"Well, Sigyrr, it is clear to everyone present that you have never made a pie in your life," Hellina said.
"it was not my fault that he chose that exact moment to move," the redhead protested, "If he had stayed still, it would have been simple."
"But he didn't stay still," Falco said as he wiped blood from his sword, and the hand and arm that had wielded it, "he stepped to one side."
The man had indeed stepped to one side. And so it was that the arrow that should have killed him outright simply passed him by. But the man caught sight of it in flight, and as he turned his head to watch it he lost his balance and fell from the archway. He landed hard, but recovered in time to draw his weapon and cry out in fear; the powerful kind of fear that can propel a man to his utmost. Dralof was first to reach him as he attempted to flee into the castle proper. The man was just at the door when Dralof's war hammer, swung with great power, approached his head.
But again, the man moved just at the right moment, and Dralof's blow fell upon the castle door like thunder. It was at that point that Sigyrr grabbed the man from behind and attempted to cut the man's throat with one of his throwing knives. And once again the man move just at the right moment so that all Sigyrr managed to do was carve a large gash in the man's cheek and jaw.
The man's screams of pain and terror filled the surrounding landscape, as did Dralof's hammer blows upon the castle door and walls as the man fought with unnatural strength against the red headed demon that was continuing to carve up his face, all the while missing his throat. It was a constant flow of terrible screams interspersed with the thunderous blows of a dwarven war hammer that continued to miss it's target.
It seemed to Hellina that it went on for an age, and it was during that age that Falco ran up the series of steps and landings that led to the top of the squat fortress, his leaf blade sword already in his hand. He had judged that the other guard had too much time to close the distance, and it was work for melee weapons now, and he had been correct. He had no sooner reached the top of the steps that a blow from an iron mace was already falling towards his head. But his parry came in time, and he took a step back as he started to circle his new opponent, taking his measure as his own measure was taken in turn. If he had any excess capacity of attention to spare for his ears he would have noted that the screams of the unfortunate first man had stopped.
They had stopped for a good reason. The repeated hammering on their front door had brought all the occupants brave enough to do their duty to that door and then through it. Sigyrr and Dralof were forced to exchange the much abused and dying man for four uninjured ones.
Hellina drew her own weapon intending to give the first man a quick death, but when she reached him she saw that he was already dead. She could spare him no further consideration, but in the back of her mind she knew that they owed his departed spirit an apology for how his body had been treated at their hands.
For now, it was five against four, and Hellina had little time to think of anything else.
The front door was unlocked, and opened easily to Krev's touch, the hinges making not a sound.
"The hinges have been recently lubricated, and the door is still well balanced," Terek said.
"There are lights burning in all the window, we knew it was not abandoned," Frik said.
"There is a difference between not abandoned and well maintained," Urul said, "that sorry excuse for a fort you call home is not abandoned, but no one who has ever set foot inside of it would call it well maintained."
"I did not realize that you were such a dainty creature, Urul," Frik said with a wide smile, "before you visit us next I will purchase several fluffy pillows for you to sit upon."
"Purchase an oversized bucket as well so that I will have a place to deposit you large misshapen head after I remove it from your shoulders," Urul said with a smile of his own that immediately wiped the smile from Frik's face.
"Enough," Krev said, "this is not the time."
They had passed through the entrance which had several planters on the right, and stacked cord wood and a chopping block on the left. A long stone staircase lead down to a hallway decorated with fine carpet. That is to say, it was once fine carpet and would be again if all of the blood currently soaking into it could be removed. Another stairway leading back up again stood in front of them, the blood still wet upon the steps. Four open archways stood in the adjacent walls, two on each side, all adorned with fine, blood spattered, draperies. In the first archway on the left was a short unsullied staircase leading down. The first archway on the right led to a large bedroom, and it was evident even from where they were standing that the room was a mess, furniture and belongings broken or strewn about. And, of course, the blood.
The second archway on the left led to the kitchen and dining room, both of which were just as bloodied, damaged, and disorganized as the bedroom. The second archway on the right led to a workroom which held an enchanting station, and alchemist station, and large amounts of storage space for ingredients and other materials. Unlike the other rooms it's floor was clean, and nothing was out of place.
"Look at this," Frik called from the work room as he stood at the far end and stared into an alcove.
"Gods," Krev said as he and the others joined Frik in staring at two coffins.
"Vampires," Urul said, "I knew there was something about this place that I did not like."
"The fact that we were hunting a hagraven and her werebeast pets was not enough reason?" Terek asked.
"Just our luck," Frik said.
"Where did they come from?" Krev asked, "Hellina said nothing about vampires."
"This structure must belong to them," Urul said, "they must live here, away from the sun."
"And the Hagraven and her beasts wandered into it," Terek said, "I do not know which of them to feel sorry for."
"Feel sorry for us if they did not do us the service of killing each other," Krev said.
"Shall we check the remaining archway?" Frik asked.
