Archives: Vampire Hunt
Chapter 2: The First Attack
Most of the day had been spent exploring the city with Laies, but as the sun begin to fall in the west, N’shara wanted to return to the inn she was staying at. She could have just as easily stayed at the temple, but she wanted to have some privacy.
“How about some dinner?” the priestess offered as she and Laies paused at the entrance of the Drake Street Inn.
The ex knight smiled thankfully. Although it was a wonderful time escorting a beautiful woman around town, his mind was more on his stomach, and the lack of food he had eaten. “That sounds like a wonderful plan.” He stated, opening the door for the priestess to enter. The will o’ wisp touched his cheek. {“Yes, I know that you’ll be needed soon. Night time is always a better time for you.”} He replied in elven. “Shall we eat then?” Laies asked, holding the door open for his companion.
N’shara smiled and stepped inside, only glancing to the wisp for a moment. She had grown accustomed to the enigmatic spirit through the walk, though she was still unfamiliar with shamanism for the most part. He spoke to it in another language, but did it only understand that language, or did he not want to share what he had to say?
* * *
Aryen was upstairs at the Drake Street Inn with the shades pulled and every place where light could creep in was sealed, leaving the room as dark as possible so he wouldn’t suffer any burns from the accursed sunlight. Time takes far too long to pass during the day. I should’ve just slept, he thought as he sat in the corner, his legs crossed and the same with his arms. I can smell so much fresh blood downstairs, but I cant do anything until darkness comes, he thought as he kept his eyes at the door. If anyone tried to come in, he would have a quick treat.
* * *
The priestess entered the common room, which was only occupied by a few patrons. She sat down at an empty table near the hearth and waited for Laies.
Laies entered the inn and sat at the table with N’shara. There wasn’t much on Laies’s mind, since his stomach had complete control over his thought process. He required food, that much was simple. Without saying a word he raised his hand in the air to beckon a barmaid over.
A slim brown-haired barmaid answered Laies’s beckon and came to their table. “Oh welcome back priestess!” she greeted N’shara. “What can I get for ya?”
“Is there anything being prepared for dinner tonight?” the priestess asked.
“We’ve got roast mutton and potatoes all cooked up.”
N’shara nodded. “I’ll take it. How about a bottle of wine as well?”
“Sure thing. You want the same then?” the barmaid asked Laies.
“Food. Anything,” Laies stated. He was beyond hungry. “I don’t care if you bring me a dragon, I’ll eat anything you have on hand.” Laies blushed. “I mean...” he coughed. “Well...umm mutton sounds great. I’ll have tea with that, I’m on dut—” He stopped himself. There was no duty for him anymore. “Wine is fine,” he corrected.
The barmaid chuckled. “Sure thing, I’ll be right back,” she said before returning to the kitchen.
N’shara crossed her legs under the table and leaned forward, propping her elbows up on the table and resting her chin on her folded hands. Maybe she should have gone to breakfast with him, just for his sake. “Just how long has it been since you’ve eaten?” she said with an amused smirk.
“Well if there is twenty-four hours in a day...” he started. “Then it has been close to thirty hours, not counting that bug that flew down my throat when I was showing you around,” Laies replied frankly. “That is, after all, assuming that it has been six hours since noon.”
N’shara felt a little guilty for letting him lead her around on an empty stomach, but at least she was feeding him now. “Oh my goddess...You haven’t eaten all day? You poor thing!” N’shara cooed, reaching out and putting her hand on Laies’s.
“Oh...ahhh....” Laies fumbled for words. He hadn’t expected sympathy, he was just hungry and speaking his mind. “...I like how the medallions of Marfa accentuate the curvature of the breasts!” Laies smacked himself on the head. There was no going back from what he said, so he decided to make an excuse, “Uhh...errr...I’m sorry, the hunger is talking...”
N’shara blushed and withdrew her hand to her lap in a confliction of flattery and propriety. While she didn’t mind flirting, that comment was a little hard to reply to. “Well...umm...thank you,” she managed, blushing.
