I have pulled out my magic door and from it I carefully removed and then set up some tables and shelves in my cave so I can properly do inventory.

As I am working she finds me, easily climbing the wall up to my 'door' and then she spends a few minutes crawling around the walls and ceilings before returning to the floor and standing. Then she watches me in awe as I keep pulling more and more out of my bags.

From her mutterings I take it magic bags are rare in this time. Though I admit unless you knew where to shop, they were rare in my time to.

I smile at her, "Yeah I know, Marvel Packs, wonderful items. Expensive to. Each cost me over 100 gold to have made but so worth it as they can carry so much stuff."

I have a pile of 'dead' things to one side. There were no long term preservation spells on the bags so all the food is long long since spoiled and turned in to unknown substances. Still I am able to salvage allot of stuff and fortunately I kept the food stuff all in one separate pouch, so no cross contamination.

My Storage Room how ever has Powerful preservation spells on it. In fact no time has passed in there since the last time I opened it. So everything is just how I left it before. Not sure how much of this stuff is sellable any more as what is not dwarven or elven made is poor quality by these day's standards. Though some of it may sell as oddities or such. Do have a fair number of small magical pouches. Well small as compared to the Marvel Packs. Most only hold maybe 250 to 500 Coin weight. Coin Weight is the measuring system used by merchants in my time. The Coins were made of Iron and 10 of them weighed in at 1 pound. So the weight in modern terms is 25 to 50 pounds. Pretty good for what is essentially a belt pouch. Thinking on it I toss one to her, "Here, it's a pouch of holding. As long as you don't put anything sharp in it, it will hold upwards of 50 pounds of stuff, or roughly 5000 of these new kinds of coins." holding up a silver piece they use around here.

She stares at it in awe, "Your just Giving it to me ?"

I nod, "Yeah. I feel a little bad about turning you. Really did not mean to. But I can't undo it. Also I am responsible for you now. Teaching you stuff and the like. Sort of a Mentor type deal. For all effects and purposes you’re an Apprentice vampire now." I grin at her. she slowly nods, "Did an apprenticeship to become a bard to. That is what I was, a Bard."

I grin, "Still a bard, should still be able to do magic. It just takes a little more effort now. I was a warrior, then a mage in my time. Warrior part is Easier as we are stronger than we were before, magic we can do, but takes a bit more concentration to pull in the magic and make it do things."

She nods, "Yeah I tried a few simple things and they did not work very well."

I shrug, make a blue light, which I set on a shelf. "Just takes practice is all. Also helps if you feed, the hunger makes concentration hard."

I walk over to the entrance and point between two pillars, "See that passage over there ? It comes up between 2 buildings in town. If your careful you can use it to get in to town and find someone to eat. Hunting is natural for you now. Your instincts and common sense will guide you. Just remember to hide the remains somehow. There is an old chicken coop near that spot. I stuffed some left overs in it. So it may or may not be a good hiding place."

She looks at me, "You don't think of them as people do you ?"

I shake my head, "Easier if you don't. They are food, or potentially pets and play things or servants or some few may have what it takes to become one of us. But normally that takes time to get to know them."

I find a few bottles of wine that have aged Very well (did not turn to vinegar) and smile to myself. Wine is one item that the older it gets the more expensive it gets. Granted I don't know how long it's been in the bags, but it was long enough for the other food items to pretty much mummify. So it's likely very old. Now I wonder if anyone has a spell to accurately tell the age of a bottle of wine. I know some magic was lost, or at least screwed up, that is normal for the progression of the world. I also know I got a library of spells, potion formula's and such in my 'room'. I collected such things for years prior to becoming undead. Also I got this strange black bag with the bat and blood rose on it. I had it in a dream, then I find I have it now. Not sure How that works except for a note on it that said, "Thanks for all the help, Love Dame Fortune." nothing else. Makes me wonder how much of my 'dreams' were dreams and how much actually happened out there in the Multiverse.

I turn to say more to her only to spot my little monster scrambling down the passage I pointed her to. I guess her hunger is kicking in. From something Trisha told me, Childer are more 'intelligent' when their sire is near. Left alone they are little more than beast for a time. Till they get enough blood in them. Makes me wonder how much of what I remember actually happened and how much time actually passed.

