With another one of the Triune's heavy hitters backing them up they were looking at taking on the next local vampire lair. They packed ready for a war with the vampires, Vivian had her new arrows to try out adamantium was not exactly cheap, but it should be well worth the price. After they had eaten, a guard passed them word that the deputy sheriff had news for them.

Martin talk to the deputy sheriff, “hunter we have confirmation that pack you destroyed was the one that was roaming the area with the bounty on it. The reward from Ulysses crossing is some equipment. A few of the noble’s merchants and retired adventures put it together. It will be sent over in a couple of days for you to pick up”. Martin was neutral it depended what the equipment was if this was a good reward or a bad one.

David was curious, “why just equipment”? The officer answered, “despite the size of the town they are quite poor, they are right next to the old elven city they keep a constant watch for golems. If the city's ever wake up fully that town would be the first to fend off a golem army. There were a few supplies offered. Hopefully so an active hunter or freelance adventure party could take it down, we will see how generous they were”.

They headed over to the hunter’s house, Francis had finished bringing Thomas up to speed. He had the glazed look of a man who was trying to retain as much information as possible from a lecture. Alice remembered from her studies. when that was her trying to remember all the pieces of information. Still he had been back up a day and he was already rapidly acclimatizing. Thomas waved Francis good buy and they headed out.

Thomas turned to Martin, “have you got a little something to take the edge off”. Martin reached into his jacket and handed him a flask, “ip mixed with a little aniseed for flavour”. Thomas thanked him and took a small swig. “Thank the lord, I think I almost dropped off twice and I don't need to sleep oh well”. He handed the flask back to Martin and patted him on the back.

Thomas looked about, “I don't see many smoking black leaf these days what happened”. Vivian shrugged, “few years back the triune passed a law at deep furrow, the population was growing and the amount of land to feed them was not. So, the black leaf was banned, and the land used to grow edible crops”. Thomas nodded “I suppose that's sensible and it’s not like they would import it from the central plains when there are more important goods”.

David shrugged “I drilled with one of the guards on the elven ambassador’s protection detail. They have a milder form called grey leaf. They are planning to import a bit, apparently far fewer side effects”. Thomas looked a little disappointed, “my pipe and pouch are still in the library back at the orders headquarters, next time I head back I will find them”.

They passed a few check points and grabbed a coach ride out to the vampire lair. It was further away from north port, so they were going to be spending more time travelling. In the coach Alice kept looking over Thomas. He sighed, “not my first time working with a mage, but the others were veterans and masters I assume that your ability to detect and understand magic is significantly greater and you wish to examine the spells that are within my body”?

Alice looked a bit nervous then grinned, “you’re the most interesting …thing I, I mean person I have met so far”. Thomas sighed and held out his hand Alice held out her own hand and started to analyse the magic in front of her running through Thomas's body, “what are you …resistant to”? “Most vampires past twenty-five years old are resistant to mental control sonic attacks and most sorts of poisons”. Alice narrowed her eyes, “that's …interesting” she pushed her senses harder Thomas sneezed an involuntary reaction, “this is going to be a long coach ride”.

A few hours later they were dropped off, Alice learnt that Thomas knew pretty much nothing about vampire magic. It seemed to be something that the older vampires kept to themselves. Vivian checked their papers, “now according to the notes this is the second closest lair the vampires have that we know about. Anyway, it should be a lot better defended than the first we raided a few days ago. We will probably find an elite running things or even the local elder the prince, it would be nice to stake his regal ass”.

Martin turned to his fellow hunter, “Thomas I have been looking for an artefact, something from one of the founders of our order, there was a reference on the body of a hunter we found inside the other lair we raided. That the hand of Tesla might be in one of the other two local lairs. On the remains of a deceased grand master, can you keep an eye out would you”. Drem nodded, “yes I remember a reference to a hunter wielding that artefact a hundred years ago. It was supposedly made of adamantine so very durable maybe even black adamantine the holy metal, we shall see what became of it”.

David walked next to him and struck up a conversation as they walked past a warning marker on the trail, “how much do you remember from before”? “You mean before I went to sleep”? No before you were turned into this predator of predators”. He was probably used to the question, “I remember it like yesterday, you have to remember at my core I am the same”.

