The Littlest Vampire

It had been a hot day, and the towering clouds in the sky had offered little respite from it. Thus it was a hot night, but now those same clouds hid the stars and moon from the ground leaving everything in perfect darkness broken only by the lights which seem oddly dim. Nobody is out in the warehouse district tonight that doesn't need to be. A few men hefting boxes from boats. A few people hurrying to other places. The bars are full with those seeking comradeship and to be out of the hot night air and closer to the colder beers. Yet the music seems muted on the streets. It's too quiet.

Burai wanders the streets, doing his best to hide the gawking that a newcomer to a city this large and diverse might have. He has no opinion on how busy the streets should be. He has no idea what part of town he is in technically, and only a vague idea of how he reached here. He might even be at risk for getting robbed, save that he has few visible possessions other than a large sword.

Orenthal is somewhat streetwise, enough at least to know what sort of neighborhood this is. He's familiar enough with the warehouse district because of his family's mercantile connections, but he's not connected on the street level at all. The expensive clothes might also be a bit suspicious here. But his father set him a task, and that's infrequent enough that it's hard to beg off, so he came down to the warehouse, saw that the guards were in place, and that everything seemed squared away. Now he's headed back to the nicer parts of the city.

Sora made her way down to the docks, as she was waiting for a shipment to come in. Unfortunately it doesn't seem like it came in today, so she is just wandering. She does have her armor on and her massive sword. Maybe she felt someone might take it from her, hence the preparedness.

It's hard to say what draws attention to it, but suddenly everyone in the warehouse gradually becomes aware of a tall man standing on top of a roof. He's standing there atop one of the warehouses looking down with quiet confidence. He's finely dressed in black that should make him difficult to see, but his pale hands and pale face stand out like the moon should on the night sky. His dark hair also disappears somewhat, but not his eyes. His green eyes are shocking in their color. He smiles broadly, and waves his hands toward the people on the ground. "Go! Feed my little one." With these few words he throws out his hand toward everyone.

The curly-haired one giggles lightly and clambers down from the roof, and pulls free a little stick. And then, she's gone!

Orenthal looks up at the fellow on the roof. A speech, that's never good. Short enough, but eerie in its implications, particularly when the minion vanishes. This is almost certainly not going to be good, so he clutches his staff, which while he uses it as a walking staff is actually shod with silver. Well, silvery metal, anyhow. With his height and build, hopefully he can put it to some good use tonight.

Once the man starts speaking, Burai tilts his head back to watch him. His eyes narrow slightly at the instructions to 'feed'. That doesn't sound like normal, accepted behavior for a city. Or for a person. The half-orc's hand drifts up towards the hilt of his sword over his shoulder.

Sora does notice the guy, she stares for a few moments and while the hand of her artifice arm does move to grip the hilt over one of her shoulders she glances around. What is he talking to or about? She tries to see if she can see something. Too many strange things in Alexandria these days.

The man himself does nothing but smile down on you from his place on high, his unnerving eyes piercing as they look down on you. There's something wholly unnatural about himself, and then with a little shifting of his weight he falls to the ground like a puppet drawn on strings. He lands neatly on his toes, shoulders hunched for a moment. "They are all yours to play with my little one. How about the girl? I like her arm." He hums as he looks at Sora's arm in a discomforting manner. "Some strong dock workers yes? Or perhaps one of the armed men. They look like they have passion stirring in their hearts!"

There's a snicker from nearby, and perhaps the soft patter of bare feet. There's a bright flash then, a short distance away from where the man on the roof surveys the scene. Someone screams, and topples over with a crash, their load falling to the ground. "I think I will try you, precious.", says a scratchy little voice near Sora. "Those are some tasty looking arms."

GAME: Ludvig rolls melee: (19)+4: 23

"Ah bugger.", that same little voice says, from behind Sora. A wee lucht with golden, curly hair wields a dagger in Sora's general direction. "Hard to see even myself in all this. Hmmmmph."

GAME: Burai casts Bull's Strength. Caster Level: 3 DC: 14
GAME: Orenthal rolls 1d20+8: (16)+8: 24
GAME: Orenthal rolls 1d6+5: (3)+5: 8

Burai chants in the language of the paranoid secretive druids. He mumbles his words, to further foil anyone that would be listening in. But when his step becomes easier, and he draws his large sword seemingly without effort, or even noticing how much it surely weighs, it's easy enough to tell what type of spell he's cast. He closes in in the small creature, shifting his sword into a readied guard position.

Orenthal is ready for trouble at this point, and when he sees it, he's dashing over like a shot. He skips around to avoid taking a hit, himself, and with both hand choked up on his staff, he delivers a whistling THWAK. No idle rich boy, this. Well, maybe a little idle, but he tries.

GAME: Ludvig used a Wand of Invisibility.

The lucht eyes Burai a moment, and then squeaks loudly as mean ol' Orenthal smacks her hard in the shoulder. "Ow! That hurt!" She makes a face and waves a little stick, and vanishes once more. "Gonna chew on you instead."

While the little woman is keeping you all busy the man idly sidles closer and closer to the dock workers who are busy themselves watching your fight. They don't notice him at all until one of them is up in his fist, dangingling above the ground. "Mmmmm." Then the vampire bites into his neck and lets out another warm murmur. The other dock worker takes off and runs.

GAME: Sora rolls strike: aliased to finesse+3: (1)+11+3: 15 (EPIC FAIL)

Sora pulls her greatsword and dances with it a bit, her move smooth and graceful, but she doesn't hit the invisible creature that was going to take a bite from her.

GAME: Alaryn rolls ranged+1: (9)+5+1: 15
GAME: Alaryn spends ONE use of CHARGE POOL.

