The Horror of Stormspire Peak

Hey folks.

Not much to say this week! Writing away, hoping you're all enjoying spooky season. (And the next Serenity story should be out next week, so look forward to that!)

This week, please enjoy this season appropriate tale, where I have the feeling more is going on here than meets the eye...

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It was a dark and stormy night, just as every night was in the peaks of Secluria. The mountain range towered above the windy planes below, its spires scraping the clouds from the sky like fingers raking through sand, gathering lightning in its palm. Showers were frequent, floods even more so. People said that the mountains were cursed, and anyone who set foot on them was doomed to meet an unfortunate end.

But they weren’t talking about the weather.

In the highest of Secluria’s highs, built into the side of the mountain’s tallest peak, an ancient stone keep stood, walls still strong after centuries of all that nature could throw at them. The place cast a haunting silhouette on the rare nights where it was visible from the plains. And deep within its labyrinthine halls, the darkest of shadows stirred.

In the heart of the keep, protected from wind and frost, a row of stone coffins stood, undamaged by the passage of time. Most of them lay open and empty, home to little more than rats and dust – but two of them were closed, sealed against the ages. Engraved in the lids were old runes, powerful to those who knew how to read them, carved deep into the rock. And from within them, just barely audible above the distant howl of the wind, came a soft scratching…

Then, light.

A flickering candelabra, carried by a red headed woman in a maid’s dress – more of a traditional long legged black smock and a worn white apron than the fancy uniforms of more wealthy locales – advanced through the old tomb, casting back shadows, and driving blinded vermin to scurry for shelter. Without fear or trepidation, the woman’s route led her straight through the heart of this ancient den of evil, to stand before the two sealed coffins.

“Alright,” the woman muttered, fingers tracing over the runes of the stone lid on the left. “Let’s see how you’ve turned out…”

Then, she stepped forward, setting her candelabra down on the right lid, and hooked her hands beneath the left’s lip. With a surprising display of strength, she pushed the stone seal to the side…

And a crash rocked through the old keep as the coffin lid fell to the ground, revealing the darkness within. The maid leaned over, peering in with considerate eyes. Below, something stirred.

The shadows twisted, and then red, glowing eyes snapped open, rising up in a rush. The coffin’s occupant sat up, blinking in the flickering light of the candelabra.

She was pale – deathly so. Black hair with just a touch of crimson to it ran from the top of her head down to the small of her back in long, smooth locks. She had a voluptuous figure, her tight black corset seemingly designed to push her considerable chest out on display, barely supplying enough fabric to cover her nipples. Perhaps the lack of coverage was supposed to be counteracted by the long cloak that she wore around her shoulders, bound by a golden clasp around her neck.

But just as likely, the dearth of cloth was a matter of practicality for the unusualness of her frame. For not only was she impressively curvaceous, but she also possessed a pair of black, bat-like wings that spread out beneath her cloak and to the sides, emerging from the back – mirrored by a second, smaller pair that poked out from the top of her head. Her ears were long and pointed, much like an elf’s, but thicker, poking through her hair at a pronounced angle. Pointed fangs protruded over her blood red bottom lip, and her eyes, while lined with shadowy lines, retained their red glow.

Even without the coffin, it was easy to spot that this woman was a vampire – a blood sucking creature of the night, a predator who used her wiles, her powers, and her beauty to seduce her prey until they were helpless before her bite. Few dark beasts were more dangerous than a vampire on the hunt.

This woman did not possess quite such an aura of danger, however. No, in fact, as she squinted her eyes and peered around at the ancient tomb that she found herself in, she looked more perplexed than predator.

“Vhere…?”

“Take your time, Mistress Elanore.” The maid soothed her, offering her hand and firmly helping the vampire out of her crypt. “Awakening after such a deep sleep can be very disorientating. Just relax, and let me guide you. Tell me, what do you recall?”

