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Post by longstevo on May 12, 2006 0:27:48 GMT -5
Sirion stepped out of his cabin the following morning and walked instead of riding to the town. He sloshed his way through the knee-deep snow and wrapped his cloak around his shoulders. The morning sun began to creep over the clouds, but did little to warm the landscape. His frosted breath left a trail behind him as he exhaled. Upon reaching the front gate, he went straight towards the tavern. The thought of a warm cup of Yachale nearly sent shivers through his spine. He could almost taste the spicy liquid pouring down his throat.
He opened the door, and at the same time, Ian was making his way down the flight of stairs. He looked much more refreshed than the day before, and his pale pigment seemed a little more normal, not as white. Sirion smiled slightly and called to the noble, “Morning.” Ian put his hands together in a praying posture and bowed slightly. The ranger simply shook his head. After receiving his drink from the bartender, Sirion went to sit next to Ian, who was seated without drink or food.
“Breakfast?” asked Sirion.
“No. It is not my custom to eat in the morning. It does…not sit well,” replied Ian, flashing a deceptive smile.
“As you wish.”
The two sat in silence for some time while Sirion consumed his drink. Once the steaming mug was finished, Sirion stood. “Well, Ian, you’ve proved yourself against a mighty direl,” the sarcasm was dripping from his voice, “Let’s see how you fare against a much more intelligent foe.”
Another smile, and the noble said, “Very well.”
Sirion led the noble to the Ranger building and went inside. He came out holding two wooden swords. They most resembled a long short sword, and weighed very little. Siroin tossed one to Ian, who caught it without thought. No words were needed, for each man knew the rules of the game. Ian smiled, and Sirion grinned back. The ranger was looking forward to a chance to test the noble’s mettle. He still didn’t trust this stranger, and was a little unnerved at Leokas’ enthusiasm for him. But he was trying to trust him as best he could. This little exercise would build some trust in each other.
Sirion lunged forth, swinging the sword wide. Ian instinctively danced back, but tripped and nearly fell on his back. He caught himself and regained his feet. He was not used to moving in the ankle deep snow in town. Inside the gates, the townspeople keep the snow to a manageable level, but it was still more snow than Ian was used to. In this respect, the advantage went to the ranger. Shaking his head with yet another smile, Ian said, “Well my friend, I must admit. I’m a little out of my element!”
“I’m sure you’ll do just…fine!” the last word was strained as the ranger made yet another attack. Ian parried, and the wood weapons clunked in the early morning….
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Post by longstevo on May 12, 2006 19:06:41 GMT -5
Sirion swung again, pressing his aggressive attack. But Ian move with an elegance not seen very often in these parts. He more or less danced with the sword than defended with it. Parrying left and blocking right, all of Sirion’s strikes were diverted. This small fight seemed to be a clashing of two different fighting styles and histories. Sirion, seemingly much stronger than Ian, relied on his strength to deliver his blows, while Ian seemed to use his quickness and cunning to anticipate the ranger’s rather predictable attack.
Although the mountain man was not original with his fighting, he did bring a great deal of brawn to his strikes. Several blows rattled Ian’s wooden weapon quite badly, sending the impact up to his elbows. The vampire quickly adapted to the snow, and before long, he was finding his footing with no problem.
“AARRGH!!” Sirion cried out and came smashing down with the sword in an overhead smite. Ian ducked and rolled to the side. A collective gasp arose from the crowd that had formed to watch the fight. Siroin took the opportunity of his downed opponent and kicked him in the side. He heard the air rush out of Ian’s lungs as his heavy foot made contact, but with lightning speed, the noble grabbed that same heavy foot and yanked it out from underneath it’s owner. Sirion crashed onto his back, knocking the wind from his chest.
He looked up to see Ian standing above him pointing the sword down at his face. Growling, the ranger knocked the noble’s blade away and leaped to his feet. He found the Valleri’s calm demeanor to be very frustrating. Sweat was dripping off his own face, yet Ian didn’t seem to be winded at all.
