They woke with the crack of dawn so many challenges that they had to overcome the local vampires were plotting something. The hidden hand was making trouble inside the city and there was a group of sorcerers’ they had not even encountered yet. David set out to do a little drilling with a few squads of guards to centre himself. He owed them all about ten bronze penny's each after last night’s cards anyway. Not that he couldn't afford it as soon as Vivian gave him the money. Vivian practised with her bow using it at the limit of her skill, her improved range skill helped her immensely. She needed to practice to use it effectively her enhanced perception improved her odds.

Martin spent a bit of time repairing his weapons and armour, Alice re-read a few of her books. She needed to make a breakthrough soon her progress was languishing behind Martin she had nothing that was exactly the same as his blessings. In some ways they were more flexible than her spells, certainly quicker to activate. In others they were limited growing no more powerful as his level increased. Together they covered almost any situation.

Half an hour and Vivian rounded everyone up for breakfast. There hostess had provided them a large chunk of a very nice wheel of cheese. Probably as a thanks for their intervention against the hidden hand. The bulk of their breakfast was vast quantities of fish stew, the staple of the guards they ate and discussed the events of the last couple of days.

Alice pointed her spoon at Vivian jabbing it forwards, “I admit I don't like necromancers … I see them as rivals to the tower … to be exterminated on site. Cheats that took the easy way … to power they enslave spirits … willingly or not to do their bidding. But I also see your point … that capturing a few would help get information … so next time we face off against a group of necromancers or sorcerer's … we are more prepared”.

Vivian swallowed a mouthful of cheese, “I haven't been trained to deal with magic users like the necromancers in those circumstances. A direct fight yes, there minions are not too different from anyone else kill on site fine. Handling a captured necromancer, I panicked I reacted harshly, they could have gotten some useful information out of that brother and sister. Rather than just two more bodies to cremate”.

David shrugged, “we are trained and equipped to put them down, next time maybe we try to recruit a specialist to come with us a witch finder or inquisitor to handle them”. Martin nodded, “we kill people who fall under the monsters sway, those who can be freed with regret. Those that can’t without, perhaps there are some grey areas. Those that are hard to save, but every live minion we take back is a potential mine of information and a potential risk as well”.

Vivian reached for another wedge of cheese, “think about mitigating risks next time we go against rouge mages or necromancers or sorcerers. We bring mana draining shackles maybe even get a pair to take with us just in case”. Alice nodded “sensible but we …limit it to level 25, nothing higher than a veteran, if we captured … a master or grand master I don't think its … worth the risk of them getting lose inside a city, despite what they know we kill them”.

Martin looked over at Alice “I don't disagree on principle; a necromancer or sorcerer lose inside the walls especially a master is a recipe for disaster. But if we ever do need information from something higher up the food chain as long as two of us were guarding them, I don't see an issue”. David looked over to Alice, “I agree with her on this one, no point in risking ourselves unless there is a lot to gain”. Vivian chimed in, “fair enough but next time we capture one of them, all four of us check it out. We don't want any further surprises; they are far less likely to try something with four sets of eyes on them”.

David reached for a bread roll breaking it apart, “that vampire lair was anticlimactic pretty much empty”. Vivian pulled her scarf up, “well at least we freed a few people from the vampires, those thralls will be glad to be back free from the taint”. Martin looked about adjusting his own mask it gave his voice a slightly muffled tone. “Just remember that some didn't, they got caught in the crossfire took an arrow for their master or were slain by their former allies”. Alice tapped the tip of her staff, “best not dwell on it, as …the vampire hunters say keep going forwards, we will …save who we can and those we can’t save …we will get them last rights”.

The group headed off to the local hunter’s house to meet the master hunter Frances Dye, a few checks and they were let in and up to the main floor. A few minutes later and he met them in his office. He had a large bundle of rattling metal in a big sack which he dumped onto his desk. “Thank you for coming, I know that you have other problems, but your actions today will help to bring another powerful soldier to this fight another reinforcement”.

Vivian eyed up the odd bag, “who exactly is this”? Frances grinned, “an old soul who has been fighting this war generations before I was born”. Alice looked intrigued “do you have some grand master hunter …stored on ice held in suspended animation who you thaw out …to do battle once again”? Frances answered waving his hand, “yes and no”.

