Blood Lust

Time seemed to slow as the village fought a losing battle. Stella was vaguely aware of her conciousness, but the burning had lost all of her senses. The blade resonated a holy white, and her lifeless body was hoisted from the ground. White flames engulfed her, and her eyes opened. With a loud cry, she wrenched the blade from her chest and landed on the ground, the wound healing almost instantly, leaving a scar across her skin. Her clothes had turned to ash from the fire, and fell apart as she rushed to Loretta, hoisting her body from the ground with her free hand. She slashed at a group of berserkers with the holy blade, and they all slid in half horizontally, crashing to the floor and exploding into dust.

Raven and galren landed in the burning town. As raven landedhis apperance returned once more. ut his sword was still in his hand.

"More of these things!!" he said refering to he vampires taring up the place.

Galren charged into the masses with no hesitation and started hacking Bezerkers apart. Slicing one clean in half then jabbing his sword in its face guard.

heh the elf learns quickly Raven though. Hen then span one hundred and eighty degrees beheading several vampires with his sword. He then grabbed the foot of a flying vampm asit was about to take off again and he flung it into a pack of vampires. Which in turned revealed Stell protecting her fallen sister.

Raven looked shocked for a second. Noticing stellas bear skin. He then shook his had and regained his focus. Galren was to busy killing vampires to notice. Raven ran battle threw the masses to help out stella

Stella ran through the opening in the masses and put her sister down, as Raven and Galren took down the vampires. She quickly turned and swung her sword, killing three oncoming aerial vampires. She looked down to see her sister was still breathing. She slowly sat up.

"Hah... I've lived for centuries....think a blow... like thats gonna take me down?"

Loretta looked at Stella suddenly shocked.

"What happened?! Are you ok?! What happened to your clothes?"

Stella looked at the blade. "I'm not sure but its something to do with this. The men from before came back, we'll work it out once we save this place."

Loretta nodded, and got to her feet, wiping the blood from her mouth. They both readied their weapons, and entered the fray once more.

Raven was slicing vampires left right and center. None of them stood a chance against his power.

"I have not felt this alive sfor centuries!!"

Galren was still batteling. Now he was weilding both of his swords. Gratis was pulsating rapidly. He knew what was going to happen.

"RAVEN! TAKE COVER!!" He bellowed.

Raven turned round. he caugh glimps of Gratis. He then jumped behing a building.

Galren aimed gratis at the masses ofvampis and The flames errupted from the blade. with the flaming horses scaling te land. Buring all in their path

Stella and Loretta looked in shock as the vampires were wiped out. They slumped to the ground, as the flames began to die down, the few remaining survivors fetching water to douse the fire. Smoke billowed as one by one the houses were salvaged, and the blackened village stood, smouldering.

They all retreated back to the mansion to discuss the situation. First however, Loretta took Stella back to her room, where she presented her with a gold trimmed battle corset, and plated leather trousers. A holster on her back held the blade she had recieved from her late father.

"It suits you." Loretta smiled. Together the pair retreated back to the building's meeting room, where Raven and Galren were waiting.

Raven and galren were waiting in the meeting room. thy were both sat at a long table that scaled te length of the whole room

"I still dont understand why you insist we wait here? and you got o learn to controll that attack of yours. You seen the path of smouldering buildings your horses made?"

Galren who had now turned back to his elf form scowled at raven.

"I believe that talking to the sister will prove benificial for us well for you."

"If you say so." Raven said putting his feet up on the table. "But im not sticking round if i find this is going to be a waste of my time."

Stella and Loretta entered the meeting room, and took up chairs near Raven and Galren.

Loretta turned to face Raven.

"I saw your skill out there. We need people like you. Something bad is happening. Something big."

Raven rolled his eyes at these words. He then folded his arms.

Galren took one look at Raven then turned to Loretta.

"Whats happening. do you know?"

"Vampire numbers are on the rise, and now this - winged vampires, heavy armoured vampires, these arent your everyday vampires. These are born and bred for war. My clan have fought these creatures for centuries but now they struggle. Theyre fighting for a purpose."

Stella spoke, softly. "The body of Leon..."

Loretta's mind raced, she had almost forgotten about that.

"Thats right! The Drajer tomb had been raided, and Leon's body was gone."

Ravens eyes widened. Galren was about to say something but Raven stopped him by holding out his hand. As if to say give me a minuet to think.

Marcus and the steak. Now te body of te legendry Leon dissapeared. he then remebered what the bezerker said he aid it aloud.

"At nightfall the ritual shall begin."

He suddenly took his feet off the table and looked at Loretta.

"What do you know aboutthe steak of Drajer?"

Loretta looked confused, and shocked.

"How do you know about the stake...?"

"Why, what is it?" Stella asked, as lost as Galren also seemed to be.

Loretta sighed. "Well I guess theres no point hiding it from anyone here. In the past, there were two of the largest vampiric clans - the Moltervain, and the Delacroix. Although both families were vampires, they had distinctly different qualities - for example the Delacroix are vulnerable to fire but are safe in water, yet the Moltervain are impervious to flame, yet water is like acid to one of their kind."

Stella sat intruiged, she knew so little about her own kind, after her sheltered life in the castle. Loretta continued.

"Anyway, one of the clans top alchemists discovered that the blood of one type of vampire would reject the blood of the other type, seeing it as hostile to that beings body. In this way, they concieved the idea that, in the same way as a virus, the blood of a Delacroix could be used as a fatal weapon to a Moltervain, and visa-versa. So they created a stake imbued with the blood of a Delacroix, as a weapon to destroy their cousins."

She closed her eyes, and kept talking, remembering the history of the stake as she had learned from her father.

