Chronicles of Drakonia—VIII—Blood Feud

DragonKnight19

“Hey, it’s the Bully Slayer!” The bartender slid down the bar to where Zack Felix was sitting. “What’ll it be, Slayer? It’s on the house.”

“Just a beer,” Zack replied. “A beer, and some information.”

The bartender fetched his drink, and then hunkered down real close. “Well, ask away, friend, and hopefully I can help. I’m glad to see you survived your unannounced house call with Benson.”

“Barely,” Zack countered. “He’s working for a guy with a fiery temper. Or was, anyway. You won’t have to worry about Benson anymore. What do you know about a man named Vincent Bloodglade?”

At the mention of the name, the bartender’s face went white as a sheet. “Keep your voice down, will ya? If people hear you throwing that name around, they’re likely to lynch you! First Benson, now him, you just seek out trouble, don’t you?”

Zack pondered the comment, and then replied matter-of-factly, “Well, it is in the job description. So what do you know of him?”

The bartender looked around uneasily to make sure nobody was listening in on their conversation. It was still fairly early in the evening, and the tavern was mostly deserted. There were only a few patrons sitting over by the fireplace, well across the room, and one other man sitting at the far end of the bar. His dark gray traveling cloak was pulled up over his face, hiding his features, but he was turned away from the pair, inspecting a boar’s head which hung on the wall.

“I thought you were crazy to go after Benson and his gang, but you’re downright mad if you think you’re going to pay a visit to the leader of the vampires.”

“He’s a vampire?” Zack asked incredulously. “Well, no matter. Vampire or not, he’s got something very precious to me, and nothing is going to stop me from getting it back. Where can I find him?”

The bartender glanced around once more. “I’m only going to tell you because I’ve taken a shining to you, kid, but for that same reason, I’m going to tell you to forget about it. You’re just going to get yourself killed.”

“That has yet to be seen,” Zack replied bravely. “Now, are you going to tell me, or not?”

“Fine,” the bartender sighed. “The vampires reside in the old Stohrie estate, out in the Downs. Legend has it, the oldest daughter of the Stohrie family, Morgan, was an evil, cold-hearted girl who cared about nothing but her own beauty. Fearing old age and death, and the withering of her beauty, she made a deal with Vincent Bloodglade, leader of the vampire clan. She sacrificed her family to the vampires in exchange for becoming one of them. Now she is Vincent’s most trusted vassal, and they all reside in her family’s estate. They raid our village from time to time to slake their bloodlust, but as long as we leave them alone, they don’t take more than they need.”

Zack sat back and took it all in. After a few moments of consideration, he stood up and headed for the door. “Thank you for all your help. When I’ve finished my business with the bloodsuckers, I’ll come back here and tell you the whole story, so you’ll have an interesting tidbit to discuss with your patrons.” He stepped through the batwing doors, and they banged shut behind him.

“I’m never going to see that poor kid ever again,” the bartender sighed. “May the gods go with him and look over him in his fool’s errand.”

Zack walked down the road, on the lookout for a blacksmith’s shop. As he walked, he noticed that most houses in the village of Dun were already shut tight against the oncoming night, even though sunset was still at least an hour away. Fortunately, the blacksmith was still open, and when Zack walked in, he greeted the young mercenary with a simple nod, and then went back to his business. There was one other customer in the shop, an unusually pale young woman who despite her pallor was exceedingly beautiful. She was garbed exclusively in black, which enhanced her already pale complexion, but Zack found her beauty to be somewhat alluring. He walked towards her and saw that she was perusing a collection of short swords. “What’s a beautiful woman such as you need with a weapon?” Zack inquired with a warm smile.

The woman turned to face him, but failed to return the smile. “In these harsh times, everybody needs to be well armed against those who would harm them. Even a ‘beautiful woman such as myself.’ Don’t mistake me for a delicate flower, easily trampled by the heavy boot. This rose has its thorns.”

Her response shocked Zack. “I’m sorry, miss, I didn’t mean to be presumptuous. But don’t you have a man who can protect you?”

The woman’s glare was almost strong enough to kill Zack where he stood. “I have no need of a man to protect me. I can take care of myself. That was presumptuous.” The irate young woman stormed away, leaving Zack speechless. Trying to forget about the incidence, he walked over to the blacksmith.