Swords, take it from here
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Post by Latronis on May 13, 2006 1:21:39 GMT -5
The paladin listened intently to the rest of the interview and found it surprinsgly enlightening but she remained silent, it wasn't her place to intrude on Ian's 'appointment'.
She listened to him listing his known blade styles, quite a few surprisingly, some she knew herself, some she only knew of, a few she'd never heard of and even a few she thought hadn't been used in hundreds of years. It made a certain kind of sense though with the image she in her head. Probably some nobles son raised on romanticized tales of war and fighting spent his days learning the blade and now was out 'seek adventure' before being shackled down to a boring life in court, or perhaps a runaway from the life of court. It wasn't all that different to many of the young nobles who joined the paladins of illyana in her homeland.
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Post by Latronis on May 13, 2006 1:38:48 GMT -5
The next day while Ian and the ranger were sparring Jacqueline made good on her promise to go see grieving mother, while she didn't doubt Sirion had a gentle touch in breaking the news he had a lot on his mind and likely wouldn't be able to offer the succour another woman could, and not the support the family would need from each other.
So she found herself now making the woman a pot of tea and joinig her at the humble table.
"While I can't knwo what you are going through, It might help to tell em about your son, to remember the good times you had?"
Se had tried this tact before it was a bit of a risk some people blew up in her face and for a long time the mother remained silent, Jackie always considered herself a good judge of character and was soon rewarded when the woman opposite her began to speak in a surprisingly steady voice.
"He was always making up stories, always exaggerating his exploits and claiming he was going to be the greatest ranger northgate had ever seen." THe woman chuckled a little through tears and Jacqueline smiled supportingly at her as she continued.
"One time i feared he had been attacked by an eagle, the story had reached my ears long before he had. I almost had a heart attack but when i saw him i knew what had happened, he was scratched by a roosters spur and invented the story to keep from trouble when he knew he wasn't supposed to chase the chickens. THe great ranger and his mighty foe.....
After a few hours Jacqueline had many tales of the energetic young man interspersed by her occassionally reassuring the mother it wasn't her fault, that sometimes terrible tragedies occur and theres nothing we can do about it. Before she left she promised the woman that should she ever need some help to come see her men and they would fetch her for her. After a tearful thank you for the help Jacqueline left the grieving home, light of foot and feeling better about her work then she had in a long while.
On her way back to the barracks to insure her men were keeping up their training and not too bored she noticed the sparring pair and decided to get a little closer and watch the sport.
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Post by Swords on May 14, 2006 23:25:06 GMT -5
Ian stared at Sirion who was on his feet again, five feet from his on position. He saw the discordant breathing of the tired ranger, saw the sweat glossing his forehead. He threw the ranger a thingyy smile and pointed his wooden sword at Sirion.
"No need to get flustered, Sirion," he said playfully. ",'tis only a game."
A slight scowl swept over Sirion's face. How could he be so calm after moving around so much?! The ranger raised his practice-sword above his head with both hands, waiting for Ian to make a move. Once again Ian flashed his oh-so-witty smile, and motioned for Sirion to come forth. This drew a little laughter from the crowd.
Sirion rushed in gracefully and brought the wooden sword down upon Ian's own sword, hoping to outmatch him in strength. With a series of shattering blows, he finally knocked Ian's sword out of his grasp. Satisfaction welled up inside the ranger, and he flashed the Valleri a thingyy smile of his own.
Ian shrugged and said, "Oh well, you win. Congratulations, friend." The noble stuck out a hand and smiled, making Sirion look a fool with his blade still raised above his head.
He always gets the last laugh, though the ranger, a twinge of annoyance splayed on his face. Sirion threw his wooden sword to the ground and took the Valleri's hand in his own, giving it a good hearty shake.
"Well done." he said simply.
Ian gave the now applauding crowd a bow and began to walk away. Suddenly, Ian felt not himself, as if some other driving force was taking hold of him. He looked to Sirion, and a fit of unnatural rage began to fire up inside of him. The only sign he showed of it was through his face, which was locked in a scowl. Sirion turned around, feeling a pair of eyes on him. Shock almost took him as he saw the calm and collected look on his face replaced by one of hate and violence.
