Neclordia glowered, watching her castle burn on into the first rays of early morning. I hope, she thought, gritting her teeth, that a considerable amount of human scum perished in that blaze.
Some distance from Castle Neclordia, an emergency gathering was taking place. Neclordia, queen of the Lorimar vampires, had escaped the castle with her personal servants and the highest up of the vampires. Next to her, fuming over either his wound or his messed up white suit, was Drolcen. On her other side, hovering in the air, still scantily clad, was Nikki.
Neclordia's two closest servants, both of whom happened to be the last two governors of Lorimar before her reign, stood, watching. Both zombies, they were quite a contrast. Reggie Gruda looked awful, like he had been killed---which he had.
Lukas Redeaux, on the other hand, had died of natural causes before Neclordia brought him back. He adored her, which she found cute. The feeble old man had practically built the castle in her honor before he died. He served her faithfully, and for that, she made sure he was ...well-preserved.
Drolcen was growling about something off to her side. "That wretched emperor, I'll skin him alive next time I see him!"
"Well, you did make a very pompous show of killing that yeti," Nikki pointed out.
"Heh heh, it was rather good." Drolcen beamed."You should have seen me at the yeti village though. That was style, sis."
"I don't much care for your little games. The yetis kept to themselves... never came near the vampires." Nikki said, sticking out her tongue. "They would have, eventually." Neclordia concluded, "Although you should have expected to get attacked, the way you were going on about it last night." She noted. "Humans are vengeful creatures."
"So are some vampires." Nikki said under her breath, hoping Drolcen wouldn't pick up on it.
"We should teach those humans a lesson," Drolcen suggested. "Something that will strike fear in their hearts, something that will teach them to never mess with our kind again."
"If only we had the Blue Moon Rune!" Neclordia cursed, "We wouldn't have to worry about all this. We could zombify those stupid humans in one fell swoop." Nikki looked thoughtful. "Mother..." she spoke up, "Why don't you---"
Neclordia turned a very dark gaze on her daughter. "I was merely commenting. You know we can't get our hands on the Blue Moon Rune while ...while that blasted Neclord still has it."
Drolcen raised an eyebrow, "You mean my father has the Blue Moon?"
Neclordia had forgotten about that----Drolcen hadn't known. While Nikki was the daughter of herself and Francis von Neclord, Drolcen had another mother. Neclordia had never bothered to tell him---probably because he was much more aggressive than Nikki, and she just hadn't known him as long, to boot.
"That's right, Drolcen. He has it, and what I wouldn't give to take it from him." Neclordia said of her ex-husband. "But that's not an option. I won't go crawling to him."
What I wouldn't give to take it myself... Drolcen added silently.
"In any case, we have to use what we have now." Neclordia said, "Lukas..." The zombie shuffled over.
"Yess, my Lady?" She glanced at Drolcen before continuing. "Prepare a portion of the survivors to strike the Warriors' Village. The rest shall defend Neklorne Village."
"That will teach them," Drolcen agreed. "There won't be anyone left to defy us!"
Lukas nodded dutifully and left, heading for the hidden village of vampires. "There's the smallest chance that the humans don't know about Neklorne, yet," Neclordia surmised. "But we can't risk it. We must prepare."
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Ronnie woke up that morning feeling not quite refreshed, but well enough to press on as planned. She glanced around the makeshift camp they had slept in, noticing that Geil's numbers had thinned slightly from the vampires and the blaze.
Ronnie knew where she was headed as soon as she had eaten a quick breakfast: to the infirmary. This was partly because that was where Norman was, and she wanted to see him, and partly because there was talk around the camp that Natalie had recovered the source of the castle's barrier---and that it was...sleeping in the infirmary? She didn't know what to think about that, and it only made her more curious.
She saw Jaoullin standing outside the infirmary tent, shifting his weight from foot to foot. "Hi, Jaoullin. I'm sure Norman's fine, you know." she said reassuringly. He gave her a frown.
"I'm not worried. I'm just here to see if any hot nurses are gonna give some sponge baths, or something. Maybe I could feign injury and get one?" he explained. Ronnie sighed. She should have known, but with Jaoullin, it was always a new level of oversexed.
"Hey, I need to relax before battle too, y'know!" Jaoullin called after her as she entered the tent.
The tent was fairly long, and filled with beds. More were empty than full, and Ronnie wasn't sure how to take that. Less injured didn't mean less dead. Several injured soldiers occupied the cots, attended to by a small staff of medical officers. She noticed Norman sitting comfortably in his own little corner, propped up so he could read a book.
She walked over to him.
"Hi, Norman. How're the aches and pains this morning?" she asked conversationally. He glanced up at her.
"I'll be fine eventually." he said casually, putting a bookmark into his book and giving her his full attention.
"Jaoullin wants to know if the nurses are hot." Ronnie said, rolling her eyes. Norman grinned.
"They might be." He winked. "So..."
"Yes?"
"You're going with the force attacking the village today, aren't you, Ron?" he asked.
"That's right." she answered, "I'd hoped this would be over after the battle yesterday, but...."
"Be careful, okay? We can't lose our fearless leader." Norman said with half a smirk. Ronnie knew, however, that he was less of a wisecracker than Jaoullin, so he truly meant it. She nodded.
"I will." she said. Such talk was making her nervous, though, so she changed the subject. "Say, Norman, have you heard anything about the barrier generator being..um...in here?"
"Yeah, he's back there. Behind that partition." Norman gestured. She nodded and walked over to it, and he went back to his book.
Ronnie waited to make sure no one would say anything. No one did. So she slipped past the partition and into the area where the 'barrier generator' was being kept. She let out a gasp.
She wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but it hadn't been the feeble-looking, wrinkled old man that was sleeping peacefully on the cot. If that wasn't enough, she knew the man. "W...Wong?" she murmured.
"Eh..." the man mumbled as his eyes opened. "... where am I?"
"W-Wong, what on earth happened? You're...um..." Ronnie was almost too stunned to really answer his question, as she had too many of her own.
"No one has used my real name for so long..." Wong mumbled as he struggled to sit up. He turned towards Ronnie. "Pumpkin... is that you?"
Ronnie reddened. She had forgotten Wong's nickname for her. "Umm...yes, Wong. It's me..." she grimaced slightly, "Pumpkin."
"Ahh... that's good," Wong said with a distant tone. "I was worried for you."
She still burned with curiosity as to why on earth Wong had been working with the vampires, but she brushed that aside for a moment. He had been such a comfort to her, in the year she had spent at Qlon Temple directly following her mother's death. He had helped her move on long enough to start a new life.
"I've been doing...all right..." she said in an effort to reassure him. "It's been such a long time, Wong."
"Too long, perhaps... how did I get here?" Wong asked. "Were those monsters all killed?"
Ronnie breathed a sigh of relief. "You weren't working for them, then?" As for his question, she figured she'd better be positive about it. "We're about to finish the job, soon..."
"I tried to stop them, you know," Wong said quietly. "When the vampires began the fighting I took it upon myself to try to stop them. I caused a lot of trouble for them with my Resurrection Rune, but I was overwhelmed and ended up captured."
Wong finally sat up and turned away from Ronnie, "I spent the last three years... three horrible years without control over my body, as I spent day and night holding the barrier. I was given drugs that kept me awake and fed just enough to keep me alive."