I pour a glass of the mead from my room and sigh, Good stuff. I consider then add a good amount of my blood to it and get some preserved foods form the store room and head to the Pets cage.

I get there and find Scary trying to push Magical up to the lip of the entrance, she has some 5ft to go though. Looking down on them, "You're too short to make it." I point out.

Jase sighs and they stop trying. "There is no chamber pot or the like in here." Scary points out. I think on that then nod, "Right, I forgot it. Ok I will see what I can do to fix that. I brought food though, found some mead I thought was good and some preserved fruits and veggies for you. Hope you like them."

I set down the basket of goodies. There are 2 clay plates, cups, and cheap silverware in them (made of copper really) and a nice pair of large napkins. Jase takes things out of the basket and admires the items. The knives are very dull, more for spreading sauces or jellies than cutting things. The forks only have 2 tines and the spoons are shallow but work. I dial through my bracelet and find a pit setting. The pit opens in a side wall, making a 10ft opening. I put it on the opposite side and a little to the right of the exit. I did this cause to the left and slightly down, according to my map (which is in my head) there is a tunnel. This opening however has a large 4ft hole in the floor of it. I look down then pull out another glow crystal and attach it to a bit of web and lower it in. The 'bubble' I find this time is only about 6ft across and lined in ridges. Looking it over I realize those ridges are bones of some long dead creature. I am blown away. "Wow, ok that is unexpected. Bones, Old ones from something big. Possibly a dinosaur. Wrong shape to be a dragon." I dig around and find it's skull and well I lost track of time while I dig out the skeleton of what turns out to have been a horse. How the body of a horse came to be caught inside a bubble of rock I don't know. But I suspect some serious magics were involved.

The girls just quietly ate their meal and watch me work. When I am done I take the bones out to one of the other caverns and reassemble them, using my webbing to hold them in place. Eventually I remember they wanted a chamber pot and get a spare one from my storage room. I also opened the tent (queen sized bunk beds, 8 of them, like my dream but without the slave rooms) I happily get a mattress out and then some sheets and pillows. I take this all to the girls and set them up, "there, now at least you can sleep more comfortably and I remembered the pot to." I set that up as well. "Oh Jubilee is up and about. She is different though. For some reason she came back with red hair. I have no idea why. Never seen anyone's hair color change before. Oh and she talks to her shadow to. I think her spirit answers back, that or she has gone mad. Either way at least she is not lonely. But if she finds you, try not to get eaten ok."

I leave them then on a thought I put in a magical door about 10ft from the bubble. It's an inch thick iron door with a lock on my side, I make sure there is a small air hole across the top so they don't suffocate, otherwise this will keep them from escaping should they find a way out of the hole.

Thinking on it I head to the other ways in and put doors in to them to. I leave air holes in them, usually across the top, so air can move through and so we vamps can enter or leave via the shadows. I found while we are pretty much invisible in the shadows we still have some substance, so we need at least a crack to pass through. I discovered this trying to walk in to a store via the glass window. Did not work, and I hurt my nose bouncing off the glass. I am not sure how they could afford a solid glass window like that, but it sure is nice. They seemed to only sell high end stuff to, like mirrors and such. Once I figure out a way in I plan on doing some 5 finger discount shopping there. Not that I don't have the money, I just don't want to pay for anything.

I am thinking of this as I start to build a maze of doors (most iron, some wood) as well as pit traps (10ft holes in some floors) and other hazards for anyone who can't walk on ceilings. If any mortal type gets in here they are in for a time of it. I even put 2 doors, one of each kind, over my lair entrance then used some webbing and lots of dirt to hide the nature of my home. That crossed with the height of it should keep out pesky busy bodies.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

As I am tiding up from my crafts project I suddenly feel a wave of fear and frustration. As it's coming from outside of me I try and follow it, only to come to one of my doors. I open it to find a blood coated Jubilee on the other side looking very scared. "Hello. Did you need something ?" I ask calmly. She nods, "The sun is coming up. I need to get away."

