| Elvin |

Elvin flew out of the tavern's wide-open door, grasping his beloved lute against his chest. His pecan-brown hair was scattered with pieces of rotten tomato and peanut shells, and as the crowd inside hollered in revolt, he pouted sadly.

"You don't know a good story when you hear it!" he yelled, shaking his fist.

"Get lost!" the doorman shouted, pulling the door shut.

Alone on the street, Elvin scowled sullenly. He had so many other things he could say, but what was the point of wasting his breath? No one wanted to hear his stories; nobody wanted to hear the truth about the vampires they shared Dor-Sanguis with. He was the only one that could tell that story...but he'd not give another second to the hapless drunks inside that establishment.

As he shook the food from his hair, he walked down the cold, lantern-lit cobblestone street. He pulled his feather-tipped hat from his inside pocket, and once he put it on, he glanced up at the star-filled sky. He admired the array of beautiful colours spread throughout it as a result of the six brightly glowing moons. The mixture of purple, red, blue, and gold shined like sunlight through a stained-glass window, and if there was anything Elvin found beautiful in this world of darkness and misery, it was that.

He looked up and down the road, but there wasn't a single person in sight. The quietness sent a shiver down his spine, and he didn't know where he was going. He thought he'd be in the tavern much longer than he was, and for all he knew, it could be hours before it was time to meet Alucard.

A small school of shimmering, silver fish swam around the lantern he was approaching. What were they doing out? Skyfish didn't descend past the clouds unless it was raining. Was it going to rain soon? That was the last thing he needed. His hat wouldn't keep his head dry and he'd surely catch a cold.

He started thinking about the tavern again, and it made a sour scowl warp his face. "I'm better than all the other bards," he told himself as he turned left at the crossroad. "All they sing about is nonsense about some ugly lady and her stupid man friend. No one wants to hear about that. Stupid love stories. Stupid bard. Stupid tavern. They should be pining after my stories!" He looked over his shoulder as the wind raced past him, almost swiping the hat from his head. "I'm talented," he muttered, pouting. He was talented...right?

His words hadn't gone unheard.

He sharply turned his head to stare ahead as a low growl ruptured the night's ominous silence. The bard frowned and gripped his lute tightly, watching a pair of dim yellow eyes shimmer in the dark alley across the road. He tensed up and dropped his instrument as he screamed in horror, but before Elvin could flee, a blurred beast burst out of the shadows and crashed into him, pinning him against the wall. The bard let out a hysterical screech, and the wolfish monster snarled ferociously in his face.

Elvin whimpered and cried as he tried to escape the monster's grip. He knew he couldn't do anything, though. What was a measly little human going to do against a werewolf?

But the beast was suddenly torn away from him as it yelped and snarled. He stumbled forward, and when he set his eyes on Alucard, relief struck him. Alucard was the best werewolf slayer Elvin knew.

The vampire had his arms around the wolf's neck, but it looked like he was struggling. With several angry snarls, the wolf broke free and turned to face him. Alucard pulled his rapier from its sheath, but as he swung it towards the creature, it dodged and lunged at him—

"Aleksei!" Elvin shrieked.

Alucard slammed his fist into the side of the wolf's face, though, and sent it tumbling across the road. It hurried to its feet, but just as it was about to charge, Alucard pulled his colt from his pocket and fired.

The bullet collided with the beast's face, and once it burrowed inside its skull, the round exploded, sending blood and brain matter all over the place.

Elvin retched when a piece of bloody brain splashed onto his face, and once he was sure the beast was dead, he stomped his foot down and glared at Alucard. "You always do this to me!" he exclaimed, wiping the mess from his face and clothes. "Covering me in blood and guts and even mud that one time!"

Alucard took his hellish eyes off the beast and glared at Elvin. The light of the lanterns shone oddly on his red hair, which fell to his jaw in length and was tied loosely behind his head—much like Elvin's. A small, gold-looped earring shimmered in his right, sharply pointed ear, and an irritated look clung to his face. "Do you have to complain every time I save your life, Elvin?" His accent was thick, and he spoke much faster than anyone else Elvin knew. He didn't hail from the same land as him, but he had been around him so long that he understood every word.

