Half Moon Rising

by ninjamouse1

There's a fine line between human and fiend and when Class VII is formed with ten members instead of nine that line will stretch to breaking point. When an experimental project is already blurring the lines between commoner and nobility, magical and mundane, one more chaotic element couldn't possibly hurt. What does it mean to be human? And is it worth trying to understand?

9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

"So, let's go over this one more time," started Otto, "how did you know there was going to be a robbery and vandalism attack on the Grand Market tonight?" he asked Evander. Otto, Heinz, Marco and several other merchants were gathered around the scene of the crime, fetched by Rean and the others of Group A. Otto was trying to clear up exactly what had gone on, hopefully before the Provincial Army turned up to complicate things. As usual, Marco and Heinz had immediately blamed each other for the damage, and when Evander had claimed several assailants had been present, they'd turned around and accused the other of hiring thugs to do it instead. Group A had to move in and restrain them again when they tried to have a go at each other again and Otto tried to make more sense of this.

"Like I said, I had no idea there was going to be an attack tonight," said Evander, "I was just in the right place at the right time."

"So, you're not claiming this was the result of a tip off? Or saying you're clairvoyant?"

"Excuse me? Of course I'm not Claire Voyant! I'm Evander, you know me! And her name is Claire Rieveldt. Not Voyant."

"He's trying to make a fool out of us!" raged Marco, "it was him the whole time!"

"I agree," said Heinz, "it was him. Only you left out the part where you hired him in the first place!"

"No, you left that part out! You snake in the grass!"

"Everyone, please calm down!" said Otto, "Evander says he was just out for a walk when he overheard five or six thugs plotting to vandalise and burgle the Grand Market. Is that correct young man?"

"No, just those two stalls. They weren't supposed to touch anything else."

"I see. And when you confronted them, they disabled you with some sort of grenade?"

"Yes. A stink bomb of some kind."

"This is such garbage," said Heinz, "only a country bumpkin would come up with such a ludicrous story!"

"Liar! Only some stock broking city-slicker from Heimdallr would have this sort of conspiracy theory on his brain! From reading spy novels while sipping a latte!" accused Marco.

"I said calm down!" protested Otto, "this sort of name calling won't solve anything. Please rely on me to solve this."

"You?" demanded Heinz, "I rely more on my hunting dog than you!"

"Just admit you did it already!" said Marco, "why are you so stubborn like saddle sores?"

"Shut up you bird brain!"

"No you shut up! You city people are all alike aren't you? You just like taking us country folk for a ride!"

"Evander!" Otto cut in, "to the best of your knowledge, were either Marco or Heinz involved in this at all?"

"No. They weren't here for the attack."

"And you know this how?"

"They smell different from the men who attacked me."

"Oh, this is ridiculous!" raged Marco, "you couldn't smell a mountain of horse manure from this distance, let alone me! Come up with better lies!"

"What in the blazes is going on here!?" Colonel Banadon and a squad of his provincial soldiers had evidently been woken up by all the racket and charged over to investigate. "I said what's going on here!? Tell me now or I'll have the lot of you locked up!"

"Oh use your eyes why don't you?" drawled Evander, "there's been a robbery!"

"Don't get smart with me!"

"Is that what they told you at school? You certainly took that lesson to heart. Don't get smart they said and by Aidios did you listen because you're as dumb as a sack of doorknobs."

"Evander!" hissed Elliot.

"Can someone shut him up before he gets arrested again?" muttered Alisa.

"I'm sorry gentlemen," said Otto, "we were just investigating the matter ourselves. As far as I can tell both Merchant Marco and Merchant Heinz had their stories robbed and vandalised earlier tonight."

"Ah. Well, the matter is simple then. Men, arrest these two filthy pieces of scum!" Colonel Banadon gestured at Marco and Heinz, "take them away! They're pitiful!"

"What!?" said Rean, "are you serious? You haven't even done an investigation!"

"I don't need to. The facts speak for themselves. These two men had an altercation earlier today and both sought out revenge against each other tonight using the exact same method."

"Oh, come on. Even I know that sounds crazy!" said Evander. "They didn't hear or see each other while they were doing this at the same time?"

"Their stalls are at opposite ends of the market," said the colonel, "and the sounds of their own vandalism would have concealed the racket their rival was making. I repeat, arrest those two idiots now!"

"I forbid it!" yelled Evander, interposing himself between the soldiers and two merchants.

"You forbid it!? Who the devil are you to forbid me from doing anything!?"

"How many times do I have to answer that! I'm Evander! Not Claire Voyant! And you won't arrest either of these men because I am giving a sworn testimony, in front of all these witnesses, that they are innocent. I was in the common room of the inn until right before the attack. Merchant Heinz never left his room. Marco is local, so he wasn't in the inn, but I swear he wasn't in the market until he was called here by news of the attack."

"I don't give a rodent's rear end about your testimony!" snapped Colonel Banadon. "You don't have any authority!"

"He has my authority!" said Otto, "and that of Thors Military Academy. I'm accepting his testimony as accurate and sincere. If you arrest these men you'll be going against the will of the Market Manager of Celdic and the judicial process of this region!" The colonel fumed silently for a moment before his face suddenly shifted into a nasty smirk.

"I see. Well, that is shame isn't it?"

"What do you mean by that?" asked Otto, his stomach sinking.

"Well, if it was just a small local squabble like I surmised, I could arrest these two men and nothing more would come of it. But if Evander is correct and this was perpetrated by a gang of well-armed outsiders, I'd have to shut down the Grand Market indefinitely while the matter is investigated. For your own safety I understand."

"You bastard!" yelled Evander, "so either I take back my statement and let you arrest two innocent men, or you cut off the entire livelihood of this town!?"

"Otto, your investigator appears to be quite deranged. Tell him to spread his delusions elsewhere. I said no such thing. But if he was now suddenly unsure of his previous statement, now would be the time to say so." Evander looked back at the two merchants, unsure what to do. These two men, or the whole town? Thankfully Rean intervened before he had to make that choice.

"I'm sorry Colonel, but Evander was just attacked and rendered unconscious. He's still shaken and unsteady. Could you give him some more time to consider his statement?" asked Rean, hoping to buy time to conduct their own investigation.

"Hmm. I suppose the boy does appear to be quite unsound of mind right now. In no fit state to be interviewed. Very well. You have until midday today to report to the barracks with a revised statement or I'll do what I have to do. Are we clear?"

"Crystal," spat Evander through gritted teeth.

"Very well. Men, back to the barracks!" Everyone held their breath until the soldiers were well and truly out of sight and then let out a sigh of relief.

"Did you have to antagonise them so much?" asked Elliot, "you could have gotten arrested again!"

"I don't care about that," said Evander. "Someone needed to stand up to those thugs!"