“Sunlight I walk in the sun, garlic silver nothing to me. My heart still beats I can enjoy a good book a fine meal a good wine”. David elbowed him, “what about other things that make a human a human”. “You’re a bit personal, I had children before I was turned, and I stayed with my wife. She passed twenty years ago, from old age and a bad winter”. He paused thinking, “twenty years has not been enough time but eventually who knows. Why don't you abandon that line of inquiry boy”.

Vivian was next, “You seemed unfocused yesterday Tomas, you were not precisely on target”. “Yes, I was distracted, those nightmare thrall wolves were tough but just animals. I didn't take it too seriously. Rest assured I will treat this with the utmost seriousness”. “That's good to hear, I understand that you were a librarian in the order of hunters what job did you do before”? “I was a bookkeeper for a small trading settlement, I kept a ledger of goods in and out sales supplies the like, a bit like a quartermaster I suppose, that was before the settlement was attacked raided”.

Martin made conversation, “What's the strongest thing you have killed”? “That would be an elder white, strong but not smart. As you know they can’t use weapons, tactics about as much of a thinker as a zombie or hungry ghoul. Actually, I have seen a few ghouls quite a bit smarter over the years”. “What's the strongest you have killed”? “A skeleton dragon it allowed a breakthrough”. “Dragons come in many strengths. but if it was truly that strong it would have been an impressive fight to watch, I bet it was a close call”.

He looked at Vivian's eye the scar, “that would have been a close battle”? “We just survived a run in with Bismark, who have you survived”. “Well I two have gotten away from Bismark twice, also the Devil binder and the Dark light. They are far more powerful, and they step out of the shadows far less often than Bismark. Whatever else the church might have hidden up their sleeve it’s enough that the really big vampires tend to stay in the shadows”.

Martin was curious, “you have been around the block for fifty years. What surprises do you know about”? “I wouldn't even hazard a guess, though I don't think the patriarch himself would know just how many surprises every order of crusaders monks hunters and the like has hidden away”.

They passed a vandalised warning marker on the trail; Thomas drew a deep breath. “I can smell some thrall hounds and thralls led by a blood thrall keeping watch on the top of the lair”. Vivian nodded “I can see a dozen thralls Martin anything else”. “A few hidden in the surrounding tree's probably sharp shooters Alice can you sense any magic”. “I sense a rudimentary alarm spell, no its going to wake something else up, something more substantial will arrive shortly after we do”.

They attacked the second vampire lair; six thrall hounds a dozen men led by a blood thrall in steel armour and four sharp shooters opposed them. David Martin and Thomas charged forwards Alice and Vivian stayed behind to provide cover. The blond thrall officer tried to organise the rest of them he was struck down by Martin “smite” his armour providing an excellent conduit to the lightning bolt. The thrall hounds lasted seconds the thralls lasted slightly longer as they wanted to take them alive.

Martin has his mallet, David the pommel of his sword and Thomas his knuckle duster grips. None to gently the twelve thralls were battered down. The four sharp shooters didn't fare much better. Alice dislodged two with kinetic strike spells which dumped them onto the ground. Vivian caught one in the arm and one in the shoulder both were out of the fight. The next thing they knew two massive thrall bears were attacking coming out of a cave the entrance to the vampire's lair. After a fire ball and a barrage of arrows the two creatures were far less able to fight, Martin and David finished them off quickly.

Thomas dragged the animals into a pile while Martin purified the thralls, removing the vampires taint. Alice healed their wounds with a little help from Martin to put them back together. Eleven of the thralls had survived the hectic battle, they were free now. They were handed the weapons they had wielded and sent in the direction of North port. The dead they loaded onto stretchers made from blankets to take with them for the cathedral.

For a moment they expected the adventures to help them, but it quickly became apparent that their salvation was just a side effect of the groups mission to remove the vampire's lair. Some complained some grumbled they grabbed what they could and started to trudge off along the cold trail. The group of adventures lit the animals remains on fire and disappeared deeper into the caves that formed the vampires lair.

There was an iron grate between Thomas and David they easily pulled it aside, Martin dismantled a few tripwires. Past that Alice pulled apart a magical glyph that seemed to be a poison spell of some sort. There was a deep whistle from the depths of the lair and a dozen wights in ragged scraps of cloth charged forwards, the failed vampires were animalistic and hungry.

