Disclaimer: I do not own the Naturals in anyway . I do own Karliah , the name Blood Harvest , the research on vampires and werewolves , the Coven , Valor , and Undead Vampires , the Collector , and the story itself . I have several OCs and my own creatures that may appear in this story , if you want to use them that ' s fine , but please give credit.

Chapter 2 : Honor and Sacrifice

Hawthorne Castle

The Vampire Prince and his companions walked into the Treasure Vaults of Hawthorne Castle ready to help deal with the artifacts that were brought back from the Northwatch Abbey to find Lucas and Tyson still in town .

" We ' re here to help with the artifacts , " Tyson seeing the questioning look on Karliah ' s face .

" If anything within these vaults that were taken from the Abbey belonged to the families of the vampires then we may need help with getting the artifacts back to where they belong . " Camden suggested .

" I ' m not opposed to help , " Andy said looking at Karliah who seemed fine with the idea of help , but was still a little apprehensive about her brothers being this close to her .

" Why would those monks get access to family heirlooms and peoples belongings ? " Chase asked curiously .

" Some stuff was left there during the days when the abbey was used as a hideaway during wartime and disasters , everything else was sent with the orphans as belongings that the monks took or stole from the children , and families actually paid the monks to care for their children in whatever way that they could . " Karliah explained .

" Is Reaper an artifact ? " Chase touching the belt that was on his shoulder that was attached to the sword on his back .

" In a way , but Reaper belonged to Eli ' s family , when you and Savage defeated him and Reaper , in this world it made you , Reaper ' s master . " Lucas explained .

" Reaper ' s master ? " Chase asked confused .

" In our world , weapons , especially those that have a place in history have a spirit within them that comes from the ones who wields them and with every new task and with every new handler the spirit within the weapon grows . When a weapon is defeated in battle the spirit within is believed to lose it ' s faith in the one who was wielding it and tranfers its soul to the one who defeated it in battle and excepts the victor as its new master . " Tyson explained further .

" I understand , " Chase said .

" Alright , let ' s go through these things , " Madam Victoria advised them .

" Where should we begin ? " Deek asked .

" With the banners and tags , " Lucas said .

" Banners and tags ? " Andy asked .

" Military identification , " Karliah said looking at Lucas .

" I just want to make sure no one tampered with them , if they are unaltered all of them can go back to their families or can be donated to the archives at the families discretion or if family can ' t be found . " Lucas said .

" If it will help , " Andy was sensing the uneasy feelings coming from Karliah , but decided to leave it alone for now .

Lucas checked the tags and banners for problems as the Naturals noticed the coat of arms on the banners and the different designs , colors , and rankings on the tags .

" People use items of this much significants and meaning to pay people ? " Chase asked extremely confused .

" If they have , too , " Lucas said .

" We teach the kids in the military around here to not get so attached to useless things . " Camden said .

" Not useless things , when it has meaning , " Chase shacking his head not understanding .

" Kid , you don ' t know what you ' re talking about when it comes to sacrificing everything when it comes to taking care of family especially during times of war . " Lucas clarified .

" First of all , I ' m not a kid , second , try me , " Chase throwing his Army dog tags on the table next to the other tags .

" Chase ? " Deek asked .

" How many people do you bring home from a war that doesn ' t have a name ? " Chase asked .

" Dozens , " Deek said .

" These prevent that , it prevents those out on the battlefield from becoming lost and forgotten people , it gives their families closure , and if you take away the only thing that identifies them then they are nothing more than nameless and eventually faceless people , warriors missing in action , so , don ' t talk to me about useless , " Chase didn ' t care what people thought of him , but to watch people that sacrificed their lives for others not being recognized in a respectable manner wasn ' t right to him .

" Chase , " Karliah said getting a glare from him .

" He ' s a child , Karliah , " Lucas said .

" No , he ' s not , " Andy said .

" Chase sees what we ' ve forgotten over the years . " Madam Victoria said .

" Madam , " Lucas said .

" Lucas , right out my backyard are houses and businesses that have been destroyed or burned to the ground because of war amongst our people . " Ceasar agreeing with Victoria .

" Meaning ? " Lucas asked .

" We need to start fixing what we let go during all of our years of senseless fighting and start repairing things that we allowed to become loss overtime . " Victoria said .