"Perhaps," said Laura, "but sometimes discretion is the better part of valour. Rean has bought us time, but without the need for crude theatrics. Otto, do we have your permission to attempt to resolve this before our midday deadline?"

"I hate to put this burden on you," said Otto, "but you have permission. I can't see any other way to avoid a bad situation."

"Okay," said Rean, "let's start by examining the crime scene."

"Can I be excused for a moment?" asked Evander, "I want to go apologise to the old park ranger for calling him a worthless drunk. It was uncalled for."

"Uh, yeah sure," said Rean. "Hurry back though, okay? Your senses could be invaluable in spotting a clue here."

"Wait a minute. I forgot to ask this earlier," said Alisa, "but you can't read minds can you Evander? Is that one of your powers?"

"Not really."

"Not really, what's that supposed to mean!?"

"I can't talk about it," said Evander. In truth, he occasionally got glimpses of people's surface thoughts, but it wasn't a dedicated skill he controlled. And that was before the power supressing watch was fitted to him anyway, so like he said, this wasn't something he could discuss. "See you guys later!"

"You get back here right now!" demanded Alisa, but Evander was already legging it out of there. "Ugh! That guy is so frustrating!"

"I guess," said Elliot, "what juicy secrets are you worried he'll discover?"

"Nothing!" said Alisa, "I have no secrets!"

"Come on, everyone has secrets."

"Not me, I'm an open book!"

"Yeah, an open book on keeping secrets."

"Shush you!"

Scene Break Here

For someone who was on the verge of being blackout drunk, the old park ranger had surprisingly sharp senses. He picked up on Evander's approach almost immediately, clutching protectively at his half-empty bottle and snarling at the boy.

"Get away from me leech! Do I look like a juice box to you?" he asked angrily.

"No," said Evander, crouching down beside the man slumped against the highway fence, "you look like a two-hundred-year-old potbellied dwarf. But that'll be the booze taking a toll on you. You ought to give it up."

"Huh? What would you know about my drinking habit? You're not even human!"

"True enough," Evander shrugged, "you're right, I'm a bad excuse of a vampire. But who better to know about a thirst than me? I was addicted to blood for years."

"You admit it?" the ranger's eyes nearly goggled out of his head, "you admit that you drink blood? That you're addicted to it?"

"Of course, I admit it. The time for keeping secrets is over. I'd tell of all of Erebonia if I could," Evander threw his head back and shouted, "I'm a big bad vampire!" The ranger winced at the noise and took another swig from his bottle.

"Keep it down, would you? If you're going to kill me, get on with it. I've got nothing to live for anyway."

"I don't drink blood anymore," said Evander, "and I've never killed anyone."

"You don't drink blood anymore? But you said you were addicted."

"I was. I mean I am. An addiction never really goes away, does it? But you know that don't you? Do you know what it's like to drink blood? The moment it hits your tongue there's this immense sense of elation. Of euphoria. You feel a sense of boundless energy, like you can do anything. And the confidence, it gives you confidence like you wouldn't believe. But all too soon it's gone, and that damn thirst is back. But it's worse, because it's not just the thirst haunting me anymore, but the memory of how I felt when I drank too. The memory of what I've lost. It's a like a bottle of liquid fire that burns all my fear away. But like just like fire, it's dangerous, it burns you, scars you. And the more you drink the more you need to feel the same, to break through the scar tissue. Is that why you drink?"

"I didn't drink. I was sober for years. It's just when I lost my job that I started up again. There was nothing else left in my life. And the drink was calling to me. You understand I think, after what you just said, you understand better than anyone else. It started when I was young, I was never very good with people you see. But drinking made me better. Funnier, braver. I could face people when I'd had a few drinks. I could face the world. But there was always the whisper in the back of my mind. Of how much better I could be with just one more drink in me. So, I drank and drank until I was a wreck. I couldn't stop anymore. I wasn't drinking to make myself better anymore, I was drinking so I could function at all. If I didn't have a drink in my hand, I felt empty. And I tried to quit, more than once, believe me!"

"I do. Because I know how hard it is. Some nights are worse than others but there are no easy or good nights. Not for a long time. You find yourself shaking, sweating, and twitching. You'll get chills or you'll suddenly burn up. Your head will pound, you'll grind your teeth. Nothing will help."

"You do understand. But then how did you stop?"

"I found a reason not to drink blood that was more powerful than all my reasons to drink. And I clung to that reason like a life raft in a storm."

"Yes. It was the same for me. When I somehow managed to land the park ranger job despite my addiction it was like my eyes finally opened. I spent my days out there in nature, away from people, away from temptation. It was like something in me was healed by all that space. I never wanted to lose my job, lose all that freedom and peace. So, I stopped. For years I stopped drinking. And it nearly killed me, but I was winning. Damnit. I was winning." A lightning bolt of pain lanced through Evander's head as he received a nebulous vision, a hulking figure in the forest, radiating immense spiritual power. There was something in that forest, something that had tried to heal the old ranger, something that left him so easily believing in vampires.

"There's something in that park, isn't there?" whispered Evander, "something powerful?"

"The Guardian," admitted the ranger, "but pray you don't meet him. I can see some good in you now. But he won't. He despises your kind."

"I was afraid of that," said Evander, "because I think I have to go into that forest. You lost your job when six or so young men suddenly turned up to replace you right? I'm willing to bet anything that those were the same men who attacked me tonight."

"Yes. And once I lost the job, I came back to town and my thirst for alcohol was waiting for me. Like I'd never even stopped. It was so easy to start drinking again. It felt right."

"And how does it feel now?" asked Evander softly.

"Bad. Wrong. Like I've let myself down. Let everyone down."

"I'm sorry I called you a worthless drunk," said Evander. "I shouldn't have."

"No. You were right. I am a worthless drunk."

"Maybe. But you don't have to be. I'm going to get your job back, even if it kills me."

"Huh? Why? You don't even know me!"

"Know you?" Evander smiled suddenly, his too-sharp teeth glinting in the moonlight, "I am you. Goodnight. And good luck." Evander walked off towards town, leaving the man alone with his half-finished bottle of booze. And though it nearly killed him to do it, he emptied that bottle onto the ground and threw it away.

Scene Break Here

When Evander went to rejoin Group A he was ambushed by Alisa who dragged him off for a private chat. He knew better than to resist because she looked deadly serious.

"Okay Evander," she started, "no running away this time. No obfuscating insanity and word games to get out of answering me. Can you read minds?"

"That's not what you really want to ask me," said Evander, sighing. "You want to know if I know your super-secret family name. And the answer is yes. I've known since the day I met you, Alisa Reinford."

"And you never told anyone?" she eyed him incredulously.

"Of course not! It's not my secret to share. I'd have to be a pretty big hypocrite to go around blurting that out while hiding the fact I was a dhampir with the blood of fiends in my veins. You can trust me to keep your secret for as long as you want to keep it hidden. I give my word."

