´Please, please, please, open the door,` Felisei whispered and pulled at the handle again with clammy hands. Footsteps echoed in the corridor below.

´No, no, no...` she breathed and pushed at the door with her shoulder. ´Open, please.` She glanced over her shoulder. A shadow approached on the floor. She turned her back to the door, pressing against the wood. The shadow came closer, and then she saw him. Ranloo walked slowly, one hand running along the stonewall. She gasped and his head snapped up, his wide glowing eyes fixing on her. She had never been more afraid in her life.

´R-Ranloo...` she said shakily.

He stopped, staring at her with his hand still against the wall. She didn't dare look away. Maybe he wouldn't attack if she didn't run, she hoped. He stepped forward and she twitched. He grabbed onto the rail to the stairs with his left hand. Almost as if to stop himself, she thought.

Scraping, clattering, and voices talking broke the silence. Ranloo had heard it too. She saw him tense and open his mouth a crack. She pressed herself against the door, wishing they'd hurry up. Cold sweat ran down her back in terror and she bit her lips to not scream. The vampire let go of the rail and started forward.

´No,` she moaned and spun around. As the lock clicked, she forced the door open with panic infused strength, threw herself out and sprawled on the floor. She twisted around and kicked the door shut to the surprised yells of Gesald and another man.

´Lock it!` she screamed frantically. ´Lock it, lock it!`

Reacting fast, Gesald threw himself at the door, twisting the key and yanking it back out. The other man grabbed Felisei and pulled her to her feet, then they all backed away as something heavy hit the door from the other side. Panting, Felisei stared at the door. It vibrated with repeated blows.

´I think we should leave,` Gesald pointed out and left at a run.

Felisei and the other man swiftly followed suit.

´What if he gets out?` she asked fearfully.

´I think the risk he'll continue to try and get through is reduced if we aren't too close to the door,` he hissed, looking as scared as Felisei felt herself. Gesald roared at everyone they met to get away. Confusion arose as people ran without knowing why. They entered a fair-sized room, closed the door and locked it. People watched each other in fear and bewilderment.

Aissa, a big, scarred woman walked up to them.

´What's going on? Why're we hiding?` she demanded and crossed her arms.

Gesald panted and wiped sweat from his brow. ´Uh, I can't tell you in detail, but... the elf is enraged,` he said as calmly as he could and glanced towards the door.

Aissa gave him a disbelieving look and opened her mouth to protest.

´Not now,` Gesald hissed at her and she snapped her mouth shut, blinking owlishly. ´I'll explain later, sorry,` he excused himself.

The armoured woman snorted and left them.

Felisei worried that if Ranloo had broken down the door and gotten in, he'd surely murder someone. Then he'd get killed or at the least get thrown out of the guild. She bit her lips, unsure of what to do. She pressed an ear againt the door and listened for sounds indicating a catastrophe. She heard nothing. That was a good sign, she thought and turned back to the room. Everyone stared at her. She gulped, temporarily frozen.

´Uh, I don't hear anythin',` she said. ´I think it's okay.` She smiled nervously but didn't dare hope too much yet.

´We'd better wait for a little while,` Gesald said in agreement with her thoughts. ´Just in case.`

The room soon filled with whispers and low conversations as the confused thieves discussed what was going on. Felisei thought she heard the word ”vampire” sometimes. She didn't like it. What if they decided they didn't want him here anymore. What if they took the rumors for a fact? They'd be right. He was scary, she was well aware, but she liked him. And this was the first time this had happened. And it had been her fault. That reminded her about the door.

Felisei stalked up to Gesald and poked him in the chest with a finger.

He flinched back with an expression of anger and confusion on his pale face.

´You!` she said loudly. ´You locked the door!`

He shook his head and made a warding gesture with his hands. ´No, I didn't!` he protested. ´I left it open for you.`

´Then why was it locked?` she yelled and several people in the room turned to look at them.

