“Need any help, young lady?” a voice asked that came from behind her.

“Huh?” She turned around and saw standing before her an old woman who was about her height. Her clothes were well woven if not a little tattered from age, and her long gray hair was woven in an intricate braid. A sign to Selena that she was at least a lesser noble at some point. “Yes. Do you happen to know where Bradley’s Inn is?”

“I sure do since it’s one of the oldest inns in town. Just turn left here at this fork and the road will take you straight down to the shopping district. It’s right at the edge on the eastern side.” The old woman replied.

“I see. Thank you!” Selena said before rushing off down the left path and soon saw the shopping district. Right before it was a building that resembled some of the inns she would pass by in Roguebourne. “This does look like the place.” She remarked as she headed on in.

The inn was split between a regular dining area, a bar, and a hallway leading to where Selena guessed the rooms were. The dining area and the bar were dead at the moment with barely a customer in sight, save for one boy sitting in the dining area while pouring through some maps of the surrounding area. The boy did not appear to be much older than Selena, though his bluish tunic woven out of fine silk showed that he was likely a member of the nobility of one of their neighboring countries as indicated by the symbol on a broach fastened on his left side, right below the shoulder. He also had a sword strapped to his belt that was forged out of a metal unlike anything Selena had ever seen. She could not help but notice how his attire contrasted nicely with his maroon hair, though there was no time to focus on that. “Excuse me.” She began as she looked in his direction. “Can you tell me where I can find a man named Drake?”

“Sure thing.” The boy said as he pointed to the bar. “Just knock on that and he’ll be out momentarily. What do you need him for, anyway?”

“I’m here to fulfill a request on behalf of my family.”

The boy nodded. “Ah. I understand. You’re a raven, aren’t you?”

Selena paused as she glared at him upon hearing a name rarely used outside of her home. “What do you mean by that?”

“I think you know full well. Not that I’ve encountered many like you. A wolf, yes. Your family is full of them. But a raven? Not in a long time.”

“Someone seems to be awfully familiar with my clan!” She said with a snarl.

“Hey. When you’ve traveled as much as I have, you are bound to see many things. Especially in my line of business.”

“Ah. I trust you’re a monster hunter, then?” Selena asked, figuring that this boy must have come across her father or some of his relatives at some point if that was indeed the case.

The boy sat there in silence, thinking for a few moments before answering with, “That is not a simple question for me to answer, but I guess I am in a sense that you would understand. Anyway, I’m glad that Drake’s little problem seems to be in good hands. I would take care of it myself, but I have more pressing business to the north right now and must depart early in the evening. I’m simply here to visit an old friend and grab a quick bite to eat.”

“I see.” Selena said as she approached the bar which was empty save for a few glasses here and there. A counter sat against the back wall that was filled with empty glasses, bottles, and dirty dishes, and off to the side was the entrance to a back room that, as far as Selena could see, was full of barrels. “I just need to knock this, right?” She asked as she tilted her head in the direction of the monster hunter.

The boy nodded. “I’ve found that to be the quickest way to get Drake’s attention.”

“Thank you.” Selena then turned back around. “Excuse me.” She said as proceeded to knock on the top of the bar three times and heard a voice from the back room that responded with,

“Just a minute, Miss.” Selena watched as a rather large man appearing to be around Gabriel’s age wearing an apron emerged from the back room and stood there, looking right at the girl for about a minute before walking over to the bar. “How can I be of service to you, young lady?”

“I’m looking for a man named Drake.” Selena answered.

“Well, you’ve found him.” The man chuckled. “Can I ask for your name?”

“Of course. Such a thing is only proper.” Selena said as she cleared her throat. “My name is Selena of House Ravenson.”

“Gabriel’s daughter, I take it?” Drake asked as Selena nodded. “I had a hunch since you’re the splitting image of his dear sister.”

“Really? I had no idea.” Selena replied. “Though Father’s never told me much about her other than that she disappeared in a vampire attack a long time ago.”