"Wow. That's not what I expected at all. You know what Evander? Even though you sometimes make me want to knock that stupid look off your face, you're alright. Or at least not so bad."

"I'll take that as a compliment," said Evander, laughing, "but can you explain something? What's the big deal about you being a Reinford? I've never even heard of that family."

"You've never heard of the Reinfords? The famous 'merchants of death?'" she asked, looking sceptical.

"Merchants of death? They sell death? Is there much of a market for that?"

"Oh Evander, you're such a kleptomaniac," sighed Alisa.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You take everything literally!" she swatted him on the back of the head in annoyance. "Forget about it. I doubt the subtleties of the industrial complex mean much to you anyway. Simple farmer that you are."

"I'm not a farmer! I just live on a farm!"

"I know. And I'm not a Reinford. Not yet anyway. But I think I'll tell everybody soon. There's no point keeping something like my name secret after what you've told us lately. And Evander, seriously, thanks for keeping my secret."

"Don't worry about it. I'm a regular vault of secrets. Shall we rejoin the others?"

"Yeah, we better get you up to speed, we've figured some stuff out."

"So, I have I. We're going to the Lunaria Nature Park, aren't we?"

"What!? Are you precognitive now too!?"

"No! Who is this Pre Cognitive when he's at home? I'm Evander! You know me!"

"Right. I forgot I was talking to an illiterate kleptomaniac. Forget about it. Come with me."

Scene Break Here

The combined results of Group A's brief investigation all pointed in one direction. The thugs who attacked the Grand Market, and the goods they'd stolen, would be hiding the Lunaria Nature Park. With their deadline approaching and not a moment to waste, they set off down the West Celdic Highway. They didn't face heavy resistance from the local monster population, between the repelling lamps and Evander's aura of fiendish dread very few beasts were foolhardy enough to attack them at all. For Rean and Elliot, Evander's effect on monsters was practically old hat after witnessing it in the Old Schoolhouse earlier that month. It was new to Laura and Alisa however, and it wasn't long before Laura commented.

"They fear you, don't they?" she asked, a touch coldly, as a swarm of enormous dragonflies turned tail and ran the moment Evander approached them. "Because of your blood?"

"Yes. Vampires scare them, and I'm close enough to a vampire to confuse them," replied Evander, trying to ignore the hints of hostility she was giving off.

"I see," Laura paused for a moment, "so you could walk through dangerous lands practically unchallenged if you so wished," disapproval practically radiated off her, and Evander decided to address it this time.

"Let me guess, another thing you think I haven't earnt?"

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't read my mind," she snapped, "I believe a lady has a right to the privacy of her thoughts, if nothing else."

"Excuse me? I ca_" he cut himself off just in time. Saying he couldn't read minds anymore was dangerously close to talking about what Captain Claire had forbidden him too. "I don't read minds anymore," he corrected.

"And I'm to take you at your word?" asked Laura, "just like that?"

"Yes. I'm a bad liar, hell, I'm bad at a lot of things. But my word once given, that I can keep. Better than anyone."

"He's got a point," said Elliot, eager for there to be peace again, "have you ever seen Evander break a promise?"

"No, but from what little I've read on the subject, that's more a virtue of his blood, than a strength of character," said Laura, referring to the famous mental compulsions vampires were said to suffer from in folklore.

"There are books about my kind?" Evander sounded interested, "I always thought people didn't really believe in us."

"Most don't. Or think your kind died out in the dark ages," said Alisa, "but there are plenty of books all the same. Even a popular novel series, Red Moon Rose."

"Really? I'd quite like to read that, when I get good enough, I mean," said Evander. "I'm still on children's books right now."

"I've got a few copies," offered Rean, "people just seem to give them to me for some reason. I'd be happy to loan you them when you're ready. Hold on, here comes trouble." The dragonflies from earlier returned, and they'd brought friends. Strange giant rodents, snarling wolves, massive, armoured snails and large birds with vicious beaks and hooked talons. There was a veritable army of them. "These ones don't look scared; they almost look like they want a piece of you specifically."

"I was worried about this. I'm sorry," said Evander, "It's going to be heavy going from now on. And even worse when we enter the forest. There's something in Lunaria Nature Park. Something old and powerful. And it hates me with a passion. I understand why dad warned me to stay out of there now. It's turned the local monster population against me." Group A drew their weapons as one, preparing for a heck of a fight. "Hold on, let me try something." After undergoing nightly, torturous training seasons with Beryl, Evander had regained a fraction of his old mental powers back. It still hurt like hell, and only worked fifty percent of the time, but he thought he could manage at least one use tonight to trick these monsters.

"Can you control them?" asked Elliot, sounding fascinating, "I read a book where an evil Nosferatu could compel lesser monsters to serve it."

"Sort of. I've never really tried before. Be_ I mean, my mentor says I should be able to give simple commands at least," Evander reached out with his mind, struggling to ignore the immediate pain that stabbed at his temples, and found the mind of one of the squirrel-like creatures to be weak and wavering. "Be ready to attack as soon as I make my move. I don't think I'm going to be in much of a position to help," he warned. Evander struck out against the giant squirrel, lashing out with a mental tendril that wrapped around it's mind and forced it to obey for one tenuous moment.

Kick up a dust storm! Ordered Evander, and the squirrel, though it struggled mightily against the command, obeyed. It leapt ahead of the monster pack and swept its great bushy tail in a wide arc to kick up a huge cloud of dirt and dust, blinding the monsters behind it.

"Now!" choked out Evander, falling to his knees, blood pouring from his nose and hands trembling. Rean was in the cloud in an instant, sword flashing in great sweeping arcs that flashed in the early morning light. Laura was behind him in a matter of moments, her huge blade carving a swathe through the assembled host of monsters. Elliot rained orbal blasts from his staff, focussing on the armoured insects who resisted conventional weapon strikes. Alisa fired arrow after arrow, her hands moving like lightning as she picked off any bird type monsters that tried to escape the dust cloud or get around Rean and Laura to attack her or Elliot. Terrified by the blitzkrieg assault and trapped between whatever was in the forest behind them and Evander's fiend aura in front of them, the mob scattered left and right, desperate to escape. Group A didn't pursue, and the fight was over before the last dust particles had even settled back to the ground from the opening strike.

"Great teamwork everyone!" said Rean, "keep this up and we'll make it through this in no time. But Evander, I'd stick to swords next time if I were you. You look like you nearly killed yourself to pull off that move."

"Is it difficult because you're only a half-blood?" asked Alisa, having expected the mental powers of a dhampir to be slightly more impressive.

"Not really," muttered Evander, climbing back to his feet, "but I can't really talk about it." He fixed a stare at Laura. "It's not always easy being me."

"I didn't say it was," she replied stiffly.

