The main floor was lively this night at the Thirsty Bandicoot Inn, as it well should be. The place was full of miners tired from a hard day’s work and ready for a cold drink. Up on the stage, a local bard named Gnomish Gambino played an upbeat tune on his thick, wooden pan flute. The music helped to promote the calm and jovial atmosphere the tavern exuded as the various patrons talked amongst themselves about the mines, the empire, and local gossip.

“I’m tellin’ ya, I don’t know why the Dynasty puts up with the Empire.” A man covered in a thick layer of dirt slurred to his companion.

“I know! It be bad enough that we be having to pay taxes to the Dynasty, but we also have to pay tribute to the damned Empire too.” The dwarf spat angrily in agreement. 

Other conversations were going on, spread amongst the patrons. The handsome bartender was flirting with one of the barmaids, some more miners were nursing their mugs while eating some steaming roast possum, and a raucous group of Diamond Dynasty guards were playing cards in the center of the tavern. “Rah! Ashes and dust!” An armored half-dwarf swore as he threw down his losing hand. 

His orc companion smiled widely as he scooped in the coppers he earned while the rest of the soldiers groaned at their losses. “Better luck next time, Davin.” He grinned.

“Luck be havin’ nothing to do with it, ya bastard.” The dwarf retorted. He then pointed a stubby finger to the bard, “It be that damn music yer playin’ lad.”

The gnome bard stopped his playing abruptly, “Ah..beg your pardon?”

“Ye heard me, ya nitwit. If ye hadn’t been playing yer “mamby-pamby” distractin’ flute music, I would’ve known that I shouldn’t have bet on my hand.” The half-dwarf was now shouting, making a scene for the entire bar. Everyone else just stared in shocked silence at the off-duty guard. The irate dwarf continued unperturbed. “I say ye give me all yer coin to compensate me for the losses ye caused me.” He said, pointing down to the hat filled with a few coin tips at the bard’s feet. 

“Sir, you can’t be serious. I need these coins to-“

“Oh aye, lad. I be very serious.” Davin interrupted. A greedy grin grew on his face, “Ye caused me to lose my money. Now, I want it back, and I will be gettin’ what I’m owed.” He said as he started to brandish his mace

A greedy grin grew on the half-dwarf’s face, “Unless, ye be thinking yer man ‘nough to try and stop me.”

“Sir Davin, surely this doesn’t need to resort to hostilities. Come, have a mug of ale on the house. Surely that should compensate your losses.” The bartender said with a deep thick accent. He was a pale man with long black hair tied into a ponytail. Despite the dirtier appearance of most inside the tavern, he looked immaculately clean. 

“Shut yer face, Radu!” The guard shouted and slammed his crystalline mace on his chair, crushing the wooden piece to splinters. “Or I’ll show ye how hostile we can be here in the Diamond Dynasty.”

The orc who’d won the recent hand of cards was just smirking. “With all the recent animal attacks going on here, we guards are all that’s keeping the fine people here safe. We certainly don’t want any…”accidents” to happen. So, Davin will be having his coin.”

Davin smiled, “Aye, that boy will give me his coin and all of us guards will be having ale on the house. It’s the least you owe us fer keeping ye safe.”

It was just for a moment, but an observant eye would’ve noticed the barkeep’s eyes flash from brown to red just for a moment as his lips bunched and scowled. His neck tensed, anger evident, but then he snapped his head down to look away from the city guards. He had clearly had to fight off a large amount of anger to not give into the dwarf’s taunts. 

Davin gave a course chuckle, “That be what I thought,” he said and began to turn to walk toward the scared young gnome bard. As soon as he looked away, the back of his head was struck by a wooden mug. Ale spilled down his hair and back. He turned back with an angry scowl. He first looked to the barkeep, but was surprised to see Radu there dumbfounded. The pale man stood there open-mouthed and looked over to one of the patrons sitting at the bar not far from him. 

