Fantasy World Creations

A pale yellow light was flooding the room, accompanied only by the drone of the nearby devices. Or at least that was all that could be perceived. Vision was cloudy and tunnel-like, sounds were dampened as though they were distant, and Vladimir's whole body was numb. He couldn't even tell if he was moving; but when he tried to turn his head he realized the fearful truth. He couldn't move.

In his panic, it all came rushing back to him. Vladimir and his family barely scraping by, on the verge of starving to death on their farm. The strange traveler that handed him enough gold to last them a lifetime in exchange for his body. Leaving his wife and child to enter a strange keep miles from home. Finding out the traveler was an outcast mage doing unorthodox experiments. Being unable to back out for his family's sake. Resisting the mage's attempts at persuasion to use his body. And then the coersion...the concussion had sent him reeling to the ground, and then everything went blank. And now here he was, paralyzed and senseless, on what he imagined was a lab table. What a number of poor choices to have made...Was it really worth it?

He was broken from his reminiscence when a shadow moved in his peripheral vision. No doubt the mage. Moving back and forth between his bench and the table, standing over the torso. But what was he doing? His glasses were fully reflecting the light in the room, making them seem like sources of light themselves, almost ghoulish in the way they glowed. Likewise, his instruments glinted in the low light, though their shape was blurred. Straining and focusing, it seemed they were callipers. Surgical callipers. Just as it was dawning on him what such tools entailed, he saw the light glint off his tool with a different color than the pale yellow of the room. Red. Blood. His blood.

Fear gripped Vladimir as he realized the extent of what was happening, and he screamed out in terror. Or at least he tried. But nothing moved, and his voice didn't sound. He was helpless to watch as this strange madman meddled with his body, in ways that nightmares could never reach.

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The screaming was ceaseless that night, starting suddenly, and only ending momentarily for sharp breaths. It wouldn't be surprising if it had roused the whole floor. Of course, this is why he'd requested to be placed in the basement of the guild in the first place. His eyes were wide open despite still being unconscious, staring fearfully at the ceiling as he cried out. He was holding the bedding in a deathgrip, and his body trembled in stress and terror, as though he were using all his strength. The was cold sweat beading across his entire face and body, as he lay there motionless, despite the trembling.

Kryas? eyes snapped open with Vlad?s first scream. The half elf was a light sleeper from long drilled in habit to begin with, but the sound of screams always had the way of cutting through him like a knife ever since he was a child. Jumping out of bed he was directly at Vlad?s side this time was worse then the others. He had seen Vladimir wake up in cold sweats in the past, but whatever he was dreaming really had him terrified and did not look like it was going to end soon. He needed to act fast if he was going to end things as painlessly as possible for the vampire?s ego. With a  flick of his wrist he placed a cone of silence around the room. It ensured that even the neighbors next door would be none the wiser and would not even be able to hear a sound through the thin walls. Kryas once he was fully awake on the other hand had the ability from his years in the trope to block out almost any noise and focus on his work.

?Now the question us what to do next.? Kryas rubbed his hand through his hair as he thought. He could just sit back and let him scream himself out it would be the easiest solution and he knew from passed experience that trying to wake someone from a night terror was possibly dangerous for both the person sleeping and the person trying to wake them up. After a moment more thought however he ended up shaking that thought from his mind. He couldn?t just leave his roommate like this and do nothing. His conscience would not allow him just to stand and watch when a supposed friend was in so much pain. He was at a stand still if he over reacted and tried to act from a distance or pin him down he could end up just thrashing about. If he got close however, well that purposed a whole new set of problems. His best bet would be in some how braking through the nightmare haze that his roommate was under and to pull his consciousness to the surface. The only problem being that if the nightmare haze did not break then the danger level would spike drastically. The subject would fall into a state of waking sleep where they could move freely as if awake but caught still be caught in the grips of the nightmare, and very possibly make the nightmare even harder to wake from. the nightmare may be more vivid and cause more details to come to the surface.

?Well nothing ventured, nothing gained right? You hold on Vlad I promise your pain will be over soon.?

Kryas grabbed his cloak and placed a locking spell on the door. He did not want to be interrupted halfway through. Rapping the shielding cloak around himself along with his new crystal sword as a precaution he grabbed his lyre. Before he began to play he looked out the window and at the half moon hanging above in the sky. This was strikingly similar to so many memories from his past life he could not help but smile a little. What did he have to worry about Serena was here with him. They were part of a team a family he knew he could depend on her to have his back to go to the end of the earth for him and he would do the same. With a sigh he began to play and sing a haunting melody one filled with both serene notes and alluring rhythms. He weaved a song together using both his wishes to help Vlad pull away from his past terrors and fond memories of his own as well as hopes for a brighter tomorrow. Using his magic to bolster the songs affect all he could do now was wait to see what happened next when Vlad would open his eyes.

It was everywhere. His blood. Something important had been cut and tampered with, it seemed. Vladimir's body had already given out from the stress he'd put it through trying to scream. Yet he was still trying, as it was all he could do. The madman above him looked troubled, as though something wasn't going as planned. Then a wicked, strangely-excited grin appeared upon his face. The expression gave Vladimir the chills; but he then realized, it wasn't the expression, he was actually going cold.

Its seeped through his body from the center outward, spreading to every extremity. The numbness he'd been experiencing embraced this new feeling, and whatever strength he had left began to fade. Was this is? Is death all that's left? Liliana...Soren...forgive me...

Vladimir's consciousness slowly began to fade once more, the maniacal laughter of his captor the only distant sound he could make out as he finally slipped into unconciousness.

Suddenly there was awareness. Strength. His eyes snapped open. His senses were as sharp, nay, sharper than they'd ever been! He sat up, examining his surroundings and looking over himself. He'd lost some color, but seemed to maintain warmth. Was he alive? Then he began to notice differences. His fingers were longer and more pointed, scars he'd bore all his life had vanished; even the wounds incurred from whatever that mage had done were completely gone.

The mage.

Where had he gone? Vladimir looked around, and saw the man backed away. Surprised. He had not expected something. He was spouting some rant about regeneration, and having too much strength. That he had to restrain me. No. That wouldn't happen. Vladimir quickly got up and ran to this man, his "creator". It was time to pay his back. Instinct took over, as he'd lost all his self control. And he bit him. On the neck. He felt the man's blood flow into him, noticing how sharp his teeth had become.

Was he...himself any longer? What was he? Vladimir didn't know. But he knew justice had been done when the man's body hit the floor, motionless. This would never be repeated again.

My family.

Vladimir quickly gathered up any clothing he could find, and a cloak, as he dashed from the keep, running for home.

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The music did not seem to take any effect at first, but whether thanks for its melody or the course of the dream itself, he stopped screaming. For a few moment, Vladimir was peaceful. Then something else occurred, something none had witnessed from the methuselan before in the guild. His body changed. What was screams of terror became rage-filled roars. His teeth began to elongate, and his limbs and extremities grew in limber strength. His face became a bit more gaunt than before, and his eyes turned a deep, glowing red. With speed that Kryas was barely able to follow, Vladimir dashed across the room and punched the wall, trembling with his transformed strength. He then pressed his forehead and and fists to the wall, looking down and howling, releasing a sound that sent chills coursing through Kryas' body.

Then, with another burst of speed, Vladimir was at the door, pounding on it, trying to get out, calling out in a mixture of fear and anger. "LILIANAAAA! SOREEEEEN"

Kryas was slightly taken a back by Vlad?s transformation he knew that the mild mannered man was hiding a beast of sorts he had seen it often enough behind his eyes. Vlad tried his best to hide his bestiality but to a bard a trained actor like Kryas every attempt to hide it just made him easier to read. His song had failed it was far from the first time. In the end he was not expecting this though. He was exuding a terrible power fueled by his rage and anguish if he was allowed to go on a rampage there was no telling how much damage he could cause. Based alone off of how much raw energy he could feel powering off him the bard knew that trying to take him down alone in this tight of space would not only be impossible it would be life ending.

