I wake very warm and under something mildly heavy. I open my eyes and find I have a group of pretty naked girls, and one clothed girl laying on or next to me.

I prod the lovely large breast my face is resting on and Edwina wakes, yawns and smiles, "hello" she purrs.

"Morning, why am I at the bottom of a girl pile ?"

Sharp chin between my breast, I look down at it, Bethany looks back, "Cause it's the easiest way to protect you from the ones who want you deader. Arlene and Anne. Arlene got the keys off you and let Anne out. Anne went looking for a knife but could not get in to your magic room. We stomped them and locked them both in cages. But to be safe Emily said we should sleep with you. Seemed like a good idea at the time. But now I wonder as your eyes are glowing and your fangs are showing."

I grin, "Well all these nice warm bodies and me a baby and there for Hungry vampire, that is going to happen."

Emily crawls forward and offers me a breast, "Baby needs some breast milk ?" She ask with a needy moan. I smile and lean over, I am careful as I want her to live. The initial bite hurts allot, but the venom hits quickly and she leans in to it and moans in pleasure. I drink but keep myself from drinking too much. I can feel her pulse via my lips and use that as a gage to make sure I don't take too much. Even so I take enough for her to faint. I lick the wound and breast several times partly to seal it, partly to get any blood I missed. I look at her a little worriedly, "She needs more meat in her diet." I decide.

Edwina snickers, "I am sure that is true for all of us. Slaves are not usually given the best of foods."

Gwen pokes Emily, "She's alive right ?"

I nod, "Yes, just fainted. But her heart still beats. Take too much blood or take it too fast and people tend to faint. Really need some fruit juice or the like for you all, it helps the body recover faster."

Edwina gives me an odd look, "How do you know that ?"

I turn my grin on her, "I grew up with vampires. Had one for a lover to, which is how I ended up this way. She did not want me to leave her when I was dying. So she turned me, but because of the damage in my body and also that nasty little death god, it took longer than it would have otherwise. Oh quick question, who here knows how to read ? Raise of hands."

Gwen pokes Emily, "She does. Was reading some of those signs down stairs. Says the language is strange mix but she can make out most of the words."

I nod, "Language is called English, it's my native language actually. Meaning from the land I was born in. The magic of the people who created this place made it so the words shift in to the language of the owner. That is me. Being the owner means I control the place, including if the front door is locked or not. Um could you all get off me please. I am still quite hungry and you all smell delicious."

They manage to get up with the least amount of knees and elbows in painful places. I am the last to get up. I go over to my door, do my knocking trick even as I release the hidden latch (it was originally a smugglers door in the bottom of a long lost cart, so the latch is hidden). I go in and search till I find a selection of magically preserved fruit juices.

I come out and pour everyone a glass, "Some will like this some won't. Don't care either way, you should drink it. It is good for you and will help with me, Miss Bitey, around. It's called Orange Juice and is made from Oranges. Which are a tropical fruit. I think a variety grow in Spain."

Samarra comes up from below, "Asia and India actually though you may be right about Spain having some. I Love orange juice." she states, as I hand her a cup,

"Good. It's healthy, I know sailors use it to fight off scurvy." I state as I pour myself a cup to. I use it to wash down the last of the blood in my mouth. Not a good flavor mix but still I do it. The whole body shiver as the two flavors hit though has a few of them grinning at me. "Blood and OJ not a good mix."

Edwina, "OJ ?"

Gwen, "Orange Juice, O and J." I nod to her. She smiles at me, "You want me now ?" I shake my head, "No. I have other things to do before lunch. Your lunch."

Brilliant smile from her. Edwina just grins and shakes her head.

I take the OJ and a few more cups and head down stairs. I find the caged ones and give them a drink. Arlene wants to know what kind of poison I put in it, I stare at her, "Now why would I go and poison my food ? There is no point to that." She refuses to drink it.

When I get to Anne, she has Samarra cast Purify food and drink on it before she will drink it. I am fine with that myself.

Cinnamon drinks it down then ask for a human blood and meat chaser. I grin widely at her, "Don't be in such a rush. I will get around to cutting you up for dinner sooner or later." then I leave. Her face fell and went pale.

Couple rooms away Edwina ask, "Did you mean what you said to her ?" I shrug, "Not really. But Cannibals make rotten vampires and only so-so pets. Not sure what I am going to do with her to tell the truth."

She slowly nods. "You are not quite as bad as you portray yourself." Edwina notes. I shrug, "Trying not to be as bad as I can be actually. I am a monster, but I don't have to be Evil about it."

She grins, I shrug, we move on.

"So, still no clothing ?" I ask her she grins wider, "Well I was hoping for something in a stylish Rope tied around these" hefts her bosom, "But you have been busy and distracted."

