"Who is this, Larten? Don't tell me you blooded another child." Gavner said as he looked over the girl, taking bottle from Mr. Crepsley's hand, tending to the wounds here. He noticed her arms were bent, realizing they were broken. He set the bones back and found a split to hold her arm straight.
Darren stood back and watched as the two tended to the girl, cleaning the blood from her body and fixing her up.
"Darren, can you go and get some more water? This water is all dirty. Don't let the Little People at it." Mr. Crepsley pointed to the basin of water at his side.
Darren went over and went to go and dump the red water near a tree, going to fill it up with water from the near by stream and bringing it back, trying not to spill as he moved back to the tent. Placing the basin beside Mr. Crepsley when he returned.
"She needs blood." Garvner patted his pockets, searching for some bottle blood.
"I got it." Mr. Crepsley found a bottle of blood, uncorking it as Garvner lifted up the upper half of the girl, being careful of her fragile body at the moment. He opened her mouth as Mr. Crepsley poured some blood into her mouth as Gavner massage her throat, getting her to swallow it. They repeated this until the blood from the bottle was all gone.
"Who is she, Larten?" Gavner asked as he laid her down carefully. "Why does she smell like the vampaneze?"
"She's covered in their blood. And another vampire's blood." Mr. Crepsley's answered. "She's only a half vampire though. That must mean that the blood she's covered in... is..." He trailed off.
"Her teacher." Gavner finished his sentence.
Darren stayed near the wall as he watched Gavner and Mr. Crepsley tend to the girl. After about an hour, the two vampires pulled away, wiping the non-existent sweat on their foreheads.
"Gavner, look at this." Mr. Crepsley pointed at the girl's neck. A necklace hung around her neck. The necklace was made of black leather and a metal-clay charm laid on her chest. The charm was square with a turquoise gem in the center. On the gem, was inscribed X. Bonaparte.
"Is that..." Garvner trailed off.
Mr. Crepsley nodded. "Xenius Bonaparte. She must wake up soon." He sighed and flopped into a nearby character. "Darren, can you get us a glass of blood?" Mr. Crepsley's hand went to massage his forehead.
Darren nodded and went to get clean wine glasses, finding the bottles that contained blood and filled each glass before handing it to the two. "Who is Xenius Bonaparte?"
Gavner and Mr. Crepsley looked at Darren before looking at each other. There was a pause before Mr. Crepsley spoke. "Xenius Bonaparte is one of the generals of our clan. He has been elected to be a Prince a few times but he denied each time... I did not know he had taken on an assistant as well... She is young."
"But how do you know she is his assistant?" Darren asked.
"Xenius is the only one, that I know of, who gives his a assistants a marking of who they serve under. He says it is a way to remind his assistants... students, of who they represent when they are in front of other members." Mr. Crepsley answered Darren's question.
In Darren's mind, he had many more questions that he wanted answers for. He stared at the girl laying in the coffin. His body shivered at how she looked pale and dead in there.
"You can ask more questions if you would like, Darren." Mr. Crepsley interuppted Darren's thoughts. "We do not know when... or if, she will awake. Her wounds are severe."
"How... did she end up like this?" Darren asked, watching the coffin.
Gavner hummed. "It smells like the attack of a vampaneze. Something must have happened if she is here without Xenius."
"How do you know that?" Darren blurted out before realizing the stupidity in his question.
Gavrner looked at Darren. "She is covered in Vampaneze blood, the smell gives it away. But I suppose since you are still a half vampire, you wouldn't be able to recognize the scent yet..."
"I meant... How do you know that something happened?" Darren rephrased his question.
"Xenius is a strict mentor. He does not let his pupils travel far from his sight." Mr. Crepsley answered.
A small whine came from the coffin, alerting Gavner and Mr. Crepsley. The two immediately stood up, going over to the coffin to see the girl.
She was stirring inside. Continuing to whine for a bit before opening her eyes weakly. "L...l..larten..." She whispered.
Gavner carefully held the girl by her shoulders, lifting her to sit up as Mr. Crepsley held the glass of blood to her lip. She barely parted her lips as he tilted the glass up, letting the blood flow into her mouth as she swallow. She took deep breaths, leaning against Gavner for strength. Her eyes closed again for some time before she opened them. Her head turned around to look at her surrounding before noticing Mr. Crepsley.
"Are you... Larten Crepsley?" The girl asked, looking at him.
Mr. Crepsley looked at her. "Yes, I am Larten Crepsley. And you are...?"