Luckily he had experience on his side and more then just a few tricks that came to mind but he would need help if he was gonna pull it off the way he wanted. And only one name came to mind. Serena who had dealt with a ragging Samurai as much as he had. The two of them could pacify him without to much trouble one way or another. The key was indirectly getting Vlad to follow the path he had in mind. If he could lead him into the arena then they could pin him in and battle it out if they had too. At this time of hour there was no telling who might or might not b still awake and possibly get in the way. The safest path he could think of lead directly through the main common room and the fires in the hearth almost never went out because there was always someone up. So he had to add everyone else?s safty to the list of his prirorties along with Vlad?s own mental state once he awoke.

Then Vlad?s beating finally began to splinter the wood of the door. He was he was going to leave whether Kryas wanted him to or not. It was one of those times that Kryas had to throw caution to the wind. If he spent too much time calculating his window of opportunity to act would close before him. ?Well then, lets just say to hell with the perfect plan and lets make things interesting if he wants to play beast he?ll see exactly where he is on the food chain!? Hopefully Serena would be in ear shot once everything began.

Without a second thought he released the magic seal on the door before it broke letting it smash outward. Like a rat in a maze Kryas was quick to follow Vlad wherever he went locking any and all doors with his magic funneling the insttinctial creature exactly where he wanted him. Getting him down the almost disereted wing where there room resided was relatively easy. The hard part was up ahead where there smaller wing meet up with the others onto the second story balcony of thetavern area. The door he wanted to go down was just to left of the bar leading to a covered path to the arena. To his dismay he could hear multiple voices still having a good time at the many tables. It was to late to turn back now there was only one thing left to do

?SERENA! IT?S SHOWTIME!!!! OUR STORY BEGINS IN A DEMON?S NIGHTMARE!? He screamed at the top of his lungs hoping that she would hear him and understand his meaning. All the while getting prepared to rush him and flip him over the balcony on onto the floor below.

He was faster now. Much faster. Though halfway along his travels, Vladimir noticed he now had an aversion to sunlight. No actual damage was done, but it felt as though it burned him. It's like he was a vampire, or something.

Vladimir stopped in his tracks. Was that the truth?

He kept running but stopped by some standing water to take a look at himself. He most certainly had to characteristics of one...and the instinct from before somewhat confirmed it...He was a monster.

Would his wife and child still accept him? But he couldn't just leave them...only one way to find out.

And so Vladimir continued running back along the route he'd been taken. He was in familiar territory now, and knew his way much easier. A few hours from sunset, he could see his farm, but something seemed off. It took getting closer to realize what that feeling was. The home had been attacked and ransacked. It was completely in shambles, and there were scorch marks from fires that were started along the house. He continued to call the names of his wife and child, but no answer.

Maybe they'd already left with the money to go live in a city. Vladimir pleaded desperately that that was the case. His illusions were shattered upon entering the house; there on the floor laid his wife and son. Clothes torn and cut, awkwardly positioned. Liliana's throat was slit, and from how she laid there Vladimir could see more must have been done. Soren was beside her, a large wound through the stomach. Most likely trying to protect his mother. But they had stood no chance.

He was on his knees, unable to think, perhaps even trying not to. Tears were streaming down his face as he crawled toward their bodies, forlornly calling their names. He took them in his arms, cradling them desperately, continuing the say their names. He was broken, homeless, and for all he knew, not even human any longer.

Why was he still alive?

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The crazed methuselan was rampaging through the corridors, following Kryas' lead as he bashed into random doors that had been magically locked. Though he was being corralled, there was no stopping him from moving forward. After all, in his mind he was running home to his family, who were waiting on his return.

As he reached the balcony above the common area, the shout that came from behind him gained his attention, halting his advance. He turned and grimaced at Kryas, who was running up to him. Instinct drove him as he swung at the bard, though Kryas managed to duck below and connect. Vladimir now had even less control over himself as the two of them were flung from the balcony, falling toward the first floor.

The pair fell the short distance Kryas trying his best to maintain a hold on the methuslian before they landed hard on one of the many smaller dining tables splitting it in half. To the uproar of many around them they continued to wrestle  on the ground. With Vlad's increased vampiric strength it was the best Kryas could do too just keep the beast from biting him or raking him over with his claws. If he did not get the upper hand soon then not only would he be killed but so too would Vlad most likely. From his vantage point struggling under Vlad's strength he could already see multiple guild members beginning to ready there weapons.

Then the tides of fate shifted. The sound of someone sprinting down one of the many long upper corridors could be heard only for someone to do a hurtle jump over the bannister and go into a graceful barrel roll spin kick directly into Vlad's chest. Sending him careening sideways smashing into one of the walls of the tavern.

Serena landed with a small spin to face Vlad directly hair whipping around her her nightdress whipping in the breeze. She could only thank the gods she had been wearing shorts earlier that day that she had thrown on before attempting that leap. She stood in front of where Kryas laid still panting slightly on the ground. Using herself as a direct wall between the two. She had an ice cold stare that looked like it had the capability to kill on it's own. Then it was gone in an instant replaced with a disarming smile.

"Did I hit my mark right for that part?" Serena did not know what was going on, but she had heard Kryas scream for her and had spent enough time to understand his codes. The only demon nightmares they had felt with was Kira's. and looking over her opponent he seemed to be in a similar state. Which meant that she could not afford to hold back. And if Kryas wanted to hide it from everyone she knew how to play along.

"Perfect." Now the game had begun," Now you two the next part I need to try out is where the heroine fights the monster in a spectacular duel battle with the prince." Kryas almost imperceptibly nodded his head towards the desired exit.

"Right then!" She said getting back into a fighting stance as Vlad recovered fully. She did not get the nickname of "The Fortress" for nothing . She would force him out that door even if she had to punch him out of it. By twirling him around. And if he tried to run her long stride magic would ensure he would never leave her sight. From the negative undead energy radiating off this beast she knew that her holy powers could help her if need be.

Kryas was preparing his mind as well mostly prestidigitation spells and cantrips to sell there little performance to the audience. Once they got out the door he could fall into Serena's tempo helping force Vlad back into the arena.

The tracks were still fresh; they would not escape their crimes.

Vladimir's rage and despair was now focused. Whoever raided his home, and broke and killed his family, would soon experience a similar sort of wrath. Night had fallen, and he now realized exactly how at home he felt in it. The dark was his playground. And he would play tonight.

It wasn't long before he found their camp. There looked to be five of them, and not very well armed, nor disciplined. That his family fell at the hands of such degenerates only angered him further. He began to pant heavily in rage, his vision becoming red and hazy. Though he was not aware of it, his entire body was transforming. He was ready to hunt.

His first target was the one on watch. Vladimir crept up in the man's shadow, just out of reach of the campfire's light. Darkness was his realm, and silence his ally and close friend. Not a noise was made as he came up behind the man, covered his mouth and broke his windpipe with a quick jab, and sank his teeth and claws into the man's flesh.

Yes. They would experience the helplessness and pain they had dished out.

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The methuselan had no trouble recovering from the blow. It was as though he had not even noticed the kick Serena had landed. With a guttural roar, Vladimir lunged at Serena for a counterstrike, lashing out with his claws. To him, she was a bandit, someone who'd killed his family. He would not relent now that he had a target.

[spoiler]http://www.youtube.com/v/F03ttrEHoSg&loop=1&autoplay=1[/spoiler]

Serena turned to face the monster and side spun around as if dancing with him as he tried to lunge in her direction. She was careful to disguise her attacks from on lookers as she grabbed his wrist as she went past using both her own momentum and his own weight against him to send him slamming hard to the floor with one of his clawed arms strung behind his back. He was now almost straddling the beast from behind her vice like grip ensuring he could not escape her. If she could disorient him then she would have an easier time trying to get him out the door. Without a second thought she picks the vampire up, and threw him spinning up into  the air sideways before she back flipped into a foot hold that Kryas had created behind her giving the leverage required to high jump kick Vlad hard in the stomach whilst he is still spun in the air.

He goes flying through the air completely crashing through the sold oak door that Kryas had motioned to before. Serena wasted no time in pursuing her target jumping after him as Kryas stayed a short distance behind to make sure that no one else followed along. As her prey recovered she made sure to keep pushing him back with a flurry of well-placed kicks and punches. She could see the looming shadow of the Arena against the moonlight. No doubt that was the place Kryas had intended for them to make their final stand. He always had a flare for the dramatic. She dodged all of the incoming blows with her dance like style bounding off pillars and doors to force her quarry where she wanted. That was until he almost got a lucky shot on in only to be deflected by a crystal blade.