“Recall?” The dark-haired woman accepted her maid’s hand, and allowed herself to be lifted from her place of slumber. She rose with an ethereal grace, despite her dazed state, and walked with silent feet across the stone, taking a delicate seat on the rim of one of the ancient coffins when the maid bid her to do so. Her brow furrowed as she tried to answer the question she had been posed. “My memory iz nozzing but haze…”

The maid nodded understandingly. “Of course. That is to be expected, my lady. Your slumber was very deep – perhaps even deep enough to have brushed oblivion itself. Your memory will take some time to awaken.” She smiled, adjusting her collar, and then spoke as clearly as she could. “For the moment, simply know this: You are Lady Elanore Von Bloodfast, one of the twin malevolent rulers of Stormspire mountain. Famed across the lands for your dark temperament and haughty, dare I say even royal, bearing. You have lorded over your vast domain for centuries untold. I’m sure even you cannot recall a time when you were not the vampire mistress of these lands.”

Lady Elanore blinked, listening carefully as her servant spoke. The haze in her head seemed to fade with every word, and as the maid went on, she found her memories rising to agree with her tale. The vampire’s posture shifted, the slouch fading from her shoulders as she sat up straight, holding herself with more dignity, her expression shifting from confused to disdainful.

By the time the other woman had finished, in fact, she was looking distinctly bored with the whole conversation. “Ov courze, girl,” she huffed. “Who doez not know zimple things like zhat? Do not forget your place, servant, or I’ll take you for a morning snack.”

The redhead bowed deeply. “Forgive me, my most malevolent Mistress.” Though, oddly, while her words were contrite, her tone was anything but. It sounded like she was trying not to laugh…

And yet, her plea mollified the vampire. “Very vell. Zee that you do not zlip again.”

“As you say.” The maid bowed again, before stepping back. “Wait here a moment, Mistress. Allow me a moment to revive your sister as well.”

The dark-haired vampire blinked. “I have a zister…?” Her tone was a sincere question.

“Oh yes, Mistress.” The maid nodded. “The two of you are practically twins! You’ve been sowing strife and discord throughout the land together for centuries. I’m sure you remember.”

“Ah.” The woman nodded slowly. “Yes. Ov course. Yes, I remember now…”

“Very good, Mistress.” The redhead smiled, and then moved back to the coffins. She took a moment to pick up her candelabra, and then got to work. Soon, she had the second sealed lid thrown aside as well, a second crash echoing through the ancient halls – and from within the stone box, a second vampire arose.

She looked much the same as the first – in fact, she was almost identical. The same pale skin, the same curvaceous figure, the same marks of vampirism, even the same outfit. The only difference between the pair was a slight shift in the gradient of the second sister’s hair. The first’s tended towards dark red, while the second’s, under the right light, shimmered like dark gold.

“Mistress Titania.” The maid curtsied, bowing her head in polite subservience. “Did you sleep well? The time has come to awaken, and cast your magnificent shadow over the lands once more?”

Much like Elanore before her, Titania seemed a touch bewildered by the servant’s words. “My magnificent…?”

“Oh yes, very magnificent,” she was told, the redhead smiling as she helped the vampire out of her coffin. Her eyes traced down the dark-haired woman’s frame, lingering on her plump rear. “Beyond compare, even.”

“Right…” Titania stepped down gracefully, shadows swirling around her feet. “Forgive me, I zlept very deeply. Dream ztill clingz to my sensez…”

“Not at all, my gracious darkness.” The maid giggled. “It’s only to be expected. You and your sister left clear instructions to prepare for your awakening, and warned explicitly that your memories may be a little foggy for a while.”

“My zister?”

The servant’s grin widened. “Yes. Let me introduce the two of you, so that your memories might return a little faster.” She gestured between Titania and Elanore. “Lady Elanore Von Bloodfast. Lady Titania Von Bloodfast. The rulers of Stormspire Keep, and greatest vampire sisters that the world has ever known.”