"How awful..." Ronnie marveled. The poor man had endured years of torture! She felt her temper rising. "Don't worry about a thing, Wong. I'll take care of them for you." she vowed.
"No," Wong said firmly as he used the bedpost to help stand. "I must finish what I started. We shall go together."
"Wong, you're in no condition---" she began, but knew from experience that she should just give up. Wong wouldn't be reasoned with when he had something in mind.
Wong then suddenly smiled, "One of the nurses told me I was hit in the head by some woman. That wasn't you, was it Pumpkin?"
Ronnie grinned, winking. "I wish. I tried, but couldn't make it up there. It was a woman named Natalie Smitter, actually."
"That's good then," Wong replied. "I know how hard of a swing you have. The nurses would have had to sew my head back."
Ronnie blushed, her smile unwavering. She had missed that old monk more than she had thought. "That's possible." she said. Their reunion was cut short as Jaoullin stuck his head through the curtains.
"Aw, no hot nurses?" he groaned. He turned to her. "Ron, the emperor wants to talk to you." he said dramatically. Then he swelled up. "Actually, he wants to talk to ME, but I figured I'd tell ya." he said with a grin. She rolled her eyes.
Wong raised an eyebrow, "Barbarossa is here?"
"Um, no. I'll explain as we go, Wong... if you're well enough to come along." Ronnie said, shaking her head. With that, the three of them left the infirmary.
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When Ronnie Bell entered, Geil Rugner and his officers were already gathered around a table, all seated. Aside from them, Cornelius was also there, busier sharpening his sword than paying attention. Both the yetis had been permitted to attend, despite Orcho's objections.
"Ah, you made it Miss Bell," Geil greeted. "And it seems you have finally come around, Wong. That is good to hear."
Geil Rugner glanced over at Pacha, who nodded and pulled out a map from behind him and unrolled it on the table. Geil used a pen to circle their current position on the map and then looked up at Jaoullin, "Do you think you can trace the path to the village?"
"Of course!" Jaoullin said in a showy manner. He traced his finger along the map to the correct point. "It's in there, but like I said---the way's tight, and you'll need someone to show you how to get in." He smiled broadly. "I'll volunteer, of course."
"You're not the only one who knows the way, Jaoullin." Pauline said smugly. They exchanged a hearty sticking-out of tongues. Well, that would impress the emperor.
"Your efforts are appreciated," Geil replied, but without the respect he usually showed. "Major, do you know anything of that area?"
Pacha glanced at the map thoughtfully, "The forest is pretty thick there. We never really explored that area, it was said to be haunted even during the War of Succession."
"We'll have to depend on the element of surprise," Orcho replied. "If it's as tight as Jaoullin says, we'll probably be only about to go in two at a time. We'll be slaughtered like that."
"It appears to widen out just at the fringe of the village. You should be able to manage, if you build up your forces at its edge without getting caught." Jaoullin replied.
"Very well, we'll take a force of one hundred in, Captain Smitter will remain here to guard the area in case the vampires decide to return," Geil explained. "Any questions?"
"Yes." Jaoullin said, raising his hand.
Geil was not really expecting any questions, but decided to let him speak anyways. "What is it?"
"Do you happen to have any busty nurses employed that would be willing to give me a nice sponge bath in the event that I return wounded?" Jaoullin asked seriously.
Geil gave him a stern look. "We'll leave the wounded behind."
"But that would only lead to more vampires!" Wong exclaimed.
Geil allowed a smile, "Even royalty is allowed to jest. If there are no real questions, then let us be off. This time we choose the hour of battle. We're going to need the sun's protection."
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As they passed under the shade of the trees, Wong found himself marching alongside Ronnie. After seeing the emperor for himself, he was a bit skeptical. "Do you really believe this man to be Geil Rugner?"
"I believe this man to have good intentions," Ronnie replied. "Whether or not he's Geil Rugner is harder to say. I've certainly never seen him previously. Everyone thought he was dead."
"That is what I find odd," Wong noted. "His forces occupied Lorimar during the war. He was concerned very little by the affairs of the people, nor were his soldiers. He would have never spoken kindly to an elderly man like me."
"Hmm. I was only three when the war ended, so I'm no expert. I trust your word, Wong," Ronnie said. "Still...Chief Zorak gave him permission to come into Lorimar. I guess that doesn't prove anything, though..."
"Chief Zorak has wise judgement," Wong replied. "I'm just worried that this will end up as no more than a farce."
Wong was silent for a moment as he continued walking, "This empire needs a leader of the quality of Kranach Rugner. I fear that he may lead us to a worse empire."
"If you can imagine a worse empire than under Barbarossa." Ronnie muttered. She tried to keep her nose out of politics as much as possible, but as far as she was concerned, Geil had helped her people and Barbarossa had ignored them. That was what mattered in her mind.
"Pumpkin, I've been under control of that vampire queen for three years," Wong replied. "I can imagine much worse."
She imagined there was no denying that. So she merely nodded.
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Since Pacha was the highest ranking officer, he marched beside Geil Rugner. They remained silent as they passed under the ever thickening canopy of trees above them. It was no wonder the woods were thought to be haunted, the few bits of sunlight that managed to slip through caused a rather eerie effect. Combined with the fact that the battle they were marching towards could easily become a suicide mission... it was hard to keep a courageous face.
"You and Orcho..." Geil said suddenly. "I notice you rarely speak. Why?"
Pacha's face seemed strained as he looked down thoughtfully, "We have our differences."
"As do we all, but you two are officers."
"It's a long story," Pacha replied.
Geil looked ahead for a moment, "I do believe we have time."
"Very well," Pacha sighed. "It started three years ago, when the vampires started attacking. Our village was one to suffer from the attacks. Utterly unprepared for the attack, they caused horrible damage before we were able to ward them off. His mother was killed in the attack, as well as his two older brothers."
"I see, but that does not explain the conflict between the two of you."
"Orcho was terrified of the vampires, his brothers were the finest soldiers the village had to offer. However, word spread among the village. The people were ready to go hunt the vampires down and have our revenge. As the leader, I was faced with a hard choice. In order to stay within Kreutz's plan, we could not afford to hunt the vampires down and reveal the secret of our village. Orcho never forgave my decision, he left soon after to participate directly with 'Lord Horn'. He comes now with the intent of avenging his mother and brothers."
"He seemed rather opposed to it in Antei," Geil pointed out.
"Partly because he didn't want to see me. Partly because he feared the vampires still."
"I would think he would resent Kreutz more than you."
"He would, except that..." Pacha paused for a moment. "He is my son. Those were my sons that died, my beautiful Lisa that died. I still haven't forgiven myself for not doing something..."
Geil Rugner said nothing in response. He was now beginning to understand that the situation he had found himself in was more complicated than he anticipated. I'm a con man. I cannot allow personal feelings to affect me....
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Ronnie's muscles were coiled and ready to spring as they sat, ready to strike, outside the hidden vampire village. She hoped beyond hope that no one knew they were coming. It had been a long and trecherous trek to get where they were, filled with nasty traps. By pure fortune, no one had died along the way.
She glanced over at the emperor, who was with his troops. If everything went to plan, they would be attacking the village any moment. No sooner had the thought formed in her head, however, before she saw a tiny object whiz through the air and embed itself in the tree above Geil's head.
