Rising Darkness(Closed for velena_night)

[LucianDevine]

"Dammit"

Zeke Durran cursed softly to himself as he crested a hill and saw the town that was his destination so close, resting at the top of the next hill along the road. He turned his violet gaze briefly setting sun and shook his head before forcing himself to continue onward.

It might seem weird for somebody to be annoyed that their destination was right in front of them, but his intentions weren't like others, and nightfall made those intentions more dangerous, meaning that they had to wait until the sun came up. Still, there was one good thing about being so close to town though, and that he always did prefer a soft and warm bed to sleep on instead of the cold hard ground.

The last bit of his journey didn't take long for Zeke, his body had long since gotten used to the hard life of the trail. He'd been walking at a fairly deliberate pace all day, but was barely winded.

There was nobody on patrol around the town of Grenview, not that Zeke was surprised. It was a small and humble town whose most notable feature was a temple of Otena, the sun goddess. The presence of the temple, and the paladins within tended to keep the town safe from ruffians and criminals. As such, he was able to walk into town unopposed.

It didn't take long for Zeke to find the local tavern, which also served as the inn. He pushed the swinging doors open, and the soft creaking sound they made pulled the eyes of several of the patrons to his cloaked six foot frame. Their eyes didn't linger long, especially when he pulled back his hood and revealed his face. He actually detected a slight sigh, likely of relief, from the bartender and barmaid. His booted steps sounded loudly as he walked across the hard wooden floor towards the bar where he calmly ordered a drink and took a seat on one of the stools.

 

[velena_night]

She was shoved awake by an angry scream in her mind, and then came flashes of a place, followed by a clear voice “Grenview is where you will go NOW chosen, Darkness is in my temple. GO NOW” Erica was out of her bed before her goddess spoke and had half her travel bag packed before the last words rang out in her mind. This had been her life since the Goddess Otena had first spoken to her many years ago. With a nod to one of the night watch as she left the temple yard, she set out on the road with the inner magic of Otena’s Will guiding her path. That was three days ago.

As she stood on one of the many hills overlooking the town and sighed with relief as the magic that took over her flowed from her body. The rest of the quest would be her own, without the will of her Goddess aiding her strength. Erica waited for the sun to set before entering the quiet town, a more dangerous choice, but less chance of being seen. She pulled off one of the charms tied to her belt as she walked the streets cupping it in her hand letting the magic within it hide her movements even more.

Erica gently pushed the door of the tavern open and slipped inside shutting it softly behind her. She studied those in the room before dropping the charm into her bag letting the ‘notice me not spell’ drift away as she slipped into a chair at an empty table. She pushed off her hooded cloak and motion for one of the barmaids to bring her a drink. She could see the fear in these people as they moved all except one sitting at the bar.

 

[LucianDevine]

The sound of the tavern doors swinging open, albeit very softly caught Zeke's attention. He didn't have to turn around or even look over his shoulder to know that the person opening it wasn't a member of the coven that held this town hostage. The fact that the door had been opened gently was tell enough, but if that wasn't, the sigh of relief that he noticed from the staff once more told him so.

Despite those sighs of relief though, the fear and tension in both the staff and the patrons was palpable. Zeke didn't even need his heightened senses to notice it. Every move they made was filled with tension and anxiety. They naturally had every reason to be concerned.

Zeke had just ordered his second drink when his ears picked up the boisterous sounds of an approaching group of men. The hair on the back of it's neck stood on end as they approached, but while his senses were screaming at him to do something, he forced himself to remain calm, even when the loud slamming open of the swinging doors filled the room.

A simple glance up at the bartender was all Zeke needed to do to know that these were the men that he was afraid of. It was impossible to tell how many men there were without turning around, and that was the last thing Zeke wanted to do right now. He didn't want to call attention to himself and make what he was going to do tomorrow difficult if he didn't have to.

The amount of noise that the men behind him made was a true assault on the senses, and that was before you even counted the words coming out of their mouths.

"Can you believe the amount of blood that came out of that bitch?"

"Not as much as if they'd let us fuck her first, am I right?"

"You said it man! Whatever asshole decided it had to be a virgin sacrifice deserves to have his cock cut off!"

The bartender and barmaids clearly had been waiting for these men, because just as the men were finished sitting down, one of the barmaids was at there table in a hurry with four pitchers of ale.

"Speaking of fucking..." One of the men said, his words coming just before a clear cry of objection from the barmaid. Her cry was cut short by the obvious sound of a hand slapping her across the face and the sound of her skirt being ripped.

"Hey now!" The bartender cried out in protest from behind the bar.

"You shut your cunt mouth and we might just let your other daughter off easy tonight!"