Having been mostly quiet, lost in thought... pondering the most important thing ever.. PROFIT! Alaryn has been a bit out of it. But when fecal matter hits the rotary wind impeller, she reaches to the back of her belt and pulls out a two foot rod with a crystal on one tip. The press of a stud telescopes it out to five feet long, and around the crystal tip, a focusing array of mostly gold and copper mesh springs out to surround the crystal. The sapphire blue gem. She's tracking the jumpy dude who just bit a dockworker. "Hey! Don't put him in your mouth! You don't know where that guy's been! Gross!" Even as electrical energy builds up at the tip of her staff... and she aims but as she discharges the energy, the vampy thing ducks, zigs, zags... something. "Hold still!" She calls out.

GAME: Burai casts Faerie Fire. Caster Level: 3 DC: 13

Burai has heard of few things in the wild that can turn invisible. But he's spent some time in skirmishes and patrols alongside - and against - soldiers and mercenaries who employ such tactics. And he's learned at least one way to respond. He casts another spell, this one intended to cover everyone in the admittedly small area with a fiery golden aura that reveals their true shape.

GAME: Orenthal rolls 1d20+8: (4)+8: 12
GAME: Ludvig rolls melee: (19)+4: 23
GAME: Ludvig rolls 1d3: (2): 2

True to form, the Halfling appears behind Orenthal, and jams her dagger in, aiming for a kidney. "See! I am not kidneying around, here.", she says with an evil cackle. Stabs and puns go hand in hand.

GAME: Aftershock rolls 2d10+7: (13)+7: 20

Deftly the vampire, without dropping his prey grabs the staff wielded at him and holds it in one hand. That one hand clenches around the staff tightly, and with an almost effortless squeeze the staff begins to crack and groan... and then it shatters into splinters of wood. The vampire never even takes his eyes off his victim. Hardly seems aware that he broke the staff at all.

GAME: Alaryn rolls ranged+1: (20)+5+1: 26 (THREAT)
GAME: Alaryn rolls ranged+1: (5)+5+1: 11
GAME: Sora rolls powdam: aliased to 2d6+3+2+1+1+6: (7)+3+2+1+1+6: 20
GAME: Alaryn rolls 3d6+5: (7)+5: 12

Sora sees the little vampire that had try to take a bite out of her become visible after attacking one of the others and takes the opportunity and moves over. She dances with her mithral greatsword. She moves the blade as if it was light as a feather, not what one would expect from a greatsword. She does focus on a powerful strike, ripping it across the little one, the greatsword doing quite a bit with the strike.

Oh look, what was invisible is now visible again. Even as Sora is in motion, Alaryn traverses the aiming tip of her staff downward and over towards the lucht. She waits a moment, making sure she has her aim down right... and in that moment, Sora's blade bites -deeply- into the creature. Then she nods her head, waits for the metal blade to clear the body and she fires... lightning flaring from her staff and burning into the body of the Lucht. No snappy patter this time. No verbal sparring. No one liners.Just electrical blasting.

GAME: Alaryn spends ONE use of CHARGE POOL. GAME: Burai spends ONE use of FIRE BOLT.

The Lucht screams as the large blade comes down, and she staggers away, obviously wounded. She coughs and wheezes. "Okay Stabitha, you wait your turn. I'll get to you in a minute..." Then the fire starts up and she shrieks, attempting to dash away, but only dying (again) tired.

GAME: Burai rolls ranged-4: (12)+4+-4: 12
GAME: Orenthal rolls 1d20+6: (19)+6: 25

Burai gives one last look at the fallen lucht. Then he whirls and strides towards the vampire. He removes one hand from the hilt of his sword as he approaches. The hand begins to glow a flickering reddish yellow. The half-orc points it at the vampire. The energy diffuses into a fiery bolt that streaks at him...but misses.

GAME: Orenthal rolls 1d6+3: (2)+3: 5

Orenthal growls, "You utter bastard. That's an expensive toy you broke. I'm going to have to take it out of your hide." He reaches down and draws the sword at his hip, thrusting at the vampire with that as he works his way to a hopefully more advantageous position. He's no expert fencer, or swordmaster, or really anything, but he's at least passingly capable with the shortsword he carries.

GAME: Orenthal rolls 1d20+6: (6)+6: 12

The little lucht hits the ground and then quickly turns into a cloud of vapor which hurries its way toward the other vampire. The vampire notices this at least, and drops the now-unconscious man to the ground. It's really at this point that Orenthal strikes. The wound doesn't seem to bother the vampire very much, and as he steps toward the little ball of mist the wound is already sealing itself shut. "Oh my little one! Do not worry, I will hurry you home where you may feast on the blood which I fed upon and you will be well again!"

With that the vampire turns himself into mist, and the two climb high into the sky to disappear amid the hills of clouds and the distance between.

Sora blinks as they vanish and sighs a bit. She cleans off her greatsword with a cloth from her belt before she puts it back to her back. She flexes the fingers of her artifice arm and then shakes her head a bit, "This is going to be annoying." she says and shakes her head a little.

Lowering her staff and letting it shrink back down to rod length, Alaryn mutters, "God, vampires suck." And then she realizes what she said and snorts at her own bad joke, "Orenthal. I think I'll offer to re-enchant somethin' for you as cheaply as I can."

Orenthal picks up the pieces of his broken staff, sighs. "If only there was insurance for this. This is going to break me," he complains, annoyed. He looks to the others, "Is everyone OK? Did anyone get bit?" Oh, right, the workman. He'll rush over to see if he can help?

Burai slides his sword back into place on his back. The metal of the blade makes a faint grinding noise as it rubs against the clips on his armor that hold it in place. "What kind of place is this," he muses, looking around. "Is this something that happens every day?"

-End