“Run Lowell run” a silver hair girl was shouting to a boy. Fire was abolishing everything in its way. She approached towards fire with a two-sided black sword in her left hand. Two men appeared out of a fire. They were wearing thick white armor with golden cross mark. Their helmet was in the shape of a majestic white dragon, giving a sense of oppression.
One of them lunged forward and slash his sword. She quickly blocked and tossed the dragger off her waist, scratching him on his neck. He became restless and start violently slicing at her with his strength. It was getting increasingly difficult for the girl to block his every blow.
In the midst of their fight, he instructed his companion, “Make sure that boy dies.”
“You motherfucking church bastard piece of shit. If you touch him, I swear your fate will become worse than death," she roared with rage. She caught his sword with her right hand and slash her sword toward his armor continuously. He was falling backward from her constant attack.
Blood stream surged from her wound, soaking her forearm. Pain was too much to bear as more and more blood surge. Sensing the opening, she let go of his sword and thrust her sword with both of her hands to his left eye. A painful cry echoed. She pulled her sword out of his eyes and leaps towards the other man.
“Lowell run,” she urged the boy.
Other church guardian blocked her aggressive slash. A high pitch metallic sound of clashing sword blade echoed. Never slowing fire, people’s cries, dead people scatter around, continuous fighting sound across town make this place like a scene from a hell.
Lowell run with full strength with his hand covering his ears. Lowell knew if he stayed here, he would be dead and her sister's struggle would be meaningless.
‘Lowell don’t leave your family. Stay here.’
‘Lowell, please save me.’
‘You are a coward, running from danger and leaving your sister to die.’
‘All your life, you have been living in the shadow of your sister. It is your chance to shine and protect your family.’
Despite the continuous inner voices telling him to stop, he never stopped running. He ran like a crazy person. His legs became heavy with pain.
********
Lowell was lying on the pool of blood in the corner of the alley. He would almost look fine if it were not for the blood and cuts on his clothes. His clothes looked like it was an art of knife artist. His white long shirt was blown by the wind, leaving his upper body naked. His grey eyes had a mixture of red in it.
A ray of light fell onto his body. He woke up felling the burning sensation on his skin. A translucent smoke rose from his skin. He screamed, scratch his skin, run to find any deep shadow places. The buildings on the street hadn’t been opened. There was hardly anything opened at dawn. For Tork town people, the day started about an hour after dawn. Only traveler or warriors would wake at dawn.
He run from one street to another without finding a relief to his pain. After running a couple of streets, he found an open tavern. He aggressively pushed the door. People gazed fell on his body. Ignoring the curious look of people, he went to the bartender and said urgently, “give me two mugs of beer. “
He took 10 coppers out of his pocket and put them in front of the bartender. He poured all the beer over his body. He felt a wave of relaxation as a stream of a beer ran over his body. He picked another beer and sat at the corner of the tavern all alone. He drank beer.
Worst happen to him. He just wanted his aimless, fruitless, hopeless life to end in some remote town. But he had given a half immortal life of a vampire. He had become a demon servant. Church would crucifix him. He hated the church all of his life. He gave up revenge on the church bastard that killed his family. But now he had to run from church baster, demon hunters, and old friend that was after his life.
He drank another beer and booked a room for a day. He can’t go to his place at daylight as he now became a vampire. He also wore a little to no clothes. He went up the staircase to his room. He entered the massy room. He didn’t care about the room. He covered the window with thick clothes and lay down on a bed to sleep.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Half-moon shined the sky. A blonde beauty appeared in the room with a heavy black bag. She put the bag at one side of room and stared Lowell. He was sleeping peacefully as he was exhausted from earlier events.
She drew her blood, change it in a shape of a small knife and stab into his hand. She tasted his blood. Smile appeared over her face.
Lowell awoke from the pain in his hand. Wound on his hand started to regenerate. As he opened his eyes, he saw that damm vampire again. He calmed himself down, staring down Lorelei. “Are you happy seeing me in my misery?” he said.
“Oh! Are you angry? Don’t be angry, it’s just the starting of your long misery,” she laughed maniacally, “when your vampire instinct and carve for blood comes. It will be quite a fun.”
Lowell really wanted to kill Lorelei. But he was powerless against her. He could only listen to her. Looking at her red eyes ignited his desire for blood. It was only a small desire that can be control easily.
Lorelei found his desperate eyes quite a fun. She faced him closely and said, “there is always a solution for problems. If you can’t control carving for blood as a newborn vampire, you can try directly become a mature vampire.”
“300 years ago, there was another noble vampire. He carves blood than any other vampire. He raged wars for power. He makes Anoteros kingdom a living hell. Wars were fought, great people died, and heroes rose.
