NationStates Jolt Archive

CHAPTER ONE

Daveon sat within his private chambers. The moon gleamed through the slits of the stone fortress as he prepared his work. This light alone, reflected off mirrors illuminated the room. The beams formed a large pentegram around the mage as he chanted. Upon completing the incantations, Daveon withdrew a curved bone blade, stained with the blood of innocents.

None were the wiser to his rituals within the King's very castle. As a respected mage of the council, his activities were unquestioned and his privacy left intact, save for the unwelcome interventions of his peers.

With a force beyond the common man's comprehension, Daveon pulled the naked woman towards him, even though he didn't move. She cried and whimpered as she saw the knife, grasping an idea of an undesirable fate. Daveon was merciless. Not looking at the young woman, she was dragged across the stone until she sat in front of his still figure. In a swift movement, the blade sliced through youthful skin, spilling the life essence of the sacrificed virgin. She gargled in pain as the blood spilled over the floor, causing the pentegram to flare into life.

The room was now illuminated by a dull crimson glow, the inscriptions and runes active, Daveon waited. His eyes did not stray to the basic furnishings of his modest quarters. A single bed lay in the corner, a large trunk sitting at the base and a writing desk cluttered with scrolls sat next to the bed. The remainder of the room was cluttered with strange objects, bookshelves and more chests.

Finally it arrived. A faint shadow swirled around the barrier of his ritual. Daveon grinned at his success as the demonic spirit made contact.

Human. Why do you call me from the netherworld?

His time had finally arrived, Daveon had worked many years for this moment. His black hair sat slicked back upon his narrow head, his beady eyes focussed on the physical representation of the demon. His robes were completely black, a strange sign for a council mage. And of course, the one feature that distinguished him from all other mages. His exceptional physical condition. Daveon had spent many years training as a soldier and building his body to peak form, all for this moment.

I have a proposition for you. Your kind desire a physical form to manifest within this world and I desire the powers of your kind. And so, I propose a merging between myself and your being.

The demon pasued for a moment. A most interesting proposition, although the human did not know what he was getting himself into. This would work out nicely. Very nicely indeed.

Your propostion is accepted human. You shall spawn a new kind of species.

The shadow dissipated and silence resumed once again. Daveon waited for minutes, expecting the change anytime soon. It hit him, when his hopes had died. He immediately felt the presence of another consciousness enter his mind, moving through his inner being. It passed through every aspect of him, examining the the features that composed the spirit of Daveon. He was acceptable.

In a surge of sudden force, Daveon's back bent in obscure angles as the demon began the transformation. As his body began to feel the effects of a supernatural presence within, he was thankful of the sound wards he had placed to keep others from hearing his howls of agony. The muscles in his body tightened as grew, taking on demonic abilties. Upon the outside, Daveon appeared human, but within him, drastic changes were taking place.

Hours passed, but finally the body was complete. The minds still needed to merge. Physically, the demon had aquired a physical manifestation, yet it still existed seperately within the body. Daveon could feel his identity slipping away as images of the demonic plains filled his head. Flashes of the eterntally damned, the sinners and those with bad luck poured into his mind. The horror of such situations was overwhelming.

The darkness weaved through his inner being until Daveon was gone. He no longer existed. A new creature was formed, the hybrid of dark magiks, the human and demon beings. It was complete. The new creature released a surge of newly aquired energy. Darkness had spawned within the lands of Ancient Assington.
________________________

OOC: Ok, this is basically the history of how vampires came to be within my nation. I'm not done, and this would take a while as I still have to work things out. It is possible I may turn this into an RP, but it would be very controlled.

Comments are welcome.

*NOTE* This is ancient times, around fall of Rome kind of era.

#tagged for future read...

Daveon awoke, sprawled over the makeshift alter he had created for his demonic ritual. Looking out one of the slits, Daveon found it to be night. How long had he slept? Slowly getting to his feet, the noise of someone banging upon his chamber door reached the mage's ears. Staggering toward the door, he noticed the dull ache within every fibre of his being.

Unfastening the latch, Daveon fell back as a short, burly man with a long black beard burst into his room. The man looked down at the pained figure of Daveon.

"Daveon man! Where have you been for the last two days?"

The mage stared back at the intruder blankly. Two days? That was a long time to be unconscious for. Gathering his wits, he spoke to his fellow mage.

