They returned to the camp and recovered their food and bedding they ate quickly and washed it down. They had a large stash from the lich's lair. They kept walking into the evening, David pushing the cart with Martin carrying the kid. Vivian keeping a watch out for anything with her enchanted eye keeping up a rear guard. Alice kept her magical senses sharp. In case the lich or one of her associates had some sort of surprise for them. The lich had dominated the area there was nothing stupid enough to challenge her power. In less than three days she was gone. Few of her associates would realise that her lair had been attacked, let alone that she had been delivered unto final death.

The overgrown path from the lich's lair soon changed to the well-worn logging trail. The path continued and it became the main road. Caravans were seen coming and going all heavily armed. The party pushed on through the cold night, they had much to do before they could finally get a drop of rest. They passed farmsteads and a few watch towers. The walls of Northport came into view. The city had many lit torches from the guards on the walls. The gate guards recognised them, the obligatory checks were carried out on the party their guest and the contents of their cart. It was explained to the gate guards the fate of the necromancer’s apprentices, some grumbled but the gates were open.

A bleary-eyed hunters apprentice and a junior monk were on the gate to the cathedral. They noticed the scrape scrape creak of a badly balanced cart. Something old and worn scraping along the streets. They were both wrapped in cloaks, they prepared themselves. The hunter held his holy symbol and his blade. The monk channelled Ki through his body preparing to make his hands as strong as blessed steel and his bare skin as tough as iron.

A peculiar sight came around the corner, a wonky mine cart filled with various items being pushed by a man with a lot of armour, he even had a tower shield slung over his back. A vampire hunter a senior one by his baring was carrying a small child dressed as a necromancer. A tired looking mage followed and an archer with an odd scar and mechanical eye, a town guard followed them.

The guards at the cathedral had herd that the four masters had been sent against the lich. God alone knew what they had brought back to deliver to the church. The town guard started to explain to the cathedral guards and the doors were opened. A deacon went and got a junior priest who got a much more senior priest, who led the group down a side corridor to an office. The priest looked about ready to fall asleep himself, but he had a job to do. He regarded Vivian who stepped forwards. “I am head priest, I can deal with some things on the bishop’s behalf, you were sent after the lich I assume that you have succeeded or driven them off”.

Vivian nodded her voice tiered and heavy, “we fought through a lot of the lich's creatures Alice took out a grand master necromancer, the lich's apprentice and apparently he son. From when she was alive. Martin took out a skeletal dragon by himself we destroyed everything we could find cutting away at the lich's defences day by day. She had a few vampires and their servants plus these apprentices, we defeated the lich. We tried to take them alive two fault back two died, we destroyed the lich's phylactery then brought anything useful back hear”.

The priest gestured forwards putting a holy symbol on the table. “Please place your hand hear and swear that you have told the truth” “we swear”. The holy symbol glowed the priest nodded. David put two bundles of cloth from the bag and put the heavy bundles down on a table. The priest examined them for a few minutes. “I suppose that you have brought back the two dead acolytes, they were not very old a shame that we could not help them”. He knocked on the door and a more junior priest arrived.

The senior father gave orders, “get a few lay volunteers ones that can keep their mouths shut, these two children were raised by necromancers not their fault. Give them last rights and cremate them put their ashes in the unknown vault, people don't like the idea of their loved ones sharing a place with the remains of these. They would leave them outside town, but I would see them have what peace they might and not haunt the living”. The junior priest nodded and went to sort out some volunteers.

Martin removed a bundle of papers wrapped in string from the cart. Vivian explained, “the lich's correspondence there might be something of use”. He gave the correspondence a cursory glance, He held his holy symbol out to it. “Just common letters I will get the local vampire hunters and scribes to pick through it. There may be something useful they will pass any information on to whoever leads the fight against the king of bones”. Martin placed a worn read tome on the desk the priest sighed, “another volume of the blood oath books, how many did the dam vampire write, for some reason this is studied not burnt. I will get this copy shipped back to the capital, maybe some archaeologist from the merchant’s guild can make heads or tails of it”.

