“Papa, do you think they will come back?” Ana's question seemed to catch the old smith off guard. He grunted a response. The girl's frown returned.

“A night like tonight is ripe with devil's fruit. I'm expecting a few missing teeth.” Eisener kept to himself then, moving on to butcher some chicken as he turned a nearby dial. Flames rose into existence from deep within the strange magical device.

Stolzer took to a slight jog. He knew to not call for Gelehrter, for the night was ripe. Trouble seemed to hang overhead.

He turned the corner and spotted a tavern. His horse had been stabled there, but the boy was nowhere to be seen. The jog was perhaps thirty minutes or more, the sun had began its descent from the heavens. A massive tower, rising high into the heavens, could be seen from any point in the settlement. Its dark presence carried the weight of thousands buried and thousands more. Yet, as a Justicar, its presence took some of the worry from his heart. Bells tolled as if they were near his ear. Lights in the distance erupted into life.

“All ne'er do wells fear, for the lights in the darkness strike with unrelenting justice.” The phrase echoed in his mind.

Stolzer gripped the handle of his broadsword and entered the tavern. People had long since left the establishment, the owners now were busying themselves with closing.

“There was a boy here, about ten years. Where is he?” His question hung in the air. One of the barkeeps behind the counter had reached for something, but shrugged.

God, I am going to give him a serious talking to when I find him. The knight turned to leave before several individuals blocked his path. They unclothed their weapons, smirking.

“Kid's ours now. He is a good lad and will be better now that we secure his master.” One of the men held his sword in a balanced stance, the tip of his weapon pointed for Stolzer's head. They moved to surround him and he now drew his sword. “Remember, boys. This is a Justicar, he requires no mercy.”

A single flash of teeth from the ringleader reminded Stolzer of the enemy: Vampires.

The tavern frothed with tension. The knight had his broadsword held low, his thumb taking the center of the handle. His spread shoulder-width apart. His emblazoned wings of the Sanctuarian Templar shone for a brief moment, his frame encased in armor. Dark robes now stitched themselves over his clothes, heavy armored boots adorned his shins and feet. In the instant he was protected, several men lunged forward. He deftly avoided several blows to his limbs, leaping onto a table.

He stepped back onto the floor and kicked the immense round table. Men scattered as the table soared toward them and he gripped the center with his left arm.

A roar escaped the knight.

Blades pierced through the wood, the tips missing him by inches. He ducked his head to avoid a swipe as he now charged for the leader.

“T-The hell is wrong with--” Before any words escaped him, he was pinned to the wall with the table along with several of his compatriots. Stolzer muttered several arcane words, magic enveloping them in a bright array. Their forms were shattered as light pierced through their bodies and they remained only as piles of dust.

Only two remained.

Their expressions were filled with fear and awe. The man before them seemed to grow with each step. His dark eyes solemnly fixated on them.

“I am Stolzer Ritter, Justicar of the Sanctuarian Templar. You will tell me what you have done with my page.”

He was met with nary an answer. Stolzer slashed through the air, his blade meeting a man across the face. The sound of the metal breaking bone echoed through the tavern.

“Where is my page?” He spoke now in a whisper. Fury danced within steely gaze, his body poised to strike. His sense skyrocketed as he felt the presence of more men entering the tavern and he quickly struck the enemy before him, whirling about to face them.

Stolzer barely evaded a massive hammer. The weapon punched through the wooden floor and he eyed the behemoth before him. Long incisors flashed as the man reared the hunk of metal overhead once more.

The knight darted for the entrance and stood his ground. His enemy barreled for him with his weapon raised—Stolzer sweeped for the man's leg with the blunt of his broadsword and he toppled forward. A cloud of dust bellowed into the air and silence reigned. A crack in the distance carried with it immense light. Bolts of lightning arced as the man was vaporized, hunks of meat and a crater remaining. Scarlet light focused onto the position for another instant before it swept over the area to focus elsewhere.

The knight sighed heavily and sheathed his blade. He blinked and found Gelehrter standing next to him, the young page eyeing him cautiously.

“Master, you've overdone it.” He nursed a bruise on his cheek and the knight palmed his forehead.

“Aye, that I have. We should see our friend before he sees us.” Stolzer then blinked and gripped his young page by the shoulders. “What in the Lord's name above were you doing? You should've let me know your position at the very least! I was worried sick, I thought I had lost you!”

“Sir, I didn't want to endanger the mission.” Gelehrter spoke softly.

The knight released a sigh. He tapped the winged emblem on his chest and his magical armor dissipated. “You raise a good point, lad. However, should there have been any trouble, you know a few ways of contacting me.”

“They were being intercepted.” Gelehrter motioned to the entrance. “We should leave, the bartenders were up to something.”

