King's Request

"Greetings, otherworlders. I am King Eldrich, in charge of the great kingdom of Ladonia. I had my archmage and strongest magicians sacrifice their lives to open a portal to your world.

We've been having an ongoing fight with vampires for the last three centuries. I'll reward you greatly if you can hunt down all the vampires. We suspect their to be around twelve of them in our kingdom."

"What will be the reward, and how will we live here until the vampires are gone?" Julian inquires.

"Of corse the reward, firstly, you'll be given a bag of fifty gold coins to stay at local taverns and several kingly slips that gives you permission to go anywhere.

This mission shouldn't take longer than a month. Once you complete your mission, you'll be given some Deximite ingots, our strongest metal you could cut through a dragon's scales with a blade made out of it. We will also provide you with some mana crystals." The kings state.

The group questions the mana stone, and he explains that mana can not be improved after birth and so the rich eat mana stones to improve their mana pools.

Agreeing to the king's demands, he gives us a drawn map, and we head out. Scuttles strapped to Trevor's back. Walking down the stone streets filled with a musty smell and horse shit.

We spot an inn with a push in doors. The group heads in and pays for a three rooms week's stay.

All settled in the candlelit rooms. We sit down together and discuss the mission. Everyone was tense and unhappy about their temporary living arrangements. Julian lays the map out on the table.

"Alright, guys, I know nobody wants to be here right now, and so let's assign some roles. Lia and I will explore the back alleys at night. Nux and Piro, you all go to the wizard tower located near the castle. Frank, Trevor, and Gabe, you look around the market square nobody make it obvious you're not human as it may scare the locals.

Also, keep an eye on the nobles. There were a lot of them glaring at us in the throne room. If some of them are alive from three hundred years ago, they'd be rich enough to be a noble." Julian explains.

"Hmm, can they not see me?" comes a voice from the window. We all turn around to see a bat flying off.

"Fucking hell, they overheard us."

"It's alright guys, just stick to the plan and stay on high alert." Trevor and my team heads out.

Arriving there, we hand the guards outside our papers, and they open the doors. There are people sitting down writing, large twenty feet tall bookcases, a magic elevator Piro and I look around amazed.

We head to the front desk where a librarian is tapping the desk. "We are looking for any books pertaining to... vampires." Piro whispers

"Third story right below the apprentice grounds is the floor filled with books on creatures. You may find something useful there." She says.

We use the sea, though magic lift arriving at the third floor, which was very empty at the time. Piro and I search through books for hours.

"I found it. Nux, come over here." Piro and I sit down at an empty table.

Reading through the book, we find out the longer the vampires live, the more abilities they have. At the age of fifty, they can shapeshift into bats.

The age of one hundred, they can turn people into servants and on rare cases into more vampires

Lastly, at the age of two hundred, they are completely immune to sunlight and most fire.

Reading more, we see blood, moonlight and blood moons make them stronger and more bloodthirsty.

Rare types of vampire have the ability to fly without shape-shifting super strength speed walking on walls and draining blood though their nails.

Weaknesses include sunlight fire, holy magic and Deximite weapons. (Wow, it'd have been nice if he gave us the ingots beforehand.)

We put the book back and head to the inn. Julian complaining to the innkeeper about the toilets we head up to the room. Two hours pass by, and the other group arrives back.

We all go to one room to discuss our findings. Piro explains the vampires' abilities and weaknesses.

"While we were in the town market, we found out that during the night, one of the back alleys has a black market. They say a lot of nobles do some shopping there at night." Trevor explains.

We all settle in for the night, it now being dusk. Julian and Lia head out to search in the night.

I sleep in the same room as Piro as night rolled around. I close my eyes, falling asleep. Hearing a banging on the door in the middle of the night.

"Nux, Piro come out quick." Piro and I jump up, opening the door. Julian, in tears with the others behind her.

"I.. I lost Lia. Please help me find her. I last saw her in the black market, but she disappeared when I was talking to a merchant." We gather pur stuff and head out with Julian where she last saw Lia.

The group separates in pairs of two to look for clues. My eyes start to burn as I see a shimmering outline of footprints.

(What am I seeing right now?)

(Nux, you've awakened an angelic eye. theirs two types: one lets you see dark energy and the other lets you see beings weak spots follow that outline!) Serephena exclaims I quickly tell Piro and follow the outline.

It leading to a sewer grate. Piro goes to tell the others. We all gather around and head into the dark, damp sewer. Piro casts a light spell to see, and I continue to follow the outline.

Until we see a light up ahead, Piro gets rid of his light and we sneak forward seeing shadows of several people. We peep around the corner. Trevor putting Scuttles down.

I see three people in hoods and another shimmering in a bright light around a firepit. Lia tied up in a chair her having her blood drawn into a bucket.

We all look behind us as we hear Piro charging in.