Ranloo ran, the wind in his face drying his tears, the moons above shining through the clouds, brightening the night. Outdoors again, enjoying the freedom of his newfound speed, he felt better.

He wanted to leave the school far behind. He had no intention to ever return. Unconsciously, he followed a path he'd taken before and soon found himself in the temple district. He slowed down, enjoying the beautiful well-lit buildings and large gardens.

Further in between the temples, however, a growing unease fluttered in his chest. Drawing his attention, the temple of Eldon towered some distance ahead, glowing like a sunset. Hundreds of torches, candles, and lanterns lit its tall towers and walls. It stood out among the other temples in both size and brightness.

Though still beautiful, it glared in Ranloo's eyes and a vague horror overcame his very being as he gazed upon it. He tried to shrug it off, stubbornly walking on, not wanting to let his fears win. But after only a few steps, he came to a halt. He couldn't continue. He turned to leave only to spot a pair of paladins coming his way. They couldn't miss him. Dread crushed his hopes of escaping and he pivoted back to the temples. He had to keep going or draw attention. Resisting a strong impulse to run, he glued his eyes to the cobbles and forced his feet forward.

Cold and almost unable to breathe, he walked past the temple on the opposite side of the street, casting furtive glances at the golden paladins by the gate, fearing they'd see him for what he was. They paid him no heed but he felt watched, scrutinized. He hurried his steps with trembling, weak legs.

Grief and anger mixed in his heart as he looked ahead, away from the glorious temple. Why was he punished for something he hadn't done, hadn't asked for? Wasn't it enough that he had been cursed with this unlife, with his friend's death, and the loss of his family? He felt betrayed by the gods themselves. They were supposed to be better than people, they were supposed to know what lay in the hearts of mortals, they were supposed to help. Anger and fear pressed down over him like dark, oppressive wings.

He passed by the white-washed temple walls to the God of Magic, the tall windowless walls of some unknown deity, the open-roofed, blue-windowed temple of the Sea God, and many others. They all gave him shivers, made him feel like a small insignificant bug. He was cursed. Cursed, not only by his own goddess but by all the gods of good and light. He did all he could to be good, but they had all turned away from him, denying him.

As he left the temples behind, the weight pressing down on him evaporated. He could relax again, but the feeling of betrayal lay heavy on his heart.

But being of a curious mind and easily distracted by nature, his thoughts soon turned to other matters. He still had time left before the night was over and decided to explore the city, taking care not to get lost in the maze of streets.

Ranloo ran and smiled at the speed and ease with which he moved. He looked at buildings, the general landscape, the squares, fountains, and many bridges spanning the great river. Jaris squatted across the Edla river delta, so many residents of Jaris owned boats and ships and the harbour was huge. He'd have to explore that too, he thought. As Ranloo followed one of the riverbanks, he spotted someone walking towards him.

A tickle of excitement ran through him as he observed the person. A young man, walking the streets late at night, all alone. Perfect. He tensed, then hesitated. Perfect for what? He almost slapped himself. ”Avoid people!” Sern's voice echoed in his mind. Avoid them. He watched the young man.

Eyes downcast, he walked fast, carrying some books under his arm. His simple light-grey robe, with a purple sash around his waist, fluttered about his feet. Had he come from a library, Ranloo wondered. He wanted to go there to find out about the deity of the abandoned temple. He was still curious about that.

The young man walked with determination, his long brown hair partially covering his face in the wind. An intense need overcame Ranloo. He wanted to feel the warmth and life of this young man, to taste his blood. He could smell him, a clean, healthy, young human. So alluring, not at all like the animals.

Ranloo steered his steps to intercept without thinking. But as he got closer, a faint unease, not unlike what he'd felt around the temples, touched him. Uncertain, he slowed down. The man still hadn't noticed him.

The foreboding increased as the young man drew near. Ranloo sensed something dangerous about him but couldn't quite put his finger on it. He unconsciously stopped, like something stood in the way.

The young man glanced up, met Ranloo's gaze, and came to an abrupt halt. With a worried expression, he hugged the books closer to his chest as if afraid Ranloo would steal them. ´Uh, is there something bothering you?`

Ranloo snapped out of the stare, feeling stupid. ´N-no, sorry. I didn't mean to stare,` he answered, then impulsively added, ´But I am a bit lost. I was wondering where the library is, and seeing your books I thought you might know.` His eyes wandered from the tomes to the man's neck.

The young man swallowed audibly and nodded. ´The library is closed,` he pointed back the way he had come, ´but it lies down this road, past Mermaid Square, and on the left.` As he moved, the books lowered and his silver necklace came out, shining with a sharp light.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Ranloo winced, squinted, and stepped back, the uneasy pressure doubled. The man's heartbeats increased and the smell of fear wafted on the air. Had he noticed? Ranloo wanted to sink his fangs into his neck, but the silver glare repelled him. Avoid people.

