Some individuals find the night far more beautiful than day. The way the moonlight shines through the trees and illuminates the animals–it can be so serene. It could even be peaceful while tracking down humans. This is what Dracula was in the middle of doing. It had been a little while since he had drunk fresh blood. The reason for this was that he was following a small group. They would lead him to a village. He traveled far enough behind them to remain unnoticed. Though they moved without him in the sunlight, he could have more than quadrupled their distance by night. It amused the vampire king to follow them and hear their petty disagreements. Humans were such pitiful creatures and they were just as hateful. From what Dracula heard, the group was going somewhere to buy items and maybe other humans. Such a concept amused the vampire. If people could not treat each other as anything more than objects, he did not understand why they expected vampires to. Even they believed some of their own kind to be little more than flesh-covered sacks of blood. However, Dracula did not care about their plans. So what if they sold and bought each other like garments? When his fangs sunk into their veins, they belonged to him and no one else. That was all that mattered to him. And yet, a certain sentence caught his attention.

"I heard they might even have a forgemaster now," one of the travelers said. "Some brigand magicians have been hunting one for the last couple of months. They're supposed to have him for tomorrow."

Another traveler laughed in excitement. "A forgemaster? I heard some great aphrodisiacs can be made from those. If I buy enough, I might even sell some parts of it myself."

This struck a nerve with Dracula and he suddenly lost his patience. It was true that there were multiple forgemasters in the world, but the ancient vampire's uncertainty over this one's identity troubled him. If the same one they were speaking about was the young forgemaster he had met, he wanted to intervene. The travelers kept sharing their plans for the forgemaster and stopped when the moon was covered, trapping them in a cloak of darkness. One was grabbed by the throat, claws digging in and through.

"Dracula!" they cried out.

The vampire knew they were about to start running and screaming, so he asked his questions quickly. If the placement of the stars was any indication, he did not have much time before sunlight. In a village miles from there, Isaac knew this as well. He had been spending all night trying to free himself to no avail. As it neared dawn, Roltar and the others returned.

"Are you ready?" he asked, an amused smile on his face.

Isaac only glared at him and felt as the other magicians used their manipulation of air to keep him still again. Roltar undid the chains although he kept them in his grip. He used them to pull Isaac from the stable and towards the center of the village. The forgemaster saw a collection of items. He saw blades, potions, fresh herbs, and a stage–where he was to be displayed. Some of the interested parties were already beginning to gather. They watched with intrigue as the magicians forced the young man onto the stage and then his knees. The chains were secured onto the floor of the stage to keep him there and one of the men grabbed his right hand, causing Roltar to smile. He took out his knife.

"We already have buyers ready to purchase finger digits. If we remove them now, it'll just be saving us some time later."

Isaac struggled against the group, but there were too many. He felt the blade press against his finger. Just as it began to draw blood, a powerful gust of wind seemed to blow the magicians. Several were flung into trees, though this was a fate desired by Roltar. His head was being gripped by Dracula's massive claws, trembling in the grasp. He barely had time to even be afraid because the vampire slashed his front and spilled his guts on the ground. Dracula then sank his fangs into his neck and enjoyed a drink. The other magicians saw this, but they were paralyzed by fear. Their petrification made killing them easier. Swiftly, Dracula was on top of them and beheaded one with a smooth motion of his hand. Seeing this, the remaining magicians tried to save themselves by attacking with fire blasts. The vampire king brought his hands together and straight into the flames before bringing them to the side. This moved the fire and created a clear path for him to dig his claws into the heart of another man. He licked blood off his hand and turned his head at the sound of approaching people. More buyers were arriving and Dracula began to smile. His hunger had gone unsatiated for some time and this was just the feast he had been seeking.

Dracula leapt into the sky and landed on the newcomers, crushing them into puddles of blood. By this point, there was nothing but chaos. People were running as fast as they could and were screaming, but this only encouraged the vampire more. Naturally, when prey runs, predators follow. This was no different. Dracula's eyes were red and glowing. He appeared blood-crazed. With the magicians all dead, he went to the would-be buyers who were hiding beneath rubble. They cried out as he tore through their flesh, devouring the blood just past its surface. When he was finally finished, Dracula turned his attention to the chained forgemaster. He strode over to him, then paused once he noticed his response. There was none–none of fear at least. Dracula's eyes still were as red as the blood dripping from his lips. His claws still had pieces of skin on them from his meal. He still was a threat, but the forgemaster did not appear scared. Though still on his knees due to the chains, he had a more honorable look in his eyes than anyone else Dracula had seen in the village. His face was calm and a slight smile was visible. When the vampire stepped towards him, he did not try to move back.

"You aren't attempting to get away," Dracula commented. "Even after seeing everything that just happened, you're calm. If I decided to, I could drink your blood just as I've done with the others. What makes you so certain that I won't? Why aren't you afraid like they were?"

"I have no fear of death," Isaac answered calmly. "It always sounded peaceful to me."

Dracula regarded him with intrigue before a small smile crossed his face as well. Extending his claws, he slashed the chains and broke them. The forgemaster rose to his feet.

"Thank you," he said.

"You don't have to be so surprised. You've helped me in the past. When I learned what was happening here, I thought this would be a fine opportunity to return the favor."

Still, Isaac did seem shocked, but he was equally grateful. "I was the reason you came here?" He was quiet for a moment, looking at the corpses. "No one else has ever even tried to protect me from anything let alone go through so much trouble to."

"Humans are cruel," Dracula stated, snarling at one of the bodies. "And yet we are the ones deemed 'monsters.'"

The forgemaster walked to Roltar's corpse and grabbed his bag which had been tossed to the side. Inside, he found his dagger. Isaac closed his eyes and turned the knife red with flames, then he stabbed the corpse. At his command, it turned into a night creature and bowed its head in front of its master.

"It seems loyalty is a trait which is not valued amongst humans," Isaac stated. "Even still, you have mine. If there is ever a time when you have need of me or my night creatures, please do not hesitate to seek me out. I will be easy to find. You will only have to look for an area devoid of humans and with night creatures in their place."

The vampire king tilted his head at that. "That almost sounds like an offer of friendship."

"It is one."

"I have never been offered something like that from a human."

"Then," Isaac said, extending his hand, "let this be one from a forgemaster."

A low chuckle came from Dracula and he shook his hand. Glancing at the sky, he knew the sun would come out soon and bid the young man farewell. This Isaac was someone he planned to meet again. He was not sure when, but he hoped their paths would cross soon. The forgemaster watched the vampire disappear into the darkness and continued his work of transforming the corpses. As he worked, he felt anger and then felt it subside. Expectations lead to disappointment and pain. Isaac would no longer expect humans to be anything more than what they were–vile creatures. He did not desire helping them anymore or befriending other magicians. He only wanted a pure world, one bereft of the cruelty humans brought with them. Once all the creatures were made, he traveled with them deep past the forest and into the desert where they began building him a house. Isaac could master his craft there in peace. It would be a simple life, but it would be his. If he was so fortunate, he might even get visited by the only individual who has ever seemed to care about his well being. It took him his entire life and a lot of loneliness, but he finally had a friend. This encouraged him to train harder. There was only a matter of time before the humans did something horrible against Dracula. If he ever requested his help, Isaac wanted to be ready. He would be the one human who believed in loyalty…no matter what.