Wandering Wonders

       The fight went on to the room directly over the dungeon. Aranis was pushing back the vampire, who seemed to be defending. Aranis kept pushing the attack with her curved sword, occasionally unleashing destructive magic such as fireball to attack the vampire. The vampire, however, had speed and other kind of magic that Aranis wasn't aware off. When the fireball almost hit the vampire, he suddenly moved aside with inhuman speed, surprising Aranis. He quickly moved in towards the elf and grabbed her.

       “I have a feeling that you have never fought a prince like me before," said the vampire. “You seem surprised when I dodged that attack."

       “Prince or not, the moment I open this place to sunlight, you'll crumble to dust."

       “You may try, but you will not succeed. Besides, you must've known what a vampire's bite will do to you."

       Realizing the danger, Aranis pushed the vampire's body and took her bow. She quickly mimicked the stance of an archer before light arrow materialized from between her fingers. She released the arrow towards the vampire, which hit him at his chest.

       “Light arrow. So, you're one of the high elves," said the vampire. “But it is also safe to say that you are also a wood elf, judging by the choice of your bow. It is made from a 1000 years old tree bark that was reinforced with natural druid magic. That way, it can flow mana more efficiently."

       “For someone who belongs with the Chaos Race, I'm amazed with your knowledge," said Aranis. “But why? Why didn't that light arrow kill you?"

       “Like I said, elf. I'm a vampire prince." The light arrow quickly disintegrated and the room became darker. The vampire became intangible, with darkness slowly covering the room around Aranis.

       “A mere light will not be sufficient in snuffing my darkness," said the vampire. “And you…will become my bride."

       “Not in a thousand years, fiend!" exclaimed Aranis. She muttered some magic in her language, which made her body glow and 'eat' the darkness around her. It was not enough to take on the vampire's darkness and kill him, just as he claimed, but it was enough to not let the darkness consumed Aranis.

       “Such futile effort," said the vampire. “It would be easier to give in, elf. I've fought magi with power more magnificent than you are. In the end, you won't be able to kill me."

       “You will be singing a different tune once this place is bathed with sunlight!"

       “Like I said, elf. It is useless. Do you realize what this place is? If not, let me show you the damage of that fireball of yours!"

       The darkness dissipated and Aranis saw the point where the fireball hit. She was surprised and horrified. It did not leave anything damaged except for the furniture in front of it. Aside from the black soot due to the explosion, there was not damage to the wall itself.

       “My lair is carved inside a dormant mountain and had been there since," said the vampire. “The rocks here are sturdy and formidable, and I don't need to breathe for I am an undead. All I need is sustenance, and what better sustenance than foolish people who are oblivious to a trap."

       “So that...gatherer…is one of your thrall," said Aranis. “So there was a garden in that cave! You destroyed it!"

       “No…alas, it wasn't me that destroy that patch of nature. The 'gatherer' is one of my recent thralls to do my biddings, one that, just like you, enticed by wealth and took the request."

       “This is bad," thought Aranis. “This vampire clearly knows how to protect himself from the sun. If I can't find any way to expose him to sunlight, it will be the end of my long life! There must be a way…"

       Meanwhile back down at the dungeon, Narati woke up when his nose caught up with a putrid smell. He yawned and opened his eyes…directly towards one of the abominations in the cage. He instinctively squeaked loudly and move towards Jek, who woke up from that loud squeak.

       “Narati, pipe that down, will you?" said Jek slowly. “I'm trying to..."

       He then also looked at the abomination and quickly woke up. He pulled out a gun and shot the abomination, which gave out a bone-chilling shriek that made Narati shiver. By this point Raine also woke up.

       “What happened?" asked Raine. “We went through the wall and found this place, but then…where's Aranis?"

       Just as he said that, there was a chilling aura coming from the top of them. It felt like a breeze of early winter, yet it felt so cold and dangerous, at least for Raine. His furry companions did not feel anything different, yet they both knew there was danger involved.