The two blinked at one another, then took each other in. Red eyes flicked up and down, and pouty red lips pursed. A strange tension filled the air.

Titania spoke first, putting a hand to her chin as she appraised her twin. “My beloved Elanore, vhy must you vear zhat outfit? You vould give zhe town slattern a run vor her money vith all zhat exposed skin…”

Elanore sniffed, the wings on her head flapping in irritation. “Dearest Titania, your jealousy iz unzeemly. Pleaze, refrain vrom embarrazzing yourzelf in front of zhe help like zhis in zhe future.”

Oh yeah, they were sisters, no doubts about it.

“Ah, it’s so good to see the two of you getting along,” the maid said with a clap of her hands. “And I am your trusted maid, Eris. Now come, my ladies – a walk will help you wake up. You’ll feel like yourselves in no time.”

-

“I muzt zay…” Elanore looked down from her grand throne – a dark ebony chair with blood red cushions and a fanged skull motif – around the room. “Iz zhis it? I vas expecting more fanfare vor my – our – grand return.”

The throne room of Stormspire keep was a grandiose place, but it did feel rather wasted when it was just the two of them present, three if you counted the maid (but who would?). Despite there being plenty of room for kneeling subjects and cowering minions, the hall was decidedly empty at the moment.

“Zister,” Titania was leaning back in her own, identical throne, right next to Elanore’s. “zhis kind of thing iz to be expected. Ve have slept for many, many yearz. Our zubjects have surely moved on.” Her eyes glinted darkly. “Vonce zhey are reminded of our power, zhey vill come crawling back quickly, I’m sure.”

“Oh, I’m sure they’ll come running once word spreads of the sinister sisters of Stormspire,” the maid agreed, standing casually between the two, slightly behind their thrones. “In fact, if I may suggest a few actions you may take?”

“Prezumptuous,” Elanore sighed, brushing her hair back over her shoulder. “But you may az vell. Ve don’t seem to have any proper advisors for zhe moment.”

“So kind, your malevolence.” Eris clasped her hands behind her back. “There is a village at the bottom of the mountain, established while you slept. They believe themselves safe there, protected from the elements and from Stormspire’s wrath. It would be the perfect place to announce your return to the world with a little visit...”

Titania blinked, turning to look at her with a perfectly sculpted eyebrow raised. “A mere village? Zhat seems rather minor. Iz zhere no better feeding groundz on zhe plains? Towns, or even citiez?”

The maid frowned, seeming a little irritated at the interruption. “Better…? I’m afraid I wouldn’t know about that, my Lady…”

The vampire sighed, leaning back in her chair, her chest bouncing proudly as she shifted. “No, I suppose you vould not. I can hardly expect a lowly human to know anyzhing useful, can I?”

Eris’s eyes narrowed, but she took a breath and continued making her case, brushing off the annoyance. “I’ve also heard that there’s a famous vampire slayer visiting the village at the moment…”

“A vampire hunter?” Again, Titania looked to the redheaded woman. “Curious. Zhen ve should certainly avoid zhe place. Ve are yet veak from our long slumber, and caution vould behove us greatly.”

“Ah, no, my lady, surely you worry too much…” Now the maid was looking nervous. “Powerful Mistresses of darkness have little to fear from mere mortals, is that not so?”

“Mm.” Elanore nodded wisely. “Forgive my zister. She haz alvays been a vorryvart. But you are right - thiz vill be vhe perfect time to deal vith zhd pest, and spread vord of our return at zhe same time! Zhe vorld vill surely know our names vonce I have drained zhis foolish hunter’z lifeblood from her veins~”

“Ah. Um.” The maid’s nervousness had upgraded to her outright sweating. “Oh, no no, my ladies, she’s far too strong for that. But, ah, even appearing and being driven off by her would surely boost your reputation. She’s… she’s very famous, yes… Very powerful… Or so I hear.”