“Greetings, friend,” the blacksmith offered. “The name’s John. What are you looking for?”

“What do you have that would be effective against vampires?” Zack inquired.

The blacksmith jumped and looked nervously over towards the pale young woman. “We don’t sell anything that could be used against vampires!” John exclaimed, loud enough for the woman to hear. When the woman turned her back, John leaned in closer and whispered, “Meet me at the back door in ten minutes.” He cleared his throat, and making sure the woman could still hear him, shouted, “Now get out of hear, you troublemaker! I won’t have you disturbing this lovely young woman with such talk! Go on, get out!”

Zack shuffled out the door and headed around the back. He found a back door to the shop, and sat down on a stump in the back yard to wait for the blacksmith. After ten minutes had passed, the door opened up and John stuck his head out. “Quick, get in here!” he hissed at Zack.

Once Zack was inside, the blacksmith locked the door behind him. Zack found himself in the blacksmith’s workshop, the forge cold and lifeless in the corner. Countless tools and creations hung from the walls, and raw ore and firewood sat stacked side by side along one entire wall. “Don’t you know better than to go around saying ‘vampire’ in a town like this?” John asked. “It’s a good way to get yourself silenced, and I’m talking in a lethal way.”

Zack shrugged and replied, “Fine, I’ll be more careful from now on. Now, I assume that because you’ve brought me back here, you can help me?”

John nodded. “But first, you have to tell me why you’re willing to risk your life so recklessly.”

“Fair enough,” Zack replied. “Vincent Bloodglade has in his possession a weapon that was stolen from me, a family heirloom that has been handed down for generations. This sword is more than just a sharp piece of metal; when I wield it in battle, it becomes an extension of my body and soul. I must retrieve it, because no other weapon will ever feel so right in my hand.”

The blacksmith considered the young man standing before him, and the poetic response to his question. Finally, the larger man smiled and replied, “I like you, kid. You remind me of myself when I was younger. Back in my day, I was the Chief Master in Arms for the Drakonian army. I served under General Eli and outfitted his men with the best weapons Men can make. Now that I’m retired, I miss that kind of action. In a way, helping you gets me all excited again, like when I was in the army. I’ll help you in any way I can.”

Zack grinned. “Thanks, John. I won’t let you down.”

“I’m sure you won’t,” the blacksmith replied. “When I was in the army, I served in a Special Forces brigade, and helped save the kingdom from a fanatical religious group who called themselves the Covenant of the Holy Ring. They were bent on destroying all of Mankind, but the other elite forces and I stopped them. Now, you’re going up against a whole clan of undead monsters all by yourself. It’s going to take a lot of luck, and the favor of the gods, to get you through alive. But hopefully, I’ll be able to tip the odds in your favor a little.” He walked over to a crate sitting next to the forge and opened it up. Inside, there was an array of daggers, knives, short swords, and stakes, all made of wood.

“In a way, I always knew somebody like you would come along some day, so I made sure I was prepared. The legends say that a wooden stake through the heart will kill a vampire, and a sword or dagger should work just as well.” He handed Zack a pair of short swords and a collection of daggers, knives and stakes. Zack replaced the steel short swords with the wooden ones, and the dagger in his belt with one made of wood. The knives and stakes went in his knapsack with the rest of his traveling gear.

“Do you have any wooden arrowheads?” Zack inquired. He showed Ipsen’s crossbow to John, and was happy to see the seasoned veteran was quite impressed with the weapon.

“That’s quite a contraption you got there,” John said, “but unfortunately, you’re on your own with this one. You can just remove the arrowheads, and whittle the end to a sharp point, and that should do it for you.”

Zack shook the blacksmith’s hand. “Thank you, John,” he said. “When I come back, I’ll tell you all about it. Maybe I’ll be able to top your story of the Covenant.”

John laughed. “Maybe. Good luck, kid.”

Outside the blacksmith’s workshop, Zack shouldered his pack and started off in the direction of the Downs. Suddenly, a female voice called out, “You’re a fool if you think you can go up against the entire vampire clan by yourself.” Zack whipped around and found the pale young woman from the shop.

