Chapter 8: Thirst of the Night

"Open up damn you, I did what you told me to!" Alistair shouted, while beating on the wall between the two shops where he knew the location of Fundamental Gubbins to be.

It was the morning after they had returned from Grayben's hidden cove. When they had made their way back through the trapdoor, it was to find Mastew's warehouse dark and devoid of workers, the sun having set in their time underground. They had snuck out and returned to the Giggling Squid for a well earned rest, intent on leaving for Astor in the morning as planned.

Before that, however, Alistair had to try and get his answers from Gaunt. He had not had much luck, however. The door to the shop refused to materialise despite his best efforts. He had started to gather a crowd due to his behaviour, with many whispered conversations and confused looks being thrown his way. In his frustration, Alistair glared at a nearby woman. "What are you looking at? Huh?" The woman was quick to continue walking down the street, leaving Alistair to huff in frustration and return his attention to the wall.

Once he did so, he came face to face with a recently appeared noticeboard. Pinned upon it was a sheet of parchment, which Alistair swiftly tore off to read. "...Your task is incomplete, come see me when you have all the pieces...L. ." Alistair muttered. He frowned and scrunched up the parchment in frustration. He turned back to the wall, to see no sign of the noticeboard that had once adorned it. He kicked the wall one final time, before stomping off down the street.

At the gate to the town, the others were gathered and preparing to set out. Garrick was sitting on a rock, searching through his large satchel. Further down the road, Na'ish and Rogon were having a conversation, although it was more like Rogon was talking and Na'ish was nodding along occasionally. Indira stood at the gate, looking back for Alistair to arrive.

"You realise…" Garrick said to her "That we will be unable to wait for much longer. We may have to leave without him." Indira shook her head "In which case, I shall also remain and catch up later. However, please wait just a few more moments, I have faith that...wait…" She paused, as she saw a figure turn the corner and approach. She soon slumped when it was apparent that the figure was not Alistair, but in fact Varus.

Varus simply walked past Indira, who barely looked at him before she returned her attention to the main street of the town. Varus then leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, drawing the attention of everyone else. Garrick finished his packing, stood up, and slung his pack over his shoulder.

"Thought this whole thing didn't interest you?" Garrick muttered as he approached. Varus looked to him, squinting slightly in the morning sun. "I have no interest in helping your little errand. Going to Astor however, that intrigues me." Garrick snorted, and turned to go stand with Indira, while Varus looked back to the ground and closed his eyes while he waited.

It was not long after this that Alistair made his appearance, still stomping slightly and appearing frustrated. Indira lost her smile slightly, and turned to follow him as he passed. "No luck with Gaunt then?" Indira asked softly. Alistair stopped and sighed, then took out the scrunched piece of parchment and passed it to her. Indira took it and also read it, before she gained a slight grimace. "Ah, that is unfortunate. So you still need to find these map parts then." She said. Alistair nodded.

"Well, perhaps we will find them on the way to Astor, hmm? It is high time we made good on our promise to Lud, after all." Garrick said as he approached the two. Alistair nodded in agreement, before he started to walk up the dirt path away from Grayben's Bay. Rogon and Na'ish fell in a short way behind him, with Garrick and Indira after them. Varus took up the rear, following a short way behind but not actively interacting with any of the group.

The route to Astor was a well trodden one, and therefore well signposted. Given the distance according to one such signpost, it was going to take an estimated week of travel on foot. For now the task was to simply walk until nightfall and make as much headway as possible.

As they walked, Alistair started to return more to his usual carefree attitude. As he looked to Rogon, who was walking beside him, he was reminded of a question he had been meaning to ask. "So, er Rogon. I never did thank you properly for the save against that Shadow creature." Rogon chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Aw, tha' was nothin'. Couldn' let you get all withered and gross now could I?" Alistair smirked to him "And ruin these good looks? Never! Still, I am impressed by the weapon you wield. What exactly is it? I've never seen anything like it before."

Rogon reached down to his thigh holster and drew his weapon, twirling it around his thumb before he gripped the handle. "I call it a revolver, 'cos this bit 'ere," Rogon pointed to a cylindrical tube of metal set in the middle of the item. "It spins, see, when I fire it at least." Alistair nods as he looks over the weapon.