It was a red rose. Suddenly, there was an explosion of fanfare from in front of them. Renaldo materialized, as radiant and sparkling as ever. Beside him, Tefra appeared in a giant fireball.
"Tah-dah, mortals!" Renaldo said in a singsong voice. "Behold your devilishly handsome welcoming committee!"
Geil glared, "We cannot let them escape!" He raised one hand and motioned it forwards. Seconds later, a flurry of arrows rushed by him towards the two vampires.
That was all it took, apparently... Tefra and Renaldo squealed, turned tail, and fled, trying to avoid the virtual rain of arrows as they fled into the village. So much for surprise, Ronnie thought.
Hidden Village - Neklorne
Not far from where Geil lay in wait to attack, was the village of Neklorne itself, nestled snugly into the trees. Surrounded by a mid-sized city wall, the town consisted mostly of huts and simple-looking dwellings. It didn't look all that different from any human town, but there was an element of darkness to it as well.
At the entrance of the village were two imposing vampires, arguing like there was no tomorrow. One was Drolcen, who had taken off his shirt to bandage the wound in his side, but was still dressed in his other finery. The second was Klift, who was looking annoyed---a bad sign, for him.
"What was going on in your pea-sized head anyways?" Drolcen asked. "If not for you, we could be back at Castle Neclordia or hunting down some victims."
"If not for me?!" Klift snarled. "Who ran away?"
"Everyone," Drolcen retorted, rolling his eyes for effect.
Klift wasn't liking this debate, and was just about to let his sword, Bitey, do the talking. "Who ran away FIRST??" he amended.
"You," Drolcen replied. It was usually rather easy to gain the upperhand in a debate with Klift, but this was easier than usual. "You were one of the first to even run off!"
"I ran AFTER the humans, not away from them, twit! And unlike a certain injured someone, I actually CAUGHT one of 'em." He gave Drolcen his best sneer.
"And this is something to be proud of?" Drolcen laughed. "All you did was bring a doggy bag from the buffet."
Before Klift could debate this, however, he was rudely interrupted. "Out of my way, peons!" gasped Tefra as he barrelled by the two men. He was followed by Renaldo, who was running equally fast. Klift, however, put a stop to it by punching Renaldo in the neck. He rather liked that.
"What's going on, rose-boy?" the swordsman demanded.
"Either you proposed to Tefra again or you saw something out there," Drolcen added. "What happened?"
"Fair gentlemen!" Renaldo replied, rubbing his neck and missing Klift's face by an inch with a rose. "I am in grave danger!"
"Damsel in distress is low, even for you. Spill it."
"We may be... under attack." Renaldo said, shifting his gaze elsewhere.
They were approached by another vampire. A vampiress to be exact, one of small stature. Not because she was a vampire dwarf or vampire gnome or something of that extent, but that she was a girl of ten years, physically anyways. As usual, she was dressed in a faded tunic and leggings. Further detail escaped the other vampires' concern as she actually had something to add. "We ARE being attacked, idiots! There are at least a hundred soldiers!"
Drolcen snapped at Renaldo, "You bumbling fool! You may have lost-"
Before Drolcen could finish, a arrow razed his left arm. A volley of arrows followed as the vampires quickly took shelter. Drolcen grabbed one of the arrows that landed near his temporary shelter and sniffed the arrow's head. "Dipped in Holy Water, blasted Vallmont tricks..."
"I tried to surprise attack them! I would have succeeded, were it not for your bungling! By the stars!" Renaldo said, not really having a point, before slipping from Drolcen's grasp and following Tefra.
A moment later, the gates of the village were opened, as if they were the gates of Hell. All at once the mounted soldiers rushed into the village and managed to cut down some of the surprised vampires before facing retaliation. Geil and his officers soon followed suit, ordering the destruction of the buildings by use of torches. Their rage unable to be contained, the yetis disappeared into the action.
Ronnie, at first, tried to stay with Wong, but soon lost him in the chaos. Cornelius was like a kid in a candy store, slashing left and right with Jaoullin at his side. The rest of Ronnie's group went to town, literally, on the vampires.
The assault was successful up until the point the vampires began to mount their counterstrike. Mounted soldiers are no match for the increased strength and agility of vampires. Soon enough the first soldier fell, followed by many others. Geil still had the Resurrection Knife at use and was making an effective offensive on the vampires. Orcho, who had taken Rickvell Vallmont's sword, found himself taking down vampires with incredible ease.
Geil cut down another vampire, his sword was about to impale another when it was suddenly deflected by a large sword. Geil stepped back and held his sword defensively as his eyes met with his opponent. It was none other than Kranach, their silent guide from Castle Neclordia.
Kranach couldn't help but smirk slightly. "We meet again, 'Emperor'." He made a mighty downswing towards Geil's head, but the emperor had been ready for that.
Geil twirled around and made a swinging arc at Kranach's side. Once again their swords clashed, "Indeed we do, but you are no Rugner."
The vampire's smirk remained. "I am not, nor do I claim to be." he replied, staring into the emperor's eyes as he attacked again. Deflection. "The question is... are you?"
The emperor pulled back from the attack and seung another attack again. Deflected. "Let your eyes be the judge."
"So be it, Rugner. Final Bell!" Kranach said, suddenly jumping back and thrusting his palm towards Geil. The Darkness Rune cast the spell as fast as it could, but Geil Rugner was still faster. He quickly used his Mother Earth Rune to cast Canopy Defense on himself, nullifying the dark spell. Kranach nodded appraisingly. "We're well-matched, it seems," he noted, "But as for this attempt to get rid of us, you can't win."
"Vermin never can be fully exterminated," Geil retorted as he held his sword defensively once more. "But you can't blame us for trying."
"I see you can readily blame us, however." Kranach said, backing away. "You'll get yours, Geil Rugner." With that, he disappeared.
Geil managed to take down another attacking vampire before sighing in relief. I'm not getting paid enough for this...
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Cornelius pelted a group of vampires with a Breath of Ice spell, then cleaved one in half with his sword. Still, he noted, there appeared to be a lot more vampires than humans, and not all the men were doing well against the supernatural terrors.
Suddenly, in the middle of the battlefield, he noticed a little girl of maybe ten. Startled, he moved to save her----that is, until he watched her gleefully stab a soldier in the gut and electrocute him. What on earth was going on here?! No self-respecting cute little folktale-reading girl would do that! Something was amiss.
"H-hey, you! Girlie! You're fighting the wrong side! And besides, you should be sweet and endearing and not murdering soldiers with your bare hands." Cornelius shouted, his eyes wide.
The little girl turned towards Cornelius with the sweetest smile a girl her age could have. "Silly little man! Tee hee... Yah!" At that point, as she sent a Thunder Runner in Cornelius's direction, he fangs became quite apparent.
Cornelius yelped and dove to the side, narrowly avoiding unpleasant electrocution, using his Holy Rune. He was getting tired of using it, as he had quite a bit lately---it was making him tired and cranky. And giving him a rash. Or something.
Realizing that this cute little cherub was a vampire, he knew what he had to do. "I'm sorry," he said sincerely enough, "But I have to kill you." With that, he brought his sword down on her---and met with nothing. She had phased to the side, out of reach of his blade.