The bartender was a good man, anybody could see that, but he was clearly not a fighter, not that he stood a chance against the group of men by himself. Zeke saw the look the man cast at him, and he took the opportunity to slam his empty mug down on the bar and pushed the stool out from under him, sending it clattering to the floor. He turned towards the group of men, his violet eyes counting seven of them in total.

"Some of us were enjoying our drinks in peace before you showed up..." Zeke started as he walked slowly towards the group of men. "and we'd like to continue to do so. So why don't you all get the fuck out of here before somebody gets hurt?"

"The fuck did you just say to me?" The man who was about to rape the barmaid asked as he passed her off to one of the other guys at the table. He stepped towards Zeke as his hand reached for his sword.

Zeke was one step ahead of the man though, and as the man went to draw his sword, he punched the man square in the face, sending him sprawling back onto the table. He wasn't about to stop there though, and his hand reached for the great sword sheathed on his back. He drew it, gave it a quick spin, before bringing his other hand to help hold the large weapon before he brought it down squarely in the prone man's chest. The impact covered his companions with blood, and pulling the blade out covered Zeke's cloak with blood. There was a great clattering as the men stumbled to their feet and went for their weapons, but Zeke was one step ahead once again. He grabbed their table with one hand and shoved it off the ground over them as he brought his large weapon to bear once more.

 

[velena_night]

Erica heard the noise of the group approaching, glad she had taken a table out of way. As the door opened she saw the bartender tense up, the fear clear on his face as it was on the rest of the staff. Her first thoughts were to ignore the group for now and fallow them after they left in hopes they would lead her to the cause of the evil in this town. The words they spoke gave her new thoughts.

“Can you believe the amount of blood that came out of that bitch?”
“Not as much as if they’d let us fuck her first, am I right?
“You said, it man! Whatever asshole decided it had to be virgin sacrifice deserves to have his cock cut offf”

Her hand closed around her blade and was in the process of pulling it when she made herself wait. Instinct telling her to wait for something that was about to happen, giving her the right moment. She watched the encounter with the men and the barmaid, forcing herself again to wait. Just as the man at the bar pushed his stool back and drew the attention of the men on himself, she quietly slid her chair back. Then moved slowly around behind them pulling her sword as she did. Not a soul noticed her but with a man impaling another few would be looking behind them. As the men went for their weapons, she slipped behind the closest. Her hand covered his mouth as her sword went through his back.

She ducked the table as it went over her head as she sliced at the neck of her second victim covering herself in his blood. Erica paused her green eyes lightening in color as she studied the scene before her, and then continued on to the next man.

 

[LucianDevine]

Even as his blade had gone down the first time, Zeke saw the movements of the woman behind the men. He hadn't been sure of her intentions, but after having watched her stab one man in the back and cut the throat of another one, he'd seen about all he needed to see. He was further glad to notice that she'd managed to avoid the way he threw the table up and over. Regardless of who she was, her blood was not what he wanted.

One of the men charged at Zeke, but he simply blocked the weapon and lifted his foot to kick the man square in the chest, sending him rolling backwards into the wall. As he brought his foot back down, he pulled a dagger from it and used it to block the weapon of another man. He brought his head forward and headbutted the man square in the nose before shifting his grip on his dagger to grab the collar of the man's shirt, spin around, and toss the man out the open window of the tavern. As he came back around, he blocked another attack and stabbed the man in the arm with his dagger, forcing him to drop the sword he was holding.

Zeke left the blade there, buried fully in the man's arm as the man cried out in shock and pain. Zeke's fist found the man's gut next, and the punch doubled the man over. As the man's head came down, Zeke's knee came up and caught him square in the face. He had no chance of letting this one off easy though, and where the man would have fell limp, Zeke grabbed a fistful of the man's shirt and effortlessly dragged the man's limp body out the door of the tavern, following behind one of the men that had shamelessly fled for his life.

As he exited the tavern, Zeke saw the man running towards the temple and saw that the man he'd thrown from the window was also gone, likely having fled in the same direction.

Zeke pulled the man into the middle of the street before sheathing his great sword and using his free hand to pull the dagger out of the man's arm. "Did you see how much blood came out of that bitch? Zeke asked the barely conscious man before letting him fall flat on his stomach, whimpering with pain as he tried to crawl away. He followed slowly after the man, stalking him as he shifted the dagger into his dominant hand.

The man continued to whimper as Zeke stepped up beside him and dropped to his knee, grabbing the man by the hair and jerking his head back to stare into his own blood red eyes. "Not as much as if I fucked you though, am I right??" As he finished speaking the last word, he plunged the dagger right into the prone man's ass as he shrieked in agony. He buried the blade all the way to the hilt before giving it a slow and agonizing twist, and only then did he rip the blade up and out.