I shake my head, "You really like the rope around the glorious pair ?" she nods, "Yes and tight. I like it when they turn a darker color than the rest of me."

"You know that is caused from loss of blood flow to them right ?" giving her a side long glance. "You don't actually Like your chest do you ?"

The grin fades, "not really no. They are heavy and get in the way, sure anyone who does not have to carry them likes them."

I raise a hand, then extend 1 of my 8 inch long bone claws, "I can cut them off if you really want though I think you would look very strange with no chest what so ever." She stares at that claw, for once all her bravado dissipates and she backs up. "What are you ?" she whispers.

I shake my head, "Told you, a demigod and not one of those nice ones either. I worked for beings like Order, Balance, Chaos, War, Fate and such. I did everything from start or stimulate trade in places to start wars. Whatever they called on me to do. These days I only answer to one Goddess. And I am quite happy with that. But make no mistake, I have Never been Human. "

I walk away, that I think is finally sinking in, about not being human. About being a monster. I don't know if I have lost her or not yet. But I think I hurt our budding relationship.

I think about it more and more. Over all these are not bad people. Couple of them are pretty kinky, but not bad people. I really should just give them some stuff, gold, what not and let them live their own lives. Away from me.

2 hours lots of pity party and depressed thoughts later I use a couple of sleep spells and knock out the lot. I carefully remove them all from my tent. I leave them 2 sets of clothing, a standard Henchman's Kit [1 Back pack (with side pockets - 15" Hx18"D x12"W), 1 Compass, 1 wooden staff 6' long, 50' of silk rope (600lbs test), 1 grappling hook (800lbs test), 1 rucksack (6" D x 3"W x 4"L), 15 Iron Spikes 6" long in the rucksack with pinion hammer, 1 pen, 1 ink bottle with block of black ink, 1 pad (100 sheets of wire bound paper 6"x3"), 2 weeks Iron Rations (hard tack), 1 mirror (metal), 1 whet stone, 1 set basic lock picks, 1 tinder box, 1 Hooded Lantern, 12 pints lamp oil, 1 gallon sized water skin full of Mead] and 5 gold coins.

I left them in the shell of the old farm house, where I had originally set up the tent.

I pack up my things and I leave them there to wake up on their own. I don't think any of them Need me really. Several of them don't want me except as an excuse to commit suicide by monster.

I jogged a long way after that. Down the one road and toward where ever. The goddess has been quite the whole time. I start to wonder if she spoke to me at all, or if that was just a delusion I was telling myself.

Close to night fall I just slow to a walk. I am not really in a hurry after all. Just feeling lost, alone and depressed over all that I lost because I greedily did not want to lose my sense of identity. I lost far more than that by choosing this route I realize far too late.

Sure the powers are nice, the immortality is ok, but I lost my family. Both my immortal and mortal ones. My sense of Purpose to. Before I had a defined and long range goal. Fight an insane mortal who had stolen the powers and position of Destiny.

Now I am just a walking case of Bad Luck for a Goddess who is nice enough but I find I miss that feeling of Purpose. It helped Define me. The present purpose is to wide open, there is not a set goal for me to focus on. Survive and bring ill fortune to the enemies of the goddess and that undead hating death god.

As I am walking along a mound of earth a couple yards off the road explodes upwards. I barely pay it any mind as a nasty bit of elongated twisted grey flesh and bones stands up. Part of my mind labels it 'Nosferatu' but that is as far as it goes.

It, the creature sees me plodding along and seems interested in me and my direction. He catches up easily, "Say friend, you may want to go a different route."

I grunt, "why ?"

"Well you keep going that way your likely to end up dead. There is a whole lot of vampires in that direction."

I grunt ,"yippee, monsters, goody."

"Someone die ?"

I nod, "Whole world, all gone to dust. Thousands of years ago. All gone." I sigh, then turn my pin point red dot stare at him, "My family, friends, all dead or in torpor." I sigh and plod on.

"Oh you’re an Early riser type. Ok, thought you were mortal." he states loping beside me. I look at him, "You’re a Nos, had I been human I probably have screamed and ran off by now. Or tried to depending on how hungry you are."

He nods, "Ok good point. Still not used to this state. Only been like this a few nights."

I nod, "I was turned a long time ago, but sealed away by some death god with a problem with us. I only recently escaped his place. Something happened and the spells holding me in place all just stopped working. Allowed me to break out and eat his few priest."

He grins, "Nostromo most likely. He was huge a long time ago, Hates the undead and anyone who gets resurrected or reincarnated. As I understand it he would send his paladins to hunt them down and kill them even if they were not in his Dominion. Did it one time too often to a foreign king and the king sent and army and had all his temples and main holy places destroyed. Priest and followers to. From the sound of it you were in one of his Holy Mausoleums or the like." I nod, "Till I used a magic item I had to destroy the place. Completely used up its power but it got me free. Disintegrated the walls and made a kind of tunnel. Sad I could not recharge that staff. It was a nice weapon, elven made to. Don't think you can get those anymore."