Martin held out his holy symbol, “pillar of salt” the first collapsed into a chalky powder the rest continued. Martin had his four barrelled pistol loaded with stakes. The tight confines of the cave he released all four barrels with the weapons alternative fire. David and Thomas cut away with their blades Alice threw acid strike spells while Vivian used her Damascus arrows. They collected the fangs from the dead wights Alice and Martin used there healing. Then they moved forwards preparing for the next battle.

They cleared out a few side rooms with a few low-level ghouls in each. Quick brutal battles as the ghouls tried and failed to put up a decent fight. Deeper in they broke apart a few bear traps and an oil trap over a torch, which would have spilled burning oil down onto the party. The group found a sturdy oak door Alice weakened the hinges with acid strike spells between Thomas Martin Vivian and David they forced it open.

Behind the door was a motley assembly of creatures, a full vampire spear in hand with a half dozen fledglings all reasonably well armed. Around them were ten more wights probably also fledglings in terms of age. Around twenty low level ghouls and another dozen thrall hounds. The vampire exerted his will to hold the group together enabling them to fight as a cohesive whole.

The party moved forwards unperturbed. Martin used his blessing field of wrath to do a little damage to each member of the group, then hurled a small thermite grenade in for good measure. David threw a flask of oil into the mass which was ignited by the thermite. He charged forwards and started to cut away. Thomas was vaulting over him to slam into the front ranks of ghouls stabbing and crushing them with ease.

Alice rained acid strike spells down on the middle of the group. Vivian picked off the leader with an octium arrow, right through the skull. It did enough damage to kill the vampire in a single hit she fired away targeting the tougher fledgling vampires.

There was a lurching moan from behind the group the ghouls that they had killed earlier had been raised as zombies, there was a stronger vampire around directing things. Now they were caught in a pincer movement. Alice calmly sealed off the corridor with an earthen wall spell causing the floor of the cave to rise. The zombies would get through it but not in time to aid in the battle. David cut through the thrall hounds Martin used his circle of consecration blessing to envelop the area in holy energy for a few moments weakening everything else left. Vivian finished off the last few vampires with a few well-placed shots. Alice detonated the last of the wights with a fire ball, there would be no return the last few survivors were mopped up.

The party turned and dealt with the ghouls behind them once more. They were quite thoroughly dismantled after a second time around. The vampire’s fangs were gathered up the party spent time and effort dragging the ghouls and thrall hounds out. Adding them to the bonfire outside to stop them being brought back again and again to continue to dog the party.

They pushed back into the lair coming across another group of defenders, two fledgling vampires two blood thralls and a group of skeletons and zombies low level trash. The master of this place seemed to be trying to get them to expend their spells and ammunition bit by bit, to wear them down with his minions.

Martin unleashed his field of wrath blessing dismantling the skeletons and zombies. Thomas grabbed a vampire and pulled until there head came off, turning the rest of them into dust. David cut the other down. Alice killed one blood thrall with a fire bite spell, Vivian got the last blood thrall with a broad-head arrow, as he she dropped her cleaver and turned to run. They disposed of the remains and moved on. The lair was very deep but between the five of them they were tearing through its defenders.

Moving deeper a section of the ceiling collapsed, Martin was wounded but barely noticed the same for Thomas. David had enough time to raise his shield and avoid the worst Alice cast a shield spell and avoided any problem. Vivian had thick armour David had tried to shield her, but she took a pounding limping as she got up. Before they had a chance to recover two dozen far stronger ghouls attacked them from a side area.

Immediately Martin used his, “hallowed earth” blessing to give them a bit of time. The ghouls were wounded slowed but not stopped. David and Thomas charged forwards. Thomas could pretty much ignore their caustic vomit and explosive bile. David had a tower shield to duck behind. Alice healed Vivian up and they were both back in the fight. A rain of arrows and spells obliterating the ghouls. Martin emptied his pistols and throwing knives pretty soon the entire group of ghouls was spent, one or two retreated back into the darkness. David cleaned of his sword, “at least we didn't have to face a siege ghoul this time”. Several members of the group looked at him as if he was inviting a monster like that to attack. Vigorous chopping and burning disposed of the ghouls remains, they pressed deeper coming into a central room.