´I... it's always locked during the first hour of sunset,` he explained in a hushed tone. ´To keep idiots from going down there.`

´You promised not to lock it!` she hissed back at him, fury flushing her cheeks red.

´I did! But you didn't return. And I'm not stupid enough to go down there to check when he's angry,` Gesald retorted heatedly.

´You could've just left the door open!` she poked him in the chest again and he pushed her hand away with a jerking motion of his arm.

´Don't touch me,` he growled.

´Then don't lie to me!` she yelled again.

´I didn't. But it's always locked shortly before sunset to keep people from going down. Why were you still there? Do you have a death wish?` he said under his breath and tossed his head in contempt.

She still shook from the shock of being hunted and locked in. ´I fell asleep!` she hissed.

´So you do have a death wish,` he sneered. ´I thought you'd either left earlier or been killed already. Not sleeping with the monster.`

Her cheeks burned hotly at his words and she tried to hit him in the face, but he caught her wrist in a firm grasp. She inhaled, startled by his sudden speed. ´You've no idea how...`

He pushed her away from him. ´I saved your life! Try showing some gratitude, or I'll leave the door closed next time,` he threatened.

She stuttered in anger but realized he was right. Flustered she backed down, her hands clenched at her sides. She turned around and crossed her arms. She didn't want to see his face anymore. Glaring around the room, she noticed the boy sitting on a table in a corner. Sern watched her intently, his expression unreadable. She froze as their eyes met, and a cold clump settled in her stomach. She fervently hoped he hadn't heard what Gesald had said. He'd misunderstand everything! Tossing her head angrily, she walked back to the door to listen for any signs of Ranloo.

As soon as they dared to leave the room and file out into the corridor, the thieves split up and went their separate ways. Sern hurried towards the basement. Felisei frowned and called out for him. He twisted around, a dark look on his face as he regarded her suspiciously.

´What d'you want?`

She walked up to him, unsure of what to say but felt he had to know. ´Look, I know you're angry. But it's not like you think,` she began.

He snorted and put his hands on his hips. ´Tell me how it is then,` he sneered.

´I'm tryin',` she snapped, annoyed by his tone. ´Nothin' happened, I went there to talk with him. Nothin' else.` He nodded but didn't comment. He didn't believe her. ´He needs our help. Somethin' bad happened,` she explained.

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Sern frowned and relaxed his stance a little. ´What d'you mean?` he asked, worry apparent in his voice.

´His wife, I forgot her name...`

´Minira,` Sern added helpfully.

Probably glad to remind her Ranloo was married, she thought. ´Yes. The vampire hunters got to her somehow. He's gonna meet them tomorrow night.`

´What!` Sern cried out in disbelief, all enmity gone from his posture and expression.

´I'm afraid he'll die if he does,` she said quietly.

His mouth opened and closed. Then he spun around and flew towards the basement.

´Wait!` Felisei cried out, but he didn't react. She looked around, unsure of what to do, then she huffed in frustration and ran after him.

* * * * *

Morning dawned on a bleak, cold, and windy day. Tealas stood outside the arrest, waiting and worrying. Uli hadn't returned yet. He might just be late for some reason, he thought as he gazed down the foggy street. But the later it got, the more likely it was he had been killed. He didn't like it. He turned around as the door opened and closed behind him.

Odefin looked around and frowned before walking up to stand beside him. ´No sign of him yet?`

Tealas shook his head. ´I don't like it,` he answered quietly.

Odefin grunted in acknowledgement. ´They're missing two guards from Riverside District too,` he said. ´Tea, I don't know if you agree or not, but chances are Uli got killed.`

´I think you might be right,` Tealas replied, narrowing his eyes. ´But let's wait a little longer and see. Then we'll search.`

Odefin stroked his big brown beard. ´I hope it was the vampire at least,` Odefin muttered. ´If it wasn't him, we'll have to get the message to him some other way.`

Tealas didn't reply. He was angry. This vampire was proving difficult, and he was certain it was the darkelf. And almost as certain that Uli was dead. He hadn't been this late before. Ranloo Liendar Amin, he thought. A very strong, young vampire. Very good at staying hidden. But how much humanity had it retained, he wondered. Would it care about its former family? He wasn't sure. Sometimes he got the feeling the darkelf was trying to stay nice, killing animals instead of people. And the fact that it seemed to have friends helping it, strengthened that idea. But other times it went on killing sprees, slaughtering everyone who got too close.