" Yeah , " Lucas said .

It took awhile to go through some of the jewels , art , and wares taken from the abbey which seemed to be taken from families or been left over time at the abbey .

" What ' s gonna happen to the artifacts just left at the abbey ? " Andy asked .

" Those that are safe and don ' t have people to go back to will be donated to help the new orphanage with upkeep . " Deek said .

" Good idea , " Andy agreed .

" The weapons and armor needs to be viewed over by an expert from both the magic community and the armorers who need to determine if they are safe to handle , who they should go to , and the rest to be donated to the archives . " Ceasar looked at what was left .

" This problem will soon be fully resolved , " Karliah said .

" Yes , at long last , " Camden said .

" What ' s gonna happen to the Northwatch Abbey ? " Andy asked after Lucas and Tyson left .

" We are talking about a training facility for the guards used to deal with problems up in the north like undead vampires , ice wraiths , and demons that use the cold , a lookout tower , and to reestablish a hideout for those seeking refuge in times of trouble . " Madam Victoria explained .

" Make something good come out of a bad situation , " Chase said .

" Yes , and you ' re not wrong about the tags , some of us have been too deep into combat and avoiding our real issues that they may not see it . " Madam Victoria said .

" I know what I see from my own people in times of war and disaster , some try to run from it , others don ' t want to deal , and yet , we still have people who are willing to handle the problems and not get the recognition they deserve . " Chase said .

" We have a place in our world that is dedicated to soldiers who have been killed in action and don ' t have an identity , we call them Unknown Soldiers and there ' s a big white tomb in the middle of our biggest military cemetary that recognizes these soldiers that don ' t have a name or a face to go with their heroic deeds of sacrifice . " Andy explained .

" Then you recognize both known and unknown services of honor and sacrifice ? " Madam Victoria asked .

" Yes , we recognize all services to people , " Chase said .

" Your world is definitely different than this one , " Ceasar said .

Andy looked at Karliah wondering if it was a good idea to discuss the possible location of Ethereal .

" You look curious ? " Deek asked the Vampire Prince .

" We know what artifact is connected to the Dove , " Andy said .

" And ? " Victoria asked .

" We are looking for Ethereal , " Karliah said .

" Desmond ' s bow , " Ceasar said .

" Yes , " Karliah said .

" Ethereal hasn ' t been seen since Desmond ' s advisor set it in whatever the sacred place was to Desmond and Celestia , " Deek said .

" Does anyone have any idea where that could be ? " Andy asked .

" There is a historian that specializes in Desmond ' s history , if anyone could help you it would be her , " Deek said .

" Who is she and where can we find her ? " Andy asked .

" Her name is Jezelle and you can find her at the magic school where she works as an archivist and scribe , " Ceasar said .

" The same magic school where we can find out about the warlock ? " Andy asked .

" Yes , maybe it would be beneficial for you to see the magic school to understand how magic is regulated amongst the vampire , lycan , and human communities in this world . " Deek said .

" Where exactly is this magic school located ? " Andy asked .

" Northwest , " Madam Victoria pointing out an area that looked to be in the state of Washington to the Naturals .

" Rain and snow , " Chase said .

" If you go , I would recommend taking Oslow with you , he maybe able to describe details about the warlock to the experts out at magic school that may help bring an identity to the guy whose enslaving these people . " Ceasar advised .

" We will talk over it , " Andy said before leaving Hawthorne Castle .

Once they were back at the house the three took some time to talk over their options with what they were told .

" Looks like everything is pointing us to the magic school both with the warlock and finding the artifacts that are tied to Andy ' s heritage as the Vampire Prince . " Chase said tucking his dog tags back up under his shirt .

" What do you think about taking Oslow with us ? " Andy asked Karliah .

" He definitely could help with trying to identify the warlock , but I ' m worried if he would be healthy enough to handle the trip . " Karliah said .

" Hoo , " Spark wandered out to Chase ' s shoulder .

" Did you have a good nap ? " Chase asked Spark .

" Hoo , " Spark poked out his chest like he was energized .

" We could send Dimitri a message to meet us there , " Andy looked at Karliah .

" Magic school is closer to him anyways , I will go and send Stalker to him , " Karliah liking the idea of getting away from Lucas as soon as possible .