"Hee hee! You missed!" She winked at the bounty hunter and sent a repeat Thunder Runner at him.
It was then that the hunter of men and beasts discovered that electricity was not a fun sensation when it jolted through one's body. Shaking, he tried to organize another attack on the hellish pixie, but missed, again. How could he have been losing to a little girl? It was unacceptable!
The girl was obviously enjoying herself at the point. "This is fun. What's your name, mister?"
"Cornelius," he muttered, sacrificing his usual introduction to concentrate on finding an opening. He didn't bother asking for her name in return.
"Mr. Cornie!" the girl mocked. "I am Mindellyn Taera Fennwala Ganna. But only because my parents were silly, you can call me Mindy, Mister Cornie!"
The only thing Cornelius wanted to call this nuisance was 'dead meat'. Icicles forming at his fingertips, his Holy Rune flowing through his veins (and causing that awful rash. Or something), his sword held aloft, he charged in for another attack. He missed.
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Flying over Neklorne, Eyesoar noted grimly to himself that the humans were not faring all that well. He, himself, wasn't fighting at his best---he was preoccupied by his thoughts. What if that pretty vampire, Nikki, came to fight? Would he have to fight her, after she saved him? That would suck.
The young Winger landed next to the old monk, Wong, who was fighting off several vampires the best he could. "Do you need some help??" Eyesoar offered, grabbing a stick, his choice weapon.
Wong, who was in the middle of firing a Scolding at a vampire and knocking out another with his staff merely smiled at the winger. "Whatever gave you that impression, boy?"
The Winger was about to respond, when he felt a piercing pain in his right arm. He pulled out the rose and scowled. Not that guy again! He already owed that bozo a good kick for the rose in the face at Lorimar Fortress.
Sure enough, following the projectile flora, Renaldo appeared in a whirlwind of cape. His cackling counterpart, Tefra, appeared as well. "You have compromised the MYSTERY of this village, human!" Renaldo lamented, "For this, I cannot forgive you."
Wong fired two consecutive Scoldings at the vampires, "The only mystery is why abominations like you exist."
Renaldo took the holy magic in the gut, doubling over. He then dove dramatically to intercept the second spell, aimed at Tefra. Hit, he collapsed on the ground, rosepetals fluttering about his handsome face. "Tefra...It's all over..." he murmured.
"Good riddance." Tefra muttered, ignoring his partner and attacking wildly.
"L-look out!" Eyesoar cried, thinking quickly. "That guy has the True Fire Rune!" Tefra stopped mid-strike, seemingly pleased that someone had acknowledged his great power.
"That's right! Bow down before me, underlings!" he cackled, striking a pose. Eyesoar merely kicked him in the stomach and proceeded to beat him with the stick.
Taking out another stray vampire with a smack from his staff, Wong prepared to attack Renaldo, who was apparently not quite as dead as he was before. Spinning his staff in front of him, he intercepted the flurry of roses launched at him. The old monk, with a burst of energy, lunged at the flamboyant vampire.
Renaldo pulled out all the stops, and turned on every sparkle he had, batted every eyelash, out-fashioned all present. He still got hit in the face by the old monk's attack, however. "Retreat, fair Tefra!" he cried, "We must regroup." As suddenly as they had come, Tefra and Renaldo vanished, leaving only a burning rose with a note tacked to it reading, "Regrouping. Leave a message."
Wong raised an eyebrow, "In the three years I spent among the vampires, I never saw any so cowardly..."
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Drolcen stood on one of the buildings as he watched the battle ensue. After his injury, he really did not feel like getting involved in the fight. His mind was digesting the information he had learned from Neclordia. The village was probably lost, he figured that was true. There were bigger plans for him now. He was going to-
His train of thought was interrupted as he noticed two of the combatants. Two yetis, fighting side by side, literally tearing through the vampire forces. If there was one thing Drolcen was, it was a perfectionist. He had intended to completley eradicate the yetis. Not out of spite, but because he did not like yetis. They were stupid, ugly, and wet yeti fur made him sneeze.
That's why he killed that one yeti in Castle Neclordia. That's why he intended to finish off these two.
"You vermin don't know when to die, do you?" Drolcen said as he levitated near the yetis. "I guess you want to avenge that stupid yeti I just ki-"
He never got to finish his statement. The larger yeti was soon on him, swinging his fist hard. Drolcen managed to evade, but only to meet the fist of the smaller one. Still floating in the air, he was sent reeling into a nearby wall. He recovered, but only to dodge another punch. Unable to get a attack or word in edgewise, he teleported away from them on top of a building.
"Wretched furballs!" Drolcen sneered. "You'll get yours!"
With that he vanished.
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Orcho, armed with the Vallmont sword, was still doing marvelously in battle. His old fears of vampires completely gone, he was cleaving through them with ease. Long separated from Geil and most of the other soldiers, he found himself on the other side of Neklorne, where Pacha and twenty of the soldiers had launched their attack. What Orcho found was Pacha and two soldiers barely holding their own against Klift and several other vampires.
In fact, they were hardly even holding out at all. Before Orcho could offer his aid, Klift had impaled one of the soldiers and used his foot to slide the new corpse off his sword. Before Klift could deliver another fatal blow, Orcho intercepted the attack and clashed swords.
"Feisty, aren't we?" Klift said through gritted teeth. "Let's see what color you bleed!"
He thrust Bitey at Orcho forcefully with the intent of ending his military career. Orcho was quick to deflect and kick Klift back with his foot. Pacha and the remaining soldier, filled with renewed energy, launched at the surrounding vampires.
Klift was becoming frustrated with these humans. When they didn't cower in fear at him, he felt it made him lose his edge. That, and he hadn't killed anything in nearly five seconds. Furious, he decapitated one of Pacha's men with Bitey, and sprang up from the kill to intercept another attack from Orcho.
"Does nothing satisfy you!?" Orcho growled as their swords clashed.
"You just can't appreciate a good, bloody, kill." Klift sneered. Unfortunately, he suddenly realized that Pacha and Orcho had inadvertantly backed him into a wall, along with a couple of other vampires they'd been fighting. "Rrrgh. Cornered animals fight the hardest." he muttered, going apeshit with his blade.
Pacha held Klift off, while Orcho managed to finish off a few more vampires. Despite the loss of Pacha's squad of soldiers, they had managed to seize the upperhand against Klift and the few vampires remaining.
Victory was within their grasp, but then the events took a bloody turn. Pacha was moments from dealing a blow that Klift was hard pressed to evade when he suddenly froze. Caught up in the battle, Orcho beheaded another vampire before turning to see Pacha crumple to the ground.
Kranach pulled his massive sword out of Pacha's torso, bloodsoaked. "You got careless again." he said harshly to Klift. "What about Bell?" he asked simply.
"I've got her...ah..." Klift began, but saw the severity in his partner's gaze and ran off to take care of things.
Orcho was enraged at the point and ran wildly at Kranach. Words escaped him, the only thing he managed was a series of curses as he swung his sword at Kranach's head.
Kranach was coolheaded as usual, but hadn't expected the other human to react so wildly, and took a hit on the shoulder before making his escape.
Orcho cursed repeatedly as he impaled another vampire, beheaded another, and killed the only other one remaining in the immediate area. He then collapsed on his knees by Pacha, "You weren't supposed to die, father. Not yet..."
