Fates of Grenora: Return of the Night

"Everyone! Ready yourselves and prepare for a tight defense! Something is coming!" She warned her men, the hairs on the back of her neck beginning to rise.

The Zombies turned back to the living and began to slink slowly away to the outskirts of the ruined wall, forming a wide circle.

"What in all Abyss is going on?" One man commented.

The cackling of fires was the only thing to break the eerie silence of the dead watching them, anticipating something. Horrible, animalistic roars stunned her and her men. She knew only one type of Undead that could make that noise.

"FERALS!" she bellowed, her men readying themselves without hesitation.

They appeared from the smoking rooftops, jumping down and landing without a sound. Bat-like ears and faces were the first to greet her. Glowing crimson eyes scrutinized each of the living. The predatory gaze brushing against Adeline's psyche. Something was different with the Ferals, she noted. They weren't recklessly charging forth. This whole disaster spoke of something more, and she could not figure out what it was.

The few remaining survivors that the Undead chose not to attack shook with uncontrollable fright, more so from not resisting the effects of Dread. She gritted her teeth, worried about what may appear as she scanned her surroundings.

"Mages! Barrier us. I don't trust whatever this is," she ordered, her green eyes darting around, looking for any sign of what's to come.

The Vampires let low growls reverberate in their chests, carefully watching for any sudden movements. Adeline noticed they were struggling to hold themselves back, which worried her more. She knew nothing that could control Feral Vampires which made uneasiness settle over her. They pushed past the Zombies, all 26 of them in bloodied, ruined rags that were once clothes. Their mouths and talons were still slick with fresh blood.

Her men looked around nervously at each other at the sudden change. Something in the air changed, even with all the fires raging around them. The air chilled, like death had come to greet them. The taste of copper rose in the back of Adeline's throat, spiking her uneasiness further.

"Leave," one of the wispy white-haired Vampires said.

Shock ran through Adeline, but she refused to let it show on her face. However, her men let their surprise be known by the sudden gasps when it spoke.

"This," it wheezed when it waved one of its bloody talons around, gesturing to the city, "is none of your concern."

"We won't attack if you don't. Orders." It ended with a displeased growl.

"From who?" Adeline couldn't help herself.

"Our Sire of Sires," It smiled wickedly.

"Time for vengeance has come." A sinister smile filled with fangs graced its face. "This city owes a debt, a debt our Sire of Sires has been collecting on our behalf, though not without conditions, of course," he gestured at the hidden people, still grinning enough to show his bloodied fangs.

"Why this city?" Adeline asked.

It tilted its head as it looked at her. "Ask your Queen. Now I suggest you leave before He comes around," It waved.

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"We only want the survivors," Adeline said.

A distant boom resounded. Everyone, including the Zombies turned in the direction. From Adeline's vantage point, she could see one wall of the city that was still untouched by the attack engulfed in flames.

"A trick?!" The Feral Vampire hissed.

"No- Wait-" Adeline said before the Vampires and Zombies surged forth. Her men summoned the tower shields from before, firmly planting them in the ground with a loud thud. Their shields glowed brightly in the night, like stars on earth. The Mages put up compounded barriers while the Priest started consecrating the grounds. Her Archers fired their white arrows that seared the flesh off the Zombies whenever they hit a mark. Adeline observed the Zombies throw themselves against the barrier. Spearmen thrusted through the shield gaps, killing anything they could reach.

A deep, unsettling roar froze the battle.

The barrier flickered like a dying light bulb, along with all the enchantments and buffs they used. Without the safety of the barrier, the Horde surged forth with renewed vigor. "FALL BACK!" Adeline commanded, killing a Zombie that was thrown over the tower shields.

They slowly retreated through the gap in the wall, taking casualties as they defensively backed into the open field in front of the crumpled wall. When they were pushed back far enough, the Horde stopped and waited at the mouth of the ruins, watching and waiting.

The few Feral Vampires scaled the wall, looking up at the sky, almost fervently at something. Something stirred in the clouds that immediately set her on edge. Wispy black fog slowly drifted down from the sky, settling in between all the Feral Vampires. It reformed into the shape of a man, leather armor adorned his body, loose curly brown hair settled just above his shoulders, with glowing red eyes, and worst of all, as Adeline feared, the coldness that descended upon them radiated from him. Even though Vampiric features masked whatever human part of him, it didn't stop the niggling familiarity that tickled the back of Adeline's mind the longer she stared. The new Vampire roared a war cry that the Zombies and Feral Vampires echoed.

More questions clouded her mind when she looked. This thing that arrived looked like a Vampire but its Race was a mystery. Something in her mind clicked. "FULL RETREAT!" She knew she couldn't retake the city with only half her forces, not unless she wanted heavy casualties for little ground gained again.

Her man looked to her for guidance in facing the new threat that presented itself when they were a safe distance away. Whatever this was, it had her on edge. The new Vampire peered down at them, its crimson eyes filled with hunger, malice, and promise of torment. A few of the other Paladins around her took a step back from the wave of hunger the Vampire eyed them with.

She needed to stall for time until the other half of her forces arrived. She stepped forward; the Zombies watching intently. "I seek honorable single combat with the leader of this siege!" Adeline announced.

The new Vampire jumped down from the high walls, landing with an unnatural grace that didn't disturb the surrounding terrain. "I am the leader," the Vampire said, with a wide smile, revealing its set of fanged teeth.

The tingle in the back of her mind reared its head again when the Vampire approached to meet her in the middle. Adeline knew this Vampire was different because it wasn't a mindless beast that only craved blood. It spoke and used reason; something other Vampires weren't capable of. It proved itself different even further when it materialized a longsword, adding more to the question of what exactly she was facing.

"A Vampire that has a Class and can use an Inventory," she thought to herself as she walked to her own midpoint. Her man cheered her on as she strode forth, her unbroken resolve to end this as quickly as possible trampled any doubts she had.

The closer she got, the more familiar the Vampire became, almost as if. . .

"Aldrin?" Adeline whispered. It was like lightning struck her when she recognized her brother as more unshed tears brimmed in her eyes. Her mind desperately tried to understand that the cause of this had been him.