" Are you hungry , Spark ? " Chase asked going to fix a snack for the two of them .

" Hoo , wuuu , " Spark said .

" Alright , little buddy , I ' ll fix something for us , " Chase said putting an apron on to cook something for the two of them .

" Mother Goose , you are doing wonderful work , " Andy said .

" I would ask , Prince Sarcasm , if he wanted any , but since he ' s on a red , liquid base diet , I will not offer . " Chase said looking at Spark .

" Ooo , " Spark looked at Andy .

" No , I don ' t want any of your stinky , people food , " Andy teased .

" Ooo , " Spark looked at Chase .

" Alright , I sent Stalker to Dimitri , " Karliah walked back into the house .

" Ooo , " Spark looked at Karliah .

" Are they misbehaving Spark ? " Karliah asked .

" Huuu , " Spark nodded .

" That ' s what I thought , " Karliah said .

" Not me , " Andy shrugged looking out at the woods .

" Are you ready for a hunt ? " Karliah asked .

" Yeah , while Chase and Spark eats that yucky people food , " Andy said going towards the door .

" Poor baby vampire needs his bottle of blood , " Chase said .

" Chase , he ' s a newborn , " Karliah said .

" Where we come from newborn means baby , " Chase said .

" I ' m the one whose usually babysitting you , " Andy said before he left the house with Karliah .

" Hey , " Chase said making Spark laugh .

Hunting

While out hunting Andy finally had time to speak to Karliah without anyone else around to listen in or bother them .

" You seemed agitated today ? " Andy asked Karliah .

" Lucas is getting worse , " Karliah sighed .

" He seems set in his ways , " Andy said .

" And his ways are mirrored by others who would rather fight out their problems instead of rebuilding what we lost in our community . " Karliah said .

" Some will learn in time , " Andy said .

" Before we lose everything ? " Karliah asked .

" Rebuilding takes time and so does changing peoples minds and hearts , but that does mean we lose faith and hope in our goals and dreams , Karliah . " Andy said .

" So ? " Karliah asked .

" So , we need to start by dealing with this warlock enslaving people , " Andy said .

" Then let ' s finish hunting and get out to magic school , we can leave as soon as we get the message back from Dimitri , " Karliah said .

" Very well , and we are taking Oslow with us ? " Andy asked smelling a deer .

" If it will help us catch this warlock then I would suggest taking him , " Karliah said .

" We will check in with him after hunting then , " Andy said .

" Okay , " Karliah looking at Andy holding back a chuckle when he seemed to disappear with lightning speed before landing back in front of her with the deer he had been smelling .

" I think this will do , " Andy said .

" Yeah , you definitely got the hang of hunting , " Karliah said .

Once they were done satisfying their thirst Karliah collected what was left of the blood in the deer to use for later and took the hide , meat , and bones of the deer to not be wasteful .

" What are you going to do with the rest of it ? " Andy asked curiously .

" We can either use it for our needs or sell it to the merchants and traders in town . " Karliah said .

" Okay , " Andy said still confused .

" We could give the meat to Chase to use for himself and Spark to eat , the bones can be used for making tools or used in medicine , and the hide can be used to make clothing . " Karliah explained further .

" Like the fish on the way to the Northwatch Abbey ? " Andy asked .

" Yes , out here in our world we are taught to be less wasteful even if it means not using supplies for our own needs , other people can benefit from it . " Karliah said .

" So , since we as vampires only need the blood , the meat can still go to someone who can use it , and the rest of it can be used by us or someone else . " Andy said .

" Exactly , " Karliah said .

" Now we go check in with Oslow , " Andy said .

" Not quite , I want to show you something before things get too crazy again , " Karliah said taking Andy ' s hand and leading him a little ways west of Hawthorne .

" Karliah ? " Andy asked curiously .

" I don ' t want to ruin the surprise , " Karliah said taking the Vampire Prince down into a grove that was still powdered with the snow that fell the previous day .

" I don ' t understand , " Andy said .

" You will , " Karliah said once they were in the grove Andy could hear water trickling up under them as the spring that watered everything around Hawthorne City still flowed despite the cold .

" The spring ? " Andy asked .