       The first that ran up the stairs was Jek, who pulled out a rifle and found cover behind a stone slab. He saw what Aranis was trying to fight, and realized that their discovery was far more dangerous than he thought.

       He quickly shot the vampire flying above them in succession, depleting the whole magazine. While it seemed to make holes on his body, the vampire quickly reformed.

       “What's this? A mutt?" said the vampire. “Do you really think that will work on me?"

       “Jek?!" Aranis was surprised that her friend woke up quicker than she thought he would be for a non-Chaos race. She thought that Narati would be the first to wake up (being one of the Chaos races). When she saw the others, however, she knew they had a chance.

       “Get out from this place!" exclaimed Aranis. “He's not someone that you can fight! I'll hold him off!"

       “We are not leaving without you, Aranis!" said Narati readying his spear. “Tell us what to do!"

       “Find a source of sunlight and he will burn to crisp," said Jek. When his companions looked at him in confusion, he said, “What? I know many chaos races other than a Fa'ar."

       “I thought that's not your type," said Raine.

       “I read things. Either way, find a way to burn that vampire. Go!"

       Raine and Narati quickly ran towards the nearby stairs, but the darkness that was surrounding the room was preventing their escape. They formed into canine apparitions that looked ready to attack them. However, while they got ready to attack, there was a blast of light that destroyed the darkness and opened a path for them. Without looking back, they ran up the stairs, leaving Aranis and Jek behind.

       “You, too, Jek," said Aranis.

       “I can't let a friend fights all by herself, right?" said Jek.

       “This is not something you can fight!"

       “Either way, we gotta try something."

       Aranis looked at Jek and smiled. “You've changed," she said.

       “You're not the first. Let's do this, shall we?"

       Jek's attack towards the vampire became relentless. He used up most of his low-grade bullets to distract the vampire while Aranis let out a barrage of magical missiles towards him, which was enough to cause damage to the intangible dark lord.

       This, however, did not cause the vampire to lose his temper. He silently tried to widen the veil of darkness around them, which started to overwhelm Aranis's light magical shield. While she was holding on, the reason why she was straining was because of sustaining two people's shield. She could easily counter the darkness, but with Jek trying to distract the vampire, she needed to sustain him too. Otherwise, he would be corrupted and became the vampire's thrall. Aranis was glad that Jek was willing to help her, but his involvement caused considerable strain. Part of her wanted to keep Jek away from danger, but she knew that would be unwise. The loup had changed to the point of being able to trust his companions. He wouldn't abandon the elf.

       Jek was sure that he was helping, but whatever he did, it didn't work. All the bullets he spent on the vampire would simply pass him or otherwise fall to the ground like it was nothing. This was the first time he was ever bested in a fight. He usually relied on cunning and unconventional strategies to outwit his opponent, but if it was about pure strength and, especially in that situation, magical and supernatural, he had no way to work around it.

       Even then, he needed to try and find a way to fight the vampire back. In desperation, he pulled out one of the grenades supplied by Narati, pulled the pin, and threw it towards the vampire. What happened next, however, was surprising, even for Aranis.

       The moment the grenade reached in front of the vampire, it let out a strong and blinding light that blinded everyone in that room. The burst of light was so intense that it pulled the darkness around them back into the vampire while he shrieked in agony. Aranis recovered first to see that the vampire was closing his eyes as if they burned. This gave her a chance to fight back, unleashing a powerful light magic and threw the vampire across the room. She knew it wasn't enough, but her focus was to Jek.

       The elf turned and ran towards Jek, taking cover behind the stone slab. She then said, “What did you throw?"

       “I don't know." Jek then looked down towards the leather strap on his chest full of grenades and bullets. He pulled the same red-colored grenade embedded with elven runes, which Aranis read.

       “Flash grenade type 5," said Aranis with a gasp. “This is a pre-war weapon! Where did you…I mean, where did Narati find this?"