Davin couldn’t see the man’s features, just that he wore a thick grey cloak that covered his body. He was sitting on a stool, his body turned to the side so he wasn’t directly looking at the dwarf. “Oops.” He said. “Sorry for the “accident.”” The cloaked man then turned his back to Davin and his crew and went back to his meal. 

This time, the rest of the guards stood up, each drawing out their weapons, all of which possessed a crystalline edge like the Davin’s mace. The orc held a crude saber while the two humans with them each held a dagger. Davin’s face was now a completely red. He bared his teeth, “Ye bastard,” he growled. “Ye just made a big mistake. We be part of the Crystal Guard, and I know that be no accident.”

The cloaked man swallowed his food then spun his stool back around, hood still over his face obscuring his features. “You’re right. It wasn’t.”

Davin gave an enraged scream and he rushed the cloaked man, his compatriots coming up behind him. 

The cloaked figure took a deep breath then surged forward to engage them. He ducked under Davin’s wild mace swing then elbowed the guard in the side of his right knee. Davin groaned and attempted a back swing of his weapons, but the figure caught him by the forearm and kicked Davin straight in the groin. The half-dwarf let out a cough of pain, and his grip on his mace weakened. The hooded man wrenched the guard’s mace free before kicking Davin once more. The half-dwarf was struck in the chest and launched backwards off his feet, crashing into his two human allies behind him. 

The cloaked figure used his newly acquired mace to strike the unsuspecting orc guard square in the jaw. There was a loud cracking noise as the guard’s jaw was broke easily, multiple of his sharp elongated teeth flying out from the impact before he fell flat on the floor. The two thugs that had been knocked back by their leader get up and rush at the man with their daggers. The cloaked figure twisted his mace to hold in a reverse grip and threw it like a spear at the pair. One man ducked while the other jumped to the side to dodge.

The cloaked figure then grabbed one of the nearby flimsy wooden tables and hurled it, hitting the guard who had stopped moving to duck. The one who had jumped to the side used this opportunity to finally close the distance. He lunged to stab the hooded opponent, but he wasn’t fast enough. The cloaked man spun and grabbed the guard’s dagger arm by the wrist. The man fluidly moved one of his legs behind the guards’ and used his free hand to grab the guard by the neck. Before the guard could respond, he was slammed onto his back by the momentum of the man’s strike, his legs giving out from under him as his opponent’s prevented him from saving himself.

The guard used his free hand to punch his cloaked opponent. To his surprise, the cloaked figure met the strike directly with a blow of his own. The guy’s fist was met with a violent headbutt. Like the orc, the sounds of bones snapping echoed out as the guard’s fist had multiple bones broken. “Grah!” He cried out in pain and pulled back his now shaky arm. “What are you?!” He asked, looking to the cloaked figure still holding his right wrist prone. His eyes widened as the hood of the cloak was forced back from the impact, revealing his opponent’s face for the first time. 

The cloaked man was a doomed, a man whose ancient ancestors had once been bonded to a demon and because of that, now possessed demonic features. His skin was dark red, almost the color of blood. His face had two vertical scars, a large one over his left cheek and a slightly smaller one that traveled from just under his left nostril, over his lips, and ending at his chin. The doomed had two rich brown eyes that stared harshly at the downed hard at the guard. 

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Aside from the scars, the two most notable features were a pair of thick horns that curved over his head of messy brown hair like a ram, and the distinct tattoo on his left temple. It was that of a large spear pointed up, streaks of blue flames trailing off and spiraling around it. The doomed pointed to his thick forehead, “I’m a hunter, and I’ve felled foes much greater than you.”

The guard didn’t like his words. He scowled and despite his broken left hand, he tried to reach for the crystal-lined dagger still held by the right arm that the hunter had a hold of. The doomed let out a frustrated exhale before breaking the guard’s right arm at the elbow across his knee. The guard instantly stopped trying to fight back as he began wailing in pain. He gripped his broken arm to his chest as he curled up in a defensive ball. 