" No , just come here with me and watch , " Karliah pulled him over to the side .

" What ? " Andy asked still confused .

" Wait , " Karliah said as they both knelt to the ground out of the way .

Soon small , ice creatures began to wander into the grove , what appeared to be icy-blue fur covered their bodies , their eyes were white with ice , blue pupils , all had large ears , some were as small as rabbits and others were as large as deer and to the Vampire Prince there was some magically and uniquely beautiful about these creatures of this world that he was now apart of . Andy watched the creatures with awe as some were feeding on the grass below the snow , some were drinking from the overflowing water of the spring , and the younger ones were running and playing , he looked at Karliah for a moment wondering what these strange but amazing creatures were and then he looked back at the creatures as some looked at him and Karliah as if they were just as curious about them as Andy was about these creatures .

" What are they ? " Andy asked Karliah .

" Djinns , " Karliah said .

" Djinn ? " Andy asked .

" Djinn are magical creatures who take on the characteristics of their environment , they are closely related to genies from the Arabian Desert , these are the ice variants , down here in the south they are only seen at night during the cold months while up north they are more frequent . " Karliah explained .

" They seem curious ? " Andy said watching the creatures look at them .

" Like the ooze they are very intelligent and inquisitive creatures and they are not generally violent , " Karliah said .

" Generally ? " Andy asked .

" They will defend themselves if necessary and some variants can be territorial , " Karliah said as they left the grove and walked back to Hawthorne City .

" Thank you for sharing that with me , " Andy said .

" Yes , my Prince , amongst the creatures of this world , the djinn are my favorite , " Karliah said .

" I ' m beginning to see more in this world than just the bad things that we saw while facing the Monk Order . " Andy said .

" Then let ' s go and speak to Oslow , so , we can deal with another bad threatening the beauty in this world , " Karliah said as they went over to the area of Hawthorne City that the lycans called home .

" Haven ' t seen you guys in awhile , " Tiwanza , the lycan blacksmith whose responsible for refining Chase ' s sword known as Savage said .

" We ' ve been busy , " Andy said .

" Whenever you get the chance , tell Chase to come by and check out some of the gear , he may find something useful . " Tiwanza said .

" We will , have you seen Oslow ? " Karliah asked .

" Yes , he ' s over at the Hunter ' s Lodge , " Tiwanza pointed out the longhouse in the center of the lycan district of Hawthorne City .

" Thank you , " Karliah said as the two went over to the longhouse .

" Hunter ' s Lodge ? " Andy asked .

" They are responsible for dealing with troublesome creatures in the area that maybe dangerous for people of Hawthorne City , some also are skilled trackers and craftsmen . " Karliah said .

" Okay , " Andy said as Karliah knocked on the door of the longhouse .

" Can we help you ? " One of the lycans opened the door and asked .

" We are looking for Oslow , " Karliah said .

" He ' s around back tanning some animal hide , " The lycan said .

Karliah and Andy went around the back to see Oslow indeed tanning some animal hide into leather , he looked better than when they had first seen him in the Council Chambers at Hawthorne Castle .

" Oslow , " Andy said .

" Honored Prince and Miss Karliah , how can I help you ? " Oslow asked .

" We have questions about the warlock , " Karliah said .

" I don ' t know anymore about him than I told you , " Oslow said .

" We know , but we were wondering if you would be willing to come with us to magic school and tell them what you told us , so , maybe we can track this warlock down and stop him from hurting more people . " Andy explained .

" I ' m definitely willing to help you stop the warlock , he made my home unsafe and killed many innocent people including some of my friends . And I can definitely help you out in the wilds with dealing with getting to magic school and to the warlock , but I ' m not a magic user , I ' m a tracker and hunter , so , I don ' t know how much use I will be when it comes to dealing with the actual warlock . " Oslow said .

" Oslow , we are not asking for you to do anymore than you feel comfortable doing , we ' re just asking for help in dealing with this problem . " Andy said .

" Then I will help you in anyway I can and I will come with you to magic school , so , when do we leave ? " Oslow asked .

" As soon as we hear from a friend of ours we will be on our way , " Andy said .

" Is this friend gonna help us ? " Oslow asked .

" Yes , he will , " Andy said .

" Then I will be waiting for you , " Oslow said .

