Stolzer and Alphonse checked their gear.

They parted ways with their wards shortly after. Alphonse and Stolzer stealthily made their way to the outskirts of the enemy encampment some hundred yards away, avoiding their scouts.

The Knight Undying hid behind a nearby tree and peeked out from behind the trunk. He hugged his zweihander close to his chest and nodded to the other knight. With a small grunt, Alphonse charged from his hiding place to decapitate a guard with one swipe of his weapon.

Stolzer had dispatched his quarry with a steady thrust to the heart and he quickly joined his partner adjacent a doorway. The patrols circled around the house like vultures. Their hooded figures seemed to drift along the ground and both knights worked quickly to kill their opponents with a single blow.

Both knights slowly entered the building with care. Their weapons were at the ready, their senses alert. Stolzer turned his head to follow Alphonse, who stumbled upon a narrow passageway into a deeper part of the house. The stench of the place was enough to cause any lesser being to vomit—the scent of decay and death, which usually followed in their ritual's wake, was all too familiar to Stolzer. Each step caused the wooden floor under their feet to whine and groan.

Feels like a trap. Stolzer grimaced as the thought crossed his mind. His past experiences screamed at him to evacuate, but he followed after Alphonse, who seemed to be drawn to the depths of the abandoned home.

“Sir, we should leave. This place is not safe.” Stolzer spoke to his superior in a tone unlike himself, his nerves getting the better of him.

“Aye, we should. However, there is not many here and we should investigate.” The Knight Undying's protective spell activated around him, the armor stitching itself over his clothes. Without another word, he was swallowed into the darkness. His gut seemed to tie itself into knots as he was frozen in place. He shook his head and headed in after him.

For a spell only the sound of his boots answered him in the blackness. The arid air, sweetened only by the scent of blood and death, tickled at his nostrils with each breath. He felt the driving need to turn back, but he swallowed his pride and continued on.

A pair of hands seized him and he activated the protective spell of his armor. Stolzer ducked to avoid a massive swipe of steel over his head. He keenly blocked another blow and illuminated the chamber with magic.

Dozens of scarlet eyes focused onto him, their figures clothed in torn fabric. Cloaks, other piece of garments, were stitched together in an amalgam pattern to cover rotting flesh. The stench caused him to cover his mouth instinctively, the crimson gazes glimpsing his weakness. He was seized and a fist crashed into his stomach, forcing him to his knees.

A pair of men garbed in the strange assortment of clothing dragged him. There was only silence, the beings appeared to have no intention of speaking to each other.

“Alphonse?!” Stolzer shouted and was slugged again in the stomach. “Alphonse!”

He felt another chill take hold of him as chains were fastened around his wrists and ankles. Seconds passed by like an eternity, his ears ringing from the silence.

Aye, Stolzer. I'm here. A voice reverberated in his mind. I can sense you nearby, but we should not speak unless we are spoken to.

W-What?

Yes, I know what is in store for us. Chains ringing some distance away from him answered him as Alphonse adjusted himself. We can't struggle...they knew we were coming.

How do you know?

Sacrifices were made. Its something vampires do to ensure the capture of their prey, whether or not we took note of it. Alphonse's voice now took shape in Stolzer's mind. He felt the soothing presence reach for him, seeming to calm his worries.

Whats...going to happen to us?

All thoughts were halted as the noise of a figure approaching reached their ears. There was only one pair of feet, though very faint, against the stone floor.

“You are unfortunate to have discovered us so soon in your career, Justicar.” The voice was deep and caused them to shiver uneasily. “Oh, what other prey have we caught in our trap...?”

He is not aware of the connection I made with you just now. Alphonse spoke to him telepathically, sending him image after image of his memories.

“Knight Undying, Alphonse Mortem. You are not Mortem in blood, but carry the name quite well. I should have known it was the Mortem who were involved in such deceitful intelligence gathering. No matter, I suppose we will have a great sacrifice for our ritual this evening.”

What on earth are you doing? Stolzer replied to him with his mind, but was halted by more imagery.

“One of you will return to your home after this event. I will tell you both what we are about to do, but I fear that only one of you will remember. The Death Wish will be prepared tonight...and you have been chosen, Alphonse.” The voice now traveled to Stolzer's left and knelt to his height. The color of his scarlet eyes came to view, seeming to glow in the darkness. “You...will live. You will tell Sanctuary what we have accomplished.”

“You can't do this.” Stolzer protested, tugging at the chains to reach for the man. With each pull of his arms, the chains tightened their hold on him. “Vampire filth!”

