Tealas and Odefin returned to the gaol early the following day. The sun hid behind heavy grey clouds and a slow drizzle covered everything in a wet, uncomfortable blanket.

Odefin dismounted from his heavy horse, gave the reins to Tealas who sat rigid on his brown mare, and strode into the city guard's gaol.

´Good morning,` the colonel greeted the hunter as he entered.

Odefin nodded and brushed back the hood of his cloak, dripping with moisture. ´I would like to know if the wounded thug we found yesterday has come to yet?`

The colonel shook his head. ´Sadly, no. He's still alive, but we don't have much hope of him surviving much longer.`

Typical. The man might have been able to give a better description of the vampire, having fought him up close. But they'd find him anyway. ´Are the guards ready for some hunting?` Odefin asked.

´They are readying their horses. They'll come out front any minute.`

Odefin nodded and stomped straight back out again. He emerged from the gaol just as six mounted guards came out from the courtyard in the back. ´Only six?` he grumbled as he reached his horse.

Tealas frowned in clear disappointment, his mouth pressed into a thin line. He returned the reins to Odefin who climbed back up on his dark steed.

´Very well,` Tealas said as the guardsmen stopped in front of them. Inclining his head, he touched the brim of his hat with one hand. ´We have a vampire to find, and the sooner we do, the easier this will be.` The guards nodded, looking grim in their brown and black outfits, their helmets and halberds gleaming in the grey light. ´All we know is that this vampire is a dark man with long black hair, possibly an elf.` He eyed the men carefully as he gave the information. Two started at the mention of the vampire being an elf, it was highly unusual after all. The others watched him attentively.

´The vampire is probably young and bound to make mistakes,` Tealas informed. ´Knock on doors, ask for anyone matching the description. Ask for missing people and animals. Check out abandoned buildings. Remember that a vampire needs a dark place, shielded from sunlight during the day.` The guards nodded. ´If you find it, or any tracks or suggestions to its whereabouts,` Tealas glared at them, ´you come to us. Understand?`

He looked at the guards one at a time. They nervously avoided his steely-eyed stare and saluted. ´Good,` he said quietly. ´Do not engage the vampire on your own. Never go alone.` He motioned with his hands over the houses around them. ´We'll start looking in this area. Hitherto, it has not moved very far. But if we find nothing here, we'll proceed by looking towards the harbour districts and around the older parts of the city where there are plenty of hiding places and criminals who might be inclined to help the monster in return for its assistance.`

Odefin added with a growl, ´We keep the search to daytime hours. We don't want to encounter him at night when he's awake and at prime strength.` At least not yet, he thought.

´We meet back here again at nightfall,` Tealas finished.

They rode out in different directions, taking parallel streets in pairs, going from door to door, covering every street and block.

The drizzle fell throughout the day and in the evening they were tired, wet, and cold. The vampire hunters and the guards met again in the small guard station. Sitting down in a room dedicated to the guards working in the gaol, they talked about their finds and how to proceed.

Two of the guards had found a family missing a goat. Probably the one they'd found in the old house, Tealas thought. The others had found nothing. Everyone had encountered places and people of dubious character, but none had been able to tell them anything about the vampire, and there were no reports of missing or dead people. However, they had got suggestions about places to check out later.

It was important to find the vampire quickly, and the hunters imposed this fact on the guards, explaining how the first weeks were critical. If allowed to live longer than a few months, they'd learn how to keep hidden, stay in control, and hide their tracks. They'd also become more dangerous to fight.

The following morning, under a dark cloudy sky, Tealas reminded the guards of the plan and not to engage the vampire, but to come directly to them if they found it. The hunters didn't want any casualties due to a lack of understanding of their foe. Vampires could be very dangerous, even during the day. That mainly concerned elder vampires, but they took no unnecessary risks. The guards split up, again working in pairs during the search.

Tealas and Odefin rode together to check out some abandoned places. The first five locations were nothing but thug-infested old hovels. The next place was located in an older part of the city, filled with narrow dark alleyways and small houses crammed close together. Just like a warren, Tealas thought with disdain. The perfect place for a vampire to hide. They rode through the narrow streets, being gawked at by poor children who didn't see such well-dressed people often, and eyed with open distrust by the adults.

Tealas dismounted by a small group of children. ´Hey,` he said in a soft voice. ´Want to earn some coin?` They watched him with wide eyes. He presented a silver griffin from his money pouch. ´Have any of you seen or heard about a strange dark-skinned man, possibly in the company of a local friend?`

The children watched the silver coin in his hand with hungry eyes but shook their heads. A lesurii boy tentatively raised a small scaly hand.

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´Yes?` Tealas asked, turning his pale eyes on the young lizardman.

´I heard 'bout a dark vamp' who'd ended some people not too far off,` he explained in a serious voice.

Tealas nodded. ´Yes. We're looking for him. Have you seen him?`

He shook his head. ´No. Mother won't lemme stay out in the dark. I could get eaten.` He shivered.