"Oh yeah. Just that I'd never worked for anything in my life. That's a lot better."

"Leave it," said Rean sternly, "this isn't the time. You've already promised to earn Laura's respect back and actions will speak louder than words. Let's move out. It's going to be a long day." The truth in his words was reflected in the sights and sounds of fresh monsters approaching, regrouping with the escapees from the last battle.

"Think Instructor Sara will give us extra credit if we have to wipe out the entire monster population around Celdic?" joked Elliot weakly.

"Let me put it this way," said Alisa grimly, "if she doesn't, I say we wipe her out next," she nocked her bow, "oh Evander, why do we let you get us into these messes?"

"If I knew that, I'd tell you," said Evander shakily, he drew his swords and spun them around in his hands experimentally, testing to see if his strength had returned. "But since I can't, I'll just stay right here with you on clean up duty."

"Enough talk," said Laura, "let's fight. Charge!" And so, Group A flew headlong into battle against the monsters of Celdic, unaware that elsewhere, in the distant hillsides, another battle was about to take place.

Scene Break Here

As just about everyone with any sense in their heads had figured out, Operation 'Crush Celdic' had two arms in motion. One in the Lunaria Nature Park where Group A was currently fighting their way towards and the other group holding Evander's sister captive out in the remote countryside on the other side of Celdic. It was this second arm that was about to have their day thoroughly ruined by the long arm of the law. Sara had travelled first to the ruins of Half-Moon Ranch to pick up Evander's adopted parents Regulus and Adaline and then rendezvoused with an RMP squad led by Captain Claire at the agreed coordinates. The group had spent the past hour or so on performing surveillance on the enemy before they attempted to strike. As far as they could tell, a small force of Jaeger Dropouts had set up a lightly fortified camp on the outskirts of Celdic, far from the well-travelled paths of the highway. Sentries patrolled around the perimeter of the camp in regular intervals but the other than that, they didn't appear to be expecting any sort of attack. Most of the dropouts where lazing around, drinking and playing cards. With the forces arrayed against them, this operation would be a cakewalk.

The only hitch would be how Evander's adopted sister Thalia would take the rescue. They'd spotted her quickly enough. Chained to a stake in the centre of camp, kept in direct daylight, she looked absolutely dreadful. Burned, and almost skeletally thin, she was slumped on the ground, too weak to even lift her head. But the sights and sounds of battle might easily raise her bloodlust, something she had difficultly controlling even at the best of times. It was agreed her parents should approach first and attempt to reassure her before any effort was made to release her from the chains.

The RMP squad fanned out around the camp, planning to storm the place from all angles once the signal went out. Sara had no time for such subtleties, she was camped out with Regulus and Adaline intending to go right through the front gate and wreak havoc without worrying about ambushes and tactical advantages.

Captain Claire gave the signal, a high piercing bird call meant to imitate the fierce cry of the eagles that soared above the Nord Highlands, and then all hell broke loose outside Celdic. Claire opened the assault, using an art to project a massive shard of ice into the air directly above the camp. Then she followed through with a series of rapid but unerringly precise shots of her pistol, carving the ice into a rain of deadly targeted splinters that fell amongst the Jaegar dropouts. Surprised and panicked beyond reason by the sudden icy rain, the main group scattered only to fall victim to a rain of shots from the ambushing RMP squad. The sentries raced to the main gate, struggling to secure it against the assault of attackers they couldn't even see but they weren't nearly fast enough. Adaline and Regulus simply leapt over the camp's gate like it was little more than a minor inconvenience and started laying into the sentries on the other side. Regulus with a hatchet, his wife with an antique duelling sabre that whirled like steel lightning in her hands. Speaking of lightning, a great crackling blasted of it blew the gate down entirely and then Sara was amongst the fray, pistol barking and sword scything through anyone unfortunate enough to get in her way.

The group's leader burst out of his small command tent and surveyed the slaughter going on with abject horror. His mind desperately shot to the first solution that came to him, seizing a hostage and bargaining his way out of here. He ran over to where Thalia was chained up and hauled her upright. He fumbled with his weapon's belt, cutting himself on the wicked hunting knife hanging there before he was able to draw it. The injury was so minor he didn't even notice it, too busy holding the knife to Thalia's throat. But the young dhampir noticed it alright, the scent of blood hitting her nose and making her eyes shine with raging thirst.

"All of you drop your weapons or this little leech gets it!" roared the dropout leader, "I'm not joking! Stop or I'll_" what he was going to do was sadly lost to the history, because the scent of blood had given Thalia enough strength and motivation to strike. She bit his wrist like a wild animal, her fangs cutting through his skin like a knife through hot butter. The man screamed and screamed and tried to get away, dropping his knife, but with each drop of blood down her throat, Thalia regenerated and regained her strength. Instead of him hold her captive, she instead locked a grip on him, pinning him in place until he collapsed from blood loss and then throwing his senseless body the ground like a rag doll and stepping over him. She licked some stray drops of blood off her face and then looked around, surveying the battlefield for another victim to slake her immense thirst. She took a step towards a fleeing Jaegar dropout only to stopped by the shackles around her ankles. An annoyed expression crossed her face, warping her almost feral features for a brief instant before she simply reached down and snapped the chains connected to the post, one by one like the hardened steel was nothing to her. Such was the power of a dhampir drunk on blood. Fortunately for the rapidly surrendering thugs, when she looked up again, Regulus and Adaline were in front of her.

Knowing simple words would have no effect in stopping her bloodlust right now, not with the fallen leader's blood so recently on her lips, they reached out in a mind link, the two of them taking a portion of her thirst into themselves. Though it pained them terribly to do so, adding their daughter's considerable hunger to their own, it sufficed to bring her to her senses. And then, with three of the four members of the Half-Moon Clan psychically link, a premonition of doom hit them about their missing member. They all saw Evander in the forest, facing down a terrible beast.

"Everything under control here?" asked Captain Claire, strolling over while her men worked on restraining the surrendered Jaegar Dropouts.

"We need to get to the Lunaria Nature Park," barked out Regulus, "Evander is in terrible danger."

"We warned him never to go there!" said Adaline, "there's a powerful guardian in that forest who hates our kind. He will destroy Evander if we don't help him."

"That's not all," one of Claire's adjutants ran over, "the man we left in Celdic watching the Provincial Army barracks says the whole platoon is on the move, heading towards the nature park as well."

"Did one these guys get a radio signal out?" wondered Captain Claire, "or did they just catch wind of your students heading that way?" she asked Sara, like she would know. "Sorry, just thinking aloud. We better get there as fast as possible before they arrest your students and frame them for all of this. Or worse."

"Do what you want," said Thalia dismissively, "we have to save my brother, and we're a lot faster than you." Without another word all three dhampirs took off like lightning bolts, leaping over the perimeter fence and racing unerringly to where they could sense Evander.