Lysander Zoilus, the 14th king of Anoteros, raised the powerful army and fought a decisive battle on crimson island. A lone island southwest region of Anoteros. His army win the battle after 7 days and night. But to this day, no one ever found his vampire heart.”
“If you found his heart, consume it. You don’t have to wait for decades.” She went to bed and sit beside it.
“Where I can find his heart on this vast island. You just want me to go on this hopeless adventure,” he retorted.
“Your pathetic self is showing vigorously, little one.”
She moved up from the bed, went across the window and pull off cover of the window. Moonlight was reflecting on her face. She smiled, looked in his eyes and said, “There is only one noble blood vampire and one noble blood vampire servant alive right now. Noble heart can find another noble heart. Go to bloody island, search all places. You find connecting, follow it and you find solution to your problems.”
He knew that he had to leave this town. Sam and masked men should not find him. He would have to stay dead to them. He unpacked the bag that Lorelei brought to him. He wore white long shirt and black thick trouser. Brown heavy long jacket over his shirt. Long rounded black hat over his head. A light grey scarf was over his neck and black gloves were over his hand. He put on anything that can cover him. He sat down on the bed and wait for dawn to come.
Dawn light fell over the room through the window. Lowell picked the bag with his right hand. He exited the room, went down the stair. Order meal, eat it and left the tavern.
Old building with Gus’s Smithy sign hanged over its wall. Long wear and tear marks were visible on sign board. Lowell pushed the door. An old man with a long white beard was smiting a long sword. Seeing Lowell entered the room, he stopped smiting. Came to him and said, “what you need, son?”
Lowell looked around the room. There were different types of weapons. One particular red sword interested him. He pointed his finger toward the red sword. "How much for this?”
“Excellent choice, son. this sword is one of the masterpieces of mine. It takes me one ….”
“Price,” Lowell said.
“30 silvers.”
“15 silvers and no more” he knew that this shabby town didn’t have any blacksmith that can forge high quality sword. 15 silver was already high price from his point of view.
“20 silvers final price, take or leave.”
Lowell turned around and started to leave the smithy. But the blacksmith stopped him “fine 15 silvers.”
Lowell also brought a black dragger for 5 silvers. Sword attracted to right waist and dragger to left. He wandered to the town gate. Two normal carriages were parked on the side of the gate. One of them had three people, and the other was empty. Almost full carriage driver came to Lowell. “Carriage to Dardellin, Five silvers.”
Lowell paid driver and climb up carriage. Middle age brown skinned woman was sitting on left with white-skinned teenage girl. Black-skinned man in his mid-30s was sitting on right leaving space for one person. Lowell sat beside the black man.
Black man looked at Lowell “Sven. Comedian going to moon festival to earn some money.”
“Lowell. Wandering Warrior,” Lowell said.
“Veca. Going to Dardellin to seek high-paying jobs during moon festival,” middle-aged women said
“Elen. A small amateur artist, try my luck selling my art at the festival,” the white teenage girl said.
Driver started moving the carriage out of the city. The carriage shook along the rough trails. Silence descended over the carriage. Each person was a stranger to the other. So, there was not much to talk. Sun descended and moon rose. Carriage stopped across open grassy land.
Driver landed from the carriage, come up to passengers “we will rest here tonight.”
Lowell climbed down from the carriage along with the other. They set up a campfire.
Sven sat across campfire and proposed to others, “Veca and me will watch for the first half of night. Lowell and Elen will keep watch for the second half of the night.” Others nodded at his suggestion.
“Hey! Why are you going to Dardellin city? Is it to participle in moon-festival,” Sven said to Lowell.
“No, I am going to Darmount city. Dardellin is just stop in the way,” Lowell said.
“You should stay for a few days to see this grand moon-festival. Different artists across the kingdom come to participate in this festival. I, myself, is a comedian by profession participate in this event every year.” Sven open his bag and took a picture of a thirteen-year cute girl. “She is my daughter. Five years ago, I pick her up to see this festival. She became a fan of Fiona, a great performer.
Since then, she wants to see Fiona every year. But in recent years, chaos in the kingdom makes it hard for me to take her there. I can only bring her Fiona’s autograph like the previous year.”
Veca said, her voiced tingled with concern, “Dark creatures are frequently appearing in wilds lately. Many people who went out of town are dead. We wouldn’t even know when these creatures will attack us,” she paused for a while and said, “My son- and daughter-in-law are having a baby in few months. As a grandmother, I want to give her a good life. Dardellion city is a good place to earn large silvers during the moon-festival. It will have less burden on my son to raise his daughter. I just hope that there is nothing bad happens on this journey.”
“King face with vampire. Both sides are ready to fight. King came to vampire and said ….” Sven paused for bit and said, “can I have a piss break.”
Laughter echoes around. It brought others from abyss of their sadness and grief. Time for first night watch came. Veca and Sven prepared for watch. Lowell and Elen went to sleep.