Record Keeping:these next two chapters deal with what is happening outside of Hogwarts and the students, etc. This story involves both the mundane and magical worlds and how they will interact with one another as the story progresses. I was never a believer that war was inevitable unless someone really pushed it. Despite most assumption that the two groups would go to war, I am a firm believer that they could get along. Of course, it would take time and a lot of work, effort, and patience. And conflicts will happen but not to the extent of extermination of one or the other.

Also, the chapters were supposed to be small chunks, but the got bigger and bigger. I am now going back to the smaller installments.

In chapter 23 coming up. The students are in for the ride i=of their lies as they discover that no-mages know more about magic than they believed. And Dumbledore? He would keeps everything close to his vest is about tro have a stroke alone with the visitors to Hogwarts. Should be fun

Lastly, some have mentioned my 'opinions' of Willow Rosenberg. In 'Frenemies' coming up two days after this chapter is posted, it will indicate what I feel about and her actions…

Meanwhile please enjoy this short piece. Everyone be well.

AG

Master Xander

Chapter Twenty-One

Food.

Prey.

The K'sjansx hungered. All prey had fled the area, and it was loath to follow. This place had too much light, and it made travel difficult when it wasn't sure where it would go. The light thing in the sky was unnatural. It's dark home never had such brightness. The master never allows such objects to exist. His was the light, his was the power. His divine arrogance was the only thing that the Dread Master did that was good.

However, it would have to move and hunt. The prey was acceptable to its dietary needs, but this place was alien to its physiology. In order to survive, it required continued sustenance to counter the effects of this place. All the prey that it hadn't caught had escaped. This place of magic was empty after only a few of the light cycles. They fled, and the K'sjansx hungered. Desperate, it had absorbed the ambient and protective wards. It wasn't its preferred diet, but it had to suffice. If it couldn't find bio-sustenance soon, it would have to leave this place and face the dangers of the ball of light.

Its senses perked up. Something was approaching. Food. Prey. And it was magical, more than enough to satiate it for a while. It extended its own magical ability to cancel its prey's ability to escape using their unique form of instantaneous transportation. The prey could only run now and would become food as so many of its kind had. Their inability to transport made them easy catches.

There were several preys. It determined to incapacitate them first. That would make the prey easier to capture, and then it would feed without fear of the prey escaping.

It moved towards its prey.

Ceraine froze, cocking her head to the side as she listened to something that only she heard. "It's coming," she said to the others. There was no point in whispering anymore. The vampire knew they were there. She helped suppressed the group's magical auras, but the creature sensed their vibrations, probably their heartbeats as well. "I'll engage. Watch and learn."

None of her companions moved to engage the as yet unseen enemy. However, they prepared their weapons and defenses if needed. The goblins looked unhappy, but not at much as expected. The warriors were interested in watching the way Ceraine dealt with the dimensional invader in the upcoming battle.

The woman wore her tradition combat uniform favored among her people. It was lightweight and covered everything from her upper neck to her toes. This creature was the traditional enemy of her people, and she knew the creature's pattern.

Dozens of these creatures discovered an entrance to her world two generations ago and caused immense damaged. Within days of their invasion, they killed thousands of people and animals. Their waste was toxic, and many people were contaminated from contact with their leavings. The victims that survived the attacks, whether human or animal, turned into vampires and spread the plague across the world. The infestation was short, but horrific. Her family was destined to become the front-line warrior defending their world against these creatures.

It only took two weeks to kill all the creatures, but the effects took another generation to clean up. A new type of vampirism emerged in her world. many thousands more died.

The royals and their forces led from the front, and Ceraine's family became the first of the mystical Vampire Slayers. The Powers That Be had nothing to do with her world's new mystical champions. Again, it had everything to do with the Vishanti as they began openly exerting their powers and newfound responsibilities across the dimensional planes. That power now manifested itself as the mystical master prepared to use that power.

The power within her expanded, causing her to glow with eldritch energy. She pulled out two swords, which glowed with the same energies that encompassed Ceraine.

Then she moved!

She sprinted towards the dilapidated barn. Less than three seconds later, they saw her swords slashing at something. That something, having more than a dozen tentacle-like extensions, fought back as it tried to latch onto her but couldn't. Her armor defied all attempts at capture. It changed tactics, trying to crush her body with its powerful blows. Ceraine wasn't as physically strong as the Slayers on Alex's Earth, not quite. But she was just as fast and deftly avoided most of the blows.