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Klift entered the dimly lit hut near the back of the village, in secret. He supposed they would have to make the extraction soon enough. The trouble was, he knew Kranach would force him to be decent about it, and that was no fun at all.
In a chair, bound and gagged, sat Tigerlily, who was struggling with all her might to escape. Klift glanced at an empty corner of the room and then back to her and smirked.
"You really scooted across that floor, didn't you?" he remarked. He drew his blade, causing a muffled cry from Tigerlily.
"Don't worry, Bell... I'm not gonna do anything to you. Yet." he said to her. His attention went to his sword. "Mmm, some of the blood's still not dried..." He ran his tongue along the blade and looked delighted. Tigerlily couldn't speak, but her eyes betrayed her horrified and revulsed reaction.
"It won't be long now, Bell." he assured her. She shook her head vehemently at this. He grinned wickedly, and hopped up onto the arms of the chair, straddling her torso. "Y'know, maybe you and I could have some fun before the dirty deed is done, eh? I'd turn you into one of us, but somehow I think that wouldn't work out well in the end..." He chuckled, and leaned in close to her face. She trembled.
"Just what do you think you are doing?" came a severe voice from behind Klift. He jumped, startled, and whirled around to see who was there. Neclordia stood near the door, having entered silently who-knows-when. She did not look pleased.
"M-my Lady!" Klift sputtered, jumping off of Tigerlily. "W-wh---I'm glad to see you!" Neclordia narrowed her eyes.
"Our people are dying out there, while you play in here with this girl." she said coldly.
"O-of course, O Blackest of Ladies!" Klift said nervously.
"I don't know what game you're playing at, Klift, but I don't like it. You've been acting suspiciously as of late, not to mention this. Why would you have need for specific prisoners?" Neclordia said, advancing on him.
"N-no need, none at all." Klift covered up. She couldn't find out about he and Kranach's hidden agenda. The results would be disastrous.
"Then why is she still here?" Neclordia said icily. "Dispose of her properly and get back out there."
"B-but Claudia---" Klift protested. Neclordia slapped him across the face, leaving a mark.
"How dare you." she exploded. "I thought we had gone through this. That was the past. Now DO IT." With that, she vanished into a cloud of smoke.
Klift rubbed his face where she had hit him. He had hoped it wouldn't come to it here and now, but... he supposed Kranach and he could do what needed to be done with Bell if he could just get her body out of the village. He could not disobey Neclordia.
"Well, baby, I guess this is just gonna have to happen now." he said, getting a twisted grin on his face.
Tigerlily tried screaming through the gag, scooting her chair more across the room.
"This'll be messy." Klift promised, swinging his sword.
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Clara had long-since regretted her adamant decision to accompany Ronnie Bell. The death, the blood, it was too much for a simple village girl. She wasn't trained to fight, like Tigerlily and Ronnie. She was just doing her best to survive.
Even then, an overzealous vampire dove for her, and she only dodged his strike by curling up into the fetal position, causing it to ram into the wall. No, Clara wasn't very good at this. Ronnie came to her aid, luckily, with an extra dagger for her to use. "Take this. You can't fight them off without a weapon." she reasoned.
Clara gratefully took the tool. All the vampires seemed to be busy with other things rather than attacking her at that moment, however, to her relief.
That moment did not last long, as she was suddenly tapped on the back. With her heart beating like crazy she turned around and nearly fainted. A vampire stood before her now, but not just any vampire. It was none other than Commander Mendor. He was still in his imperial uniform, though at his torso were several stab wounds. They were hardly healed and in fact still bleeding.
His face was paler than before, but not by much. His eyes glowed red and his teeth showed the slightest hint of fangs. On his neck, in plain sight, were fang marks. He had become a vampire, though the transformation was not yet complete.
"Heh heh heh... we have unfinished business, Clara," Mendor cackled.
Clara gasped. "Y-you..you stay away!" she cried, faltering. The dagger seemed too heavy to lift as her arm had just gone limp. Ronnie noticed the trouble, and did a double-take.
"Mendor? But you died! Dammit!" she cursed.
"Undied, I believe is the correct term," Mendor replied as he licked his lips. "Both of you are here, how perfect."
"If you think you're gonna---" Ronnie exploded, but was cut off as Mendor swung his blade at her face. "How perfect," he repeated. "If you die in combat I can always bring you back as my own, now. I have the power." It was always about power with him, wasn't it? Ronnie yearned to show him otherwise.
"But don't think I will allow you to go so easily," Mendor continued. "I always finish what I start, you two are no exception."
"Y-you're disgusting! I wish I'd never gone to work at the fortress!" Clara shouted.
"Now now, don't be so feisty. Women are to be seen and never heard."
That did it. Infuriated, Ronnie took a swing at the scumball, but he had been ready for that. He stepped out of the way, grinning lecherously.
Mendor grabbed Clara by the throat and lifted her with incredible ease. She used her hands to try to hold herself up to keep from being utterly strengled. Mendor turned towards Ronnie, "You seem hasty, perhaps you want to take Clara's place?"
"You just don't know when to quit, do you?" Ronnie snarled, decking him in the face. He dropped Clara, who still seemed somewhat frozen in fear.
Mendor suddenly made a feint to the left, and jabbed Ronnie with his fist. She doubled over, fuming. Before she could recover, he kicked her, hard. She fell flat on her back. "Just the way I like it," Mendor remarked.
Mendor fully intended to go through with his word, but he soon found the only thing that went through anything was Clara's dagger--through him. She struck at him repeatedly, her emotions suddenly unleashed, as if a dam had broken within her. Ronnie watched her in awe and appreciation. As he fell over, truly dead, she blasted his body with a super-charged bullet of fire that rendered it unusable for any vampire who decided they wanted to bring him back again.
"Bastard." Clara sobbed, her head in her hands. But Ronnie was proud of her.
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The battle raged on unhindered, and though a large portion of the village had been damaged by the fight, it was quite apparent that the vampires had the upper hand. Cornelius and Pauline were battling fiercely side-by-side, and Geil Rugner was holding his own, though scarcely.
Cornelius's attention was taken for a moment as a door was kicked open nearby, and Klift emerged from a hut. What was he doing? He was carrying a bloody pile of...person. The features were unrecognizable, but... slung over the shoulder of the body was a satchel that had fallen open. Bouquets of yellow roses were spilling all over the ground.
Suddenly, Cornelius knew who it was. Tigerlily was dead, and the vampire had the nerve to parade her through the crowd like a trophy.
Geil's head whipped around at a horrific howl, as did Impa the yeti, who was fighting beside the emperor. Craning his neck to see its source, he only saw Cornelius sprinting in an enraged frenzy towards Klift, who was looking surprised for some reason. Several others took notice at his sudden outburst.
One of them, Orcho, fumed to himself. There was the vampire who had only just helped murder his father! He followed Cornelius into his attack.
Cornelius had long-since activated his Holy Rune, and was working it like he never had before. Moving unbelievably fast, there was a sudden snap, and he vanished, reappearing behind Klift, who had just dropped Lily's body and gone for his sword. He looked down, and laughed. "Hahaha! Fool, you didn't even hit me!" he crowed. Blood began spurting out of his side. "W-what? How did you---" Klift gasped. He was cut off by Orcho, who plunged Rickver Vallmont's sword through his stomach, and ripped it out with a vengeance.