"Sorry," he said with a pout. "What the heck was that wolf doing here anyway?! They haven't been brave enough to come out of the forest in weeks."

"I don't know," he grumbled, putting his colt away as the surrounding buildings' lights started flicking on. "But that thing was a lot stronger and faster than the werewolves I usually face."

Elvin frowned worriedly. "What does that mean?"

The vampire sighed and turned around. "We should leave before these people come out and start screaming at me," he said, ignoring his question.

With a nod, Elvin swerved past the corpse and hurried to catch up to him.

Alucard glanced down at him. "What are you doing out here? I told you to stay in the tavern."

He scoffed and muttered, "They kicked me out, that's what."

Alucard smirked amusedly. "Not fans of your singing, no?"

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Embarrassed, Elvin scowled at him. But he couldn't stay angry. He almost became that thing's dinner, and he couldn't help but linger on the fact that Alucard struggled to kill it immediately. "You've been killing werewolves for months like they're nothing. Why would one strong enough to break free from you show up now?"

"I don't know, Elvin," he said tiredly. "I will find out, though. The last thing I need right now is for them to become a pain in my ass again."

"Maybe Tobias can help." He looked up at him, waiting for him to respond, but it looked like he was thinking...very angrily. "Did you get your things done for tonight? The things you refuse to tell me about," he asked, hoping that a different subject would wipe the gloomy look off Alucard's face.

"Da," the vampire muttered.

"So...will you tell me about them now?"

He didn't reply.

"Tell me...please?" he pleaded.

"No."

Elvin frowned irritably. "You never tell me anything."

Alucard looked at him and sighed. "I killed a werewolf Alpha for someone, and then Damien summoned me to meet him."

"Oh, Damien, huh?" he asked with a look of angst smothering his once eager face. Even the slightest mention of that man discomforted him. "What did you have to do? Meet someone again? Even more werewolf stuff? Or...Diabolus?"

"The first one," the vampire said, glaring ahead as they followed a dirt path out of the town and towards a small forest.

The bard eyed him sceptically. "Did you...have a date, Aleksei?"

"What?" he snapped, glowering at him. "I don't care what it was."

A nervous laugh broke free of Elvin's sigh. He might humour the idea...but thinking about Alucard dating made him feel anxious. "Yeah, true. Well, whatever it was—probably not a date—I want all the details when we get back home. I feel like this might be one for my manuscript."

"If you are failing as a bard, what makes you think someone is going to want to publish your manuscript?" the vampire questioned.

Elvin shrugged. "I'll make it one day; I gotta find the right angle, you know?"

"Right," Alucard mumbled, glaring ahead again. "Well, good luck with that."

"Aww, Aleksei," Elvin said, smiling at him. "You're so supportive."

"Am I?" he grumbled, stepping aside before Elvin could place his hand on his shoulder.

Elvin frowned in discontent, but then bounced up and down. "Oh, oh, can I write down that little rescue back there? I bet you were chasing that wolf for miles, weren't you? If it weren't for me being there at that exact time, you would have never caught up with it, would you?"

Alucard glanced at him. "That is not what happened at all."

"Yeah, but...you told me to switch things up; people don't wanna hear about a scary, rich Vampire Lord killing things, saving people, and buying fancy stuff; they wanna hear about a mere, struggling bard saving a vampire!"

"Do they?" he asked doubtfully.

As they came out of the other side of the forest and onto a white sand beach, Elvin nodded confidently...but then saddened. "Sometimes, I feel like you don't believe in me. I so happen to think this idea would make a great story."

"You think everything makes a great story."

"Well, it does if you tell it right."

The vampire rolled his eyes. "Wait here for me."

"Come on, man, you're making me wait on a beach? What if more werewolves come? Or pirates? I could be mugged!"

Alucard looked him up and down. "You wouldn't exactly make a gratifying snack for a wolf, nor do you possess much at all for a pirate to steal. You just said it yourself: mere, struggling bard," he mocked, smirking.