David looked smug, “I bet it’s a tamers pet. One that eats vampires for breakfast you need something for it to keep going then you point it at the vampires and let it go right”? Francis didn't answer, David pressed, “no were near”? Alice wondered, “maybe a golem reprogrammed to kill vampires you need us to get some power source”. Frances had a knowing look on his face, “I will keep that knowledge cloak and dagger, until you bring back what I need”.

He opened the bag, “now guess what this is for. One set of steel shackles waist neck ankles wrists and elbows a large thick bag a steel muzzle all lined with silver and holy script”. Martin took a guess, “a thrall or blood thrall we need for something”. David picked up the shackles and looked at the key, “you need a live vampire”.

The master hunter nodded, “that is quite correct nothing past level 25. I wouldn't like to try these restraints against anything stronger. This is the key and a permit to transport a live vampire. Officially they will be interrogated, unofficially I need a live vampire for a certain acquaintance, stuff them in the large sack after wrapping them in the set of shackles and they should be fine. I don't need the vampire completely intact, but they should have most of their blood still in their veins. As for your curiosity as long as you deliver the package then it will be fulfilled”.

Vivian looked across the table, “where do we find the package do you have suggestions”? The hunter put two pieces of paper on the table. “This is a list of four local outposts that the vampires use from time to time. You are bound to find something in one of them, if you go to the trade guild, they will get you a coach to make the process quicker”. Martin looked back as they left “I realise that a stray word can sometimes cause disaster, but you don't have to look so smug. I will enjoy finding out what this is about”.

They headed over to the main merchant guild compound grabbed a coach and a city guard to ride crossbow. Then they headed off out of town, a small check of their paperwork and they were on their way. The vampires had apparently fallen back from the city to gather their power, but there should still be one or two stragglers kicking about. Keeping an eye out on the harbour city. The vampires had small outposts that were more like hidey holes. Dotted around North port they were sometimes raided mostly avoided; you never knew quite what you would find.

The first outpost they tried was rather dilapidated, three rooms hidden under a hill with an entrance behind a large tree. There was a stout oak door that had fallen from its hinges and lay partially open the first room had a few mouldy jars and half a box. The second room just a splinted coffin and a very bare bones bed chewed to pieces. The last room was empty save two giant rats who were just starting to nest. David put his foot down on the first one turning it into a fine red mist. The second rat got as far as Alice who got it with the butt of her staff.

As they headed for the second outpost, they felt something, Martin felt his holy symbol rattled in his belt he gripped it tightly and prepared. The coach slowed and stopped. David and Martin were the first out followed by Alice and Vivian. They moved up the trail to find a most unusual group. Martin could hardly believe his eyes. There were a group of demons walking up the road, four level 50 hell hounds according to his monocle four demonic soldiers around level 60 and a caster around level 75.

Alice looked over in their direction she looked round at the cart driver, “back up and … turn around”. Alice looked at the group “The caster is mine I need a breakthrough …and I want to prove my magic is better”. The rest of the group looked a little surprised Martin shrugged, “if you need help let me know”.

The demonic caster was a woman of substantial proportions, her red skin and large horns signified her level as pretty high. The horns formed a helmet of sorts elegantly sculpted but defensive in nature. It easily showed through her red robe that she had two bat like wings arranged like a cloak behind her. She needed to expend mana to use them for any amount of time. Her body was quite tall at six foot six, her face fair the hair long and red but a much darker shade than her body the same with her eyebrows and lips.

She carried a staff forged with infernal magic. The body that she wore was someone possessed for a very long time their flesh twisted and corrupted to the demoness whims. She was tougher than a human magical user, but her body was still far weaker than the rest of her demonic entourage.

The rest of the group were also wearing possessed bodies making them much harder to deal with. A simple purge soul would have removed a demon in a conjured body, but one wearing human flesh not so easy. The demon soldiers were all seven feet tall two men two women there were a few irregularity's a few extra fangs a few extra fingers. Maybe a toe or two out of place but the demons were human in the form they possessed. Their horns were long and grew around their skulls to form helmets as thick as iron. They each wore a mix of iron and steel plate armour reinforced with a little demonic magic. They carried a few spears each, a mace and a large oval shield they walked in step disciplined but still relaxed confident supremely arrogant.

