Christian

"I must kill her!" screams a man with dark hair and eyes. He struggles against the arms restraining him. "Do you not know what she is? She will slay you all," the man continues frantically. Babbette looks at the man, who just moments ago had a sword to her throat. She clutches her side where his dagger was pushed into her skin as the wound slowly closes.

"It's over Christian, leave it be," she says. The man's eyes narrow and he knocks one person over, managing a step closer to Babbette.

"I will never let it go you monster, you belong in the ground with the rest of the dead!" Babbette sighs and turns away from the enraged man. She walks out the tavern door and hops up on her ostard. She looks back once at the tavern and sighs again before she says "Kal Ort Por" and disappears.

Back in the tavern, the hands restraining Christian loosen, as he seems to calm down. "What is wrong with you people? You know she is a monster, yet you allow her to walk among you freely." He notices the hard looks he is still receiving and adds "Well let me tell you a few things about your friend that I'm sure she left out." Still seeing the hard looks the man orders a pitcher of ale and has a seat at the biggest table in the tavern. "Please, sit. I know I may have come across a bit strong at first, allow me to at least explain myself." He pours drinks for the first few that sit down around him, noticing he is now getting at least curious looks from the rest.

"First let me ask what she has told you already." He looks around the table and hears them tell her tale. "Well its all true up till the point about going to battle with her sister. She left a lot out, I'm not at all surprised." He looks around the table, looking each person in the eye before he continues. "Let me tell you the real story behind your friend Babbette."

"She is the sister of a murderous creature name Lucia true enough, and yes her sister did murder their parents. The creature that bit Babbette was some kind of demon, and she was forced to drink the blood of her murdered parents, but her innocent mistake with the man in the forest was not her first murder, not by a long shot."

"She joined the Vesper militia to rout her sister. Over the course of many years she became a ranking commander. She led her company into the mountains against orders to try to reach her sister faster. They were ambushed and captured by her sister�s followers there. Upon her capture, Babbette was brought before her sister and was asked to join her ranks. Babbette refused hers sister�s request and was thrown back into the large cell with her company."

�My brother and I were members of her company. He was madly in love with her. I was always disgusted with the way he followed her around like a lap dog. It was his idea to follow her up into those damn mountains, he persuaded the rest of them to go with her. I protested the idea; I knew it was a fool's mission to try to defeat Lucia with such a small company of men. There were a little over a dozen of us then. So there we sat in Lucia's prison. None of us knew what Babbette really was, unless my brother did, but he never told me anything. We just knew that Babbette was Lucia's sister and she wanted her dead. That was not surprising really because everyone wanted Lucia dead. I thought she was just eager to be the one to end her sister�s tyranny."

"They treated us well enough in that cell, they kept us well fed and never tortured anyone. I had heard some horror stories of what Lucia did to prisoners so I was rather shocked. The commander, Babbette, wouldn't eat or drink anything. At first we thought that she was protesting it to get at her sister, we found out later how wrong we were. Lucia would stop by every day and go talk to the commander alone in the corner. She would always be escorted by two guards for every time she would go talk to the commander Babbette would shake her head no and then lunge at her. Even after Babbette got her hands around her throat a few times Lucia still left with a evil smile on her face."

"After a few days, the commander started getting very pale, she would sit in the corner of our cell with her arms on her knees, head down. She turned everyone away when they came to talk to her. Her sister kept visiting and now when she would leave she would be laughing. Once when she passed me she chuckled and said 'Looks like its almost dinner time.' I didn't know what the madwoman was talking about until later that evening. My fool hearted brother walked up to the commander. She ordered him away several times but he wouldn't listen. He kept asking her what was wrong. She would only reply with 'Leave me be Riley, that is an order.' He sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulder."

"She shied away from him at first but then she let herself rest on him. I started walking towards them, I was going to get my brother to leave her be. Just as I started beckoning for him to come to me the commanders eyes snapped open. Her eyes, normally a deep blue, were a sickening shade of red. She turned to my brother and sank sharp fangs into his neck. I rushed over to try to get her off him. When I reached them, I tried pulling my brother away from her. She had an iron grip on him and when she saw me she kicked me hard in the stomach, knocking me into the hard wall behind me. I slid down the wall and lay there, too dazed to move."

"I watched and was able to do nothing while she dropped my brother�s lifeless body to the ground. I watched and was able to do nothing as she attacked and killed every member of our company. I listened to her sister laughing while she slaughtered everyone. I stumbled to my feet as the commander made her way to me. I shook my head a few times to try to clear it enough to defend myself. Before she reached me her sister flung open the door to our cell. She looked at the bodies laughing while she stepped over them. Babbette reeled her head toward her sister. Lucia said to her 'Bravo dear sister, I couldn't have done better myself. Now come give your sister a big hug.'"

"The commander lunged at her sister, she wrapped her arms around her tightly, and bit deep into her throat. The mad woman laughed even as the commander drained her blood. She took a pointed guard she wore on her finger and stuck it into Babbette's shoulder."

"When I looked over I noticed that Lucia's guards were standing there mesmerized, not knowing what to do. I took the opportunity to run up, yanked the sword from one of their hands, and quickly dispatched them before they could react. I turned to the evil sisters, Lucia's mouth was now on Babbette's shoulder, and they were drinking each other's blood. For some reason they were emitting a low hum and a bright white light surrounded them. I didn't think much on it though, I ran behind Lucia, and with all my might, I forced the blade into her back piercing through both of them. As my sword passed through Lucia she raised her head and screamed. Then there was a bright flash of light."

"I woke up in this land, it was a week before I could see again. Some kind people helped me �til I was well enough to leave. They told me they saw no signs of the sisters so I began searching for them. When I reached Skara Brae I heard of a woman named Babbette who kept the company of Queen Shieba's Alliance. That led me here."

Christian looks around seeing that he now had everyone's attention. "I seek vengeance for my brother and for my company. This creature that you harbor is evil, plan and simple." He pounds the table. Calming down a bit he says, "My vengeance does not extend to you, you are good people I can see that. I just ask that if you won't help me kill that monster then at least don't stand in my way." He looks down into his sixth mug of ale, trying to focus on his reflection. The crowd of people around him thins as they go back to their own tables. He hears them arguing with one another over his story. Some believe, some don't. He sighs heavily and now stares intently into his empty mug. Weary from his long travel, he lays his head down to rest his eyes for a bit. Before he knows it, he falls into a deep sleep, dreaming of days when he and his brother traveled together.