He sighed and stepped into the arrest to talk to the colonel. As they spoke, a pair of guards returned from their morning patrol. They hurried up to the colonel and snapped into sharp salutes for a few seconds, interrupting their discussion. The colonel and Tealas turned to face them.

´Sir, we have gotten word of several murders,` the older of the two began. ´Three guards killed in the streets.`

´Where?` the colonel asked sharply. ´And how long ago?`

´In two different places, but the same district. Some time before dawn we think,` he replied. ´One was alone, near Riverside Park, the other two a short way off at Wheelmaker Street.`

Tealas didn't wait for further information but turned on his heel and left in a hurry. ´Odefin,` he called as soon as he got out, ´we're going to Riverside Park.` Then he hurried to his horse, mounted and waited for the big man to catch up.

´So he's dead then?` Odefin asked morosely as he rode up alongside Tealas.

He nodded grimly and kicked his horse into motion.

The hunters rode through the streets as fast as they could without trampling people. The wind soon blew away the fog and they could see clearly despite the dim light and grey clouds. As they arrived at the park, they spotted an assembly of people standing around, some city guards telling them to back off. A white horse with a cart behind it stood beside them. They hurried over and dismounted. Tealas walked up to the city guards and was allowed to inspect the corpse. The guards knew the hunters fairly well by now, and while they didn't cooperate with them as close anymore, they wouldn't hinder them in their search for vampires.

Tealas kneeled by the dead guard to inspect him. To his dismay, he recognized Uli. His young face pale and stiff, the hauberk pierced, and his chest covered in red. A pool of half-dried blood had spread out under him. Uli's sword lay in the street just a few feet away. Tealas studied him carefully but couldn't find any signs that the vampire had bitten him.

It seemed he had simply been pierced by a sword and left to die in the street. Tealas was unsure if that meant it was the vampire or someone else who had done the deed. He examined the armour. Chainmail wasn't that easy to pierce, even with a very tapered sword, he thought. And the padded shirt underneath made it even harder. It would require a lot of strength to do that. He had also had a magical shield. He glanced up at Odefin who stood beside him, looking down with a dark expression in his brown eyes.

´He wasn't bitten but I still think the vampire did it,` Tealas said quietly.

´Do you think he gave the vampire the message and he...` Odefin pulled a finger across his throat.

Tealas nodded and stood up. ´Probably got mad and killed him.`

´The shield wasn't strong enough,` Odefin snorted.

´No, the vampire must have hit him many times,` Tealas commented as he looked around. The shield wasn't to blame, the vampire was, he thought darkly. There was a bloody smear on the ground right beside Uli, as if he had fallen there and then been moved. He'd been stabbed in the back, Tealas realized, then been turned around. He eyed the ground carefully, searching for tracks or other signs. A faint trail of blood-drops lead away from the body in a line. Probably from the sword as it was pulled out. He followed it, checking carefully for more drops. He found a few, but the trail was soon lost. He gazed down the street, a hand covering his chin and mouth as he pondered the events.

´He went that way?` Odefin asked.

Tealas nodded. ´Wheelmaker street, does it lie in that direction?` he asked and turned back to the guards who had lifted Uli's body into the cart and covered it with a white sheet.

´Yes, it's just a short walk in that direction,` the guard affirmed and pointed. ´We're going there next.`

Tealas beckoned for Odefin to follow. ´Let's hurry,` he said and mounted his horse again.