" Alright , " Andy said .

The House

While Andy and Karliah were out hunting and talking with Oslow , Chase and Spark had eaten and then cleaned up before hearing a knock at the door .

" Hello , " Chase answered the door seeing Tyson standing there .

" Where ' s the Prince and Karliah ? " Tyson asked .

" They went hunting and should be back soon . " Chase said looking at Tyson curious .

" Then I will wait on them . " Tyson said .

" Did something happen ? " Chase asked letting Tyson in the door .

" Not yet , " Tyson said , he seemed agitated to Chase .

It wasn ' t long after that Andy and Karliah came back from hunting , Chase pointed Tyson out to them the moment they got in .

" What happened ? " Andy asked Tyson .

" Somethings wrong with ... with Lucas , " Tyson said .

" Wrong ? " Karliah asked concerned .

" He ' s been acting weird ever since we came back from the Northwatch Abbey and it ' s gotten worse since we found Oslow . " Tyson said .

" Weird in what way ? " Karliah asked .

" He ' s been talking about ... her , " Tyson said to Karliah .

" Her ? " Andy and Chase asked .

" Ava , " Tyson said to them making Karliah look at her older brother .

" Ava ? " Andy asked .

" Is ... was Lucas ' s mate , " Karliah said .

" Was ? " Chase asked .

" She was poisoned by a warlord with liquid silver , " Karliah said .

" What ? " Andy looked at Tyson .

" Lucas was off dealing with another problem when a warlord was bringing his troops through our land , we decided to send a team to ask them to stay away from the estate due to not wanting problems . The warlord didn ' t take to kindly to the request and there was a fight between his troop and our people , some of my family ended up captured , Ava , along with them , when we freed them , Ava was in a lot of pain so we brought a doctor to the estate to check her out . The doctor told us that she had consumed liquid silver while Ava was in the hands of the warlord , silver is harmful to vampires as you saw with Eli out at the Northwatch Abbey . But , liquid silver works differently , especially when consumed , it actually burns vampires from the inside out , when consumed in large doses it will kill quickly , but smaller doses leaves a vampire to die painfully , slow . Vampires can survive being touched by silver , but none have survived liquid silver , not even Ava , " Tyson explained .

" So , where would he go ? " Chase asked .

" If he ' s having thoughts of Ava , I have a few ideas , " Karliah said .

" He wasn ' t at the family crypt , I already got a message back from Holly and Xander , " Tyson said .

" Holly and Xander ? " Andy looked at Karliah .

" Holly is our oldest sister and Xander is Lucas and Ava ' s oldest child . " Karliah said .

" You don ' t think he went after the warlock on his own ? " Chase asked .

" It ' s a possibility , " Tyson said worried .

" Why would he go after an enemy without knowing who or what he is facing ? " Andy asked .

" Do you remember me telling you about how Dark Priests are made ? " Karliah asked .

" Vampires who go through severe depressions and fatigue contract Sangue Debolezza and those that don ' t recover from it become Dark Priests , " Andy said .

" For some vampires , especially those who have gone through great loss or have seen the darkest parts of our world , they are already aware of the possibility of contracting Sangue Debolezza . So , these vampires especially those who have lived the life of a warrior seeks out what they call an honorable death , instead of becoming Dark Priests and becoming a problem amongst our world . " Karliah explained .

" Honorable death ? " Chase asked .

" Through combat , if a vampire dies in combat it ' s considered an honorable death , " Karliah said .

" But ... " Chase said .

" He shouldn ' t be seeking a way to end it when he still has something to live for , like his children . " Tyson said angrily .

" We were planning on taking Oslow and meet up with Dimitri to go to the magic school to figure out this problem with the warlock , " Andy said .

" It ' s the only lead we have , " Karliah said .

" Then we start there , " Chase said just as a bump was heard outside .

" Huh ? " Andy asked .

" Stalker , come here , " Karliah had pulled her giant , messenger bat inside the house after he had landed on the table outside .

" Speaking of messages , " Chase said .

" Hmm , Dimitri says he will meet us at magic school , " Karliah said .

" Then we will grab Oslow and supplies to go out there , maybe we can catch up before Lucas can try and take on this problem alone . " Andy said .