Stumbling backwards, Klift was about to get a haircut from the neck up when the blow from the irate bounty hunter was deflected by Kranach. Seeing this, Orcho and Cornelius just tried even harder.
Kranach attempted to extricate his partner from his predicament again, but the two humans were too quick. Recovering from the deflection he had just made, Kranach made to swing his huge blade, but was tackled full to the ground by Cornelius. Orcho proceeded to carve Klift into mincemeat. Though angered at his partner's sudden death, Kranach was more levelheaded, and instead of immediately attacking, he vanished once more. He had... other plans.
Pauline hadn't noticed a single thing beyond Cornelius's initial outrage, for after he had gone after Klift, it left her alone to fend for herself, something she was still not an expert at.
A particularly persistent vampire was currently overpowering her. Forcing her to the ground, he opened his mouth as if to mock her with the fangs that he was about to puncture her neck with. She screamed.
Jaoullin had been engrossed in the battle resulting from Tigerlily's death, but perked up at the scream. Whirling, he was just in time to see Pauline's head slump over, facing away. The vampire assaulting her looked somewhat frustrated, but bent down to feast nonetheless.
Something far inside of Jaoullin snapped suddenly. He felt a primal rage boiling up. Pauline, Pauline... was she dead? The vampire had just killed her! "Pauline! NO!" he shouted. His feet moved of their own accord, as he thrust Star Ostrich Sword into the air. The blade began to glow a golden color, but the knight did not notice.
Eyesoar gasped as he saw the Star Ostrich Sword. The last time it had glowed like that... "Everyone, the sword, it's----agh, dive, get doooowwwwn!" he shouted frantically, taking cover.
Wong, who was barely in earshot, caught Eyesoar's yell. It did not take much for him to realize the severity of the situation. Chanting quickly, he cast a defensive spell from his Shield Rune, protecting him, the yetis, and the soldiers near him. Geil Rugner also realized something was about to go off. He did not know what it was... It was almost as if someone was telling him that.
He held up his hand to cast Canopy Defense, but he felt as if someone was controlling him. He went higher than that and cast Guardian Earth, a level of magic he was unable to actually reach. His hand felt like it was on fire as the spell was cast on those around him. Not even a second passed before all hell broke lose.
Jaoullin swung his sword. The vampire incinerated instantly, but that was only the beginning.
The moment the sword made contact, a bright light seemed to scape from the blade. Jaoullin for a second was silhouetted by the light, but seen became impossible to see. Many of the vampires close to the light tried to escape, but were soon engulfed in the growing orb of light. Though nearly blinded, Geil could see the light tossing people back with incredible force, flattening buildings, and utterly consuming some of the soldiers and vampires caught in blast. Geil held his arm in front of his eyes as the light became blinding. He felt it pass by him, the runic barrier around him seeming to barely hold around him, threatening to collapse at any second from the magical strain. A few seconds of anxiety passed as the light continued, but then it suddenly seemed the shrink back and return to it's origin.
When Geil could see again, Jauollin stood there for a second with a blank look on his face. The sword fell from his hands, he collapsed to his knees, and then his face hit the dirt.
Geil look around him, everything seemed to be utterly flattened. Every building on the ground, utterly destroyed. For at least three meters outside of the village in every direction, the trees had been uprooted and tossed into the other trees. The fire from the buildings had been extinguished from the blast. The only ones left standing was him, Wong, the yetis, and about ten soldiers.
He walked over to Orcho, who had not been protected from the spell, and check his pulse. He was still alive, but knocked out cold. Ronnie and her crew seemed to be alive too, the spell was fortunately not lethal. "Men, finish off the vampires before they awaken!"
Their fortune was short lived. The soldiers had only killed a few vampires when there was the sound of groaning. To their horror, many of the vampires were staggering to their feet. A quick scan around revealed that at least twenty of the vampires had already awakened.
Wasting no time at all, they quickly launched theirselves to finish off the vampires. Still disoriented, the vampires were easy to kill. Wong was already at work casting Yell on the soldiers, bringing them back into battle. The yetis easily killed many of the vampires, more than the other ten soldiers combined. The sun was setting when the final vampire was found and thrown onto the large pile of carcasses.
All the vampires had not been accounted for. Particularily Drolcen, which had fled the battle long before. Nor did Tefra and Renaldo show up among the dead. Of the other vampires that were in the battle, Kranach and Mindy were also unaccounted for.
Hours later, Natalie Smitter arrived at the location with most of the army before nightfall. Figuring out where the huge blast had come from had apparently not been hard at all. Those who had been caught in the blast were moved into the infirmary, but it turned out that most had only suffered no more than some bruising and scrapes from being tossed around.
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Pauline woke up suddenly in a cold sweat, just as someone from Geil's army had put a hand on her, about to check her vital signs. She screamed, horrible images flashing through her head.
"This one's fine!" gasped the soldier after nearly being given a heart attack. He moved on to Jaoullin, who appeared to be fine, despite the circumstances.
"I saw him..." Pauline murmured tearfully. "I saw him..." As Jaoullin began to sit up, the soldier came back and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Are you sure you're all right there, miss?" he asked. She pushed his hand away.
"Just leave me..." she sobbed. "I saw him..." Shaking his head, the soldier finally just left both of them alone and went to tend to other victims. Pauline looked around. The village was essentially gone, and the clearing was getting dark. In her mind, however, the light remained.
Jaoullin looked around in confusion.
"W-where's the battle? What happened??" he said, bewildered.
"As if you don't know!" Pauline sobbing, turning angrily on him. He looked hurt.
"What's the matter?? I ran over to save you..."
Her heart ached. She knew well that he had come to save her, and for that she owed him everything. But that was the same light that had killed her father. She had seen his face what seemed like mere moments ago, in the light, as it burst from the sword that now lay at Jaoullin's side.
"You used that terrible weapon again. You know it!" Pauline accused.
"Weapon?"
"The light, the terrible energy---it came from YOUR sword!" she cried. Jaoullin blinked, pale.
"T...that happened? Again...?" he murmured.
"Of course it happened. You made it happen, didn't you?" Pauline snapped, not wanting to look at him. Her feelings were fighting like dogs within her soul. She wanted so much to thank him for saving her, but there was still her father...
"I...I don't know why that happens. I didn't do it!" Jaoullin protested, trembling. "I don't have any control over it!"
"You...you what?" Pauline said suddenly. "I thought it was magic, or something...what do you mean??"
"I don't have any runes, so how could it be magic?" Jaoullin said miserably. She glanced over at him. He was sitting on a rock, staring at the dirt. She noticed he was very careful not to look up at the destruction he had caused.
"It's happened twice now..." she said.
"I can't control it!!!" he exploded, putting his head in his hands. "My father gave me that sword! I don't know WHAT'S wrong with it!" Her gaze softened, though he couldn't see it. She crept over to him, still on her knees, approached him gently.
"I don't know what to say..." she admitted.
"I don't either." he said miserably.
"I love you." they said in unison, suddenly leaping into each other's mouths with their tongues and tearing at each other's clothes. Sweet, juicy, squeaky monkey sex ensued.
Somewhere, somehow, Jewel and Montague were laughing.
