A glance to Jakub, her expression neutral, masking the small note of concern that had just then occurred to her: the very fact that Jakub had whispered his words. Perhaps it was nothing, but perhaps not. Did he see something that she did not here?

Jakub
 
The guards didn't complain; neither did Jakub, who, for some strange reason, refused to mount Heike's horse, opting to walk the entire distance. It didn't take them long to reach the outskirts of Koninghaven. Koninghaven was a relatively unassuming countryside town with nothing notable or outstanding about it. It wasn't big, overly rich, nor did it have exotic culture. That is why it was a prime hunting ground for an intelligent leech. The undereducated locals proved incapable of recognizing the signs of vampirism. Even if they did, the local authorities would silence any who came forward with sufficient evidence. They likely did this in vain hopes of upholding "law and order" within their remote settlement.

Even as Heike and Jakub approached the first row of houses, the locals stared them down with weary, disgruntled stares. They showed no outward hostility towards the pair, but they weren't likely to help either. Jakub knew that anyone they interrogated would be a tough nut to crack. He already contemplated upon alternative means of information gathering. Sadly for him, Jakub had no experience in the art of espionage.

"Heike." He drew a little closer to the lady knight, grabbing onto the reins while looking straight at her. "Before we do anything, I need to know the lengths you are willing to go to when it comes to gathering information." He looked suspiciously sharp, a stark contrast to his previously lax and laid-back demeanor. Jakub wasn't joking this time, the question was deathly serious, and he needed a quick answer.

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Into Koninghaven.

Quaint. Quiet. Idyllic if it weren't for the present ugliness of the weather. It wasn't so far removed from many of the smaller villages and towns within Reikhurst's borders, back when said borders existed and the Kingdom was whole. Wattle and daub houses, gardens and fields, roads that were not plagued with the busyness one might find along the King's Avenue or perhaps along a similar avenue in, say, Alliria. An agrarian town, tucked away in its own spot in the Reach, untroubled, until now, by the woes of the wider world. These were the sorts of places the wicked of all foul stripes sought to despoil.

From their windows and their doorways and from beside their homes, the locals of Koninghaven seemed rather insular, maintaining a hearty distrust of Heike and Jakub--newcomers from elsewhere whose faces and names were not known to any amongst the close community. Perhaps Abigail had faced the same sort of reception when she had first arrived.

There were some shocked murmurs as they passed. Faces disappearing into the candle-lit interiors of their homes as townsfolk went to tell their families, their friends of what they had seen. Another body. Another "animal attack."

A roll of thunder across the sky. Heike walked along the main road through Koninghaven, leading her horse, and then Jakub drew close to speak to her once more in confidence. She turned her head. Assessing him. Assessing what he said.

"I will not harm nor abide harm to those who have done no wrong against the law. I am Oathbound to accord myself with noble intent, and so I shall." It had been painful enough to torture the spirit of her Oaths, even if she had not technically violated the letter of them, in order to survive as a vampire. "Though I acknowledge that delineations of guilt and innocence may be...difficult to ascertain in this endeavor, I must be certain of one's wrongdoing before I act with a firm hand."

His demeanor had an edge to it, one common to men who would do what they thought needed to be done. An edge that was as effective as it was dangerous. The town was ailing from the predations of these vampire attacks, yes, but in Heike's stalwart belief care had to be taken that they themselves did not become like the very monsters they would be fighting against.

Jakub
 
Jakub nodded, glancing from side to side. He watched as people went about their daily lives, woefully unaware of the dangerous creatures skulking among them. He didn't think too hard about it, but some exhibited traits most commonly associated with sheep. Being easy prey was one of those traits. "I do not ask you to break your oats, Heike." For the first time, he addressed her without adding 'miss' as a prefix. "Yet if the vampire in question has thralls, we might have to put an end to their misery. Both for the sake of our mission and the salvation of their souls."

