Untitiled Tale

Written by: RiverWind
Posted on: October 31, 2000

Untitiled Tale

The night was a dark vastness, black lay about us like a fine curtain, it was not the usual cleansing dark of night, dark of sleep, it was somehow deeper, much more foreboding.
The only light was the wavering glow of the torches held by the simple farmers, who just that morning had been tending to there harvest, there scythes used to reap the harvest of life, yet tonight they would only be used to reap a harvest of death.
Ahead upon his great war charger sat the noble knight, warrior of the forgotten order, he was an impressive figure, up upon the horse, a born leader. Yet even he, in the wavering light of the torch, casting a red hue to the carefully set plates of his ancient armor, gained the appearance of the hell's spawn.
We slowly followed him throughout the darkness, leaving behind the faint form of our village, knowing not all of us would return to her the next morning, the faint sound women wailing and children sobbing was the only sound upon the night air.
About me the men where pail, yet there faces where set, jaws firm, we knew not what horrors the night would bring, but all where prepared to face it, and lay down there lives to defend the way of life, to defend our village, our family. We marched off, towards the distant mountain, barely distinguishable against a dark sky, a deeper black compared to the sky.
The invisible hand of fear, and terror griped me then, garbing at my very bowels, it took a great effort, to continue forward, to set one foot in front of another. I knew what would happen if we failed this night, the women and children would not stand a chance against this creature. I would not let it come to that, and with such a train of thought the invisible hand receded. We marched on through the darkness onto the distant mountain, and the horror that awaited us there.

We arrived in the dead middle of night, before the ancient keep, its towers rose, sparring up before us, its dark walls deep and for-boding, accost the battlements, we could make out, in the wavering torch light, gargoyle and other designs of fabulous beasts.
The gates themselves lay open, before us, a deep dark mouth, threatening to swallow our pathetic band hole. Yet there was no other way in, other than this, and so with little pause the knight dismounted, and, drawing his ancient sword, slowly advanced into the opening, closely followed by the rest of us.

The gate lead you into the dark passageways of the keep, it was ancient, and by its appearance must have once been quite bountiful, now the rocks where covered in dark slime and moss, its stones blacked and dirty, it appeared as if no one had disturbed this places premarital sleep for ages... and we knew that no living thing had.

We advanced slowly, careful, I could see the eyes of others roaming about, never looking in the same place for more than a moment, they where turning, looking, as if expecting the very keep to come alive to assail them at any moment.

Then with sudden abruptness, we came to the very heart chamber of the keep, it was a great contrast to the halls we had just left, it was well kept, and all about torches lined the wall, cracking with the life of fire. The walls where lined with beautiful tapestries, depicting the crests of ancient and long gone families.
A great table, of well polished oak sat in the rooms center, and at its head sat he who we had come so far to search for, the Apoak, the Vampire.

It observed us casually, as it slowly took a draught from its clear crystal gauntlet, filled full with a thick red substance, there was no doubt what it was he drank, blood, human blood, Lily blood, the fair madden who had once been a wife of Sarah, who now stood beside me his eyes tight in angry rage, his hand wrapped about the scats hilt, slowly clenching and unclenching.