Kryas had finally caught up. The pair working in perfect harmony thrashing and bashing the vampire back until the trio stopped right where the half elf had planned. The middle of the arena, the dust bowl with it?s high curved walls and reinforced foundation made the perfect place to battle. For the moment they were all at a stand off, staring down one another waiting for something to change.

The next guard barely caught a glimpse of him as Vladimir approached. Nor did he have a chance to make a sound as his throat was slashed, and his soon-to-be corpse was dragged into the shadows. The camp was now blind, its guards removed from their duty, allowing darkness to fall further; thus Vladimir's domain extended, his freedom to hunt down his family's killers broadened. A maniacal smile spread across his face, a gleeful madness lighting within him.

Yes. I shall let them know pain. They will know fear well before they know of death.

The first was easy enough to dispatch of silently. A quick jab to his throat for silence. A few broken limbs. And then the kiss of death, bringing a cloudiness to the pleading, fearful gaze he'd had moments before. But before he was completely drained, Vladimir loomed over him, staring into his eyes. "No...I won't take you just yet...I want death's embrace to be slow for you...for all of you...like it was for my wife and son. Dream sweet dreams while you can...if you can." Right as he said this, Vladimir made a slow cut where he'd bitten the man, just deep enough to let the blood flow out and finalize the kill.

Not enough.

The second required more finesse, but still a similar strategy. He was large, and strongly built. Thus overcoming him would be impossible like the last one, and a slow kill would not be a simple matter. However, silence was key. He still had one more to go, after all. This time it took the assistance of a nearby weapon, the bandit's greatclub. With careful aim, Vladimir brought the club down on the sleeping giant's throat. Not enough to outright kill the brute, but enough to at least stun him and leave him helpless. He couldn't let it go that easily, after all, as this one's size gave away what his part must have been in the raid. I wonder what he must feel, being on the other end of overwhelming strength? While the man flopped off his cot and squirmed on the ground, Vladimir retrieved some nearby pikes and went about pinning the man in a precise manner, only piercing a vital at the very end.

One more to go.

Silence was no matter now. Without a moment's hesitation, he ran the man through both shoulders with his own swords. He was hardly as brutish as the last target, so overpowering him was an easy matter. The wretch screamed in pain, calling out for others and cursing Vladimir in pain. Then, upon laying eyes on the methuselan, freezes. "Monster...!" is all he utters.

"Yes...one from your nightmares...come to collect the debt cause by your crimes." Vladimir leans closer and speaks in a lower tone. "Don't waste your time calling, they can't hear any longer. It's just the two of us."

The bandit immediately began pleading for his life, trying everything he could think of to persuade Vladimir to cease his vengeance. Vladimir had a simple response. "You called me a monster, correct? Well I'm not the only one. Or did you rape and pillage my family and home because you had to? No, you would only do something like that if you desired it, if you had left your senses. So yes, I'm a monster. But I stand above you due to the fact that I don't pretend to be otherwise. That's what makes me the perfect one to dispose of you lot before someone else suffers like my wife and boy did." Vladimir took his time with the man, to the point where he was pleaded to kill him endlessly. At last, he left, his vengeance complete.

But something bugged him.

"Monster." He echoed the man's first word. The only word he'd heard that wretched night. "I really am a monster, now. Right?"

Overcome with a nauseous thought, Vladimir collapses to his knees. "What am I? Who am I supposed to be now?"

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Vladimir got up from the ground, having been kicked down onto it by Serena. Once again, he hardly noticed it, or so it seemed. However after flailing his arms in blind rage, Vladimir suddenly stopped in place, then dropped to his knees, staring blankly and unconsciously at the moonlit sky. Tears streamed down his face as he slowly reverted back from his transformed state. The only reaction to follow that was a single whisper.

"What am I?"

Serena and Kryas breathed a sigh of relief as the vampire knelt motionless on the ground. Glad for the moment of rest. Looking him over from a distance however something did not seem right. The air was still thick with tension even if the intense blood lust had vanished with that last blow.

"This isn't over yet he's still trapped in the nightmare state." Kryas kept his voice low as to keep his roommate from overhearing him in his haze and flying into another rage. So far there had been extremely minimual damage so far and he wanted to keep it that way.

"I could open a gate. if we could pin him down long enough so that he can't really resist. From there it would just be a matter of pulling him out by force." Serena loosening the crimson bead necklace that she always wore. "If we do it on the other side it will reduce the amount of mental trauma then as if we did it by any other way."

"If i ask them for help, He could not escape even if he wanted to... although, that does involve certain risks on it's own.", but he was saying that more for the fact of actually saying it in case anything went wrong. While their might have been easier and less severe methods of subduing the vampire there were to many variables to consider and not enough time to act to make him feel comfortable with the consequences of any other option. His hands were already moving in an intricate pattern. Bright green lines snaking their way around him under his feet. They etched a path within the sand of the arena for a magic circle to be formed filling the air with magic energy, which snapped a few inches off the ground like sparks of electricity. Then he began to speak aloud clear into the night air.

?I summon you, oh beings of shadowed memory.
Who exist as guards and messengers
Within the spaces between worlds,
And that share my life?s blood as pieces of my heart
I call to you royal chaos butterflies
[spoiler]http://forums.fantasyworldcreations.com/races-and-classes/%28monsterfamilar%29-chaos-butterfly/msg6201/#msg6201 (http://forums.fantasyworldcreations.com/races-and-classes/%28monsterfamilar%29-chaos-butterfly/msg6201/#msg6201)[/spoiler]
Spill forth from your home in the void
My bond with both you and your mistress stands strong
Come forth and raise your wings to the sky

The magic circle crackled alive under the half-elf?s feet. The ground around where he stood seemed to fall away within the circle. Revealing a black empty void to some unknown plane. The blackness was void of light however, after a moment a sound could be heard emanating from the nothingness. The sound of fluttering of thousands of wings reminiscent of a thunderstorm.

They poured out in a rushing swarm around the half elf forming a twisting cylinder of black and rainbow colors which shifted and pulsated as they reached for the sky. Then the magic circle ended with the last of the exodus of the butterflies into the physical plane. The mass of insects was enough to create a dome over the coliseum blocking every passageway from the coliseum. Using their power of illusions at Kryas? glance it appeared as if the coliseum was now empty to all on the outside. They could now go about their business without fear of further intrusions. In this cage of osculating insects there was no escape. A single butterfly alighted upon Kryas? hair nestling itself there while a few others decide to cling around Serena?s dress.

?they really wanted to see you.? Smirked Serena slightly you think she might be a little lonely?? Serena said smirking now prepping the prayer beads she had wrapped in her hands.

?Hardy, Har, har,  Can we keep this going??

?After you?

With that kryas made a single hand motion pointing at Vladimir, ?restrain him?. In an instant butterflies deluged the vampire. Thousands upon thousands buffeting him like a rainstorm. They clung to his limbs like weights building on themselves until they had taken the shape of chains connected to the dome above. Collaring his throat and limbs. With the aid of kryas?s enchantments they bound him ashard as steel. Even if vlad did escape the chains would continuously reform faster then he could tear them off.

Serena wasted no time as well as she began praying. It would take some time but after a moment the beads began to glow with a luminescent light. The long strands of the prayer beads began snaking their way into the air suspended as if by invisible threads directly in front of the vampire and centered on his exposed chest. A gateway to the realm of his dreams was to be opened. A portal that would be large enough for them both to enter.   

The dream zooms ahead to a string of memories 30 years later. He had not aged, but deep down, he knew it'd be like that. What reason would that maddened wizard try to make tamed vampirism for other than the eternal life and youth? He'd made his way to a port town and had lived there in a fairly isolated manner for around a year. He'd gotten used to moving constantly after 5 years, realizing people got suspicious of the lack of scarring and aging if he stayed too long. After all, to them, he was supposed to be human.

A knock at the door. Must be Heather, dropping off more good will items for her 'sickly friend' that doesn't go out often. Better go get it.

'Good afternoon, Vladimir. How are you feeling today? The cheerful girl before him with a basket of who-know-what-this-time was asking with sincerity, even though it was the same every time she showed up.