"Sithaer, my friend. I have been unwell, laying in bed. Your banging awoke me, yet I am still ill."

Sithaer bent down and helped his friend back to the single bed in the corner. Wrapping the covers over his colleague, the mage moved back, towards the door.

"I am sorry for disturbing you my friend. Call if you need anything."

The mage departed and the door closed once again. With his peer gone, Daveon was out of the bed and taking a moment to understand the changes he had undergone. The most noticable change being the enhancement of the senses. Daveon could still hear Sithaer move down the tower stairs, and his stench was strong. His sight was more acute, being able to see far onto the horizon was a welcome change.

The ache finally subsided. He was already a fit and strong man, yet he felt different. Stronger. Yet he could not test such in here. Invoking the dormant powers of his staff, Daveon disappeared from his chamber. This new creature was free, within the night of Assington. This is when Daveon first felt the urge.

The overwhelming urge to kill the elven kind.

He could feel the difference. His body was no longer human. It may have appeared human, yet it could do much more. Daveon slid toward the ground, passing over the large boulder with ease. Spinning around in one fluid motion, he took hold of the rock and heaved. To his surprise, the rock moved with relative ease, allowing Daveon to hold it above his head without breaking a sweat. No trouble at all, the mage launched the rock into a nearby tree. An explosion of splinters followed.

The merging had imbuded Daveon with demonic strength, something he could get used to. Looking upon the nearby forest, he felt it again. The urge to kill elves. It pulsed through his mind, provoking him to act.

Kill them.... They don't deserve to live....... You are the dominant species....... They must be exterminated......

Daveon attempted to fight the urges, yet his demonic side was too strong. With a spine chilling grin, the mage began to run at supernatural speeds towards the elven forest.

Sitting within a large oak, Daveon watched as a woman passed under him. Upon closer inspection, her ears were slightly more elongated than humans. She must die. Using his mage talent to descend through the air silently, Daven landed upon the woman, quickly covering her mouth to prevent screams. He was unsure of what to do.

Blood.... Take her blood..... It will make you stronger.....

For some reason, this made sense to Daveon. He possessed no blades, yet his teeth had begun to change. They still resembled human teeth, but they grew sharper. Noticing this for the first time, Daveon decided to put them to practical use. Plunging into the neck of the elven woman, Daveon tore at her flesh until her vital arteries and veins wore torn. The blood gushed out, into his mouth and down his throat. It burned his stomach, the blood did not digest easily. Yet he continued. Within the hour, the woman lay lifeless and dry. Her blood either within Daveon's stomach, or over his body.

Vampiric hearing picked up the arrival of others before they drew close enough to discover the mage. Now was not the time. Taking to the sky with his mage ability of flight, Daveon returned to his tower. Tonight had been a night of learning. But much more still neded to be done. The reign of darkness had only begun.

Daveon lay within his large chest, where the sun could not reach him. He was not sure why, but the demonic part of him feared the light. He had attempted to stand within view of the rising sun, but extreme pain had resulted in such. His lesson learned, Daveon would sleep until the sun had plunged out of view.
_________________

Sithaer stood before the horific remains of a once proud, elven woman. Next to him, stood the distraught leader of the local elves, Ashur. The neck had been completely severed and pieces lay scattered around the grove. The woman's face was etched in pure horror, staring up to the sky. Finally, Sithaer spoke.

"It was not a demon. The bites are messy, the teeth were not designed for such a task."

Upon employing his mage sight to gain a close inspection, Sithaer returned a white faced glance toward his elven companion.

"It was a human........"

The words echoed through the the elven leader's head. There had not been a conflict betweem human's and elves within Assington for over 100 years. This was grave news indeed. Drawing in several deep breaths, he replied.

"Human. We must not allow this to go any further. We don't want the old blood feuds arising after so many years of peace between our kind."

Sithaer nodded.

"Indeed, I shall inform the council imediately."

Without another word, Sithaer disappeared in a bright flash, leaving Ashur to stare, dumbfounded at the mess that was once an elven woman.

The sun plunged beyond view once again. Daveon awoke to find himself wedged inside a large chest at the base of his bed. Not entirely sure what had happened, he felt strange. As if a part of him had gone missing overnight and something else had replaced it, something sinister. Once again, his thirst for blood had emerged and combined with his sudden hatred for elves. He would feed again, this time on a far greater scale.