There was an elite vampire sitting on a throne of bones she hopped down and grinned she had hair dyed white her clothes a pale green. She laughed as her chair rose to become a large bone golem. The floor erupted and a siege ghoul buried in the ground emerged. A dozen full vampires in iron and steel amour surrounded her a few remaining ghouls joined her. Then a blood thrall handed the elite a silvered claymore reinforced with some sort of sorcerer’s magic. She laughed manically, “the four masters and the abomination I will be far richer after this day”.

Vivian quickly looked over the battlefield “Martin Alice take out the big guys David Thomas deal with the small fry the elite she is mine”. The siege ghoul reared its head back to spit a ball of acid at the party it was hit with a fire ball in the jaw before it could finish. Alice nailed it with an icy tomb spell it was slowed but not stopped it made a perfect target for her electric strike spells. Martin held out his holy symbol, “pillar of fire” the bone golem was engulfed in flames that burnt away the purple haze from the spell that held it together. Martin had to sidestep a bone javelin that nearly took him in the head.

The full vampires were tough but not that tough against David and Thomas, mithril and adamantine blades beat iron and steel. Thomas kept a far more focused path in the fight, every move was well practised smooth from kicking one vampire into the path of two more to opening up a vampire’s veins in a spray of blood that blinded the fighter next to them. David finished off the last of the regular ghouls and started to cut and thrust piercing and slashing the vampires to pieces. There blows slid off his armour and if they tried to slip past him a severing strike awaited their unprotected back.

The vampire elite charged forwards to bury her claymore into Vivian's skull. She was expecting a hit or two, but it would take something immense to penetrate her supernatural aura and blood shield. Her stride was interrupted, and she crashed to the ground an adamantine arrow lodged into her knee. Before she could remove the arrow a second one appeared in her other knee.

The vampire realised that they were enchanted adamantine and a spell was eating away at her very flesh. Vivian took a step forward and fired. Arrows disabled the vampire’s arms at wrist elbow and shoulder. She got the ankles for good measure, in agonising pain the vampire started to crawl towards her claymore. The blood thrall attendant ran forwards to help their master and folded to a single iron arrow.

The bone golem Martin faced was powerful he expended all three of his pillar of fire blessings then his hand of judgement and finally his trump card his chain smite blessing before it eventually fell to pieces. The siege ghoul was no push over either three icy tomb spells to keep it in place several dozen electrical strike spells were needed to put it down. David and Thomas finished cutting through the last of the vampires.

The elite tried to pull the arrows out with her teeth, that only earned her a jaw penetrated with Vivian's regular adamantine arrows. The vampires body finally gave up having all the corrosive magic inside it. The body crumbled to dust leaving a skull with a pair of fangs. Martin looked over the dead vampire with a degree of satisfaction another of the elite brought low.

Vivian grinned like a cat as the vampire fell, she knew what to expect as everything around her slowed, not a sense from her body or mind. Deeper her spirit reached out, knowledge from the universal force that bound the world together. “A special action has been performed feat of marshal strength has been achieved. You have defeated a worthy opponent your level limit has been increased to level 100”.

Their eyes glowed as the level up hit David was still to break through, Vivian having overcome a tough opponent turning them into a pin cushion gained two levels reaching 77, her improved range skill reached level 6. Alice reached level 78 gaining the grand version of the earthen wall spell. Martin also gained two levels the bone golem was very strong, his general melee skill increased to level 13.

Thomas sniffed the air, “I don't think the master’s home that woman was not the prince”, they picked up the elite vampire’s skull for the reward. The dropped claymore fractured when Martin tried to purify it. Vivian grinned like a Cheshire cat as she recovered her arrows, Alice healed David and Thomas, another round of slicing and dicing and burning got rid of the siege ghoul bone golem and anything else.

They collected up what they could from the vampires remains coin jewellery correspondence what little they found would no doubt be useful. Alice did identify one magical object it looked like a gold medal with a target. The token of the bullseye +5% chance of a critical hit to a ranged target. It was passed to Vivian who clipped it onto her clothing she was the only one that could use it.

They progressed further into the underground fortress they had a rough map of the vampire lair created from previous raids. Their progress was halted by a door it looked new Thomas looked at the map. “That's new its solid the walls around it not so much” the door was designed to keep humans probably below level 50 out not things like David who was over level 75 working with Thomas, especially after Alice had weakened the wall around it with several acid strikes.