Elanore tilted her head. “Intriguing. But it vould boost our reputation, you say?”

“Zister, please,” Titania interrupted with a roll of her eyes. “Zhis is a moronic plan, cooked up by a fool.” Eris, ignored behind her, bristled. “Immortals like us have zhe benefit of time. Let us take ours, by hunting travellers and building our forces, before engaging in zhis nonsense. Ve’ve simply no need to be endangering ourselves by fighting against such an opponent.”

“My. Lady.” The redhead’s teeth were grinding. “It will be fine. Just go down to the village, scare a few people, and the rest will handle itself…”

But the slightly-blonder sister wasn’t listening. “No, I don’t think…”

“My lady!”

Titania blinked as she suddenly found Eris standing firmly in front of her throne, eyes narrowed. For a moment, the vampire’s eyes flicked downwards, towards the woman’s neck. Not for the normal reason a vampire might study that area, but rather, they were drawn by the glinting of a golden necklace that she now saw the woman was wearing – something that looked quite out of place on a simple servant, in fact. Hanging from it, just below the redhead’s throat, was a strange red jewel that seemed terribly fascinating to the dark mistress, one that flickered with odd pink light – but before she could study it properly, she found her attention being pulled back to the maid’s face as the woman began to speak.

“My lady Titania…” There was something strained about the redhead’s voice, and they echoed strangely in the vampire’s ears as more pink light flickered around her throat. “I had no idea that the legends about you were so accurate!”

“Legendz?” The vampire drew back, a pleased smile on her lips. “Vell naturally. Do zhey speak of my ravishing beauty and vit?”

“Oh yes.” The maid’s eyes glittered darkly. “They tell tales about your seductive looks, about your startling charisma…” Each word seemed to please the vampire more and more, judging by her indulgent preening. “And, of course, about your obvious foolishness.”

Titania purred contentedly – before blinking. “Vait, vhat was zhat last vone?”

The maid smiled viciously. “Did you not know? That’s no surprise, my Lady. After all, there are many things you do not know. Elanore is clearly the smartest of the two of you. You’re rather… flighty…” Her necklace glowed pink.

“I…” The vampire wet her lips, tongue darting around her sharp teeth, uncertain. Pink light shone faintly behind her eyes.

Eris leaned forward, pushing the advantage. “Vapid, even.”

“Oooh…” The vampire shrank back in her throne, holding her head. Her thoughts were feeling awfully thick all of a sudden. “But… I…”

“I’m afraid I have to say it.” The maid shook her head, not looking afraid at all. “You’re outright dumb, Titania.”

“Ah!” The pale woman gasped, her eyes flashing bright with pink light as her mind seemed to solidify. Her arguments for how this wasn’t true, how she was a perfectly intelligent creature of the night, her counters and denials, all fell out of her head at once. Suddenly it was hard to keep up with the conversation at all, even with how slowly the maid was speaking. It vas all, juzt, like, zo complicated, you know?

The redhead seemed to sense it – watching as Titania’s eyes glazed, and her jaw went slack. She nodded, mostly to herself. ““Yes, all the legends agree – you’re pretty stupid.”

There was a pause, and then the vampire put a finger to her cheek, her plump red lips pouting. “Like, do zhey really zay I am pretty?” She smiled with stupefied delight.

The maid tried not to laugh. “Definitely! Which explains your silly interruptions to my plans. Of course, I’m sure Lady Elanore has no such objections?”

Elanore looked up – she’d not been paying attention, since the conversation clearly wasn’t about her. “Well, obviously I’m not as slow as my sister. Zhough, I do struggle to vork out vhy ve should bother vith such a small target…”

Sighing, the redhead stepped over to the other vampire’s throne, her necklace glowing brightly now. “Oh Elanore,” she said, now leaning over the second sister. “You don’t need to lie to me.”

“Lie?” The vampire tilted her head in confusion, pink light glittering in her eyes.