Ian wanted to kill this man, he did not know why. He wanted to drain every last drop of blood from his body, absorbing his essence. No longer was this man merely a pawn to spy on, but a hated enemy. Ian fought the feeling, and, fortunately, began to feel it fade away. Regaining himself, he glanced back up at Sirion, smiled, and walked away from the scene.
*Go ahead LS. Oh yeah, just so you guys know, your characters don't know that Ian is a noble, as the Valleri family is not well-known. Sorry if I didn't add that in earlier.*
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Post by longstevo on May 15, 2006 0:33:57 GMT -5
Sirion whirled around and stomped towards the ranger’s headquarters. The crowd began to disperse, and Leokas and the two ranger brothers stood near the door laughing in enjoyment of the morning’s entertainment. When they saw the seriousness on Siroin’s face, the laughter left theirs. Sirion put his heavy hand on the half elf’s shoulders and nearly shoved the captain through the door.
“Whoa, whoa! What is wrong with you?” asked the stunned elf as he smacked away the ranger’s hand. He’d never had Sirion yank him around. The man had always had the utmost respect for the half elf’s authority. He knew that something serious was on his ranger’s mind.
Breathing hard, trying to control the anger and rage, Sirion struggled to spit out his words. “He has got to go.” Of course he meant Ian.
Panaan and Fruamros followed them into the building, and watched the debate between the first and second in command.
Leokas’ face was shocked, “Excuse me? And why should I do this? He’s obviously good at what he does and he’s done nothing wrong. He’d be a valuable addition to…”
Siroin cut him off, “Something is not right about him. Something, I can’t say what it is. Something…unnatural,” Sirion began to relax and calm down a little. “Did you see the way he looked at me after our fight? If looks could kill I’d have been dead twice over. I don’t trust him.”
Leokas leaned on his hands as they rested on the table in front of him. He slowly shook his head. “I’m sure it was just resonate feelings after the fight. And, we’ve talked about this before. We need more men. He’s as good as any that’s come forward.”
“And it takes a vote of all Rangers to bring in another member. I can already tell you what mine is going to be. And I’ve talked with these guys,” he pointed to Fruamros and Panaan, “…and they don’t trust him either. Please, find another recruit. We can’t be effective if we can’t trust one another.”
Leokas looked into Sirion’s eyes and sighed deeply. What could he say? If three quarters of his team didn’t trust the newcomer, he couldn’t force them to accept Ian. Trust needed to be earned.
Sirion spoke again, “Leokas. Please. We’ve known each other for years. We’ve worked together, fought together and been friends for longer than I can remember. We each listen to each other. You’ve never doubted me in the past. Please, don’t do it now. I know what I’m saying sounds crazy, but you’ve got to trust me. Find another recruit.”
Leokas hung his head. He knew Sirion was right, but he almost couldn’t stomach losing such a fine looking prospect. Raising his eyes to meet his old friend’s, he asked, “I know what you say makes sense. But we really need this man. Give him one week. One week, and if questions are still being raised, I’ll send him on his way. Does that sound fair?”
Seething anger flooded Sirion’s face again and he slammed his fist down on the wooden table before storming out the door. Leokas sighed. It was going to be a very long one week.
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Post by Swords on May 16, 2006 22:57:22 GMT -5
Thoughts and worries raced through Ian's mind as he paced the perimeter of his room. What was coming over him? Hadn't he just fed? Whatever was happening should not be happening, it was unnatural. In all the books he had read, there had never been once occurrence where blood had no effect of a vampire's psyche. For some reason, the blood he had drank had no effect, and he was continuing to experience the withdrawal symptoms of drinking no blood.
He sat down at his small desk. Maybe it was simply the heat of the moment getting to him. Yes, that was it. He breathed heavily and picked up a quill from the desk. Dabbing it in the ink vial, he decided to write to his brother, reporting on his endeavors thus far.
~-~-~ Vincent,
All goes well in North Gate, though I had a little trouble getting here. The vampire you hired to escort me was killed by a vampire hunter, who attacked me. I will remain steadfast in my trust for you... for now, though I will be more wary of following any orders you give me from now on...