Martin placed two sets of vampire fangs on the priest’s desk he looked at them and sighed again “your very keen let me see”. He searched through a book then carefully measured the fangs. “thank you for delivering to the church evidence of your triumph over the enemies of the triune. The reward is 4 silver I suspect that you want the rest of the bounty and you won’t wave it as a charitable donation”. Vivian held her hand out, “some of us almost died and we used up a fair amount of equipment”. The priest counted out 500 silver in five bags of a hundred and the four silver reward for the low-level vampire's fangs. Vivian put the silver away and gestured Martin forwards.

Martin held the small boy out at arm's length like he was holding a bundle of dynamite with a smouldering fuse of unknown length. The boy was still almost comatose from the mana exhaustion. Martin eyed the priest expecting something answers some guidance. The priest scratched his beard. “This complicates things, it is not a completely unique situation. But still a rare one to be sure, thralls’ sorcerers and blood alchemists have children. Sometimes they end up in our hands after the end of a battle or raid”.

The priest thought about it “he has some skill already that's what I sensed”. Martin put the child down on the table, “he can cast low level spells, he could probably kill a large rat at the moment”. The priest considered his response, “I could slap a mana draining band on the child, but he would be a virtual vegetable from the mana fatigue. They have some methods of stripping magic power, the patriarch can do such a thing, but it would not stop them using magical items or restoring their mana through other sources”.

Martin didn't flinch he seemed to have already worked out the inevitable conclusion from the priest’s line of thought. “But I believe you have an idea already, what's the kids name”. “It was sown into his robe Antony Waleys”, “Oh yes we have an idea, a religious job negates a person’s mana and magic as it is replaced with divine power, can something be done”? The priest looked uncomfortable, “we generally don’t, and most can’t force our ways on others. But this time it is necessary, it has to be the bishop. He had the authority; give me five minutes maybe more watch the child”.

Ten minutes later the bishop Christopher Gyfford arrived. He was bleary eyed wearing his robe crooked. A mug of some hot steaming brew in one hand and a bundle of papers in the other. The senior priest was standing behind him, He looked at the group and the child “blessing insight”. He sighed looking at the child, “a morel conundrum for us, one born of and raised by necromancers, but also a child, can this one be saved? I have hope”.

The bishop held his hand over the child, “Thy will be done, yes, it is possible for this one”. His hand glowed “blessing of the warming fire, break curse, remove disease, remove poison, purify, remove pain”. He drank down the brew in his hand, “it does not hurt to be through”. The bishop rolled up his sleeves, “no time like the present, blessing conversion ordination monastic”. There was a glow of light as the young necromancer became a level 1 monk. The bishop sighed, “the official ceremony should take thirty minutes, but I don't have time”.

The child woke up no longer affected by mana fatigue as he no longer had mana. He looked at the party at the strange room he was confused, “Where's gran or ma or dad who are you, where is this place”? The bishop looked down at the child patting him on the head, “Antony it will be hard for you to adjust but you will have a new family”.

The child looked at the group realising who they were. He dived behind the bishop hiding behind him, his voice trembling he pointed accusingly “there killers, they killed gran for good, dad sis and John, even feathers, don't let them kill me”. The bishop made a short wave of his hand the party left, happy to leave the child as someone else's problem.

The child calmed down; the senior priest guided him away. The bishop looked over his paperwork. He thought about it even a vampire killed, might be someone's lover son mother. It was the same for the criminal they had to hang a few weeks back. He stopped the senior priest for a moment, “give him a change of clothes a meal and arrange for him to be sent to the orphanage on the mountain. That can be his home from now on, no word of his parentage please”.

They headed for the local mage’s guild chapter house, Vivian looked at Martin then back at the cathedral. “Did we do the right thing, handing that kid over to the church”? Alice thought about it “better than anyone else … the crown might treat him as a specimen, a level one necromancer ... for dissection, I don't think the merchant’s guild …would have done anything other than hand the kid over to the sheriff. If the locals got one inclining of … who he was or his parents, he would be as dead as the … rest of his family”. At that comment Vivian twitched.