Thomas took a deeper breath “I think something more powerful was hear, but it retreated the master of this lair, the vampire prince might be around after all”. As they moved down the corridor a giant thrall bat swooped down from the ceiling the minor pest was obliterated by a full-strength fire ball before it could even get a few feet.

Bits of the charred and smoking bat landed at the feat of the party. Thomas looked over at Alice “I take it that you don't like bats”? “That would be … an understatement”, Alice informed him. The jumpy edge to her voice made Thomas hesitant no one liked to be the point guy when there was a trigger-happy mage behind them.

The next room was filled with bats including a dozen or so matriarchs and alpha's big creatures they had just disturbed the sentry. Alice was a little more measured in her response, casting a poison gas cloud spell over the thickest part of the flock of bats. Martin and Thomas were highly resistant to the poison so charged in. Martin swinging left and right with his mallet in one hand and his holy symbol in the other he used his blessing “sphere of consecration”. To create an area even deadlier to the weak thrall bats as they smoked and shrieked against the holy light. Vivian used her arrows to target the larger Matriarch's and alpha bats, David waited at the edge of the poisonous cloud as a couple of the larger creatures came through, he sliced them to pieces.

Alice used several electrical strike spells and fire balls to obliterate the thickest parts of the swarm of bats. The gas cloud spell dissipated, and David charged into the mass heading for the leaders the matriarchs. Untold numbers of bat harmlessly bounced off his armour and shield. He reached the first matriarch and blocked her attack with his shield, slicing away at her body as she tried to pull back, experience taught him if they killed the leaders the rest of the flock would scatter.

Thomas was particularly lethal with his fast reactions slicing a bat out of the air with each blade. Martin's swings travelled through the thickest part of the swarm sending wounded bats flying, without the use of their wings they were trampled underfoot. Alice could kill a lot of bats with her fire ball spells. She kept a physically shield spell in place to keep the bats away from her body. Vivian quickly killed off half the matriarchs then switched to the larger alpha's approaching her. If she didn't have the one golem eye with the enhanced perception, her entire view would have been blocked by the flock of bats.

David cut the matriarch down he waded through the swarm of bats towards one of the last two matriarchs, the alpha next to her intercepted him. David was tackled from the side by the creature hitting the ground heavily he held it at bay with his shield then stabbed around the edge the piercing enchantment allowed his blade to bury deep into the beast. Then a twist and he was pushing the dead weight off his body rising up onto his knees. The last alpha tied to tackle Alice but was overwhelmed by a barrage of acid strike spells.

The last matriarch tried to retreat but Martin injured it with his four barrelled pistol simple lead doing all the damage necessary, Thomas was on the beast and it fell. The remaining bats rather than scattering backwards flowed deeper into the cave like a retreating tide there was probably another matriarch or alpha further in. Alice hurled a fire ball at the retreating bats, “don't come … back you fucking pests”.

They scooped up the majority of the bats and piled them up. A little oil and kindling and the mass of dead bats was on fire. Thomas sighed, “one of the big problems with fighting vampires is their ability to twist the environment with the thrall taint. You really get tired after 50 years of fighting these endless hordes of bats. I must a have killed a hundred or more of these things for every vampire I have ever killed”.

Alice nodded, “oh I can …completely agree with you. The diseased flapping bastards creep me out more than there …masters do, they are utterly revolting”. Vivian ran through the battle “Alice I know you like to fire ball them, but your poison gas cloud spell covers a wider area it’s much more efficient”. “I take your point Vivian its harder to use though more difficult to aim it when I'm a bit stressed”.

The thrall bats remains dealt with they moved forward further. A few pit traps and bear traps blocked the way, then a simple wooden door. They broke through it moving deeper they found another large open room this seemed to be some sort of receiving room. There were several corridors branching off. But in the main room was a group of fighters six members of the hidden hand and what looked like a half dozen blood thralls armed as marauders with heavy iron plate and weapons. There was also a ton of thrall bats and large matriarch behind them clinging to the ceiling.

There was a rumbling noise in the background a crash of stone and earth in the background. Wither something had been sealed up or awoken they would find out eventually.