The four hell hounds looked intelligent for giant slavering dogs eight feet long. They had glowing red eyes black and blood red patchy fur and jaws like a forge or press ready to crush and burn. They had horns that flared back and up so that they could not injured themselves. Level 50 was the height that a hell hound could be summoned at. There were four of them wearing the bodies of dogs fully possessed and corrupted.

Martin could see a chance to exercise an uninvited force from this world. David could see little profit in this, but he was bound to at least reach a grand master status from this battle. Vivian saw some target practice just another thing in the mission. Alice wanted to test herself against other magic users. She needed to be able to do this if she was ever going to have the strength to make the mages tower into what she believed it should be. The demoness looked at the group, “I guess the creator god has a sense of humour, they hate our guts for daring to step foot on his creation. I can sense your level of power this should be what I detest a fair fight”.

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The hell hounds split into two groups ready to charge, the soldier demons formed a shield wall and spat a few insults at the group of adventures. The caster sat back she eyed them contemptuously, Martin spat his words out, “you will soon go back to the place you belong”. “My little band has walked this world for twenty years; I don't think you will be the one to end us”. Malice looked at them, “I am going to personally wipe …the floor with you, just me, your mine you …demon bitch”. “A feisty little mage how surprising”.

Vivian looked at her “a hired sword to help the vampires attack North port”? “Close they promise me many of their slaves to bring more of my kind over. I think they mentioned four masters, that must have been old information you have all exceeded a masters rank now”.

The demoness was happy to babble on with more inane self-congratulatory banter. Martin took the opportunity to start the fight. He had his four barrelled pistol at the ready four silver balls ready to go. He targeted one of the hell hounds the alternative fire and four silver bullets penetrated its skull. The beast wobbled and collapsed. Martin had empowered the shots with a focus aim and a wrath blessing there was one less demon dog. He threw a silvered dagger the next instant as the hell hound next to it snapped out of its surprise and moved forwards.

David charged at the other pair of hell hounds intercepting them after they were two far from the soldiers for support. He knocked the first one aside with an adrenalin block that surprised the creature. The second one didn't have a chance to dodge as a power attack followed by another rained down on it. The strikes were not actuate but powerful the tip of the sword cut into the beast then a second blow then another. David paused to knock the second hell hound back then finished off the first. Vivian targeted the shield wall and aimed low her shots hitting the demonic soldiers in the ankles and feet just below where their oval shields covered an irritating but not fatale wound.

The demonic sorceress tried to get Alice. She had rapidly cast illusionary allies and elemental shield. The demon quickly realised that her magic was mostly hitting decoys her fire bolts and fire balls were blocked by Alice's elemental shield or just hit illusions. Alice layered on bonus vitality and sent an acid strike back at the demoness who had to use an infernal ward to protect herself from the ball of corrosion. The demoness considered targeting one of the other members of the party, but Alice probably had several spells that could devastate her if she divided her attention. They were at a stale mate though as Alice kept moving. The demoness was wasting her mana not that she didn't have a lot of it to begin with.

Martin used his lion hearts hammer with a few throwing knives to finish off the second hell hound attacking him. He held out his holy symbol “pillar of fire” the column of fire swept over the line of demonic soldiers carefully missing the caster behind them, she was Alice's target. The result was unimpressive. One demon laughed, “we are highly resistant to fire”. The result was a second attack “pillar of ice” an icy column swept over the line freezing and shaking the demons. They looked far less willing to fight now having just had a miniature blizzard dropped on them. David cut down the second hell hound in short order and banged on his shield an invitation to the demons to come and attack him, he didn't move from the spot.

