The carriage slowly arrived at the gates of North-port, a sniffer dog a priest a holy symbol a few other checks and the carriage and the people following it were let into the city. Another check at the inner gate and the coach headed towards the cathedral. The priest on duty started to organise things the bodies that had been possessed by the demons were given last rights and a cremation. The former slaves and thralls were checked over, then fed. Arrangements were made to give them lodgings and take statements, for any useful information that could aid the triune against the vampires.
The party waited at the gate of the cathedral; they had been instructed not to bring the package inside without the bishop attending. Or they would have to go right back to find another package. The master hunter Francis arrived five minutes later, “I will take statements from the captives you freed later, is the package intact”? David smacked his closed fist into his open palm grinning under his helmet “we tenderised it a little before it would fit in the bag”.
The senior priest they had met before walked towards them, the bishop was next to him. “Would you believe it that man who helped the wounded man from his village from broken gorge. That fellow John Dunn he went off on the seven points pilgrimage by himself, not with a group just by himself”. The senior priest seemed impressed. The bishop was also touched but tempered his attitude with the reality of life, “John might make a really good priest his faith is pure, if he survives this adventure”.
The bishop and the senior priest rapidly talked over a few matters, Vivian faced Francis, “we bumped into a pack of demons. The vampires are pulling in any sell sword they can find, can you tell us what is going on yet”? “Give it ten twenty minutes and you will know, the talk of demons is worrying I assume they have been exorcised how many were they”? “Four soldiers a female caster and a few hell hounds, possessing bodies from the south lands by the look of them”. Vivian nodded as martin handed her something. Vivian handed the fangs to Francis he inspected them, “fledgling vampires I can give you 10 silver as a reward, I will look to see if there was a bounty on the demons”.
The bishop finished with the senior priest and turned to the party and their delivery. “I am sorry I am a little busy today”. He looked at the package and made the sign of a blessing, “I grant the dispensation”. He handed Francis a key, “you do the honours its more your duty than mine”. They took the package over the threshold and the vampire inside the bag didn't explode scream or start smoking. More than once a vampire had been captured and they needed to move them around a sanctified fortress. The dispensation blessing was granted to bishops and certain senior priests for this reason. It also allowed magical objects to be taken onto holy sights without the consecrated ground slowly unravelling the magic in the items.
The vampire inside the bag struggled a little as they carried it into the cathedral. The vampire expected a slow interrogation to find out anything that they knew. Not that a vampire of their level would be entrusted with any really sensitive information. They went down several flights of steps past the vault of internment where various urns were stored. They went below that to a deeper vault where the bodies of bishops were laid to rest. Finally, to a secure vault under cathedral a very thick steel door that had several very large locks on it.
When it was opened up there were sealed barrels Vivian's nose flared there was a hint of something that was becoming very close to her heart. She swore that she could see little hints of blue powder and stains on the barrels. She wondered for a second if it was some massive store of confiscated drugs. They rapidly moved past it to another door that looked to be even bigger. Something the size of a cupboard.
Francis pulled a syringe of some type from his jacket he jabbed it into the vampire and extracted a little blood through the bag. He wiped the cobwebs away from the vault a click of the key and there were four corresponding clinks and the vault swung open. They noticed that the vault had a handle on the inside, so that whoever was inside it could open it up. There appeared to be the preserved body of a hunter resting in a chair.
Francis pulled out a tin funnel from beneath the chair and wedged it into the mouth, perhaps there was not actually a dead person but someone in some very strange coma. The hunter pushed the syringe some blood from the vampire poured into the funnel, the body moved yawned as if it was wakening up, its pale countenance reversed. Francis looked back “unwrap the package” the vampire was pulled out of the sack and held up by Martin and David.
The figure stood up and grinned it reached for the vampire who tried to pull back it removed the muzzle the vampire's eyes were full of fear, “no its the abomination it died years ago no”. The thing from the vault smiled, his voice was totally human a pleasant cheerful tone. “My Name is Tomas Drem, not the abomination that is the last thing you will hear”. He bit into the vampire’s neck and started to drain their blood. It took a minute but slowly the vampire withered and desiccated then crumbled to dust Tomas wiped his jaw.
