Once the snow had begun to fall frequently and in force the training field became somewhat desolate. The student body as a whole was extremely adverse to spending much time there. Most preferred to stay indoors, while the sports enthusiasts usually took themselves to the hills or lakes to sled or skate. Aside from Piestro’s mandatory ‘controlled movement in adverse conditions’ exercises the field was usually pretty empty.

Not entirely though, not this year. Emokha and Gloe were sparring there. Nothing too crazy, nothing that would reveal too much of their hands. Just simple exchanges of blows, two wooden practice swords each, back and forth with minimal footwork.

The trick was that they did it for hours when Emokha’s schedule allowed. Since Emokha’s ability passively allowed her to benefit indefinitely from continuous training she was taking the opportunity to build up her endurance. They would fight until she was exhausted, then she would use her ability to actively keep her in the fight until she could no longer stay focused. It was a way to not only raise her physical capabilities but also extend the period she could use her ability for.

She was the prime beneficiary. Gloe’s indifferent swordsmanship sharpened up a bit and he became more aware of the basics, but because the two were being careful to avoid revealing their strengths and weaknesses to prying eyes he couldn’t learn advanced techniques from his more trained sparring partner or experiment with novelties of his own invention. Still, since he didn’t get tired it wasn’t as if he was losing anything.

It was a well-thought out training regimen that they’d been repeating for weeks, and it was working pretty well. Unfortunately it was also extremely boring. So they’d fallen into a pattern of random conversation to break up the monotony. Sporadic of course, since at times the clack of wooden swords would have drowned out anything below a shrug. But they’d learned to compensate for the irregularity of the timing.

“Three more sets of khlothing arrived for me this morning. I thankhed Ori, but I worry he is khutting his own needs to the bone in order to kheep me well-khlothed. That’s enough of Rotation E, let’s move on to L.” The exchange of blows shifted subtly.

“He would you know, but he’s not. I’m keeping an eye on him. He’s actually doing quite well.”

“Those outfits are not inexhpensive.”

“He has the money. He got a night job.”

“Really? What sort of position did he sekhure?”

“He’s a dealer. Well, a dealer slash gambler. He works for the house at one of the gambling dens in town. Runs their mid-stake private games.”

Emokha was silent for a time. “I am waiting for the punchline” she finally said.

“No joke. He’s actually quite urbane once he gets a little booze in his system. Reminds me of how he was in Tranche. Before. The bit that remains of his stutter convinces rubes to underestimate him.”

“And he akhtually makhes reasonable money in this erstwhile khareer?”

“Oh yeah, he gets a percentage of the house’s winnings from his game. With the effects of leveling up he’s able to keep people losing at his table all night. Counts the cards, plays the odds and loses just enough to keep the marks feeling lucky.”

“Markhs?” Her tone was dubious.

“Well I mean, they’re all lesser nobles and such. He’s not bankrupting anyone, just taking their pocket money. It’s more than enough to pay for a few fairly utilitarian outfits.”

“I see.” She mulled it over. “Where did he learn to khount khards and khalkhulate odds?”

Gloe just shrugged. “Don’t look at me. My guess is he already knew of the concepts, but now he has the capabilities to put them into effect.”

“Huh.” She looked penetratingly at him, then nodded. “Well I am glad. I hope he is saving sufficient funds to takhe khare of himself.”

“I’ll keep nagging him.”

“Thankh you. Are you not finding yourself lonely without him?” she asked teasingly.

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“No, I have a night job too now.”

That gave her pause. “You are not khommitting terrible khrimes I hope.”

“Nope.” A pause. “Not for money at least.” He breezed onward before she could respond. “I’m digging drainage ditches. Finally putting all that forced labor at Tranche to good use.”

“I was under the impression that most khonstrukhtion takes place spring to fall. Is not the ground frozen and hard as rockh?”

“Yeah, that’s why they’re paying decent. Labor negotiations broke down and the things didn’t get dug on schedule, so now they’re worried about snowmelt. It’s good training too, so I’m doubly winning.”

“Ah.” It was clear Emokha wasn’t entirely certain if she should believe him, but she decided to let it stand.

Twenty or thirty minutes passed, filled only with the thuds and clacks of training. “I found something of interest in the library yesterday.”

“Yes?”

“A bookh on vampires. I have read through it once but I am uncertain as to its akkhuracy. Still, it is intriguing.”