Vivian targeted the demons with her mithril arrows piercing the shields and wounding the demons beyond. The demons had spears and threw them two collided with David's shield two hit an illusionary allies that Alice had cast. Two completely missed Vivian considering how far back she was. Alice switched things up the demoness tried to use an infernal circle spell against Alice, but she interrupted it with a kinetic strike so that the spell dissipated halfway through. The demonic spell slinger was getting angry. She pulled out her most powerfully spell lava lance similar to a mana lance spell it demolished three of Alice's illusions. The demoness gave up it was draining her mana too fast. She ducked down behind the wall of shields and started to summon extra help. No sooner than her conjured demon arrived than it was hit with an icy tomb spell and neutralised.

As the demons would not come to him David lobed a flask of oil at their feet hitting two of the soldiers, Martin ignited it with thermite the burning metal and oil was painful to the demons, but they still held their ground. Vivian went to her adamantine arrows. They pierced one demons shield travelled through the demon and came out the other side. The demons had no further plan on standing still they charged forwards, two heading for David two heading for Martin.

Martin took the two demons coming after him out of the fight for a few seconds holding up his holy symbol, “word of judgement” the demon was hit with a barrage of sonic damage and holy damage stunning them. “hand of judgement” a glowing fist planted the second demon into the ground, breaking off both his horns in the process. He used his holy blessings “hallowed earth, aura of faith circle of consecration, sphere of consecration”. The two demons began to howl in pain as the holy energy caused their skin to start to peel and the blood in their veins to bubble. They were quite vulnerable to the holy damage.

David blocked the first demon that charged him then ducked backwards as the second demon stepped into a face full of adamantine arrows curtsey of Vivian. The demoness took to the air to avoid a poison gas cloud spell and to try and counter the barrage of acidic magic Alice was throwing at her. The demon overwhelmed Alice's shield spell with a barrage of infernal bolts only for Alice to use healing aura. A mana expensive spell but she healed the damage that the demoness inflicted rapidly.

Martin finished off one of the downed demons with his own sword as the demon staggered around. The second demon rushed forwards drawing on his own demonic essence diminishing his own infernal soul to give him the energy to attack. He buried his sword in Martins chest before he could use his defensive blessing the demon grinned, but Martin didn't go down. Blood dripped under Martins mask, he mumbled something holding his holy symbol up divine regeneration was rapidly healing him.

The demon had never fought a high-level vampire hunter and treated him as a human not a monster. Martin held up his holy symbol, bolts of lightning hit the demon with his chain smite blessing the demon staggered back. Martin pulled out the sword and the wound closed the demon face and chest were charred it staggered and fell back its host body dead.

The last demon soldier was finding it impossible to fight David effectively. If she dodged David's attacks Vivian put an arrow in her. If she avoided Vivian David would try and slice something off, now the vampire hunter was heading towards her as well. She threw her weapons at David and gave him a pair of defiant rude gestures before an arrow penetrated her skull and a sword chopped off her right arm. The last soldier was down, the rest of the party watched Alice battle the demonic sorceress. Ready to come to her aid if the tide seemed to turn against her.

The demoness was quite mobile with her wings, but she was limited to the number of spells she could maintain. Alice's illusionary allies did a marvellous job of wasting her magic she cast a barrier to block an electrical strike from Alice only to be hit by a kinetic strike as well. It passed right through the barrier designed to adsorb magical energy. The wave of pure force knocked her out of the air as she landed, she was enveloped by an icy tomb spell a poisonous gas cloud and a second electric strike Alice had dropped almost all of her defences to create the layered attack. The demoness rapidly cast corrupt life and infernal heal on herself, to repair her body as she tried to get out of the gas cloud.

As she emerged, she tried to hurl field of chains and mind crush at Alice only hitting more illusionary allies, the last defensive spell the mage had in place. Alice hit her with a second icy tomb spell then a barrage of acid strike spells to the wings and face. The demoness collapsed making an obscene gesture, “remember my name mortal, I will crush you it is gaaaaaaaaaagh ...”. Alice landed an acid strike right in the demon's mouth ending the fight and killing her.

Alice saw what was next, she felt a sensation the flow of time ground to a halt a message appeared in her mind’s eye. A special action has been performed feat of marshal strength has been achieved you have defeated a worthy opponent your level limit has been increased to level 100. She had made it over the 75 limit she would keep growing gaining the power she needed to forge the destiny she wanted.