Laies just blushed and looked at the table. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I just got flustered...my brain doesn’t act so suave when I’m hungry.” Wisp touched his cheek. “What was that about Salamander, Wisp?” Laies’s eyes narrowed. A loud pop from the fire issued a small fiery projectile aimed at N’shara’s head. Laies struck out at the priestess catching a stray projectile in his hand. The skin of his hand sizzled as the ember burned in his hand. He tossed the ember back into the fire and glared at it for a moment. Taking a napkin he wrapped his burnt hand in it. {“Don’t you dare pull something like that again, regardless of your jealousy. I’m not replacing your companionship with this woman,”} he snapped in elven. {“Do that again and I’ll summon Undine to knock some sense into your fiery head.”}
N’shara gave a small yelp and ducked when Laies lashed out, unaware of the ember that was shot at her head until Laies pulled his hand away and spoke in what must have been elven. “What was that?” she asked, obviously confused.
Laies shook his wounded hand. “Nothing. Just a misunderstanding,” Laies lied. “The spirit of fire thought that it would be funny if he threw something at you. Sorry for startling you.”
“Oh...alright,” N’shara replied, still a little confused. Why would the spirit throw something at her? It worried her a little. He tended to his burn, but she wanted to heal it.
The quarter elf sat back in his chair and rocked on the back legs. “I wonder when the food is going to—” His sentence was cut short by him gracelessly falling backwards out of the chair. Laies rose to his feet and righted his chair before sitting down in it again. “Well, that was awkward.”
However, before she could offer healing, he leaned too far back in his chair and toppled over. He was back up quickly though, and he didn’t seem to have hurt himself more, so N’shara gave a good natured giggle, then reached out for his hands. “Let me see to your wound.”
He laid his hand on the table face up. Although the outer layer of skin was scorched and there was a little pain, due to the dragon scale around his neck, the damage was surprisingly minimal. “Well, there you have it,” he said, keeping his palm open.
N’shara looked at the wound. It was very minor, but on the palm of one’s hand, it could be annoying. She wanted to show a sign of consideration, and have another excuse to touch him, so she gently held his hand in place, then hovered a finger just over the burn. With the murmur of a short prayer, the wound quickly disappeared. It reminded her of the first healing she learned to do when she was raised to priestess.
“There,” she said with a smile and withdrew her hands.
“Thank you priestess.” Laies smiled. “Your magic and mine each have their uses, although, strangely enough, most of our shamanism is used for destructive or protective purposes...never to heal.”
“Hmm...you’re right,” N’shara mused. “I’ve never heard of elves as healers. Priests are granted healing energy through a god, but I suppose little spirits don’t have the energy to heal another being?”
The barmaid finally returned with two plates steaming with hot food. She had a bottle of wine in the deep pockets of her apron too. She set down the plates in front of the priestess and ex-knight, Laies’s plate had a heaping portion since the barmaid knew he was hungry. She set down the bottle of wine and two wooden goblets, then uncorked the bottle and poured them both a glass.
“There ya go. Anything else you need?” the maid asked.
“No, I’m fine, thank you,” N’shara replied politely.
Laies smiled and dug into his food. Although starving, he did hold off from looking like a wild beast devouring the food. He ate with delicacy and etiquette. He drank a little wine to help the food down, but not enough to even slightly impair his judgmental skills. “So, N’shara,” Laies began, “Are you just on a pilgrimage, or are you trying to find a temple to call home?”
“It’s a pilgrimage,” N’shara replied, in between bites. “I’ve almost made my way completely across Lodoss. Once I reach Valis again, I’ll go straight back to Tarba and decide on a temple,” the priestess explained, then continued eating. She was delicate in eating, but that was to be expected of most women, especially educated priestesses.
“A pilgrimage...” Laies smiled. “Would you like accompaniment on this pilgrimage? I’d be glad to tag along and keep you safe. It might get me out of Moss before I grow roots like a tree as well.”
