"After all the carriage expenses… the boat fares… the cost of our lodgings, food, and drinks for the last week… we are officially broke again," Soleil declared. The paladin finished tallying the numbers in her pocket journal and showed the total to Vynx, who reeled back in dismay.
"Figures. I had a feeling that we were close to running out, but I thought we would be able to afford a room once we got to town," Vynx groaned and dragged his hand down his face. "Hiring that ship was pricier than I thought it'd be… dammit." The hunter leaned back against his seat in the wagon as it bumped along the dirt road. The last of their coin now sat in the pockets of the driver who was willing to take them from the coastal city to another village en route to the capital. Vynx had caught wind of a vampire outbreak that occurred there not too long ago, and other travellers were warned to avoid passing through the area. Even their current coachman had been reluctant to go in this direction, but with his shiny badge from the King, Vynx promised that no harm would come to him or his horses. If all went well, he would clear out the area of any vampires, and hopefully, someone from the town would be gracious enough to spare their group some free lodgings until they could make it back to the Commission.
Before they even arrived in town, Vynx could already sense that they were being pursued. "Look sharp, ladies. We've got company." Vynx motioned at the others to ready themselves while he stood up and loaded his pistol. The sun was setting fast behind them, and looming clouds blanketed the sky as they approached the village. As the last sliver of sunlight disappeared under the horizon, two figures shot out from the trees, closing in on the carriage from both sides. Vynx took aim and fired off a round at the vampire to his left, piercing through its skull and sending it crashing back into the leafy bushes.
With blade already drawn, Soleil slashed at the other thrall that landed on her side of the wagon, slicing it from the shoulder to waist. The vampire let out a shrill screech before falling backwards and tumbling under the wheel of the wagon. The violent bump caused the horses to bolt faster while the driver gripped tightly to the reins in an attempt to control the fearful stallions.
"W-we must be getting close…" Hilde stammered. She reached towards Vynx and placed her hand over the guard of his cutlass to murmur a blessing incantation. The pommel and blade began to gleam with a hint of divine light as the hunter drew the sword from its sheath.
"This is your first time joining us for an extermination, eh?" Vynx gave Hilde an appreciative nod while he regarded the seated cleric. "Stay close to Soleil and watch your back. Once we get to town, we search for survivors and find a place to bunker down."
It was rare to see a village completely overrun by vampires. In most instances, vampires were forced into hiding or driven out of their communities before they could gain numbers. After all, there was no benefit in turning an entire population when a constant supply of blood was needed for their survival. Yet as Vynx arrived in the desolate village, the number of thralls that greeted them was far beyond what he expected.
Leaping from the carriage, he charged in at once, cleaving through the mindless ghouls feasting on the remnants of corpses scattered through the street. A massacre had occurred, and Vynx took in the details while he ran ahead to draw their attention. Luckily for him, the ringing of gunshots was enough to attract the majority of the undead dwellers from hiding. "Come on! Got a nice juicy neck right here waiting for the first lucky winner!" Vynx shouted merrily. His cocky expression betrayed the disgust he tasted in his throat as he cut down the villagers. The infection had not discriminated between class nor age; even the elderly and children bore the haunting crimson eyes of newly turned thralls. With each vampire he cleaved his blade through, Vynx only offered a silent apology. Putting them to rest was the only mercy that he could offer to the doomed townsfolk.
Sophia followed suit after the hunter, wielding a dagger that she had borrowed from his arsenal. Her presence was practically invisible among the thralls focused on Vynx, allowing her to run her blade through them from behind. She observed that most were only recently turned; the blood and wounds on their bodies were hardly a few days old. Their craze reminded her of the vampiric slaves that her former husband kept: deprived of the blood from a true vampire since their transformation, their sanity would slip further and further until there was nothing left but a starving beast. Sophia searched fervently for a sign of lucidity among the mass of mindless villagers. Yet as they rushed to their ends at the hunter's blade, she could find no leader or survivor among the carnage.
While Vynx fended off the waves of ghouls, Hilde and Soleil stayed on the carriage as they swerved off of the main road, desperate to find a shelter away from the bloodbath. "There's a church on the other side—we can hide there," Hilde called. It was closer to the town than she would have liked, but she hoped that the building had enough wards and holy symbols to deter the undead from staying inside. The carriage pulled up behind the church before slowing to a stop to allow the cleric and paladin to descend.
"Stay here. I'll take a look inside first," Soleil ordered. While she was reluctant to leave Hilde and the driver behind, she needed to see if their shelter was safe enough to enter. Creeping towards the front of the church, she kept her shield raised as she kicked open the doors. The paladin was met with silence as she entered the empty chapel, yet an unmistakable odour reached her nose before she even reached the back of the building. A lone priest lay prostrated before the altar of the Sun Goddess, his body rotting beneath his white and gold robes. Soleil approached to inspect the deceased priest, checking his neck for any signs of bite marks. The corpse appeared free of any physical wounds, and a small glass vial rolled off of the body as Soleil flipped it over. "Poison. Guess that's a better way to go than turning into one of them," she muttered. Soleil spoke a silent prayer before hastily heading for the back door to let Hilde and the driver inside.