"I am sure that you killed plenty of undead before, but thralls are living, breathing people just like you and me. They aren't undead, but mortals spellbound to the vampire, either through manipulation or on their own accord." Extending his palm forward, he began to gather arcane energy into it. Several violet sparks swirled in the air like a silent firework going down a plug hole. Instead of vanishing when they reached the center of the vortex, they clumped together, forming a purple rune. Emerging out of the rune was an insectoid creature the size of a rat. It bared some resemblance to a hornet but with longer legs, a slimmer body, and a large proboscis attached to its face. Bristle-like hairs covered the insect's body, most dense at its feet and lower leg segments. Its large, compound eyes flickered with otherwordly energies.


Jakub stared at his creation as it buzzed around, landing on his shoulder. Giving it an affectionate rub on the head, Jakub shooed away the creature, watching it fly away into the distance, disappearing from his line of view. Reverting his attention to Heike, he continued speaking. "I ask this because my gut tells me that you'd hesitate with killing an enthralled human. As much as I can understand your morality, it could cost us dearly."

Heike Eisen
 
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Enthrallment. The tool of the most insidious of vampiric strains, as tragic for those made thralls as it was evil for those fiends doing the enthralling. It very often left those like Heike and Jakub, the hunters of the vampire puppetmasters, no choice. Nonlethal means of subduing foes were unreliable at best and carried increased risk in attempting them--and that was even if the thralls from could be saved. During the War of the Kinniger Duchy, Sir Eberwolf Kinniger and his men had made the effort to capture what thralls they could in the aftermath of battles against the Vampiric Army. There was hope for some. But for others their minds were ruined, and they were but empty shells of their former selves, awaiting commands that would never come from now slain vampire overlords. It made Heike nauseous simply thinking about it. Though they had a disagreement on the methods, Heike hoped that Sir Eberwolf had won his war, and that the vampires plaguing the Duchy had been slain to the last.

Then there were those like Gregory, serving--as Jakub said--of their own accord. And Heike had watched with satisfaction as Szesh caved in his skull with a warhammer. Even setting aside the crime of treason against Reikhurst specifically, he was a traitor to Mankind as a whole for what he had done in service to the Slaughtern Vampire Host. Though Gregory's end was fitting enough, the thought had crossed Heike's mind to sentence him to something worse, a punishment ancient in the region of Reikhurst reserved for the worst of the worst: Immolation. And Szesh would have been perfect to set him ablaze, to let Gregory think on his sins and his guilt while he burned alive.

Heike shifted her attention down to Jakub's open palm, to the summoning of the insectoid creature upon it. Such a thing was as off-putting as any other large insect, a tangible aversion to the thing evident in the crease of her brow and a slight drawing back of her head on her shoulders. This must be the product of some of that occult research that was his profession. So long as he had control of the creature, and the creature's nature was not inherently destructive or evil, then Heike could tolerate it. For what purpose the giant insect had been summoned, Heike could only guess.

She gave her answer after Jakub finished. "Dealing with thralls is a matter of grim necessity, one in which my Oaths do not restrict me from carrying out. Saving them is not always possible. Though in such a turn of terrible misfortune my heart will be heavy, my hands will remain unburdened."

They continued down the main road through Koninghaven, the small town square ahead.

Jakub
 
The guards brought them near a tavern, the place where Abigail worked while she still drew breath. It looked like a cozy establishment, complete with a stony exterior and wooden support beams. Jakub made a superficial inspection, noting that the building looked well kept, better than pretty much any other house they've seen so far. Either the owners were wealthy, or someone helped them financially. You wouldn't expect to see a tavern that large located in a tiny town amidst bum-fuck nowhere. Jakub had no ill thoughts regarding Koninghaven, but the place had nothing notable to offer. Nothing about it interested him, sans the vampires.