With so many options open to him, Zeke chose to leave the man lying there in agony as he searched the man's pockets and took what little gold he had. Only then did he rise to his feet and turn back towards the tavern.

 

[velena_night]

Erica was stepping towards her next target when the barmaid flung herself into Erica’s arms. By the time she untangled the hysterical creature from her body and into the arms of one of the others, her temporary ally was dragging a man out the door. The only living man was still against the wall, and by the way he was moving he must have been knocked unconscious. She looked over the other men as she walked towards him. No one else was breathing.

She went down on a knee beside the man against the wall. She hit him across the face a few times hard enough she knew his face would be bruised tomorrow but not enough to break anything. Once his eyes where on her she grabbed his chin making him look at her, her other hand reaching behind her for a charm in a small pouch there. The thing burned a little in her hand as she pressed it into his arm and whispered the word that unlocked its dark power. She stared into his eyes for a moment then got up and turned to the door to look for the other men.

“You're not going to kill him?” the bartender asked as she passed him. She shook her head at him “ No” she answers “that token will never leave his arm, nor will the visions it will show him. He should live, but his mind will never let him touch another person for as long as he does, so none have a reason to fear him again” With that, she headed out the door.

Just as she stepped through the door the site before her shocked her. Seeing what he did to that man made her shake her head and part of her wondered which man had the worse fate. Erica meet the eyes of her ‘ally” for the first time as she spoke to him “ I count 5, where are the other bodies?” her voice was velvet soft yet firm. Before waiting for a reply she continued “ they must have managed to flee. Did you at least see where they went or were you too busy playing with that one?”

 

[LucianDevine]

Knowing that this was the last of the men to be dealt with, Zeke's emotions calmed down enough that his eyes returned to their normal violet color before he rose from his kneeling position to his full six foot height. He met the woman's gaze as she spoke, and couldn't resist the soft scoff when she mentioned that he'd been playing.

"He got exactly what he deserved." Zeke said in a hard, firm, and pitiless voice. "He and his friends watched a human sacrifice and found nothing but humor in it, and immediately followed it by attempting to rape an innocent woman. As for his friends, one fled towards the temple. I don't know about the other, but I can assume he did the same."

It wasn't until he was done speaking that Zeke realized that he still held the bloody knife in his hand. He turned towards the soon-to-be-dead man on the ground, but didn't see any clothing he could use to clean his blade. As such, he resorted to reaching for the bottom of his own cloak. He wiped the blood from the blade before returning it to his boot. Only then did he start walking back towards the woman and entrance to the tavern. He never did get the second drink he'd ordered.

 

[velena_night]

Erica studied the man before her watching as he cleaned off his dagger, knowing her sword was cleaned of the shirt on one of the men in the bar. she did return it to its sheath at her hip as he walked to her. No towards the bar. finally, she spoke again "They did earn this and more. Later the other two will pay as well if they are stupid enough to stay in town." She paused looking slightly up at him being only a bit shorter than him and purposely blocking the door. "if you have plans to hunt them down you can always follow me, unless that little bit of fighting wore you out." she dared a wink at him then took off at a full run towards the temple.

 

[LucianDevine]

It was hard to not be annoyed when the woman deliberately moved to block his path. After all, what business of hers was it to ask what he did or didn't intend to do about the two men that had escaped. He met her green gaze and held it, sizing her up in his own way.

Zeke didn't get a chance to respond to her remark or the wink that she flashed at him before she turned and took off at a full run towards the temple. He could do nothing but let out an audible groan that was closer to a roar before he took off after her. He knew the direction she was headed in and cut down an alley between a couple of houses before continuing along on the next street over. It was only then that he showed his true speed, matching her pace and just a bit more despite the armor and weapons he carried.

Little did this woman know that the darkness was what Zeke was born from, no matter how he tried to deny it. His keen senses enabled to see her running parallel to him, and he pushed himself a bit more, getting ahead of her before darting down another alley way to cut her off. He had no intention of doing so gently, however. He expected that a woman like this needed a more...direct approach.

The two intersected, and Zeke barely had to adjust his speed before making direct contact with her, catching her square in the shoulder with his shoulder, sending her sprawling to the ground.

"Are you seriously this stupid or just crazy?" Zeke asked the woman as he stepped towards her, moving slightly to the side to put himself between her and her destination. "Did you even stop to ask yourself why those people were so afraid of those men, or why they could be so brazen in a town that contains a temple to the sun goddess? In case you didn't know, those men are the moral minions of a coven of vampires that has desecrated the temple and taken up residence there. So unless you you have a plan to fight an entire coven or vampires that know you are coming plus any minions they have with them, I suggest you wait until morning."