“Yes,” Eris nodded. “I can see, plain as day, that you can’t wait to terrorize the village. After all, you know how many strapping, bold men and enticing, energetic women live there…”

Elanore’s eyes widened as images filled her head of buxom, lively ladies and hunky, vibrant men, so full of life and hot, red blood… “E-enticing…?”

“Oh yes. And my lady, the legends spoke of you as well.” The maid grinned as her necklace flared. “They make it clear that your lust is second only to your sister’s stupidity!”

“I…” The vampire looked across to her sister, who was, as they spoke, distracted because she kept forgetting about her pointed teeth and biting her bottom lip when she went to chew on it. That was a lot of lust – and suddenly she could feel every drop of it, burning between her loins. “Ohh…”

“Everyone knows you’ll spare any attractive prey you happen to corner,” Eris continued, winking. “At least, they can if they can manage the task of pleasing you in bed…”

“Mmn, zhat…” Elanore licked her lips as her head filled with countless torrid memories of encounters just like that. Oh, the thrill of the hunt could make for an amazing rush, and there was no better place to enjoy the peak of that high but in the bedroom…

“Not that it’s a challenging task, of course.” The redhead reached down, hand sliding under the top of the taller woman’s corset, cupping her breast and circling her fingertips. “A simple stroke is enough to tame you, isn’t it now?”

“Oooohhh” The vampire practically melted in her throne, the building flame in her igniting to immediately liquidate all of her objections to anything she was told. Yes, yes, she remembered it clearly – she was an utter slut, and loved it!

Job done, the maid grinned and pulled back, dusting her hands. “There. Simple and sexy. Now if the two of you are done being difficult, here’s what you are going to do tonight…”

-

Nights were often quiet, in the village of Boulder’s Rest. There wasn’t much to be excited about there – it was little more than a small farming community, an outpost at the bottom of a mountain trail that only the most foolhardy of adventurers would want to climb. In such small places, you were lucky to have a community hall, let alone a tavern.

Still, where people went, the need to be social was wont to follow, and a town hall had sprung up eventually, where the villagers would meet up and drink together after the day’s work was done. On dark nights like these, they staked the fire pit in the centre, lit it up to keep out the cold.

But tonight, the burning flames weren’t doing much to keep out the chill. Townsfolk were gathered around close, talking in muttered whispers, none wanting to speak so loud as to draw attention. Everyone could feel something off in the air. A stark, formless dread hung over the village.

When the first scream rang out through the night, no one was completely surprised. People’s heads snapped up, and the strongest of them surged for the door to investigate, charging out into the night…

Only for the first of them out the door, a tall, muscular man named Benson, one of the strongest haulers in the village, to find himself tackled from his feet. He landed on his back on the ground, a soft, firm weight resting on his chest.

“Like, hi zhere~” A pale skinned, red eyed beauty stared down at him hungrily, kneeling on top of him. “Hey, zo, do you mind if I drink your blood? I’m zuper thirsty…”

He screamed. He wasn’t alone. Eliza, one of the more beautiful maidens of the village, felt her nerve break, and she sprinted from the crowd, rushing to get home. She made it only three steps before a strong arm snagged her around the middle and lifted her up, pinning her against the wall of the town house.

“Oh my.” A woman, identical to the one on Bensen’s chest in the darkness, stared up at her with pure hunger glinting in her blood red eyes. “Dearezt, I’m afraid you’re looking ever zo tasty, and I’m zo hungry after centuries of sleep. If I start drinking, I might not be able to stop. Zhis may be zhe end of you, unless you can think of another way to vake me up~”

She winked suggestively, leaving Eliza’s mind reeling…

And then, an ear-shattering crack rang through the night!

“Back! Back, beasts! Get away from them!”

