Sern looked up towards the shouting. Three figures ran towards him in the rain. Hope soared, threatening to burst his chest. In the far back ran a small lithe man in grey, legs pedaling fast. He followed a man with long straight hair, well-cropped beard, and a gleaming sword in his hands.

In the lead, far ahead of the others, charged a demon. Sern's breathing hitched, and the guard's fingers dug into his arm. A tall dirty and drenched elf in broken clothes, his torn cloak rippling behind him like broken wings. Face contorted in rage, his eyes glowed a fierce orange-red, and long fangs gleamed in his gaping mouth.

The guard uttered a frightened yelp and pulled Sern in front as a human shield. The knife pressed against Sern's back. Certain he'd get killed right there, he couldn't breathe for his terror. He closed his eyes and waited for death to claim him.

With a tug, the guard was wrenched away from Sern with terrible force. The man gasped, followed by a thud and a scream. Carefully, Sern opened his eyes as Pei and Diquarl came up to him. Pei flashed a smile at the boy, then reached out, yelling for Ranloo with a grimace on his face. Diquarl stopped beside him, panting, his face flushed a bright red and rested his hands on his knees for a moment.

´Hi!` he said, out of breath, and motioned for Sern to come to him.

Sern smiled at him blissfully, dazed by the turn of events, and turned around to see what was going on. Things were happening so fast and he couldn't quite follow in his current state. He sank to his knees in the street.

Ranloo had grabbed the guard and thrown him against the wall of a house. Following him, he yanked the guard back up, grabbed him by the throat, and lifted him clean off the ground, snarling in his face. The guard held on to the vampire's arms and desperately tried to get out of his grasp, gasping for air. Ranloo's nails cut into the man's neck and blood ran down over the vampire's fingers. The guard whimpered and kicked at him to make him let go, but Ranloo didn't even flinch. He didn't let the guard down until he shuddered violently, his eyes rolling up into his head.

The guard fell to the street, gasping and coughing on all fours for a long time as Ranloo watched, motionless. As the guard's breathing stabilized and he attempted to stand, Ranloo kicked him in the side so that he sprawled onto his back, then stepped heavily on him with one foot, forcing him back down. He leaned forward to glare at the guard, his long black hair falling around his face in disheveled strands.

´You don't touch my friends,` Ranloo hissed.

Sern almost thought the guard would die from fright right then and there. He had never seen anyone turn so white so fast. Sern stared in fascination at his friend. This was what he'd wanted when he'd first made friends with him. A strong ally that would protect him, that could be more intimidating than Storca ever had been. His mouth fell open as he stared, both impressed and scared.

´You are going to run back home to your little guard friends,` Ranloo growled. ´And you are going to tell them to leave me and my friends be. And if you don't, I'll kill you all.`

Pei walked up behind the angry vampire and carefully put a hand on his shoulder. ´Ranloo. Calm down,` he said quietly.

Ranloo shook his head. ´No,` he rasped. ´Nobody touches my friend and gets away with it.` He stepped back, grabbed the guard's surcoat and pulled him back up on his feet. The man raised his hands defensively and tried to get away but had no chance against the strength of the vampire. Ranloo grasped one of his hands and started twisting it around. The guard yelled for him to stop, begged, and desperately pulled at the vampire's arm with his free hand. Ranloo growled and kept twisting until there was a loud crack. The guard screamed and went down on his knees.

Sern gasped at the brutality. ´Ranloo! Have you gone mad?` he shouted and attempted getting back on his feet, but was stopped by Diquarl. He looked at the small man who shook his head and gestured with a hand to show it wasn't a good time right now. Sern blinked, not fully understanding. But he sat back down and watched.

The guard clutched his hand to his chest, rocking back and forth on his knees, whimpering. Ranloo forced him back up again and the man yelped in horror.

´Tell them,` Ranloo barked, his face so close to the guard they almost touched foreheads. ´Tell them not to mess with us, or they'll regret it.` Then he leaned back and headbutted the guard on his nose, let him go, and watched impassively as he fell back to the street again, blood running from his broken nose.

The guard caught himself with his hands to break the fall and screamed as the impact hurt his broken wrist. Ranloo smiled humorlessly at the guard and advanced on him again. The man scrambled back, terrified. Stunned by this show of malice, Sern wondered what in the world had happened to his friend.