The leader of the hidden hand turned to them, “I guess our negotiations must be put on hold. You have a little idea of our nature, and our hosts won’t be backing down either”. He grinned looking at the marauder “50/50 split of the reward”? The blood thrall marauder nodded. The hidden hand were learning. They had changed their arsenal slightly, instead of the usual poisoned bolts that bounced of the party's spells blessings and armour. They had bolts with glass bulbs on the end as they shattered the chemical inside ignited.

They could also reload the cross bows much faster. A couple hit Thomas to almost no effect Martin had a minor shield blessing in place. David's tower shield did its usual job Alice's shield spell was not so effective against the burning chemicals, she had to drop and roll to extinguish the resulting fire.

The bats moved up over the ceiling and the thrall marauders charged forwards. Vivian started to take out the rouges with her bow. She waited for them to be distracted while reloading then would charge forwards. Martin used his blessing “pillar of ice” to create a freezing tornado that scythed its way through the centre of the swarm of bats flash freezing hundreds of the creatures. Thomas and David tackled the marauders meeting force with force. The blood thralls fought on determined but fell to blows and sword strikes. Thomas would distract then David would deliver a killing strike then they would switch.

Alice hit the giant thrall bat matriarch with an icy tomb spell its body froze over, it lost its grip on the ceiling and fell to the floor. Alice enveloped it with a poison cloud spell. The blood thralls and rouges held their breath and moved out form the area of the spell, the bats were not so smart and expired rapidly. The giant bat matriarch fell to frost and poison, the remaining rogues and marauders didn't last much longer as the party hit them with their undiluted fury. The vampires blood servants and those that allied themselves with them got no mercy. The last bats dispersed out of sight.

The level up hit David was still to make a breakthrough, but he would bide his time. Even if he was the last one to break through the limit. Even if he was the last one to reach a hundred then he still would eventually. Alice hit level 79 gaining the greater version of her earthen wall spell they were now really strong barriers. She idly wondered if such magic had been used to build up the defensive walls around many of the settlements. Vivian reached level 78 boosting her improved range skill to level 7.

Martin hit level 90 it was another handful of blessings, some basic utility abilities three additional used of purify two more uses of divine favour. some more offensive blessings such as two more uses of smite and two more uses of field of wrath that was more situational. He got another use of citadel of faith that would help his durability in a fight. But more importantly word of judgement which had a stun effect, that was priceless against higher level enemies.

The members of the hidden hand melted into slop as did their equipment. The marauders were stripped of their armour and they were given an impromptu cremation, Martin and Thomas offered a prayer. It was obvious that the prince the elder vampire had chosen not to fight them but to retreat, the third lair was probably very well defended. There was no other opponent about in the lair they had disposed of the last defenders of this place. They found a handful of personal papers and a desk just before a collapsed escape tunnel. that would have been the rumbling noise that they had heard earlier.

They took a lot of time searching this much larger lair, there were many more bunks and coffins. They gathered up anything useful they ate some of the stored provisions mostly salted fish and dried mushrooms. It would be what the thralls had been surviving on. They found a decent sized hand cart and piled it up. They found rings amulets a few chains and bracelets the vampires tended to grab anything and anyone that they could during a raid. Any scrap of paper that remotely looked like it might be useful was also gathered up.

During this time Tomas found a sealed off tunnel it had been a trap that had dealt with a previous attack on the lair. Inside were the remains of vampire hunters and monks walled in. Far easier to bury them alive then fight them, especially if they were carrying a powerful artefact. Thomas and David pulled boulders away as they cleared the entrance. “It’s like an undisturbed tomb or a forgotten battlefield”. David looked at the piles of bones the decaying robes and coats, “it’s a warning not to blindly walk into a trap”. Tomas and Martin respectfully retrieved the remains of each person trying to recover some of their equipment, to hand onto the next generation as was there tradition, blankets sack cloths were used to wrap up the remains.

On the remains of the leader a hunter they found an irregular left bracer. More than a scrap of components mithril wire around a black metal that was untouched by time or dust. The hand of Tesla had seen better days, but it was intact it would require some repair. It was probably built form black adamantine so it could have sat at the bottom of an ocean for a thousand years and it would still have been salvageable. With reverence and prayers Martin wrapped it in a fine wool blanket.