 

[velena_night]

She heard him only seconds before he ran into her, just enough time to adjust herself so she didn’t get hurt in the fall and position her body in a way she could defend herself if needed. She growled staring at him, how in the heavens did he manage to get ahead of her like that. She jumped to her feet as he blocked her path. “Are you seriously this stupid or just crazy?” she glared at him as he continued. When he first mentioned vampires her fingers twitched wanting to grab the amulet tuck under her shirt, but other than that slight movement she remained still until he suggested she wait until morning.

With those words, she stepped towards him placing herself closer than necessary to him. “I am not stupid nor crazy. I knew that temple was desecrated before I stepped foot in this town.” she paused decided this stranger didn’t need to know why she was here or who she was “I do not fear facing vampires or their minions, though perhaps the lust of battle clouded my thoughts. Waiting until morning for me to deal with them would be best.”

With that she turned back towards the tavern and called to him “I suppose I owe you a drink for that.” she glanced down at her clothes, perhaps after I change I may just buy him one. she thought to herself.

 

[LucianDevine]

The woman was difficult to read as she stepped up to him, standing nearly face-to-face with him. Despite her bravado though, he did notice a slight reaction from her when he mentioned the word vampires. There was no way to know what her reaction meant just yet, but it was worth noting and filing away for later.

Zeke couldn't help but scoff when the woman saw reason and admitted that it would be better to wait until the morning to deal with the vampires. The scoff quickly turned to a full-bellied laugh when the woman turned around and headed back towards the tavern and called after him. He shook his head once more, almost with exasperation. He had never claimed to be an expert when it came to women, but some were certainly more difficult than others, that was for sure.

"Only one drink eh?" Zeke called after the woman as he started after her. "Is that all your life is worth to you?" He couldn't resist the joke. This night had been far more exciting than even he could have predicted, and the next morning was certain to be at least this exciting, but likely even more so.

 

[velena_night]

Erica laughed in her mind at his comment. There was something intriguing about him. As she reached the door of the tavern she paused letting two men carry one of the dead bodies past her. She slipped inside hoping to avoid the staff, grab her bag, and find a quiet place to clean up.

Just as she grabbed her travel bag the bar tended ran up to her blocking her path "Miss miss please is there anything we can do for you anything at all...drink, food, a place to sleep all on us just ask. The least we can do." She growled at him in her mind yet forced a smile. "Just some hot water and place to clean up. Everything else I need I will pay for." The man tried to argue and she sighed "hot water" she repeated " I would rather not spend a moment long wearing anothers blood." Those words seemed to snap something in his mind he started at her a moment before motioning one of the maids over and whispering something to her. Not long after she was being lead to a room in the back... an actual bath house the staff use.

Cleaned up and with her favorite travel clothing drying somewhere. She she went against her normal, soft leather shirt and pants, for a modest forest green dress with her belt of charms around her waist. Her hair was still damp so instead of its long braid she let it hang lose down her back.

Erica made a stop at the room she had asked for upstairs to drop her bag off and though perhaps foolishly her sword. Then made her way down the stairs, back into the main room. Most of the mess had been cleared away and as she glanced around the room her eyes fell on him.

 

[LucianDevine]

The walk back to the tavern was surprisingly quiet but somehow peaceful. Zeke expected the woman to either slow down for him, or at least keep talking over her shoulder, but was surprised when she did neither of those things. He could have sped up to catch up with her, but he stayed back, respecting what was likely a conscious choice on her part.

Zeke reached the door of the tavern just a little bit after the woman, and he caught a glimpse of her disappearing up the stairs after he entered the room. He saw the eyes of both the patrons and the staff look in his direction, but he paid them no heed as he just walked towards the bar once more.

"Thank you for that..." The bartender started as he set a fresh mug of ale down in front of Zeke. The man was obviously going to keep talking, but Zeke simply lifted a hand and shook his head. His motions silenced the man, and Zeke saw a look of nervousness cross the man's face.

"There's no need to thanks. Nobody deserves what they were going to do to your daughter." Zeke said as he reached for the mug the man set down. His other hand reached into his pocket and pulled out the money he'd stolen from the man in the street. The bartender shook his head and lifted his hand, but Zeke didn't give him the chance to speak. "This is from one of the men..." He started as his hand reached for his own coin purse and pulled out a single platinum piece and set it with the rest. "And this is for the damages. I won't take no for an answer, but I would ask two favors." He paused and gave the bartender a chance to object, but when the man said nothing, Zeke continued. "I'd like a room for the night and a way to wash myself and my clothes."