“I didn't mean to kill his brother, but the kid tried to stab me in the eye with a knife. I just reacted a bit too quick, I pushed him too hard”. David was at her side, “that blade was poisoned you reacted how you should, I killed his sister she was a couple of years younger than me. But her spell was pretty powerful, I don't regret it, not when she hurt you”. Martin interjected, “You could have taken the easy way and stunned her with a pommel strike, she could have had useful information”. David pointed an accusing finger back. “You have divine favour and first aid skills, you could have tried to heal her or her brother, but you didn't even try”. The party moved on in a reflective silence.

At the mages chapter building there was a couple of guards on the door. Inside a lobby area a servant got the duty mage. They were just a few years out of the tower school named Reynard Alington. A minute later he looked at the group. There was a girl three or four years younger than himself. But her power it felt like a grand master and her companions looked equally as powerful. There was a group hunting the local lich, Waleys they must have had some successes. He hoped that they were not going to try and sell him some necromancers magical trinkets, then get in an argument with him when he told them they couldn't sell them but had to destroy them.

Reluctantly the grand master costa gave him a Minor ring of armour. It was the sort of thing they gave to apprentice mages for a bit of protection on their first assignment. It even had a guild emboss on the inside of it. Remembering her moniker of malice and the look on her face he ignored the stamp and gave her 2 silver for the ring. There was a bag with a dozen or more low-level enchanted items. With minor spells like + 2 armour and + 1 perception. He catalogued them and handed over 60 silver.

The archer with the golem eye handed over a belt of health. Vivian was sad to see it go but had a much better replacement. It had saved her from dying, that sliver away from death. After she had taken it from a lamia, she got 15 silver for it. The last item a dwarven made wand of fire balls it had a half charge, but was still a potent back up. it was sold for 10 silver. They concluded their business with the mages tower and left, Reynard finished his paperwork grumbled and went back to sleep.

The merchant’s guild was an operation that ran all hours of the day. It was staffed by people who regularly did the night shift, a clerk got hold of a senior member. A private room and they went over the haul. The party had ditched the cart some time ago. The small bar of mithril netted them 100 silver, it was an alloy not pure mithril. Ironically the several bars of silver also netted them 100 silver which was far less in weight than the silver they handed over, but as the party didn't have any way to smelt their own coins, they just had to accept it.

The assorted jewels ruby emeralds etc were valued at 150 silver. The gold silver and mithril jewellery was in a relatively poor state but netted them 120 silver. The octium crossbow bolts sold for 90 silver. The remains of the lich's hoard were gold and silver coinage all legal tender that amounted to 230 silver.

They were keen to inform the merchants guild about the death of the lich and that the logging operations could recommence. There was a truth teller, a crystal ball that was enchanted to detect lies. The senior clerk made them sign a statement, then paid them the promised bonus of 300 silver. They headed off to inform his superior or get whatever they were planning back on track. They might have wanted to be the one that give them the good news. The guild had promised to do a bit of researching. A favour to Martin, at a more reasonable hour they would contact them. About one of the signature weapons from the founders of the vampire hunting orders.

Everything found and sold totalled 819 silver with the 300 bonus from merchant’s guild plus the 500 from the original contract reward, the resulting total was 1619 silver. Just over four gold each. that lich was probably the most profitable thing they had ever fought. But then the triune seemed to be putting its foot down on anything that could threaten the trade with the western elves. Vivian guessed that every bandit and threat around North port now had an uncomfortably large bonus over their heads, at the moment they were just in the right place. Vivian made a few calculations they had just over 2900 silver they could well afford to commission some more equipment.

The first order of business was, food they had been trudging throughout the night and the early morning without stopping. Pressing on to get their business done, to conclude this protracted affair with the lich and their progeny. The group settled back in the servant’s quarters of their residence. They ate every last bit of their rations, that were meant to have kept them going for another two days. It was one of the regrettable facts of being a high-level adventurer that your body demanded, craved more energy to keep it going. And the four of them were in the in the region of level 70-80 they had a lot of strength, but they had to maintain and support that strength.