“Thanks for the warning, milady, but I’m going to take my chances.” Zack turned away and resumed his journey.

The woman huffed. “Don’t milady me!” She ran up and stood in front of Zack. “My name is Merris. I have been protecting Dun from vampires since I was old enough to wield a sword. I’ve killed more of those monsters than you’ve seen years. Don’t think that a couple wooden stakes will get you through, because it won’t.”

“You’re right,” Zack answered. “Do you know where I can get some garlic and holy water?”

Merris just scoffed. “Those won’t do you any good. You shouldn’t believe everything the legends say. Many of those legends were started by the vampires themselves to make sure any adventurer they came up against would be ill-prepared. There’s only three ways to kill a vampire. First, the traditional stake through the heart. But don’t plan on them letting you get close enough to try that. Second, decapitation. Chopping the head off of anything is pretty much guaranteed to kill it. And third, sunlight. That’s one myth that has some truth to it. As undead creatures of the night, the cleansing light of the sun makes their pale skin rot and decay, putting an end to the vampire in a matter of seconds. It’s also rumored that the most powerful vampires, those bitten by Count Dracula himself, must be killed by all three means simultaneously to stop them.”

“Thanks for the tip, I’ll remember that,” Zack promised. “Now I really must be going. Farewell, Merris.”

Merris shook her head. “There’s really nothing I can do to stop you, is there? Fine, it’s not like it matters to me any. It’s your funeral. I was just trying to save your life. But your stupidity has obviously put your beyond my reach. Goodbye, fool.” She turned and walked away, leaving Zack to resume his journey to the home of the vampires. She only looked back once, but when she did, Zack was gone.

Zack crouched behind a dead sycamore tree, shivering in the meager light of a full moon. Off in the distance, a werewolf howled, and in response a wounded animal shrieked, the death cry of the werewolf’s evening meal. An icy wind, the kind that signals the inevitable approach of winter, hit Zack with a frigid blast and sent shivers running down his spine. He turned back to the task at hand, surveying the decrepit mansion that sat in disquieting solitude among the desolate wasteland of the Downs, the bleak and uninhabitable no-man’s-land located between Delnor and Dun. The Downs were rumored to be home to all manner of creatures of the night, from vampires and werewolves in the wastelands, to skeletons and ghosts in the barrows, to slimy monsters and man-eating trees in the fetid swamp. Many a traveler foolish or careless enough to wander into the Downs never made it out, and here he was, entering willingly, to confront the very creatures any sane person would do everything in their power to avoid. But he had to get his father’s sword back, and nothing was going to get in his way.

The Stohrie estate was well over one hundred years old, and with no living soul around to keep it up, it had fallen into a tremendous state of disrepair. The derelict appearance served to enhance the already haunting atmosphere that pervaded the entire grounds. “Oh yeah, this is definitely the kind of place a vampire would live in,” Zack whispered to himself. He looked around to make sure he wasn’t being watched, and then stole across the barren front lawn to the shadows alongside the house. Once he was certain that he hadn’t been seen, Zack continued his exploration of the front of the house. Sneaking quietly and sticking to the shadows so as to minimize the chances of detection, he carefully crept towards the front door of the mansion. Upon reaching the dilapidated porch, he looked around once more, then leapt onto the rotten planks of the porch and kicked the heavy wooden door in.

With weapons drawn, Zack barged right into the darkened house. It took his eyes a few moments to adjust to the perpetual gloom within the haunted abode, but once they had adjusted, they revealed a truly menacing décor. The entire house was filled with ancient furniture, all draped with dusty white cloths, as though the mansion were filled with the spirits of the dead. A dreadful silence pervaded the atmosphere, giving the already spooky locale and even more sinister feel. Chills raced up and down Zack’s spine, and yet he was undaunted. “I’ll be damned before an old house spooks me,” he whispered to himself as he made his way across the parlor. “It’s the inhabitants of this house that scare me, but I’m not going to let that stop me.”

Suddenly, without warning, a menacing shape loomed out of the darkness with outreached arms. Acting on instinct, Zack threw up one arm to protect himself while striking out with the other. The wooden sword struck the assailant, who let out an evil hiss and retreated into the darkness. But before it had even disappeared into the gloom, a second attack was launched from behind. Zack whirled around to face the second attacker, and before it could even reach him, he brought up his crossbow and shot an arrow at the creature. The arrow struck it right in the heart, stopping it cold. The vampire let out a bloodcurdling scream, then collapsed into a pile of ashes.