“I have read about the artefacts of our orders founders for fifty years, but it’s different to actually handle it. You can feel the history of our order the defiance of our people against darkness. Supposedly its charged with an electro alchemical fluid derived from blue beetles, it delivers the power of lightning to one’s fingertips. According to a second-hand account it was rated to deliver an attack about four times the strength of a Tesla grenade”.

Martin understood the principle, “I do have that ingredient back in my room, I have a few Tesla grenades with me, and I need to recharge them”. Thomas looked at Martin sternly, “I know you have some skills, but we will need to get a mechanist battle alchemist or similar to look over this artefact before you can use it”.

They took as much as they could carry smashed or burnt anything they could not and left the vampire lair. It was already very dark when they caught up with group the group of former thralls, that they had liberated from the vampire’s control. They gave them some of the provisions that they had confiscated then escorted them the rest of the way to North port.

The gate guards checked them then let them in, past the second wall and a second check. They found their way back to the cathedral fortress. They handed over the remains of the monks and hunters to a priest for the usual rights. Francis arrived and they passed any correspondence that they had found to him. The monks and hunters’ holy symbols and personal effects were handed over. They would be repatriated to the various orders and monasteries that they had come from. They handed in the elite vampire’s skull for a 4-gold bounty and the other fangs for an additional 70 silver.

They made a donation of the equipment they salvaged, from the vampire’s former servants and the dead vampires to the city guards and militia via the deputy sheriff. The various items that they recovered from the vampire’s lair were sold off to the merchant’s guild. That combined with the lose coin boosted their profit for the attack up to 585 silver split five ways and a few repairs and expenses the party added 440 silver coins to their funds.

Thomas walked with them as they headed towards an inn on the docks. Martin was cheerful, “Thomas not a bad days work right”. “Yes, not bad at all, I would like to see that artefact once you have the hand of Tesla fully repaired”. “I can get a bit of thick hide and rebuild the bracer it was attached to. Re-strapping it won’t be a problem, but I need a battle alchemist for some of the other bits”. “How many shots do you think it would hold”? “using the Tesla grenades as a basis I could fill the reservoir with enough electro fluid for ten shots”.

“That would certainly wreck most elite and badly wound most elder vampires”. “We have fought several opponents over level 100 each of them was slippery, they had their tricks. The lich had a phylactery hidden we had to find it. Lexicon used some sort of transportation magic to get away, the archanist the professor had a flying craft, being able to hit them very hard very quickly would have helped us out a lot to finish such fights”.

They found a tavern that was used to serving hunters, it was called the staked mackerel. Alice got a glass or wine Vivian and Thomas got ale’s; David got some orange ogre ale. Martin got a bottle of hard spirits mixed with alchemical run off that would kill anyone else but a hunter from alcoholic poisoning. The group sat down, Alice raised her glass, “to the elves, to the …defence of North port and the death of the prince”. They raised their glasses to cheer. Alice looked over to Thomas “excuse me for before … sorry about hitting you with a fire ball, its irrational but I just can’t stand bats it puts m aim off a bit, what are you going to do …with your share of the reward donate it to the church”?

“I can understand about the fire ball your magic packs a punch. With the money Oh no, remember I am a librarian of an order of vampire hunters. I collect old books first editions; I had a few contacts with the merchant’s guild who trade as far away as the central plains. I intend to expand my collection the next time things settle down again”. Martin drained his cup and poured more from the bottle, “what do you plan to do in the short term”? “Well I plan on remaining hear until we kill the prince, then Francis was telling me that the Queen of rats is really causing a problem”.

“There is a full crusade, her grave rats have really trained up the rat men. There is a huge army a rat overlord or two have emerged and they can really organise the usual rabble”. Martin joined in, “A crusader Reginald the leader of the hunters at Good Ford told me about this, he wanted me to join it but surely this is more important”?

Thomas spoke in a quiet voice, “there is more of the triune's strength hear than you know about, perhaps too much has been pulled overhear. Still a few more victories like today and the Empress of shadows will be rethinking her strategy”. David wondered, “who was that elite we killed”? Thomas had spoken to Francis, “The local hunters had some information, a noble from a minor house exocentric in life. Bat shit crazy after she was brought back. Not the strongest opponent but very fast good shooting Vivian.” they continued to chat ordered some food then headed off back to their lodgings calling it a night.