"My name is Crystal August." She answered, beginning to move her arm to try to sit up more.
"Ah ah ah, don't do that." Gavner said as he gripped her shoulder a bit, pulling her to sit up more. "Your arm was broken. We reset it and it's still healing. You shouldn't strain it yet or else it'll heal bent."
Crystal turned her head to look at Gavner. "Are you... Gavner Purl..?"
Gavner's eyes widen slightly, shocked that Crystal knew who he was. "Yes, that is my name. Did Xenius tell you about me?"
Crystal nodded. "Yes, he told me about many others."
"Crystal. Tell me, little one. How old are you and how long has it been since you've been blooded by Xenius?" Mr. Crepsley asked.
"I'm 13, sir." Crystal answered. "Master Xenius blooded me a little under two years ago, when I was 11." She turned her head to look at Mr. Crepsley.
"Only 11? Charna's Guts. Is Xenius mad?!" Gavner was shocked at the age of Crystal.
"Why did he blood you when you were young?" Mr. Crepsley asked.
"He saved me from a Vampaneze attack." Crystal answered. Her eyes closed for a moment before she told her story of how she met Xenius.
Two years ago.
Crystal was walking back to her house from the grocery store. Tonight, her family was hold a reunion. Her mom sent her out to pick up some ingredients that had run out while she was cooking. As Crystal approached the house, something felt off to her. The light shone through the windows were normal. Cars from relatives were parked in the drive was also normal. She thought to herself.
"What is off?" Crystal stood at the mailbox, looking at her house. It was only 7 pm and the sun had almost set. She continued to stare at her, trying to notice of anything was off.
After a good 5 minutes of not spotting anything off, she head into the house. As she closed the front door and locked it, she realized what was off. There was no sound in the house. Not even the squawking of her parakeets. She set the two bags of groceries at the door and begin to walk towards the kitchen, talking loudly.
"Hello? Mom? Dad? Anyon-." Her voice got caught in her throat as she saw her parents on the floor, their skins were pale and their arms and neck were cut open, But there was no blood anywhere.
"What... No. This is a joke!" Crystal went over to shake her parents, trying to get them to wake up and stop playing a joke.
It was no use, her parents didn't budge. She jumped as she heard footsteps upstairs. She turned her head to look at the ceiling. "Master bedroom."
Crystal grabbed a knife from the drawers and walked up the stairs quietly. Unsure if it was the killer or if it was a relative who was still alive. Once she reached the top, she used the knife as a mirror. She was barely able to see anything other than someone moving in the quickly in the room. Crystal, took a deep breath and walked quietly into the room, holding the knife in front of her.
"Pathetic human, thinking that little thing can harm me." A voice echo from behind her.
Crystal turned around. Behind her was a purple skin, red-eyed creäture. "What are you... W..why.. do you.. look like that.." She held the knife in front of her, pointing the blade at the human.
"I'm the one who sucked the blood out of your parents. And my friends here came for dinner. It looks like you're going to be dessert." The creäture gave her a creepy smile.
"Not if I have anything to do with it." She charged forward and attempted to stab the creäture with the knife.
One second he was in front of her and the next, he ended up behind her as she ended up pushing the knife into the wall. She gave a few tugs before the knife was set free and she turned around to charge at him again. He laughed and side-stepped to avoid her.
"You puny human think you can take me on?! I'll enjoy you all to myself!" The creature laughed.
Crystal got frustrated and decided to throw the knife at him this time. As she threw the knife, she ran towards the balcony door, trying to open it.
"Let's play a little game, human." the creature laughed he suddenly appeared in front of her, pressing his hand against the balcony door to keep it from opening. "A little game of hide and seek."
Crystal aimed a kick a his crotch but no use, the creature continue laughing.
"I've finally found you." A deep, male voice said from behind the creature. "Let the child go."
"Why should I? I found her first." the creature said.
"You and your friends have had enough to dine for tonight. The only thing you would taste in her blood is fear." The voice replied.
"So? I'm still g-" The creature was cut off from his sentence as he was struck in the jaw. Crystal leaned against the balcony door as she saw streaks of movement in front of her.
Crystal took a deep breath after telling her story. "That's how I met, Master Xenius. He saved me from the Vampaneze and a few months later, he blooded me." She played with her fingers.
"What about what happened earlier? Where is Xenius?" Gavner asked.
"Master Xenius is dead." Crystal answered. "The Vampaneze killed him."