The bartender's face relaxed when he heard the simple nature of Zeke's requests. "Of course..." The bartender said with a chuckle. "The room upstairs on the right is all yours, and if you like you can leave any dirty clothes you have with me, and I'll have my girls wash them for you and have them ready by tomorrow."

Zeke nodded to the bartender, clearly accepting the man's words as he removed his hand from the money and moved to grab the mug of ale. He took a deep drink before setting the mug down and heading for the stairs.

After he reached his room, Zeke quickly pulled off his cloak and his cloak and hung it up on the rack near the door. He removed his greatsword next and set it by the bed, just in case. The heavy chainmail that he wore came next, revealing the simple white tunic and brown trousers he wore underneath. There was some blood on the tunic, so he removed it and hung it up near his cloak. His hands then reached for the sword sheathed at his waist, but he hesitated before finally second-guessing his decision. He left it where it was at his waist, scooped up his cloak and tunic, and left the room.

Zeke walked down the stairs bare-chested, shamelessly ignoring the looks that turned his way. His skin was pale to say the least, but nobody could deny his physique. He wasn't overly bulky with corded muscle or anything, but had a firm and wiry frame built for speed and endurance. His free hand brushed his short black hair away from his violet eyes before he approached the bar once more. He handed his cloak and tunic to the bartender before taking a seat once more.

 

[velena_night]

His back was to her so she alowed herself to stare a him a moment. Shirtless really, not that it surprised her, in truth she found it amusing. Mostly because of the looks the others were giving him, and the lust in the one bairmaid's eyes every time she went near the bar.

While she stood in the doorway watching them all she debated between one of the tables or a seat beside him at the bar. She choice the later and made her way slowly to barstool at his left. As she sat she leaned a bit closer to him "i bet any moment that one is going to offer herself to you in some way" she nodded in the direction of the girl leaning over the end of the bar with her eyes glue on him.

Erica shook her head laughing softly as the whole thing. Then motioned to the bartender for an ale of her own. When he stepped away she spoke softly again "Im Erica by the way" she crossed her arms on the bar in front of her as she talked. "Not that you asked and more then likely will choose not to remember in a few days time."

She thanked the bartender for the drink when he return with it and sat in silence drinking it.

 

[LucianDevine]

Zeke was more than aware of the attention that his presence was attracting, especially from the bar maid, likely the sister of the one he'd saved. These people were of no concern to him though, so he paid them little heed. There was only one person in this building that was of concern to him at the moment, and she owed him a drink.

As if on cue, no sooner did the woman enter Zeke's mind, than he heard a voice from behind him. He turned around on his stool and let a small smile come to his lips when he saw who it was. He couldn't help the soft chuckle at her words, and neither could he resist the urge to turn towards the girl who was looking so lustfully at him. He saw the way her eyes lit up when she noticed him looking at her, and how she leaned forward on the bar, leaning on her arms and pushed her breasts together for him to admire.

"I don't doubt that for a moment." Zeke said as he turned back towards the woman once more. One of his hands scooped up his mug and brought it to his lips. Only after that drink did he set it down and speak once more. "You are right that I didn't ask, but to be fair, you didn't exactly slow down to make any sort of conversation easy on our way back here." He was kidding of course, but couldn't help but be curious about the woman. He'd seen his fair share of warrior women, but none that shared the eagerness she'd displayed when she charged so recklessly towards the temple, knowing who currently resided within it.

"Speaking of earlier, you handled that blade of yours quite well." Zeke said as he encircled his mug with his hand once more. Are you in town to deal with them and their masters, or just passing through?"

 

[velena_night]

“You are right that I didn’t ask, but to be fair, you didn’t exactly slow down to make any sort of conversation easy on your way back here.” Erica took a small sip from her mug and smiled at him knowing he was kidding. “A leisurely stroll while covered in a man’s blood is not my idea of fun” she winked at him “Not to mention, I figured you would be here waiting on that drink I promised. So I could take my time cleaning up.”

She took another sip “A lifetime of training makes you that good with a weapon. You are rather good with yours as well I noticed. I’m here to deal with them, and then pass through as one does.” She found herself once again studying him, her curiosity to learn more about this strange warrior pushing away her normal loner behavior. “ And what of you? Why did your path lead you to this little town?”

She reached up pushing back a strand of her hair that wasn’t there, trying to ignore the charm vibrating against her hip as they spoke and drank. After some time she did order another drink for both of them paying for it before the Bartender or he could say anything about it.