It didn't take the hunters long to reach the second scene. This one was less tidy than the first and the street was flecked with blood. City guards had closed off the entire street but curious people tried to see what had happened from afar, pointing and shouting. It looked as if this had been a running battle. A spatter of blood in the street, some feet away from it lay a discarded sword. Another bloodstain and what Tealas saw upon closer inspection to be half a hand, brutally cut off, lay nearby. Then the beaten and bloody body of a guard, propped up against the wall of a house, his helmet beside him. Tealas and Odefin noted that he had been stabbed in the throat. There were no bite-marks on him either. The other guard lay in the centre of the street some way ahead, his arms twisted and broken and with a deep sword-cut to the back of his left leg. This one had been bitten in the throat.

´I think we pissed him off,` Odefin commented quietly as he looked at the dead guards.

Tealas nodded, his lips pressed together into a thin line. ´I think we did,` he said hoarsely a moment later. He only wished the monsters wouldn't take out their anger on innocent passersby. But this one was going to be ended soon, he thought with determination. ´Let's go and prepare for his ending,` he said under his breath.

Odefin nodded and followed him. They met the guards leading the white horse with the cart on their way back. An Eldon priest had joined them and walked beside the cart, his golden robes glittering in the pale sunlight.

He seemed out of place, Tealas thought. Too fancy, clean, and glittering to be walking around in these parts. Yet, he would be safe from most, even if he'd been alone and it had been at night. Very few people would dare risk the wrath of the sun god and kill a priest, even if he was unarmed and had gold on him. Of course, no priest was completely unarmed, he reminded himself. They had divine protection after all. And the Eldon priests were often skilled with the blade, even if this one didn't carry any visible weapons.

The hunters rode in silence to the temple district. They needed to speak with the mages and prepare. They didn't have long. Only two days, and the spells needed would take time to cast. They'd been told two days would be enough. He hoped they were right.

They entered the pristinely white temple of the god of magic about two hours later. Tealas asked an acolyte standing near the door to go and fetch the mages Uvin and Ilsie. Then they went to the chapterhouse to wait. They didn't have to wait long since the mages were currently ordered to be at the hunters' disposal and ready to go at a moment's notice.

´Good day,` Ilsie said pleasantly as she entered the large room. ´Are we going to spring the trap?`

The hunters nodded. ´Yes, he got the message,` Tealas said in barely more than a whisper.

Ilsie watched him for a moment, her eyebrows coming together as she took in their somber faces. ´Did someone die?` she asked mildly.

Tealas nodded. ´Uli died. The shield broke.`

Ilsie's eyes widened, then the frown returned. ´He must have hit it hard,` she mumbled and put her hands on her hips. ´And many times. Poor man, he must have been terrified.` She sat down in one of the chairs along the wall.

A few minutes later Uvin entered. He stopped as soon as he came into the room and took in the somber mood. ´What happened?` he asked and carefully took a seat.

The hunters told him what they knew. Uvin wore a displeased look on his face when he heard about the broken shield.

´How much could that shield really take?` Odefin asked skeptically, his arms crossed.

´Oh, if it had been a normal person just hitting it,` Uvin began, ´he could have stood there all night. It would have taken around a hundred hits from a strong paladin with a sword. If it broke, the vampire must have hit it a lot and very hard.`

Odefin wasn't convinced but didn't protest. Vampires were, of course, a lot stronger than normal people, paladins or no.

´The main problem, as we explained earlier, was that Uli couldn't reinforce the shield,` Uvin continued. ´A magician could add power to it when needed.`

´I think you can stop explaining now,` Ilsie told him with a smile. She turned to Tealas. ´What are we doing now?`

´We have to start preparing. We'll hopefully meet the vampire tomorrow night. We have today and tomorrow to prepare.` The mages shared a look. ´We're going to set the trap at Doseix Hall. It has a good square courtyard that is walled off on three sides. The fourth side is lined with pillars. You deal with that.` He gave Uvin a glance.

The man nodded, his deeply set eyes alert.

They discussed their plan in the chapter hall for some time, then left to inspect Doseix Hall and prepare it for the vampire.