N’shara smiled coyly as she poked at her potato with her fork. She definitely didn’t have a problem traveling with him, but she wondered if the temple would? It wasn’t unheard of for a priestess to take on a male guard, but N’shara had a guilty conscience for the way she had acted on the road. She was attracted to Laies, and something was bound to happen between them if they were alone together on the road.
The priestess went with her own desires, unable to resist the temptation. “I would like that, thank you,” she replied to the ex-knight. “I could use the help, really. So far, my only protection has been traveling with merchant caravans.”
“Very well then, I will accompany you.” Laies smiled. It would be nice to travel with a woman like this. Get out of Moss for a bit, stretch my fledgling wings a little. With his meal done, Laies sighed in content. “Well, if I am to accompany you, I’ll have to warn my ever worrying mother that I’ll be leaving the country. I wouldn’t want her sending knights to track me down.” he laughed nervously. In all truth, his mother wouldn’t mind if he left her alone, but it was good to be courteous and tell her that he was leaving for a while.
N’shara wasn’t quite finished with her own meal yet, she was taking her time. The priestess nodded to Laies, unable to keep a little smile from turning up the corners of her lips. “Right,” she replied. “I’m sure you will have to gather the equipment you need as well. Are you going to go now?”
“No,” he replied slowly. “I have all I need. I carry everything with me. The only thing I need to do is visit my mother...” ...and his grave as well, regardless of my feelings for him. Laies stood. “But I should get going. My mother gets to bed early...” He bowed at his excuse and ran off, leaving wisp there at the table. His mother wouldn’t appreciate wisp’s tagging along, especially with all her efforts to make him as human as could be.
N’shara watched him go quickly, then turned back to the table to see the wisp still floating there. Without Laies around, she was terribly uncertain on how to deal with it. The priestess stared at the ghostly little ball of light, trying to decide what to do. “You don’t have to stay her if you don’t want to,” she said to it.
The little orb was already starting to float away, heading out toward the window, which it passed through. N’shara watched it float through the street, then returned her attention to finishing her meal.
* * *
Aryen groaned as he left the room he had been occupying the entire day. “Damn, that can really take it out of you, having to wait like that!” he said as he slammed the door behind him. Needing to stay awake all day to make sure nobody came in and opened the drapes on him was irritating! “Well, time to go down and grab myself a drink,” he said, a grin playing across his lips.
As he went downstairs, he noticed a lot of people were there, more than usual, but he normally didn’t just take anyone he saw. He always based it on which person stood out to him, In this case, it was a young woman sitting near the fire. Hmm...shes lovely, he thought, walking up to her and looking down at her. “Mind if I have a seat?” he asked, trying to link his eyes with hers to he could initiate his vampiric charms upon her.
N’shara sensed something near her that made her hair on the back of her neck stand, and it seemed to becoming from the man who suddenly spoke to her. However, as she rose her head to look at him, her eyes became ensnared in his piercing blue gaze. This stranger suddenly became so beautiful in her eyes. She couldn’t speak for the longest time.
I don’t need to flirt, I have Laies, she told herself in vain. Despite her thought, she was already opening her mouth to speak. “Certainly,” she said breathlessly.
Aryen nodded, looking down as he was sitting, a smile playing across his lips as he did so. Good, he thought to himself as he took a seat, directly across from her. A priestess. This will be a good opportunity. I’ve had to fight so many of those bitches, he thought, his smile turning to a grin. “I haven’t seen you around here before. Are you new?” he asked her, looking across at her and achieving eye contact. Now for the charm...
N’shara couldn’t tear her eyes away from his, and she didn’t fit the building lust. “I...I’m on a pilgrimage,” she replied, unable to think straight with that gaze on her. “From Tarba,” she added. She was hypnotized easily and didn’t fight. Had she been a more virtuous priestess, she could have controlled her own lust for such a beautiful man, and kept the unnatural lust from overtaking her, but her own vanity and uncontrolled desires were her downfall.