The cloaked hunter shook his head disappointedly as he stood up. The other dagger wielder had stood back up and had just finished shaking off the shock of being hit by a table. He took one step to try and attack the doomed again, but then noticed his surroundings. All three of his fellow guards were on the ground, clutching their injured bodies and moaning in severe pain. 

The hunter stared down the one remaining guard, unblinking. “You have two options. Option one, you help your friends leave here and never bother these people here again. Option two,” The tattoo on his temple began to glow as if the blue flames were actually burning bright on his skin. A spear magically manifested in his right hand, and he slammed the butt of the weapon down on the floor. “You join your friends in their suffering.”

The thug noticeably blanched at the sight and quickly sheathed his blade. “I…I think I’ll go with option one, sir.”

The doomed just nodded in acceptance. The guard quickly gathered his injured compatriots and they all hobbled out of the tavern, clutching at their broken bones and wounds as they moaned. None of them dared look back at the monster of a hunter that just bested them. The tavern was eerily silent as the workers and patrons all stared at the man who’d just easily handled the thugs. They all had a mix of awe and fear on their faces. 

After a few more tense seconds of this, the tattooed doomed gave another nod, “Sorry for disturbing your evening everyone. Please, bard,” he said and flipped a copper coin to the tip hat on the stage. “Continue playing.”

The mustached gnome shook his head nervously and quickly gave a shaky restart to his song. With that, much of the unease quickly left, and the taverngoers resumed their previous activities. The cloaked hunter quietly turned back, sat back on his barstool, and resumed his meal after he placed his newly summoned spear on his lap. 

“A token of thanks, my friend.” Radu said as he slid a new mug of ale at the doomed. The tattooed hunter looked down at the mug, then up at the barkeep before resuming his meal, not even touching the drink. “Many doomed live here in the Diamond Dynasty, but I’ve never seen your face before.”

“That’s cause I’m not from here.” He answered gruffly. He didn’t even look up to speak to the barkeep. 

Too curious to be deterred, the pale man persisted. “You said you are a hunter, yes?” He then noticed the doomed was wearing a necklace with an elongated canine tooth. “By the looks of the trophy you wear around your neck, I’d say a pretty good one. Tell me friend, what brings a foreigner to the Diamond Dynasty? What have you come to hunt?”

The hunter grabbed a nearby piece of cloth on the table and wiped his mouth off. “A beast, and a pretty dangerous one at that.”

Radu just smiled and shook his head, “Okay, keep your secrets, friend. I was only curious.” He said, then looked over to the other end of the bar. The curvy barmaid he’d been chatting with earlier had finished her shift. She waved kindly at the handsome man before leaving out the nearby door. The bartender licks his upper lip just slightly at the sight of her. “Well, my friend. You will always be welcome at the Thirsty Bandicoot. I wish you good hunting.” He said and began to turn to walk away from the cloaked man toward the other end of the bar. 

Before he could even take his first step though, the hunter suddenly raised his spear once more and pressed it against the barkeep’s chest. The music abruptly stopped once more and the bar gets quiet again. They all quivered some at the new sight. “Everyone who does not work here, get out.” The spear-wielder ordered. Not wanting to receive his ire, the people did just that, and they all evacuated the premesis within moments. There was only a barmaid, a cook in the back, and Gnomish Gambino on the stage. 

The doomed raised his brown eyes to lock onto the barkeep’s. “You know, it’s funny that you call me a foreigner. With an accent as thick as yours, you’re clearly not from here either. Your skin is way too pale compared to the natives of this place. Still though, you’ve definitely spent more time here than me, four maybe five months? Bard!” He shouted at the gnome while still keeping his eyes locked onto the barkeep.

“Uh, yes sir?”

“How long have nighttime animal attacks been happening in the city?”

“Um, maybe four months, but they were done by the giant bats indigenous to the nearby caves. What does that have to do with mister Radu?”