"Still, that doesn't explain its power." Alistair mused, "How'd it do that? Magic?" Rogon chuckled before holstering his weapon and reaching into a pouch on his belt. "Nah, nothing so fancy. Never could get the hang o' that." He withdrew his hand, opening them to reveal several small metal pellets. "It uses flammable powder to fire these pellets. I make the powder meself, call it crackle!".

Alistair's eyebrows shot up. "Really, no magic? Useful. Where did you get the weapon from? I could use one of those in a pinch." Rogon shook his head ruefully. "Sorry bud, I got this one from me mum. Last thing she had o' me pa, apparently. It's the only one o' its kind." Alistair sighed and nodded, while Rogon turned to look over his shoulder at Garrick. Garrick had been staring a hole into his back, but turned his attention back to the sides of the roads upon discovery. "At least…" Rogon said, turning back to the front. "I had thought it was…".

Garrick soon turned his attention back to look at Rogon walking at the head of the group. He couldn't quite stop a slight scowl appearing on his face as he stared at the man's back. "You really don't like Rogon, do you?" came a soft voice from his side. Side eyeing the source, he just shrugged at Indira. "...Why? Has he harmed you in any way?" Indira asked with genuine curiosity. She found it hard to believe that the gentle giant would hurt anyone not deserving of it.

Garrick gave a frustrated sigh, easing up on his staring at Rogon to better focus on Indira. "It is not that he has done anything to me, he hasn't. I just struggle to be civil to one of his kind." Indira gave a confused look. "An Orc." Garrick clarified. Indira looked to Garrick with a raised eyebrow "What is wrong with Orcs?" she asked.

Garrick looked uncomfortable for a brief moment, before schooling his features. "I have history with them, let's leave it at that." Indira huffed "It hardly seems fair to lump him in with whatever orcs wronged you." Garrick turned back to the front, eyes glazing over ever so slightly. "You will find, my dear, that life is rarely fair."

The rest of the walk was done in relative silence, occasional conversations breaking out between the members. Throughout the whole journey, however, Varus followed at the back in silence. As he had not caused any problems, however, the group was happy to have him tag along.

As the afternoon wore on and the light started to take on warmer hues, Garrick looked around at the travellers. Rogon still appeared fresh, the half-orc's natural stamina a boon in this endeavor. The others were starting to wear out however. Alistair's pace had slowed, and he had stopped talking so excitedly around an hour ago, a sure sign of his fatigue. Na'ish was still plodding along resolutely, not saying a word. His heavy armour and shield was sure to be weighing him down however. Indira, however, looked the most worn out, her steps accompanied by slight winces, a sign of sore feet from being unused to such long journeys.

Garrick slowed and called "Perhaps, this would be a time to start searching for a suitable place to camp for the night. The light is fading fast and I would prefer to get a rudimentary camp in place before nightfall." Most of the group stopped and agreed, Indira slumping to the grass at the side of the road in relief. Varus caught up at this point, and scoffed at Garrick.

"Getting tired, old man? I suppose you do lose stamina with old age." Garrick glared at Varus. "Nothing is stopping you from continuing without us. By all means, please do so." Varus huffed but didn't move to overtake them. Nodding, Garrick looked around where they had stopped. The area was mostly dominated by fields, with a few trees dotted around. The fields were separated by thick hedgerows, indicating they were owned by farms in the area.

"I suggest we set up by one of the hedges, give us a bit of cover at least," Garrick proposed. Seeing nothing wrong with this, they moved over to the nearest divider. It was not long before they had a fire going, courtesy of Rogon gathering wood and Alistair using some string and a stick to get embers going. Garrick settled himself down by the hedge, leaning against the vegetation in order to get comfortable and still be able to watch the camp of people. Varus had sat against a nearby tree, opposite from him.

Indira offered to take first watch, despite her sore feet from the journey. "I am simply too excited at the moment," she said, visibly bouncing in her seat on the grass, "Best I use this energy up before turning in. Rogon chuckled in agreement, laying down and using his pack as a pillow. Alistair covered himself up with his hood and Na'ish was taking off his outer armour in order to lay more comfortably. Garrick chose to sleep where he had leaned against the hedge.

As Indira was watching the fire, poking it with a stick occasionally with a smile on her face, she got the distinct feeling she was being watched. A brief look around revealed the source to be Varus, still leaning against the tree but clearly wide awake, his eyes trained on her.

