"Herk!" I ran to his side. The blood pooling from his wounds wasn't stopping. All I could do was wrap the wound with a long piece of cloth to try to stop as much bleeding as possible. The construct that I killed began to turn into a pile of disgusting rotting flesh. The stench of its body was unreal. At the same time, Yann and Ivian had finally recovered from the weakening curse they had succumbed to. Their voices rang out down the hall; after seeing the injured Herk, they sprinted by the pile of rotting flesh and quickly aided me with Herk.

"We need to get him to the clinic as fast as we can!" I shout to them as they quickly help lift Herk up. Yann holds him in his arms and nods to Ivian and me to lead the way. With our weapons drawn, we head down the stairs.

"Are we up against undead Gale?" Ivian speaks. I don't respond but wave my sword to answer his question. I didn't want to lose any focus; we were on the third floor of the mansion, and getting down to the entrance was a long distance away. The other staircase that led us to the next floor bypassed several rooms. Leading the charge, the dark atmosphere gathered around us; the moment of the ambush was ever-present. Ivian kept his eyes sharp and examined each room and ceiling to ensure nothing lurked for our approach.

"This way!" I point the sword forward and lead us down to the first floor. It went without incident, which caused some concern for us. We didn't know if they lurked within the darkness or near us. The trembling fear of these thoughts kept us on edge. However, the moment we reach the last stretch of the hallway leading to the entrance, the darkness revealed a similar creature to before guarding the door.

Its bulbous arm and head stretched forward disturbingly. The sunken eyes with pearl white eyes beamed from where its eyes once remained; the construct of its brownish-grey skin tone and the foul stench of the creature filled our noses. Ivian couldn't withstand the sudden horrific scent of the creature and started to gag and cough for a moment.

The construct rears its head forward and twists its neck toward us with disturbing glee. The squishy sounds of its footsteps approach us as it peers through the darkness with a wicked smile.

"Leaving is PROHIBITED!" Teeth crooked backward, made up its entire mouth. The rest of the skin was flexing the muscles to look bigger and able to ready itself to attack. I stepped in front of my friends to defend against any attack coming our way. The construct was in motion to sprint toward us with its arms stretched out. The construct flinches as a spray of its murky blood splatters across the floor.

"What the..?" I watch as the creature is ripped to shreds instantly and turned into a pile of mush and chunks of meat. The entrance door opens; a single figure enters the dim light. His glasses reflect the gleam, and he slowly adjusts them as he turns to the dead creature.

"Wait, isn't that Rys?" Ivian remarks. It is Rys. The gloves on his hands have wires wrapped around them. I slowly approach forward. We don't know his true intentions.

"It's safe to come inside," Rys says to someone out of the corner of the entrance. Slowly approaching is the young kid we rushed to this town to save. Caleb turns around and speaks.

"That creature didn't stand a chance. You sure know your stuff about them." Caleb looks at the violent mass of blood and flesh before looking up to see the rest of us. The lights in his eyes light up, and he quickly leaps over the mound of gore and rushes to us. "You guys!"

"Are you hurt?" I call out as he approaches.

"No, I'm fine. All thanks to Rys here!" Ahh, good. Just knowing that alone was all I needed to hear. Caleb looks at the rest of everyone until he spots Herk in Yann's arms. "Herk!"

"We faced one of those creatures, and it almost killed him. We need to get him out of here now!" I shout. My hands grip tightly on my blades as I approach Rys. "You! Rys! You told me you work at this place! Tell me... Why should I trust you?" I point my blade at him. Caleb quickly sprints to my side and grabs my arm.

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"Rys isn't our enemy!"

"I can't trust him. There are too many questions that need to be answered!" Rys doesn't flinch. Only staring at me, reading my face and body.

"Rys only worked here to uncover the truth of what's going on here. The only way he could get close to Cornelius was to pose as a doctor! If he let his disguise fall for a moment, he would lose the chance of catching him here."

"Tsk! Is that true, Rys? Are you not our enemy!?" Rys continues to stare until he shifts to adjust his glasses. He looks to Caleb, pleading for his innocence, and lowers his posture.

