Strath
The full moon shone down over the small town of Grensvyle. A cloaked figure walked into the desolate town, wandering the streets. As he walked, he noticed people secretly watching him from inside their homes. As he made his way to the town square, a small group of men blocked his path.
"It's dangerous to be out alone this time of night, stranger." one of them said, brandishing a smithing hammer.
"Now, you wouldn't be looking for any trouble now, would you?" another man asked, taking a few steps towards the figure.
"I mean you no harm." the figure said coldly.
"Oh really, why don't I believe you." another man in the crowd sneered.
"He's not our mark!" a voice called out in the darkness.
The town elder emerged from the back of the crowd.
"Do you have any idea who this man is, you fools!" he said, chastising the crowd.
They fell silent, giving the elder a blank stare.
"Have you not heard the tales? A mysterious traveler wandering the land helping those in need..." the elder continued.
"For a price." the man added.
"So you're here to help?" one of the townspeople asked.
"So you do have a problem..." the stranger replied.
"The men of our village have started going missing. We don't quite know what's causing it." the elder sighed.
"If you want me to take care of it, it will cost you." the stranger replied.
"We'll give you whatever you want, just take care of this for us." the elder pleaded.
"Fine, I will determine the price to be paid upon my return." the stranger said, walking towards the edge of town.
"So, that was Strath." the elder muttered.
Reaching the edge of town, Strath took a seat on one of the small benches and waited, taking off his wide brimmed hat. His pale silky skin seemed to glow in the moonlight, his crimson eyes surveying the area. Before long he noticed someone approach.
A beautiful young woman walked down the path towards him, a long green robe wrapped tightly around herself. As she walked, the tail of the robe crawled on the ground behind her. She tied her brown hair away from her face as she looked over at Strath. She gazed upon his sharp features, undressing him with her eyes.
"Who might you be, stranger?" she asked, sitting beside him.
"Just a passing traveler." Strath replied.
"You look cold. Please, come join me inside. I can't let you stay out here and freeze." the woman said, taking Strath by the hand.
"Very well, I'll join you." Strath said, following the woman to her home.
They entered a small run down cottage, which was barely clinging to its foundations. Leading him inside, the woman began lighting the lanterns scattered about the room.
"So, do you have a name?" she asked, pulling up a chair for her guest.
"I go by many names." Strath replied.
"I see, well you can call me Dahlia." she said with a smile.
"Thank you for your hospitality." Strath said, removing his hat.
"Think nothing of it. It was the least I could do for someone as handsome as yourself. Now tell me, what brings you around these parts?" Dahlia asked.
"Simply passing through. I'm looking for an old friend." Strath replied.
"Ah, is it a lady friend, or something else?" Dahlia asked.
"Just a friend." Strth replied.
"So there's no lucky lady in your life?" Dahlia pressed on.
"No." Strath replied succinctly.
"Would you like one?" Dahlia asked with a smirk, inching closer.
"No." Strath replied with the same cold and emotionless tone he always did.
"Are you sure?" Dahlia continued, putting a hand on his thigh.
"Yes." Strath said bluntly.
"Fine, let me show you to your room." Dahlia said with a pout, finally giving up.
She led Strath down the hall into a small guest room. It, much like the rest of the house, was small and in very poor condition. The room was covered in dust, and the rickety old bed took up most of the floor space.
"I'm going to go slip into something more comfortable. I'll be right down the hall if you need me." Dahlia said with a wink.
Ignoring her advances, Strath lied down on the bed. Resting his body, he began to think.
"Where should I go from here? Perhaps I'll find someone in Ergolis." he thought, rolling over.
He noticed Dahlia watching him from the doorway, wearing a long elaborate gown. Feigning sleep, Strath let his leg hang down towards the floor. She approached, smiling as she watched him. Strath slipped his foot under Dahlia's gown, gently lifting it. As her gown rose, he noticed a pair of hooves hidden beneath it. Feeling a slight breeze, Dahlia looked down and realized what Strath was up to. She jumped back, fuming with anger.
"A glastig, now that's interesting. What are you doing in a place like this?" Strath asked.
Dahlia replied by lunging at Strath, hands reaching for his throat. As her hands passed right through him, Strath repaid the sentiment. She glared at Strath, staring him dead in the eyes as she tried to break free.
"So, they built this town on your lake, killing your family in the process." he said, reading her mind.
She suddenly stopped thrashing about, in total awe at Strath's abilities.
"If I give you back your lake, will you stop attacking the townsfolk?" he asked.
Dahlia gave him a nod as she felt his hands leave her throat.
"Go somewhere safe. I have a feeling the people aren't going to cooperate." Strath said as he walked outside.
