Last week, we watched as the vampire rose from his slumber, gathered his effects, and stepped out of his long term sleeping quarters. All unassisted, as his attendants were nowhere to be seen. You can read Part I here. What does our vampire find upon exiting the mausoleum? Let’s find out.
The air was cool and crisp.
And completely devoid of human odor. The crypt—in truth, more a mausoleum, being situated above ground—overlooked the grounds. Wolves roamed freely, unleashed, unrestrained, unbothered. He cast his gaze upon the manor before him and became dismayed. The manor, though not entirely in ruin, appeared to be taken over by the unbridled nature around it. Vines rambled up and over the walls, crawling all the way up onto the roof. A veritable forest rambled across one side of the property, thick with trees of all kinds. In their days of glory, his people—or rather their servants—had farmed all manner of fruit on vines and trees, kept in neat rows away from the main thoroughfare.
Those days of glory, it seemed, were long gone. As was the thoroughfare, now completely overtaken by the trees, vines, and mycelium growing unabated, untamed, wild.
He took a deep breath, exhaling the air as a long drawn out sigh, and began the long descent to the choked pathway that would lead him to the rear of the manor. The steps were long and the incline easy, with marble sculptures placed at regular intervals to either side, vines now completely intertwined around them. He was bitter at the lack of easy food. He considered for a moment the possibility he may be forced to feed upon animals in the area. While this wasn’t entirely unpleasant, it was distasteful; humans made for a far more delicious meal.
Oh well. He would do what he needed to curb the intensity of this thirst. Then he might think a bit more clearly.
He watched his steps as he arrived at the bottom of the stair, as the overgrowth had crawled over it and begun to climb. Taking his time—partly because he was low on energy, partly because what the hell was he in a rush for?—he picked his way through the overgrowth. Whatever animals lived or roamed nearby knew to leave him alone. This was well enough at the moment. He would call to them to feed when the time came. The way forward wasn’t long, but it was tedious, thus it took him quite some time to arrive at the rear doors of the manor.
Upon arriving, he found himself in a bit of a predicament. The growth had covered the doors such that simply opening them wasn’t possible. He would need to clear the vines first. His frustration momentarily flared, but he quickly contained it. No sense in losing his shit. If he had work to do, he had work to do. But first, he required sustenance.
Continued after the break.
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A traveling merchant finds himself in quite the predicament when he manages to win a duel, leading him down a dark path. A tale from the Odds ‘n’ Endings Boutique.
He turned around and stepped back onto the overgrown path, making his way forward until he was about halfway between the manor and the steps to the mausoleum. Pausing there, he set his aura to vibrate and expand. Its effects were instantaneous: all manner of creature rushed to where he stood, curious to discover what essence permeated their locality. He paused for a moment to examine each of them. Rats, raccoons, opossums, ducks, geese, squirrels, different types of birds. He frowned. He hated the idea of drinking from any of them. In his state, the amount he needed to consume to slake his thirst was beyond what any of these creatures could provide. Nay, he required larger animals.
He pitched the vibration of his aura to a higher frequency. The creatures around him all scattered, and he soon found himself surrounded by a pack of wolves. None were werewolves, and that was much the better. These were likely the descendants of those wolves his coven trained. If so, they were bred to serve the vampire in every possible way, from defense to sustenance. He tuned the pitch of his vibration to lull them to sleep, and promptly set about feasting. He loved animals, and he loved wolves above all, and so, despite the overwhelming drive of his thirst, he worked to minimize any discomfort or damage he might cause as he drank. Drinking only a moderate amount from each wolf, he gradually slaked the entirety of his thirst. He envied not the mental state of these pups when they awoke, but he was well aware they would be fine. To their benefit, his saliva carried elements to prevent his bites from becoming infected, as well as beneficial bacteria to improve their general wellbeing. The symbiotic relationship between wolves and vampires—well, any creature or being chosen by the vampire as their thrall; humans might benefit as well in a vampire’s service—was unparalleled.
His body reacted immediately to the meal. Already, he was beginning to feel stronger, clearer. His clothing fit better. He allowed himself a good, long, stretch, drawing his arms out and then raising them to the sky as he lifted himself up on his toes on a great big yawn. He settled back down as he exhaled. He turned his attention to the manor and returned to the doors.
He did not want to hack his way through the overgrowth, contemptuous of the idea of dulling his blade on such unfit activity. He knew not what wait lay in wait once inside, if anything at all. Given the state of the outside, it was likely the inside fared little better. Still, it did not do well to tarnish one tool in service of convenience when the very same tool may be required for its intended purpose later on. No, another way to enter must be found.
To be continued …
Our dear vampire is already settling into the world outside of his seclusion, and with some ease, it appears. Seems appropriate though, does it not? We get the feeling he leap-frogs through time, so awakening and gaining his bearings is no strange process to him. Well good. We do not have to suffer alongside his suffering were he to stumble through the process of figuring out how to subsist on what is available. Wonderful! Now we just have to see what happened to his coven. You can read Part III here.
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