"Serelia, what? What is the meaning of this? Have you been eavesdropping on our conversation this entire time?" Princess Cauladra turned to face her Handmaiden.
"Elf blood is sweet tasting, so full of long life and magic, don't you think?" The handmaiden gestured with a flick of her hand as her royal guards came in charging. The nearest guard was paralyzed and the one nearest to him hit the hard stone floor with a thud.
"What have you done?!" Princess Cauladra gasped in horror.
The Bronze Man summoned his spiritual weapon behind the vampire. It struck with such fervor and zeal that the handmaiden's arm was seared off. "Enough of this idle nonsense, fiend!"
The handmaiden screeched in pain and retreated into the shadows of the hallway only to return with nine thralls into the throne room.
"Indeed!" The princess unsheathed her sword from her sheath and turned to face the vampire, "Away with you, Serelia, I am sorry that this fate has befallen you. I truly am! But you have no place her now! Begone with you and never return!"
Grinning through the intense pain, Serelia replied, "Oh no, princess, the masters want you alive. The rest are just food."
The thralls entered and engaged the royal guards not subdued by Serelia's power and steadily pushed them back towards the doors.
Lazheros raised his holy symbol crying out, "And let DAWN take you now!" A beam of pure white light rained down upon the thralls reducing them to ash and healed the royal guards at the same time.
"Did you strike Serelia down, Grand Cleric?" Cauladra scanned the room without relaxing her guard, "She is the greater threat amongst the thralls you have slain."
Peering through the chaos of the scene, the bronze man slowly made his way across the throne room to the door. He saw several ashen piles of thralls but not the vampire herself. She emerged out of the shadows and bit down hard only to fail as he tore her from him with a iron grip. He slammed her against the floor hard and followed through with his mace. The force alone was enough to cave in her chest as he swung around for a second attack. The mace glowed with radiant energy when it connected with the head of the handmaiden. A final shriek and the vampire erupted in fire and ash.
"She came into our employ when she was very young." Princess Cauldra looked completely crestfallen as she witnessed the death of her handmaiden, "I am truly sorry this fate befelled you, my dear sweet Serelia. You deserved far better than this."
*****
"Step back away from the entrance," Alyson commanded as her form shifted into the red dragon this time.
The gnomes took cover as the scorching breath of the red dragon obliterated the huge creature. Some kind of giant vampire bat and the rest of the vampires leaving only ash littering the floor of the cavern.
"Quake, go ahead and scout the area before the gnomes follow," The red dragon watched the burning corpse smoldering in the darkness.
Without question, Quake did exactly that and scouted the next area of the cavern. No sign of an vampires except for a stream of blood flowing out the wall on the far side. She came back and motioned them to follow.
******
The platinum knight held up his hand suddenly and motioned two of the slayers to scout out a potential sighting. Suddenly a handful of vamps came out fangs and claws swinging. Madeous brought his greats word up and in one fluid motion smited the closest vamp leaving only ash behind. The other two vampires closed in on the slayers and met the business end of multiple wooden stakes.
"Only three vampires." One of the slayers said.
"Usually there are more," Another added.
Just then one of the smaller homes exploded with vampires. At least a dozen more.
"You just had to open your big mouth didn't you!" A third slayer grumbled.
The platinum knight charged head on towards the vampires and took three down with a great cleave of his sword.
Between the slayers and the platinum knight, they dropped every single one the vamps and chased down the ones that ran. They also checked the citizens for bite marks and took inquiries from witnesses of a possible lair.
After scouring the side streets and house for the common folk, Madeous marked it off on the map. "This area is clear. Move onto the next street."
*****
"I have one!" Prince Birch declared as he drew forth his blades and cleared his throat, "How about a song to inspire us to victory!"
From out of nowhere, a cone of light appeared around Prince Birch and the sound of a piano and an Elven choir could be heard all around him. And then he began to sing this song:
Glorious
No, I won't give in
I won't give in
'till I'm victorious
and I will defend
I will defend
And I'll do what I must
No, I won't give in
I won't give in
Oh, so glorious
Until the end
Until the end
The weapons of Prince Birch's allies began to glow brightly and his allies began to feel a flood of inspiration that empowered them to counterattack the vampires who began to shirk away from them.
The hunters paused long enough to look at each other's weapons and continued on with their attacks. It was a ballet of swords, and stakes in the mix of the living and the undead on a grand stage.