This time able to remove a few bricks, Daveon launched himself into the air and began his search for blood. Elven blood.

They deserve to die. All of them. You will have to spread for you cannot do so alone. Blood, you must have their blood. It makes you stronger, more able to kill them all!

After an hour of floating through the skies, Daveon’s keen eyesight picked up a large group of elven children, making their way toward the forest as the darkness fell. They would never reach home. The mage plunged toward the ground, aiming directly for the largest child, he looked about 17. In a sickening crunch, Daveon landed upon the elf and snapped his neck. Five other children stood in mute shock as the man glared at them. There was something strange about him, his skin was almost completely white, fangs lay behind his lip, obvious when he hissed at them and his eyes glinted strange colours in the moonlight.

The two closest had not time to react as Daveon slashed forward with his sharpened nails, opening the throats of two young boys. The remaining three began to run and scream as terror as their companions lay dying on the ground behind them. Daveon grinned, the chase excited him. Running at speeds impossible for even an elf to see clearly, Daveon leapt atop the nearest female and plunged his sharpened fangs into her neck, withdrawing the life from her body within the minute. Sprinting after the other, which had gained quite some distance into the forest, Daveon was still confident of his meal. He jumped into the trees, passing along the massive branches of the ancient oaks.

He spotted the other girl, slightly older. She ran at a fast pace, her slender legs carrying her away from the sight of her friends dying. The bloodlust still raged within, compelling him to devour the young girl. Falling out of the canopy, Daveon landed in front of the terrified elf. She staggered to a halt, frozen with fear.

“You’re not going anywhere young one.”

Daveon’s bitter tone rang through her ears as he moved forward and picked her up under the legs. She could do nothing but stare into the glowing eyes with mute fear as her death advanced. And so it did. Within minutes, her body was dumped against a tree, the fearful stare directed at the sky.

The last child ran 200m ahead of his fallen sister. He was almost as the border to his lands. He would be safe there. The boy knew nothing of the fate of his comrades; his only concern was escaping the strange human that had killed his two friends.

Daveon ran at an easy pace. Although he was not under intense strain, he still moved with speed unmatched by any human or elf. Already he could see the child again, heading for the elven border. The thin beam of light was in view, if the child crossed it, his meal would be gone. The mage watched as the child made a dive for the border.

Don’t let him escape! He will tell others of you, they will hunt you down!

Daveon too made the dive, thrusting off the ground with his supernatural strength. He grinned as he moved through the air at a much faster rate, he would make it, the child would die. Daveon was not in the position to react in time. He heard the twang of bowstrings and could do nothing but watch as two broad arrows punctured his chest on either side, the force sending him flying backwards into a nearby tree.

He watched in fury as the child landed over the border and got to his feet. He continued to run, towards life. Daveon roared in fury as his prey escaped, he reached out, toward the boy. If only he could throw him against the tree, breaking him in half.

What happened next surprised the hell out of him. The boy flew through the air, head first into a large oak. The snapping of his neck could be heard from this distance. The boy was dead and Daveon sat shocked.

It must be the human powers. You were once a human mage, you still have power. You are now something much more, a combination of demon and human, a new breed of darkness.

Grinning, Daveon got to his feet just as two more arrows punctured the grass he had previously occupied. Taking one last glance at the forest and the hidden elven archers, Daveon spun around and took off at a sprint, far too fast for the archers to observe. The pain spread throughout his chest, only now noticing it, Daveon stopped at the edge of the forest, next to the two initial children. The arrows had punctured deep, yet he felt as if he would survive. Deciding it was best to remove the arrows, in case of elven poison, the mage grimaced as he gripped the shafts and ripped the whole arrows out of his chest, spilling blood all over the ground. Examining his injuries, Daveon gasped when they closed over within minutes. He was completely healed, yet he did feel weaker.

Lapping up what little blood was left, Daveon snarled as he heard nearby footsteps approaching. Quickly finishing his meal and inscribing a message into the flesh of the two children, Daveon took to the air, heading toward his tower. He was content with tonight’s happenings, more will come

Daveon slept as the sunlight poured onto the earth. Dreams troubled what remained of his human mind. Images of elven children crossed his mind, unseen arms slashing and bashing at the innocent children. Their screams filled his ears as the figure plunged his teeth into their necks, gulping at the warm blood.