 

[LucianDevine]

Zeke couldn't help but chuckle between drinks from his mug when Erica talked about walking back to the tavern covered in blood.

"You should try wearing a cloak next time." Zeke offered up with a coy smile. "It won't keep the blood off of that pretty face of yours, but it should shield the rest of your clothes, not that I mind the current view of course."

After his initial joking comments, Zeke stayed silent for a few moments while he considered his response. He knew very little of this woman, and he wouldn't put it past his prey of choice to employ such a woman in anticipation of his arrival. They'd made no attempt to hide their takeover of the town or prevent people from coming and going, which was unusual to say the least.

Zeke ended up waiting until Erica bought him the drink she'd promised him before he finally chose to answer her question.

"I'm here more for them than anything else. You could say that I have a history of sorts with vampires, and I've made it my personal mission to rid the world of as many of them as I can."

 

[velena_night]

Erica let out a small laugh at his comment about wearing a cloak and smiled when he said he was enjoying the view. "A cloak gets in the way with my fighting style. I wasn't expecting the fight or I would have used one of my charms that repels things like that." She leaned back as she spoke gesturing to the belt at her waist. " These things are more than just some silly feminine decoration, Each one is a weapon or a defense." Not sure why she pulled a charm from a small pouch at the hip closest to him at set it on the bar. "That one is the real reason I was not afraid to face them alone and at night. A simple word and the light from it will kill anyone, with night blood, it touches." she slipped it back into its pouch when the bartender returned with the round she requested.

She waited as they drank the round, for his reply. Erica could tell the way he carefully chose his words. Knowing he wasn't lying to her, yet there was something under them he was choosing not to say. Just as there were things she wasn't saying to him. "A history with vampires, that sounds like a story worth hearing if you choose to share it. First, though I'm curious how did you know this town had vampires in it?"

 

[LucianDevine]

It was impossible not to pay attention to Erica As she talked about the charms on her belt, and Zeke couldn't help but laugh when she made the joke about them being more than just feminine decoration. His attention definitely perked up when she pulled one of them from her belt and explained what it did.

"One word and they're all dead huh? That is one hell of a weapon, and one I wish I had access to. I'd still recommend a bit more caution before attacking an entire coven on your own though. Vampires have a tendency to employ humans and other kinds of creatures that don't share such a weakness."

Erica's genuine interest in his past actually caught Zeke off guard. IT's true that she had revealed a bit about herself, but it was another thing entirely to show what appeared to be genuine interest in his past. He picked up his drink and studied her for a few moments before finally taking a drink. He didn't even know the last time he'd told even a faction of his past to, and he definitely didn't expect to be telling it when he arrived her earlier.

"My father went missing before I was born as a result of a group of vampires visiting my home town. Those same vampires were responsible for my mother's death not long after she gave birth to me. I was an orphan before I took my first breath, and spent the next fifteen years on the streets lying, cheating, and stealing just to scrape by."

Zeke paused in his story to take a long drink from the mug Erica had bought for them. Only then did he finally continue with his story. "When I finally managed to find my way in life I dedicated my it to killing those worthless parasites, and haven't looked back. They do nothing for this world except cause pain and misery, and the entire world would be better if they ceased to exist."

It wasn't until after he finished his story that Zeke realized that he hadn't fully answered Erica's questions. "It's not easy to track vampires when they are trying to hide their presence. I rely mostly on rumors and underlings that get too drunk to keep their mouth shut at first. Then it's a matter of separating the true ones from the false ones and following the credible leads. Even the most careful of vampires leaves signs of their passing, be it bodies or survivors with bite marks, and from there it's just a matter of following the signs and picking my moment before moving on to the next place. I've been tracking this group for a few weeks now, and finally managed to catch up with them."

 

[velena_night]

"...Vampires have a tendency to employ humans and other kinds of creatures that don't share such a weakness. " She winked at him as she replied, "That is what a sharp blade is for."

Erica listened to his story as they drank. Part of her wanted to say something, anything when he paused, but she kept her silence. When he finished she looked at him and sighed "My path did not start as dark as yours, but in a way, we walk the same one. The world would be better without those creatures, and come morning there will be a few less in the world. "

She finished her drink soon after he did. "A few weeks before they ended here? I'm still wondering why they chose a temple in the middle of nowhere. And a temple of the sun at that. The temples of Otena are not exactly vampire friendly." She leaned back in her chair trying to think of answers to her own questions.

Before long she caught herself yawning. "I don't know about you, but I have been on the road three days with almost no rest. So I am off to sleep for a few hours before we go play kill some vampires." She smiled at him and winked again. "Don't go after them without me, I wouldn't want to miss the fun."