“Ah, but...we must feed. Care for it or not, but we all have our parts to play and this is yours.” He stood upright and his eyes faded from view. Stolzer scowled. “You are silent, Mortem. Why only greet me silence? You know who I am.”

“Valtieri...you work for them and now you aid their rituals.” Alphonse sounded disappointed, though hints of malice were evident in his voice.

“I see you are astute.”

“Why hide from us, Valtieri?” Stolzer spat. “If you are truly a man of courage, then face us!”

“Ah...courage. If I were truly a man, then I surely would have the means to face a Justicar. How can I forget the one man who gave me so much trouble all those years ago. My quarry is not with you, but the Mortem, who denied us our right to live as Sanctuary's citizens many eons ago.” Valtieri's laugh echoed about the room and he took a few steps toward Alphonse.

You must focus on me, Stolzer. I cannot repeat this, as he is on to me. Alphonse now filled his mind with more images. He felt overwhelmed with the knowledge pouring into his brain. The Death Wish is forbidden magic. This magic devours those who cast it, if you cannot remember anything else from this meeting, you must tell Ovelia of my fate. She must remember who I am, otherwise I will truly die. I am flooding your mind with my own memories so that I will not die in vain, as our true enemy is not with the vampires, but the Death Wish. It is a forbidden magic which must be forgotten.

Cold sweat beaded down his visage as more memories were forced into his mind.

The stench of decay burst into the chamber as the doors were opened. Several beings glided to their positions and bound them once more as they were taken from their prison.

Some time passed before they were met with light again. The pair were separated as the room came into view. A massive block of steel with chains locking the apparatus in place met him with a sense of dismay. The floating device hummed to life as they approached, Alphonse now being left alone to ascend the steps. His boots clanged against the steely surface, though he seemed more forlorn and broken.

A chant followed shortly afterward. The acoustics of the chamber carried the voices of the vampires into a dissonance which caused him to fall to one knee in defeat.

“'O Lord above, take this lost soul to your domain, for he hath forsaken his own existence. Heal him of his body, 'O Lord, for he willingly give it unto you.” Countless times the chant was repeated, the block of blackened steel whirring into life. Around him the voices seemed to join now in unison, the dissonance giving way to an acoustic nightmare.

Stolzer's dark eyes widened as a massive hand descended from the ceiling. Bright light illuminated the vampires whose prayers continued endlessly. Alphonse's protective armor dissipated into nothingness, the clothes underneath his armor disintegrating shortly after. His body lay bare, the machine releasing steam as the hand took hold of him. Slowly his head reared back, being taken now into the air by the hand which slowly began to squeeze. Blood poured from him like a fruit, his essence following trails etched into the device. The scent of decay washed over Stolzer like a raging ocean, his nostrils drinking the smell as the vampires all around him suffered. Several cubes around him took shape, each of the fervent rushing to the objects. Their hands gripped the shapes and were disintegrated immediately, almost as if they were being absorbed into the cube.

Stolzer however was still transfixed on the hand releasing the broken and empty husk of Alphonse. His body soon after was taken by a burst of air from the machine.

My...God...

The Justicar now was left alone, the figures vanishing into thin air. He was left with an empty feeling, the feeling of witnessing wrongdoing. Seconds passed by like eons as he attempted to recall what he saw. His body shivered uncontrollably, the memories in his mind jumbled. Two pairs of arms took him then and he watched the machine before him slowly drift away.

Stolzer woke with a start. The sword of his master had been placed in his hand and he swung at the air in reflex. His armor hadn't been activated, though he felt the draining effects of the spell. He breathed heavily, images of the dark machine and the ritual running through his mind countless times. Voices came to him in the distance, though he could not place from where. Another set of hands reached him and a familiar pair of eyes focused onto him. The cold, steely gaze of the Mortem—the eyes of a Sanguine Overlord.

What...is she doing here...? He thought in a daze.

“Who are you? What is your name?” A voice to his right called to him.

“I-I...I...”

“Answer him. Who are you, what is your name?”

“I'm...Stolzer Ritter...Justicar of the Sanctuarian Templar, loyal to her Highness and Sanguine Overlord, Ovelia Mortem.” His memory, though now befuddled and torn asunder, struggled to retain his own identity. His body seemed alien, though he inhabited it.

“Ma'am, he is still belligerent. We should quarantine him for a few days until he recovers.” A voice suggested.

“Yes, I agree. He appears to have been affected by the ritual, we arrived too late.”

“Blast. Yes, take him to the Medical Wing. Send for his squire and page, they will need to be there for him while he rests.” The orders were obeyed without question. A mask was placed over his visage, the device relieving him while causing him to drift into a deep slumber once more.