"You know, you can go to sleep. I promise I won't fall asleep on watch." Indira offered kindly. Varus just shook his head. "Nah, I don't sleep in the conventional sense. As you should well know, being an elf and all." Indira nodded in agreement. Being able to simply meditate for a few hours at night was a useful trait to have. The two fell silent for a while, watching the fire.

Before long, Indira caught movement from Varus's direction once more. Turning to look, she was surprised to see that it was not Varus getting up, like she had first expected. Instead, the cloak he was wearing was shifting about, as if something was moving around beneath the article. She raised an eyebrow, but Varus didn't appear ready to elaborate.

Then, as she watched him, a small head popped out of the top of his shirt, making her gasp. The head belonged to what looked like a small fox, only with much larger ears than normal. It was also around half the size of a regular fox, with a shorter snout and larger eyes. Most noticeable, however, was it's colour. It did not have the red hue of a fox, instead appearing to be mostly light purple in colour. It glowed with a soft light and appeared oddly translucent, not quite see through but not fully corporeal either. It's purple fur was adorned with darker purple streaks, which appeared to move around the body in patterns rather than remain in one place.

"Wow...it's beautiful...what is it?" Indira whispers in slight awe. The creature yipped quietly, and Varus turned his attention back to Indira with a frown. "It is called Gauss, and she doesn't much like being called an it, thank you very much." Indira looked away sheepishly, "Sorry, I was just curious. She's beautiful." The fox, now named Gauss, wriggled free of Varus's shirt to alight on the ground. It sat and appeared to preen at the praise from Indira.

While Indira was looking at Gauss with wonder in her eyes, Peanut wriggled his way out of her cloak as well. The rodent hopped down to the ground and towards the fox, stopping and waving a short way from her. Gauss watched his progress, and when it waved she bared her teeth and growled softly. Peanut gave a panicked squeak, before scampering back to Indira. She caught him with a chuckle.

"Don't worry, Peanut. I'm sure Gauss won't hurt you...right?" She said, looking pointedly at Gauss then Varus. Varus just looked at the rodent before returning his gaze to the fire. Gauss simply bared her teeth again briefly, before laying down on the ground with her back to them. Indira's smile grew strained. "...Perhaps don't go too near her though, yes?" She whispered to Peanut, who nodded vigorously in agreement.

After another hour of watch passed uneventfully, Indira gave a large yawn. Varus Looked to her "...Go, rest. I will take the second watch." Indira nodded tired, standing and rubbing her eyes as she walked over to where Alistair laid. Once nearby, she sat with her legs crossed, before closing her eyes and stilling completely.

Varus watched as she went, before he returned his attention to the fire. Gauss stood and shook herself out, before approaching him. He reached out and scratched her behind the ear, getting a yip of approval. She then walked around in front of Varus, before jumping straight at his chest. Rather than collide, however, she appeared to simply phase through him. She did not appear on the other side, remaining within him and leaving him seemingly alone once more.

As Garrick slumbered against the hedge row, the occasional twitch would be noticeable on his face. Suddenly he awoke, eyes wide and looking around, though he did not move his body immediately. Years of experience had resulted in a heightened sense of danger, though many would call it simple paranoia. And now, the hairs on the back of his head were raised.

Looking around the camp, he saw that Varus had seemingly taken over the watch duties. There was no obvious source of danger, the night quiet except for the usual calling of owls and insects. The hedge further down from him rustled slightly, but upon turning his attention to it a breeze gusted through the clearing, likely the source of the movement.

After staring at the bush for several moments and seeing nothing but the rustles caused by the wind, he sighed and resigned himself to trying to get back to sleep. Just as he re-settled himself and began to nod off, however, a soft whisper came from directly behind him. "...feed…". Garricks eyes shot open in time for something to collide with his back, knocking him away and tumbling onto his front. He had just enough time to turn onto his back and throw his arms up into a guard before whatever had attacked was upon him. "Shit!" he exclaimed with a grimace.

Whatever the creature was, it was hard to tell in the darker light of the night. It was at least humanoid, clawed hands gripping his shoulders and preventing him from moving. The being hissed in his face, sharp fangs visible as it pulled its face towards his neck in an effort to bite him. Despite his guard, the being drew closer due to its immense strength. Garrick could only struggle as it drew close enough, it's fangs starting to sink into his flesh. "Argh…" Garrick growled in pain.