"I told Caleb everything. My reason for being here is because I am a Monster Hunter. Vampires are the only thing I hunt, and I used my medical skills to treat the victims of Cornelius."

"Vampires? Those creatures would never involve themselves in a town like this."

"It is strange but true. Something is happening in the shadows, and I intend to find out and snuff it out completely. Leave nothing but the ashes of those abominations!" His eyes are filled with a deep-seeded rage. One that I know all too well. It was the same deep-seeded hatred I had with Caleb in the village, with anyone who had the curse of Nix. It was seeing that kind of rage in his eyes that made me trust him. I slowly lowered my blades.

"You speak with conviction. I understand the hatred you have sewn into your heart."

"Don't talk like some poet. My hatred is mine alone, nothing virtuous or righteous."

"As you wish. Rys, if you are a doctor, is there anything you can do for my companion. I fear he won't last much longer in his state; Caleb or Lukia's healing magic won't be enough to save him."

"Bring him here; we have time. I can at least stay off his death." Without hesitation, I motion to Yann to bring Herk to Rys. Laying him down on the ground, Rys asks for our help in showing the wounds. The pool of blood still seeps through the gash inside my friend. "He is on the brink of death; my elixir should help him stabilize after I stitch up his wound."

Rys draws out his wires from before and pierces Herks skin. Manipulating the wires, he causes them to wrap around, form stitches in the skin, and pulls the wound to a close. Herk is cold and barely breathing. Any pain he feels has been numbed. After finishing closing the wound, Rys opens his pouch and sees the bottle in his hand is his last. He hesitates for a moment.

"Hey! What's wrong? Give it to him!" I demand with my hand gripping his shirt.

"It's my last one... I wish I had made more, that is all. Lift his head, and I'll pour it in his mouth." Listening to his words, Ivian and my myself lift Herk and open his mouth for the contents of the bottle to pour down his throat. Herk struggles to swallow but eventually does. Herk relaxes, and his body slowly rests.

"Did that do it?" Yann looks to Rys.

"If he gets out of this place and rests for a while, he should be just fine. You can get him out of here; I still have my business to finish here." Rys stands up and starts to walk up the central stairs.

"I'm coming with you!" Caleb shouts and steps out. I grab his hand and look at him. His face is filled with determination that I have rarely seen before.

"This is his fight; let him fight it. It shouldn't include us; we shouldn't have gotten in his way."

"So what? We arrived at the wrong time! He saved me and Lukia's life. Even now, he just saved Herk. We owe him our support after so much. I'm going to make sure he accomplishes his goal."

Before I can get another word in, Rys speaks. "That's enough Caleb. You don't need to. Just take your friend and get out of here. After tonight, Cornelius won't be a problem for this town if I succeed or not." Rys cracks his neck and proceeds up the stairs.

"He asked us not to be involved. Let's go." I grab Caleb's shoulder and drag him with me. He grabs my hand and rips it away.

"Gale, take care of them. I'll be back before dawn."

"Damn it! Stop-"

"Gale, let me go. I promise I'll come back. Don't worry, I won't be another companion you lose. But Rys needs as much help as I can give him. I may be unable to fight half of these creatures, maybe none at all. But, if I can at least provide an opening, I'll gladly give Rys his shot at taking down these vile creatures. Tend to Lukia and Herk while I am away." Brushing my hand away, Caleb's demeanor is more of a man who is tired of being a bystander of his own life. His value to himself is far greater than I came to realize. My lips didn't move. Ivian and Yann had already moved Herk out of the mansion, leaving the two of us to talk.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do. You got it?"

"No promises. Who has been teaching me to be better than myself? I got a lot more to learn from you." A grin across my face, I depart from the mansion. I had to protect the others and allow Caleb to continue to be in that nightmare of a mansion. The truth is, Caleb is much stronger than me when he needs to be. Underneath his small build and age lies a warrior who is bound to his ways. I can't take that from him; I just let him charge on and believe in his abilities. For a kid, I have nothing but respect for the little runt...