The man stumbled closer and closer. Lysithea could hear his heavy breathing before he even reached them. As he stopped he cracked his back in an attempt to stand up straight to speak with the three with some form of respect.

"You are travelling all the way down?" He asked, his voice coarse. Lysithea nodded quickly, her hands pressed against her chest. She gave the old man a faint smile and watched as he leaned on his tall walking stick, long as a staff, for support.

"I need to see if there is someone down-... down there. A friend."

"A weird friend that no one knows who it is." Serena said, harshly. And Lysithea blushed, staring into the ground. 

"He's just special to me is all…"

"I see, I see." The old man hummed and gestured with his arm towards the blonde haired woman. "I will accompany you then."

Tristan narrowed his eyes and carefully pulled Lysithea slightly behind him. "And you are?"

"Orlock. I am the crypt keeper." The old man said, with a sorrowful voice. "I look for fallen heroes and bring them back up to the surface." 

Lysithea stepped out from behind her tall friend with a gentle smile. "I'm Lysithea. It is a-... a pleasure to meet you, master Orlock."

"A pleasure, Lady Lysithea." He gave her a rather rotten smile and then looked between the other two. His yellow eyes no longer seemed to glow, in fact they had gotten so dull they almost looked milky white.

"I am Tristan, this here is Serena." The tall fighter gestured towards the woman in brown who nodded. "Heya, mister Orlock."

"Hello to you both… so, shall we? Oh, wait." He looked Tristan over and reached towards him with a gnarled and bony hand. The tall man took one cautious step back but the old man managed to touch him nonetheless and a bright golden light emerged from his touch and cracked up Tristan's arm. It reached his wound and slowly the skin pulled itself back together.

Taking another step back, Tristan stared at his arm in shock. "That was… so potent?!"

The old man chuckled as he shook his head, he wheezed and coughed loudly. "It's… nothing." He took a deep breath and gestured towards them to continue. "I have a lot of experience, that's all."

They began to wander down the crypt. Each and every time a group of the undead would appear Lysithea would hold her hands out and mumble out a song which made purple light spread from her fingers, through the air and into the bodies of Tristan, Orlock and Serena. It would fill them with strength and make their armour stronger, protecting them from the sharp and heavy weapons the skeletons and corpses held.

Throughout the descent Lysithea had been walking in the rear, with her hands against her chest, hoping her friends would be alright with what little magical aid she could give them. Orlock had watched her silently. Eyeing her up and down without as much as a whisper, he didn’t aid Serena or Tristan in the battles but kept himself back. Occasionally, when a stray arrow or an undead warrior managed to get past the two, Orlock would throw out his gnarly hand and blast light into the attacker, burning them to dust as if they were nothing.

The inner chamber stood empty. The coffin was still open, the stone slab which had kept it closed laying on its side, cracked through the middle. Serena ran up to the brazier and with some flint she lit the brazier, to throw the chamber into a bright and warming light.

"Nothing…" Lysithea whispered to herself as she sank down on the small elevation where the coffin stood. She had been down there so many times that the chill in the air did no longer scare her. Her courage was borderline foolishness. 

Carefully Orlock placed himself next to her, standing there, leaning against his walking stick. Tristan looked at them both and gave Lysithea an encouraging smile. 

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll see him soon."

Lysithea gave him a faint smile and nodded gently. 

"Are you coming with us topside?" He asked and she shook her head. 

"I'll stay here a little- little longer.”

"Alright… but if I haven't seen you by the morrow I'll come looking." Tristan smiled her way as he turned on his heels and walked towards the exit, Serena following as close as she could.

Lysithea then sat there in silence, fiddling with her overcoat as she gazed around the room. The sound of the sizzling fire was the only thing that could be heard and slowly she let out a deep sigh.

She must have been sitting there for hours. Sometimes she could spend the whole night within the chamber without moving an inch. She would study the drawing on the walls, accompanied by writing which was too old to be remembered.

Pillars had crumbled and lay in piles of rocks, decorating the already cracked and broken floor.

Despite the fire behind her, the room was cold, much like the rest of the crypt. Dust hung in the air and a musty smell of death hung in the air. 

Her patience didn't last long. She slowly rose from her seat and dusted herself off. The old man who seemed to be half asleep against his staff stirred and turned towards her.

"Hmrh? Oh, you're still here, Miss Lysithea." 

"Yes… although I think I-... I should be on my way. He isn't showing himself tonight either. Dawn is soon-... soon upon us."

"Who is it that you are looking for?" The old man leaned his weight against the walking staff and glanced at her, holding it with both his hands. She gave him a long and nervous look before smiling faintly.

"I'm looking for a man who-... who calls himself the Dusk."

"Ah, the vampire."

Lysithea perked up and turned towards the man with newfound energy. She placed her hands together over her chest.