Vivian found one of the servants who set about getting them a little bit more to eat. Some stew left over from the night shift disappeared, with a large amount of grainy black bread. The entire serving disappeared at breakneck speed. The party exchanged little conversation they were drained; it was difficult to keep up any conversation. There body's wants were paramount the desire to rest was too strong, there might be a discussion later, but it would be later after they had a bit of time to rest.

The next thing was sleep they needed to rest their heads, three days they had been on edge. Catching enough sleep to recharge their abilities keeping one weary eye open. But no more they were back behind large high stone walls now was the time to get a good few hours.

David found a few tankards of ale to help him. He placed his sword near him and settled down. His grip on his sword was now completely healed no tremors no flinching he dozed off. With a little privacy Alice did a little reading and a little cutting to remove her frustration depleting her remaining mana. A healing spell then she dozed off to sleep. Vivian took a pinch of blue powder relaxed herself and fell asleep, Martin said a brief prayer and off he went his massive endurance succumbing to the need to rest.

They woke from their beds later that they day. Vivian led the group, “I don't feel quite right after that business with the necromancer’s kids, but we can learn. We watch prisoners more carefully we bring a set of manna draining shackles, we take someone back to interrogate”. Alice held out the key they got from the lich's hoard, “anyone got … any ideas on this”?

Martin held it up, “I am sure it is part of something else these groves it looks like it would fit together with some other key. We could talk to the other hunters maybe the lich had another stash or a vault”. David grinned “we can find a bit more about the local vampires, the gold on this vampire prince's head where we might find them”.

The local hunters house was quite large, but then a lot of travelling hunters passed through North port and stayed there for a bit of time. It was easy to gain entrance a simple check on door and they were let into the old converted manner house. They were taken up from the ground floor to the second past the area for associates and into the heart of the hunter’s world. The local senior hunter Frances Dye a master hunter greeted them. Martin and Francis exchanged sips form their flasks, “the four masters Martin and your friends, the trade guild are renewing their logging operations. The carpenters were almost out of material for several repairs, you should be congratulated the lich was problematic”.

Frances was deferential to Martin as despite Frances being a leader of a hunter house, he was not a grand master and not an agent. He envied Martin who didn't have to remain in one spot and hold the line. But could go and hunt the vampires wherever they were, it was almost unheard off for four grand masters to work together. He could see the benefits that a mixed group would bring as a hunting party.

He poured the group some strong tip and wished them luck on their hunting, Martin downed it in one the rest sipped the drink cautiously. The hunters head scout Amphelice Fortescue arrived a few minutes later. She wore similar garb to a usual hunter, but a shorter cut coat with higher boots better for moving through the local terrain. She was a level 25 scout a veteran who lost a sister and joined the hunters.

She had broken through and become a level 10 hunter. Frances went to check on something and left Amphelice to play host. “So, I assume you were brought in to help secure North port, the local big shot is the prince an elder vampire. You fought lexicon before, this guy is a bit stronger but nowhere near level 200. We estimate based on previous skirmishes with him, he is around level 150”.

The next obvious question came from David, “what is the bounty on his head” she thought for a split second then unrolled a poster showing an artist’s impression of an arrogant twit. “The reward is 23 gold”. Vivian looked over the picture, “we have had an elder pull the rug out from under us before with their supreme skill any idea what this one has”? “Yes, regeneration of some sort, he can go back to full health in half a minute. You have to kill him twice effectively. Based on encounters he can use this power once per week. But the using this ability don't make him any tougher and won’t restore his supernatural aura or his blood shield”.

Alice looked the reward poster over, “any artefacts … or weapons he wields we … should know about”? “He had been known to use Damascus javelins, he has a servant behind him carrying his weapons, he has a ring of some sort. Taken from an adventure it has multiple attribute boosting enchantments, I am not shore to what level, but it would be a useful reward. Also, he apparently has a mithril crown, that would be worth something even if it’s not enchanted”.