Then it hit him. He was this figure. It was him feeding on the children, he could taste their very blood! He had murdered such divine beings. His human mind screamed out in protest as the images continued.

You do not like what you see?

No! How could you make me do that?! I'll never do it again, it's murder!

Hmmm. You are weak human. You need their blood to live.

Why elven blood? Can't I feed on animals?

You can feed upon weaker creatures, but they are not as strong. You want to feed upon the stronger beings. Elves. If not elves, humans.

No! I won't do it. You can't make me!

That is where you are incorrect human. You have no choice in the matter.

Daveon screamed in pain as the demon plunged into his essence, attacking what was left of his self. He could feel the power tearing at his being, ripping away his identity and consciousness and absorbing it into the darkness. He had to fight, he must not let this beast take him over. Daveon pushed back with his own mental will, releasing surges of magicl force toward the demon. No effect.

What do you hope to accomplish with that human? You cannot defeat me, I am far stronger than a mere human. Now embrace the darkness!

The mage continued to fight, but to no avail. The demon burst through his mental barriers and engulfed the remaining portion of his inner being. Daveon could do nothing as his consciousness blinked out of existence, he met nothingness as he became one with the demon, his will the inferior and hence, extinguished. The demon laughed as he gained full control, Daveon no longer existed. He was now Marduk.
________________

Sithaer turned in disgust. Laying behind him were two slaughtered children. Elves. Another lay at the edge of the forest, another within the forest, and the last within the elven borders themselves.

This was the worst. Not only had the throats being ripped open and sucked dry, the children had a message scribed within their own flesh in a script few in existence could read. The ancient text of the Barklor Demon. These demon had been banished by the elves hundreds of years ago in a great war. Unfortunately, the demonic trickery had led to a war between humans and elves as a result. And now one was loose within Assington. Sithaer stared at the horrifying text, translating it in his mind.

Beware foul creatures for the Barklor have returned. None of you are safe as I will unleash my might, striking terror into the filth known as human and elven kind. Heed my words, the elves shall perish from these lands!

Ashur placed a hand upon his shoulder, his usually delicate features taught and pale with stress.

"It is as we feared. They have returned."

Sithaer nodded in dismay.

"At least one has returned. This is grave news indeed. We must reawaken the border wards, for the safety of all."

"Agreed."

Two elven rangers approached the pair and bowed their heads in respect. The older one spoke in a hushed tone.

"Sirs. We encountered this beast last night. He was hit by two broad arrows in the chest and was only phased. Somehow, he managed to kill a child within our borders by merely pointing at him."

Sithaer nodded in greeting.

"Tell me all that you can recall of this being."

"He was of human form and wore bloodstained, dark blue robes. His skin was that of polished marble, white enough to reflect the moonlight. He possessed fangs within his upper row of teeth and his eyes gleamed strange colours within the light. He also moved with incredible speed, and judging on his victims, possessed incredible strength. That is all I caught sight of."

The other ranger nodded in agreement, indicating he had nothing to say.

"I see. I shall do my best to solve this problem. Show me the others."

The elves nodded and aided Sithaer with the inspection of the remaining elven corpses throughout the day.

Sithaer shook the tight grasp of Ashur.

"Good luck my friend. May you find peace in Emerald forest."

"Aye, may you succeed in you mission. We can't afford to stay after suffering so many casualties."

"Indeed, the last few months have been devastating."

With that, the elven leader took one last glance upon his home as he led the remaining elven people south. The sound of the thundering hooves echoed around the forest as the elves flowed over the hill and into the horizon, the sun gleaming off their finely crafted materials.

Sithaer sighed. He would have much work to do attempting to solve this mystery alone. None knew the reaction the beast would have at the disappearance of the elven population.
_______________

The roar of pure fury flowed through the empty forest, scaring all animals senseless. Marduk was furious, all elves gone. All of them. He would hunt them down, and destroy them all, but not yet. Now was a time for releasing his rage upon the innocent.

Striding into the village, several stared in pure horror as Marduk came into open sight. He didn't care, he only had one intent. A bold man stepped forward, bearing a pitchfork. He was nothing, now a pile of gagging flesh and blood as Marduk's talon had swiped through his throat.

The humans erupted into anarchy as the woman and children shrieked, running all over the place. Men grabbed their swords, ready to defend their town from the dark beast. They were of little consequence. In a burst of agility and strength, Marduk rushed forward at speeds almost unseen and sucked over 15 villagers dry before they could react.

