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Voices and sunlight roused the sleeping vampire. Pulling himself up to his elbows and knees, he vomited thick black globs onto the tan soil below him. Gagging on several congealed strands stuck in the back of his throat like half swallowed spaghetti, he had to scrape and pull them away with his fingers to free his airway. Taking in a hurried breath caused him to continue his shuddering expulsion.

Soon Cire was only releasing small amounts of acid. After a bit longer, the heaving subsided. He looked up weakly to see a small group of figures standing around him, but on the other side of thick wooden bars. Cire gave them a sheepish smile, before uttering a strangled greeting.

“Hey...”

Stout kept talking over Cire’s waking. Although, he stepped back from the cage when the prisoner started to make a mess.

“We just need to figure out why it is so resistant to Holy Magic and then we kill it like the rest of the animals that attacked us.”

Maisy replied in a serious tone.

“While it is important to find out why he was more resistant to my magic than most vampires would be, you did not spend any prolonged time with Cire. He is not bad or evil. I will not see someone condemned before they have a chance to explain themselves.”

Stout looked uncharacteristically shamed by that statement and decided to not verbalize a response. A nod of assent was returned only.

“Cire, ya need ta explain yourself ma friend. We have been together fightin' for weeks now, an' not a one o' us woulda felt comfortable with a vamp at our backs if we hadda known.” Durg spoke to Cire for the first time, addressing him with the statement.

Before he could speak up however, Selene cut in.“I know he is not evil. Stacy and I tested him with the blessed sword. He has been using it since the yeti fight. Stacy and Eugene said that they had checked him with a Nature’s Sincerity spell as well. They did not tell me all the details, but they said he could be trusted to be a decent elf.”

She rolled her wrist in a gesture of continuance.

“It was apparent from his story, however, that he was hiding something. That was why we were keeping an eye on him. I think it is rather clear what that secret was at this point.”

All eyes had drifted to Selene during her explanation. Then they all found themselves back on Cire once she finished.

Cire stood while nodding to her explanation, he stayed in the middle of his wooden pen, wary of making sudden movements. He looked around, gathering his bearings. They were behind the tavern and hidden in the woods.

Cire’s heart began to pump a little bit quicker as he recalled Stout's words. Isolated for a quick private kill or, he thought hopefully, to keep his secret from the majority of the villagers. Perhaps both options were the case. When it became clear that the group was waiting on him to speak, he hurriedly found his voice.

“She is correct, I am neutral, although I did just get a boost in good and orderly alignment. I have not distinguished myself in a specific manner. There is a lot more than that to my story though. I would prefer to speak with Durg and Selene privately if I could. I know that is a lot to ask, but it would mean much to me. They could choose to share what they learn afterwards.”

Leaving Cire alone in his cell, the group moved back towards the tavern to have a hushed conversation. While his hearing was better than when he had been a human, he was still unable to make out what they were saying.

With a blink, several moments from the previous evening rushed back to him. A choked scream leapt from his lips.

“Eugene! Stacy! Please tell me they are alive!”

When they returned, Selene had a sad, almost comforting look on her face. Durg's cheeks were flushed with anger. Maisy's features mirrored the female elf, yet showed far more compassion. However, Stout had a clinging visage of hate.

It was Maisy who spoke.

“Eugene fell protecting me and others who would have been taken. Stacy died avenging the man he loved. It will be difficult to recover, but we have much to do. Now, take a moment. Then tell us your story.”

Grumpy and sharp, the old gnome cut in.

“All of it.”

Selene frowned and tacked on.

“We have all promised to keep this amongst ourselves if we are satisfied.” Icy undertones cut through her words making it clear that she meant to personally uphold the guarantee.

Cire had no options, he had to put his cards on the table. Give them everything, hold nothing back. No clever explanations.

Memories of the Eugene and Stacy lingered in his mind as his tale began. He could not help but link the first telling of his story with this one. Some sentences hardly came through stilted words. However, by focusing on his potential judgment, he was able to force himself to recount the past month.

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Giving more details than the last discussion felt prudent. He had trusted Durg and Selene with his life multiple times, it was time to do it again. Not knowing what else would come of it, he let loose all his secrets.

“It also says on my status page that I am, or was, a 'Sun Elf' in addition to being a vampire. I can speak Divine Elvish and Common, but I do not know if that is important. Stacy and Eugene were working with me to understand more of this world.

“I did not tell anyone about being a vampire for the obvious reasons. Most of the time they are evil, vile creatures and not welcome, except in places of the dead. In all honesty, this is what I feared. Being run out of town, or worse, because of what I am and not who I am.”

Giving him rather askance views, the entire group seemed to be doubting his story until towards the end. With his last words, he seemed to give the others pause. They looked to each other knowingly.

Cire was unsure if to continue or if their silence was representative of contemplation. He was about to speak when Selene raised her voice, a questioning look on her face mixed with something that Cire did not recognize.

“You are a Sun Elf? You speak the divine tongue? How? Maisy, is what he said true?”