"Well what are you waiting for!" yelled Sara, startling the dumbfounded RMP officers, "mobilise the vehicles! After them! It's time to rescue my students!"

Scene Break Here

Between the hordes of monsters they had to battle through and the sheer vastness of the Lunaria Nature Park they had to cross, it was a truly exhausting endeavour. Elliot was starting to flag, and held up his hand gesturing for them to pause after dispatching the latest wave of monsters, leaning against a tree and trying to catch his breath.

"Aidios," he wheezed, "this is quite the hike isn't it? I can hardly keep up!"

"Yes, I agree, it is quite invigorating!" said Laura, "I haven't taxed myself this much in ages."

"Invigorating isn't the word I'd use," complained Alisa, "exhausting is more like it."

"It's not that bad," said Laura and Rean simultaneously. Alisa gave them a despairing look.

"And the trend of you two making me think you're not even human continues," her eyes flicked over to Evander, "no offence."

"None taken. But I am mostly human. Like Laura said, I'm not a giant moth or something like that. I look human enough. But seriously, enough with the whining you two. You don't know the meaning of a tough hike. I live so far out from Celdic that I had to walk over a hundred selge just to buy a loaf of bread. What do you think of that?"

"I think you should have moved closer to town," quipped Alisa.

"Or gone on a wheat free diet," added Elliot, grinning.

"Oh hardy har har! Very funny," Evander rolled his eyes and made as if to snap back with some sort of witty rejoinder before his eyes suddenly widened and he stopped, holding a finger to his lips and then whispering. "I hear them, up ahead. Talking. It must be the thieves."

"You can tell that from here?" whispered Elliot, cocking his head but hearing nothing, "I've got a good ear, but I can't hear a thing."

"Don't doubt me. I can even tell you that one of them is a heavy smoker. If you gave me a minute to work my pyscholexic magic, I could even tell you their shoe sizes," bragged Evander, momentarily forgetting to keep the volume down.

"He's right," said Rean, after a moment pausing, "I'm sensing them. Six men in a clearing up ahead."

"Alright, we better come up with a plan before we go any further," said Alisa, accepting Rean's word as fact, greatly annoying Evander.

"Oh so you believe him immediately? What sort of twisted psycholology is that?"

"I think you mean psychology," said Elliot.

"See! Elliot agrees with me! Well guess what. They're armed with guns too! I bet old Rean didn't sense that! I can smell the reek of gun oil!"

"Who's there!" yelled a rough voice, presumably that of the chain smoker Evander had detected earlier, either by his voice or the smell of smoke clinging to him.

"The rock steady crew!" yelled back Evander, seemingly unable to help himself. "Uh, I mean, no one!"

"Show yourself right now or we'll light this forest up!" ordered the jaeger dropout.

"I'll go," whispered Evander, "they've only heard me after all, the rest of you move around for an ambush," he raised his voice, "I'm coming! Don't shoot!" He marched into the clearing without waiting to see if his classmates were following his advice. Sure enough, six guns were trained on him the moment he entered the clearing, and he even recognised the six men from the night before. They'd attacked him with a gas grenade and disabled him before ransacking the market. It looked like their investigation had led them to exactly the right place.

"You again!" complained the leader, "didn't suffer enough punishment last night eh? Well, we can remedy that! What do you want? Coming here alone like some sort of idiot."

"What do I want? I challenge you to a dance off!" blurted out Evander, looking horrified as his did so, like it was against his will. "No trash talk, no back walk. Hands off, just you and me."

"You stupid idiot! I don't have time for this. Haverson, shoot him!"

"Uh, but he's just a kid," said one of the other dropouts, Haverson apparently, "can't we just use one of those grenades again?"

"Kid!? He's a damn leech! Shoot him!"

"Yeah! Shoot me!" yelled Evander, "do it! I can take it!"

"Are you serious?" asked Haverson.

"Of course! Shoot me! I'm immortal! I have inside me blood of fiends!" bragged Evander, wondering what was taking his classmates so damn long. In a minute this idiot would actually shoot if Evander couldn't confuse him any longer. "Bullets just make me angry. I just shrug them off like paper cuts! I eat them for breakfast!"

"All of you throw down your weapons!" ordered Rean, stepping out of the woods behind them. "You're surrounded!"

"I don't believe that for one second!" scoffed the leader. "Two kids is all you are. Well, one kid and one parasite."

"Alisa, warning shot!" commanded Rean. An arrow lanced out of cover, whistling past the head of Haverson. The rookie jaeger dropout flinched and fired by accident, right at Evander. By some miracle Evander's reflexes were good enough, one sword flashed in the air, deflecting the bullet with a loud clang and a spray of sparks. It would have been impressive if Evander didn't look as startled as the jaegers did.

"Huh? How did I do that?" he asked loudly.

"Ugh! Evander!" yelled Alisa, "don't you know when to keep your mouth shut!? You could have scared them into submission! And what's with all that gibberish you spoke at the weirdest time? Rock steady crew? Dance off?"

"Oh that? I can't help it. It's like a clock."

"Do you mean a tic?" asked Rean, everyone completely ignoring the gobsmacked mercenaries.

"That's it! Sometimes this weird crap just bursts out of me. Usually in a high stress situation. Don't read anything into it."

"All of you shut up!" ordered the thug leader, "make that three kids! We can take them! Open fire_ wait, what's that noise?" he demanded. A haunting melody came over the clearing and then moments later a giant silver bell shimmered into life over their heads. It chimed once, and a second later all six mercenaries fell into an instant slumber, dropping on the spot. Elliot stepped out of hiding, staff raised and looked almost as surprised as Evander had been earlier that his art had actually worked.

"I did it!" he said.

"Great job Elliot!" said Rean, "I knew we could buy you enough time to cast something good!"

"Thanks!" Elliot blushed and ducked his head, embarrassed by the praise, "but it'll only last a few minutes, we should deal with them quickly."

"Elliot, I've got new respect for you!" said Evander, "well done! Alisa! Tie them up!"

"With what? The bundle of rope I carry around in my purse?" she asked sarcastically.

"If you want," said Evander, completely missing her sarcasm, "unless you have a stronger rope somewhere else."

"It was a joke! Do you seriously believe I carry rope around in my purse!?" demanded Alisa.

"Why not? I wouldn't judge you. Be prepared and all that."

"Which is exactly why I picked up some rope from the general store before we set off," said Rean, producing a length of rope from his backpack, "I figured we might have to arrest them, and that'd be impossible without some sort of restraint. Help me out guys." The four of them quickly got to work, disarming the mercenaries and binding their hands before they woke up.

"Well," said Evander after they were done, looking thoroughly pleased with himself. "I think that went well. Don't you?" As if his smug words were an ill omen, a veritable harbinger of approaching doom, an earth-shaking roar echoed through the forest. "Shit! It's coming!"