'Ah, good day, Heather. I'm well as I can be, thank you. Please, come in.' Vladimir said politely, though at this point it was fairly routine. It's not that he disliked her or anything, if anything she was his only friend at the time. But he didn't understand why she kept going out of her way. It wasn't love, she had someone dear to her. Sympathy? Possibly, but that's not all. Well, either way, he had company. And it was...nice; a good break from the normal solitude.

'So how has life been this week? You and your father manage to make anything nice this week, or any strange customers? I'm still surprised a jeweler is so well established in a small port town like this.' Vladimir asked curiously.

Heather let out a soft laugh, 'Nothing too out of the ordinary, though we got a quality garnet shipment at a very good price, so the week is going well.'

'Oh~?' Vlad prodded with his words, 'Garnet, is it? How fortunate, perfect for YOUR project piece. Think you can add to it before the day arrives?'

The girl blushed with embarrassment, '...I'm hoping so. It shouldn't be too difficult.'

Vladimir laughs at her response, 'Goooood, good. I'm sure Oliver will love it. Make sure his birthday goes without a hitch. Knowing you, that won't be a problem.' He smiles knowingly.

'Nnnn Vladimir, stop embarrassing me!' she says flustered as Vladimir's laughter only grows louder.

Vladimir picks up the sound a whole minute earlier than Heather could thanks to his heightened senses. Footsteps, many of them. Heather sees Vladimir is suddenly troubled, and is about to ask before Vladimir beats her to it, looking her dead in the eye, very seriously. 'Heather, listen very closely to me. There is going to be trouble here in a moment. You need to leave, or at least go further down the road.'

She stared blankly at him, 'I...What? What are you talking about?'

Vladimir got up and started gathering a few things for himself and got some of the things Heather brought together, 'No time to explain, just please, do as I say.' Just as he finishes the statement he thrusts Heathers things into her arms and escorts her out.

'Vladimir stop! You're scaring me, what's going on!?' Heather protested and struggled, but Vladimir hurried her out.

'Please, just go.' Vladimir said, 'You'll understand in a little bit, just please, for now, go.'

She turned around to protest, but saw his fearful expression. '...Ok. Just explain what this was about next we meet, ok?'

Vladimir was taken back by the last statement, '...Yes, of course.'

It never gets easier. Every time this happens, it's always like he's severing a part of himself. One thing he learned from the part numerous times is that it's better to get any friends near him away. So they don't suffer consequences...and don't join in.

As Heather walked off, Vladimir could only smile wistfully, 'Thank you...for everything.' Once she was out of sight, he sat down o the steps of his home, under the veranda he'd taken time to construct so he didn't have to hide indoors at all times. He sat and waited. And he didn't have to wait long. Practically half of the population of the port town he lived on the outskirts of came marching up the hill, armed and determined.

'Good afternoon!' Vladimir called out to them. No one returned his greeting. They usually didn't. He stood up slowly and faced the crowd.

'Considering you're actually outside, I guess you know what this is about?' One of the men, a guard in town, inquired.

'Yes. Though what's made you all suspicious of me? Because I live on the outskirts? Or is it because I rarely leave my home?'

The man stood his ground, 'That, along with how little you'd seem to eat. Heather would mention that a lot of the food she brought you was often uneaten by her next visit.'

'Ah, yes, that would do it...so? What now?' Vladimir raised his hands beside himself, open upward, addressing the crowd. 'Oh, and your conclusions are mostly right, so you're aware. I am, more or less, a vampire.'

The entire bunch were unsettled by how cordially this was occurring. They'd planned to oust and slay a vampire, a ruthless creature that lied and cheated its way into taking blood and life. Something that only saw the fleeting life around them as cattle. Power-hungry beasts. Fiends. They were confused. Why would a vampire be casually talking to them? Were they being looked down on? The more stubborn members began getting a little rowdy, threats were occasionally flung Vladimir's way.

Yes, this was better. No bloodshed. 'Now, before we get any further into this, I'd like to say something.' Threats were, of course, openly stated at this point. Curses, damning words, pleas out of fear and loathing. It never changed. 'I've not once assaulted any of you. In fact, I'm part of the reason bandits were not as much a problem in the area. I'm sure you've all heard the rumors of drained corpses, they're probably what led to this. If it wasn't bandits, it was wildlife, which I later prepared as food. So it's not like there are vampiric creatures in the woods now. You can rest easy.'

'But just 'cause you haven't, doesn't mean you WON'T, fiend!' Someone called from within the ranks.

'Though I would like to assure you I never would, I know well that I can't convince any of you. That's why I was waiting.' He said matter-of-factly. 'So, I'll be taking my leave. You need not worry. I've actually prepared something for you all. I've actually been hoarding all that the bandits stole as I thinned them. If you slide the bookshelf toward my bed, you'll find a couple chests. I formally present them to the town for funding. Oh! And this.' He takes out an artfully made dagger in a black leather sheathe. The pommel was inlaid with a smooth garnet, the grip made of matching black leather, and the entire piece was silver. 'This is for Oliver.'

As he stepped forward to present it, the group seized up and brandished their weapons at about half the distance. 'Ah, right.' Vladimir said as he bent down and placed in on the ground. 'It's early, but tell him happy birthday for me.' As he was walking back to the porch, a familiar voice called out to him. '...No. Please no.'

'Vladimir, what is all this!? What are you all doing!?' Heather had come back, her intuition telling her something important was happening. She immediately ran past the crowd to protect her friend. 'By the gods, what's gotten into everyone!?'

'Heather, get away from him, now! He's dangerous!'

Vladimir followed up, 'Heather, please, for you sake, don't associate with me now.'

'See? Even the vampire knows you're a fool, now get away from him before he shows his true colors! You could die!'

Heather was stunned, '...Vampire? Vladimir, a vampire? Sure, he's a shut-in, and sickly. But a vampire? You're all better than this.' She looked to Vladimir for affirmation, but he was shaking his head. 'N-no way. You're joking, right? I mean, you're out in broad daylight.'

'Let's just say I'm different.' He says as he approached her, trying to console her.

Upon seeing him approach her, the confused crowd becomes enraged. 'He's going for her, quick!'

Immediately, multiple pikes were thrown at Vladimir, but some veered...right toward Heather. Without a word, nor a single thought of his predicament, Vladimir transformed and launched himself in front of the girl, taking the pikes right in the back.

'Guh!' Vladimir sputtered, the pikes piercing his torso, blood gushing from his wounds and mouth. Shrieks were heard from all around him. But the one he desperately didn't want to hear was the one in front of him. Heather had collapsed in fear, shuddering from the sudden change of events. After all, one of her close friends just suddenly gained demonic features and was staring her down with haunting red eyes and sharp fangs, gasping. He could only imagine what was going through her head. In a moment, he learned.

Just as he was removing the pikes from himself, she uttered a single word, the one that was already echoing amongst the mob behind him.

'Monster...'

It was the last thing he wanted to hear, the most painful moment he could have experienced. The one person whose company he'd enjoyed most in the past year, who he'd even just saved, was disgusted and scared of his very existence.

Tears streamed down his face as he grimaced, 'Even you, Heather?' She covered her mouth, realizing what she'd said without thinking.

'Vladimir, I-'

But he'd already turned to address the crowd, stepping forward. 'Yes! That's right! I'm a monster! A demon! Call me what you will, but this FIEND just prevented you from killing one of your own. You were about to run Heather through with pikes because I took a couple steps! So I ask you now, if I'm a monster, what does that make you!?'

Without waiting for an answer, Vladimir turned around and began walking, heading to the woods behind his home, and soon after, whatever was beyond them. But upon stepping beside Heather, he stopped and spoke quietly, 'I hope he likes that necklace tomorrow.'

And then continued walking. Walking until the solitary sobbing was finally out of earshot. He took a vial from his belt, and quickly quaffed it to heal his wounds. 'Ach, boar's blood. Certainly not my choice for a farewell toast.' He turned to look back, raised the vial and spoke sternly, 'Farewell.'
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Oddly enough, Vladimir did not move much to resist being restrained. It seemed the worst had passed, though his grimace of pain and bitter tears continued. The agony had not ended, but at least the violent rage had. It made the prayers and preparations fairly smooth to enact.

