Private Tales Whispers in the Snow

[Carmin]

Winter settled on Elbion and blanketed the streets and rooftops with a layer of fine white snow. Amid light, swirling eddies of icy flakes, a tavern's glow spilled light out through the windows onto the dark and desolate street outside.

"I heard it yesterday, straight from my friend at the City Watch - there's some fiend crawlin' around out there in the night. They found the body in an alley, they did. Drained o' blood entire."

The speaker was a bearded dwarf, with a massive pint in one hand, making loud conversation of rumor to those gathered about his table. One of the listeners scoffed.

"Really? Drained of blood? Sure it wasn't just some mage student who got carried away with magic?"

"Oh no," the dwarf said, eyes wide, "No this were no mage student. Got teeth marks in the neck. Two holes, right in the vein. Whatever beast it was sucked him dry."

At a table in the corner, a woman with hair dark as midnight and light gray eyes watched the exchange, lips peeling into a smirk. She took a sip of her glass, red liquid kissing her lips and dripping steadily between them and then to course down her throat. She licked those lips, the taste still barely warm. Fresh.

Carmin would have to kill these rumors quickly, or leave to the next town.

But for the moment she could simply enjoy the show.

Corin Rook

 

[Corin Rook]

Corin had luckily made it into town to make it for dinner. Happily, the Elf’s latest two missions had paid enough for her to get two whole chickens. She devoured and chewed on the leg bone as she let her ears catch the rumors the two men were talking about. It was part of the reason she made her way here; the thought of hunting a Vampire was significant.

She remembered the stories her mother told her about Vampires and how they were just as cunning as any human, but even smarter. When the prey you hunted was as intelligent and sentient as a human, an elven dwarf, you had to be even better. Corin gulped down the chicken slice she had been chewing, some of the juice clinging to her lips as she was almost completely absorbed into the rumors.

The two seemed to finish talking, and Corin returned to reality only to find that she had eaten entirely both chickens. Frowning slightly, she was bummed out that she had finished them so fast.

Looking over at the woman, it seemed she was also interested in the rumors the two were discussing. Corin slid down the bench until she was in front of the woman. She wiped her face the best she could and leaned forward. Her bright amber eyes, almost jumping with the excitement of the possibility of a vampire, were evident.

“You think they’re telling the truth?” she whispered, kind of loud for the woman to hear.

Her eyes darted back towards the dwarf, then back to the woman who was more attractive than she had initially expected.

“I’m going to find the vampire,” she nodded, a little fire of determination burned in her chest.

“Maybe they’ll let me join the monster hunters if I do.”

---

Carmin

 

[Carmin]

Wood creaked as a woman slid across the bench toward Carmin and started talking to her in a loud whisper. Carmin's eyes stared sidelong and studied her. Her hair was a copper-red, like fire... or blood under torchlight. And she had a long, lean, athletic build.

Hmm. Stringy. Not Carmin's usual fare. She preferred the big ones. They tasted like butter. And they usually couldn't run fast enough to escape.

Carmin took in a breath and smelled the scent of her. Mostly chicken juice. Her eyes narrowed slightly. Something else though. Something with a bit of spice to it. Cinnamon? Cloves? And she could hear the beat of that heart. Steady and slow. Very slow. Mmm. It had been a while since Carmin had the chance to drink a claret so clean. But the spice... that interested her.

"Oh?" Carmin replied, combing fingers through her dark hair as if nervous, "That's very brave." She leaned forward and stared into those amber depths. They looked like liquid gold. "You'd do that?"

A dribble of chicken juice clung to the girl's chin. Carmin reached out and daubed at it with a napkin. Her eyes widened in surprise and she dropped the napkin, as if she hadn't realized what she'd done, and she pulled her hand back and to her mouth, covering her lips.

"I'm sorry... I..."

Shy eyes looked up through a curtain of raven locks, "How do you even kill a vampire?"