"What's coming!?" demanded Elliot, "what the hell was that!?" The ground began shake as a series of great thudding footfalls began to pound towards the clearing.

"The Lord of the Forest!" said Evander, the words coming to him without him knowing what he was saying. "The great guardian of the woods! It's been roused against us!" Moments later, a huge horned ape, as big as a barn and with burning red eyes burst into the clearing. "Get the prisoners away from it! I'll try to distract it!" Evander tried his psychic monster domination trick, only for the Guardian to shrug it off instantly, throwing back on Evander and nearly causing his head to explode with pain. He gasped and dropped to his knees, swords slipping from his nerveless hands. Not all monsters were created equal it seemed.

"You dare try to command me!?" roared the giant ape, slamming a fist into the ground in rage. "You? Deathless bastard child of fiends! Worthless wretch that should not have been born! Pitiful half-breed! Wicked prince of monsters! I am this forest; I am life itself! Feed on me if you dare, I am poison to your kind! You disdain your noble bloodline by your very existence! It pains me to see one of your family fallen so low. I will stamp you out, crush the flickering embers of your unlife and offer you redemption in death!"

"Leave him alone!" roared Rean, blade springing into his hands as he faced the creature down. "He is human enough for us! And our friend beside! We won't let you harm him!" The Guardian paused, sniffing the air as he eyed the rest of Group A.

"There is something wrong with you," it observed, "but you are still human. All of you are human. Yet you all stand in defence of a leech? A disgusting parasite? Anathema to all to that lives and breathes. Is he your brother? No, you share no blood. Why then do you defend him?"

"He's one of us!" said Rean firmly, "blood or no blood. You shall not harm him!"

"Hmm. The waters of the womb are thicker than the blood of covenant, but you are not family and protect him still. Out some misguided loyalty? Out of 'friendship?' Foolish! Admirable, but foolish! Very well, I shall grant you all a quick death." It was at this moment the six jaeger dropouts stirred back into consciousness. They took one look at the giant ape and began screaming and begging for their lives.

"Save us! Give our guns back!"

"We can't leave them," said Laura, "it would be dishonourable. Fleeing is not an option. We must fight!" Evander struggled back to his feet, retrieving his blades.

"I'm with you," he said, voice still weak. "I'm with you. Whatever it takes!"

"You would defy me!?" roared the Guardian, "prepare to suffer!" It raised its great fists and lunged forward. The battle was on! Laura rushed forward to meet the Guardian's charge, bringing her massive sword up to block one it's swinging fists. The impact of the blow was so immense Laura was nearly driven into the ground by it, the strike almost more than she could hope to parry. As it was, she was forced to her knees, sword over her head, barely keeping the Lord of the Forest at bay. It raised its second fist, aiming to pummel her into the ground, but Rean was there first, his blade flashing through the air and slicing into the crook of the giant ape's elbow. Razor sharp as his tachi was, Rean's strike barely broke the Guardian's leathery skin, but the pain was enough to faze the creature into pausing. Moments later a barrage of arrows slammed into its chest, Alisa opening fire, her hands a blur of movement loosing arrow after arrow. Elliot directed an orbal blast from his staff into the arm pinning Laura down, and between that an Alisa's archery assault the beast was finally driven back. Laura sprang back to her feet and whipped her blade around in a wide arc, driving the ape further backwards to where Evander was waiting.

The young dhampir had scurried up a tree, and seeing his opening, dropped down onto the Guardian's back and stabbed both blades down hard between the beast's shoulders to buy himself purchase. Even with his superhuman strength his swords barely punctured deep enough to hold him in place, but it worked. Evander clung to the Forest Lord's back like a flea, distracting the beast into flailing its arms and trying to shake him off. Rean and Laura locked eyes, and by wordless understanding paired up in a coordinated strike. Rean went left and Laura went right, each of them darting around the beast's flailing arms, getting behind it's legs, thick and tree trunks, and aiming mighty slashes right into the back crook of it's knees. With Evander repeatedly stabbing it in the back, it's knees wounds, and arrows and orbal blasts hitting it from the front, the Guardian finally buckled, falling to its knees.

"You fight well together," it rumbled, "you truly trust this leech? He is not human, your loyalty is not reciprocated in the slightest. Watch him turn into an animal the sight of blood." The Guardian threw its head back and let out a deafening roar, the same sound they'd heard earlier, only now blasting them at close range. Evander screamed as if impaled, the sound magnified unbearably by his enhanced hearing, and fell from the creature's back, leaving his swords behind. Rean and Laura who were closest having hacked at the Guardian's legs, got the worst of it after Evander, the sound rupturing their eardrums and sending blood trickling down their faces. The smell of blood seemed to instantly revive Evander from where he fell and he leapt to his feet, a feral snarl warping his features. The Guardian seized both Rean and Laura before they could recover, holding them in place like bait for Evander. "Drink leech! Evander took a shambling step towards them, his lips pulled back fully revealing his fangs. He took another step, his hands reaching out, fingers splayed like claws. Then he stopped, letting out a frustrated scream.

"Can't" he rasped, "can't drink. Not one drop. I promised. I want it. It hurts so bad. Make it stop!"

"What madness is this?" demanded the Guardian, "a leech that will not drink? Are you broken? A defective parasite? Is it a weakness of your curse? Or a strength of your humanity? I wonder? Answer me vampire!"

"I'm not a vampire!" screamed Evander, seeming to find some strength in that phrase, he started repeating it like a mantra. "I'm not a vampire! I'm not a vampire! I'm not a vampire! I will not drink! Not one drop!" His baffling behaviour bought Alisa and Elliot time to finish their arts, Alisa sent a fiery lance at the Guardian and Elliot sent waves of healing light into Laura and Rean, restoring their hearing. The spear of flame singed the ape's fur but otherwise had little effect other than annoying it. Elliot's healing art was top notch however, and Rean and Laura were not only recovered but invigorated. They brought their swords down again and again, hacking their way free from the Guardian's clutches and nearly severing its fingers.

"Elliot, find this thing's weakness!" roared Rean as he and Laura leapt clear out of its reach. "Alisa, shoot at Evander's swords, knock them loose! Evander, be ready to catch them! Laura, help me hold it off!" Laura and Rean got to work, whirling their swords around in a deadly wall of steel that kept the great ape at bay as Alisa circled around behind it. Two precise shots later and Evander's swords were falling, and the boy lunged forward and caught them. He joined his two sword wielding classmates in the wall of metal technique, but his moves were sluggish, distracted by the scent of blood still clinging to them. Still, with three of them working together, it was enough to buy Elliot time to cast an analysis art. There was silvery flash of light and then four arcing beams lanced from his staff. Red, blue, bronze, and green. The first three bolts collided with the Guardian with a dull thunking sound but the final bolt, the green one like out a loud pinging chime on impact.