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He nods, "How is it you speak the language so well ?"

I tap the item on my head, "This is my Goddesses holy symbol. She is still around and she has taught me a lot while I was asleep. Kept me up to date on all the local languages to. She kept trying things to get me and her other 'special people' free from that bastards control."

I grin, "she loved that I killed his priest to and the one hunter they had on site."

He nods, "Yeah I can see that if she really was trying to free you." he says in a snarky tone.

I shrug, "Rules of the game so to speak. She can only do so much in her area of influence and often times that is pretty subtle. When she wants Not Subtle she calls on people like me. I am her Paladin I don't do subtle very well. I do do death and destruction pretty well though."

He nods, "Yeah I can see that. Not many gods like Undead though."

I shrug, "She is a Neutral power really. Good and Evil, Law and Chaos are all part of the whole for her."

He starts to look nervous and I see a kind of line across the road, "You got cast out didn't you ?"

He nods, "And I am not allowed across a certain point if I want to live."

"Well, have a nice life." I tell him and keep right on my chosen path.

"They are all crazy there. They rose up, killed all the humans in charge and kill or cast out any kindred who disagrees with their ideas." he warns me. I just keep going. I see a couple of 'spies' on the edge who saw and heard him but and that I ignored his warnings.

I also hear his last comment, "crazy bitch" before he turns and lopes off down the road.

Going by my own experiences I am almost willing to bet that this Nostromo had a church up here and when his power loss happened some of the local vamps caught on to it and struck. The false belief that it is affecting all the gods is probably partly behind their present actions.

I don't know if that is correct but given the way people often think, if one god lost power then most or all would. Not the case but I can picture that easily happening.

I soon arrive in a town, village really, with a large monastery looking place next to an even larger cemetery. There are dead bodies everywhere. Flies and crows and other things eating on the bodies even as groups of 3 or 4 vampires and / or their ghouls wander the place. I even note a few heavily barred homes where the groups are sniffing around and trying to figure out how to get in.

I got 2 tails behind me. They have been following me since I crossed that faint line drawn across the road. They are not very good at it either. I have been ignoring them as I don't consider them a threat.

I start getting allot of notice by the other vampires as I walk through town. I stop at the crossroad because they are now surrounding me. I sigh, "What ?"

Leader, wearing an outfit a few centuries out of date, "Where do you think you are going Meat ?"

I stand straight and 'activate' my aura. The ones closest to me suddenly rear back or actually run from me in pain. I hear several voices saying in effect 'a holy aura, not possible the gods are gone' and similar.

I look around, "One god is gone as he pissed off to many of the Other gods. Not all of them, certainly not the one I serve. I am just passing through, have fun in your little slaughter." I wait for them to get out of my way. They instead send in their beefier 'town bully' level ghouls to 'get me'. I sigh, "You don't want to do this children, I really am not in the mood."

Heavily muscled guy smugly states, "You are one little girl, what can you do against us ?"

"I am one little Methuselah girl, and Lots." he charges me, I swiftly and with scary ease use my staff to decapitate him just from the force of the blow. Back swing catches another in the ribs, knocking him back in to the two behind him and breaking several of his rips. Then I turn on the speed and in a few seconds there is a good sized pile of dead or seriously injured ghouls and vampires. The 'leader' included. I did not like his attitude.

The smarter vampires all got out of range when I killed the ghoul with my 'stick'.

I look at the remaining ones, "Like some of you I was stuck in one of their stone prisons. His power faded and I escaped and ate his priest. I suspect this sort of thing is happening around all such temples as this, as we undead escape our burial pits. Killing his priest weakens his power further, as does desecrating his temples. So please keep that up. Now if you excuse me I have someplace else to be."

A 'little girl' comes up to me, she has a large bloody knife in one hand and a wooden stake in the other and Reeks of Evil, "Do you know me ?" she ask, the mad gleam quite evident in her eyes. I just bring my staff around to crush her but she blocks the blow. I am impressed, she is the first in a long time to be able to do that and not end up with broken bones. "No I don't know you, but you do remind me of someone I knew a long time ago. She is dead though. She was the only person before you that could block my attack."

That seems to stop her, makes her look confused for a moment, "If you knew me I would have to kill you, but I am not sure what I should do if I just remind you of someone who is already dead."

I consider, "Why would you have to kill me if I knew you ?"