He got a little closer with the intent of knowing the tavern's name. Much to his surprise, there was a large, red plank of wood hanging just above the entrance. It read, "Gobletooth tavern, where the maidens are fair and the drink is cheap" Jakub was a little intrigued, tilting his head curiously. "So this is the place where our victim worked? What was she, a barmaid?" Inquired the raven-haired male, earning himself a small snort from the dwarfish guard. "Yes, and she was one hell of a barmaid at that. I tell you, she could carry ten mugs of beer at once!" The other guard stepped in, covering his friend's face before he could go off on a tirade about alcoholic beverages. "My colleague is right. Abigail found employment relatively recently, some six or so months ago. The tavern's owners are a kind elderly couple. I am sure you'll be able to squeeze out valuable info from them."

The two left not long after, returning to their shift. Guards couldn't accompany Heike and Jakub for much longer, nor was it necessary. Both could defend themselves. It was at this point that Jakub passed by Heike, nudging her with his elbow. "Don't tell me that you are scared of bugs. Here I thought that knights were fearless." Inquired the male, smiling wryly. He noticed her minor discomfort caused by his summon but didn't pay much attention to it. Still, he found the prospect of playfully jabbing Heike to be hilarious.

Heike Eisen
 
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The local tavern was centrally located close to the town square, came with a name surely meant to inspire questions and interest, and with a standard slogan befitting the quaint nature of Koninghaven. Here is where Abigail spent many of her days, and it was here, possibly, that she met the vampire who would eventually murder her.

Heike tied her horse to the hitching post while the two town militiamen spoke briefly of Abigail and of the tavern's owners. If Abigail, being from elsewhere, had no next of kin in Koninghaven then perhaps the elderly couple could take possession of her remains. Else, it would fall to Heike and Jakub, and they would have to bury her in the town's graveyard of their own accord. In either case, her body would still need to be prepared as a precaution, lest she turn.

"Thank you, gentlemen, for your assistance," Heike said as the militiamen departed.

She reached up and carefully took hold of Abigail's body, lowering her down from the saddle and holding her under the knees and behind the neck in both arms. She was small, scarcely over a hundred pounds, if that, and had only been made lighter in death. Still, it was a manageable but not a trivial matter for Heike to carry her.

As she was securing the body, she felt the nudge of an elbow against her armor, the slight push of it. Jakub, with a good-natured smile. She tried to return it, but the mere feel of her own was more perfunctory than anything. That giant bee was...ugh. Toleration was sometimes of monumental difficulty.

"Disgust would be a better word. I find them to be rather unpleasant." And this was true. The bigger the bug, the more it made her skin crawl.

With Abigail in her arms, she gestured her head toward the tavern's front door. "If you could be so kind."

Jakub
 
Jakub closed the distance between himself and the doors, politely knocking before opening them. Meeting his gaze were a dozen unfamiliar faces, men and women alike, none of whom he knew. Some looked past him, seeing Abigail's lifeless body resting limply in Heike's grasp. One woman paled, shrieking in terror. She alarmed the whole pub to the presence of strangers. "Awkward..." Muttered Jakub, heading inside, gesturing for the crown to simmer down. Despite his best efforts, they resumed muttering amongst themselves. On the positive side, at least the shrieking woman ceased her auditory onslaught. Just about everyone looked disgruntled with what they've just seen. Jakub rightfully feared having glass bottles flung at him. He wanted to explain the situation calmly, but it was too late.

An older man in his mid-sixties rushed downstairs with a bewildered look on his face. This man must've been the owner, judging by his clothing style and the mannerisms that separated him from the common folk. His mouth hanged open as he looked at the pair, first at Jakub, then at Heike. It took him a few seconds to get his bearings and speak up. "Abigail...? What have they done to you?" Jakub wanted to roll his eyes. Of course, the people would assume that they were killers. They had no clue as to what was happening within the confines of their community. Much like sheep, they were blissfully oblivious.