       “We stopped by junk towns all the way here. You need to ask him," said Jek.

       “How many more do you have?"

       “Two more."

       The vampire then resumed flying, now losing his temper. He did not cover the whole room with darkness, but instead powering himself with it. He was clearly incensed from the underhanded assault.

       “You dare oppose me with petty elven tricks?" said the vampire. “Playtime's over. You have incurred my wrath. Now die with regret!"

       “Now, Jek!" commanded Aranis. Jek quickly pulled the pin and threw it towards the vampire, but this time, he readied himself by covering his eyes from the flash. The vampire, however, was ready the second time. He started to absorb the light generated from the flash.

       “Your tricks will never work the second time!"

       “And your position is not strategically sound!"

       The elf quickly extended her shield towards the grenade. The protected flash, coupled with the light shield, increased the flash's intensity to the point that it started to burn the vampire over it. He shrieked in agony, which gave Jek time to shoot him. The shot wounded the vampire to the point he bled.

       But the vampire did not cower in defeat. All he did was chuckling.

       “I admire your ferocity," said the vampire. “But like cornered beasts, I will fight harder. Yet, not today."

       Aranis realized what he was trying to do. She quickly shot a fireball towards him, but then he dissipated and became the mist that covered the room. His echoing voice filled the room.

       “I will admit, that this is my loss. But I will not die today. The world may have ended, but then, the danger to my race is no longer existent. One day, I will return the vampires to its former glory, and snuff out the light of the sun. When that time comes, you two will be the first to suffer. Goodbye, elf. Goodbye, mutt. Live your pitiful life to the fullest. I will be around."

       Just as the mist started to disappear, a powerful explosion destroyed parts of the roof and shone a bright sunlight into the room. There was a loud scream, coupled with “Impossible!" remark. The whole mist started to reform into a whole being again, which gave the two of them a fighting chance.

       Jek threw the grenade directly in front of the vampire. It went out with a bang, disorienting him. With a swift movement, Aranis pulled out her blade and cut one of the vampire's leg. With the sunlight causing irreparable damage to him, his body regenerated slowly. Disoriented and subdued, the vampire aimlessly walked around the room, which was his downfall.

       He did not see Jek approaching in front of him. The loup pulled out his shotgun and tried to shoot the weakened vampire, but he said, “Nah. Bullets are rare out here."

       The wolfman then slashed the vampire's face with his claw and pushed him back towards the ray of sunlight. The vampire's head was the first to burn, which quickly turned him into dust, even before he reached the ground. He was already dead without reaching the ground. Soon, his whole body turned to dust, and all that remained were his clothes, which also turned to dust, sustained by his darkness for hundreds of years.

       Jek fell to his knees, both relieved and surprised that he could defeat an old evil in his lair. When he looked up towards the sun, as if trying to say thank you to it, he saw two figures looking down through the hole. One was a human and the other, a rat. He then smiled towards them and said, “You're late."

       “Better late than never, eh?" said Raine with a smile. “Let's get the fuck out here before others like him come."

       With the vampire gone, the power that sustained the abominations around them were also gone, causing them to die and become dust in a similar way to the vampire. On Aranis's insistence, they checked around if there were other vampires or their thralls lurked around the carved-out lair. Fortunately, everyone died as the vampire died, leaving the place empty and dark.

       They hauled the loot they could find and sell in that lair, mostly valuable things that could fetch a lot of muns. Narati was surprised that they were a lot of pre-war relics that were still functioning, with Aranis only saying, “That's elven technology for you". Another relief came to them in the form of a clear path back towards their camp, with no Aether zombies in sight. From the exit, they could see the source of the Aether contamination, which they closed off and ending the threat of the zombies.

       Their camp was not looted or even raided, and the zombies, out of sustenance with the Aether gone, died off. It was a tragic, but fitting, end for the living undead, unable to rest in peace, even after death. The closing of the Aether contamination was a well-deserved rest for them.