"Wow. Crude as ever. Please, can't I come?" he begged, holding his hands together. "I'll keep my mouth shut; I'll stand in a little corner and observe. You won't even know I'm there."

"No," he refused again.

Elvin crossed his arms and pouted stubbornly. "Fine, but if I get eaten, you'll be the one digging me out of whatever creature's stomach and sending my remains to my next of kin."

Alucard frowned strangely at him. "You don't have any next of kin, Elvin. You came from an orphanage."

"Yeah, well...you never know. I could have someone out there."

"You don't. I checked. Go and sit over there," he instructed, nodding at a tree. "I won't be long; I just have to talk to them this time."

Sighing, Elvin dragged himself over to the tree, slumped down, and crossed his arms. "Whatever. I could have cousins...or a long-lost auntie who bakes cookies and gets drunk all the time. Those places are notorious for failing to keep records, you know!"

Alucard shook his head and dragged his hand over his face. "Whatever you want to tell yourself." Then set his eyes on the open sea. In the distance, a ship was barely visible on the horizon. The vampire disappeared into vermillion smoke and sped across the water, leaving Elvin on the beach.

Elvin scrunched up and tried to focus on working out how to get more information out of Alucard, but all he could think about was his family. Did he have anyone out there? No, he wasn't going to let himself make up some story about fake relatives. He was alone, and Alucard was right. He was always right.

⤝❖⤞

| Alucard |

Alucard reached the ship. He landed on the deck with a thump and waited impatiently as a tall, sleek man dressed in a black long coat stepped out from the cabin beneath the quarterdeck.

Attila, one of Alucard's subordinates. "Long night?" he called, his face as vacant as Alucard's.

"When is it ever not?" Alucard replied, glaring into the man's crimson eyes, the only thing visible under his hood.

He chuckled. "What's the news?"

"I will be working with a demon," he mumbled irritably, taking his eyes off the man to glare at the ocean. Just thinking about Zalith aggravated him. "I am moving vampires from another world—Eltaria. They will be staying here in Dor-Sanguis," he explained, setting his eyes back on the man. "There won't be enough space here soon enough, so we need to hurry up and re-establish the empire I ruled before I disappeared. The Nosferatu needs to resurface"

The man nodded. "Don't worry, I've got the Deiganish king eating out of my hands."

"Make him beg," Alucard mumbled. "He will not be our friend; he will work for me, not with me."

"Of course," the man said, bowing apologetically.

"I suspect the wolves are up to something, too. I just found one hunting the bard in Wrodiff. This thing was strong enough to break out of my arms and wasn't scared of me like the rest. I will be heading to my castle tonight to tell my vampires to be cautious, so you should do the same."

"You are concerned greatly, My Lord. Do you suspect another war?" Attila asked worriedly.

"I really hope it doesn't come to that. I will get to the bottom of it," he said with a heavy sigh. That wolf was certainly something to be worried about. What if there were more? He needed to find out as soon as he could.

Attila chuckled again. "Does it make you miss the simpler times, Alucard?"

He looked at him and frowned. There was a part of him that missed the days when Damien's hold on him wasn't so tight, but he wouldn't let himself get wrapped up in old memories. It never did him any good. "No. If anything, I am glad they are over, and that Luther is holed up in that castle with his new wife."

"No, no," Attila laughed, shaking his head. "I mean before Year Zero. This treaty you have worked so hard for; you wouldn't have had to spend half your fortune building castles and forts if our kind decided to stay hidden from the world."

Alucard sighed. "There are some that might agree, but I do not. I believe it's better for the world to know about us and learn to live with us—less superstition and mysterious deaths that way, no?"

Attila chuckled and nodded. "Of course."

"Go," he then said. "I will see you in less than a month, no?"

"I'll see you then."

As Attila morphed into a bat and disappeared into the clouds, Alucard turned to face the beach in the distance. His eyes shifted to the forest, and the worry that the werewolves were scheming made him frown worriedly. With Damien's new mission, he wouldn't have time to deal with werewolf attacks. Elvin was lucky that he turned up when he did, or that beast might have killed him.

He needed to reach out to Tobias. If there was anyone who could get him answers, it was him.