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Ronnie's head hurt quite a bit. She had no idea why, but if some loser had accidentally hit her during the battle instead of a vampire, she would make sure he'd never have kids. She moaned and finally opened her eyes after realizing the sounds of battle had faded from her ears.
Surprisingly, she saw the infirmary tent before her. To her right, Cornelius and Eyesoar lay on cots, still unconscious. What on earth had happened? "I see you decided to wake up." said Norman from her other side.
"What happened? What's going on, Norman??" she asked, confused.
Lieutenant Orcho, busy tending to one of his own wounds, was sitting on a bed across from them. He looked up at Ronnie Bell, "Lord Rugner would like to know the same. Your friend Jaoullin won't say anything."
"Er...he won't say anything about what??" Ronnie asked. Norman looked grave.
"His...ah...remember what happened at Fargolon Manor? His sword...went off or something. The village was flattened, as I hear." the quiet man explained. Ronnie stared at him, then turned to Orcho. "Is that right??"
"Only Lord Rugner and a few others were not knocked out by the blast," Orcho replied. "But from what I've heard, it was not pretty."
"Jaoullin's pretty shaken up by this, Ronnie..." Norman said, "I wanted to go talk to him, but he won't talk to anyone." Ronnie shook her head. "He'll talk when he feels like it, Norman..." she said, "I'm not forcing anything out of him, so I suppose Geil Rugner is going to have to take the explanation he has: there are a lot less vampires now."
"A lot less soldiers too," Orcho replied. "Of the hundred that marched with us, only twenty-two survived. Six of them in critical condition, they will probably not survive."
"I'm sure he didn't mean to harm anyone on our side," she replied firmly of Jaoullin. Norman 'ummed', which meant trouble. "Ronnie...after the blast, no one could find Clara. Not a body, or anything, they said." Norman explained.
"Dammit!" Ronnie cursed. Why couldn't they ever keep track of everyone?
"I'll be frank with you Bell," Orcho interrupted. "It's been six hours since the battle. Some of those close to the blast were completely consumed by the energy. We still have people looking around the village, but for now she is a casualty of war."
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Ronnie waited until she felt up to it, and then entered the tent where Geil Rugner was reputed to be. To her surprise, Chief Zorak was in there as well. "Am I interrupting something?" she asked.
Geil Rugner turned to her, "No. Actually, you are just in time. We have all been invited back to your village for a feast."
Feasting was the last thing she felt like doing, but she went the more tactful route. "Ah..uh...wonderful." Ronnie said.
"I'm glad to see you survived, Ronnie. Too many of our own were lost in this war." Zorak said, "In fact, Warriors' Village was attacked, during your strike." He paused. "Luckily, we defeated most of them."
"It will be a battle long remembered, I'm sure." Geil replied. He turned to her seriously, "Have you spoken to... him, yet?"
Ronnie did her best to remain civil with the emperor, as he had a legitimate desire to know, but it had been a long day. "No, I haven't. I don't think I'm going to. No offense to the damage it did and all, but I think it's a personal matter. He didn't intend to do...whatever it was he did." she explained, choosing her words carefully.
"I was there to see it happen," Geil said somewhat distractedly. "He possesses a dangerous power, perhaps more dangerous if he ever learns to control it." Geil paused and then turn to everyone else in the meeting tent. "The celebration is tomorrow. Let us make sure we are at our best."
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Night had fallen in the deep woods of the southern Lorimar region. The stars twinkled up above in the sky, oblivious to all the destruction that had happened during the sun's reign.
A cool mist had settled into the forest, and fireflies illuminated the forest clearing like tiny jewels. The two survivors had been flung far from the mayhem of their home. The town was gone, the people were gone. The noise was gone. Only the two.
The moon shone overhead as one of the men groaned and shook his head, stirring finally after lying there unconscious for so long. He shook out his flowing locks once more, sitting upright. His roses were scattered across the ground, as if by fate (a beautiful sight, he thought). He was barechested, clad only in his black pants, though shreds of his tattered cape still clung to his back. Renaldo stood. The view was glorious, but most of all, because of the peaceful form that lay beside where he stood.
He knelt next to his partner, watching with a sad look on his face as Tefra's face screwed up unpleasantly, even in his dreams. He was surely afraid, lost and alone, in his dreamworld.
"Don't cry for me, Tefra..." Renaldo murmured gently. "Truth is, I never really left you..." His slender fingers reached down and caressed his sweet Tefra on the cheek, gently.
He awoke.
"Ack, what are you doing??" Tefra asked suspiciously.
"You're awake." Renaldo merely replied, smiling.
"Where's the battle? Did we win?" Tefra said, looking around.
"I don't see any battle." Renaldo said mistily. Tefra, for once, chuckled in a non-maniacal way.
"I see we survived, at least. Good riddance to the rest. Kwaha." he said with a grin.
"It feels like we're the only two people in this world." Renaldo said dreamily. "It's like the world has just begun, and the primal instinct within our loins is calling, calling us..." Tefra had been nodding, but stopped short, blinking.
"Did you say loins?" he asked sharply.
"You're so beautiful. Why hide behind those stuffy robes? There's nothing to be ashamed of." Renaldo murmured.
"You stay away from me." Tefra scowled. Renaldo leaned in close, and suddenly, kissed Tefra on the lips, fully and deeply, savoring the moment as if it would last an eternity. Tefra's eyes were the size of dinner platters, and he struggled futilely to scoot away.
Finally, he just decked Renaldo, sending him reeling. Surprisingly, the fruity vampire was still smiling.
"Such energy..." he murmured. Tefra stood up, actually foaming at the mouth.
"YOU FUCKING IDIOT!!!! HOW DARE YOU SULLY THE GREAT TEFRA WITH YOUR DISGUSTING MAN-MOUTH?! YOU PUT YOUR TONGUE IN MY FACE!!!" he screamed, awakening all the peacefully slumbering forest critters. He pointed his finger at Renaldo's face, point-blank range, and blasted him with a fireball.
"T-Tefra...?!" Renaldo said as if this reaction surprised him.
"EVEN IF I HAD THE TRUE RUNE OF MOUTHWASH, I'D -STILL- KICK YOUR ASS!!! NEVER COME NEAR ME AGAIN!!! DIE, BURN, DIIIEEE!" Tefra shrieked, firing blast after blast at his cohort. Finally, after almost completely running out of magic, Tefra leapt through the air and tackled Renaldo, punching him and biting him furiously.
"I HOPE YOU'VE LEARNED YOUR LESSON!!!" Tefra cried, "THE ONLY PERSON I'D -EVER- BE WILLING TO BANG IS SIERRA, GOT IT? ...and for your information, I have banged her before. Many times." He rose up triumphantly, pointing a finger to the sky. "WITH THE TRUE FIRE RUNE!"
"T-Tefra... I love you..." Renaldo said weakly, his head falling back in a dramatic style, clearly hoping to break through Tefra's icy heart and bring him over to the side of pure, sweet love.
Needless to say, the giant explosion and forest fire that lit the night sky shortly after were not because of natural causes.
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As the celebration began at the Warrior's Village, some distance away a lone figure sat watching a hillside. After a humiliating defeat by those accursed yetis, Drolcen's thoughts had turned to other matters. Though being only half vampire had kept him from getting killed by the resurrection knife that had been plunged into him...