"We?" Jakub probed the man, cutting him like celery with his sharp gaze. "My partner and I have done nothing. Someone murdered that girl. We found her by the roadside and decided to bring the body here so she could have a proper burial."

"Murdered? By who...?" Stuttered the man, his wrinkled face growing paler by the second. It looked like he wanted to puke. Jakub didn't judge him for that. What he did find annoying was the tavern owner's melodramatic overreaction. "We suspect a vampire to be skulking around your town, feeding on the innocent and the vulnerable alike. All evidence so far points to that." He shouldn't have said that. His words made the crowd explode into a bickering mess. It seemed like they didn't fear for their lives, instead opting to bicker whether Jakub was lying or not. The tavernkeeper pulled up a chair, sitting down with face buried in his hands. Jakub squinted. Something about the man seemed off. He was a little too pale, a little too...different from the rest of this town, standing out like an uneven nail. He'd keep his eye on the stranger for now.

Jakub turned to face Heike, gesturing for her to come inside, with or without the body. It was at this point that the owner's wife descended downstairs. She looked similarly distraught but in far better shape than her husband. She was a little younger than the man, judging by her facial features. The attire she wore was plain yet of exemplary quality. Jakub couldn't see any jewels nor make-up ornamenting her form. The lady rushed to her husband, gripping his shoulders as she began to question him. Jakub heard the concern in her voice, finding it genuine, a refreshing contrast to the rest of the cunts living here.

Heike Eisen
 
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Heike stepped inside the tavern, carrying Abigail's body in with her. It was her hope that the closeness of a small, tightly-knit community like Koninghaven would see Abigail's final needs taken care of, whether that be by the tavern owners or good citizens. It would be a shame if even now the community that she had joined did not accept her.

Heike followed after Jakub, and the murmurs were well in motion as she passed:

"...tellin' ya, they're bringin' all their big city problems here. That shit oughta stay in Alliria and Belgrath and wherever else they're..."

"...being serious. I seent 'em. Bats. Big bats, and no. No, no, no, don't give me that look, I seent 'em with my own two eyes. You tell me what else gonna make some bite marks like..."

"...kind of armor is that? I've never seen...full plate? That what you said? Full plate? She's like a walking metal--I don't know--golem or some..."

"...the size of him? He's a whole head and a half taller than my brother, and you've seen my brother. And look at those tattoos, what are those...?"


An elderly man, presumably one of the tavern owners based on what the militiamen had said, came down the stairs near the back. He spoke to Jakub, making something of a blunted, generalized accusation at first before Jakub corrected him. As they talked, Heike went to the nearest table by them and gave the local patrons one look, one command.

"Move."

Spoken without malice or intent to intimidate. But the two men sitting there got up from the table promptly and took their mugs and moved away as told, and Heike gently set down Abigail's body on the table and turned to face Jakub and the elderly owner, now joined by his wife.

Heike cast a brief glance to Jakub. The tavern owners might know something, they might not--she hoped for the former while bracing for the latter. But first things first.

Heike stepped toward the sitting man and crouched down nearly to one knee, bringing herself eye level with him should he look back up. She said in a calm, consoling voice, "I understand that this is sudden, and that it is quite a lot. Yet Abigail needs to be put to her final rest, and insofar as we know, you are the closest to kin that she has here in Koninghaven. Will you do this last act for her?"

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Jakub took tim to explain that his tattoos had a purpose, telling them that he was not a demonic entity wearing a human disguise. Despite his best efforts, the locals didn't seem to trust him nor Heike, for that matter. A weary bunch they were, stingy and without much trust to offer. Something told him that these people would hinder them in their work best or be an outright nuisance at worst. He crept closer to the corpse, making sure that it didn't spontaneously reanimate. Jakub hadn't run it through an in-depth autopsy yet. He could neither deny nor confirm the presence of vampiric ichor within Abigail's corpse. Yet, the man didn't want to take chances. He was prepared to decollate the cadaver before its burial.