The creature fired debilitating magic bolts at its prey, trying to incapacitate or kill her. the bolts encountered shields that dissipated its attacks. The rows of teeth on the suction-cup on its tentacles couldn't attach and grip onto its prey. No, it was no longer prey but an enemy like the hunters in its old home.

It slashed at the enemy and missed, and she dodged again and fired a purplish bolt of burning magic which struck it, making it scream. The wounds it suffered didn't close as quickly as it should have, and the magic felt like the burning orb in the sky, but a hundred times more painful. It raged because it couldn't absorb this magic like it could from the others of this world. It screamed its low rumble again as the she used its weapon and cut deeply into its body, aggravating the wounds it had already received. It hurt, intensifying its need for substance, and the she-thing in front of it could supply everything it needed, if it would just stand in one spot long enough for it to latch on to.

Howling, it attacked again, not willing to surrender and die.

It saw Ceraine smile and then the weapons moved faster than it could counter them. Eternal darkness took it even as it howled in agony and against the eternal darkness, pulling it towards its unending embrace.

The goblins could barely contain themselves as they stared at the unfolding battle being played out in front of them. It was incredible, magnificent, and the two goblin warriors barely restrained themselves from joining the battle. Gregory and François were wide-eyed, not really believing what they were seeing. The two combatants moved so fast that neither one of them could fully keep up. They knew what to expect, had trained for it, but the reality was quite different.

"Another one!" Grimheart yelled.

His eyes caught a blur of movement before the second K'sjansx was close enough to use its tentacles to strike. Gregory, wand in hand, instinctively fired off an overpowered cutting spell. The spell struck the creature. The spell did nothing, didn't even slow it down. The small insignificant cut instantly repaired itself. Francois followed suit while the goblins screamed war cries and rushed the incoming entity with their goblin warded blades.

Francois was equally horrified as his spells did nothing to slow the creature down. All of them were told that the creature was immune to magic, their kind of magic, but none of them truly believed it. After trying several ineffective spells, he was a firm believer now.

It was crystal clear to him why the village died. Gregory had pulled out a wicked sword and was dancing around the goblins waiting to attack the young K'sjansx. It was a newborn, but it was still a monster. It had tentacles like its parent, but was essentially formless, its shape changing from moment to moment. That made it difficult to focus on, so he didn't see the suction-cuffed extension that slapped one goblin away and latched onto his dragonhide armor.

He blanched as acid enzymes began eating into his armor. That should have been impossible! Gregory slashed at the entity, slicing off the tentacle, which immediately began growing back.

Turmis Worm Killer meanwhile had recovered and attacked with his axe, making a deep gash in the creature's body. It screamed and went after the goblin. Frantically, Gregory threw up a shield to protect Turmis. The entity fired a single mystic bolt. The sickly-looking magic battered down the shield without difficulty. As it pressed its attack. Both goblins and Gregory fought back with mystic swords and axes as they struggled for their lives.

Francois cursed viciously and pulled out his Desert eagle and fired off six silver coated and warded bullets into the center mass of the K'sjansx.

The dark dimensional vampire spasmed as the bullets burned inside of its body. But that wasn't the end, as swords and axes hacked the baby monstrosity into small chunks. The head, if that was what it really was, finally died. But they continued watching the thing for any sudden signs of life.

A sound behind them caused all four to spin around, preparing for another attack. Instead, they saw Ceraine, coated with blood of her enemy.

"I see you got the other one. Did you have fun?" she asked the four of them. She smiled mischievously. "Those baby ones are tough."

The goblins roared with laughter while the two wizards hit the ground as exhaustion claimed them. A moment later, the two goblins flopped to the ground, still reveling in a job well done. None of them ignored the fact that they needed better weapons and more effective magic defenses if they were to battle more of these invaders. That their shields were practically useless against these creatures sobered both wizards. And both were so proud of the rarely taught and used spell among their kind.

On the other hand, Ceraine looked none the worse for wear. She smiled sheepishly. "It's what I do," she said in way of explanation.

"Merlin's beard," Gregory whispered. Right then and there he resolved to learn new spell being taught by the American with renewed vigor.

Next: London, England