I stare at her, then look upwards, it is still some 2 hours till sunrise. I look at her, "Sunrise is hours away yet, so why so frantic." she shakes her head, "NO it's coming up Now, can't you see it ?" She points back up the very long twisting tunnel. "Child you are deep under … shit." I do see something, about 3 vamps and 4 thralls, all following her. I grab her and throw her behind me before closing the extremely heavy door and throwing the locks in place. I hear them hit it.

Lead vamp, "We saw you, open this door now Cow!"

I shadow shift and move around the exit and behind them, I am still in the shadows when a female vamp, being followed by 2 other vamps and 4 more heavily muscled thralls walks past me. I stay in the shadows and watch. (I don't know How I know they are vamps any more than I know how I know what time the sun rises, it's all pretty much instinct).

The first guy is still calling obscenities and threats and using Cow allot in his speech when the woman and her group arrives, "So Herbert, chasing shadows again." he turns on her, his people getting all bent out of shape at the sight of the 2cd group, "Shadow's don't put up iron doors in natural tunnels." he points out.

She rubs her nose, "Some do Herbert. You still don't seem to understand that there are many different types of Undead in the world. Some with similar appetites as us as well. These flesh eaters are some kind of Shadow type. They love the underground places and only come up to hunt." she seems to be in a lecture mode. I find it fascinating myself. This Herbert and his friends just seem more angry, "I don't Care, they are a threat to us and need to be put down!"

She sighs, "And how are you going to do that ?"

"I managed to catch one already and tricked it in to leading us here. They are as corporeal as we are. So I figure a stake through the heart and an unhealthy amount of sun exposer will do the trick."

She shakes her head, "And what gives you the right to carry out such a sentence ? You are not on the council, you are not a leader despite your attempts to take over. Your answer to everything is violence."

His minions move to surround them. I, still in the shadows, form a web between the two groups, then as the 1st group leaps at the second group, I 'push' it in to reality. The bruisers of the 1st group find themselves tangled in the webs and unable to escape. I slip behind this Herbert person and 'wrap' him in shadow webs. I am really uncertain what, if anything, this will do as none of my previous selves ever tried this trick … previous selves, or dream selves ? I am unsure. I just know of none to have tried this before. Still I pull it tight around him before heading around and doing the same to his two vamp cohorts. I even covered their eyes, at least in shadow.

Then I slip around to the other group, who are staring in surprise at the strange webs.

I step partially out of the shadows, "They are very rude." I state. The 2cd group leaps away from me, not that they can get far as the tunnel is only 8ft wide here.

The woman nods at the webs, "Your doing ?"

I smile and nod, "I was listening also I do not like him, Herbert you called him. He did something to my child. She is running in fear of a sun that cannot harm her. If I kill him will that break the spell ?"

Male vamp, left of the woman, "No. He has done it to her mind. Domination it is called. It will either dissipate on its own in time, or fester within her for all her time."

Other female vamp, "How long have you been here ?"

I shrug, "When I went to sleep, town was not here, but then neither was river. I wake, not sure what woke me, there is town over my place and river and is a stream through my grotto that now has many stone like teeth that were not there when I went to sleep before." I am talking like an idiot on purpose, or at least like someone who is new to their language.

The first woman slowly nods and whispers to her company, "very long time then. Torpor level sleep."

2cd woman nods as well. Herbert starts up with the obscenities, "That is the cow that let the idiot child escape!"

I look at him, "You rude. You be quite or I hurt you."

He scoffs, "You can't hurt me I am more powerful than ALL of you." I pull on my shadow thread and he suddenly goes stiff and falls over, unable to move. From the sounds of his cohorts they cannot see what is causing him to react this way.

I turn my attention back to Female, "He be quiet now. He shoot off mouth again maybe I remove his ability to speak."

The free thralls are all looking Very impressed with that, the 2cd female looks like she wants to go home now. The other 2 'good' vamps stare at him for a long minute before the female nods, "We 3 represent the council that rules this region. Not just this town but the county around it as well. We were sent to retrieve Herbert and his group as they keep causing problems. And also because a large group of people have disappeared around here and we need to find out why."

I nod, "What people look like ?"

