This was bad. Vampires were bad news. While most movies show vampires as fast and strong, those are only the most basic facts about them. His class came with some understanding on the natural and the unnatural. And while his knowledge on the undead was scattered at best, vampires were seen as a Tier 3 threat, this team was in the middle of Tier 1. If this vampire was at full strength, it would mean the end of this whole village and everyone in it, him included. To a vampire he was little better than a regular human.

He had been staring for a while now, just standing there. He was shocked into silence, his mind spiralling into just how doomed they were. He wanted to move, he needed to move. He needed the rest of his team. Now it made sense why he, The Paladin and The Light Cleric were here, they were the perfect team for dealing with the undead. Even so, a fucking vampire was too much. No matter how good they were at dealing with the undead, this was ridiculous. Finally coming to grips with this, he slowly began moving back into the tunnel. He was almost there when he heard movement from the cage. The vampire looked up at him, having focussed on even the small amount of sound he had made.

They stared at each other, neither speaking. He was fully focussed on the vampire know, he had to stall. His team was on their way and together they were stronger. They had no chance against a full vampire, but this vampire was not all full power so maybe there was a possibility. He still wasn't moving, but his mind was going at full force. Think of something, anything. Keep its attention and make sure that he stays in the cage.

"Hey, so... umh. We are looking for a killer. Are you the one we are looking for?"

Stupid. That was so stupid, why had this come out of his mouth. That wasn't what he had been thinking at all. He was just so focussed on getting out of here his thoughts focussed on the one way to get out of here. Maybe they were wrong, maybe there was another killer hidden somewhere else. That could happen right? Maybe his team was finding the real killer right now and they would all leave in seconds. Yeah right, even he didn't believe that would happen. This situation was fucked, and he had no idea what to do now.

The creature was slow to respond, as if it forgot the act of speaking. It opened its mouth and licked its lips.

"I have killed if that is what you mean. If you come to seek revenge then take it, but I would suggest a more appropriate target."

"Oh. And who would that be?"

"The bastard who feeds me, I doubt he takes the blood from his victims willingly. No, I could taste the fear in it. That blood was not freely given, it was taken by force."

Now that was interesting. The creature could be lying, it was a vampire after all, but why bother? It was clearly not in an ideal position. Killing his captor wouldn't free him, but maybe the vampire would do it purely out of spite. He didn't know enough about vampires or this situation to make a well thought out decision. However, what other choice was there? The mission was to arrest the killer and he couldn't think of someone more arrested than the vampire. I mean, he was already in a fucking cage. So it clearly wasn't the vampire. This was getting complicated.

"This bastard, who is he?"

"I do not know the bastard's name. He was an older man, wearing a formal uniform."

He didn't need to know more. Maybe it was conformation bias, but he honestly didn't care that much. This described only one man in his eyes, the mayor. He was right and he was going to hold it over his teammates' head for the entire rest of this mission. Maybe even if they all got paired up again. The Fire Druid smiled.

"That I can do. That I can do indeed."

He turned and walked towards a larger tunnel in the round complex. Someone like the mayor would definitely have the largest entrance for himself. Walking forward he threw off any sense of stealth, he was going to enjoy this.

The walk was shorter than last time. It also ended into what could only be described as a receiving room. It was a lot better looking than the room under the farmer's house. It was tiled with square stones and filled with wooden furniture. It looked like a small apartment. It had a nice bed, a stylish table and chair. It even had a full kitchenette. He took all this in and didn't really care that much. He didn't go through the various drawers or check for any secrets. He walked right up to the stairs and began ascending.

He came out into a new room, this looked like the inside of wooden house. He was excited for this; he was maybe a bit too excited. Who could blame him though, how many times had they made fun of his idea? The combination of vindication and his hatred for authority had him completely intoxicated. Walking through the door into the next room he found himself in a humble living room. Inside this living room someone was seated. He didn't remember seeing him in the village. He was sure he had met everyone. That was weird, what was stranger was that he wasn't the mayor.

"Wait. Who the hell are you?!"

"Why, mister Druid, I am the assistant."

"First of all, it's Fire Druid, get it right. Secondly, what do you mean with the assistant?"

"I see that this is going a little fast for you. I shall spell it out for you. I am the big bad, the one in control. I am the one you were looking for and I know who you three are. I thought my wards had kept me safe from being observed, but it seems that I overlooked the subterranean entrance."

"But, if you're the big bad, what about the mayor."

Sighing, the assistant replied: "That man is nothing but a figurehead. While I am technically his assistant, I am the only supply of vampire blood in town. Addiction is an excellent motivator."

This new information had The Fire Druid on the back foot, he was catching up quick though. His momentary lapse in focus would cost him however, the assistant moved faster than he expected and suddenly he was flying back into the wall of the wooden house. With a thud he fell down to the floor and looked at the man who was now standing over him. He was so fucked; this wasn't a normal human. He had no idea how the assistant had done it, but he thought it probably had something to do with the vampire. Just as he thought that these would be his final moments as a delver, he saw a flash of golden light and suddenly the assistant was flying into the opposite wall. The Fire Druid had never been so happy to see The Light Cleric and Paladin arrive.