The level up hit, and David finally caught up with Vivian with the same level, Martin reached level 86 and improved his general melee skill up to level ten. Alice hit level 76 she gained the basic version of the spell earthen wall, based on a Druidic spell it allowed her to mould the earth into a defensive fortification and once completed the spell didn't need extra magic or concentration to maintain the packed earth.

They piled the body's up including the hell hounds Martin tired something he held his holy symbol on the top of the pile, “purge soul, purify”. The body's twisted and reshaped back to the humans and dogs they had been before. Their skin was very dark they must have originally come from the southern land. The hounds were burn the other bodies would be given last rights and cremation though they would be treated with some caution, considering their former infernal occupants.

The second outpost was also unimpressive one old diseased thrall hound keeping watch on an abandoned couple of caves. David cut the beast down before it could even properly rise, they found some evidence of other beasts having used the caves but nothing of any note was left but a few scraps of bone. They burnt the hound’s body and kept going.

The third time was the charm so to speak. There was a thrall on the surface keeping watch Vivian knocked an arrow into his leg, he made a bit of noise then Martin got to him. A use of his purify blessing and the confused man was free from the thrall taint. But with an arrow lodged in his leg, a little concentration from Martin and the arrow was out. Alice healed the wound and the former thrall was sent to the coach.

There were two more thralls two fledgling vampires and a full-blooded vampire watching over ten recently captured humans, they were effectively going to become slaves for the vampires. They were locked in a large cage that dominated half the room. The vampires had heard the commotion and didn't seem surprised as the party entered. They had probably expected far lower level opponents. Some level of realisation filled the three vampires’ eyes as they saw what had barged in on them. The surprise rapidly turned to dread even on their best day not one of these vampires could threaten a single member of the group.

One of the fledgling vampires grabbed a slave as a hostage waving a dagger near there neck. The vampire was hit in the face before she could react, with a silver arrow a silver pistol ball and a fire bite spell. It was not quite enough force to dust her, but she was not going to be getting up again any time soon. Alice used her earthen wall spell for the first time creating a batter between the slaves and the vampires. The two thralls launched themselves at the party. The first had an axe the at bounced of David's shield only for him to pommel strike then into unconsciousness. Martin knocked the second one senseless with a strike to the forehead.

Martin pointed out the full vampire, “that one we need dispose of the others”. David gutted the second fledgling dropping it to the floor so that Martin could easily stake it. Alice finished off the vampire on the floor with a fire bite spell. The last vampire started to back away. “let’s talk about this you want information; I am sure that I can give you something useful”. The vampire drew a blade and charged at Martin. David stepped in and smacked them in the face with his shield, Alice sent them flying with a kinetic strike spell. Vivian put an arrow into their knee and Martin smacked the vampire over the head with his holy symbol leaving a sizzling imprint.

The vampire spat up a bit of blood and made a couple of rude gestures. Martin shot them in the other knee with a lead pistol ball. David brought the pommel of his sword down on their head. Vivian swept the vampires legs out from under them and Alice hit them in the hand with a weak acid strike spell, when they reached for their dropped blade.

The vampire cursed them and crawled back a few paces. David sheathed his sword and smacked the vampire again Martin started tenderizing the vampire with strikes from his mallet. Vivian put down her backpack and recovered the muzzle and shackles Alice watched over the slaves and the thralls as the two mercenary's man handled the vampire. While Martin tightened the restraints until the vampire was not going anywhere.

They found a key and freed the slaves, the thralls were purged of the vampire corruption. Martin set a few limbs Alice provided a bit of healing magic. The vampire’s fangs were collected for the bounty. The struggling vampire was stuffed in the sack and carried away by David and Vivian.

They gave the former slaves any rations they could find slowly the group made its way back to North port. This number of rescued captives was quite high, the worst rode in the coach with Martin to keep an eye on the vampire. David and Vivian kept an eye out on the rest and the former thralls, Alice sat next to the driver and kept an eye out, her spells at the ready. The coach moved slowly at a waling pace to help the people get back in one piece. Despite an occasional struggle from the sack the rest of the journey was quiet.