"Wind!" yelled Elliot, "it's weak to wind arts!"

"Great," said Rean, a little breathlessly as he struggled to hold the Guardian back, his sword clashing violently with its swinging claws. "Do you have anything that'll hold it long enough for all of us to have time to cast?"

"Yes, I'm on it!" Elliot planted his feet firmly on the ground and began casting, lights flickering around his staff as the art powered up. Too late for Evander though, distracted as he was, he slipped up, missing an easy parry and getting raked across the chest by a fistful of huge claws. He staggered backwards, looking down at his bloodied chest with a mildly horrified expression, then sat down hard, letting down a pained cry. The Guardian roared triumphantly, and with renewed strength knocked Rean and Laura aside like skittles, ignoring their sword strikes as if they were little more than toothpicks. It charged straight at Elliot and would have reached him if not for Alisa unleashing another hail of arrows to slow it down. Just in time, Elliot finished his cast, and the ground dissolved under the ape's feet, causing it to sink down to the waist into a muddy pit. Even this barely slowed it down though, and it began digging it's way free with alarming speed. Rean climbed back upright, struggling to think with his head spinning.

"Everyone, wind arts on it!" he commanded, "before it recovers!" A brief spell of terrified silence fell over the clearing as all of Group A, even Evander, struggling through the pain of his wounds, began casting. The defeated mercenaries had stopped blubbering, watching with wide eyes, praying to Aidios their captors would finish their casts in time. As each dreadful second past, the Guardian got closer and closer to freedom until finally it climbed free. It paused for a moment, trying to select a target, and it was that moment of hesitation that saved them. Elliot's art finished first, a bolt of lightning slammed into the Guardian's chest, then Alisa sent another, followed by Rean, then Laura and finally Evander. The Guardian screamed in pain, finally hurt badly for the first time in this whole fight. The lightning blasts blew it off it's feet and seared its flesh with terrible electrical burns. It went down and stayed down, breathing heavily, gasping for air.

"You win," it choked out, "do what you will, leech. End it."

"No," said Evander, walking over to stand over the fallen Guardian, blood still dripping down his rapidly healing chest. "We won't kill you."

"I hurt you."

"And we hurt you. I think we're all even now. So just leave and we'll call it quits."

"I cannot trust a leech. You will stab me in the back as soon as I turn to leave." Evander threw his swords down and held his empty hands up.

"I won't. You have my word."

"What do you want? What is your angle parasite? Do you seek a boon from me in exchange from your mercy?"

"No. Well except maybe that you look a little less harshly on my kind in the future." The Guardian stared at him for a good few seconds, eyes clouded by immense pain. And then something strange happened. It laughed, honestly howled with laughter.

"I can't believe it," it said, "lectured by a leech! Very well! I will give your kind a chance in future. May I rise?"

"If you can, we won't stop you. And my name is Evander, not leech." It took the Guardian a great while, but it eventually managed to lumber back onto all fours.

"I leave you now," it said, "you are a strange one, Evander. Farewell little leech, and good luck." Everyone held their breath; half expecting the Guardian to change its mind and attack them at any moment but thankfully their fears were unfounded. It turned around and trundled off into the trees, leaving the thoroughly exhausted Group A behind with the captured Jaeger Dropouts. The battle, hard fought, was finally won.

Scene Break Here

Hidden far away in the trees, out of range of both Rean and Evander's senses, a shabby looking man fiddled with an ancient looking flute in his hands. He'd been watching the whole thing from a high perch in the trees through a pair of field glasses. He was Comrade G and he was debating using the Demon Flute to compel the Guardian to return and fight. Ultimately he decided against it. The beast was too wounded to put up more a struggle, and there would be other opportunities to test out his artifact. He'd intended to use to compel the Forest Guardian to attack those meddling brats from Class Seven, but that hadn't been necessary. The Guardian had gone after them unprovoked the moment it sensed the dhampir Evander entering its territory. Also, the squad from the Provincial Army had almost reached the clearing, and they were not his intended targets. It was best to let this end here and play out without his interference for now. He silently dropped down from his perch and walked away, planning to report on this operation.

Scene Break Here

"Alright," said Rean, addressing the captured mercs, "you're all under arrest. We're taking you back to Celdic. It'll be easier on you if you don't resist."

"Ha! Sure kid!" said the leader, acting tough, "take us to the Provincial Army, see if that scares us!"

"Apparently it doesn't," observed Alisa, "because you're probably in league with them. Do we have any other alternatives?"

"Yep," said Evander, "I may have arranged for the RMP to be in the area. We'll turn these clowns over to them."

"You 'may have arranged for the RMP to be in the area?'" said Elliot, "don't tell me? Another whacky Evander private adventure?"

"Something like that."

"Hmm. I mislike how secretive you're being about it," said Laura, "but it's worked in our favour for now. Very well. We'll follow that plan. As my comrade said, you are all under arrest, do not try to resist."

"I think not!" Colonel Banadon strolled into the clearing; chest puffed out pompously as his men fanned out behind him. "The Provincial Army does not recognise citizen's arrests when they are performed by members of the criminal fraternity. We've found the culprits of the vandalism and theft in the midst of infighting men. Probably arguing over the loot. Arrest all eleven of them and take them back to the barracks to be processed."

"Are you serious!?" demanded Rean, "you know we aren't responsible! The thieves are right here! We caught them!"

"Yes, very suspicious that you knew exactly where to find them. Almost like you were in league with them the whole time. You had that idiot Evander plant some ridiculous story about outsiders doing it to hide your own participation in the crime. You and those two crooked merchants. We'll get to the bottom of this. But there'll be a very long investigation during which you'll be detained. Now, throw down your weapons and come quietly."

"Like hell!" said Evander, snatching his swords back up from where he'd discarded them moments ago. "Back off!"

"This is a joke!" said Rean, raising his sword, "you must think we're a pack of idiots. No way we're going along with this!"

"You intend to frame us for your own crimes," observed Laura coldly, "is this what the crème of the nobility's warriors have descended to?"

"Guys, we can't attack soldiers," said Elliot, "isn't there some compromise we can reach?"

"What? You mean let them take these mercs and cover the whole thing up?" said Alisa, "that's just a waste of our time. Everything we've done will be for nothing, they'll go straight back to bullying Celdic!"

"You've got a point," replied Elliot, still looking nervous, "I'm with you guys if you think resisting is for the best."

"Why you insolent brats! How dare you raise your weapons against us! Men, seize them!"

"Enough!" roared another voice, and suddenly three shadows blurred out from the trees, Regulus, Thalia, and Adaline, here ahead of the RMP to rescue Evander and his classmates. Thalia, still exhausted from her harsh treatment in captivity, immediately fell upon one of the soldiers, biting his neck and drinking great gulps of blood to rejuvenate herself. Regulus danced among the other soldiers with lightning speed, laying into them with the haft of his hatchet, each blow sending men flying through the air. But there were simply too many of them, even for a dhampir, so Adaline lunged into the fray, seizing Colonel Banadon and holding him hostage, fangs bared against his neck.