Before it could sink it's teeth all the way in, it suddenly flew off to the side, courtesy of a strong kick from Varus. The creature hissed again, before jumping back swiftly and seeming to meld into the darkness that surrounded the camp. Garrick swiftly rose to his feet, hand clasping the wound in his neck that was freely bleeding due to the fangs being ripped from him.

"The hell is that thing!" He growled to Varus, looking to where it had disappeared in an attempt to see it. He had drawn his bow with his other hand. Varus shook his head, indicating that he did not know...or did not wish to tell. Garrick snarled, and reached into his pouch to retrieve a bear trap, laying it near his feet in an attempt to slow the attacker should it strike again.

All around camp was a flurry of activity as the group awoke and came to the conclusion that they were under attack. Rogon had pulled out his gun, and Alistair and Indira had gone back to back in an attempt to spot the danger. Na'ish was hastily attempting to re-don his armour for protection.

"What, where's the danger!" Alistair shouted. Indira was looking into the darkness, attempting to spot the creature. "I don't know, I only know Garrick got...Ah!" Indira was interrupted when the creature appeared once more, moving with such speed it was able to weave into the guard between the two, before delivering a strong backhand to Indira. The strength of the blow sent her flying away from where they had been standing, tumbling and rolling to a stop by the fire.

"Indira!" Alistair screamed, before spinning and attempting to slash at the being now behind him. It managed to deftly avoid his flurry of blows, before jumping back and disappearing into the shadows once more. Each member of the group was now retreating to the light of the fire, hoping to get a better chance of seeing the being before it attacked.

Indira struggled to her feet. The blow had hurt and her arm where she had tried to block was hanging limp at her side. She looked up and tensed, as the creature moved into the light in front of her, not yet attacking but staring at her hungrily. As it did so, they all got their first good look at it, causing Indira to gasp in shock.

The being was, indeed, humanoid. It was clearly female, with long matted hair strewn with vegetation. Her eyes were blood red and had the crazed look of the deranged, while her skin was sunken and a sickly pale colour. Her mouth had blood dripping from it where she had bitten Garrick, two prominent fangs visible as she snarled at them. Her clothes consisted of leather riding leggings and a vest over a blouse. They were clearly once finely made, but tears, dirt and more vegetation had ruined them. Finally, she had a large black cloak, clasped at the front and also tattered.

"...What are you?" Alistair whispers in shock. The woman does not turn to him, choosing to continue to look to the injured Indira.

"...feed...I must feed…" she spoke, before dashing headlong towards her. The sheer speed meant that Indira could not dodge, instead throwing her good arm in front of her once more, her eyes closed. Before the woman could strike however, she suddenly swerved as a loud blast from Rogon indicated he had fired his revolver at her. A divet immediately forming in the ground a ways off from them indicated that the shot had missed.

"Back off luv!" He shouted, aiming once more and starting to shoot. Three more shots flew out, each one barely dodged before the woman dived into the darkness once more. Rogon cursed, before reaching into his pouch and flicking his weapon in order to pop out the chamber to reload.

Garrick looked around him, completely unable to pinpoint the location of the creature. "We need to find a way to pin it down, it's far too fast to hit otherwise!" Garrick yelled, before reaching into his pack and withdrawing a length of rope once more. He looked to his side where Varus was still standing, bow at the ready. "I will need your assistance here." Varus briefly looked like he was going to brush him off, but the sound of the creature attacking Rogon once more across the way changed his mind.

As Rogon had been reloading, the woman had taken the opportunity to attack him. She had managed to grab him from behind, sinking her teeth into his neck viciously. Rogon roared, before reaching back and grabbing the offender, throwing her over his shoulder into the ground. The impact briefly stunned the woman, but she swiftly flipped into the darkness before his follow up stomp could hit.

She reappeared near Alistair and Indira, but once more did not immediately attack. "Why are you doing this!?" Alistair yelled, still desperately trying to communicate as it could clearly speak. "I must feed…" she returned, taking a step towards him. He got his daggers up in a guard, ready to attack once it charged.

"I...must...FEED!" the woman screamed at the top of her lungs, before charging at him. Before she got more than a couple of feet, however, she staggered back as an arrow struck her in the torso. Looking to where it had hit, the woman saw that it had a rope attached to the end of it. Following the rope back to its source, she saw that Varus and Garrick were holding the end of it tightly.