Corin Rook

 

[Corin Rook]

Mission: Kill a Vampire
Location: ???
Level: Probably hard, I guess...
Potential Partner: Carmin

---

Corin blinked as the woman reached out and wiped the chicken juice from her chin. It seemed she had forgotten some when she tried to wipe her face earlier. She didn't think anything of it, but she was a little embarrassed for approaching someone unkept. Her mother would have scolded her if she were around. It was far too often that the little girl ran up to someone wanting to tell them a tale or of her ambitions. A bit of her youth carried into her adulthood.

“You’re fine,” Corin smiled, reaching for the napkin to further clean her face a bit more. Somehow, she is still unaware of the chicken on her face. She washed her hands and then brushed back her copper-red hair from her face. The braid she had tied into seemed not to do her any favors for keeping the strays from her face.

Even though it wasn’t a big deal, Corin’s little stubby pointed ears drooped slightly at the tip. Embarrassment was an emotion she didn’t handle well. Still, the rest of the questions from the woman drew the Hero’s attention away from her little mistakes.

“Yeah, I want to be a hero,” Corin smiled. It was apparent that the comment was genuine. “I want to be like the heroes in the legends and stories,” the elf nodded with enthusiasm, all her dreams laid out on the table for the stranger.

She thought quietly about the last question. Her mother had taught her everything she knew—how to identify monsters and how to hunt them—but vampire training was advanced. They were more intelligent than humans, but their weaknesses were sometimes not always the same.

“Well, first thing, I have to identify who it is — after that, usual stake to the heart, cutting off the head, fire?” Corin shrugged; she would have to assess the situation when the time came to actually kill the Vampire. Standing, she gathered her sword and tied it about her waist.

“Better get going, I have a date with a vampire.”

Corin stepped away from the bench and began to head out of the tavern with a bit of pep in her step.

 

[Carmin]

Carmin's hand over her mouth covered a little smirk as her eyes studied every expression of the woman. How adorable. Carmin got up as the woman made to leave and grabbed her cloak, pulling it around her shoulders, she had to hurry to keep up with the woman's strides.

"By yourself? Surely that's dangerous, even for a hero," Carmin's eyes went up and up. The elf was quite tall. Taller than Carmin expected. Carmin bit at the inside of her lip as she squinted up. She'd need a step stool to reach her neck. Well... she did enjoy a challenge. And it had been some time since she'd had the opportunity for this much fun.

"Oh I've just followed you out here uninvited haven't I? I am something of a storyteller, you see."

A singer, actually.

"This sounds like it would make a very good story. If you can find it."

Carmin's boots crunched into the snow as they left the tavern.

"How will you know who it is?"

Corin Rook

 

[Corin Rook]

Mission: Kill Vampire
Side Mission: Save the Damsel
Difficulty: Ez Pezee

---

Corin didn’t expect the woman to follow. In fact, she had expected the woman to continue to drink her wine and enjoy the rest of the evening. Having her out and about put her in danger. The thought made Corin more determined to find this vampire before the damsel gets hurt.

There was a part of her that found the excitement in saving a beautiful woman from a monster. Carmin spoke, asking questions and then revealing that she was a storyteller. Her eyes slightly widened as she kept moving out of the tavern and into the cold. Her red hair contrasted with the night and the white of the snow as she turned around.

“A storyteller?” Her face lit up. This could be her chance to be a hero. To finally have someone be able to tell about her adventures to people and get her name out there. Everything was finally falling into place. She could be a hero — renowned now for saving this town from a Vampire!

“It will be a good story! I’m Corin. I want to be a hero, so saving the town from a Vampire is perfect.” She paced a little in the street, the snow that fell melting almost instantly as it touched her skin. If Carmin paid any attention, she would notice wisps of steam coming from the pacing elf.

“Well, Vampires have fangs, and they’re undead…” she tilted her head as she mused over the notes her mother had left her, “Sometimes they’re horrid… I bet you this vampire is hideous like a monster.”

