The tavern was full this evening. The barkeep was making the coin tonight.
The door to the tavern was on the north side. The doors were made out of
wood about four fingers thick. There was a table right in front of them.
Then followed by two more in a row. To the right were three matching
tables, and to the left was a full- length bar.
At the first table sat four very loud and drunk dwarfs. They were bragging
about their drinking and themselves. The next two tables sat eight farmers
after a hard day of work. Looking at them I notice that one of them has
gashed his leg fairly bad by the dried up blood on his pants leg. The table
next to the dwarfs and one table of the farmers sat six wood elves. They
were fairly quiet but extremely thirsty. They must have been part or a
whole hunting party by their dress. The bar was just as full with four
Bretonians and three Empire foot soldiers. They were very noisy also but
even their voices were drowned out by the laughter of the dwarfs every now
and then. The barkeep was a very large man, half as wide as he was tall and
still a head taller than the soldiers. He has two barmaids just about
running to get all the ale out to his patrons. Then there was me at the
back table by my self. The way it was most of the time. I have already
moved the table so I could have my back in the corner and watch the door.
Then it happened, all was good and loud but going quite nice when this man
walked into the tavern. No one even notices him at first. Fair sized man
with a cloak on that covered almost all of him. His chin was bare, a very
pale looking chin at that. Then the right side of the cloak opens on its
own revealing his whole right side and a sword. Dressed in what looks like
all black but the hilt of his sword. The sword was unstrapped for some
reason. What reason is still untold?
He stood there for what seemed to be an hour or so but in reality it wasn't
but a minute or two. Then he said something. I couldn't make out what he
said because of the noise. Then came a look of anger. He reaches out with
his left hand and grabs the dwarf by the hair. A very pale looking hand but
a strong hand. Now with his right hand he produces a dagger and pulled it
across the neck of the dwarf. After dropping the head he reached up and
pulled his cloak back to reveal his self.
Then it hit me what he had said with the red in his eyes and blood dripping
from the corners of his mouth, "the time has arrived!" Everything went
quiet as the Vampire revealed himself to the tavern.
Then it all happened as if it was in slow motion. The other three dwarfs,
Shocked at what just happened, only stalled a second before pulling their
axes. The vampire threw his dagger at the middle one hitting him in the
chest buried to the handle. The vampire's sword had already started rising
out of its sheath before he grabbed it. Then he pulled it out the rest of
the way. He just kept swinging it as he lays open the other two's throats.
By this time everyone was to their feet and facing him.
Then two of the soldiers was pulled backwards across the bar. The barkeep
had grabbed them by the collars and pulled them to him breaking their necks
in one swift motion. This was a house for drink all right but drinking of a
different type of ale. The barkeep had changed, changed all right. Right
into what stood in the doorway.
The two barmaids let out a scream. Not a scream of fear but one of pain, as
they too started to change. The elves had already reacted. One of them
shoved his sword right through her chest. The second barmaid jumped on the
back of the farmer with the bad leg and started to bite his neck. Then the
Empire soldier just dropped hi sword across her neck taking it off. He was
so strong that it carried threw to the farmer as well taking his off too.
Now the barkeep jumped over the bar grabbing the rest of the Bretonians to
the ground just with his size alone this was a sight to see. A man with
that much speed, but he wasn't a normal man anymore. He snapped two of
their necks and bit the one under him.
By now the Empire soldiers and I have already started charging the vampire.
The first sword to reach him has buried his sword all the way into his
belly. But now the soldier was helpless because he still held the sword and
it was not pulling back out, like it was stuck in stone. The vampire grabs
him by the neck and slings him over the bar against the wall. The other two
soldiers are now coming down with their swords. The vampire blocks them
both with his.
Four of the farmers jump on the barkeep pulling him off the Bretonian. Then
the other three join him. They were barely strong enough to get him up
until the others joined in. Then they got him up and against the bar.
By now I have made it across the room. I was about to run my sword through
the vampire when what felt like a large battle-ax hit me in the left
shoulder. The impact spun me like a top. When I stopped I looked at the
barkeep and he had three arrows in him. Two was in his chest and one in his
head. Now after a moment of screaming he fell limp. I was looking and one
arrow missed its target and landed in the back of one of the farmers.