A blazing silver torch in one hand, a burning blue whip in the other, a redheaded woman, dressed in a leather vest and leather pants, charged into the fray. Her weapon snapped out, lashing through the air at the woman who held Eliza, who dropped her and fell back with a bestial hiss. Another crack, and the one on top of Benson yelped and jumped away too. The pair landed together in the middle of the street, wings flapping, snarls on their faces.

“Zister!” The one who’d attacked Benson said. “It’s her! She iz totally here!”

“And just as strong as we were warned.” The one who’d grabbed Eliza sniffed haughtily. “Very vell! Zhe night is yours for now, hunter – but zhe Bloodfast sisters vill be back!”

With that cry, the pair burst apart into mist, and then reformed into a swam of bats, flying away into the night, off towards the dark silhouette of the keep high in the mountains…

Silence returned to the village. The attack had been so swift, so sudden and strong, that the villagers had trouble processing what had happened – or, indeed, had almost happened. But all of them knew who they had to thank for saving them. A round of applause and excited cheers broke out as the villagers crowded around the whip-wielding new arrival.

“Thank you, thank you, everyone. Just doing a Hunter’s job. Glad to see I made it in time.” The redhead grinned, bowing and waving to the group.

Someone emerged from the crowd – Richard O’Maley, the owner of the largest farm in the village, and probably the closest thing they had to a mayor. “We don’t know how we can thank you, Miss Eris. Those creatures, they came out of nowhere! If you hadn’t been here, I shudder to think what might have happened.”

The Vampire Hunter – Eris – bowed her head. “Fortunate that I was in the area then, sir. Luckily, I-”

Suddenly, she was interrupted by a shout. “Did I get bit?” Benson was holding his neck. “Am I gunna turn into one of them?!”

There was a panicked hubbub – but Eris just laughed and waved off their concerns. “You can relax, sir,” she said loudly, so everyone could hear. “Don’t worry, that’s a common myth. You don’t turn into a vampire if you get bitten by one. The only way to turn someone into a vampire is to make them drink a vampire’s blood, and then have them sleep in an enchanted coffin overnight. You’re quite safe.”

The man looked relieved – though, if one were to look at this moment, they might notice Eliza looking faintly disappointed by the news.

“I have to say, Miss,” O’Maley spoke up again. “When you came through here a few days ago warning us that there might be vampires up in the old keep, I fear we may have treated you quite rudely. Fools that we were, we thought we knew the mountain better. Can you forgive us our folly?”

“Oh, of course, sir, don’t mention it.” The redhead waved him off. “Though I’d certainly appreciate it if you might help cover my expenses while I’m out here. I had to use some of my enchantments to drive those girls away, and restocking them is going to cost a couple of coins…”

The older man looked around. “I think we should be able to manage something. Though, since we’re on the subject of your work, do you think there’s any chance you’ll be able to hunt those beasts down before they return?”

Eris put a finger to her lip, considering. “Well, I’ll be happy to head up there and drive them out, sir but those girls, they were full-fledged vampires…”

“Is that a problem? I thought that was kind of your think as a Vampire Hunter…”

“Oh yes, it is sir, but that means I know that dealing with them will be no simple thing. If you want them gone for good, well, I’d have to order proper ritual components in to conduct a full-on purification and cleanse of the grounds to stop them from reviving.” She raised a hand, gesturing to the keep above. “Expensive stuff, and I’m afraid I’m rather short on coin at the moment…”

O’Maley frowned. “I see. Well, that…”

But she wasn’t done. “And, I mean, it’ll be a while before any of it arrives – that’s a lot of nights where those ladies might return and start wreaking havoc. I’d love to stay and protect you, but like I said, I’m kind of low on coin, and I can’t afford to guard the entire village for free…”

“Ah, yes, of course…” The old man sighed. “Well, of course, we understand. We’ll see what we can arrange to pay for your services until those creatures are taken care of.”

Eris smiled. “Thank you, sir. You’re most kind. With your help, I’m sure I can hang around until the job’s done – and you have my word, so long as I’m here, those vampires won’t be a threat to you.”