“You have my attention. Any highlights you’d like to share with the illiterate?”

“Yes. Apparently all true vampires are reavers. Vampires are divided into bloodlines and only reavers khan found a new bloodline. It seems to be the eqhuivalent of winning the lottery at the divine bazaar and being born as a khonfirmed hero or royal heir.”

“Weird. Does that mean this world had no vampires before the first reavers?”

“Allegedly. Reavers khan be reborn as vampires, but without special blessings they are born as vampire nobles within an existing bloodline. Those who exhcel bekhome vampire lords. The one we enkhountered was probably a low-level noble.”

“Well that’s depressing. What about all those weaker ones?”

“Non-vampires khan apparently be turned, but there are khonditions. The book hedges quite a bit as to what those are. Those with powers bekhome vampiric knights, while those without wind up as vampiric vassals. I suspect these are what we faced. There is another khategory, that of vampiric thralls. These khome from khorpses, and sound slower and mindless but relentless. They also are easier to khreate, but since they die in sunlight they are usually a temporary measure.”

“Interestingly these khreated vampires seem to exhist as an exhtension of their master. All vampires siphon life energy using blood as a medium, and for these lesser types a portion of all they khonsume is passed on to their superior. When they die their remaining energy does so as well. There’s also something about a blood tithe, but the bookh was vague about the details.”

“Well that sounds fantastic. My mind is already racing with all the terrifying implications. Anything about weaknesses?”

“Sunlight is the main thing. Holy powers or items granted by certain divine beings also greatly weakhen or damage them. The other tekhniqhue is sufficient destrukhtion of the body. Knights and weaker are khilled by this. Vampire nobility khan khonstrukht a magical item khalled a khoffin and bind their essence to it. This allows them to manifest there and rekhonstitute their body when khilled.”

“That’s why Ori didn’t get any life-energy when he killed that fucker! It wasn’t really dead! Shit, what a bunch of hackers!”

“Khareful, you are slipping Zekhow.”

“Well, you know how powerful Ori would be if he’d gotten credit for that kill? That vampire was leveled as hell! It was Ori’s moment to shine and he was fucking robbed.”

“True, insofar as it goes. There was still some benefit though, beyond us merely surviving the night. The book suggests that vampires inevitably bekhome terrified of their own mortality. They do not age or sukkhumb to disease, but they khan be khilled. Many overreach while khomparatively young, overkhome with the delight of youth or the desperation of middle-age. Those who bekhome old almost always end up khowards, doing everything in their power to kheep from facing death. The oldest of them seqhuester themselves in massive fortresses surrounded by layer after layer of sekhurity. Perhaps the reminder of its own mortality shook the vampire and khept it from following us.”

“Good enough for me.” After mulling over the issue for a while Gloe had a realization. “You know, that thing that Ori used must be even better than we thought. Basically the equivalent of a holy item, as far as staking vampires is concerned. We should encourage him to find more.”

“Agreed. Rotation R please.”

They fought on in silence. The heat of their bodies was affecting the air around them, mantling them in auras of mist. The effect was somewhat surreal, and literally unrealistic in some senses. If they hadn’t both been using their ability they would have tired and succumbed to hypothermia long ago. As it was the change in their environment merely mirrored the unspectacular but constant magic in play.

“How are your classes going?”

“Gah, do not remind me.”

“That sounds promising.”

“Indeed.” Emokha’s claws cut the air, just about at throat level for most humans. Her expression made it clear this was not a coincidence. “My instrukhtors khontinue to emphasize my ignorance of various elements of lokhal society, while praising and moving past my demonstrations of khompetence in the khore concepts in qhuestion. It is inkhreasingly becoming khlear that I will have to memorize everything they lekhture about and regurgitate it on exhams.”

“Ick. Think they’ll accept even that?”

“Unkhlear. They accept the individual exham results, but it remains to be seen if they will introduce additional barriers to graduation should I reach that stage.”

“How long are we looking at?”

“I am uncertain. Hopefully not too long. Using my ability it is fairly easy to memorize items rapidly, and I am already doing well in evaluations of my khombat and ability khapabilities.”

“Well, it’s your call. Personally I expect them to keep pulling bullshit until something works.”

“That is the trickh Zekhow.” She grinned fiercely. “All we have to do is ensure nothing ever workhs out for them.”