The vampire was so strong and quick that he blocks and swings his blade
before the soldiers had time to react. This time the blade did more than
just make noise against the soldiers' blades. He caught it right across his
chest and just missed the other, but the damage was done to the one as he
fell to his knees. Just by the strength of the swing it knocked the other
one off balance. This was just enough time for the vampire to bring his
blade back at him once more. The soldier saw it coming but couldn't react
because he was still trying to get his balance. The vampire ran it straight
threw his chest and lifted him off the floor and just threw him at the bar.
Then the sound of five rapid thuds sounded off. The elves had let another volley of arrows off. The first volley not all the arrows made it to there target but these did. All five hit the vampire right in the middle of his back. As the vampire turned yet another volley caught him in the chest. Unlike the barkeep the arrows didn't even slow him down. His face turns a slight shade of red as he shouts and swings his sword in anger. As he swings he catches two or three of the farmers that have dropped the barkeep by now and split them like some kind of fruit. Not even thinking about the farmers he starts walking in the direction of the elves. When he reaches them he chops them with violent swings. One of the elves jump in front of him to slow him down but didn't even stall him a bit. After he runs the blade in the elf he lets the sword stay in the elf and the wall to hold him off the floor. He grabs the next two and squeezes their necks as he shoves them against the wall. By now I have made it to my feet and pulled the arrow about half way out before it broke off in my shoulder. I reach for my sword that has fallen to the floor and started at the vampire. He never even notices me because of the rage he was in at the elves. I just about got up to a run when I ran my sword threw his back. It glided in like there was nothing there. With just my weight alone I was able to shove it not just threw him but about a hand deep in the wall. The vampire dropped the elves and threw out his arms and let out some ungodly sounds. Then he put his hands against the wall and started pushing outward. Before I even notice the glow coming from my sword it burnt my hands like I had hold of a lightning bolt. Then came a burst of energy that threw me across the floor into the bar. At that moment as I looked up I saw some white energy come from the blade of my sword and surround the vampire. The vampire started kicking and screaming. This time you can tell he is in some pain and as quickly as he came is how quickly he fell still and vanished. Everything but his cloak. I don't know what just happened. All I know is that the man that gave me the sword to do a job with it for him called it "the sword of teclis". Well! That is a different story and a job that I was going to do after I stopped to get me a drink of ale tonight. Now I'm going to need about a dozen more.
Then the sound of five rapid thuds sounded off. The elves had let another volley of arrows off. The first volley not all the arrows made it to there target but these did. All five hit the vampire right in the middle of his back. As the vampire turned yet another volley caught him in the chest. Unlike the barkeep the arrows didn't even slow him down. His face turns a slight shade of red as he shouts and swings his sword in anger. As he swings he catches two or three of the farmers that have dropped the barkeep by now and split them like some kind of fruit. Not even thinking about the farmers he starts walking in the direction of the elves. When he reaches them he chops them with violent swings. One of the elves jump in front of him to slow him down but didn't even stall him a bit. After he runs the blade in the elf he lets the sword stay in the elf and the wall to hold him off the floor. He grabs the next two and squeezes their necks as he shoves them against the wall. By now I have made it to my feet and pulled the arrow about half way out before it broke off in my shoulder. I reach for my sword that has fallen to the floor and started at the vampire. He never even notices me because of the rage he was in at the elves. I just about got up to a run when I ran my sword threw his back. It glided in like there was nothing there. With just my weight alone I was able to shove it not just threw him but about a hand deep in the wall. The vampire dropped the elves and threw out his arms and let out some ungodly sounds. Then he put his hands against the wall and started pushing outward. Before I even notice the glow coming from my sword it burnt my hands like I had hold of a lightning bolt. Then came a burst of energy that threw me across the floor into the bar. At that moment as I looked up I saw some white energy come from the blade of my sword and surround the vampire. The vampire started kicking and screaming. This time you can tell he is in some pain and as quickly as he came is how quickly he fell still and vanished. Everything but his cloak. I don't know what just happened. All I know is that the man that gave me the sword to do a job with it for him called it "the sword of teclis". Well! That is a different story and a job that I was going to do after I stopped to get me a drink of ale tonight. Now I'm going to need about a dozen more.