There was a collective sigh of relief from the crowd, and another round of applause. Many cheers and thank yours were had, with the redhead shaking many hands and smiling at grateful nods.

Eventually, the crowd dispersed, people heading back to their homes, wanting to be safe indoors, even if the threat was supposedly defeated for the night. Though, to the Vampire Hunter’s surprise, there was one more encounter waiting for her, once the group had all departed. The village holy woman, a serene blonde in white robes.

“Miss Eris, I believe I owe you an apology, more than most.”

The redhead in leather waved her off. “It’s quite alright, Miss Holly. You were just trying to look after your flock.”

“But I spoke to you so harshly. And when those Adventurers showed up, saying they were looking for a con artist who’d been running monster protection scams in the area, I assumed the worst. I’m truly sorry for doubting your heroism.”

“Well…” Eris tried to speak, but the holy woman kept going.

“And now I fear I’ve sent those two into great danger! They asked where they might find you, and I told them that you had gone to investigate the keep. Now Tanya and Elora might have already been…”

The redhead raised a hand to wipe her mouth – and to hide her smirk. “Tragic. Alas, there’s nothing we can do if they went up there on their own…”

“I did hope they would have found you before they found trouble,” Holly sighed. “You’re a true Vampire Hunter?”

“Oh yeah.” Eris nodded frankly. “My family’s been in the game for generations. It’s harder work than it used to be. Not as many rogue vampires as there once were. You’ve got to really look these days.”

“Impressive.” The blonde hovered closer, clearly intrigued. “Do you have any Hunter Relics?”

A red eyebrow rose. “Heard about those, have you? I might have a few…”

The holy woman clapped her hands in delight. “Ah, how fascinating! I used to read about this kind of thing, back when I was studying to become a healer. There were some truly fascinating Relics made, back in the day.”

Eris chuckled, nodding. “Yeah, tell me about it…”

She hadn’t really meant it as an invitation, but Holly certainly took it as one. “Oh, well, there was the mighty hammer of Gideon, that cracked the seven mountains into the twenty mountains… Or the pike of Sylvia, which could extend up to a mile long in an instant, and blazed with holy fire…”

“Oh, you know your stuff.” The Vampire Hunter was surprised. “Yeah, those two sound way more useful than the one my parents left me…”

“And you know, there was one, the Gem of Midnight, that always sounded interesting.”

The redhead had suddenly gone quite still. “You’ve heard of that one?”

“Well, I’ve heard some Vampire Hunters have even created a legendary Relic that contained the essence of the first vampire, trapped in a red gem. Supposedly, it gave whoever wore it power to command all vampires with their voice alone…”

“Huh. Well. Neat. Wouldn’t know anything about that one myself.” The Vampire Hunter muttered, rubbing at the gem on her necklace, hiding its pink glow. “Say, though – you said your friends went up to investigate the castle? Why don’t you and I go see if we can find them before they get into trouble?”

The holy woman blinked. “You think we might be able to save them? Ah, but won’t it be too dangerous?”

“Nah.” The Hunter shook her head, waving a dismissive hand. “We already sent those girls packing. I’ll bet they’re resting in their coffins for the day already. No threat until sunset tomorrow.”

“Ah. Then… I’d be delighted!” The blonde clapped her hands and smiled. “I’d hate to think I sent them into danger without doing all I could to help find them again.”

“Oh, I’m sure we’ll find them,” Eris said with a smile. “Though be careful and stay close to me, just in case. After all – I’ve heard that vampire sisters often come in threes…”

“Do they?”

The Vampire Hunter shrugged, before looking towards the keep in the mountains. “Who knows. Could be. All I know for sure is it’ll be a long journey. So…” She pulled out a flask and took a swig, before pulling out a second, carefully marked one from another pocket. “Want a drink before we set out…?”