Silence once again settled across the room as Zack’s unseen opponents kept to the darkness and planned their next move. Zack for his part stood in the center of the room with a short sword in each hand and the crossbow loaded and ready. He kept his eyes and ears open for even the slightest sign of a vampire.

“Very amusing,” a voice suddenly cut through the darkness. “It seems our feast has delivered itself to us.” The light in the room suddenly increased as several torches were lit along the walls. A tall, gaunt man suddenly appeared on the second story landing. A beautiful raven-haired young woman stood at his side. The man smiled at Zack and said, “Welcome to my home, mortal. I do hope you plan on staying for dinner. You’ll be the guest of honor.” The man laughed heartily at his own joke, and was joined by the woman at his side and many others still lurking in the shadows.

“I don’t plan on staying very long,” Zack shot back. “I just came to get something you have that belongs to me. Are you Vincent Bloodglade?”

Vincent smiled again. “It seems you know my name, but I do not have the honor of yours, Mr.…?”

“My name is Zack Felix,” Zack informed the vampire. “You have my father’s sword, and I’ve come to get it back.”

“Oh, you mean this thing?” Vincent asked, drawing Zack’s sword from its scabbard hanging at his side. “An acquaintance of mine asked me to look after it for him, but he failed to mention I would be receiving a bonus.”

“If you don’t give it back,” Zack warned, “I’ll have to take it by force.”

Vincent laughed once more. “Do you hear that, Morgan?” he asked the woman standing next to him. “This young boy means to fight me!” He laughed again.

Morgan smirked. “He doesn’t realize who he’s dealing with, Master. Perhaps we should inform him.”

Suddenly Vincent and Morgan leapt over the balcony and landed right in front of Zack. He backed up a few steps and raised his wooden swords in defense. “Those little sticks can’t hurt me,” Vincent laughed. To prove his point, he lunged forward, and Zack, acting purely on instinct, stabbed Vincent right in the heart. The vampire stopped and looked down at the sword protruding from his chest. “Did you really think that would work?” He withdrew the sword from his chest and tossed it aside. “It’ll take more than a wooden stick to defeat a true vampire.” He turned and started walking away with Morgan in tow.

All of a sudden a whole horde of vampires appeared from the shadows and ambushed Zack. He was completely surrounded by a wall of fangs and claws. He shot an arrow through the heart of the nearest vampire, and then stabbed the next one in the heart with his remaining sword. Another vampire grabbed him by the arm, but Zack punched the monster in the face with his free hand, and then stabbed it in the heart. The creature disappeared, creating a gap through which Zack could escape.

Taking the opportunity, he made a run for it and ran into the next room. The horde followed him in hot pursuit, but lost him upon entering the ballroom. Zack ducked under a table and reloaded his crossbow. He shot one vampire from under the table, then quickly reloaded and overturned the table, creating a barrier for protection. As the vampires descended upon his barricade, he shot another in the heart, then threw a wooden knife at another. It cartwheeled through the air before embedding itself to the hilt in the creature’s chest. Zack ran off once more, the horde of vampires who were chasing him slightly dwindled.

Vincent and Morgan strode down the hallway, away from the young warrior who had dared to break into their home. By now he was surely dead, having fallen victim to the insatiable hunger of his voracious followers. “Isn’t it strange that he would knowingly throw his life away for a simple sword?” Morgan wondered aloud to her master.

Vincent just shrugged. “Mortals are stupid, reckless creatures. It pains me to think that I was once as brash and headstrong as that boy, but then Count Dracula gave me the greatest gift: immortality. My life has been much better ever since.” He chuckled to himself. “My life? Silly me, my life ended that day, and I was reborn a whole new person. A higher being. Almost transcendent, if you will. Just as I made you, my dear.”

“Yes, Master,” Morgan replied. “If the sword meant so much to the pathetic creature, then its loss must have been that much more painful.” She smiled evilly. “I hope so.”

“Now now, Morgan, let’s not take pleasure in the misery of others,” Vincent chastised. “Just those who are lesser beings.” The two vampires laughed together.