"You know-... know of him?"

"I know a little. I've seen him down here only briefly. He's a Redferne."

"A what?"

The old man gave her a yellow toothed smile. "Redferne, the Emperor's cousins. They work closely with him and own parts of the Veil under his guidance, you see."

Lysithea took a step closer to the old man and gave him a look of curiosity, her arms resting by her sides.

"The Emperor? You mean-... mean the ruler of these lands?"

"Yes. It is rumoured that he too is a vampire, a master of all." The man chuckled. "Interesting stories if nothing else. Although, speaking of him isn't something we should do lightly."

"How come?"

"He knows and hears all, once mentioned. Or so it's said."

The two fell into silence and Lysithea took a long look around. She felt a shiver going down her spine and slowly she began to walk around the room. The old man stared into nothing, as if he couldn't quite follow her with his gaze, almost blind as he was.

"What will you do when you meet this Dusk?" He asked, breaking the silence.

"I-... I just wish to speak to him. I have-... have a few questions."

"Oh?"

Lysithea turned towards Orlock with a faint smile.

"Yes… when I first met him he was kind in an odd way. He wouldn't hurt us and only did-... did so because they attacked him first."

"I see… so you have compassion for this night creature?"

"I'm not-... not sure yet."

The old man scratched his bony chin. "Have you met him since?"

Lysithea shook her head and looked towards the stone floor, slowly running her foot around in a circle creating a pattern in the dust. "No…"

"You know, Lady Lysithea, sometimes you have to summon a creature to get a hold of them."

"Summon?" The girl perked up and looked towards him again, stepping closer.

"Yes, he is a night creature. If you offer up your blood with the use of a summoning circle he should perhaps be brought to you…" the old man scratched his chin but suddenly his expression turned doue and he shook his head, saddened.

 "But perhaps you should start with leaving a message. You met him down here, didn't you? And so did I. Perhaps if you carve a few words into the wall he might see it."

Lysithea spun around and walked towards the closest wall. She stroked her hand across it before she pulled out a small knife from her bag. The old man lumbered towards her, placing himself beside her, the sound of his cane echoing through the chamber.

"I-... what should I write?"

"Hmm… how about something short and simple?"

The old man watched as she gave him a nod. She pondered nervously for a moment, as if she actually stood face to face with the man she wished to speak to. Slowly she began to carve letters into the wall with her knife. The scraping sound was harsh to her ears.

'To the one who hums. I have been looking for you. Please try and find me in turn. L'

She took a step back to observe her handy work before giving Orlock a long look. "Something like that?"

"Yes, perhaps it will help."

She peered back at her carved message, her head cocked to the side. She moved her hand towards the blond curl of hair which the vampire had held in his fingers and with a swift motion she cut it off with her knife and placed it in a small crevasse next to her message. The man watched her curiously as he leaned against his staff. 

"I hope this-... this will do something."

"I'm sure it will, Lady Lysithea."

She stepped back and took a long look around the room and sighed. "I have searched for him for-... for so long."

The old man walked through the room towards the coffin and peeked inside. 

"I know how it feels to look for someone. I've been wandering these halls for many years now, growing old in my quest but alas…" He gave a long sigh and began to wheeze. 

Lysithea walked towards him as he started to cough, she placed her hands over his and gave him a faint smile.

"Who have you been looking for?"

He peered at her with his almost milky white eyes and shook his head slowly.

"It matters not, not anymore."

She cocked her head to the side in an attempt to look him in the eyes as he continued. "But I will help you find who you are looking for. You remind me of someone who used to be very important to me…"

"Who?"

The old man gave her a long and sombre look. His milky eyes rested on her person for a short while before he opened his mouth. Eyes closing.

“I lost my wife in these very halls.” He looked towards her hand which rested over his and let out a deep sigh which caused him to cough.

“You see, Lady Lysithea. These halls hide more than vampires and undead.” His eyes scanned the room yet it was obvious that he couldn’t see much. “There is a mirror, hidden in the dark. It comes and goes.”

Lysithea looked around them, finding nothing but an empty chamber filled with spider webs and dust.

“I have searched for a long time and now my body has grown old.” He mumbled as he leaned his weight against the walking stick. “It is said that once you enter this mirror you will never return. It means that you walk through a gateway into death.”

Lysithea’s eyes snapped towards him and she saw him grit his teeth and try to push away the tears which seemed to blur his eyes even further. He closed them and took a deep wheezing breath of the dusty air.

“She entered the mirror with such courage and I stayed behind.” He turned his attention to the floor and she watched a tear escape its confines and drop onto the stonework below them. “I didn’t run after her and when I finally built up enough courage to try and bring her back the mirror vanished before my very eyes.”

“Orlock…”

The old man turned towards her and gave her a fleeting smile.