In his spinning rage, Marduk hadn't noticed the countless blades he had run onto, spilling his blood all over the already wounded bodies. Some blood entered wounds, some entered mouths. Resulting in the unexpected. Injuried began to heal, yet Marduk did not notice in his rage.

It was time to leave, Marduk would have slaughtered more, yet the mages were coming. In one final snarl, the beast took off into the night sky to escape an encounter with the council.

The humans that had managed to ingest the demonic blood crawled to their respected homes. Although physically healed, they all experienced extreme cramps and twitches as they began to change. For the next day the men lay in bed, stricken with illness and fits. Their aquired two razor sharp, incisor like teeth upon their top row, and the body seemed to reject all food.

The next night, they all awoke. Extremely pale, physically stronger and an extreme lust for blood. Four men and a woman, all sharing these qualities.

I, Mikatopia have hereby TAGGED this thread

*ties a blue ribbon identifying thread in records* <tag>

The town was completely silent. The streets empty, the people asleep. Peace had once again returned after the horrible ordeal with the strange man. All lay in bed save for 5 townsfolk.

A young woman, barely twenty years old stood silently within the town circle. Unsure of what had happened to her, she merely stood there as the thoughts raced through her mind. One prevailing over the others...... Blood. Skadi knew she had to fight it, she must. The whole idea of drinking blood was absurd, evil.

Standing at 5'10", Skadi was young, at the age of twenty, beautiful and a slender woman. She had attracted the attentions of many of the men within her town. Attention she had liked. Long black fair fell over her shoulders, hanging over her forest green cloak, hiding her slender yet fit body.

Attempting to take her mind off the blood, Skadi was about to give in when she noticed three other men walking towards her. All three looked as though they suffered from her similar sickness. Upon closer inspection she was able to name the identify the men as Svartel, Uller and Idun.

Svartel and Idun were both older than Skadi by almost ten years, whilst Uller was within his early fourties. Idun quickly rushed to Skadi's side, his face pale as hers.

"Skadi. Why do you sit within the cool night air? You may get sick."

Skadi attempted a smile as her mind was now occupied.

"I do not know for sure my friend, but I am unable to sleep. I have been stricken with fever for the last day, and now I can't get these strange thoughts out of my head. I'm scared......"

Skadi fell into Idun's embrace as Svartel and Uller looked on. Rocking her gently in his arms, Idun spoke.

"It's alright. We have all suffered the same as you, but we will deal with such."

Skadi stopped sobbing and looked into his eyes, Idun's confidence assuring her.

Idun stood one inch over Skadi, not being particularly tall. Shortly cropped blonde hair sat upon his head and grass green eyes always seemed to take in everything. Idun was the town scribe, and so he wasn't a particularly physical man. Skadi had known him since she was a little girl and had always looked up to him as a big brother.

Uller stepped forward, a friend of Skadi's father, she had known him longer than Idun. Uller stood three inches over Skadi, a long brown beard flowing from his weathered face. He was a bulky man and had worked as a farmer and blacksmith all his life. He possessed very little fat upon him, yet his muscle gave him the appearence of being overweight.

"Have no fear my dear. We will beat this. I have suffered many diseases in my life, yet it has only made me stronger."

Svartel remained slightly behind the others. He was knew to the village and hadn't really learned to fit in with the occupants. Standing as tall as Idun, Svartel possessed black hair and eyes ice cold blue eyes. A small mouth sat under a large crooked nose which was placed between two squinty eyes. Svartel was a scholar, although none knew what exactly he studied. Skadi did not know him since he seemed to always stay inside.

All went silent as the lust for blood reemerged, twice as strong and twice as demanding.
________________

The last man to be stricken of sickness lay face down in a pool of blood. Surrounding him were the corpses of dozens of chickens. He didn't know whose they were or why he killed them. All he knew was that he needed blood, more blood. The man continued to lap up the chicken blood, making sure he didn't miss a drop.

The crazed look in his eyes didn't subside though, it merely brightened as his heightened senses came into effect. That is when he sensed him. One possessing such great power, one that brought death, destruction and took blood. He could be none other than.... the creator.