"Because no one is to know I am still walking around." she says in a 'you silly' voice. I shake my head, "Wrong, Its no Mortal should know, not anyone. Vampires like you and I and those that serve us are the only ones who should know we exist. Mortals are food or servants. If all the mortals that knew you are dead, then you are safe from them."

THAT actually stops her, "So Vampires I can let live ?"

I nod, "Vampires, kindred, ghouls, thralls and similar yes. Humans, mortals and priest of Nostromo all are prey."

She processes that slowly. I see the idea sinking in and she steps back, "So I can have friends as long as they are like me, like us ?" I smile, "Yes, and ghouls which are humans who have drank some of your blood. That makes them your friend, a little one time a week and they will be your friend for as long as you want them. Another trick to is to give a false name. Then if they only know you by that name, then they will not KNOW YOU at all."

She considers this, slowly nods, and walks away. I really wanted to kill the little malk, but well. It would have been a hard fight and I really don't feel like putting in that much effort. I know the signs of depression, I know I am depressed. But I am by no means suicidal.

I look around at the crowd, "Anyone else ? If not I will be on my way."

One skinny fellow holds out a hand, "What clan are you ?"

I shrug, "Toreador, clan of the Blossom as my sire put it. Though I am more like a Rose, pretty to look at but with lots of thorns."

He shakes his head, "Toreadors can't fight, your all about beauty and weak crap."

I sigh, "Some of us find the Art of War and the Warrior to be beautiful, I was a warrior in life, why would I suddenly loose those skills in Undeath ?"

Old looking man, "She got you there Phinias. Warrior women may not be common now days but in the old kingdoms there were Lots of them."

I nod, "Yes there were. Entire armies of us in fact. Now unless you want to test that theory, get out of my way. I have no desire to linger and a long way to go before dawn."

I am most of the way past them when one woman ask, "Who do you serve ?" I look at her, she has a feeling of desperate hope to her, "Dame Fortune also known as Lady Luck or Tyche, depending on where you hail from. She is a Neutral power and as such has no problem with such as us as worshippers." The woman nods and smiles, "Good to know. Thank you Priestess."

I shake my head, "Not a priestess. I am a Paladin." She looks very surprised to hear That.

After that none stop me from leaving. I am well out of town and heading in to the unknown. I hope that is the last of the stupid I run in to for a while though.

Dame Fortune is a fickle being they say. Gives and takes and helps or is Fate (some debate on that and one question she has never answered me on. Except she will side with Fate over Destiny if push comes to pull.) I have known this, I live with it, and these days I can feel the wheel spinning from time to time as she randomly choses what is going to happen, or not happen, next. I really think she has a giant random number generator out there and the wheel is just the graphic representation of it. Sort of like back in my gaming days where I used a 5D10 system to help with decisions or to work out ideas on characters. (1-5 low, 6-10 high - 1's were Bad and could cancel highs, 10s were really good, count as 2 highs - but 1's canceled 10's first then other highs second). I think her system is bigger and far more complex than mine. But then she affects entire Multi-verses where mine just affected my tiny part of things.

I am thinking this cause I can feel the vibrations of that wheel spinning in my headpiece. Something COULD happen in the direction I am going, or where I came from or any number of things I have touched on. Makes me feel kind of itchy all over when that wheel starts to spin. Right now it feels like she connected it to a turbo engine and floored it.

AND

I am standing on a hill, behind me a major temple of the Lady, before me an army of well humans and Others, shifters and some types I don't know. Along the path to either side, Paladins, Warriors and clerics are appearing, apparently from all over time going by the vast parade of armors, weapons and such. Even see a couple star ships and space craft with weapon capabilities appearing overhead.

I get the feeling this army found a way though a portal and is In the gods realm.

I look to the tall African looking man in a world war 1 uniform, "Something tells me some morons are trying to make war on the gods." I say in English.

He looks at me and in a faint Canadian accent, "Is that what this is. I thought I died or something."

I look at that massive army, "Not yet but the day is young. Personally, if this were up to me I would see about taking out the leaders of this group instead of putting up a defensive wall." He nods, "Makes sense. Um, what are you ?"

I grin, "Super-Human and Paladin, I was genetically engineered to be one of the best."

The rest is blurry. All I know for certain is it was early night, now it is the middle of the afternoon. I hurt, am covered in dust, my shirt is burned and there is blood up to my elbows, some of it not even human. I don't recall Any of what happened and I got the feeling I don't Want to know either.

I slowly check over my stuff. There are some new nicks on my staff and a cut on my skirt and the taste of blood in my mouth, not mine either. I feel full now to.

Apparently we won the day or I suspect I would not be here now. I feel both oddly energized and completely wiped out.

I make a point of moving on and finding a place to set up my tent. Once that is done I strips, get a bath via spell, then crawl in to a top bunk and pass out.