The vampire, having finished the contents of the glass, stood up, casting the glass aside shattering against the stone flooring, he bowed before us, with mocking grace. As he stood up he spread his arms wide, and grinned broadly, revealed a long line of sharp teeth, soaked red with blood, the most noticeable teeth where the two long pointed Canine teeth, trademarks of a vampire.
He addressed us in a very kindly fashion, as one might a old friend, but it was laced with a un-mistakable loathing and bitterness, "Welcome gentleman to my home, I apologys for the mess, but I must admit its rare that I get people such as you stooping by for dinner, And it is a true honor to have Sir, Eleanor De Salon, in my humble home" he said bowing again to the knight that stood at our head, not moving as he watched the vampire.
"But,"the vampire added with a shrug "you are not really welcome here... and I am afraid allowing you to leave would be out of the question."
With that, he suddenly jumped up upon the table, running at impossible speed jumping up high into the air landing in the minst of the startled farmers, who startled tried to get as far away as possible, but finding themselves pressed up against other men, where suddenly trapped near the vampire, who with a diabolical laugh, drew out a dagger, and with a quick slash accost the throat of one unfortunate man, ended his life, then turning, grabbed the back of another mans shirt as he tried to flee, dragging him into his clutches, he brought his moth about the mans neck biting down upon his victim, taking a large section of the neck he tore out, leaving the dieing man upon the floor, to slowly bleed to death.
Above the sound of screams as the vampire continued his unchecked rampage I could hear the voice of the knight yelling "Do not flee!, We must destroy this hellspawn or others will share our fallen brothers fate!"
The sound of the voice seemed to hearten many, who swinging there sith's about, advanced upon the vampire, however you may as well have assaulted smoke, for he moved with in-human speed, as he moved through the villagers, cutting them down like stalks of wheat, as he cut a bloody path towards the knight.

The knight yelled to keep back as he and the vampire slowly circled one another, the vampire slowly began switching his blood soaked dagger from hand to hand as the knight kept his sword leveled between them, then it started, with a scream that sent a shiver running down my spine the vampire leapt to the attack, but the knight, much more skilled in the ways of battle then the farmers who the vampire had easily cut down was quick to deflect this attack, turning full circle Swiped out with his sword, but the vampire was past him and well out of the swords range.
Then the knight howling in furry charged forth, blade out, but the vampire simply sidestepped this, bringing his dagger around in the knights back as he charged past, it slipped through the heady plates of armor, and into the knights skin, he let out a scream of agony as he toppled forward upon the ground, and was still.
We all stood still, unsure what to do, then slowly several began to back away... seeing the horror on there faces I quickly yelled "Forwards, we can not let this hellspawn live to see daybreak!" With a roar I then charged forwards, towards the vampire, who laughed in seeming amusement.
I brought my scyth around full circle chopping down at the vampire, but it seemed like the vampire could change where he stood at will, and my wiling syth went past him he chopped down on my arms, causing me to lose grip on the syth and it was sent spinning away into darkness, with another laugh the vampire came about, grabbing me by the shoulders he hurled me back against the wall, I hit hard against a scone, sending both me and the flickering lamp to the ground, in a heap.
I slowly painfully pushed myself up, feeling the pain shoot through my led, which I knew then was definitely broken, but it was the least of my worry, for as I raised up, I saw the laughing form of the vampire, sitting beside me, "Very brave, for a farmer. He laughed, your friends have left you to the wolves and fled it seems, well no matter, I still have you for my dinner." with that he leaned forward biting down upon my neck, I tried to let out a scream but nothing came, as I felt the fangs slowly sinking into the flesh, my hand feverishly scanned the floor, for something, anything to defend myself with, then I felt something solid, I knew not what it was, but it was all I had so, with what still remained of my strength, I brought it down on the vampires back, he exploded into a inferno of flames as the lamp bust upon his back sending lamp oil all about him, he reared back off me, leaving me broken upon the floor, as he scrambled backwards trying to escape the flames, but they had him, and he slowly burned away before my eyes, as I watched, soon all what was left was the flaming husk of the vampires body, the flames themselves had spread, catching all the draperies in the room, and igniting it into an inferno, I watched it with a small smile, I knew I had no hope of escape, but I knew as well as my town was now safe.

Then a strong arm, clad in metal lifted me, I looked over to see the knight, slowly lift me upon his shoulders, his chin was slick with his blood, and his face was distorted in pain, yet he lifted me up, and ran, as fast as he could in his sorry state out of the burning keep.

Outside he set me down, and as I slowly drifted into unconsciousness, I thought I could hear the dying scream of some creature, off inside. Then all was darkness.