He looked around the room Alice had cast two defensive spells. David had his sword drawn Martin had a pistol out but not pointed and Vivian almost had an arrow notched. Francis gestured for them to put their weapons away. David looked puzzled “are you some sort of vampire”? Thomas looked insulted, “no I am something else, I am a Krsnik a legend, I am a predator of the predators. born human they caught me. They needed more troops, so they tried to turn me against my will. But I didn't die I didn't turn. I survived I changed, and they had a bitter harvest. I have all their strengths none of their weakness. The heart of a common man still beats within my chest”.
He nodded taking off his hat, “thanks for the meal, my diet is over. I need to eat a fledgling a month to keep active and a full vampire will keep me going two months, so it will be a while before I have to feed again”. Tomas looked completely human now a skinny man anyone would have missed him as just another recruit for the vampire hunters he dusted off his coat and hat. He had two adamantine blades with holy symbol engraved on knuckle duster grips they seemed to be designed for him to hold in a reverse guard or an ice pick grip. He had no armour but wore a typical hunter’s outfit. He carried a mithril and silver holy symbol, he could probably break a wooden one by mistake if he was that strong.
Martin looked at Drem, “I have read about you in the history of the northern hunters. Forced to drink a vampire’s blood to sustain himself, about fifty years ago it happened. He gets stronger the longer he puts off feeding and killed the one that tried to turn him that same night”. “Quite correct Martin, I need to dust off the cobwebs after my little sleep, how about a little hunt my friends a chance to slay a few servants of the enemy”. He looked over the group, “you do look a little tired I suppose you just got back from bringing me lunch right”? Alice nodded in response yawning and resting against her staff for a second.
He shook Francis hand, “has much changed since my time sleeping, quite a bit must have happened you were a veteran not a master last time I saw you”. Martin has his own questions “how did you get into that vault in the last place”? “I killed one of the empress of shadows favourites, she was rather thorough in trying to kill me. So, I faked my death and laid low for a few years, I think that there was over 50 gold or 5000 silver on my head then”.
Francis nodded, “they even sneaked an assassin into the grand citadel library when he was acting librarian there”. He turned back to Thomas, “we have made contact with the Western elves they are of our faith; we are negotiating a trade pact with them. It will strengthen us greatly the vampires seek to destroy it and the hidden hand seek to profit form it at our expense. We decided it worth the risk of waking you up for the extra help”. “I see, as ever I am willing to serve my god, the church the order and the triune”.
Vivian shook his hand, “We need food and sleep, we will meet you at the hunters house in eight hours’ time is that ok”? He smiled back not a hint of his fangs showing, “I forget most need rest who don't have a hunter’s endurance”. Alice enquired out of a degree of fascination it was very rare to meet such a unique magical phenomenon “do you take food …at all”? “I can eat and drink food and wine, however I gain only enjoyment no sustenance from it. I will partake from time to time”.
Martin gestured to the holy symbol on Thomas's belt, “I presume that you are unaffected”. He held his holy symbol out wiping the dust from it, “I am unaffected by anything holy, I can use a holy symbol myself”. David gestured to his short-range weapons “what sort of fighting style do you prefer, do you have more equipment stored elsewhere”? “I fight a bit like a brawler, I have greater vitality and durability than a vampire elite, with a little help I can take on an elder, I have survived duels with ancients though I would have lost eventually”.
The party left and returned to the duchesses’ residence, they ate a very quick meal and got some sleep. Alice was the first to rise and woke the rest of them up. A bit of grumbling a few preparations and the group headed out to meet up with Tomas at the hunter’s house. He led them from the hunter’s house past the check points and out of the city. He seemed to have something in mind as if he could feel something.