Unfortunately, Sirion harbors little trust for me. Maybe it is my presence that is turning him away, though it usually has the opposite effect on most mortals. I will look into this. As a spot of good news, the Pass Rangers have indited me into their ranks... partly. They will monitor my actions and promote me should I prove worthy.
I have also met a woman named Jacqueline, a knight working with the rangers. As far as I can tell, she has no suspicions, and shouldn't be any burden for me to bear.
Finally, I must ask you of certain conditions I have been
Ian stopped writing, considering what he was writing. He shook his head, and scribbled out the last sentence.
- Ian ~-~-~
He grabbed an envelope out of the top right drawer on the desk, and placed the folded up parchment inside of it. He took his family seal (one of a crossed rose and harp) and dipped it in the open dish of dark purple wax. Pressing it firmly against the crease of the envelope, he began to feel odd, once again. Once again he felt like devouring the blood of every man, woman, ad child in North Gate. He shook it off, however, and finished sealing the letter.
He strode over to his window with the letter and whistled a low-pitched tune. Almost immediately, a dark colored owl perched at the windowsill.
"Ah, Ferros," he said to the bird. The owl stared intently, as if waiting for the letter. ", there you are. I have a letter for you, send it to Vincent and Vincent only. This letter is not meant for the eyes of the rest of the family."
The owl hooted in response, and took the letter handed to him. It fluttered its wings a few times, and was off into the now darkening sky...
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Post by longstevo on May 17, 2006 0:22:20 GMT -5
Picking at his slice of pork, Sirion lost himself deep in thought. A great many things crossed his mind. The heat from his dinner had faded long ago, and now sat cold in front of him on the table set in the center of his cabin. Many of the thoughts concerned Ian. Several dealt with his feelings regarding Leokas. And some thoughts simply wandered about the unusually long winter the town was experiencing this year. He was jerked to consciousness, however, when he heard feet pounding along the path leading from the town to his cabin.
The door bashed open, and Sirion jumped up and grabbed his nearby sword. But it was only Panaan at the doorway, breathing hard. Gasping for breath, Panaan said, "Come...to town...at once. Something...has been...found..."
Frowning, Sirion latched his swordbelt and left for town. He and Panaan bounded towards the city gates on foot, and sprinted straight for their headquarters.
As they burst through the door, they saw Fruamros, Leokas, and Jacqueline standing around the large table in the center of the room. The table was draped in a strange tablecloth...no. Something was underneath the tablecloth. A body.
Sirion raised an eyebrow at the elf half captain. "Sir? What is this?" Grimly, Leokas reached for the head of the cloth and pulled it down. Young Catherine lay underneath the blanket. So young and innocent looking. But the glowing exuberance of her life was erased and replaced by the cold gray of death. Wait. Something wasn't right. The ranger bent down and examined her body more closely.
It was obvious the young seventeen year old girl was dead. But she seemed...wrong. She seemed...empty. Sirion touched her flesh, and without surprise, she was ice cold.
Leokas interjected, "Look at her neck."
Taking a deep breath, almost expecting what to find, Sirion put a finger under her chin and tilted her once sweet face to the side, revealing a former luscious neck...
...with two identical pinpricks evenly spaced.
Sirion's breath caught in his throat. Could it be? Vampires? Here in North Gate!?! His head jerked up and stared hard into Leokas' eyes. For the first time he had known him, Leokas' eyes did not hold an answer. For a long time, no one spoke and simply stared at the dead farmer's girl laying in front of them.
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Post by longstevo on May 18, 2006 20:19:55 GMT -5
The ranger stepped outside for a breath of fresh air and his boots crunched on the snow. Not a word had been said inside while it's every occupant had stared at the hideous scene. He looked to the clear blue sky. An icy wind came blowing down off the mountain, sending a shiver through his body. But the shiver was not caused by the intense cold sitting over North Gate. Genuine fear began to course through his body.
The door creaked open and Jacqueline stepped out. She tightened her cloak around her shoulders and joined the ranger in the cold. They didn't say much at first, but the paladin broke the silence. "Have you ever seen anything like that in this region?"