"Now! before she can get away!" Garrick yelled, with Alistair and Na'ish, who had finally managed to finish putting his armour on, quick to oblige. They charged in, slashing with their dagger and sword respectively. Even with the rope slowing her down, only a few attacks managed to land as she dodged. She heaved and attempted to retreat back into the darkness once more. Both Garrick and Varus found themselves pulled along slightly by her strength, large trenches forming as their feet tried to find traction.

Their movement halted with a jerk, preventing the woman from retreating further. Looking behind him, Garrick saw that Rogon had grabbed the slack of the rope and was assisting in holding it down. Garrick gained a pained expression, but turned back to the woman. Now was not the time for personal grudges to get in the way.

With Alistair, he and Na'ish were finally starting to make some headway, large gashes forming on the woman's body and clothes as more hits started to land due to the rope slowing her down. The creature was far from defeated however, and the slashes from her claws were taking their toll on them too. As Na'ish was fighting, a glint from the fire light caught his attention. Looking briefly to the source, he made a split second decision.

Running forward shield first, he full-body rammed into the woman, causing both individuals to fall over...directly into the bear trap Garrick had laid earlier. With a sickening crunch, the trap snapped shut on the woman's back, forcing a curdling scream from her mouth. Na'ish rolled over into a crouch, before pointing his sword at the woman's neck.

"Yield...you have lost." He spoke softly. The woman slowed her struggling, seeming to concede the defeat. The rope, having gone slack, was released by everyone holding it. Na'ish looked at the downed woman, pity in his eyes. "Why would you attack us like that?" He asked.

The woman had tears forming in the corner of her eyes, eyes that looked clear and intelligent for the first time since they started fighting. "I...must feed...I am sorry.." She spoke quietly. Before Na'ish could inquire further, Alistair had rushed forwards. "No, wait!" Na'ish managed to say, just before Alsitair crouched and ran his dagger across the woman's neck.

The woman looked at Alistair with wide eyes, blood gurgling from her throat. She then gave him a soft smile and a whispered "Thank you…" before the light left her eyes and her body stilled completely. Alistair, breathing heavily, looked to the rest of the group. Many had shocked looks, with Indira holding her hands to her mouth with tears in her eyes. Varus didn't seem to care, and had walked over to his things by the tree.

"...What did you do…" Na'ish whispered, a sad look on his face. Alistair frowned at them. "What? the damn thing was trying to kill us!" he exclaimed. Rogon and Garrick both sighed, before turning to their own items. Alistair huffed and leant down to the corpse of the woman, looking her over.

He noticed her cloak had remained mostly intact, despite the recent fight. The clasp by her neck was made of metal, with the image of a tree engraved upon it. Unsnapping it, he removed the item and slung it around his own neck, re-clasping it and admiring how it fit. As he did so, he also noticed she had a fine ring upon one of her fingers. He shrugged, before removing it and pocketing it.

As he finished, he turned to see that Na'ish had been watching and glaring at him silently the entire time. "...Oh, don't judge me." Alistair grumped as he stomped past him and back to Indira. "...How's the arm?" He asked quietly. Indira did not look directly at him, but did nod. "It's not broken I think, just badly bruised…" she spoke softly. "Good...good," Alistair returned, thankful she was not too badly hurt.

Garrick finished packing his things, before slinging his satchel over his shoulder. "I don't know about you, but I don't feel safe here anymore. I know it's still night, but I suggest we move on and rest earlier tomorrow evening." Everyone nodded, equally keen to put distance between themselves and the corpse by the fire. Soon, everyone had packed and were walking the road to Astor once more under the cover of moonlight.

The next morning broke to the sound of raucous caw's from the numerous crows that had gathered to feed on the unexpected feast they had found. One individual dropped to the ground, before scuffling with several that had already got to the food first.

Under the pile of feathers and noise, a lone visible hand gave a slight twitch, before all the crow's took to the air in sudden panic.

Enemy Profile

Name: Vampire

Vampires are the stuff of nightmares, oft used by parents as a means to scare misbehaving children. Their need to consume blood to sustain themselves has resulted in most preying upon humanoids. The worst of Vampire kind even make a game of it. Few have knowingly met Vampires, but what is agreed is that they are incredibly hard to kill...