Tealas sighed. He was about to put the coin back in his money pouch when a slightly older girl spoke up.

´I didn't saw 'im,` she began, ´but I think I know where he's at.`

Tealas and Odefin turned to her. She fidgeted and looked down at her shoe-less, dirty feet.

´Go on,` Tealas encouraged mildly.

´I saw lights, an' heard a sheep bleatin' from the old temple at night,` she said. ´I heard it 'cause I couldn't sleep an' was lookin' out the window.`

Tealas glanced at Odefin, raising his eyebrows. Odefin nodded.

´What more did you see?` Tealas asked.

She scratched her neck and fiddled with her tunic for a bit. ´I didn't see anythin',` she answered, looking uncomfortable. ´I just heard. Twas two nights ago.`

´Alright. And where can we find this temple?` Tealas asked, wondering what temple it might be.

´Over there,` she said and several of the children pointed.

´Thank you. It was very helpful.` Tealas handed over the silver coin.

The girl took it and stared at it before clasping it to her chest like a treasure and running off as fast as she could. The other children chased after her, shouting and laughing.

Tealas got back on his horse and they rode in the direction the children had pointed. After a short ride, they spotted its caved in roof. An old ruin, barely larger than the nearby houses. The main body of the temple lay shielded from prying eyes behind rose vines and weeds growing over an old, broken fence. It was long since it had seen any regular visitors.

The vampire hunters' eyes met in silence before dismounting. Tying their horses to the fence, they looked for a way in. The gates were closed with a heavy chain and a large iron lock, rusted into an unopenable clump. They followed the fence to find another way in.

´There!` Odefin pointed to an obscured opening some way ahead.

Tealas spotted dark stains on the stones, shielded from the rain by the vines. A piece of cloth stuck to one of the thorns. ´Looks like he came through here,` he said quietly.

´Let's get to it.` Odefin climbed through the hole, panting and grunting. Big as he was, it took him a while to get through without getting stuck. Tealas had an easier time but had to remove the hat first.

The temple rose ahead, beyond a small yard of aged, leaning gravestones. A small side door hung ajar on the back section of the ruin. Tealas felt that was where the monster had gone, if it had indeed hid in the temple. He saw no recognizable symbols on the building, showing what deity it represented.

To be safe, he took out his Eldon-symbol and let it hang clearly visible on his chest. Odefin did the same and readied his axe. Tealas replaced his hat and took his crossbow off his back, placed a foot in the cocking stirrup, pulled the string up, and slid a bolt into its groove.

´Ready to go in?` he asked calmly.

Odefin nodded. ´Let's get this bastard if he's still here.`

They advanced to the door. Odefin opened it with a creak and Tealas entered first, crossbow leading the way. Seeing nothing, he ventured further in while Odefin stayed by the door to allow some light to get in.

Bloodstained dirty clothes, torn in many places, lay in a pile. Bloodied ribbons and the discarded remains of a rushlight also littered the dusty floor. It looked like they had missed the blood-sucker, Tealas thought grimly.

A putrid odour of methane and iron accompanied by a faint droning drew his attention. Tealas wrinkled his nose. A doorway yawned open further in. He edged towards it, moving quietly. The buzzing and smell emanated from the pitch-black inside. Grasping the sun-symbol in his left hand, he held it aloft, murmuring a few low syllables, a prayer to the Sun God. A bright light sprung from the medallion. Odefin let go of the door and entered the room as well.

Tealas almost expected to find the vampire sleeping in the antechamber, but instead, a swarm of flies greeted him, surrounding a dead sheep and rabbit on the floor. The room was empty of all else. Lowering the crossbow, he studied the dead animals.

Odefin came up behind Tealas and looked over his shoulder. ´More animals?`

´Yes, looks like it,` he sighed.

´Do you think he eats them?` Odefin asked, perplexed.

´I don't know. Maybe.`

´Do you think he's trying not to kill people?` Odefin scratched his beard and studied the room.

´I don't know. I have never seen a vampire do this before,` Tealas answered slowly. ´But then, I have never met an elven vampire so it's possible, I suppose.` He walked up to the next doorway, leading into the nave, carefully peeking in. Pale light seeped in through the many cracks and holes in the roof. No vampire would hide there. ´It's not stopping its killings though.`

Odefin nodded. ´How's he getting the animals?`

Tealas regarded Odefin thoughtfully, tapping a finger on the trigger of the crossbow. ´I think it's getting help.`

Odefin looked up sharply. ´Help? From who?`

Tealas shrugged. ´Maybe a thief or something. I think the thugs who encountered the vampire tried to hide the fact they have a friend who's gone rogue on them.` He unloaded the crossbow with unhurried motions. ´I think one of them is helping the vampire during the days.`

Odefin shook his head sadly. ´I wish people wouldn't do that. Don't they realize the danger?`

Tealas grunted. They knew the danger, but if the profit was big enough, they didn't care. ´Let's go. They're not here anymore. We need to find where they went next.`

Odefin reattached his axe and followed Tealas from the old temple, back to the horses outside.