Aryen’s eyes remained focused on hers, intent on using every bit of his charm upon her to put her under his control. “Hmm...A pilgrimage, you say?” he said, a smile upon his lips as he watched every word she said and every movement she made. “So, how about you come upstairs with me?” he asked her, hopefully he had used enough charm to bring her to that point to where shed do anything he said.
“I...shouldn’t...” N’shara said, blushing. However, her body was already moving of it’s own accord, pushing her chair back. There was a voice screaming distantly in her mind, but she wanted him more than anything right now.
Aryen smile changed to a grin when he saw her getting up already. She’s as good as mine, he thought as he got up as well. Walking up to her, he placed an arm around her waist, slowly guiding her up to the room where he had just been.
N’shara walked with him, lost in the haze that had begun to develop in her mind. He felt rather cold as she walked with him, held close to his body. It didn’t bother her though, her mind didn’t even begin to try and reason. “What’s your name?” she said softly, leaning to breathe against his ear, tempted to kiss his neck.
Aryen kept his gaze upon her, though not as much now, considering how she was reacting. They had already gone upstairs and were approaching his room. “My name? Aryen,” he said softly to her, his hand coming up to play across her cheek, caressing it softly as he leaned into him. They kept going down the hall until they came to the door of the room he’d waited in all day.
“I’m N’shara,” she replied, turning her face against his cold hand. As he paused at the door, she pressed herself against him, and softly kissed his neck. Why are you doing this? her voice whispered in her mind, breaking through the fog just enough to get that question through. She didn’t dwell on it.
Aryen smirked as he felt her press herself against him. He leaned back against the door, his hand searching for the doorknob as he felt her lips upon his neck. “Hmm...A pleasure to meet you, N’shara,” he said in a deep tone before finding the doorknob. He opened the door and, keeping an arm around her, backed into the room. He closed the door behind them as he brought her inside with him.
N’shara was hardly aware of what was going on around her. All her focus was on Aryen. Her lips traveled up his neck and jaw to his lips. As she held her body close to his, the gold Marfa crescent over her breasts pressed against his chest.
Aryen closed his eyes partially when she pressed her lips against his, returning the kiss. But as he did, he had been feeling something that had been bothering him ever since he sat down at the table. What is that damn feeling? he thought to himself, trying to figure out what it was, before his eyes trailed up, following what was causing the strange feeling. He spotting something atop her head, her circlet, and he felt it close to his chest as well, he could feel a plate pressing against him. These things are annoying the hell out of me, he growled mentally as his hands moved to her forehead and chest. He took her circlet off, as well as the crescent plate on her chest, and tossed them aside, not wanting them to ruin what he was trying to do by breaking his concentration.
The priestess hardly showed a response to the removal of her holy adornments. He tore them off quickly, and when he was done, she only continued kissing him. Stop it...stop...don’t let him.... her mind whispered, desperate to be heard.
Aryen had an inward smirk; she hadn’t noticed one bit that he had removed her holy adornments, the only thing that was keeping his focus off track. He held his lips against hers, deepening the kiss as he wrapped his arms around her, moving further into the room towards the bed. Now to have a little bit of fun, and then my feast, he thought before laying her back upon the bed.
As N’shara kissed him, she slipped her tongue into his mouth just slightly. She had never kissed a man before, so she was sloppy, and her tongue brushed one of his canines. It wasn’t...quite right. STOP! RUN AWAY! her mind screamed and her mind became a little clearer. That’s not right...there’s something wrong, she thought a little more coherently and pulled back from the kiss.
“...what?” she gasped, looking up at Aryen on top of her. Her eyes showed the growing clarity in her mind and her muscles tensed, ready to fight or flee.
Aryen felt her tongue slipping through his lips, brushing over one of his canines, it felt interesting to him, but inside he could feel that there was something wrong. He watched her, seeing her eyes he could notice that she was breaking free of his mental grip on her, and of course that wasn’t a good thing. Damnit! I guess I’ll have to put more effort into it, he thought and kept his eyes linked with hers, using more of an effort of using his charm upon her.