He shook his head. She sighed, her fears being realized. "Then we are most surely dealing with a nightmare."
"Where was she found?"
"Her father found her in his haybarn. He said she was naked with no clothes to protect from cold."
Sirion shook his head. What kind of abomination would strip a young woman naked before draining her of her blood? But he already knew that answer. A vampire. The unholy beast had most likely used his legendary charm to seduce her before taking his fill.
He asked her, "Have you experience in such dealings?"
"With vampires? No. But maybe the local priest may have some answers."
The two stepped off the beaten path and made their way to the small church on the opposite side of town to speak with the priest.
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Post by Swords on May 18, 2006 23:59:40 GMT -5
Ian approached the gathering crowd, cowl pulled tightly over his head. This was not good; they were drawn to a scene in the Pass Ranger's Headquarters. As he drew nearer to the scene, he began to grow nervous, and he did not know why. Commonfolk in the mass of people were pale, as if sickened by something, and some women were crying.
Guards blocked the entrance, urging people to return to their homes. Slowly, but surely, the crowd began to dissolve until Ian was the only person left.
"Return to your home, sir," said a guard with a bushy grey beard. ",we've already had enough visitors today."
"What happened here?" the Valleri asked anyway.
The guard sighed, "We found a body the other night at the inn, that' s all that needs to be said."
Ian flinched, maybe it was just a coincidence, "You wouldn't mind telling me the details, would you? I'm... sort of a member of the Pass Rangers; I think I should know."
"Oh, well... I guess it couldn't hurt to tell you." he sighed once again. "Catherine, a local girl in town, was the victim. Not only is her death a travesty to the us, for she was a kind and gentle soul, yet it is also the condition we found her in.
"Two holes on the side of her neck, not an ounce of blood in her body. We don't want the town to know this, for it might raise suspicion. Right now we're taking the body with us until the cremation ceremony tonight. That's... that's all I will tell you."
Ian clasped a hand on his shoulder, "I share your loss, friend, thank you very much."
The guard nodded and smiled slightly, and Ian left the scene. Inside, Ian was cursing like a sailor, for this did not bode well. How could this have happened!? He was sure that he drained only what he needed, he would have known if he had drained all of her blood! What was happening to him?
He figured he'd better play the part of mourner damn well, for this may only raise Sirion's distrust for him. Sirion had been the only person to have touched his skin, so signs might be pointing to him. Whatever happened within the next few days, he would be sure to be doubly careful, and to set himself in a good light with the Pass Rangers. However, with the events of the past few days, he questioned his ability to do so.
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Post by longstevo on May 19, 2006 21:20:15 GMT -5
*I decided to skip the conversation with the priest. I'm not in the mood to write about a long, boring talk in a stuffy church * The pair stepped out into the cold snow again. They spent nearly two hours in the church listening to the father recount his knowledge of vampires. It was widely known and rumored that the only way to kill a vampire is with a wooden stake through heart. But according to Father Carroll, it need not be a wooden "stake," but a wooden point of any kind. But, it needed to be blessed by a holy church of some kind. A church with a following of knights was a good bet. The father told tales of vampires being vanquished with spears, stakes, and even a training sword. What was most fearsome was the myths that Father Carroll dispelled. It turns out, vampires were not required to stay in the shadows of darkness, but instead, were able to roam about freely like ordinary man. This made detecting the creature that much more difficult. And, the vampire looks exactly like a normal human, unless it has been a considerable amount of time since it's last feeding, then the vampire's skin begins to degenerate, giving him an obvious undead appearance. Sirion and Jac. walked out of the church with three books from the church's library on the topic of vampires. They made their way to the tavern to go over the material over a mug of ale.
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Post by Latronis on May 20, 2006 0:33:28 GMT -5
OOC: I wanted to write about a long boring chat in a stuffy church There is something i have been meaning to talk to you about for a few days now, but with Ian and the Direl incident I've hardly found the time. My knights were stationed here in case more bandits came down from the battles closer to my home and i've been meaning to organise how they would respond to threat alongside the pass rangers. Now that we possibly have a vampire around it's even more important we find a way to work together.
