35 - Raining Blood and Other Vampire Party Tricks
The Infestation of Life, Weeks After the Unfortunate Sewer Incident
Ralicuk slunk through the infernal wilderness of the Woods of Volunar. The abundance of life around the creature was making it ill. As a rule, the undead avoided the forest, but the scent of Lovantus indicated he had come through this way, so Ralicuk had to venture deeper into the lush growth.
The dangers that would thwart a regular human were of no consequence to his ilk. The silver grass that swallowed creatures whole withered at his feet. Any critters attempting to make a meal of him were either deterred by the smell or torn apart by its claws. The more intelligent beings saw the path of destruction and wisely left him alone.
He could pick up the pace in the woods because of the distinctly low amounts of sunlight that reached the forest floor. It wasn't that the sun would burn him to ashes. It was more that the sun drained his powers and would turn him into an ordinary corpse after a while.
He operated best in low to no light conditions. Due to the fortunate circumstance of the seasons, there was currently more night than day, and he was closing in on the Traldalorian king ever since encountering him in that sewer.
It was a chance encounter. Ralicuk had intended to stalk the sewers of the capital city for a while to lure the hero down into a trap, and the town was merely a pit stop on the way. The basket weaver was a snack on the road. Some flesh to keep him going. However, Lovantus had been right there. If the vampire hadn't been weakened by travel after wasting away deep underground and had been able to hunt until he was full strength, the encounter would have ended in a victory for the Sky Lord.
It wasn't easy being a vampire. Unless he feasted on enough flesh and drank enough blood, he would rot away to dust. He was well on his way to becoming dust when a hapless adventuring party attempting to make a name for themselves by following the footsteps of the Silent Legion had disturbed his final resting spot in the Catacombs of Eenewi.
While searching his bones for treasure, the party's thief accidentally pricked his finger on Ralicuk's claws. One drop was all he needed to regenerate his hand enough to slash at whatever was on top of him—the slash connected to the jugular. The gushing blood kickstarted his rebirth, and he wasted the entire group.
However, when he finally succeeded in escaping the catacombs where Lovantus himself had struck the death blow all those years ago, the world had changed. The most noticeable difference was that his master, the great necromancer, was no longer in power. All the races who previously feared his name now mocked him with corn art.
However, the Sky Lord was all-seeing and all-knowing. He had foreseen this day. Ralicuk remembered the conversation as if it were yesterday. Since his consciousness did not return until he had eviscerated the hapless party, it seemed only a week since he last spoke to his master. The dark lord LeDuke called forth the orc and human leaders who were loyal to him. They rallied around his war room table.
There was a battle map of Carnt, and the halflings had already fallen. The humans, dwarves, and elves were next. The darkness was spreading across the land.
"Ralicuk," the Sky Lord had said. "Bring a detachment of archers and foot soldiers into the catacombs with you. Honestly, I don't see what one lousy gauntlet is going to do against my hordes of orcs."
"Suppose he uses it to rally all the races of Carnt against you," Pip had said from behind a curtain.
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"Mom! I told you to never listen in on my meetings!"
Pip popped out from behind the drapes and nodded to an Orc wearing a necklace of humanoid eyes and a helmet made from skulls.
"I'll stop listening in when you start taking my ideas seriously. Never wanted to hear my ideas, that one. His mum is only looking out for him," she said to a man with a finger bone necklace and blood face paint.
"I'll start listening when your ideas aren't ludicrous! Elves marching with dwarves, alongside humans and halflings. That'll be the day."
"You never know. Your dad never thought you could raise pigs and chickens in the same pen, but that he did."
"Mom, the Gauntlet of the One True King is not some farm project."
"Don't get your knickers in a twist. Farming is like having a kingdom. Only your subjects are chickens and pigs."
"Mom, you're embarrassing me in front of my Council of Elder Horrors. How many times have I told you not to spy on me?"
"How many times have I told you that I'm not spying? I'm only making sure my baby boy is treated right. Remember when the village teacher tried to kick you out of the schoolhouse for ritually sacrificing the class gerbil? I had to watch her, I did."
"Mom, we are discussing the invasion of Traldalor and the subjection of the known world. Could you leave it alone?"
"Supposing Lovantus does unite the armies and defeat you with that gauntlet, I don't want you to come crying to me. I can't kiss your boo-boos anymore."
"Fine, whatever. If it will make you happy...Ralicuk."
"Yes, master," Ralicuk had hissed.
"On the off chance Lovantus defeats me, I'm talking tiny here, get revenge on my enemies and proselytize my return. Maybe raise an undead army or two. There, happy mother?"
Ralicuk had no idea what was to come that day he was anointed as the harbinger of the grand return of the Necromancer King. It was an honor. He now fully understood. The races of the living were never meant to walk in the armies. The Sky Lord must have planned to be defeated and have the mortal element of his army walk again as undead.
It was clear to Ralicuk that if he would ever see his master return to glory and properly kill a bunch of halflings for their corn art, he would have to murder Lovantus. Maybe even raise the man again as a powerful lich lord under the thrall of the vampire's liege.
He eventually pushed through the forest until he came to a village of giants that had been recently sacked. The few survivors who had hidden were in the process of putting out the last of the fires and cleaning up the bodies. Ralicuk snuck towards the nearest one and had it drained within an inch of its life in no time. He dragged his prey into the bushes so as not to alert the other giants.
The creature quivered while some of the wounds on the vampire's face healed. Ralicuk now looked almost human. With enough blood and flesh, he'd be able to maintain an entirely mortal look for a while. Ralicuk peered at the creature's eyes and said, "Humans came through here recently. Don't deny it. I can smell their presence. Where are they going?"
"Helfra, the human kingdom of Helfra," the being quivered.
"Good. It looks like I will need a disguise." He brandished his claws and showed his fangs. The creature was too weak to scream.