Corin nodded her head, forgetting that sometimes vampires could look like everyday citizens, even attractive ones that liked to tell stories in the taverns.

“You can come with me, just stay close, okay? I don’t want the vampire catching us off guard.”

---

Carmin

 

[Carmin]

“Hideous,” Carmin’s lips twisted downward and she was glad the elf wasn’t facing her at that moment for there was a flash in Carmin’s eyes of something wicked.

Hideous am I? Mmm. I can’t wait to sink my fangs into this one.

Carmin missed nothing, watching the snowflakes evaporate as they touched the elf’s flesh in curls of steam. Her head tilted as she watched and followed. Dead night, blood must be so spicy. Carmin’s teeth scraped against her lower lip.

“I’ll stay close, Corin,” she agreed. The elf’s excessive enthusiasm was sickeningly sweet. Like a little bleating animal. What an oaf. “You can call me Carmin.”

Snow crunched under Carmin’s boots and she pretended to shiver. “It’s cold. How are you going to find the hideous vampire?”

Corin Rook

 

[Corin Rook]

Mission: Lure the Vampire
Side Mission: Don't let the Damsel die
Level: Easy as Pie

---

“That’s a pretty name, Carmin.” Corin smiled and then began to head deeper into town. The rumors stated that the bodies were found in alleyways and places tucked away from the prying eyes. Corin narrowed her vision as she nodded, mostly letting her thoughts run wild as to how and why the Vampire would do such things.

Carmin spoke, and Corin continued walking, making sure the woman remained close behind her. She knew her stride tended to be longer, so she shortened it to ensure safety in numbers. The shiver made her pause, and she looked back at the cold, frail woman she had following her.

“It is winter, why didn’t you wear warmer clothes, Carmin?” Corin tilted her head as she examined the woman’s attire. One would think that since it's been winter, layers would have been at the forefront of one’s mind. Still, Corin didn’t want to fault the woman too much — she could, along with being a storyteller, be a woman of the night.

“Don’t worry, we’ll catch the vampire sooner or later.” Giving Carmin a thumbs up, Corin pulled out a piece of bread. Shaking it, she grinned.

“They were serving garlic bread tonight — glad I snagged a piece.” Taking a bite, she drew an X into the snow.

“You’re gonna stand here, and stay looking really sad and lost — the Vampire will definitely want to attack you.” She spoke while chewing as she focused her eyes on the X that was becoming an X with a circle around it.

Swallowing, she used the garlic bread to point to the adjacent alley. “I’m going to hide there, and when the Vampire shows up, I’m going to jump it and stab it with this.”

In her hand was a thin silver rod, sharpened at the end.

“And then the Vampire is dead, and we can go back to the tavern and warm up.” ​

---

Carmin

 

[Carmin]

"Uh, what?" Carmin stopped dead in her tracks and placed a hand on her hip, eyeing the other woman was busy eating again. She certainly liked to do that. Eat. Fair enough, so did Carmin. But... Garlic bread? Absolutely repulsive. Wouldn't she be shocked to learn that it had no effect on a vampire beyond an expression of despair as it realized it would have to feast while smelling that atrocious scent the entire time. So, in a way, maybe it did work.

"You're going to use me as bait?" Offense hung in her every word and she bent down, scooping up a wad of snow which she flung at the tall elf. As she threw, her arm seemed to overextend and she lost her balance, toppling on the slippery ice covering a cobblestone.

Her hands slapped into the snow and she uttered a soft, startled cry, "Ow," tears welled in her eyes and she shivered, one knee curling up as she looked down at her other foot. "Now look what you've done. Some hero. Trying to use me as bait."

Carmin gave an exagerated wince as she made to stand then collapsed back, hands splaying out at her sides to catch herself.

"I think I sprained my foot," she said, a steaming tear rolling down her cheek. Snowflakes landed on her raven hair as she sat there in the snow, looking pathetic.

Corin Rook