Speaking like a grown man is kind of creepy. Stolzer frowned and headed for the door. He peeked outside, only to find a few eyes returning his gaze. The burning anger within their scarlet hues wished nothing more than torment for the knight and his page. Stolzer grimaced.

“Surrounded.”

“Aye, we are.” They now spoke in low tones. “We're protected if we stay outside. Indoors are a different matter.”

Gelehrter gave a small nod and they both darted into the open. Vampires followed their every movement. They darted about in the shadows, the night air becoming thick was malevolence. The lights in the distance focused now onto the pair. A grunt was heard as a vampire nearby fell to the ground and entered the light. Stolzer's eyes widened and he lifted his page. They leaped out of the beam before ice encased the vampire. Another beam caught sight of the man and his form was shattered by arcs of lightning.

Sirens roared in the distance and now the vampires scattered. Stolzer grimaced and reached for the winged emblem.

He ducked and lifted Gelehrter onto his back, the armor taking shape over his clothes.

“Sir, what is going on?”

“I forgot I never got the chance to tell you!” His mind raced as he took to a sprint. “A defense system was put in place to get rid of crime thousands of years ago when the vampires were discovered. They led an assault on the Citadel and nearly took it from the Mortem.”

“Y-You...you mean...even--?”

“Yes, even they have their limits.” Stolzer ducked and tossed Gelehrter off his back. The ground nearby was engulfed in flames which took a nearby building instantly, the blaze seeming to devour the life inside the building. After the structure was eaten, the fire had put itself out.

“Sorry, lad! Keep up with me!” He muttered a spell under his breath and magic weaved around the page. His feet hovered over the ground and he clumsily glided behind him as he sprinted ahead. Around them screams of agony were heard as more beams of light took the lives of the vampires.

Stolzer turned a corner.

He saw the smithy nearby. He heard Gelehrter cry out in pain and he quickly whirled about.

Damn! His eyes widened as he witnessed the boy imbue magic into a loose piece of metal and swipe toward his adversary. The light above now focused onto him.

With a few arcane words, his spell forced the page toward him. Lightning arced from the impact and the vampire was vaporized instantly.

“Those machines don't care if you are Justicar, or a random passerby?!” The boy growled and glided near his master.

“Aye, its a flaw which I've brought to light in Council meetings many times!” He quickly opened the front door and pulled his page inside. They both were now faced with Eisener and Ana, both who were eating their meals. At the other side of the table, two plates were fixed and utensils were set aside for them.

Ana was the first to look over to them. “It's good to see you made it back.”

“Stirred up a hive on your way over, didn't you, mime?” Eisener pointed his butter knife to Gelehrter.

The spell ended and the page fell to his knees.

Commotion outside was muffled, but the ringing from the Citadel ceased. Crimson lights outside the windows drifted away.

“A good lad, I suppose.” Ana giggled and evaded a glare from the master smith.

Stolzer released the protective spell from the winged emblem. He took his place adjacent Eisener and motioned for Gelehrter to take his place at the table. The boy's ears burned as he took his seat, quietly eating.

“T-Thank you, Mister Ei--”

“Call me Eisener, I am too old for the pleasantry nonsense.” His paws scooped up his chicken and he devoured the lot in a few vicious bites. Carefully the smith wipes his beard and his hands. “They're going to call you tomorrow around noon, I believe.”

“Whatever for?” Stolzer frowned and took a helping of rice.

“Did you forget what you've been relaying to me all these years?” The master smith growled. “'Any time those magical pieces of garbage fire, we talk about the damage and investigate.'”

The knight rolled his eyes. “Right, how can I forget.”

“You'll have some explaining to do.”

“I know that...let me eat first.”

“Be sure to swallow your anger while you're at it.” Eisener barked and finished his meal. He placed his dish near Ana, who took it with her when she finished. She carefully washed the plates then turned to her master.

“Are we going to do some more work before bedtime?”

“Depends, but that is my work. Young ones need sleep.”

“But papa--”

“Bed.” He pointed to the staircase nearby. She pouted and headed upstairs.

“Ana is a hard working girl for her age.” Stolzer commented.

“Aye, strong enough for smith's work—she even manages to leave hives alone.” He sneered at the page. The knight laughed and nodded to his page.

“You did well today, all considering. I should've been more careful with you and ensured our plans today were set in stone before I gave any orders.” The knight unfastened his broadsword. He handed it to his page, who blinked in surprise. “Take it to over there and we can start on simple equipment upkeep before we retire.”

The aroma of coffee caught his nose. Eisener's age showed for a mere instant and Stolzer turned to him. Two cups were readied, one far more worn than the other.

“You bastard, you kept that old thing?”

“Why not? Its your mug.” His old blue eyes smiled when he peered over his shoulder. He handed it over to his friend, whom mouthed a thanks. Stolzer followed his page into the next room while Eisener headed for the forge.