Vivian's golem eye focused in on Thomas, “do you perceive the world differently than when you were a human”. “I have a vampire’s keen senses, I can smell the taint strongly there must be something lurking in the woods”. He breathed in “A thrall wolf pack a little warm up”. The wolves appeared a few minutes later, they were moving towards one of the vampire lairs that had not yet been raided by the group. Thomas grinned, “A little more interesting they are led by a hell hound, a good fight”. He drew his daggers in an ice pick grip and charged forwards.
There was one hell hound an alpha pack leader, surrounding it were the strongest members of the pack 20 nightmare thrall wolves. With less experienced wolves following numbering 40 terror thrall wolves and 30 dread thrall wolves nearly a hundred in total. Vivian looked at the group, “I will get some higher ground. Alice can you shield yourself Martin David chew up the small fry”. The shouted back affirmatives and got into position. The hell hound hung back the dread thrall wolves charged in, the terror thrall wolves split left and right to try and flank them.
Thomas charged in his blades unsheathed the wolves closed in on him and he stabbed sliced and rained blows down on them. The wolves seemed to do little damage to him as he kept carving away at them, within seconds five lay dead at his feet. Martin emptied his four barrelled pistol at the group, precise focused silver head shots, empowered with the divine retribution blessing, four of the thrall wolves fell dead.
David smacked into them with his shield then began using power attacks to dismember the opponents, blood fur and limbs were sent flying as he cut down another three and wounded several more. Alice hit one group with two fire balls they fell apart wounding a few, killing six more of the creatures. Vivian used her Damascus bodkin arrows head and heart they fell to her attacks four more of the creatures.
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Most of the dread thrall wolves were wiped out and the terror thrall wolves moved into take their place. The hell hound pack leader charged in with the nightmare thrall wolves. Alice softened the group up with an electric strike and a poisonous gas cloud spell blanketing the area. She used earthen wall to pull up a barrier around herself and illusionary allies then a physical shield spell. Vivian took out two of the remaining dread wolves then started to climb into a tree, where she would be out of the way. David happily chopped his way through the stragglers eliminating the rest of the dread thrall wolves.
Thomas charged into the middle of the pack aiming straight for the hell hound leader. He started to stab and hack away at the nightmare thrall wolves. Martin covered the area around him with blessings “holy aura, sphere of consecration circle of consecration”. He targeted one group of attackers “field of wrath”. The tainted wolves received some holy damage as they got close enough to be hit by the blessings it was softening them up if not outright killing them.
As Tomas took on the nightmare thrall wolves, he didn't have quite the devastating effect against the tougher beasts he still sliced two down. Alice started to focus on the terror thrall wolves her fire balls were quite effective blasting and cooking the wolves that tried to penetrate her defences. Four of them fell to her duel cast fire balls. David charged into the pack their numbers stopped them from dodging his strikes as their own attacks bounced of his armoured hide. He wounded several more and cut three down that would not get back up.
Vivian used her mithril tipped arrows to devastating effect. A single aimed power shot and an opponent would go down head or neck her rapid firing quickly polished off five more of the terror thrall wolves. Martin used his pillar of fire blessing and summoned a brief tornado of fire he ran it through the heart of the pack a few beasts were singed, four were caught in its inferno left dead as the pillar of fire ended.
The nightmare thrall wolves tried to pin down Thomas, to allow their leader to rip his throat out. Every strike Thomas made towards it, the creature ducked back and one of its companions took the blow. He still managed to slay three more but was starting to feel his wounds perhaps he had been overly enthusiastic for battle. Alice's earthen wall defence crumbled, and the wolves started to throw themselves at her shield spell.
Her almost point-blank fire balls and acid strike spells claimed the lives of four more of the terror wolves. David started to cut his way back to Alice before her shield spell was overwhelmed by mangy body's. Three of the wolves were caught between him and Alice's shield spell they were cut apart.
Some of the wolves attacked the base of Vivian's tree only to be struck with mithril arrows. Her aim was unnerving as two more at the base of the tree and two more by Alice fell to the last of her mithril arrows. Martin used his field of wrath blessing adding a little more damage to the pack before he tried a similar technique with his pillar of ice blessing. The freezing tornado whipped through the pack; however, they were not as tightly packed as the first time and had some resistance to the cold, three of them still fell encased in ice never to rise again.