Serena and Kryas stood watching from the tree tops as he entered the forest. They had watched from their vantage point the final moments between the vampire and the town. Uncertain, in how the shifting dreamscape would change between this moment and the next.
"We could intervene now while the dream is quite pull try pulling things away from the darkness."[/color]

Shifting a cloak up around his head, "Not yet, if we make contact to soon and he rejects us he'll only throw himself deeper ,and no doubt nightmares will want to join in on the fun."[/color]

Diving into someone else's cosmosphere is always considered a delicate business meant only to be done by experts. The mind like any part of the body when faced with foreign agents did its best to eradicate the intrusion. Unless otherwise granted access by the individual subject, only trained mediums could camouflage their presence from being noticed. However, when Kryas had entered, some of the butterflies broke off from the pack following him in, and created a shroud of protection around him. Their powers over both, illusions and emotions made him almost invisible to the part of the mind that acted as a guard.

Added to that if they acted to soon and he rejected their help he did not want to think how deep into the dark recesses of his memory Vladimir would go. They had to wait till the perfect opportunity presented itself. All the while hoping they did no alert him to their presence to soon or risk dealing with having to fight his mind. To much outside influence and they could end up altering aspects of Vlad's personality and behavior.

So for the moment they simply watched for the next part of the dream to unfold.

The world shifted once more, this time with a much more jarring change. Years had once again flown by, and Vladimir found himself in the middle of a bustling city, with the sun beginning to near the horizon. Much had changed in Vladimir's lifestyle over the decades. He'd becoming fed up with constantly being run out of town wherever he'd lived, tired of seeing the faces of dear ones turn from expressions of love to those of disgust. And so, he removed himself from that environment entirely; he became an unknown, a true drifter, and at this point in time a street rat. After all, if no one knew him, no one could hate him. Well, sure, homeless were certainly looked down upon, but not with the personal disgust that Vladimir had continuously been subjected to.

However, one thing had become more difficult now that he lived in the dark parts of a city. Obtaining blood. He could no longer feed off those in the wild. And though a single host could provide him sustenance for a week, it meant nothing if the only way he could feed was through assaulting people. It'd been around 30 years since that tragic meeting with the wizard, since he'd joined the ranks of the undead, but he refused to just accept it as that. He was still human in spirit, even if not in body. And so he refused to hunt anything but creatures.

Then why was he in a city, the worst place for a vampiric being wanting to keep his humanity? A couple reasons. The first, and most important to Vladimir, was so he didn't forget how to be human. Avoiding civilization entirely would leave him to rely on his base instincts to survive, which meant a good chance to turn into the type of vampire he'd feared. He wouldn't risk that, he did not want to lose himself. This decision led up to his current lifestyle, which was the second reason he was in the city. He was a mix between a thief and a bounty hunter. He'd catch the other thieves and base criminals in the large city, and turn them in for a good sum of rewards. In that respect, he'd become well known by his alias, Shade.

Then came the ingenious part, at least so he thought. Vladimir would be what he was hunting, a petty thief. He would move around to lower quarters of the city until finding small livestock, and steal one. This gave him both food and blood. However, as he hated the idea of stooping so low, he became a bit unorthodox. Upon bagging a creature, usually a chicken, or if he was lucky a pig, he would leave twice the value of whatever he took using his hunting earnings, which usually ended up barely being a percent of what he made. And as he did not stay at inns, nor ate normal food often, a single bounty would last him a month, sometimes two. It was a rather humorous and care-free way to live, and did lack in any sort of companionship, but it was better this way in his opinion.

The best part of his thieving exploits was the rumors. The first instance had simply been met with confusion and disbelief, but within a month it was the talk of the town, and people were actually investing in small livestock hoping they would be hit next. At this point, it'd been half a year, and he'd begun to be considered an urban legend. No one had ever spotted him, and if he was seen it wasn't well enough to recognize. Those who weren't poor, and felt like this behavior was unnecessary and criminal put up a bounty, but the posting itself was laughed at by most hunters. No one wanted to stop it, and some believed this chicken-thief was unable to be caught. It was a meager living, but very enjoyable for Vladimir. The only downside was that he could not share his joy, but seeing the excitement his lifestyle caused was good enough.

Tonight was one of those very hunting nights, and Vladimir was scoping out his next meal before night fell. He finally found a fitting residence, a small family that ran a meager bakery out of their home. He'd gotten into the habit of choosing homes that could use a small helping-hand with finances, since it seemed now just about everyone owned chickens thanks to him. So when night fell, he donned a half-face mask and pulled up his hood; it was time to work.

At this point he was adept at moving quickly and silently, so getting to the coop behind the house was little-to-no trouble. He was happy to see he'd chosen well; there were six chickens in the small coop. Missing one for a day or so wouldn't ruin their business. He moved quickly to bind its feet and cap its beak to reduce noise and resistance, then threw the bird in his burlap sack. All went smoothly, and he'd managed to not wake the other fowls. Happy with his work, he pulled out the bag of 50 silver and placed it gently where the chicken had rested. He carefully left the coop, sure to not draw any attention, but just as he was closing the door, there was a call behind him.

'Eyy, what're you doing by me chickens!?'

It was the baker, to whom Vladimir quickly spun around to meet. Both were fairly stunned at the look of things. However, just before things turned ugly, Vladimir acted quickly.

'Shhhhh...' Vladimir had put his finger up to his masked mouth, asking for silence and secrecy. As he did this, he flipped the man a coin. A gold coin.

As the man bent over to pick it up, Vladimir deftly moved into a nearby alley and disappeared.

'Huh?...Wait a- this is GOLD! What in the-' The man looked up to see the mysterious man had vanished. It took a moment for it to hit him, and, with wide eyes, ran straight to his coop to see a bag in place of a chicken. 'Gods be praised, THAT was 'im! It's true!' The man excitedly grabbed the bag and ran inside to wake his family with the news.

And so, this time to Vladimir's displeasure, the legend grew to 'if you spot the thief in the act, he gives you a gold'. This made his future attempts a bit more difficult, and sometimes more costly.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Kryas and Serena watched the dream unfold before them from a vantage point high up on the tallest bell tower. Using dual scrying techniques they were able to watch from a distance. As he watched the events unfold within the dream world a thin smirk spread across his his lips and grew into a large some would consider insidious smile. A seed of an idea had dug it's way into his brain.

"I know that look"

"What~?"

"We are here to save this guy aren't we not just as an excuse to have fun in the dream world?"

"And, we can't do both because?"

Serena simply sighed in frustration but could not help but give him a small smile as she pushed a loose strand of her hair behind her ear,"Fine what are we going to do this time."

"leave that to me, we're going to put on a real show tonight!" he laughed as he jumped off the tower into the city below followed closely behind. The key was to get the mind to start working for their needs. His subconscious could not shield Vlad and get rid of them at the same time if they made a big enough of a scene. His conscious self would be sucked in and made into the star performer for their little midnight show. And as long as they stayed within the context of the dream and his own train of thought then they should be able to fold in their own narrative without much struggle. All he needed was a little bit of direction from the right antagonist, and the right push to get the curtain to rise on the first, and with any luck it would also bring tonight to an end.

Using his butterflies to disperse into the air around him both Kryas and Serena mad themselves visible to the inhabitants of the dreamscape as they ran across the rooftops. Small slips of parchment raining down the entire area like confetti. Every person awake that night would be covered in the calling cards of two mystery thieves coming calling themselves Oberon and Titania the following night to steal the town's most cherished treasure for themselves.

This would with out a doubt catch his attention. Though Kryas did wonder what his friends mind would do to fill in the gaps with whatever object he could imagine was precious enough to be stolen on such a grand scale and where it would be hidden.
 

Now in the depths of an alleyway about a mile from the baker's home, Vladimir was already 'digging into' his meal. He took his time to get a decent blood reserve within himself before putting the leftover into vials. Now all that was left was a drained chicken corpse- perfect for roasting! But just as he was bagging the bird and ready to head to his 'home' on the streets, fliers fluttered down from above him. He quickly and deftly grasped one from out of the air as it passed him.

'Oberon and Titania...seems some mischievous fairies have come to town. But the town's treasure...it must be the Lord's prized painting!' Vladimir muttered to himself. Though he'd not seen it himself, the methuselan had heard of the piece seeming alive, possibly magic in nature. It certainly would be a coveted work of art. But the Lord allowed all to view it freely, and he was a rather kind man, so why steal from one of the few good rich men in the world?