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Post by longstevo on May 20, 2006 14:59:07 GMT -5
OOC: Sorry Lat! We can go back and do the talk, if you want. It's not a problem. I just didn't feel like it last night. But it's fine now. Just let me know.
Sirion closed the book entitled, "A Wizard's Notes on Vampires." The thick tome had been a wizard's studies and musings on the unholy creatures. "You're right. We need to align this area's forces of good and combat this evil."
"Yes. My captain left me with *** men, and they are all capable warriors."
"Aye. As for us, we only number eight men, and half us our ranks are still not back from a current mission. They're due back any day."
The ranger picked up an ale that had been carried to them by the barmaid and sipped on the thick brew. Both warriors thought for a minute. An idea finally came to Sirion's head.
"M'lady. Tell me if this idea is acceptable to you. As I said, us rangers only equal eight, but you've numerous knights. Seeing as we're familair with the area, how would it sound to naming each ranger a temporary captain for a small squad of your knights. You're fighting force would be divided into six formidable fighting units, led by one of my rangers, excluding Leokas and myself. That way, we can search and cover more ground."
Jacqueline nodded and stared off into the distance, deep in thought. "But my knights are accustomed to strict leadership, and I know your rangers are quite freelance..."
"Yes, no worries. Each of my rangers come from an extended military background. We've all served time in one man's army or another, and we've all held leadership ranks. Trust me, we know how to run a military unit." Sirion smirked and winked, and watched the female paladin thoughtfully nod her head as she turned the idea over and over again.
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Post by Swords on May 21, 2006 23:51:53 GMT -5
When Ian received the news of the affiliation between the Pass Rangers and knight, he nearly sighed in relief right there. They didn't suspect him, at least not just yet, so he was free to steer the knights into a completely wrong direction. With that in mind, he joyfully headed over to the gathering crowd of people waiting for Catherine's cremation. The tall tower of wood loomed over the dark and somber crowd, and the sun began to set. Soon enough, two guards laid Catherine's body atop the wooden structure, and ignited the hay below it.
Flames licked their way to the wood, which was quickly blazing thereafter. Citizens cried and wailed as the beloved and pure girl that was Catherine left the world through the ashes of the flames. Whoever or whatever did this was going to pay, and would see to it that the Pass Rangers accomplished this. In Sirion, and all the Pass Ranger's minds, there was nothing they wanted more; no greater cause than to vanquish something as sinister as a vampire.
Ian played the part of a mourner well, though he was obviously not able to draw tears. Slowly, the citizens attending the funeral flooded out, and went to their homes. As Ian was returning to his room, he began to moan in pain, reeling over as he did. He craved blood, needed it, though he was not sure if he should hunt for it. After all, look at what happened last time, and he didn't even realize it.
... but the pain and hunger were unbearable, he couldn't resist.
That night, he fed once more.
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Post by longstevo on May 22, 2006 20:35:11 GMT -5
Sirion was slowly making his way up the dirt path from his cabin and had just passed the gates to the town. He turned to the ranger's headquarters and opened the door. He saw Leokas and Ian going over some paperwork or another. Sirion simply sighed and turned and walked out the door. He rubbed his hands to warm them against the chill. He reached the door to Yate's tavern.
Opening the wooden slab, a wall of heat nearly sucked his breath away. It felt good to escape from the cold outside. He saw Jacqueline sitting the corner reading one of the books they had recieved from the church. He strode across the room to join her.
Yates did not say much when the ranger passed. The little man didn't greet his friend with the usual laughter and warmth. The loss of Catherine had surely affected everyone in the small town.
He pulled out a chair and sat next to the paladin. She looked up and smiled a bit before returned to the text. Sirion reached for another book sitting on the table and opened the tome. The title on this writing read simply: "Tormil: Vampire Slayer" Reading into it a bit, Sirion noted that Tormil was a legendary knight who had dedicated his life to the eradication of vampires. Until he was affected by the very species he hunted. On a dark stormy knight, as the tendrils of vampirism began to take hold of his body, Tormil thrust a wooden spike into his own chest.
There the two sat, reading up on their enemy, late into the afternoon.
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