At the same moment the deranged man detected the presence of the creator, Marduk noticed 5 creatures, similar to himself within a nearby town. Within seconds he was standing next to a man, surrounded by chicken corpses. Kicking the figure onto his backside, Marduk began the interrogation.

"What are you?"

"I am yours master...."

"How?"

"You blood.... yes, the blood. When you attacked my village, your blood I took. That night I changed, changed into this. I need blood, more blood."

Marduk could see the thirst had driven this one insane, yet his mind still remained mostly intact. The creature knew enough to realise who he was, so it would suffice.

"Come then. I shall teach you my ways."

Marduk pulled the man to his feet, and lead him toward the forest, in search of bigger prey.
______________

Skadi, Idun, Uller and Svartel kneeled over the bloodied corpse of a cow. None could tame their thirst and had ventured to Uller's farm where a cow was slaughtered and the feast began. Each and everyone one of them felt the energy of the cow flow through their veins, the pure ecstacy of ingesting life was so intense the group lost control. It wasn't long before they finished the cow, and yet they wanted more.

Not saying a word, Uller withdrew his crossbow, and headed toward another cow. The others followed silently, intent on fulfilling their thirst.

Marduk watched as his new servant stalked his prey. The wild boar lay against a rock, enjoying the night breeze whilst death approached. The master waited until his servant moved into strike range, then snapped a twig, causing the boar to stand upright and bolt at full speed. The servant did not chase, although he was obviously distressed.

"Master, why do you scare my food?"

"You pick the wrong food young one. Come, I shall show you."

Marduk took hold of the young vampire and immeadiately ascended into the night sky. The pair rushed through the cool air, heading towards one of the many towns that surrounded the castle. Within minutes the pair had arrived to the quiet town. Almost all were in doors, save for a few wandering drunks.

Marduk calmly moved up to a semi-conscious man and grabbed him by the throat, not allowing him to scream.

"Now my son, this is a meal. You will find the blood of humans and elves to be much more to your liking."

The young one spluttered eagerly as he anticipated the his first taste of human blood. Finally Marduk released the drunk, allowing him to pounce onto the man and burrow his fangs into the exposed flesh of his neck. Using his hand to muffle the scream of surprise, the young one ravaged the drunken man's body, tearing at him with sharpening nails and fangs, drawing the sweet life essence from his damaged body. It took longer than he had expected, but Marduk was happy the young one was learning to feed well.

"Good, you learn well. What be your name?"

"I....I I I..... Lysar. Lysar master!"

"I see. That will not do, you are a creature of the night now and therefore require a name of the night."

"What do you suggest master?"

"You shall be Zardon from now on."

"Yes... master."

Whilst the others rested after devouring another three cows, Svartel was fully aware. He had not studied the dark arts for so many years to waste an oppurtunity like this. He knew it was the blood of a dark one that had changed him, a dark one he must find. His growing mental abilities could barely grasp the presence of a dark force not far from the town. Perhaps it was another of his kind, but Svartel thought otherwise.

"I am coming... father."

Making sure the others were too tired to notice him, Svartel departed at an unusually fast run. Much faster than he had ever seen anything move.
__________

Marduk looked up as his supernatural senses picked up almost silent footsteps, moving at a demonic speed. It wasn't long before his eyes came across another. Another changed one. Marduk could see it in his eyes, this one was more aware of his power though, more attuned to the dark forces.

Within seconds the newcomer was standing at Marduk's feet, bowing his head in respect.

"You are the one that changed me?"

"Indeed human. You are lucky to possess but a glimpse of my strength."

"Aye. May I ask what brood you are of?"

Marduk was slightly surprised at this. The human had knowledge of demonics, demonics that most knew nothing of.

"A powerful brood is all you need to know. You have knowledge of such?"

"Yes. I have spent my young life gathering knowledge on demonics, learning their ways."

"To what ends?"

"In an attempt to become one."

"Then you are in my debt human. You shall serve me until I judge that debt fulfilled."

"That is acceptable."

Svartel knew denying such service would cost him his life. He thought it much wiser to merely bide his time and strength and wait for his own oppurtunities, however long they may take to arrive.
___________

Skadi, Idun and Uller all sat up simultaneously. The sun was beginning to rise and all were overcome with a sense of fear. Already they could feel their skin beginning to tingle as the sky took on a pink glow. The closest refuge from the lethal rays of the sun being Uller's barn, the three creatures raced towards the large wooden structure.