Vladimir wouldn't allow it.

But when would they strike? At this rate, Vladimir would have to loiter around the keep on the north side of town (specifically the art gallery) until they showed themselves. It was dangerous to try to confront them, since he didn't know their ability, and there would be a large guard now that such a theft was announced. If anything, he may be viewed as suspicious for loitering.

Vladimir had his head in both hands now, wracking his mind on how best to approach the situation. In the end, he could only laugh. 'A thief, protecting a valuable that isn't his own from other thieves. Well I supposed stranger things have happened. All I can do is be there and wait. It's not like anyone expected me elsewhere, so I have an abundance of free time. I've even got a meal!' He said cheerfully.

He was excited, it'd been a while since he'd felt some sort of challenge, and he'd been looking for ways to do good unto others anyways. Why not protect the town treasure? 'But first, some chicken.' Vladimir thought to himself as he headed off to cook himself a proper meal.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

His hunger and blood-thirst sated, Vladimir headed to his 'home' in the slums. He'd saved some of the feathers from his 'prey', which led to him actually having a decent pillow on his straw pile of a bed. This particular corner was undesirable by others due to it not even having a slight amount of light reach it. It was perfect darkness, which allowed him to not have to worry about his possessions being stolen, nor any sort of sun-born illness. Not that he TRULY owned anything. His money was always on his person, everything else was luxury. Just in case he WAS discovered, Vladimir made sure not to have an actual feather bed. Otherwise it would be obvious he was the rumored chicken-thief. Still, this straw bed, chicken down pillow, and a burlap sack of living tools (cooking supplies, repair kits for gear and clothes, whetstones for blades, thief tools, etc) were his home. And though little, he was very grateful. With that in mind, the methuselan flopped down on his bed to rest, planning to sleep until the afternoon.

Once the day was half over, Vladimir donned his cloak in and headed to the gallery. He could see the guard before even getting close; the keep was obviously well-protected after the fliers from the night before, just as expected. It also seemed that the lord had closed the gallery for the day in preparation for the threatening duo. Still, Vladimir knew he needed to be inside before the time. He needed to be in the room before it was snatched away. And thus, he needed to get past the guard. It took him a few hours to case the entryway and other openings into the small castle, but he managed to find some weaknesses. Well, not normally, but with his super-human prowess, they became accessible. There were a line of windows above the moat, some of which had their shutters open. He used the crowd to cloak his approach, then split once he was far enough from the main entrance that no one was watching. From there, all that was left was waiting for the right opportunity, and having an entry plan. He had all he needed materials-wise, but just needed less light.

Dusk was approaching, and finally, the sun did not shed light on his target. Vladimir turned to his true form momentarily to gain a boost of strength and finesse, allowing him to land his hook just within the window across the moat, tugging a couple times to make sure it was secure. It was there his first trick began. The thief came to the edge of the moat, tying a rope to a post across the road, and securely fastening the lid of a crate to his feet. Carefully, Vladimir lowered himself into the water to not make a splash, holding the grapple rope in his teeth for when he reached the water. He leaned against the wall of the moat as he removed the slack from his grapple rope, then slowly dragged himself across the moat with it, floating above the crate lid. The reasons he did this instead of swim were important. One, he couldn't leave traces of water as he ran through the keep, it would be too suspicious. Two, he needed to keep his supplies dry for upcoming feats. And finally, to create as little noise as possible. Splashing could attract unwanted attention if he swam.

Upon reaching the wall of the keep, Vladimir released the lid from his feet and began scaling the wall, allowing the wooden lid to float away as though it were normal moat debris. The climb was easy enough, and the room was a storeroom, as he'd assumed from his scouting earlier. He patted off any water from his shoes and legs with some of the stored linens in the room, then gathered a few of the items he'd kept around for bounty hunts. A few thunderstones and smokesticks for fooling the main guard, and his grappling hook in case the need to climb arose. After making sure of where each item was along his belt, Vladimir slowly opened the storeroom door.

Luckily enough, the halls here were devoid of people, it was not until he neared the gallery portion of the keep that the sound of guards became audible. He carefully crept toward an alcove in the hall and assessed the guard. There were four in total. Two on the outlying portion of the hallway, still able to view the gallery door, and one on either side of said door. 'This will be a bit tricky...' Vladimir thought to himself. With that he removed a smokestick and a thunderstone from their respective pouches at his waist and started his distraction.

First, the outlying guards. Vladimir cracked a threw a smokestick. Behind him. Once the smoke had spread evenly a bit, he threw a thunderstone into the smoke, causing a cacophonous roar to echo down the hall. The guards rushed toward the smoke, assuming fire. This had them run right past Vladimir in his alcove, none the wiser. Next, two more smokesticks, the first to act as a screen for Vladimir's movements as well as cutting off the auxillary guards' sight. The second, once he was within his smokescreen, to cloud the doorway. With the smoke done, he tossed a second stone into the smoke by the door, dazing and confusing the guard. In that instance, Vladimir rushed from his cloud to theirs, and immediately rattled the door, which he could easily navigate thanks to his darkvision. Then, the true mindgames.

"DAMN! The door! They must have slipped inside! Quick, open it!" Vladimir shouted. With this situation, they would his voice was one of the guards. As he did so, he prepared one last smoke stick. As the dazed guards haphazardly opened the doors in panic, Vladimir slipped the smokestick through the door so vision was still obscured upon entry. This was the tough part. They had ten feet of smoke to walk through until they could see, then the plan was either a success or failure. He needed a place to hide before then. Looking around, he spotted a sculpture in the corner he could huddle behind for a moment, and quickly darted the 30 foot distance to get to it.

Unfortunately, he now had to get in view of the painting with guards patrolling the gallery. Luckily, he'd deafened the current ones, so he needed to take advantage before reinforcements took their place. Knowing they could only use their eyes, he waited until they were turned before sprinting into the next room, and continued on at a stop-and-go pace until he reached the hall with the painting. He was tempted to go and take a look at the piece of art, but knew now was not that time. He knew the guards would be in this room in-force shortly, and needed a solid hiding spot for the next couple hours. Looking around for a moment, Vladimir noticed that the rafters in the corner of the hall had enough auxillary support that he could wait there. He quickly threw his grapple up there, tucked the rope in his belt so it came up with him, and climbed up the wall to his lookout.

Vladimir spoke confidently before falling silent for his vigil, 'Come, fairies. Let's see who you REALLY are.'

When the appointed moment on the flyer arrived golden beams of moonlight were streaming in from the large harvest moon. Even in this hall that had windows only at the uppermost part of the wall right before the roof. It cast it?s light onto the many pictures status and panting that lined the walls. It illuminated nearly the entire room in its cool glow though it left most of what would make the pieces recognizable in shadow. So only bits of noses or half a face could be seen leaving the rest masked. It made the room feel almost uncomfortably full like everything was watching waiting with baited breath for what was to come next.

The guards were not helping matters since they were no on edge and looking for a fight after what Vlad had done to get into the room. The prize they were meant to be guarding the prized portrait of the city was in its marble display in the center of the room. Covered with a satin cloth the large rectangular frame was held in place by two female angel staues. Each holding it?s hand as if it was admiring a picture of paradise itself with tears of joy falling down their obscured faces.

Then a single black winged butterfly floated in on the night air. The light and pollen from it?s wings looking like it was leaving a trail of stardust behind it.  Anyone who could see it closer would have said the butterfly seemed to create its own light, as it never was in shadow no matter how it fluttered. It took a moment but then it landed on the balcony of the window ledge poised as if to take of again only it opened its wings as if to push of the grounded and into the air again. Only it did not take flight the air around the insect began to shimmer with power and a small seem of blackness appeared like a tear in the sky. This tear quickly opened to a full-blown portal and what seemed to be a whole swarms of the insects were suddenly in the room.

When the first two guards who touched the insects instantly crumpled to the floor seemingly unconscious they realized what these things were.

They were the first wave of attack.

The portal the first butterfly opened however still had not closed. As a final act the portal let thorough two figures who cast a striking figure against the moonlight. Kryas and Serena now ?Oberon and Tatiana? stepped through wearing ornate glittering costumes and butterfly masks. They looked like a mix between rouge attire and costumes meant for a masquerade ball.