“Not surprising.” Drake said with a solemn look on his face. “That took a real toll on him, and I suspect that’s at least part of the reason behind why he left town so suddenly afterward. I haven’t seen him since, and that was over twenty-five years ago. Despite that, he was the first person I thought of to contact when the vampire attacks started. I trust that’s why you’re here?” Drake asked.

Selena nodded in response. “He would’ve come here himself, but he was called out on urgent business on behalf of the king this morning and I was more or less sent in his place.” She explained.

“Ah. Guess he can’t do much about that. He has to fight demons wherever they pop up and not just here.” Drake chuckled. “Mind if I tell you more about the situation over dinner?”

“I’d really appreciate that.” Selena began. “I haven’t had anything to eat since this morning.”

“Oh. Did you have breakfast and come straight here from Roguebourne?”

“Yeah. Pretty much.”

“Ah. There isn’t really much on the road here for noble ladies, is there?”

Selena laughed. “Try nothing at all. I’m not that picky, especially with meat. There are only a few things in this world that I won’t even touch and none of those things can be found here in Reyedral.”

“Then I probably have something to your liking. Take a seat anywhere you like.” Drake said.

Selena nodded as she sat down at a corner table that was only a few away from the boy, who was too focused on his maps to even notice her as she walked past.

Drake came by a short while later, placing a couple of plates on the table before sitting down across from her. “Here you go. Freshly caught pheasant.”

Seeing this, Selena immediately dug in. “Thanks. This bird puts some of the ones on the palace grounds to shame!”

“No problem.”

“So what exactly is the deal with this vampire?” Selena asked as she ate.

“That’s a long story.” Drake began. “There hasn’t been a vampire attack in this town for a very long time. Not since the one your father slew a generation ago. Then about a week ago a strange traveler came through here from the west. That was the night the attacks started on.”

“According to your letter, ten people have died so far in a little over a week.” Selena remarked.

“Those are just the ones we’ve found. I forgot to mention that over twenty people in total have disappeared and have yet to show up alive or dead. On top of that, two more victims were found shortly after I sent the letter out.” Drake replied. “Whether either of them survived or not, I cannot say.”

“So roughly thirty people in one week. Is that normal for a vampire?” Selena asked. “I’m still pretty new to the hunting game.”

Drake shook his head. “No, but it’s not completely unheard of. The frequency of the attacks along with the sheer number of people dead is the sign of an especially greedy vampire that I’ve only heard of a few times, with the last one to infest the village before now being the most recent of such cases. Come to think of it, the methods in play are similar to the last one, but the disappearances are new.”

“Are you sure the vampire is involved with the disappearances?” Selena asked.

Drake shrugged. “I really don’t know, but it would be one hell of a coincidence if the events are unrelated.” He then looked out of a nearby window with Selena, noticing that it was getting dark outside as a wolf howled in the distance. “It sounds like the time of demons are upon us. The only thing left to do is wait for the creature to make its move.”

“How long should we wait? When does the creature usually hunt?”

“Probably around midnight since hardly anyone is out at that time, give or take an hour.” Drake responded. “Will you be awake enough by then, Selena?”

“I think so. I’ve gotten used to late nights.”

“Then I’ll leave it all to you. Good luck.” With that, Drake cleared the table off before carrying their plates to the back room and left Selena alone with the other monster hunter, who was currently gathering his things and heading out the door.

“You’d better be careful.” The boy said as Selena walked past him on the way to the door. “It wouldn’t do you much good to end up dead on your first solo hunt.”

“Wouldn’t that be the least of my concerns when I could end up becoming one of those things if I slip up?!” Selena snapped.

“Perhaps, though there are worse fates out there. Trust me on that one.” He replied as both of them arrived outside at almost the exact same time. “I know Drake already said this, but good luck in your hunt. If you survive in some form and decide to follow the hunter’s path, there’s a good chance we will meet again soon. Heck. I can tell you’re a warrior, and even on that path we’re likely to run into each other sooner or later. Goodnight, Selena the Raven.”

“That’s Ravenson!” She shouted.