He glanced over at the sheathed knife at his side.
It had also prevented him from being the victor of the last battle. He was just as good as any other vampire, that he had proved numerously to the other vampires. But as a full vampire, he would be immortal. He would no longer be doomed to eventually rot into a creature far more hideous than a zombie in his old age.
"Well that was no fun," said a voice behind him. He of course, knew who it was.
"Who cares," Drolcen replied. "My dear step-mother was a fool. She got what she deserved, trying to claim a vampire kingdom in the middle of nowhere. I have better things to do."
"You're going to look for it, eh?"
He nodded, "I do believe it's time for more family reunions. And what about you, little Mindy? Do you intend to so stay here while dear Claudia fumes over her loss?"
Mindy shook her head, "I'm more interested in what you're doing." She paused. "Besides that, I have some business to deal with that has to do with your relations."
"I'm not a babysitter," Drolcen taunted.
Mindy glared at him.
"Fine, fine. As long as you don't interfere."
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Somber hearts sat amidst the festivities of Warrior's Village that night. While most of the villagers, and some of the bandits, mercs, and Geil's army celebrated, there were some, mostly those who had fought at the village, who just couldn't concentrate on the party.
Ronnie Bell was one of them.
"She died fighting bravely." Ronnie reassured a grim-faced, stubbly man who looked weary beyond his years.
"I...see..." the man said, his eyes glassy.
"She was doing what she loved, Benjamin. Protecting this village." Ronnie said of Tigerlily. The truth was, she wasn't sure how the woman had died, but that was irrelevant. She had made the journey to protect what she loved, and that was what mattered. Ronnie felt guilty as it was.
"Thank you, Ronnie." Benjamin said. "...I don't suppose you'll be staying to help us, any longer?"
"I'm not sure what I'm doing." Ronnie said listlessly. She gazed over at the giant bonfire in the center of the village, at the dancing and the merriment. She wished she could be amongst them, instead of on the outside... but it wouldn't be right.
Largould Aegolas made his way over to her.
"Ronnie..." he began. Here it came, she knew. He would ask why she had stopped searching. But... had she really stopped? Had she ever?
"I..."
"Ronnie, listen. I know what you're thinking. I'm not going to bother you about that right now." Largould said firmly. "I know that if answers are out there, you'll find them someday. I have faith in that."
He reached into his pocket, and withdrew an envelope.
"What's that...?" she asked.
"An old woman came into the village while you were off fighting at the castle... she came straight to my door, and dropped this. It's for you, Ronnie..." Largould said, handing her the envelope. Eyes wide, she tore it open. Sure enough, the note contained the spidery writing that had now become familiar. It seemed hastily scrawled this time.
"At the Song Sprite. Not much time." was all it said.
"I don't understand..." Ronnie frowned.
"Look, Ronnie, I'm not sure what the meaning of all of this is." Largould admitted. "This paper also came for you, at the beginning of the feast. I hope this helps..." He handed her a folded sheet of paper, and with that, withdrew into the festivities once more.
The name "Bell" was crudely scratched onto the folded paper. She unfolded it curiously.
"Dear Bell,
I apologize for my partner's case of mistaken identity. Had he known the other woman was not you, he would not have slain her. I have a deal to make with you, plain and simple. Come to Antei, and turn yourself in to me, no questions asked.
I have the young girl you were with. In exchange for her life, you will trade yourself. Understand? I'm an honorable person, unlike Klift, and I can guarantee her safety so long as you honor your part of the deal. You have five days to arrive, and after that, the deal is off. If you run, I will find you, Ronnie Bell.
Sincerely, Kranach."
Ronnie froze. That giant, silent killer had Clara. She glanced down at the paper, and then at the old woman's note. At the Song Sprite. The Singing Do Re Mi Elf, as in the tavern? That was in Antei. Whatever these clues meant, she knew she had very little time.
It took no more than twenty minutes to gather Norman, Eyesoar, Scotch, Jaoullin, Pauline, and Cornelius. In another ten, everyone was packed and on their feet.
At the edge of the village, however, Ronnie ran into Zorak.
"Leaving already, Ronnie?" he asked. "The festivites will be going all night, you know."
"Please understand." Ronnie said. "I must hurry. People's lives are at stake. This isn't over, by any means."
"Of course." Zorak said, nodding thoughtfully. "There will always be more troubles, for this village, and for everyone. But understand this."
"Yes?" Ronnie said, anxious to get going.
"No matter what anyone says, once a Warrior from this village, always a Warrior from this village. You can always count on us if you wish to return some day." Zorak told her. She smiled.
"Thank you. It... means a lot to me."
Ronnie had one last note to deal with before leaving the village. As the others started off without her, she ran back and slipped a note to Kreiser, the assistant to the emperor. Something had been nagging at her, and she finally addressed it directly.
"Geil Rugner," the note read, "Whether you are indeed who you claim to be no longer matters to me. You came to the aid of people who needed you, and so, you have my support. Thanks for your help.
- Ronnie Bell"
Her business taken care of, Ronnie left the village and caught up with her crew before long. She was leaving, again, for who knows how long. But it didn't matter.
This time, she knew she would return, someday.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After a lengthy recounting of the events of the attack on the castle and the village, as well as some background on Geil Rugner's exact whereabouts the last twenty-five years, he was finally able to break away from the center of attention. Behind one of the buildings, away from the festivities, Kreiser and 'Geil Rugner' managed to talk. In order not to draw attention, Sydonia had removed some of his costume and dressed in a hooded robe.
"We barely won out there," Sydonia said distantly. "It's a miracle we weren't all killed. It was a mistake to send MacDuff back like I did."
Kreiser glanced around suspicously. "I believe you did marvelously. Orcho does not even think of you as a conman anymore. The soldiers admire your courage, the elders of this village will put you in their history as a great hero."
"They'll put Geil Rugner as a hero," he replied. "Not Sydonia."
"Does that matter?"
"It will to Kreutz," Sydonia replied. "I don't feel right doing this. People think Geil is a hero, when it was all about greed to the real him."
Kreiser was silent for a moment, "When we first met, I thought you were an arrogant fool. But these last few days, you've shown a quality that people admire. Whether it is an act or not, the people will follow you. And not because you're paying them."
"It's not an act," Sydonia replied. "That's the problem."
"The Geil Rugner you have created is what the people need," Kreiser replied.
Sydonia smiled bitterly, "A hoax? A fraud? Should we defeat Barbarossa, am I going to be forced to play emperor until I die?"
"You could fake your own death."
"So that Kreutz could rule?" Sydonia asked. Then shook his head as he rounded the corner to watch the festivities. "The people need a real leader. Barbarossa is not him, neither I am. Nor can we rely on Kreutz to be any better."
"You can't desert them now," Kreiser cautioned. "The effect would be chaos."
"No, I can't," Sydonia replied. "But I always found a way to justify my lying to people, preying on their hopes and desires. But now I'm toying with a nation of people. Can I justify that?"
"Let the historians do the judging," Kreiser replied. "I don't think we're cut out for philosophical babble."
Sydonia grinned. "Heh, you're a good man Kreiser. If we make it out of this thing alive, then remind me that I I owe you a drink."
Kreiser laughed. "In that case, I'll have to make sure I don't get killed."