?I see there were a few who accepted our invitations!? Oberon smirked

?Welcome one and all too our midnight ball! And by the time the night is over we will be parting with our Prize! So lets all try to have some fun tonight.?

The butterflies advance on the other guards quickly who have managed to fend off the delicate creatures and stand their ground, but every time a shape edge catches an insect the pieces seem to just propagate more of winged things. For a moment it seems like the thieves are enjoying simply watching things unfold before they make their move. 

...Well they most certainly are something else...I guess I should have expected such exuberance in their actions, considering the fliers. But attacking with butterflies? That's new. Vladimir kept to the shadows as he made his move. Running swiftly and silently across the rafters, he made his way just above the duo without any cause for alarm, then swiftly rappelled down behind them using his grappling hook and rope. He landed soundlessly behind them, then ran up to the man and slid his kukri under his chin, pressing it to his throat without drawing blood.

"I do not enjoy killing, so please do not force my hand. I will ask a couple questions, then you will leave. I do not care to know your true identities unless you wish to give them. First, why would you wish to steal from such a generous man, more so an item he openly displays for public appreciation? There is no merit to the act, nor respect gained. Unless you simply wished to perform a magic trick. Second, why do you even want such an item?" Vladimir leveled his rapier to parry any attempted aid from his compatriot as he held the man hostage. He was ready to defend this with his life, his pride as an accomplished thief and hunter on the line.

"It seems a mouse has decided to join our party? Kryas chuckled not even fighting against the blades edge, ?so little mouse why do you care about the affairs of fairies? We understand that art is alive filled with the emotions that its creator had in that moment. It literary takes on a part of her soul. Such emotions mixed with those of the space it is placed in can be quite a dangerous thing. Such lively art caught our attention need thieves need any more reason to steal then that??

Oberon seemed unafraid of the imminent danger in fact it only seemed to make him more excited. ?You are quite a brave mouse for showing yourself so brazenly for that I must reward you with a bit of knowledge. His voice was almost on the verge of a cackle in that moment like a madman might have. ?You chose poorly on who to hold hostage, I in fact am not the direct threat despite my flashy entrance.?

It was in that moment that Serena brushed her hand against Vlad's cheek smiling gently. She had managed to snake her way partially  in front of  the thief. Her smile did not move from her lips as her touch began to singe the vampire with holy energy. As he instinctively recoiled she used this chance to his arm and head in a judo lock. Using the momentum of his sudden movement against him she swept one of  his legs out from under him which turned his flinch into a twisting fall. Now with nothing to ground him Vlad was at her mercy. Her grapple quickly turned into a full on head and arm lock which she used with his twisting fall to pull him with her like a rag doll throwing the par of them onto the art gallery floor bellow using her partners back like a gymnastic trampoline.

When the world had stooped spinning he was laying on his back with a massive headache after cracking a few granite stones with his head. The female thief with stunning blue hear was a good ten feet away with hands behind her back as if to look cute. That same smile as before now seeming to taunt him into action.

"You have a surprisingly hard head mr mouse! I even tried to hold back to avoid any serious harm, but it looks like such worries were unfounded. I promise to no longer underestimate your constitution." Serena had spent to much time with Kryas and as a spiritual medium not to have perfected a poker face that masked any true emotion. She could cry on command, console the dead without fear, or even battle  opponents concealing her thoughts and movements with nothing more then a smile.

"My apologize, but I won't let you sneak your way past me a second time. My friends are special to me you see and if you try and attack my partner again I won't hold back. So, unless you want to see how hard I can hit when I am seriously trying to hurt you, I suggest you stop playing the hero. Though if you truely wish to continue I will gladly entertain you till you lose consciousness." Serena continued.

" Don't forget while you and I  have your fun my partner will be stealing the painting. So the time you have to make your decision is quickly coming to an end. I will tell you however if you choose heroics over wisdom you better pull at some resolve. A protagonist who does not have the drive and motivation required will get boos from the audience before he even has a chance to pull his sword. And when the villains have all the favor well let's just say we win."

She was trying her best to morph her spiritual lecture into as villains monoluge. She could sense Kryas almost bursting into a fit of laughter behind her. She would not allow herself to lose focus not when they were so close to having him wake up. Vlad had his hurdle infront of him now. As long as she could force him to use his strength for something positive that should provide the mental shock required to wake him. They were not aiming for a paradigm shift. In fact, based off of what she had seen she guessed that any real change in attitude was decades down the road.

Though Vladimir had a pretty good sense of balance and direction, it was all lost in that single moment of close-quarters combat. No, it was probably worse BECAUSE of his sensitivity. And by the time he could make sense of where he was, his face was against the cold castle stone a good 10 feet from the aggressor. How she escaped his vision in the blink of an eye like that, he'll never know. But it was obvious that this pair wasn't normal. And weren't fey, or at the very least not the usual sort. He could tell that from his slightly burned cheek, which he rubbed lightly.

"You seem to have a divine touch, woman. Hardly fairy-like. You've certainly donned the title of 'thief' in every sense, including taking a stranger's visage for your own." Vladimir was now crouched, though he had his back slightly turned to the duo while getting up. His speech had a skeptic tone to it, which soon turned into a slight monologue, "And as much as I may respect that, there's a problem. Normally would not get in the way of the larceny of others, you're correct. But you see, every good thief has a code, a set of personal rules; and your reasons for this heist are trouncing on mine." He ended the statement with a quick switch from an explanatory voice to one of anger, and right as he stood you noticed a chunk of something slide at your feet, which immediately bloomed in a cloud of smoke. "So excuse me if I deny your claim to pin me down." While the cloud and speech had distracted Titania, the methuselan had also chucked a piece of rock behind and between the two 'fairies'. All that could be sensed was a 'click' as it exploded in a cacophonous roar, vibrating through the fairies' body down to their bones, immediately deafening them.

One blind, both deaf and semi-stunned. Good. It was a rather amateur mistake to let go of me, I'm glad she did. Vladimir turned around to begin rushing for the painting, bypassing the smoke cloud around Titania entirely. He realized now, especially due to at least one of them being divine, that he could not fight. So he would use the dirty tactics he'd come to embrace in these past years, taking the prize, then running and returning it at a later date. He knew he had no room to hold back, either, and thus mid-sprint, shifted to his true form. Hypodermic fangs, elongated extremities, crimson eyes, claw-like nails. In every sense, it was demonic, and he detested it. But this form had it's uses, and he'd come to terms with that. One was the improved strength and dexterity, which allowed him to rush toward the painting with astounding speed.

Oberon could still see, but there was no way he could catch up, and the deafness would likely cause his spells to fail. It took only a few seconds to reach the wall on which the art hung, and so before the duo could recover Vladimir reached out to grab the piece.

And froze.

"What...What is...How could this be?...Liliana? Soren?" Vladimir was struck speechless, tears welling up in his eyes. The portrait before him depicted his deceased wife, cradling their son in her arms. And it was moving, just as the rumors said. A vision he'd thought he'd lost forever, that he'd never see again, was now right before him. And he didn't know what to do; he couldn't think nor move, but only watch. Unconsciously, he reverted to his human form, and collapsed to his knees, his eyes locked on the painting. "This can't be real..."

The distress that Vladimir was seeing in that moment washed off him in waves causing the whole dreamscape to darken with pain. Feeding off his anguish the surrounding building bgan to twist into a more frightening Gothic version of itself. The beautiful statues of lovers becoming snarling demons with fangs and claws. The stained glass windows turned crimson like the color of blood casting everything in an unsettling glow. The white marble turned black as obsidian, which almost seemed to sparkle in the soft red light.

"This is not good Oberon things are getting a bit out of hand here we've been found." Serena called up to Kryas as she did a whirlwind kick to force the smoke to dissipate. That was when those guards that had been forced unconscious began to rise as if they were themselves undead. Their bodies were rigid and they moved as if wet cement was churning through their veins. Of those who had visible eyes all you could see were the ghostly whites as the foamed from the mouth. When they were all standing once again they began to transform further into horrible monsters. Their forms exploded with jagged red crystals  their now hulking hands became sharp with claws. Nightmares of crystallized pain looking to clear any and all intruders  and that included the person who created them.