"I never should have come here. Gods, this place is a hellhole!" The man cursed. His face was nearly as pale as the fiends infesting the village.
"I'm truly sorry that you had to witness this, sir, but I can assure you that we'll be safe here until morning," Hilde whispered gently as she brought the trembling coachman inside.
"What about the hunter? How is he going to survive with that many vampires at once?!" The coachman looked ready to faint at the sight of the lifeless priest on the ground.
"He'll be fine. I'd worry more about your own neck than his." Soleil shut and barricaded the door behind them. The sounds of fighting outside had come to an eerie stop, but she knew better than to leave the church without a signal.
At last, the front doors of the building swung open. Vynx and Sophia strode inside, soaked in the viscera of their battle. "That should be all of them," Vynx declared. His face wore a sombre expression as he wiped his cutlass clean and sheathed it back in its scabbard.
"Nearly a hundred gone, just like that…" Sophia shook her head grimly.
"It's a good thing that you took care of them before they could spread to other villages," Soleil said. She knew the statement would bring little comfort to any of them, but it was better than dwelling on the inevitable.
Hilde glanced nervously between the hunter and vampiress. "Does this happen often…?" she asked.
"No. Not to this scale." Vynx frowned as he marched through the church. "Unchecked vampire outbreaks are rare. When vampires feed, they only need one victim. If the victim doesn't receive the blood of the vampire that bit them, then that victim transforms into a thrall after a few days. At worst, they might attack a few people close to them, but the town guard or some local mercenaries can usually deal with it," he explained. "Thralls can infect others to create more thralls, but vampires typically don't keep more than one or two to avoid destroying their precious "food supply." Controlling thralls takes a lot of power, and only high-ranking vampires can command groups of them."
"These ones seemed completely mindless," Sophia added. "I couldn't find the vampire who may have started this. They've likely abandoned this town to its fate."
"Careless bastard," Vynx scoffed. "This land is too valuable to not belong under some Vampire Lord's domain." The hunter seated himself in one of the pews and stared at the silhouette of the Goddess statue watching over them. He wondered how many of the villagers' prayers had reached her before they lost themselves to the outbreak, or if the gods were even listening in times like these. Vynx knew it was not his place to question the workings of the divine, yet he couldn't shake the pity that he had for the poor souls who looked to the heavens for salvation.
Sophia furrowed her brows in thought. "I believe it is Lord Jaunus who is in control of this region," she recalled. The vampiress stayed near the entrance and kept her eyes fixed on the windows. "I used to hear rumours about him being a negligent keeper compared to the other Lords."
"Then it sounds like we're paying him a visit next," the hunter decided. Vynx had not planned on challenging another Vampire Lord so soon—after slaying Sophia's former husband and eliminating Conrad, he wanted to believe that his actions might have brought a little more peace to the realm. Unfortunately, it seemed like the vampiric threat had only grown bolder.
"Do you want us to come with you?" Hilde gingerly sat down next to Vynx. "I… understand if you would rather not, though."
"Hilde…" Vynx turned to meet her eyes. "It's not that I don't want you with me. I just… can't risk your safety. Next time, alright?" The hunter patted her head with a solemn look on his features.
"I understand. Please, be safe then." Hilde nodded and gave him the best smile that she could muster.
"Soleil, mind staying with them for me?" Vynx asked. "If we don't come back, I need someone to tell Alfred about what happened."
The paladin grudgingly agreed. "Fine. Just don't make it sound so grim," Soleil grumbled. "You've taken out at least two Vampire Lords already. Another one can't be that much more difficult."
Vynx cracked a wry smile. "It shouldn't be, but I can't just worry about myself anymore. I've got to make sure that you three ladies are provided for." He chuckled as they all rolled their eyes in near-perfect unison. "Sadly, it seems like this is going to be another thankless job."
"If it means ending another Vampire Lord's reign, then that is enough of its own reward," Sophia said.
"I know I can always rely on you, Soph." Vynx gave one last reassuring pat on Hilde's shoulder before he got to his feet again. The night was still young, and he was ready to track down the source of the town's scourge. Before he walked to the exit, he suddenly spun around to face the altar again. "If you're watching, Goddess, take care of Soleil and Hilde for me. I'll be pissed if anything happens to them while I'm off fighting the forces of darkness!" Vynx shouted. "Sorry, I just had to get that off my chest." He gave Soleil a tight hug before running off, more fearful of the paladin's potential wrath than any Vampire Lord yet to come.
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