Tomas kept fighting small wounds built up this happened in both directions as one by one the nightmares fell before him. He was chipping away at the strongest part of the pack for every scratch he paid them back a stab until they fell, three more of the twisted creatures dying at his feet. Alice hit the wolves with a poison cloud spell as well as casting cure poison on David. He grimaced and kept fighting not a great fan of that tactic, it was still undeniably affective David was able to cut down eight of the remaining wolves.
Martin dealt with the last two holding his holy symbol, “hand of judgement” the holy energy manifested as a giant fist that landed on the top of one wolf crushing it with a bone twisting splat, the wolf was not getting up. “Pillar of salt” the last wolf stopped then crumbles into 400 pounds of salt obliterating it. Vivian started to target the nightmare thrall wolves. The larger tougher beasts took two hits from her octium arrows before they went down. She floored another two of them she still had six more octium arrows before she switched to adamantine.
The hell hound felt the tide of battle running against it, its pack had been slaughtered with barely a few good hits landing on a couple of the adventures. Numbers were meaningless if the opponents could ward them off like David's armour Alice's spells Martin and Thomas's inhuman constitution and Vivian's use of the terrain. Still the hell hound realised that to run was to die as well. It was a creature of the infernal death was not the end. It would be re-summoned and could win another pack again, it went on the offensive all out.
Thomas met its charge head on it clamped it’s jaws on him he dug his knives into it. Alice bombarded the remains of the pack with acid strike spells aiming for the heads two more melted under the barrage. David charged into the mass of already wounded creatures cutting one down and sending the rest scattering. Martin summoned another “pillar of fire” managing to catch two more of the wolves in a tornado of roaring flames. Vivian put her remaining six octium arrows into two more of the wolves and reached for her adamantine arrows.
Thomas was being shaken about like a rag doll. Yet he still kept stabbing away at the hell hound finally he got it in the eye it let go of him he didn't release it his second blade opened its throat the beast bled but still fought he kept stabbing away. Martin hit one of the last few wolves with his smite blessing a few times until it fell down dead. Alice struck the wolf closest to her with an icy tomb spell it was a slow but guaranteed kill with the wolf's resistance to the cold. The last of the pack was hit by an adamantine arrow pinning it to the ground a strike from David beheaded it and the pack was no more.
Thomas kept stabbing and striking the hell hound again and again until it finally collapsed. Two swift cuts and the beast twitched and remained still. Thomas held his holy symbol to the beasts head it convulsed spasmed then collapsed into a pool of black ooze. Thomas took a few deep breaths he looked like he had been chewed up and spat out a few timed. “we fight and win I am back a few hours to heal and no damage done”.
The level up hit David and Vivian had not had a breakthrough, but Martin and Alice gained a level at level 77 Alice got the improved version of her earthen wall spell. Martin hit level 87 pushing his general melee weapon skill up to 11. Alice set about healing everyone including Thomas who required a surprising amount of healing.
Vivian gathered up her arrows and Martin reloaded his weapons. David turned accusingly to Alice.
“friendly fire Alice a simple phrase, I know we discussed that tactic a while ago but give me a frigging warning if you’re going to use it”. “If I had shouted a warning …the thrall wolves would have been smart enough to back up”. “Fine then cast cure poison on me before you use the poison cloud not after, so I am temporarily protected”.
They cut the heads from the largest wolves then piled the rest up a little oil and up they went like a pyre. Between them they carried the largest twenty nightmare thrall wolves’ heads back to North port. The guards at the front gate were surprised. David grinned, “we left three times this number behind to burn couldn't carry them all”. They met the deputy sheriff and handed the wolf heads over to him. “Lead by a hell hound you say, these will make good trophies. They remind me of a pack from around Ulysses crossing, place must have posted a bounty of some sort let me check and I will get back to you tomorrow”. Thomas headed off to the hunter’s house to catch up on the orders happenings.