With his sword glowing as though it were white hot, Irzen sliced through vampire and thrall alike as his blade decapitated his enemies. With his personal guard by his side, Prince Birch sang his song "Glorious" inspiring his allies to press the fight against the enemy.
Maxim shook his head when he staked two more and tossed a stake to his comrade off to the left of him. "You two sweep that area. The rest fan out stay in pairs. I want snipers up there and there. Move."
The slayers checked every area of the courtyard including the watch towers near the main gate and the sewers gates. The snipers got into position and waved all clear. Maxim turned to the prince, "Where to now, your highness?"
Prince Birch stopped singing and turned towards Maxim, "Past the courtyard and into the recesses of the manor hall proper."
"Okay, everyone, check your corners!" Irzen commanded as he headed towards the manor hall, "Vampires are three-dimensional fighters. They can strike from above, from below and from the very darkness itself. So keep your eyes sharp and your ears open."
******
"AAAAWWWW!" Serna sadly shook her head, "That's a shame. I'm sorry that your world has no true magic. And I'm sorrier still that you and your wife felt compelled to flee your homeworld. But you are right about one thing. The Realm does have three moons and four suns. Back where I am from, in Deeping Dale, we see them all the time. Have you ever been to Deeping Dale? It's very nice. Also, how do you and your wife like Asylum? Was that the first place you found when you came to the Realm? Or did you wander anywhere else before that?"
"We settled in quite nicely and started a family. All boys. We tried for a girl but no luck which is why I had asked you in Arbor Haven if you wanted to be adopted since you were an orphan. The offer is open to you, young lady. No, I have not been to Deeping Dale. The farthest I've been west was Arbor Haven, and I do not wish to venture beyond that. For I miss my lovely wife and my sons. I pledged my service to the Guardian of Asylum and it has been that way every since." He stood up suddenly when a shot went off outside.
****BANNGGG!!****
Serna nearly jumped out of her skin at the sudden sound of the gunshot!
A screech was heard briefly and then nothing. The Englishman came out with his rifle, "Only one?"
"Aye sir. We spotted some off to the left near the tower entrance." The gunner replied.
Serna breathed a sigh of relief.
Captain Lion spotted a vampire slinking around the outside of the tower adjacent to his ship. Bringing up his rifle he tracked the creature until its head was out in the open and fired.
**BANG!!**
The vampire's body flailed lifelessly as it tumbled all the way down to the bottom.
"Eyes up!" He said when another vampire flew up and over onto the deck of the ship preventing Captain Lion from using his rifle. He flipped it around and smashed it into the chest of the vamp.
Serna scanned the ceiling to find the vampire on the attack.
The vampire cursed him in the old language, "'Why do you protect that ripe piece of meat?'"
Without saying a word, Captain Lion tossed the gun aside and lunged for the throat of the vampire.
The creature gasp at how strong he was and managed to counter shoving him back. Racing forward with blinding speed, the vampire sunk his fangs into the man's neck drinking heavily and that's when the Englishman's appearance changed right before Serna's eyes.
"Captain Lion! NO!" Serna cried as the vampire bit into her friend's neck.
"'Because I am not a monster. I am anything but what you have become and therefore you must not be!'" Captain Lion's eyes went from blue to red, his skin paled slightly, and his hands were claws as he punched right through the vampire's chest and crushed his heart.
"WOW!" Serna gasped without batting an eyelash, "You tore right through his chest and ripped out his heart! I saw my adopted sister Kana do that once and it never ceases to amaze. WOW! Are you alright, Captain Lion? That vampire bit you pretty good."
When Captain Lion turned around to face the girl, she saw what appeared to be a vampire looking at her. He relaxed somewhat and his claws disappeared leaving only the blood red eyes and fangs. "I can assure you, young lady of this, I am immune to being turned. For in another time, I was a true vampire and despite how much my sire wanted me to give into the bloodlust, I refused. My love for my wife is what saved my soul from being damned. Upon slaying the one who sired me, there were some permanent side affects."
"I see!" The Shield Maiden replied, "My sister, Lysana, looks Human enough too! However, her eyes always betray her lupine traits. Just like your eyes and fangs betray the vampire-like side of you. Wait a minute! Does Lazheros know that you have these vampiric qualities? I saw him smite War Scribe once because she was Undead. I don't want him to do anything like that to you."
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