They moved with surprising speed towards the catatonic man. With claws like razors the first hoard would have torn him and the painting to shreds, if it was not for the barrier of shimmering butterflies that  exploded into existence between them. "That won't hold them off long. but maybe we can use this to our advantage." Kryas whispered as he jumped down from his ledge with a knowing gaze.

Serena catching the hint moved close to Vladimir still holding the painting, "Vladimir, don't you see this is the true face behind this buildings fascade. They steal peoples memories and lock them away. We are the ones who steal them back."  She could hear the monsters despreatly struggling against the barrier she need to act fast. "But now we have a problem, if we don't fight them here then we will all end up dead." She leaned in close for this last part. "Think of your family my friend they would want you to fight."

It was then that the wall gave way.

Vladimir panicked as he looked around and watched the world twist into something else, something...foul. He was only barely able to focus on the words spoken to him. This is a dream? No, it feels to real. But...the way it's twisting...no, I can't think about that now. I must fight. I must protect this painting.

Vladimir stood up, painting in one hand and rapier in the other, facing the room. He would reclaim this space, and defeat whatever was twisting it. But just before he lunged forward to engage, the unexpected occurred once more.

"GUH-!"

Vladimir looked down to see a glistening sword piercing through his chest from behind. He could feel blood draining, his energy fading.

"You didn't think you'd be rid of me that easily, did you!? Now give me back MY BODY!"

The world spun and leaped, with the cackling of the old, grotesque man echoing through his mind. It was maddening, disturbing and disorienting, then everything cut to black.

---

He awoke abruptly, still down on his knees in some sort of arena. Kryas and Serena were sprawled out on the ground nearby as if flung there, still alive and groaning slightly. Vladimir was still dizzy can disoriented, but after a short moment he was able to gather himself. "Ah, this is the guild hall...the arena area in the back...why am I-" His memories of the dreams and nightmares he'd just suffered from rushed back through his mind, ending with two conflicting scenes vying for the forefront of his thoughts. The painting of Liliana and Soren, and the man piercing him through the heart from behind. He began breaking down, but held himself together, placing his head in the palm of his hand. That's when he noticed that something laid in his other hand.

"What in the-! How is this even possible?" Tears welled in his eyes as he brought the frame up before him. It was the painting from his dreams of Liliana and Soren, though much smaller than what he'd actually dreamt, maybe a foot by one and a half feet. Still, to see the image before him was overwhelming. He continued to sit staring at it for a long while.

I'll never forget this scene again. Thank goodness...

"Let's just say-We have a certain experience dealing with nightmares." The pair stated in unison while the bard reached out a hand to get the vampire standing and Serena did her closing mantra to seal away the gate to the world of dreams. The gossamer butterflies scattering around the trio like a sandstorm or waves on the ocean as the escaped. Seeming to evaporate into the crisp night air some clinging to the pairs hair and cloths before disappearing

"All told I think everything went as well as can be expected and we even managed to get a prize in the end. Though I do have to say you have a nasty left jab. If Serena wasn't here to help me keep up things might have gotten ugly." Once the vampire was standing the smiling half elf was busily dusting the dirt and grim from the remains of his roomate's sleeping wear as if it was perfectly normal.

"You would have managed better then you let on." said Serena with a smirk flipping her hair out behind her allowing the knots to fall free. Once the half elf was done she set in on him checking him over and feeling for broken bones and the like. It took several minutes and despite any protest she seemed satisfied that there was no real lasting damage. "Well you doesn't look like you took to much physical damage. I would normally offer to help with any mental strain, but I doubt it will do much good. In my proffessional opinion I think some actual life blood from someone and some good memories will help the most. Don't let them get lost again okay? I'm going back to bed if you need me." She ruffled the vampire's hair gave a lasting look at Kryas then left with a wave back towards the guild hall not allowing any time for thanks or the like. Leaving the two men on their own.

Kryas watched her go for a moment her hair seeming to glow in the moonlight before coming back to reality. "You want help getting back? I don't mind."

Vladimir was at a loss after Kryas helped him to his feet, followed by both his and Serena's inspection. He could see that both of them weren't in exactly the best of shape themselves; at the very least they were disheveled. The following conversation between the two was nothing too out of the ordinary, almost like they were verbally giving each other a high-five for their work. Still, Vladimir had a pit in his stomach.

"I know Kryas was aware of my condition, but aren't you being too nonchalant, Serena? Especially for one that's divinely touched. Aren't I the kind of being you'd normally wish to destroy?" His head was still reeling from the night terror he'd just returned from, it was certainly one of the worst he'd experienced in a very long time. It had been years since he'd rampaged in his sleep.

At Kryas' comment for company, Vladimir shook his head, "Thank you, but I'd like to be by myself for a while." He looked down at the painting in his hands, still in shock.

Before Serena ruffled his hair and left for bed She mocked thinking for a moment, "Hmm, nah it's too nice a night for unneeded blood shed. Besides my God tends to be a more aloof man and isn't much for blind zeal in most cases. So as I figure you'll be your own worst punishment and in the scheme of things I've had to go throw worse for someone we both know." She ruffled his hair with a wink and then moved to leave her bright crimson prayer beads clanging around her wrist as she went.

When she was gone Kryas smiled, "Well if you are sure you'll be fine. I'm a bit to excited to go to bed myself so I'll probably see you later." He turned away from his roommate with a smile a single black butterfly landing in his hair as he went whistling a little tune as he left the training arena and Vladimir to be on his own.

Vladimir silently nods to his friend in recognition, watching him walk off for a short while before turning his attention back down to the painting in his hands. It had been so long since he'd seen a visage of of his late wife and child, and as he traced a finger across the painted faces, images once more began to flood through his mind. The priestess was right, he certainly had enough regret to be considering self-punishing. That they were gone had been a tough pill to swallow; even now he didn't understand why he'd left them alone thinking that any sum of money could keep them safe in his absence. He'd lost his world and his own humanity through that moment, and even 70 or so years later, Vladimir felt the stinging truth of that decision. Had he thought of destroying himself before? Of course. Why wouldn't a once-human-monster curse its own fate like that. But he recognized that even his abominable condition could be of use to those around him. This strength and longevity could save people. It was his penance, for those he'd failed before.

Even with these feelings coming to the surface, Vladimir couldn't help being a little happier. As he continued to look over the moonlit frame, he realized that he'd nearly forgotten their faces. It was of their earlier years, only soon after Soren had been born, but Vladimir could say without hesitation that they were some of the best years they had. Little strife, no hunger, bountiful fields, and plenty of laughter. Tears well up in his eyes, but he wore a smile on his face, both reminiscent and forlorn in nature. He would not get that time back, even with the endless years ahead of him, there was no way to do it. But now he would not forget them, no matter how many painful trauma and memories tried to bury the happy memories he had of them. Liliana pulling him back into bed when he tried to get up for work; she'd always been so good to him regardless of the circumstances he'd forced on her with his decision. Soren trying to pick up a plow to help Vladimir in the fields, despite being four years old; he truly would have grown up to be a good man. Vladimir could once again recall the smell of Liliana's cooking, she was a goddess in the kitchen. And of course, the hysterical moment Soren spoke his first words: cow pie. Tears were rolling down the man's cheeks now, unable to suppress the 'hic' sounds made by his shaky inhales and sobs.

That was a time of another century, a time when he could be a normal farmer, and a normal person. A time and feeling that was long gone. And after the reminder of the horrible fate the two before him suffered, his determination was renewed. He would live on, for the both of them, and fight so that others might experience a happiness like the one he'd lived, those many years ago.

"I will not fail again...Liliana...Soren..."

It took him a good while to steady himself and wipe his tears, finally mustering the will to head back inside for sleep. He saw the mess he'd caused on his way, apologizing to any he passed. At times they actually applauded him as he walked by; it was probably Kryas' doing, that silver tongue of his truly worked magic. He arrived at the broken door to his room, nodding silently to his roommate once again, but refusing to speak. Instead he propped the painting against the wall near his bed, intending to hang it in the morning, and gave it one more longing glance before attempting to sleep once more. He had a genuine belief that the terrors would not cause him to go berserk again. After all, he had a couple guardian angels watching over him as he slept once more.