       Despite of knowing that the place was unsafe and full of risks, they decided to stay for another night up there, both to savor their victory and to give Narati one more chance to see the sunrise.

       The night for the four of them was lively, with Aranis playing her instrument and sang an old elven song for them. It was soothing to hear even if her companions could not understand a word she was saying. Nevertheless, it made them happy.

       As they rested from a meal, they looked towards the valley near the fire. Aranis then said, “It's such an adventure, isn't it? We fought a vampire and lived to tell the story. Not only that, we managed to secure a big haul."

       “Let's just hope we keep them long enough to spend them, hmm?" said Jek. “To be honest with you guys…I'm glad that we decided to travel together. For years I've been alone, taking jobs, killing people…and doing unforgivable things for survival…but seeing you guys make me feel needed again. But for me, Narati's the one who give me a reason to continue on and survive."

       “I should be the one thanking you, Jek," said Narati. “You're the first person who regard me as a person. It's a rare privilege among Fa'ars, but I get to meet a kind human and a good elf in this journey. But well…let's forget that first meeting, okay?"

       “Hah, like I will forget it! If it wasn't for redhead here, you'll not even survive another day without becoming a coward! But you've changed, kid. Keep it that way and you might start somethin'."

       “So what are we going to do now? With the loot, we can start the mercenary business," said Raine.

       Jek laughed. “It's still a long way from that, you know? We need to hire people, get popular, and all sorts of things."

       “How about starting a settlement?" said Aranis smiling. “You know, settle down, build a farm, open trade routes, that sort of thing? It's a good way to ensure safety. And besides, the danger of getting killed in a settlement is quite low."

       “Yeah, unless someone stab you in the back," joked Jek. “But yeah…that might work. I'm not the type who want to start a family, but being a farmer might be a better alternative than killing people. Don't you think so, Raine?"

       “It might work for me. I doubt it might work for you, wolfie. How about you, Nara? Do you think it will work?"

       “At least for you guys," said Narati. Jek could see a hint of sadness on his face. “With me in it, it might turn into a free town."

       “Oh, no, don't think like that, Narati!" said Aranis. “The town I lived in had a lot of Fa'ar orphans who were taken care of by the townspeople. Do not worry about your race, Narati. We will make it work. Everyone is welcome, and at the same time, they must follow a set of rules. We'll make it open for everyone, yet at the same time also prevent negative development."

       Normally Narati would dismiss that notion as a 'dream', but seeing how Aranis was sincere in her talk and the way she helped the young rat person cope with his problems made him convinced that it might work. A free town but with no problems associated with it. That would be a great idea.

       Narati finally got what he wanted the next day and looked at the sunrise. He was awestruck and glad that nature could still give him such a beauty despite of the people cursing his race just because he was a Fa'ar. He was glad that hope was still something that he could find in that bleak wasteland.

       As they prepared to walk down the mountainside, Jek said, “I think I agree on the group's name. The Wanderers. It's a great name."

       “Why do you think so?" asked Aranis.

       “Because we are wanderers. It's as simple as that. We wander this wasteland to find a job, reap the rewards, and protect others. It's what we do. After that, we leave. It's what wanderers do. So, how about it?"

       “I think it's a great name," said Raine. “Although, I don't think we can use that name if we eventually settle down, right?"

       “We'll find another name if that happens," said Jek, smiling. “Now how about if we find more things to do? I've had enough of this rock."

       And so, the four of them walked down the trail with sunrise behind them. It was a symbol that a new day had started. They may had thought that their adventure that day was over, but the adventure had barely started for them. It's just that their conflict with the vampire opened up their eyes to impossible and fantastic discoveries yet to be found, no matter the risk involved.

       This is the end of the story of four strangers, each with a different personality and goal in mind, creating a group of companions that would become a beacon of hope to all. It was a start, but later on, their travel would turn them from just a little speck of dust into an influence felt for years to come.

       Until that time, however, their adventure continues…