Pei stepped between Ranloo and the guard. ´That's enough,` he said sternly. ´You want him to be able to go back to the others?`

Ranloo glared at him dangerously for a few seconds before nodding and turning away. He fixed his burning eyes on Sern who flinched at the intense stare. The guard clambered to his feet and bolted as soon as Ranloo turned his back on him. Ranloo's face softened, the glow in his eyes dimmed and a faint smile touched his lips as he looked at Sern. ´I'm sorry I was late.` He suddenly looked very tired.

Sern shook his head and wriggled as he tried moving his hands. ´Tis fine, really,` he breathed faintly. Dizzy and hot, his heart beat rapidly in his chest.

Ranloo's brows came together in a frown. ´Are you sick?` He moved closer to steady Sern with a hand, helping him up.

Pei kept a close eye on him, Sern noticed, and he hadn't sheathed his sword yet. Probably not trusting Ranloo at all. But Sern knew he wouldn't hurt him. If he hadn't killed him when he came charging earlier, he wouldn't do so now. He laughed, suddenly relieved. He was saved. ´I'm fine! I'm better than ever now that you're here again,` he said and grinned.

Ranloo's smile widened. ´You're stupid as always, I see,` he commented.

´And you're a mess as usual,` Sern retorted, scrutinizing his friend.

´See who's talking!` Ranloo studied the muddy and bruised boy with a frown.

´Really?` Pei asked, looking vexed. ´You're going to stand there and insult each other with such stupid things at this time?` He looked in disbelief from Ranloo to Sern, throwing up his hands. Diquarl nodded behind him, a silent agreement.

´What?` Ranloo and Sern replied as one and laughed.

Pei sighed and sheathed his sword. He gazed after the fleeing guard, far down the street. They all looked after him for a while.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

´Umm, some help here?` Sern wiggled his hands behind his back.

Ranloo smiled and shook his head. ´You can stay like that. Maybe it'll teach you to not come after me and get into trouble.` He nudged the boy with his shoulder.

Sern groaned but turned his back to Pei who had drawn a dagger from his belt. He cut Sern loose with a few quick motions. Sern massaged his wrists gingerly and flexed his arms to get the blood flowing again.

´What happened to you?` Ranloo asked.

Sern raised his eyebrows and gave Ranloo a long look. ´What happened t' me?` he asked, incredulous. ´What happened t' you! You ghosted for almost a week!` Then he flung himself at Ranloo and hugged him.

Ranloo briefly put his arms around Sern, then gently pushed him away again. Pei kept close watch on his every move.

´What happened?` Sern asked again, searching his friend's grim face.

´I'll tell you later,` he said quietly. ´We need to get you indoors before you die out here.`

Sern snorted, but a shiver and a coughing fit reminded him forcefully that Ranloo was right. Pei and Diquarl walked towards the guild and Ranloo and Sern followed.

Ranloo steadied the pale boy with a hand, a worried look of his face. ´Did he hurt you?`

Sern nodded and brushed some mud from his face with a grimace. Ranloo curled his lips in anger and glanced in the direction of the fleeing guard. Sern patted him on his shoulder. ´Don't bother,` he said with a weak smile. ´I'm fine. You saved me again.`

Ranloo looked back at him, a slight smile brightening his gloomy face.

´Why'd you do that?` Sern asked then, still a bit queasy from the anger and malice Ranloo had displayed only moments earlier.

´Do what?`

´You know,` Sern said and nodded towards the guard. ´What you did t' him. You don't usually do stuff like that on purpose,` he mumbled.

Ranloo fixed his gaze on the street ahead, his lips pressed into a thin line. Sern studied him worriedly, wondering what had happened to make him so angry.

The rest of the way back to the guild went by in silence, only broken by Sern's coughing and the constant patter of rain. After some time Ranloo decided to carry Sern and lifted him in his arms to Sern's embarrassment. But he was thankful since it was strenuous to walk. He had no energy left.

It was almost dawn by the time they returned to the guild. They were met by stares from the watchers, and Gesald who sat in the hall. He didn't look at all happy to see them, Sern noticed. Quickly moving inside, Pei called for a chirurgeon. Gesald started following them towards their rooms when Ranloo turned and snarled at the red-haired man, still carrying Sern in his arms.

´Stay away,` he warned.

Gesald blanched and stepped back with his hands up, letting them go without him.