N’shara was sucked into his cold blue gaze again and the voices in her mind were blocked out. To her, there was nothing in the world but Aryen again.
Aryen sighed mentally, it was good he regained control before she noticed what was going on. Damn, that was too close. I guess that means I have no time for fun. I’m a bit too weak for this, it’s best get straight to it, he thought, placing a hand on her cheek and caressing it softly. “Stay still, wouldn’t want you to try to move or anything,” he said as he leaned in, kissing her neck from one side to the other before his lips felt the pulsing vein at the edge of her neck. “Perfect...” he said deeply before grinning, his fangs showing as he suddenly lunged in and sunk his fangs into her neck, drawing out her blood and lapping at it hungrily. His control over the priestess was broken once his fangs sank into her. She gasped sharply, inhaling to scream and her body tensed, ready to fight him off her. However, this also caused her blood pressure to shoot up, making her bleed faster. Aryen felt his mental grip break and his hand came up, clapping over her mouth as he continued drinking. He used his body atop of hers to hold her down. Holding his fangs in her, he lapped at every drop of luscious blood that came forth from the wound in her neck. He knew that her struggle would only make her blood pressure rise, but he had to keep her from making noise.
N’shara struggled beneath the vampire, trying to scream, though any sounds she made wouldn’t make it out of the room. With her one free arm, she tried to vainly to push him off, but Aryen was far stronger than her and stayed firmly in position.
* * *
Laies had finished his business and was on his way back to the inn when his mind was suddenly crowded with pain. He grit his teeth and held his head. Quick! Second floor! the voices of his spirits screamed. Not one to take his spirits lightly, Laies bolted towards the inn. A man was about to exit the inn, but Laies crashed through him sending him flying back into a table and upsetting a group of travelers sharing a brew. Laies ignored the shouts and yells of those below and continued to follow his spirits’ guidance. HERE! the spirits screamed outside Aryen’s door.
Laies lifted his leg and bashed his foot against the timbers of the door.
* * *
Aryen continued drinking on N’shara’s blood. His body shifted a bit after hearing the foot bash against the door. Damn, seems someone has found me out. Oh well, I’ll have to let you live little one, he thought and lapped swiftly at her blood, intending to restore his strength with this priestess’s blood as much as he could.
Laies slammed his foot against the door again, the timbers shaking at the impact. “N’shara! Are you alright?” It would take one last push to break the door open.
N’shara’s strength was leaving with her blood. Her struggle was losing vigor and stars were dancing in front of her eyes. She heard Laies’s voice distantly, and the pounding on the door. She couldn’t scream though, she was too exhausted and Aryen’s hand was still firm over her mouth.
Aryen pulled his fangs swiftly from N’shara’s neck, licking them as he enjoyed the taste of her sweet blood. “Well, enough fun for now. Time to go!” he said lowly, swiftly dashing across the room to grab his equipment, then dashed towards the window and leaping through it, shattering the glass and flipping as he flew towards the ground. He landed on his feet with ease before taking off as quick as he could towards a shadowy alley, intending to make his escape there.
N’shara was left gasping and fighting for life on the bed. She turned toward the direction Aryen ran in and saw the shattered window, then looked back to the door. “Laies...” she gasped, her voice unable to find the strength to speak louder. She was still bleeding out, she could feel it. With a sudden burst of strength, she reached up and held her hand over her wound, trying to put pressure on it.
Laies kicked in the door with his final kick only come across N’shara. His body moved on his own, lifting her into his arms he bolted for the temple. He held her close to his chest. “N’shara, hold on, alright? We’ll get to the temple and we’ll get you healed.”
N’shara’s hand grasped Laies’s poncho tightly, at least for a moment. “Vam...pire...” she rasped. Her right hand was still firmly clamped onto her neck, but it didn’t entirely plug the wound. Blood trickled over her hand and down her arm.
Laies blanched at the word ‘vampire’. He had only heard of them as myths, never counting on the fact that one actually existed. “You’re going to be fine,” Laies assured her. The hunt for him will have to wait until after N’shara is taken care of.