´The library is closed,` the young man said again as if repeating it somehow helped. He touched the medallion on his chest with his left hand. The silver eye on the chain stared and Ranloo took another step back. The hairs on his neck stood on end. ´It opens in the morning,` the young man continued and wiped his forehead with the sleeve of his grey robe.

Ranloo nodded, eyes fixed on the necklace. He shivered, feeling ill and weak.

´Can you please stop staring,` the man pleaded quietly. ´You make me nervous.`

Ranloo looked him in the eyes, noting how wide they were, how scared he looked. He hadn't meant to scare anyone. Cursing under his breath, Ranloo raised his hands. ´I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Thank you for your help.` He forced a smile, feeling shaky but hoping it wouldn't show. ´I'll go there in the morning.`

The man nodded slowly. ´It's alright. You're welcome.` He held the medallion firmly in his hand now.

Ranloo walked aside and continued down the street, breaking into a run as soon as he was past him.

The young man turned to look after him, still holding the Eye of Im in his hand, sweating in the mild night air.

* * * * *

Sern sighed in relief as he finally found the small black market. It had taken longer than he liked to locate, but was the only thing open at this hour. Looking around the dimly lit stalls, he soon found a suitable wooden box with a lock and two keys. Reinforcing metal bands wrapped around it, making it harder to break into.

His thoughts returned to the vampire as he eyed the merchandise. He had no idea what Ranloo was going through but knew it was hard on him. He had seemed stressed and distraught before leaving. Sern hoped he'd be careful and stay out of trouble.

He moved on to the armour section of the market. They needed weapons. Ranloo had none and Sern only had two knives. Not much to brag about. He couldn't buy expensive ones though, that'd be too big of a cut into their dwindling budget. But cheap was better than nothing. He looked at swords, daggers, bows, and other weapons. He found a short sword that felt well balanced, if a bit crude, in his hand. He also bought another pair of knives, one for himself and one for Ranloo, and a few lockpicks. Then he acquired food for himself and another pig to bring with him to the inn.

It was expensive to keep the vampire fed like this, but if it meant he didn't need to worry about Ranloo killing him by mistake, it was well worth the cost. They just had to make sure to get more money before they ran out.

On the way back, he noticed a burly figure behind him. Nervous, he hurried his steps, glancing back now and then. The man seemed to be shadowing him. Pulling the pig on a thin rope to hurry up, he almost ran into a few city guards. He grasped the rope in a death grip as he passed them by. Eyes downcast, he hoped they wouldn't pay him any heed.

To Sern's relief, they only looked in passing. When he glanced back a few blocks later, the man tailing him had gone too. Maybe spooked by the guards, he thought in relief.

He entered the courtyard to the inn, tied the pig around the pole, and entered the room. The bathtub still crowded the floor. He sighed. They had to get rid of that. Placing the box on the floor, he put half of his money in it and pushed it under the bed. Looking around the empty room, he flopped down, waiting for Ranloo to come back. He didn't like being alone. He laid out the weapons on the bed and inspected them. Grabbing one of the knives, he spun it in his hands and tossed it into the air, catching it by the blade.

´What are you doing!` a harsh voice shouted behind him. Heart jumping into his throat, Sern flew up, spun, and tossed the knife at the intruder.

Ranloo yanked his head to the side, narrowly avoiding getting impaled. The knife slammed into the wall. They stared at each other, frozen in time.

Ranloo slowly turned his head to look at the knife. ´Good throw,` he said faintly. Turning back to Sern, he asked, ´Are you alright?` Pale as a ghost, Sern's heartbeats resounded like a loud drum. A distracting lovely drum that drew him closer.

´Are you insane?` Sern yelled. ´I could've killed you!` He shook his hands in the air, his face turning bright red. ´You're lucky you're so fast or you'd 'ave that blade in your mug!` He advanced towards Ranloo, looking like he was about to strike him.

Ranloo simply couldn't bear it, he looked too funny.

´Stop it!` Sern seethed, his face darkening as Ranloo laughed out loud.

It only made it worse, and he soon bent over laughing, in tears.

Sern stood, hands in fists by his side, looking outraged and shocked while Ranloo gasped for air, unable to stop. Sern soon chuckled, ruffled his hair, and joined in. ´You're mad,` he said between fits of laughter.

Ranloo could only nod his agreement. It felt good to laugh, good to let go and enjoy the moment, good that he had resisted the urge. For a moment, he could forget his troubles.

Later, the friends sat on the beds talking about their next moves. They needed an income, Sern pointed out, and Ranloo wanted to find out about the vampire that had attacked him.

Ranloo had to know who it was, why the man had done this to him. He wanted revenge, wanted to kill him. He realized that would be hard, so he also had to learn about vampires and his own limits and strengths. He'd had some close calls this night and didn't want them repeated. He needed to learn about the dangers to his kind.

The deity of the abandoned temple still piqued his curiosity. It was less important, but he resolved to go to the library some time soon. He only had to find out how long it was open in the evenings. He would like to avoid breaking in if possible. But the night was coming to an end and they had to wait to realize any of their plans.