He approached the townsfolk, who were still waiting by the fountain in the town square.
"So, did you take care of our problem?" the elder asked.
"Yes, there should be nothing to worry about. Now, about your end of the deal." Strath replied.
"Here's some gold for your trouble." the elder said, extending a bag of gold towards Strath.
"Your money is of no use to me. It is the town I want." Strath said coldly.
"What? Are you insane, how unreasonable can you get?" the elder yelled angrily.
"A town built on greed, how fitting it should crumble for that very reason as well." Strath sighed.
"What, you think you can take on all of us?" the blacksmith said, brandishing his hammer.
"Yes." Strath replied, turning his back to them.
"You smug bastard, I'll..."
Before the elder could finish, the entire town square collapsed into the lake below, taking the rest of the town with it. Strath walked across the surface of the lake, reaching down into the depths to grab a small red marble from the occasional corpse.
"Not a single one pure enough for her...." he thought as he slipped them into a small velvet pouch.
He walked out of the town, disappearing into the horizon. No sooner had the town of Grensvyle faded from sight, Ergolis started crawling up on the horizon, despite the two being on opposite sides of the continent. Approaching the massive stone walls surrounding the town, he silently walked towards the two guards. They gave him a suspicious look as they stopped him. Taking out a small cross, they pressed it against the palm of his hand. Seeing no reaction, they let him pass. He made his way through the town, looking through the crowds. The townspeople look at him, petrified. A funeral procession passed by, the townspeople laying a small wooden casket onto a pedestal. As they opened it, a woman let out a horrific shriek, bursting into flame from within the casket. A local priest noticed him and approached.
"I've heard about you. You're that traveler, the one who helps people?" he asked.
"It seems you know much about me, Father. I must warn you, my services come at a price."
"Yes, I understand. As you can see, we've been having a problem with vampires. We have no idea where they come from, and more of our town is falling victim to their cursed blood." the priest replied.
"So you want me to eliminate them?" Strath asked.
"If you would be so kind. As this town's priest and mayor, I can give you whatever we have available." the priest replied.
"Very well. I will determine the price to be paid upon my return." Strath said as he turned to leave.
"Wait, before you go..." the priest hesitated.
"What is it?" Strath asked.
"It's not that I don't trust you, but I'd like one of the town's hunters to go with you. I just want to make sure you get them all." the priest continued.
"Fine, if that is what you wish." Strath said, turning to leave.
As he walked out of town, one of the townsfolk followed him out. The man was armed with stakes, holy water, silver daggers, garlic, and a few dozen crosses. Strath walked around the outside of the town, looking for some kind of breach in the walls. The hunter looked at him skeptically.
"If no one knows where the vampires come from, they must be coming from somewhere other than through the front gate. By the looks of these walls, they're not coming from outside the city." Strath said.
"That's impossible. How could they be living in town in broad daylight?" the hunter replied.
"Does your town have a sewer system?" Strath asked, already knowing the answer.
Amazed, the hunter followed Strath back into the city. From there, he led Strath to the main sewer entrance. They climbed down into the sewer and crept through the dark corridors. As they walked, the hunter drew a stake from his belt. Strath noticed a shadow moving along the wall, darting around a corner. Ordering the hunter to wait behind, Strath followed the figure down the hall. He caught up to it, only to have it disappear into the darkness. A faint glow radiated from Strath's hand, illuminating the area in front of him. Curled up in the corner, he saw a young girl of about thirteen, cowering in fear. He walked over to her, reaching out to her. She looked up at him, tiny fangs protruding from her mouth.
"So young... what a shame..." Strath said, scooping her up into his arms.
Her long dark hair fell down over her chest as he lifted her towards his shoulder.
"Go ahead, it's okay." Srath said, smiling at her.
She gently bit down on his neck, drinking his blood. She whimpered as her fangs suddenly receded. She began coughing, spitting back up the blood she started to drink, disgusted by its taste. Color slowly started returning to her skin, her body starting to warm itself as her own blood once again began flowing through her veins. He put her down, letting her recover her strength.
"Die monster!" the hunter yelled, having followed Strath.
He let loose a flurry of crossbow bolts at the girl, piercing her heart multiple times. She collapsed on the ground, dead. Strath knelt beside her, placing a hand on her chest. His hand sunk through, her skin rippling like water as he pulled out a small white gem.
"You've just made a world full of enemies for yourself." Strath growled.
The hunter fearfully backed away, fearing for his life.
"This girl was the last of a long line of nobles. She fled her home after surviving the massacre on her town and fell prey to a rogue vampire. I had just made her human again, and so you just took the life of an innocent young girl." Strath continued.