"The weapon worked perfectly. It merely had to pierce the vampire and enter its blood, and the Delacroix cells would effectively destroy the vampire from within."

"So there's two stakes?" questioned Stella. "One with Moltervain blood as well, to fight the Delacroix?"

Loretta shook her head. "No. The Delacroix discovered this weapon, and they found out that the stake could actually be used to inject Delacroix blood into a non-living being, and turn it vampiric. In effect, they could turn corpses into their own kind - an almost infinite supply of vampires just waiting to be turned. Once the Drajers found this out, they retrieved the stake and made sure it was hidden, entrusting it to the elves."

Loretta breathed deeply. "Why do you ask me of the stake? Has it been found?"

Raven Walked down the room. He seemed to be thinking. He didnt kno what to say. or where to start.

Galren on the other hand had just about followed what Loretta had just said.

"the..the steak belonged to my father. He gave it to me to keep after he died. There was a tragic onslaught o our home."

"But thats only the start of it." Raven said sitting down once more.

"When i found Galren. I found out he had [possesion of the steak. But he didt know what power it had. Next thing we know we are attacked by an onslaught of manufactured vampires. Iveseen them around before butnot in this greater number. We took them out. Then this dark figure attacked us. It knew my real name. It stole the steak from Galren. Peiceing his heart with it. Ihadto sire him to save his life."

Galren smiled softly in gratatude when he heard this.

"Anyway, before we came to your town we were met by another onslaught of manufactured vampires. But this time one of them brought us a message. it said "The final peice has been discovered! The Ritual will begin at nightfall." Then it said "Marcus Drajer wants the ritual to be a sucsess. Marcus Drajer wants you dealt with!" "

Raven put his feet back on the table a folded his arms.

"I dt know how and i dont know whay. But marcus Is back. He has the steak. And his next move is to reserect your father."

"What!?" cried Loretta. "This... I don't believe it... Marcus is dead..."

Stella's thoughts clicked. "Of course... they never found his body..."

Loretta's throat was sore. "Uncle..."

There wasa look of concern that spread over Galrens face. He leant over the tabl to see of loretta was ok but Raven took one hand and shoved him back in his seat again.

"Anyway. You Drajer folk always seemed a bit weird." Raven stood up.

"Im not going to let thi get in the way of what i want to do. And thats find lecarde and finish him!"

Stella suddenly stood up.

"I want to go with you. I have business with Lecarde..."

Loretta looked up. "Of course..."

She turned to Raven, a fire in her eyes. "Arrogant as you are, you are a worthy vampire hunter. So I'll make you a deal. We go and take Lecarde down, then you help us with Marcus."

She held out her hand.

"Deal?"

Raven looked down at loretta. He saw the rage in her eyes. He understood there and then that she needed all the help tha se could get at any cost.

"I never thought i'd see they day i would be shaking hand with you loretta."

Raven shook her hand.

"But this doesnt mean i trust you."

Loretta smiled. "Watch and you will learn I can be a trusted ally. I hope we can see the same of you."

Stella was lost in thought, anxious to seek Lecarde and speak to him knowing the truth. She didnt want to wait any more.

"Can we go to Lecarde right away? The sooner the better, right?"

Raven looked over his shoulder at her.

"Patience. First we got to find where he is. Any ideas?"

Galren looked over at stella. "Are you ok? What happened to you on the battle feild?"

"I don't know... the weapon seemed to reject me... and then it was fine..."

Loretta looked at Stella.

"Ah, I think I figured that one out."

She looked down, ashamedly.

"I'm sorry. I didnt think. Drajer weapons are forged in holy fire. They yearn to destroy evil."

Stella closed her eyes. "Evil...? Is that all I am?"

Loretta shook her head. "No. At first it turned against your vampiric nature. But then, it recognised your true soul. The blood and soul of a Drajer, its rightful owner."

Stella unsheathed the blade. The golden edges shone in the orange glow of the candlelit room. It proved who she truly was. She would kill her false father with the power given to her by her true father.

Galren smilied a he looked at stella observing her new sword.

Raven on the other hand had his arms folded and started to tap his foot.

"Have we finished?" He asked impatienctly.

"We need to figure out a plan to get after Lecarde. But we have to do it quickly. Stella. andidea as to his where abouts?" raven asked

Stella thought. "The last time I saw him, he left in a hurry because our home was destroyed. That was when I was locked up where you found me. That was the first time I'd ever left the castle, but he seemed to be building some kind of army."

Loretta shrugged. "But both of those locations have been wiped out. I doubt he'd be at either."

"Wait." Stella said thoughtfully. "There were areas in the castle I was never allowed. Maybe we should check to see if there are any clues?"

For the first time in a while raven smiled.

"Well Lets head tere then. Lead the way!"

After a day of trekking, the four of them arrived at the ruins of Lecarde's castle. Completely derelict, it had lost its grandness and stood dead like a corpse. The drawbridge was down, the grand oak doors smashed open and hanging from their hinges.

"We need to head towards the basement." Stella said softly.

Raven pushed past stell and headed straight for the castle. The Drawbrings creaked under his weight. It was very badly damaged.

"What the hell did you drajers do to thes draw bridge!?" Raven shouted.

The draw bridge started to give way and it crumpled. Raven fell but he grabbed to one of the metal supports just in time. The drop down under the draw bridge. Was huge. Not like any mote Rave had seen. it was like a mini canyon.

Raven pulledhimself up onto the metal support. He then put his hads out to the sides to steady himself.

"Looks like th fun has just started" Raven said, regaining his balance.

Loretta turned to Galren.

"You can fly, can't you? Are you strong enough to carry us over?"