"Certainly. Thank you for volunteering," Krev said, "Urul, go with him."
"Certainly," the large Orc said with a smile.
"If you two do not return together, neither of you should bother to return alone," Krev said to the two of them, "Now is not the time to settle scores, not when we do not know what lies ahead."
"We are brothers in arms," Urul said, "no words spoken today has changed that."
"Good."
The two warriors returned to the archway that remained unchecked and proceeded down the steps to a corridor that had a small forge and work area on the left and stacked crates on the right. The hall continued straight to another short staircase that led to a room that was wider than it was deep. It was not until the pair stepped off the last stair into the room and turned to their right that the dismembered body came into view.
"Malacath's balls," Urul said, "that is a great deal of blood. And entrails."
It was clearly the remains of a vampire, but whether it was male of female could no longer be easily determined.
"Do not vampires disappear in puffs of smoke. or some such, when they die?" Frik asked as his stunned face turned towards Urul, "I have heard tell that they do."
"Not the ones I have killed before now, though I confess we did not wait around to find out," Urul said as he turned back to the carnage, "I do not think it will happen in this case either. This one has been dead long enough that it would have occurred by now."
"Gods I cannot stand this stench a moment longer," Frik said as he turned and retraced their path back to the main hallway.
Falco and the man continued to circle each other. Falco was quick with his sword, employing a deceptive flourish that had been quite effective in the past, but his opponent, whose arms looked thick enough to kill a mammoth with the weapon he wielded, was not fooled. They exchanged several passes, the outcome of all of them identical. Each man remained uninjured.
Falco changed his tactics almost in mid stride. His opponent had observed Falco long enough that he thought he could anticipate his next moves, but in this case he was in error when Falco, rather that deliver a series of strikes to the man's left side, struck only once before stepping backwards and throwing the small, palm sized, throwing knife that he had been gripping in his left hand. Falco had aimed low, and the blade struck it's target just above the man's unprotected knee. Falco was already in motion as the man's leg collapsed, his arms reaching outward as he attempted to regain his balance, when Falco's sword found his neck. He Looked at him briefly to insure that he would not rise again and then turned and retraced his path back down the steps.
Hellina's opponent might have seen twenty winters, but not many more than that. He also seemed quite relieved to be facing her rather than one of the two oversized Nords, and he made no attempt to hide that relief. No one who saw her would ever describe her figure as imposing; she was more likely to be described as slender, or muscular, or a combination of the two. So Hellina was in no way surprised at the look on the man's face. She had seen just that look a great many times, on a great many opponents, just before their look changed to one of confusion, not yet understanding that they are dying, and that this unimposing woman was the reason why.
The man was neither undead nor unnatural, so it was not the magical enchantments bonded to Hellina's sword with runes of silver that were the reason for his ultimate demise; rather it was the sharp point at the end of her sword that was designed to pierce most chain mail, and even some lighter plate armor that proved his undoing. That and his arrogance, which eventually allowed Hellina to step much too close to him after she parried his final attack before thrusting her sword forward with all her strength and piercing his mail shirt, and heart underneath it. Hellina took two steps backwards and waited the short time it took, her eyes locked on the man's, but her face calm, almost gentle, as he looked back at her before he collapsed.
Go now, poor soul, cross the river between here and hereafter. I pray that the Divines do not judge you too harshly, Hellina thought as she watched his had release it's weapon, just before his knees found the large paving stone beneath him and he fell backwards.
She stood over him for the last moments of his life, and he looked back up at her in confusion.
"Mamma?" he asked, his voice almost a whisper.
"Shhh. It was just a bad dream," she said gently to him as his eyes began to unfocus, "go back to sleep."
Hellina stood up and viewed the courtyard and the ongoing battle, which was now three against three, and Hellina could see quite clearly that there was nothing remaining for her to do.
"What do we make of the fact that the only room with no blood trail is the only room with a body of any kind?" Frik asked.
"That he, or she, was taken unawares, but in every other occupied room they had sufficient warning to defend themselves," Krev said.
"But then someone or something dragged the bodies away, and it takes no expert tracker to follow that blood trail to its destination," Urul said as he looked down the main corridor to the staircase in front of them leading up and further into the underground structure.
"Who was victorious in this struggle do you think?" Frik asked.
"Does it matter?" Terek asked, "It was our duty to eliminate the hagraven and her beasts. If these vampires have done it for us, so much the better; since their own number is diminished at least by one, and any others remaining are certainly wounded, and can be dispatched quickly."
The four fully initiated members of The Silver Hand stood in the hallway for a moment and viewed the wide ample blood trail that led to, and then up, the stone staircase.
"Well, we will not find out by standing here for an eternity," Urul said before smiling, the scent of all the blood making his own blood begin to boil, his nostrils flaring to take in the aroma better, "just be careful not to slip on the wet stairs."
All four men gripped their weapons tightly as the walked carefully up the stair to the large room that waited to reveal it's mysteries to them.