" You ' re not going alone , " Tyson said .

" What ? " Andy asked .

" I ' m going with you to deal with this warlock and then drag my brother back home , kicking and screaming if I have to , " Tyson declared .

" You ' re not gonna try and risk everyone elses ' s life on this endeavor ? " Andy asked him not wanting to take a possible risk with him on a mission .

" No , " Tyson said .

" Tyson , I ' m serious , if we take you with us you are not gonna risk everyone elses ' s life , " Andy showing his authority as the Vampire Prince .

" I understand sir , " Tyson knew he was now under the authority of the Prince .

" Very well , Karliah , go get Oslow , help Chase get supplies for the trip , and take them by Tiwanza ' s shop to pick up any new equipment , we will meet you there after Tyson and myself check in to see what we can get as aid from the council before heading out to magic school . " Andy said before taking Tyson with him to Hawthorne Castle .

" We ' ll meet you there , get what you and Spark need from here , Chase , we ' ve got a mission to deal with . " Karliah said .

" Right , what does Tiwanza have for me ? " Chase asked .

" Not sure , she just said something about new gear coming in , " Karliah said .

" Spark , we are about to head back out into the world , bud , " Chase said .

" Hoo , " Spark said .

" Should he wear his cold weather clothes ? " Chase asked .

" Not yet , but when we start heading further into the northwest , he will need to have it on him . " Karliah said .

" Okay , then let ' s go and get the gear and Oslow , " Chase said once they had what they needed from the house .

They first went and got Oslow and then grabbed supplies before arriving at Tiwanza ' s where they checked out the gear she had in to see if they could use any of it on their journey .

" Here , you may need these to go with the bow ? " Tiwanza pulling out stronger arrows than what Chase was already using .

" Why do these look like the one pulled out of Andy from Lex shooting him at the Fishing Hole ? " Chase asked Karliah quietly .

" Because they are made out of hard metal like the one I pulled out of Andy , some people will lace them with silver and other metals that maybe to brittle to be used in making full arrows or bolts out of the material , so , they mold them around projectiles . I use bolts just like them when dealing with the undead vampires , " Karliah explained .

" Okay , " Chase said as Andy and Tyson walked into the shop .

" Oslow , " Tyson said looking at the lycan companion that would be joining them on the mission .

" Tyson , Honored Prince , " Oslow said after he had gotten geared up as well .

Andy noticed Oslow had on leather - made traveling gear from head - to - toe as far as clothes and armor , and a lycan made bow on his back with a quiver full of various types of arrows , spears , a staff , knives in belts along his chest , and twin , steel , war axes on the belts around his waste as weapons .

" Standard tracking and hunting gear for a lycan , " Oslow noticed Andy ' s curious expression as he looked at the lycan ' s choice of gear .

" Really , " Andy said .

" Don ' t argue with a lycan , especially a lone wolf , they have perfected what works for them out in the wilderness as they hunt and learn things . " Tyson said he was geared out too in his on gear of sword , knives , and bow and black , leather and metal plated gear with his family seal on the chest and left arm of his cuirass .

" I ' m ready to go , " Chase said the lycan armor that Seth had given him at Meridia was once again on his body , he put the new arrows into the quiver on his back where the bow that Andy and Karliah had given him on the way to the Northwatch Abbey was attached to the hooks of the quiver , the hidden blades of the spiked knuckles and blades of the gauntlets and hidden blades of his boots had been sharpened , Force and Vision Stones ready , Reaper on his back , and Savage tied to the belt around his waste .

Once Andy and Karliah had their own gear replenished and ready to go , Nightshade on the Vampire Prince ' s back , Dragonstooth on his belt around his waste , and other gear ready to go , while Karliah had her crossbow and other gear ready to head out on the mission to deal with the warlock , both were in leather gear from head - to- toe as armor.

" We are ready to go now , sir , " Oslow said .

" Good , Chase , " Andy looked at his friend as Spark wandered down into Chase ' s pocket where he liked to be when traveling .

" You don ' t have to worry about me , Andy , I can keep up . " Chase said knowing his friend was concerned about him again .

" Then we are ready to leave " Andy said .

The group moved out of Hawthorne City going towards the northwest where magic school was located and eventually to face the warlock that was misusing his powers .