Martin got a glass of Ip left by Alice and drained it in one swallow. “What bodyguards dose this one have”? “Usually a mix archanist constructs lamia standard minions for the empress of shadows, though sometimes the midnight king will lend them a werewolf or two”. Martin flinched, “Bismark had one of those, a true pain to deal with. Dose this vampire prince report to Bismark”? The scout was snappy with their response, “they all serve the druids ruin, an old name for Bismark”.

The chapter master arrived, “I owed a favour to the merchants. The trade commissioner asked me to check on this for you Martin. Any of the founder’s artefacts, an old hunter stationed on the judgement mentioned that a hunter came looking for the hand of Tesla. He believed another grand master had fallen trying to kill the ancient, Bismark I think, it was in one of the local lairs. He was not sure which one, it might just be a rumour, but you could encounter a lead. You might find it in a vampire’s hoard as a trophy, or with the remains of a hunter in some forgotten corner of one of the local lairs”.

He pointed to a map on the wall, “there are three lairs that we know of. You would need a small army to take them on we can get volunteers together with time”. Martin shook his head and looked around the room. “We are a small army at this point, that lich was around level 120”. Frances shook his head, “a lich isn’t that tough, just a twinkle fingered magic user. Still you have one pretty tough reputation and the bishop seems to have found you some good equipment. You beat the professor and his constructs are no push over. You survived fighting an ancient vampire, if Bismark knocked you down and you only came back up I can’t argue with you, but be careful”.

Alice held there prize up, “Have you seen ...this key before any ideas”? Francis looked at it, “no looks important you got it from the lich”? “oh yes” she said. “There is a rumour about a vault somewhere near North port. Containing some great treasure or weapon, but I think it was meant to be opened by 3 or 4 keys keep an eye out for other ones”.

A coach driver and two deputy hunters went with them to the lair. The two hunters were not there to help but to guard the coach. It was a few hours journey over uneven terrain when they finally got within walking distance of one of the local vampire lairs. Martin spoke to the others, “we have been to small lairs and vampire's temporary lairs before. This one will be larger usually they expect an entire army they will have heavy duty magic. Servants anything and everything we have to be awake”. David wondered if this was the best idea in the world, he considered the reward and they continued forwards.

On the surface the place was not impressive, above ground there was a shack with three thrall hounds and four thralls. Two of which here blood thralls, sitting by a campfire they reacted sluggishly. They were on the lookout for a column of carts or the clomping boots of an army. The thralls reacted with zero self-preservation instincts and attacked as best they could. Vivian took one man down with shot to the chest before he could fire off a crossbow. David cut through the hounds in moments. Alice hit one thrall that went for an alarm bell with an acid strike dissolving their legs, they screamed out in pain as they dropped to the floor then tried to crawl forwards a foot or two before fully collapsing.

The last two thralls ran for the same alarm their opponents were two strong to fight. But they could serve their masters by warning them. Martin hit both of them in the legs with thrown daggers dropping them to the floor. Martin used purify on the first thrall to break the vampires hold on them. The second thrall pulled the knife out and slit his own throat, rather than betray the vampires.

Alice cured the former thrall's injury; a little questioning revealed the location of traps. The lair was locked from the inside as a security measure. They didn't know how deep it went. The rescued civilian was left with the coach and the two deputy hunters. They came to an impressive iron gate reinforced with steel and bronze. Martin started to work with the lock he got a cover plate off. “Alice can you put one of your acid strike spells into the lock hear”.

She obliged there was a sizzle as something melted, Martin's tools worked on the damaged lock and it clicked open. The door was heavy designed for a vampire’s inhuman strength as an additional security measure. David helped Martin force it open and wedge it open. They wanted to keep a path to the exit clear, just in case they found something a little too tough for them.