Suddenly Zack burst through a door further down the hall, followed by three vampires. The rest had fallen in their pursuit of their elusive quarry. Zack stabbed one vampire in the heart, then quickly spun around and stabbed another. Those two disappeared, and the third one stopped dead in his tracks. He turned to run, but Zack shot an arrow into his back which pierced his heart. The final vampire collapsed into ashes, leaving Zack alone with Vincent and Morgan.

“Well, you have certainly surprised me, boy,” Vincent said to Zack. “Very few mortals have ever survived as long as you have, especially against so many of my followers. Yet you were able to best them all. I admire that.” He turned to Morgan and put his hand on her shoulder. “Therefore, I shall give you the great honor of falling to my most loyal and beloved minion. Morgan, this frail creature is dead and hasn’t realized it yet. Open his eyes to the truth.”

“With pleasure,” the female vampire responded. She smiled an evil smile, revealing two long, wicked fangs. Suddenly she took off after Zack, bearing down on him with inhuman strength. He slashed out with his sword but she just batted it aside and crashed into Zack, sending him flying down the hallway.

“Return to me in my study once you have disposed of the refuse,” Vincent said to Morgan, then calmly walked away.

Zack pulled himself to his feet and braced himself for the next attack. With a short sword in one hand and a dagger in the other, he didn’t wait for the vampire to make the next move, but rushed towards her with blades at the ready. She hissed and evil hiss and jumped aside, then struck out with her long claws. Sharp nails slashed Zack’s face, drawing blood. Ignoring the blood streaming down his face, he jumped forward once more and tried to stab Morgan in the heart. But she was too quick for him. All he managed to do was tear the cloth at the back of her gown, baring the pale skin beneath.

“How dare you mar my dress!” Morgan hissed. “Lord Vincent himself gave this to me. You shall pay for your insolence, mortal!” She swiped at Zack again, but he ducked her swing and stabbed her in the side. She clutched her side and howled in pain, and Zack took this opportunity to back up a few paces.

Morgan glared at Zack. “You can hurt me all you like, but you’ll never be able to pierce my heart. Even when I was alive, it was as cold and unyielding as stone. And since becoming a mistress of the night, it has become even more so.”

“Then I guess it’ll just take an extra strong thrust,” Zack quipped, and shot an arrow from his crossbow at Morgan. She dodged the projectile and snatched it out of the air. She dropped it and came at him again.

This time Zack was ready. Just as Morgan was bearing down on him, he knocked over an end table with his foot. Morgan couldn’t stop herself in time and tripped over the piece of furniture, toppling head over heels down the hall. Zack acted quickly and leapt on the vampire, a blade in each hand. Two knives became embedded in her chest. Morgan let out an earpeircing howl, then collapsed on the ground and lay still.

Vincent sat alone in his study, pondering the loss of so many of his loyal minions. Oh well, he thought, a simple raid on the village will swell my numbers to their proper place once more. His thoughts were interrupted by the quiet creak of the study door, which opened just enough to allow the solitary figure to slip inside before the door shut once more. “Morgan, my dear,” Vincent called out without turning around, “gather the rest of our followers and prepare to raid the village. We have new allies to make.” The figure said nothing in response, but quickly glided over to where Vincent sat. Suddenly a sword sliced through the air, and before Vincent knew what was happening, his head fell to the ground.

Zack sheathed his wooden sword and grabbed his father’s sword from where it sat on the table next to him. He belted the scabbard back in place, and relished the feeling of having his favorite weapon back in his possession. He had gone far too long without it, and had felt naked without it hanging at his side or resting comfortably within his grip. Now that he was reunited with it, everything was right again.

Zack turned and headed back for the door. But before he could make it, a voice called out, “I hope you don’t think I am finished.” Zack whipped around, and much to his surprise, found Vincent’s body standing up out of the chair. It walked over to where his head was lying, picked it up and placed it back on his shoulders. The severed skin sewed itself back up, leaving not so much as a scar to mark the healed wound. “I told you already, you can’t kill me.”