She nods to one of the muscle men, he forms an image cantrip. I stare at it, leaning in, "I have seen some of these around. Chained to walls under temple here. Strange temple, top dedicated to one god, bottom to a different god. Don't know much of either god." I consider, "There are many there, chained in body, minds seem distant, magically displaced as I tasted no drugs in their blood."

Male vamp, wiping his face, "You ate them ?"

I grin, "I am Vampire, I drink blood. Eating only when Really hungry. The Need you know." The 3 vamps all nod in understanding. When the Hunger is on you, reason takes a back seat, if it's not thrown from the carriage of the mind to start with. "No I just tasted them. Lots of them as they were not going anywhere."

2cd female, "How did you get to them ?" she seems anxious.

"One of my tunnels comes near one of theirs. I have to move through the shadows to get in to their place as crack at joining spot very narrow."

Male vamp, nodding at me, "Some kind of Mist Form apparently."

I look down at myself, "Yes and no. Misty shadows is all anyone can see of us when we travel in shadows. Like wakes in water, you understand ?"

The leader woman slowly nods, "I think I understand. This is normal for your clan ?"

I think on that then shrug, "Don't know. Only 6 of us in world when I went to sleep. I went to sleep cause my mortal family was wiped out in wars. They were my reason." I don't explain past that as I am pretty sure they can understand that. Though looking at the 2 milling around their fallen leader, I don't think They would understand it.

Male surprises me, "Reason ?"

Woman explains it to him, "Some elders kept a Reason to keep going. Something to focus their attention on to keep them going and from going to insane. Many go in to Torpor when their original reason stops or something happens and it ends. Some wake when they find in their dreams a New Reason. A purpose for walking the world again."

I nod, "I got one. New God, tells me long ago someone tried to wipe out all magical knowledge so Mages would stop being. I got Library of Magic. Not huge, but from what I was told, many missing spells in it. So now I come back, learn what damages were done and what is missing. Then maybe I can fix the missing." I smile at them all.

The big one who cast the cantrip smiles, "Oh wonderful. I love magic but it's hard to find a teacher any more. They all so greedy with their spells now."

I sigh, "That is not new actually. Very few mages are willing to share as they on Power Trip. Take trip get more power. I don't Care about power, I got that, being immortal and all. What I got is knowledge and the desire to share it. What I need to learn is what is missing or changed. I heard from God, for example, Fireball is considered a spell of the 5th rank these days."

The big guy nods, "Well 4th rank in most schools of thought, but the Academics like to make everything harder than it needs to be. Adding in all this math and theory and such."

I scoff, "In my day, fireball is 3rd level spell."

He sits at my feet, or tries to, his mistress flicks his ear and he glumly stands. "Missing people first, magic later." he sighs and nods. I shrug, "Maybe after babies here go to sleep we can talk." I tell him. He smiles.

One of the vamps in the webs, "We are not Babies!"

Male vamp, "If what she states as her time of sleep is true, then we are like infants to her."

I consider, "Likely grand babies to my age. From what I have learned, most people do not believe in Elves or Dwarves anymore."

2cd girl, "Yes. Dwarves left the world when I was still in swaddling cloth. My gran told me elves left the world when her gran was still a child. I am an Elder now to give you a clue."

I look sad, "When I went to sleep, both still walked the world. I had trade deals with many Dwarven cities. I did trade to fund my magic. Sold many minor magic items as well as more mundane things. I will miss them. They were a fun people, full of songs, and laughter and so very creative."

Male, "I heard they were dour and serious."

I grin, "Oh yes, they put on that face when dealing with non-dwarves. But once you gained their trust, you got to see past that and to the people beyond. They loved songs with a beat to them. Drums, anvils, anything that had the ability to make a Rhythm beat. Stomp their feet, clap their hands and sing a song as they worked, or marched or even played. Fun people. I will miss them."

I get a little melancholy thinking of them, then sing a soft song about finding and forging and making things of steel, sung in Dwarven. The song has a heavy beat, but it was a song of hope for these strange little people who loved to mine as much as they loved their families.

I slip further in to the shadows as I sing, then fade in further than I usually go. Returning through the dark passages to my lair and my bed / cocoon. Tomorrow I will find a way to get Jubilee's mind back to her.