“It’s all the same in your case, I suspect. Remember that your family gift can be of great service to you at times. Gabriel can tell you all about it. Until our next meeting.” The boy headed in a direction away from the shopping district before completely disappearing from view as Selena went the opposite way. There are many more things I would like to say about that young man, but those stories are best saved for another time. We would be here all day, otherwise.

“What a strange boy, even for a noble, though his skills must be impressive if he can tell what I am from just a glance.” She thought while wandering about to the other side of the shopping district, waiting for the vampire to strike so she could track it to its lair. This lasted until about an hour after the night had reached its darkest point.

There were few people out and about at this time, and those that were had already started to return to their homes for the evening when Selena took notice of a strange man who was dragging the unconscious forms of two women who were around her age. She caught a brief glimpse of the man’s face in the glow of the moonlight, though it was just long enough to get a good impression of his appearance. He looked to be to be in his early thirties and his attire was all in black with golden trimming covered by a navy blue coat, a style that had been popular among nobles of all ranks for ages, with what looked like half a pendant around his neck. His eyes were a dark green and there was fresh blood around his mouth which he wiped off with the sleeve of his coat.

“That must be him!” Selena thought. “And he’s just fed from the look of things.” She decided to follow the man from a distance that was both close enough to keep him in her sight and just far enough so he could not see or hear her. She followed the man off the main road of the village near the northeast edge, where the trees were starting to get thicker and it was becoming increasingly difficult to move about without making a sound, though this only lasted for a short while before the trees opened up to a large field that seemed like it spread for miles around as the end of the night drew ever closer. Noticing this, she focused solely on the vampire and ignored everything around her briefly.

Selena’s attention may have lapsed for but a moment, but that is all it took for her to carelessly step onto a twig which could be heard all over the area as it was split in two. The vampire instantly dropped his victims and turned his head around completely, staring directly at Selena as a smile slowly crept over his face. The only thing she was able to see of him from her position. There was barely a chance to blink before the man moved at a speed which would put many wild beasts to shame, and grabbed her tightly around the neck.

“I thought I felt someone following me from the village. Your skills are more than serviceable if you could get this far, but you need to do better if you wish to shield your presence from me, Erika.”

“Erika?” Selena gasped as she felt her assailant choking her. “I don’t know anyone with that name!”

The creature then looked Selena directly in the eye. “No. I suppose you don’t since you look a little older, not to mention she left the area last night, though the resemblance is uncanny.” He responded, going off on a rant about this Erika who he apparently turned into a vampire long ago and had recently arrived in the area after a long period of time. Selena was only half listening as the rant bought her enough time to grab one of the holy relics out of her bag and shove it in his face. To her surprise, he simply snatched it out of her hand and closely examined it, which surprised Selena since everything she had ever read about vampires both real and in fiction mentioned a weakness to holy objects. “Was this supposed to drive me off, child? Not a bad effort that would’ve worked on local vampires since most followed your land’s religion in life.” He said before breaking the relic in two without the slightest hint of effort and tossing the pieces aside, crushing them under his foot for good measure. “Unfortunately for you, I am not a local vampire and never followed this land’s religion in life or death. Now I can really go for another late night snack, and this is bound to be quite a treat. It’s been many years since I last tasted the blood of a hunter.”

Selena felt the vampire’s breath on her neck followed by a puncture before her survival instincts reacted by casting a light glow over her body before shrinking down into a small black bird that flew off the moment she had the chance.

“What was that?! Not that it matters since I will kill that girl soon enough!” The vampire shouted as he glanced at the horizon and saw the sun starting to rise in the east which forced him to run off and leave his victims in a crumpled heap on the ground as he, like most of his kind, usually tried to avoid moving about during the day if they could help it since they were not only at a fraction of their power, but vulnerable to attack as well.

Selena did not notice this as she flew in the direction of Windmore and landed in her human form before attempting to make her way through the shopping district as her strength started to wane. “I really hate transforming in front of people, especially undead monsters, though I’m glad to be out of there–GAH!!” She shrieked in pain and placed a hand where the vampire bit her as her vision started to fade with Bradley’s Inn right in front of her. “Just…a…few…more…steps.” She gasped before collapsing in the doorway and passing out.