Zack pulled his sword from its sheath. “Then I guess I’ll just have to try harder!” darting forward, he swung his weapon at the vampire lord, intent on mimicking the first strike. But Vincent ducked with uncanny speed and grabbed Zack by the front of his tunic, throwing him across the room. Zack hit a bookshelf and collapsed to the ground as books rained down upon him. Before he could get up Vincent was on him once more, lifting him from the ground and punching him across the room once more. Zack hit the far wall and fell painfully to the ground. He managed to stagger to his feet as the vampire descended upon him again. Mustering his strength, Zack swung his sword in an upward arc, connecting with the creature’s outstretched arms, which flew up, leaving the midsection exposed. Zack rammed his fist into Vincent’s stomach, driving the wind from his lungs. He doubled over in pain, and Zack threw an uppercut that connected solidly with the monster’s chin. Vincent sprawled across the floor, but leapt to his feet instantly, anger burning in his eyes like an inferno.

He came at Zack once more, and batting aside the darting blade, grabbed the young man by the front of his tunic and threw him out the window. Zack landed on the balcony, narrowly avoiding going right over the edge. Had the balcony been just a bit shorter, he would have fallen three stories to the courtyard below, where the cold hard cobblestones would have made quick work of taking his life. But luck was with him, and he lay teetering on the edge as the vampire clambered out the window after him.

Zack sprung to his feet and swung at the vampire once more. Vincent dodged the sword, but failed to see Zack’s second attack: a wooden dagger that came darting in from the side to pierce Vincent’s heart. The creature howled in pain, and Zack climbed over the vine-covered side of the balcony and descended to the courtyard below. He glanced up at the sky and noticed that dawn was only a few minutes away. If I can just hold out a few more minutes…he thought.

Up on the balcony, Vincent wrenched the dagger from his chest and threw it aside. Growling with hatred, he jumped three stories to the courtyard below, blocking Zack’s exit. “You have caused me more pain than any other mortal has ever dared,” the vampire hissed. “You have slain my minions, and taken my loyal lieutenant from me. You have caused me pain, and humiliated me in my own home. For these infractions, you shall pay with your life.”

Zack just shrugged. “That’s what you’ve been saying all along, but I’m still alive,” he goaded.

The monster howled with rage and jumped on top of Zack. He bore Zack to the ground and began throttling him with his bare hands. His inhuman strength was more than Zack could bare, and he found himself helpless to remove the monster’s icy grip from his throat. Darkness started to obscure his vision as it became harder and harder to breath.

Suddenly, the sharp TWANG of a bow rang out across the courtyard, and Vincent arched his back in pain. A sharp wooden arrow had pierced his back and gone straight through his heart. He tried to pull it out, but it was barbed, and stuck in place. Without even wasting time to catch his breath, Zack grabbed his sword and sliced right through the muscle and sinew in the vampire’s neck, severing his head from its body. As both head and body collapsed to the ground, Zack pulled out his remaining wooden stakes and drove them through the Vincent’s hands and feet, pinning his body to the ground. He looked up at the house, and just barely caught a fleeting glimpse of a man in a cloak holding a bow on the rooftop before he disappeared.

“Release me!” Vincent’s head howled. His body strained at the stakes holding him down, but to no avail. Zack got up and sheathed his sword. “Sorry Vincent, but you’re already dead and you just don’t realize it yet. But I think the truth is about to ‘dawn’ on you.” He walked away, leaving Vincent to face the burning rays of the oncoming sun.

Out of the shadows of the mansion, Morgan staggered uneasily. The two knives were still embedded in her chest, each less than an inch from her heart. She walked over to where her master lay helplessly pinned to the ground, and looked down on the hapless vampire.

“Morgan!” Vincent gasped. “You survived! That’s wonderful! Now free me before the sun comes up!”

Morgan pondered the command for a second, and then replied, “I don’t think so, Vincent. I think I’m just going to leave you here to die, while I go back inside and regroup with what’s left of my clan. And tomorrow night, I shall lead them on the greatest raid the village has ever seen. All of Dun will know the name of Morgan Stohrie and tremble with fear!” she laughed evilly and turned and walked away.

“Morgan!” Vincent shouted. “Get back here! Free me at once! MORGAN!!!” Vincent’s shouts echoed throughout the empty courtyard, until the first rays of the morning sun appeared over the distant horizon.