"Call your men off!" she hissed, and the terrified Colonel gave the order for them to fall back. Thalia released her victim, who dazed and weak from blood loss, fell to the ground, and Regulus moved to stand between Group A and the soldiers. It was a stalemate. A whole platoon of Provincial Soldiers, minus a few members from the assault, had their guns aimed at the dhampirs and Group A, only held back from firing by the captivity of their leader.

"You'll pay for this, vampire!" blustered Colonel Banadon, "you and your whole wretched kind. You've attacked duly appointed law enforcers now, there's no escape for you! No one is coming to save you."

"I beg to differ," came a cool, calm voice. And then Captain Claire stepped into the clearing from the other side, a full squad of RMP officers behind her, their rifles trained on their Provincial counterparts. "The RMP are here to take over the handling of this case. Celdic is on the rail line, and therefore under our jurisdiction. We may take over any investigation from the local authorities without warning. Order your men to lower their weapons, Colonel, before someone gets seriously hurt."

"You can't be serious!" raged Colonel Banadon, "you're thugs true, but you're supposed to be law abiding thugs! How can you side with a bunch of criminals and parasites? She's literally about to bite my head off!"

"Yes, well about that, if you'd release the Colonel please Adaline, we'll have a civilised discussion about this," said Claire. Adaline paused for a moment, letting the Colonel know just how close he was to danger, and then withdrew to stand beside her husband and daughter. "Thank you. Now, can we discuss like adults without all the sabre rattling?"

"Fine," Colonel Banadon spat out that single word like it was a vile epithet, but gestured for his men to lower their guns all the same. After a moment's hesitation, the RMP squad did the same. "I don't care much for your jurisdiction Captain, when it's my men who've been wounded. I intend to contest this takeover with every authority in the land until I get results. You can't just whisk away these cretins and let them off free of charge!"

"The injuries to your men were regrettable Colonel, but I assure you entirely the result of a misunderstanding. Regulus and Adaline were directly assisting us on an operation only a matter of hours ago. They came here straight from fighting hostiles and must have confused your men as aggressors in this situation. It was unfortunate, but luckily no one was seriously hurt. I don't have to tell you that as official contractors working for the RMP, it would be pointless for you to pursue charges against them in this manner. If you're still upset, the Government Accountability Inspectorate would be more than happy to hear your complaints. In due time. However, until such an investigation eventuates, Regulus and Adaline are leaving with us."

"And the girl!?" demanded the Colonel, "don't tell me she was one of your operatives? She attacked a man right in front of me! Drank his blood! And we have reason to suspect she is behind several attacks on locals to the Celdic region."

"Admittedly, she was not part of our operation," admitted Claire, "but she is a minor, and will be taken along with her parents. Surely you agree that's for the best?"

"I do not! I'll let you have the other two leeches, but I will not leave without arresting the girl and taking her into Provincial Army custody. And as for the other one," he gestured with Evander. "I'll take him too, since I suspect he knew where his sister was the whole time and withheld it from us. I'll have him as an accessory to her crimes. Unless you want to claim he works for the RMP too?"

"No, I don't want to claim that," said Claire, "but we may have a third option here. There is another authority in Celdic who can judge Evander and Thalia impartially and is neutral to the conflict between our factions."

"Who? Which rabbit will you pull out of your hat now!" demanded Colonel Banadon. "Who in Aidios' name can possibly try a bunch of leeches better than us?"

"Exactly, in Aidios' name," Father Zirbel, accompanied by Sara walked into the clearing, "they will be tried by the Septian Church." Sara waved and winked at her students.

"Sorry I'm late guys and gals, just had a short detour to pick up the father here," she said.

"A priest!? How ridiculous!" said Colonel Banadon, "are you seriously going to claim this a matter for the church, Father Zirbel?"

"If these two children will confess to being descended from fiends, before the entire town of Celdic and the eyes of Aidios, they will fall under the jurisdiction of the Septian Church and ordered to undergo the Ordeal of Light before witnesses," said Father Zirbel firmly.

"The entire town of Celdic!?" Evander's eyes nearly bulged out of his head, "Instructor, if we could have a quick sidebar?"

"Certainly Evander, come with me," Sara walked off a short distance into the trees and Evander followed her, unable to believe what he was hearing. "Whatever is the matter, my dear student?" she asked, pretending not to know what he was about to say.

"I was okay with telling my classmates," said Evander, "but announcing it to the whole town!? The news will spread, within the week every man and his dog will know I'm a dhampir! Do you mistake me for a madman?"

"No," said Sara, "though perhaps I mistook you for a man. That is what you claim to be right? A human? You're going to have to make a choice sooner or later Evander. Human or vampire. You think your bloodline lets you straddle the fence, avoid taking a side. But you're wrong. Man or monster Evander, which is it?"

"You know how badly I want to answer that I'm a human, Instructor, but I'm not. And I never will be."

"Perhaps. But you'll also never be a vampire, no matter how cursed your blood is. And if you can't be either, it's up to you to choose how to live your life. As a human or a fiend. How you act will be how people remember you Evander. If you run now, let the RMP bail you out of this, the Provincial Army will spread whatever story they want about you. Do you want that?"

"No," admitted Evander, "but this sounds crazy!"

"The best plans always are!" Sara laughed, "are you in or what?"

"Fine. You're right."

"I always am," scoffed Sara, "I thought you'd know that by now. Let's go back, shall we?" The student and teacher returned to the clearing and Evander walked up to Father Zirbel and nodded respectfully.

"I, Evander of the Half Moon Clan, confess to being a dhampir. Half human, half vampire, and submit to the authority of the Septian Church."

"And you, Thalia?" asked Father Zirbel. The young girl looked back at her adopted parents, unsure what to do.

"Go on honey," said Adaline, "It'll be alright."

"Okay, if you're sure," Thalia walked over to stand beside Evander. "What he said," she said, rolling her eyes, "let's get this over with."

"Very well," said Father Zirbel, "the trial of Evander and Thalia Half Moon will begin as soon as we return to Celdic. May Aidios be with you."

"Are we really going to go along with this farce?" demanded Colonel Banadon, "Captain Claire, will you allow them to slip through your fingers as well?"

"Yes," she said, "if it will avoid an incident between us."

"Insanity! Pure insanity!" raged the Colonel, "Very well. Let's have your trial! But if you prove them human, we'll reopen the discussion.

"Indeed, we will," said Claire, "but that's for another time. To Celdic then."

And so the procession set off, with Evander and Thalia heading for a trial the likes of which hadn't been seen for centuries. May Aidios be with them indeed.