Fates of Grenora: Return of the Night

Pierre opened and closed his mouth as he thought it through,"They aren't going to believe that I captured a sane vampire, nonetheless the Progenitor Vampire at that," Pierre said.

"Well, we can make it believable, can't we? I can pretend to be weak," Aldrin suggested as he paced back and forth, never taking his eyes off of Pierre.

Aldrin eyed the moons above briefly, checking to see how much time he had left. "How far away is your camp?" Aldrin asked, looking back at Pierre, tilting his head to the side.

"Not far from here, but I want to see Jared first," Pierre said, sheathing his daggers.

"He is behind me around the tree, knocked out only," Aldrin stepped aside, gesturing to the tree that hid Jared's unconscious form.

Pierre slowly stepped forward, never taking his eyes off of Aldrin as he rounded the tree, seeing Jared's slumped form. Bending down to place his hands on Jared's neck while checking his pulse, Pierre breathed a sigh of relief as his friend still took in air.

"We have a deal Mr. . .?" Pierre said, standing up from the kneeling position to face Aldrin.

"That does not matter," Aldrin said, flicking his gaze between the two men in front of him.

Pierre grunted in response as he picked up Jared's form and slung him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "This way then, Mr. Mysterious," Pierre said and walked away from Aldrin.

"Oh, thank goodness that worked," Aldrin said to himself, relieved he held onto the little control he had. He knew as soon as he got into camp that he could let loose somewhat, or at least get a handle on his new abilities like he had originally planned.

His System Alert chimed again, reminding him of the choice he had to make if push came to shove. Ignoring it again, he followed Pierre at a healthy distance as they trekked through the woods.

Every so often Pierre would gaze back, checking if Aldrin was still behind him as his footsteps were silent. He flinched every time he met the glowing green eyes of Aldrin. The aura surrounding him felt cold and dead, fitting the legend about vampires. The sweat kept rolling down his back in rivulets the longer he walked. He wasn't sure what would happen once he got back to the camp, but he knew one thing, he would get himself and Jared the Oblivion out of there one way or another.

"Oh no, it was supposed to be a simple life, they said, pillaging and raiding on the outskirts of the kingdom, looting and leveling easily from all the undead in the area. Of course, my terrible luck succeeds at dicking me over again." Pierre grumbled to himself as the first of the campfires came into view.

"This is your camp?" Aldrin inquired at the obvious display of the camp.

"The campfires are meant to lure unsuspecting travelers, adventurers, merchants, and other things. The rest is hidden behind the wards," Pierre answered, hoping the truth would spare him and Jared.

"Interesting." Aldrin rubbed his chin.

A sharp whistle rang as they got closer to camp, signaling they knew who had entered their radius.

"Do you have rope?" Aldrin asked.

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"Rope?" Pierre repeated.

"For my bindings?" Aldrin clarified, raising his hands in front of him.

"Oh! Uh! Right, let me just place Jared down before we head in," Pierre said, placing Jared down gently afterwards his gaze lost focus as he scrolled through his inventory finding rope and a spear before dumping them both in front of Aldrin.

Aldrin inspected the spear before him as he picked it up,

Grunting, Aldrin placed it in his inventory for later. Pierre slowly walked up to Aldrin as he gestured for Aldrin to grab the rope, not wanting to get any closer than he needed to.

"I will not drain you. I am still freshly fed," Aldrin lied.

It was meant to placate Pierre's fears, it didn't, as it only amplified them to new heights as he remembered what exactly stood before him; a monster wearing the face of a man.

"I am not an idiot," Pierre refuted.. It

"No, but you led me back to your camp, so what does that speak of you?" Aldrin shot back.

"As someone who wants him and his friend to live," Pierre said.

"Then you will," Aldrin stated as he bound himself.

Once he got to where he could no longer do it himself, Pierre timidly stepped forward to finish the rest. Aldrin had taken the moment to glance up at the moons that were making their way over the horizon as the familiar itch permeated his skin.

"Not long now until the sun comes up, hopefully I can finish this before it does and not to mention the burning in my stomach hasn't stopped," Aldrin thought to himself, feeling the burning forming into gnawing as it knew it was about to feast again. Still trying to play, the calm, cool, and collected vampire Aldrin continued to seem unaffected, however deep down the beast was rousing from its slumber and that thought terrified him.

With the bindings done, Jared stirred, making Pierre and Aldrin snap their attention to him, one with dread and the other with hunger alighting in his eyes. Jared awoke bleary-eyed as he tried to regain his bearings. He attempted to sit up, but his limbs protested in response, making him stumble back over. Pierre rushed over to him before he could make any noise.

"Jared! Stay still and don't move until I tell you to!" Pierre hissed at him.

"Pierre? What's- Ow my head!" Jared said as he rubbed the spot Aldrin had hit him.

"We may have a bit of a problem but I got us out of it," Pierre reassured him, giving a small smile, placing his hands on Jared's shoulders to help him sit up.

"We have company coming, Pierre," Aldrin said, snapping his head toward the footsteps rushing towards them. He blinked again, activating his newfound power of eyesight as glowing white silhouettes dotted around his vision.

Pierre's eyes widened further, looking back and forth between the oncoming people and Aldrin as he once again licked his fangs in anticipation. The realization that he had basically led a fox to the henhouse was an understatement. Pierre had a choice to make as Jared groaned again, still feeling the spot.

"Great grandma's tits!" Jared said, looking at Aldrin as he Identified him. Terror danced in his eye as he tried to scoot back.

"HELP!" Jared shouted, unaware that help, also known as food for Aldrin, was on its way.

Pierre clamped his hand over Jared's mouth as the mounting terror that was about to be unleashed kept him from speaking. The same cold dead wind settled over the area as the trees stopped swaying and the insects stopped singing.

The smell of different foods wafted into Aldrin's nose as his control over himself snowballed out of control. Quickly flexing both his wrists, the rope that bound them together snapped, causing Pierre's eyes to become saucers. Low growls escaped from Aldrin's mouth as his fangs elongated and claws formed at his fingers.

The first white light came from the right of them as an Archer came upon them, stopping dead in his tracks as he took in the terrified look of Pierre. Jared's head started forming a bruise from the injury as he held completely still, with Pierre's hand still covering his mouth, while his eyes remained fixed on the last being standing with them.

The Archer had no time to react as Aldrin was on him, his fangs plunged deep into the neck of him. Crying out in pain, the Archer pushed off and away from Aldrin, not registering that at the same time Aldrin had pulled back, ripping a chunk out of the Archer's neck. He gasped as the sudden shock and pain ignited along his body. Pulling back, he covered the wound and his hands became wet and bloody. He looked at Aldrin, who had a similar look of horror on his face. Stumbling backwards, he tried to get away but his legs wouldn't cooperate, causing him to fall back. Weak and dying, the Archer gasped for air, his own blood drowning him as he gazed at his last remnants of the night sky.

The System Alert chimed again, shocking Aldrin out of his trance. It was one thing to not be in control when he killed those adventurers, but it was another thing to be in a little more control this time. It didn't help that the man in front of him smelled of freshly peeled oranges and that included the taste of his blood.

The mumbling and squirming of Jared drew Aldrin's predatory gaze towards them, making Pierre take in a sharp breath and Jared become stock still.

"Do not move," Aldrin warned them before stalking off towards the rest of the footsteps.