The doomed shook his head from side-to-side, still not daring to look away from Radu. “While it’s not a bad assumption, bats aren’t responsible for the attacks. While the goliath bats will drain blood from their victims, they’re not clean about it. They, like their cousins in the Spider Theocracy, always rip out a chunk of flesh during their attacks. Every single one of the victims had just two small puncture marks on their necks, way too clean for it to be a bat.”

The doomed continued. “Besides the fact that all fifteen victims were women. The most convincing piece of evidence was the look in his eyes, bard.” He said, then made sure to keep his spear’s end in contact with the pale barkeep. “When that guard threatened him, this guy’s eyes had a look of anger before he hid it with false fear. Isn’t that right?” He aimed the last question directly at the barkeep before him. 

“I do not know what you’re talking about. I’m just an immigrant who’s happy to have this tavern here.”

“No, you’re Radu Loveanu, former noble of Draculvain and backer of the now would-be usurper to your nation’s throne.” 

Radu’s face immediately went from calm and placating to stone cold.

The cloaked man continued. “You know, you’re not the first Loveanu clan member I’ve needed to deal with. Honestly, if you had just left people alone, I wouldn’t have needed to come here at all. Though, I assume that being bonded to “The Vampire God” makes it harder to find adequate replacements for your dietary “preferences.”

Radu’s stone cold gaze transformed into a slight scowl. The pale barkeep even bared his teeth a little at the spear wielder. “So, you’re a..bounty hunter then? How much gold is the Empire offering? If you just look away, I can pay double.”

The cloaked hunter shook his head, “I do bounty hunt, but I prefer dealing with beasts and monsters in particular. That’s why I’m here. As for your offer. I can’t do that. What kind of hunter would I be if I let prey get away?”

“Prey?!” Radu spat. In the blink of an eye, his handsome features morphed. His nails elongated into sharp black claws, nose changing into two large open nostrils, skin was suddenly pulled tight on his bones, eyes morphed to become completely red aside from the dark pupil, and his now too-large mouth was filled with numerous sharp teeth. The hunter thrust his spear forward, but the monstrous barkeep grabbed the weapon just behind its pointed end and moved it to the side. While it didn’t impale him, the hunter was still successful in wounding the barkeep as the spearhead sliced alongside some of the Radu’s ribs. 

Still, it was only a minor wound. Radu screamed in fury and lunged forward over the bar at the doomed. The tattooed bounty hunter rolled out of the way to avoid the attack, expertly turning back and having his spear at the ready. Radu gave a bestial growl at the man. “You are fool, bounty hunter. I am bond wielder, evolved into a vampire, a higher lifeform. Who cares if I killed all those women? They are simple cattle, like you. You cannot hope to defeat me.”

The vampire then stuck his hand in the shallow wound along his side, coating his hand in his black blood. After a couple seconds, the black blood moved and formed small sickle blades over each finger. It was clearly some special skill that only those with his bond type could possess. Despite the gruesome display, the bounty hunter was undeterred. In fact, he even gave a slight smirk. 

That served to enrage the vampire even more. He raised his monstrous hand and took a step forward, but then a sizzling sound rang out. Radu instantly stopped and cried out in pain. He fell to his knees and clutched his wound. He moved his hand away to see it was now much worse than before. Where before it was just oozing out a mild amount of blood, it was now sizzling and bubbling as if acid had been poured directly on it. 

Radu gasped as he realized what that meant. Before he could do anything else, his blood-covered hand began to bubble and boiled. The vampire screamed in pain and dismissed his skill, flinging the burning blood away from him. Before Radu could reorient on the opponent before him, he heard three words, “Thrust of Gungnir.”

In a flash, the vampire was suddenly struck with the force of a battering ram and was impaled straight through the chest. His body went limp, and his long black hair was pulled back to lift his head up. His red eyes locked with that of the hunters. “I am no fool.. I knew garlic was toxic to you vampires, so I laced my spear with it. I am also not simple. I am a bond-wielder just like you.” The blue flames around his spear tattoo glowed and swirled around just for a moment. 

“No, the truth of the matter is. I am a hunter, and you are prey.”