After his reply, she wished him a good rest and made her way up to her room. There she closed the door behind her and locked it before moving to the bed without bothering to light a candle. Erica sat down in the middle of the bed crossed her legs and sent her thoughts of the day to her Goddess. With a soft whisper, she spoke into the darkness of her room. "Dear Lady, I'm still unsure why you chose me." a soft sigh. "Come your light I will not fail in this task you set before me." She let out another yawn before moving to hang the belt of charms on the headboard and moving her sword within reach as well.

After climbing into to covers of the softer than expected bed she had a passing thought as to why his eyes were such an odd color before a dreamless sleep washed over her.

 

[LucianDevine]

"Three days with almost no rest eh? That'll definitely tire somebody out." Zeke said before laughing at the words Erica followed it up with. "I'll wake you up a little after sunrise, but that means you'd better fall asleep pretty quick. Otherwise you won't get enough of that beauty sleep you girls are always raving about."

After Erica went upstairs, Zeke ordered up one more drink. He nursed it slowly as he let his eyes glaze over. Despite the thoughts that were rolling through his head he heard some of the patrons mentioning that it was late and they were surprised the bartender hadn't done last call yet. Zeke let his gaze briefly flick over towards the bartender, and he saw the man occasionally glancing at him. It didn't take long for him to realize why the man was still serving drinks. He was afraid that Zeke would respond badly or even violently if he tried to cut Zeke off. He signaled over to the man and reached into his pocket once more.

"Thanks for the drinks. I'm sorry to have kept you up so long." Zeke said simply as he pulled another platinum piece out of his pocket and placed it on the bar. He then finished up the last of his drink, set his mug down, and got up to head to his room. He locked the door behind him He let his back rest against the closed door as he tried to process everything that had happened that night.

The stuff that had happened with the mortal minions of the vampires was simple enough. The attention he got from the bartender's daughter was also not unexpected given the events of the night and that he'd walked back down there without a shirt on. Then there was Erica. Where to begin with that woman? She was here to deal with the vampires like he was, had spent nearly three days with little to no sleep to get here, was skilled with the blade, went for the kill and wasn't afraid to stab a man in the back if she had to. Yet at the same time she had the charms that she'd mentioned. Her individual skills weren't something he hadn't seen before, but it was rare to see all of those qualities on the same person.

"Oh what the fuck does it matter?" Zeke asked himself aloud as he shook his head and walked further into the room. She was just going to be another name and memory in his long life. What did the specifics matter after tomorrow anyway? He focused his attention on other matters as he lowered his gaze to the sheathed sword that was still strapped to his side. He focused his mind on it, steeling himself as he reached his hand towards the hilt. His hand shook a bit as it hovered around the hilt before he finally forced himself to close his hand fully around it and pull the weapon from it's sheath.

The second the sword was free of the sheath Zeke felt a surge of pain surge through his body. It caught him off guard like it always did whenever he drew the blade. His hand squeezed harder despite all of his instincts telling him to let go of the blade and put an end to the pain. It wouldn't have been so bad if the pain was just in his hand, but no. The sword made his veins feel like they were filled with lava, caused a constant pulse of pain in his head, and got worse with every second that he held the blade. He knew why it caused him such pain, and still forced himself to endure it every night. It was a powerful weapon against evil creatures, and caused such pain to every evil creature that touched it, including himself. It had taken literal years for him to build up enough of a tolerance to even hold the blade, and even more to tolerate the pain long enough to wield the weapon for even a small amount of time.

Only when he could no longer stand the pain did Zeke force himself to sheath the weapon and let go of the hilt. He was gasping for breath and sweating profusely just from that little bit of time, but he endured it for those times that he was forced to resort to using the weapon. He dropped the sheath next to the bed and happily collapsed onto it, falling asleep almost instantly.

Zeke's heightened senses caught the soft tapping on his door and pulled him out of a dead sleep, and he cussed softly as he forced himself to his feet, walked to the door, and looked out the peephole. He then growled with anger when he saw who was on the other side of the door. He unlocked it, pulled it open, and faced the daughter of the bartender that had been so openly admiring him and flaunting her body in front of him. "What do you want girl?" He asked gruffly, making it very apparent what he thought of the interruption, not even reacting to the sight of the girl standing there in nothing but a night slip

The girl seemed taken aback at his gruffness, but her surprise quickly vanished as a coy smile came to her face. "I just wanted to thank you for rescuing my sister and defending both of our honor earlier today."

"You're welcome." Zeke said simply as he stepped back properly in the room and made to close the door.

"But wait, don't you want your reward?" The girl followed up almost pleadingly as she made to step forward.