Giving a slow nod of assent, the old dwarf woman looked Selene in the eyes. “Yes, I cannot provide any information on intent or context, but he has spoken only truth to us. He could have a way to deceive my Divine Truth spell. It is Holy Magic though and that should be difficult for him. Besides, vampires do not posses that sort of power to deceive. I believe he is too low level to have acquired a glamour ability.”

Selene actually gasped and took a rather uncharacteristic deep breath as she started to shake visibly. Cire had always expected the vampire side of his new life to have the most profound impact on those he encountered. From the beginning, he had only thought of the 'Sun Elf' half as a mechanism to mute the negatives of his other side. It had not provided any active abilities, so it had been easy to discount. Selene's reaction insinuated that he had made another incorrect assumption.

Durg looked a bit confused and was still obviously processing everything he had heard. It was clear based on his body language that he was not angry with Cire. Stout, well... Cire had not spent much time with him. So he really could not place what was going on with the crotchety gnome.

“I do not know how I became what I am. I was human before I came to this world.” He tried for a bit of levity. “Also, a good deal taller, heavier, and better looking.”

Based on the looks he got when he tried to turn the conversation away from anything serious, it had been a bad idea. Selene looked like she had been sucker punched by a heavy weight boxer. She looked at Maisy for confirmation and when the dwarf woman nodded, Selene actually had to catch her knees from giving out by leaning on a tree.

Cire was one to ramble, he had just done a fair amount of it after all, but it was also important to know when to shut up. He was not good at this generally, but when his life was on the line, it was much easier than it had ever been before. After a few minutes of the entire group standing in silence, Selene broke it.

“Sun elves have not resided in Elysium for centuries, if not longer, at least not openly. They used to serve the gods and protect their holy sites and artifacts. However, most of them have long since retired to Mt. Olympus to live with their chosen deity. Some hide themselves from the world in cloistered communities, but they hardly ever walk in the open. The divine tongue has not been spoken by any of the elven people in Elysium since the exodus. There are scholars who have pieced together how to read the text, but not how it translated into speech.”

She paused, the explanation having rallied her confidence and surety of the world around her. “Reincarnation is common in Elysium, but I have never heard of a human being reborn as a sun elf. Let alone one that is a vampire. Based on the myths of my people, it should not even be possible. Its probably why you don’t look like the tales. If we wish to know more about this, we will have to visit my home deep within the Shadowed Forest. We do not have time for that now.”

“I dun know about a lot o' what Cire said. I do know he is willin' ta fight for Sunset. We will be needin' his sword for what is ta come.” His dwarven friend announced with surety.

Selene nodded. “I think we all agree that he is not looking to do us harm. We do need to know one last thing before we let you out Cire. What happened during the fight after you saw Stacy die?”

Cire had been so caught up in trying to prove he was not a murderous killing machine that he had almost forgot what he had done the night previous. He paled.

“I really do not know about that either. So far my vampiric abilities have been limited to Shapechange, Bite, and Regeneration. I have a lot of notifications though, so I am sure I will get more information if I look. Whatever happened, I had almost no control. It felt like I was a passenger in my own head.”

Laughter erupted, disrupting the tone that had been set so far during the meeting. Durg could not hold it in any longer as he doubled over.

“Didje not know boyo? Ya were in a rage. Not exactly a true barbarian rage mind ya, but somthin' close. There be only one way ta control a rage. That be by increasin' your mental resistance. I be guessin' that ya have some natural resistance on account o' being a fang-toothed beastie. But ya have ta practice controllin' it.”

Cire blinked, that made a lot of sense. If he had unlocked a rage ability and then failed a resistance check, it explained why he had no will of his own. He had wanted to hurt the gnolls. However, he had not been able to stop himself from attacking Maisy. He shivered involuntarily at the memory.

Durg continued, oblivious to the thoughts battering Cire.

“Yah need ta learn the skill 'Meditation'. Any sane warrior works on the skill fa years before they try n' class upgrade ta barbarian or berserker, if they be so lucky.” Chuckling to himself, the dwarf grinned.

“Course that be any good for his granite dwarf or human barbarian. Most Orcs n' Goblins dunna bother. The rage makes ya as much a danger ta an enemy as ta an ally. Sometimes they cannae even learn it. We will work on the skill together boyo.”

Nodding in agreement and with rapt attention, Cire realized that this had to be one of the reasons that vampires tended to be evil. If he never increased his mental resistance past the strength of his rage than he would assuredly lose control.

Stout cut in, disrupting the congenial direction the conversation had taken.

“I may have agreed with the others. But I would still have you swear an oath Cire. Not just any pledge. Swear to Zeus and he will bind you.”

Cire looked around at the people gathered before him. He had spoken an oath often in his life, the scout oath. However, no divine entity had ever held him to those words. He took a deep breath and contemplated exactly what he wanted to say, but also the meaning he wanted to impart.

“On my honor, I make everyone a solemn oath before the Zeus and the gods. I will not use that ability unless it is to protect my friends or attack those who would do us harm. I will work with Durg and do my best not to become that monster again.”

The gathered residents looked at each other and then back to Cire. Next, Maisy gave Cire a warm smile before she walked up to the cell and undid the heavy chain locking the door. She left it wide open.