"You can't undo the mark of a vampire!" the hunter replied.
"She didn't burst into flame upon her death, and the arrows you used weren't of silver nor were they blessed, so they couldn't have killed her anyway if she were still of their blood." Strath replied coldly.
The hunter broke down in tears, wrought with guilt. He looked up at Strath, tears in his eyes.
"What the hell are you?" the hunter asked, sobbing.
"Something greater than you can ever imagine." Strath replied, leaving the hunter as he took the girl's body outside.
He walked into the church, laying the body out on the altar.
"The job is finished." Strath said coldly.
"Who is this girl?" the priest asked.
"The vampire." Strath replied.
"But you carried her through the sunlight. She should be a pile of ash!" the priest argued.
"I had redeemed her body, making her human once more."
"But that's impossible!" the priest argued.
Strath tilted the girl's head to the side, revealing a pair of fang marks. The priest was in complete shock. Still trying to wrap his mind around what he was seeing, the priest turned back to Strath.
"About your payment." the priest asked hesitantly.
"I want your daughter." Strath replied.
"You can't be serious!" the priest argued.
"An innocent child in exchange for an innocent child. In my eyes it is only fair that you give up something as precious as that girl was forced to." Strath replied.
"I refuse!" the priest yelled.
"Then shall I take her by force?"
The ceiling above Strath collapsed, the priest's daughter falling through, straight into Strath's arms.
"What... are you..." the priest stammered, watching helplessly as his daughter was carried off.
"Laura... I'm sorry..." her father whispered.
Laura kicked and screamed as Strath carried her out of the town. No matter how loud she screamed, no one could hear her.
"You can stop yelling. I'd rather you keep your voice." Strath said.
"What the hell do you want with me? If it's my body you're after just take it and leave me alone!" Laura groaned.
"I simply want to see something." Strath replied.
Laura winced in pain as Strath reached into her chest. He pulled out a small blue gem.
"Close, but not pure enough." Strath sighed, pushing the stone back in her chest.
He carried Laura through the woods, a small castle coming over the horizon. He put her down and opened the door. They were greeted by a handful of maids, who ushered them inside. They took Strath's hat and cloak, hanging them on the coatrack by the door, and led Laura down the hall. She struggled to get away, but they kept her surrounded. One of the maids whipped out a tape measure and started taking Laura's measurements.
"What the hell is going on?" she screamed.
"This will be your new home." Strath replied.
"Oh like hell it is!" Laura protested.
"Take good care of her, girls. I have some business to attend to." Strath said, ignoring Laura's protests.
He walked upstairs, climbing up to the roof. Looking into the clouds, he sighed as he rubbed his head.
"Might as well get this over with now..." he groaned, disappearing in a flash of light.
He reappeared in a massive white marble palace, glistening in the sunlight. He walked through the elaborate halls, etched marble surrounding Strath at every turn. Finally he reached his destination, a set of stone double doors staring him in the face. He easily opened the doors, letting out a heavy sigh as he walked inside. A brown haired woman sat on an ornate solid gold throne. Despite living in the clouds, her complexion was almost as pale as the white robes and shawls draped around her.
"Well, look who finally decided to show up." she groaned.
Strath simply took out his velvet pouch and tossed it to her. Opening it, she sifted through the gems.
"Is it really that hard to find a pure soul among those pitiful creatures?" she sighed, digging through the bag.
"You expect too much of them." Strath replied.
"So having you search for someone pure was a wasted effort..." she sighed.
"Not entirely." Strath replied, taking out the white pearl.
The woman's eyes widened for a moment, but soon narrowed to a tired stare.
"Well you found someone, so how hard is it to keep them alive?" she sighed, casting the bag aside.
"I could implant it into another body if you wish." Strath replied.
"I'm growing tired of this. I've put up with their relentless self destruction for far too long, and I'm losing my patience, as well as my temper. It was fine when they simply destroyed themselves, but now they're dragging all other life down with them. They may very well be the end of this world." she sighed, gazing down at the earth below.
"They're not that bad. You're judging them all by the worst of their kind." Strath replied.
"And you're in a position to be making that claim, brother? I've yet to see any results from your search!" she snapped.
"Because you seek perfection among imperfect beings." Strath replied calmly.
"Imperfect? More like absolutely corrupted!" she replied, infuriated.
"There's no reasoning with you when you get like this, Daria. I'm going home." Strath groaned, vanishing in a burst of light.
Appearing on the roof of his mansion, he turned to go back inside. As he opened the door, he noticed Daria behind him.
"I'm not finished with you, Strath." she growled.