Zeke was anything but in the mood right this second though. She'd flaunted her body earlier and now couldn't take the hint. So clearly he had to he had to be more blunt with her. His hand reached up and caught her by the throat, squeezing just hard enough to silence her as he leaned down and close to her to look directly into her eyes.

"I can tell that you aren't so bright girl. So I'm going to make this perfectly clear. I am not what you think I am, I am not what you are looking for, and I do not want the reward you are offering. Now leave!" As he finished speaking Zeke pushed the girl back out the door with enough force to hit her back against the wall on the other side of the small hallway.

Zeke turned around and shut the door behind him, locking it once more before cussing one final time and collapsing on the bed once more. He just hoped for that he could get back to sleep in a reasonable manner before morning, because he was irritated enough for one night, and didn't want to do anything he would regret if the stupid girl continued to persist.

Sleep thankfully came quickly for Zeke once more, and when morning came it was his instincts rather than his senses that woke him. A simple glance towards the window told him that the sun would barely be clearing the horizon. It was early to be sure, but there would be enough sunlight to deter any vampires from straying too far from the shadows, especially in a temple of the sun goddess, which often had more than it's fair share of windows. He pushed himself to his feet once more and stretched his back arms and legs before heading towards the window. He pulled the curtains apart and looked towards the sunrise, an easy feat with his window facing east.

"What the fuck?!" Zeke almost shouted when he saw the sun peaking out over the horizon. He quickly turned away from the window, grabbed both of his swords, and headed for door. He unlocked it and pulled it open with enough force to slam against the wall behind it. He walked down the hallway, using his keen sense of smell to tell him which room was Erica's. He knocked loudly on the door before reaching for the handle. He felt the the door was locked, but he didn't have time to wait for her to answer. He took a single step back before pushing forward and shoulder-blocking the door with enough force to break the lock and burst the door open before him.

"Erica! Get up! We need to go now!"

 

[velena_night]

During the night, she was awoken many times to the sounds of movement in the hall. Doors closing loudly and conversations from the drunks who were unable to respectfully control the volume of their voices or the heaviness of their actions. Predictably, a gentle knock rapped on a door down the hall, followed by Zeke’s agitated response to the interruption of his slumber. Not knowing why, she was overly drawn to eavesdrop upon the conversation. As quietly as she could she moved from her bed to the door so she could hear them better. Stifling a laugh at the barmaid’s carnal offer of a reward; her overly eager desire to throw herself at his figure. Erica felt a twinge of pity when hearing Zeke’s brutal and semi forceful denial of the shameless barmaid’s lustful desire. She heard the maid run passed her door, snickering at the girl’s lascivious behavior, Erica once again retired to the beckoning warmth of the bed and soft blankets.

The crashing of the door triggered Erica’s innate training, sending her dagger flying through the air. Nearly finding its target, fortunately for Zeke, reflexes diverted the unguided missile at the last second having recognized his iridescent violet eyes. A faint line of crimson appeared on his neck where the fine edge of the blade kissed his skin. Erica exclaimed, "What in Otena's light is the meaning of…”

“Why?”

 

[LucianDevine]

Zeke knew that he was being reckless to say the least. It wasn't wise to break into the room of a warrior. Despite that though, even he couldn't have expected the true speed of Erica's reflexes. Sure, his momentum had him going forward, but the speed with which she threw the dagger was too fast for even him to react. He felt the sting of pain on his neck, the first time he'd felt pain from anything but his own sword in more years than he could recall.

"I don't know why yet..." Zeke started as his long strides carried him across Erica's room to her window. His hands grabbed the curtains and ripped them sideways so that she could see the same thing he'd seen. "But part of the sun is blacked out, and I think those damn vampires are responsible. It could be the reason why they chose to occupy a temple of Otena."

When Erica looked out the window she'd see the sun cresting the horizon, but a portion of the top of it was pure black, the kind of black that not even a solar eclipse could cause.

"I don't know what the fuck they did, he we don't have time to waste. Grab your weapons and meet me downstairs."

Zeke knew that he wasn't giving Erica much time to process everything that was happening, but time wasn't something they had the luxury of right now. They needed to find out if the vampires at the temple were truly the cause of what had happened to the sun.

Without saying another word, Zeke left Erica's room and headed for his room to grab his armor before going back into the hallway and heading down the stairs. He was glad to see that the bartender was already awake and behind the bar. "I need my clothes, NOW!"

Zeke wasn't normally one to intimidate innocent people, but he didn't have time for pleasantries. He laid his armor out on the bar along with his two swords that they would be ready for him when Erica came down the stairs and the bartender brought him his shirt and cloak.