With their unnatural speed, all three made it into the barn safely and were burried within hay before they realised what they were doing. They merely followed instinct. Sleep.

The countryside sped passed their eyes as Skadi Idun and Uller ran as fast as their supernatural speed could take them. None of them new exactly why they were running, just that a sudden urge of overwhelming fear had swept them all simultaneously. Something was coming for them, something that wished to enslave them.

The a pack each, stuffed with tents, bows, blades and anything else they might find useful. None knew where they were going, just north, away from the evil in the south.
_____________

Marduk stood silently at the remains of what used to be a barn. The three creatures his minion had described had been here, but they had left with extreme haste. Although he could catch them, he decided it would be a waste of his efforts. Better to train his minions and have them worry about the creatures at a later date.

One Year Later

Marduk released an unholy cackle as he watched his two faithful servants devour the last elf in the south of Assington. It had been a hard year's work, but the trio had worked to their maximum capacity to exterminate every last filthy elven weed within the region. The wailing of the helpless elven woman combined with his insane laughter even sent chills down the spines of Svartel and Zardon. Personally the pair held no grudge against the elven kind, they merely followed orders and had come to realise that elven blood was more filling and gave more strength upon feeding.

Finally the noises died down as the pair cleaned themselves before kneeling in front of Marduk. Svartel was the more apt of the servants, calculating everything to determine the best possible way to undergo a task. Zardon was more wreckless and largely depended on simple methods of force or speed, but he did eventually get the job done.

"My children. We have spent much time cleansing this world of the elven filth, making way for our perfect kind. As you know, there are those of our kind that are deviants, that were once your peers. I have decided to send Zardon to take care of these deviants. You are strong enough my son, you will be able to crush the deviants and bring their heads back to me!"

Zardon fidgeted with glee at the announcement of such an important task for him Svartel merely glowered. His jealousy fumed within him, but the younger man was too cold and calculated to let his rage show.

"Svartel my child, you and I have business to conduct of our own. Do not think I neglect you, for your task is equally as important."

A small satisfied smile crossed his thin lips at the news of a task for him, with the master.

"Now come, we shall return to the crypt and rest, for we have much to do on the morrow."
_________________

Skadi, Idun and Uller stood crowed around a dirty looling man, their eyes closed as the bore into his tender flesh. The man had a look of stark horror on his face. Moments ago he thought he had an easy oppurtunity with a pretty girl, now he had three people withdrawing his blood.

Over the past year the trio had learned to stalk their prey and hunt using their own abilities, without the aid of a weapon. They fed on farm animals and wild creatures alike, but a certain gap was left unfulfilled. This gap could only be ridden of by humanoid blood.

Their journey had taken them through several small villages of Assington in an attempt to reach Emerald, the major city in the north-western region of Assington. At the first sight of Skadi, Idun and Uller, the village people had taken up arms cried 'Demons, kill the demons!' until the trio fled far from the villages. Because of such, Idun had decided it best to teach Skadi and Uller how to handle a sword.

Uller had some basic skills as he delt with making swords and was used to them, but Skadi learned extremely fast. Within a few months she was easily better than Uller and was getting to the point where she would challenge Idun.

Now they lived a life of stealth and darkness. They preyed upon the evil of the cities, preventing ill deeds from being committed and yet they stole anything they needed. The former humans no longer belonged to this world, they were children of darkness. Throughout the entire journey the distant presence of the evil one was felt, even though it was faint, it still remained as a reminder of their origins.
____________

High Mage Sithaer sat before King Ryan of Assington within the central palace at Amethyst. The King sat upon his raised throne, a defiant look upon his face.

"I don't care what you think is happening! I will not give a mage command of my entire army just to hunt down something that is killing a few elves, it's a waste of time."

"Sir, you don't understand. This isn't a few elves, this is the entire elven population of the south! What do you think this thing will start eating when there are no more elves?"

The king stuttered a little but kept his overwhelming tone.

"We'll worry about that if it comes mage. Until then, the elves can rot for all I care."

Sithaer returned a dark stare toward the King.

"As you wish sir, you shall see soon enough."

Without another word the mage disppeared in an inward gush of air.
____________

OOC: This chapter of the story is finished. The next one I intend to make a controlled RP with a few players of my choice. Until then, I'm having a break with this nation.

Comments about the story or my writing are welcome.