When they got back to the duchess's residence the steward had something for Vivian a bundle wrapped in clean white cloth with red twine. It had a note a delivery of Vivian's adamantine arrows. She slowly unwrapped them checking over the craftsmanship. She handed them one by one to Alice who nodded, “the enchantment is as strong as you …wanted exactly what you asked for”.
Martin looked at her main quiver as Vivian tried to find a place for them. “I can sow another pocket on the side”. She picked up the arrows and her bow and headed for the practice area. “There fletched with griffin feathers Savon hickory my favourite, I can’t wait to try them out,”. Vivian kept on practising while Martin worked on Vivian's quiver.
Alice read a bit of one of her books while David gathered a few off-duty guards and started to drill them with a few of the militia. He had them building up strength and stamina over and above what they already possessed. A few of them would meet up with them later and he would try and fail to win back a few bronze pennies from them.
They settled down for a meal later on. David looked round the table, “I never thought that I would be working with a vampire, I was worried in the fight about him turning on us”. Martin corrected his colleague, “he doesn't like to be called that, he is a Kursk? I think was how they pronounced it. He can't gain any sustenance from humans anyway; we are off the menu”.
David was not so easily reassured his face twitched. “How does he know he can’t gain sustenance form human's, he must have tried at one point”! Martin defended his fellow hunter, “biting a human would not necessarily kill them, even so I would not bring that up when he is around”.
Alice had an intense professional curiosity, “this is amazing …the spell that animates a vampire is truly powerful a blend of necromancy sorcery and blood alchemy …really complicated really powerful. But to see it warped in this way, turned back on itself. It’s not some random occurrence right, spells don't work that way, sometimes it fails …and you get a Wight. The memory is not retained with the body, but a wight functions exactly …the same as a vampire just no mind. This is completely different; the spell is far more likely to fall …apart than to be so fundamentally changed to be turned inside out”.
Vivian hazarded a guess “So what do you think interfered with the spell”? “You would call it a miracle …the creator god put two fingers up to the vampires and sent them a punishment, no … other force I know can alter a spell that entrenched so fundamentally without destroying it”.
Vivian had to think tactically strategically, “This Tomas Drem is an interesting fellow mild as you like outside combat. But he swings away like a back-alley brawler the moment the fight started. I don't see a professional solder, unless he was just blowing off steam today. I don't see a skilled warrior a tough man to be sure fighting and stabbing away. He's never had to develop a high level of skill he has just crashed into the fight. He's probably used to fighting vampires who were strong and tough and are not used to fighting something anywhere as durable as themselves”.
Martin thought about it, “He seems a bit stronger than an elite vampire he's fifty years like this, so stronger than the usual vampires of his age. An elite normally has to be about 75 years dead roughly if I remember”. “I am surprised he has not made more of a name for himself”. “He said the bounty was 50 gold on his head he must have done something impressive”. “He killed someone connected to the Empress of shadows not necessarily strong but useful to her perhaps”. “What's the point Vivian”?
“The point is if he was the spearhead of a good solid team, if he had some better equipment a long blade, he could be far more effective it seems a waste almost”. Martin shrugged, “that's his personal choice, He was the orders librarian remember he is ordered to fight not necessarily choosing it. He could still be quite stealthy, you might have disregarded that skill set, move fast travel light right”. “A good point Martin, we shall see if he pulls any surprises” Vivian looked at the group, “We might not be anywhere near as durable as he is but under the right circumstances we can hit just as hard”.
Martin spoke carefully, “whatever your assessment of him Vivian he is someone that can take care of themselves, he is not dead weight. He is terrifying to vampires that see themselves as the top predator even over dragons and things the size of green belly. He eats them he consumes their life force as they consume the life of others. Its fucking poetic irony that shows the creator god has a sense of humour in some things”.
“Perhaps your right Martin, he killed those thrall wolves easily enough. In the tight confines of a vampire’s lair that style of fighting close up would probably be better and he has had fifty years to practice this, let’s see if he can keep up with my arrows”.