There were a few magical traps that Alice noticed and disarmed. There were a few poisoned bear and cal traps. A trip wire that dumped a stack of logs onto an advancing group. They found dart traps a magical barrier that Alice and Martin looked at only for Vivian to punch through it with an octium arrow and hit the spell alter projecting it. The former thralls’ directions were mostly accurate as they brute forced their way past some traps into the lair proper. There were some animal pens, they cut threw a few thrall wolves and thrall bats, there were cages designed for humans, but no slaves held in this lair at the time.

They moved past unmanned barricades and a few supply rooms mostly empty. It was quite apparent if the place was fully occupied it would have been a hard slog for every foot of ground, fighting against determined defenders. They did come past some servants’ quarters mostly empty, apart from a few provisions. There were some guest rooms empty as well.

They had a rough map there would be a main chamber a second one for more senior vampires and one reserved for a visiting ancient. Moving to the central chamber there was room for hundreds of coffins but only a dozen were present. The thralls were asleep a couple of unseen thrall hounds raised the alarm. Coffins opened up, thralls grabbed weapons and the short brutal fight began.

Two thrall hounds a dozen thralls with iron weapons lead by one blood thrall wearing a bit of chain mail advanced on the party. Eight fledgling vampires and four full vampires with steel weapons assembled into a rushed group.

Martin had his four barrelled pistol ready, each chamber loaded with a wooden stake backed up with a silver coated lead pistol ball and a light powder charge. One shot and a vampire fledgling fell forwards a stake in their chest and a large hole next to it. They tipped over coughed up blood and started to crumble into dust. The rest of the fledglings started to panic the full vampires were made of slightly stronger stuff. The thralls were mind controlled drones who charged forwards desperate to provide the slightest advantage to their masters. Martin got of a second attack killing another fledgling before two thralls were on top of him.

Alice fired into the group of vampires angling her fireballs through a gap in the thrall’s formation. They would happily step in front of a fireball to protect their masters, until the moment the thrall taint was purged from there body. Two of the fledglings were obliterated as both fire balls detonated together and the full vampire behind them was wounded.

David ploughed through the thralls using his tower shield to knock them aside. He was a bit heavy handed, three of them would not be getting back up without a healing spell. So, they were out of the fight, the thrall hounds were dead. Vivian aimed for one of the vampires her shots were on target. A thrall stepped into their path, but the arrows simply kept going and hit the vampire anyway taking it through the heart it tried to pull the arrow out before collapsing.

Martin battered the thralls away with his mallet decking two of them. His aim free two more fledglings who were charging towards him were dusted. Alice tried to use her kinetic strike spell to push the thralls out of the way it was a little two powerful and from the way they landed probably fatal, Alice would have to adjust her spells in the future.

David faced off against a full vampire they exchanged a few blows. Then David's mithril blade found the vampires wrist. Not a clean cut but the vampire’s defences were disabled. Another blow and down the vampire went lying prone, David beheaded her with a power strike. Vivian picked off two thralls with arrows to the leg and knee. Hopefully they would not bleed out, but they were out of the fight, she got a fledgling trying to circle the group and run for their miserable life.

Martin held up his holy symbol towards the last two thralls, he got close “purify, purify”. They regained their senses, but before they could move out of the way the blood thrall cut them down hissing “traitors”. David cut the blood thrall down opening him up from shoulder to chest. The mithril edge cutting right through the old iron armour. The remaining three vampires looked for a way to escape, the adventurers were stronger than them survival was a long shot. Vivian fired her bow; the shot took the fledgling in the forehead killing them in moments with an adamantine arrow. The second vampire got an enchanted mithril arrow to the knee, sending him hobbling backwards.

Martin shot one of the reaming vampires with a silver bullet to the forehead. David followed up with a beheading cut to be sure. Vivian got the last vampire with an arrow to the other knee then Alice finished it off with an acid strike spell. It seemed to be just the caretaker force. No elite or elder vampire leading them no further creatures or constructs.