Ranloo made sure Sern got safely to his room, tucked him down in his bed, and waited until someone came and had a look at him. Then he left for his own room in the basement and carefully locked the door behind him. Glancing into the mirror on the table, he frowned at his messy reflection. His hair had come undone from his ponytail at some point and hung in disheveled strands. Dirty beyond belief and with torn muddy clothes, he barely recognized himself.

He smelled aweful and wrinkled his nose. Ranloo glanced at the bed. Not wanting to ruin it, he decided to sleep on the floor this day. He sat down against the wall beside the bed and closed his eyes, resting his head against the cool stones. Home. Finally. He hadn't believed he would make it back. Too much had happened, too many bad memories had surfaced, and too many things had gone wrong. Taking a deep breath, he listened to the familiar noises around him. The sounds of a busy guild filled with people waking up to a new day.

* * * * *

Uli sat in the arrest together with two other guards, playing a game of dice around a small table. They were in charge of the prisoners for the night, mostly drunks arrested for disturbing the peace. He winced every time he had to lift his right arm. It was still sore from the scratch he'd received from the vampire three nights ago. He touched it gingerly and the other guards gave him worried looks.

´Are you alright?` one asked.

´Yeah. I'm just a bit sore still,` Uli replied and threw the dice on the table with a clatter.

The door flew open and another guard staggered into the jail, bleeding and bruised. He almost fell and Uli and his two associates flew to their feet, the game forgotten. They ran to assist the man.

´What happened?` Uli asked, staring in shock at the guard. His face was covered in mud and one eye had almost swollen shut. Blood ran from his nose and deep purple bruises marred his neck. He cradled one hand close to his chest.

´I was attacked,` the man rasped as a pool of water formed at his feet. ´My wrist is broken. I need a doctor.` His pale face contorted in pain.

They helped him to the bench by the table and let him lay down to rest. Uli recognized the man then. Taseil, one of the guards chosen to go out in disguise, one of the best they had.

´I'll get the doctor,` one of the guards said and ran out the door.

Uli stared at Taseil, not listening. He'd got a real beating. ´How many were they?` he asked quietly, certain they must have been a full gang of criminals.

Taseil grunted and looked at him through his one open eye. ´Only one.`

Uli paled in disbelief. ´What happened?`

´The vampire. Get the hunters,` he groaned.

Uli pointed to the door. ´Go get them! Hurry!` he ordered the other guard still in the arrest. ´I'll take care of him, you go. I can't ride with my arm.`

* * * * *

Tealas and Odefin arrived by the arrest some time later, pale and tired. Tealas removed his hat as he entered, dripping water all over and muttering about the weather. Odefin nodded, looking around the arrest as he shook water off his clothes. They spotted the wounded guard on the bench immediately. A doctor sat hunched beside him, tending to his hand and wrist. The guard was deathly pale as the doctor bandaged his hand.

Taseil had removed his chainmail and the padded shirt underneath, revealing more injuries. A large purple bruise graced his side, and many smaller cuts and blemishes were visible on his chest and back.

The hunters waited until the doctor was done cleaning and dressing the wounds. When he left to make a painkilling brew, Tealas sat down beside the guard.

´What happened?` he said quietly.

´I was on my way back here with the boy when that monster came charging at me.` Taseil trembled at the memory.

´Who?` Tealas asked.

´The vampire. The dark one,` he replied in a whisper, glancing at the door as if afraid the vampire would come charging in.

Tealas threw a glance at Odefin. ´How did you survive?` he asked, genuinely curious. As far as he knew, the guard had been out alone. Not the best odds to survive an attack.

´He let me go,` Taseil said, his eyes wide. Tealas and Odefin both arched their eyebrows in disbelief.

´He let you go?`

The guard swallowed with some difficulty. ´He said I should tell you to leave him alone or...` he glanced to the door again, looking frightened.

Tealas nodded impatiently. ´Or...?`

´Or he'd come and kill us all.` He stared at the hunters, his pale face sweaty from pain and fear.

Tealas stood back up and turned to Odefin, his mouth a thin line, his pale eyes angry. ´He's getting worse. And he's got too much control,` he whispered to his friend.

´He's trying to get back at us. This is bad,` Odefin agreed quietly.

´We need to trap him, and quick. It's already been too long.` Tealas said. ´By any means.`

Odefin frowned. Tealas knew he didn't like it, but they couldn't let this evil creature have his way anymore. And they'd lost the boy before they'd even got a chance to use him as bait.