"If you've so easily forgotten, I offered to do this for you as a favor. I can free myself from your burdensome oppression whenever I please." Strath replied, continuing on his way.
He made his way through his mansion and out the front door. Traveling through the forest, he headed north. Snow started falling, getting heavier as he went. Finally emerging from the forest, Strath wandered into a frozen wasteland. Off in the distance, a small stone cottage crawled over the horizon. He opened the door, inviting himself inside the house. Looking around the one room cottage, he took a seat in front of a small desk.
"Mortal, how dare you enter my domain! What business do you have here to disturb my..." a voice boomed, suddenly stopping.
A tiny humanoid creature crawled up onto the table. It stood at close to one and a half feet tall, its blue skin tightly hugging its bones. It stared at Strath with its colossal green eye.
"Oh, it's just you. What the hell do you want." it groaned, rolling its eye.
"I need you to find some pure souls for me." Strath replied.
"You know damn well those things are hard to find! There better be something big in it for me..." the creature replied, stroking his chin.
"How about this, you give me what I need, and I let you live? Or do you want to pay the price for all you've done?" Strath said with a grin.
"Hey-hey no need to get rough on me. I'll look for you." the creature said nervously.
"Thank you, Kerdo." Strath replied.
Kerdo rolled his eye back in his head, massaging his temples. He started to mutter under his breath, meditating as he went into a trance. He started trembling his eye rolling forward to look at Strath once more.
"I've found three. One is in a small town called Parsidon, another deep in the Serpent Valley, and the last in the Ungreist theocracy. Now will you please leave me the hell alone..." Kerdo sighed.
Strath walked out the door, back into the cold snowy plans. As he walked, the snow cleared, revealing a large mountain range off in the distance. Noticing smoke billowing over the horizon, he followed it to a small town. Panicked townsfolk ran every which way, guards striking down everyone in sight. Strath weaved through the commotion, completely unseen, getting closer and closer to the fire. A small cottage was completely enveloped in flames, a small boy huddled in the corner as three soldiers stared him down.
"Where are you hiding them?" they growled, putting a hand on the hilt of their swords.
"What are you talking about?" he cried.
"Those heretics! The ones who blasphemed against our lord!" the guards snapped.
"I don't know what you're..."
Before the boy could finish, one of the guards slapped him across the face. Grabbing him by the collar, they pulled him up on his feet.
"Last chance." one of them growled, putting a sword to his throat.
Strath put a hand and the guard's shoulder, getting his attention.
"Excuse me, but don't you think it's a bit unfair for the three of you to be roughing up such a young child? I doubt your teachings would condone such violent acts." Strath sighed.
"What business is it of yours?" the soldier grunted, turning towards Strath.
"I want to speak with the boy." he repiled coldly.
"Well, you can't. He's the only lead we have on where those heretics are hiding. They're trying to tear down our whole theocracy, the blasphemers!" the guards protested.
"And what if i could find them for you?" Strath continued.
"We'd pay you handsomely." they replied.
"Very well. I'll determine the price to be paid when I return." Strath sighed.
As he turned, away, he looked back towards the soldiers still huddled around the boy.
"And the boy really does know nothing of what's going on. Leave him be." Strath continued as he walked deeped into town.
He walked through the town, surveying the scampering crowds. His eyes narrowed as he focused in on a well dressed man. He appeared to be some kind of high clergyman, standing amidst the chaos as he ordered guards about. Strath approached him, a smirk on his face.
"I assume you're the one in charge of this witch hunt." Strath said.
"Yes, what of it? And this isn't a witch hunt mind you, this is quite serious!" the man protested.
"If it's a heretic you're searching for, I believe I've found him." Strath continued.
The man's eyes lit up with excitement, a smile coming across his face.
"Show me! That fool will rue the day he tried to bring down the empire of our lord!" the man replied with a smile.
Stepping over the piles of corpses, he led the man towards the burnin cottage, the cluster of guards still awaiting his return. As he approached, he led the clergyman over to the guards.
"I've found your heretic." Strath smiled, motioning towards the clergyman.
"What are you talking about, this is the head of the church!" the soldiers yelled.
"Yes, I know that. I've read your teachings. Do you really think your lord would condone the murder of entire villages just so you can keep an iron grip on the people? You are the heretics, not them. They simply see the truth, and are speaking it as such." Strath continued, his voice the same cold emotionless tone he always used.
"Blasphemy! Kill him! Kill him now!" the clergyman began screaming.
Strath took a half step to his left, just as the soldiers began to charge him. The burning cottage suddenly collapsed, letting loose a large blast of fire and debris, scorching the soldiers and their leader in an instant.