Their eyes glowed white and the level up hit. Alice didn't level up as she had to break through the level 75 limit. Vivian was now equal with her a grand master reaching level 75 she gained an important class level her layered armour perk increased from 300% to 400% efficiency making her quite a bit tougher to crack. Her adrenalin attacks went from level 3 to level 4 doing a lot more damage. Her adrenalin efficiency improved form three points to use an attack to 2 points. It was as efficient as it was going to get allowing her to use her power attacks much more freely. David hit level 73, only two levels away from catching up with Vivian. His contract bonds skill improved to level 3. Martin reached level 84 putting his grenadier sill up to level 14.

They used healing and purify on the remaining injured thralls. Five of them were recovered and left with the coach. They gathered up the vampire’s fangs to hand in for the reward. A continued search of the lair found more empty rooms stores barracks training rooms and cages to keep food nice and fresh. There must have been a leader assigned to this lair who was completely absent, probably on some mission or another.

They had a simple office set up in one of the side rooms. A chest with clothes personal effects. They found some correspondence that would be handed over to the local hunters. It was just about supplies and requisitions but still might be useful for something. There was another volume of the blood oath book which would be passed to the church.

Alice found something hanging on the wall like a trophy, probably form a former adventurer that attacked the lair. It was a white mask showing a pretty woman with a neutral expression. It was made from polished mithril very hard, it was enchanted with + 1 perception + 1 intelligence, she tried it on. The mask didn't impede her vision and the boost to intelligence was quite pleasant. A smile spread across her face under the mask no one would look at her like a child again.

Vivian looked at it, “a bit creepy but then I hide my face under this scarf”. Martin tapped his hat and his own mask, “good protection and a good trophy”. David looked at it, “mithril it might be worth selling it”. They searched through the lair twice. Eventual Martin used his blessing thy will be done to be directed to a specific section of wall in the vampire lair. They carefully pulled down the wall. Sometimes the vampires walled in Wight’s as a surprise that they could call on. Such creatures could be a pain in ass, they had killed one before. In this hidden wall section were the remains of five hunters. There were there holy symbols a few coin a few weapons that might be salvageable.

There was a very important clue, a diary showing that the group had been seeking the remains of a grand master hunter. One Piers Sentjohn who was looking for hand of Tesla, one of the weapons of the founders of their order. It was made of blessed black adamantine so it could not be destroyed. However, it was probably hidden in some corner of a vampire’s lair, one down two to go.

They recovered the vampire hunters remains and equipment as respectfully as they could. The bodies of the dead thralls were rounded up as well for cremation. They took anything of use from the lair then smashed and burnt anything that they could such as the vampire’s coffins, it was a little petty and pointless, but every small victory against the vampires added up.

They dropped the blood oath book to cathedral, as well as the freed thralls to be checked over by a priest and the other less fortunate thralls remains, to be given last rights and cremation. Alice wore the mask, she was more recognisable now. Martin had his own mask David had a full-face helmet and Vivian wore her red scarf. All their faces were now hidden but also protected, perhaps the mask was something that could be taken off at the end of the day, perhaps not.

They went to the hunters house the local master received the remains of the dead hunters. He would arrange their cremation and last rites the redistribution of their equipment to new recruits. Between what they recovered and the reward for turning over the vampire fangs they gained 45 silver.

The group ate at the hunter’s house then went to the duchess residence. They presented themselves to her steward and were allowed and audience fifty minutes later. Alice curtsied “your Ladyship Duchess Cheyne ...Teach, we have removed the … local lich and started on the local vampires. May I ... speak to you about a magic item a ward of enhanced defence, the … merchant guild said you had such an item”.

She nodded “certainly this town is in your debt already, the object you mention a little jewelled shield made of octium, it clips to a belt. My great grandfather was a bit of an adventurer it belonged to one of his companions, it’s in my aunt’s collection. I believe I can persuade her to part with it for 300 silver or that rough amount. If you make a bit more progress against the hidden hand I would not have so much on my mind and we could move forwards”. They reached an understanding with the duchess and turned in for the night.