He glanced at the corpse, noting that it was already decomposing. The eyeballs were dried up, shrunken up, sinking into the sockets. Bloating was there, a sign that Abigail's remains weren't exactly fresh. Putrefaction was well underway now, the natural process in which the body released excess fluids and gasses created by bacterial colonies within it. It wasn't the most pleasant sight to behold.

A dark, foul-smelling liquid was oozing from calloused orifices. The smell was impossibly disgusting. Jakov very much doubted that he could muster up any descriptive words that'd do justice to its unholy glory. The tavern owner gagged, his wife doubling over in terror and disgust, on the brink of emptying her bowels onto the wooden floor. "What in god's name is happening to her body? What have you done to it?" Hissed the man, shielding his eyes from the unsettling display of human decomposition. The townsfolk began leaving the establishment. Those who left were women and younger people. They were unable to stomach the situation. Generally speaking, people had no clue about the stages of composition. Those that did were morticians, gravediggers, or graverobbers. People on the fringes of human society, avoided by most of their peers. The older pair's reaction didn't surprise Jakub, even tho he considered it overblown and unnecessarily dramatic. Perhaps working with dead dulled out his senses, making him unable to feel disgusted as strongly as everyone else did.

"You mean this?" Quipped the occultist, using a handkerchief to remove the pungent guck from Abigail's face. He turned the stained piece of cloth towards the couple, watching their skittish reaction to it. The best analog for their behavior would be two wild animals having a burning torch pushed towards them. They revealed their fear to Jakub all too easily.

"This happens with all dead bodies. We usually bury them before this degree of decay kicks in. Make sure not to touch the liquid with your exposed skin. It could cause you to catch some nasty diseases." Jakub balled up the small napkin, placing it on the table, making sure that it was far out the reach of curious onlookers. He didn't want any children to get sick due to him.

"Heike, would you mind questioning the couple while I snoop around?" Inquired the bearded detective, impatiently tapping his foot against the planks.

Heike Eisen
 
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The rain had certainly done Abigail's remains no favors, and in the confines of Gobletooth tavern there was little else for the stench of death to go other than into the noses of those closest. Heike lamented having to bring the body in such a state to the elderly owners of the tavern, disrupting their day with the delivery of horrid news and more or less dropping it right into their laps, but it had to be done.

Heike glanced back as some of the townsfolk decided to leave the tavern, having enough of one thing or another. She couldn't fault them. But she hoped that perhaps, with her presence and certainly with Jakub's presence, that they might recognize these terrible goings-on for something more dire than animal attacks. Or, as it sometimes regretfully was, they might continue to ignore the truth in the vain belief that it might all just go away, in the vain effort to preserve the idea of the untarnished peace and seclusion they once enjoyed.

And Heike...well, she disdained the continued accusations and implicit allegations against herself and Jakub from the barkeep, but kept her patience. The man was experiencing at least some level of shock, and both she and Jakub were strangers to this community, so some apprehension was understandable. But if after their righteous intent was clear to see and still the barkeep, his wife, or any of Koninghaven cast dubious eyes their way then--as blacksmiths were fond of saying--the iron would need to be hammered out.

Heike, would you mind questioning the couple while I snoop around?

She nodded to him, then looked back to the barkeep and his wife. She stood back up, one hand on her hip, there with the motion came tiny clinks as the armor of her gauntlet articulated and adjusted.

"Abigail's killer remains a danger, and so, for the sake of Koninghaven as a whole, we require any help you can give. Please try to recall as many details as you can."


Then her questions.

"Did Abigail start seeing someone recently, a new friend perhaps or someone she may have apparently been romantically involved with? Had she been going anywhere unprecedented, especially at night? And finally, was her overall behavior strange in any way as of late?"

* * * * *​

Among those few townsfolk who still sat in the tavern, drinking and talking amongst themselves.

Heike and Jakub were, surreptitiously, being watched.

Jakub