I lay there in the dirt, struggling to fill my lungs with air and fighting to keep from blacking out completely. It was all I could do, and even that barely at all, as my assailant sat atop my prone body, staring down at me, fury clouding her eyes. I tried to shake her off but I was in a bad spot and as a result she easily kept me pinned down. My main weapon was out of reach and my last knife might have been as well, since I was lying on it. I could feel it pressing into my back, almost as if it were taunting me.

At last my vision cleared enough for me to recognize the person keeping my pinned down. And I did indeed recognize her. I had last seen her atop Kor'za's pyre while facing my first ghoul king. She had been the spell caster accompanying that menace. I remembered her wail as well. Even now the memory alone sent a shiver down my spine. Damn it all. I had hoped that she had died in the fire but apparently that was too much to ask for. That wasn't all I remembered though. Right now though that seemed to be of little importance.

She wore the same hooded robe of thick, red cloth she had worn back then. Or at least it looked just like what she had worn on that fateful day. Yes, there even was that iron bound tome at her hip. The wind was buffeting the robe though and had torn back the hood, properly exposing her face while whipping about her long blonde hair.

She was kneeling atop of me and had my arms pinned to my side with her knees. I couldn't even get a leg in between us to attempt to dislodge her. I tried to headbutt her. It was the only thing I could do right now but she easily evaded my attempt. Worse she grabbed me by the horns. The good one and the one that had lost its tip. I screamed in pain as she wrenched my face close to hers. Those weren't handles, damn it!

She bared her teeth, including her long fangs as she bent in close. “How are you still alive!” The way she screeched, it sounded more like an accusation than a question. She snarled and licked across the still bleeding stump of my horn with a tongue that was entirely too long and flexible. And as she did that a wicked grin spread across her face. “Just as well. If the curse got you it would have been a terrible waste of perfectly fine blood.” She gave my horn another lick, making me shudder in the process. “Oh! What sweet nectar!”

Vampire! A maiden forsaken vampire! I renewed my struggle at these words as understanding dawned upon me just what this wretched woman had become. At the same time another thought struck me. Could it be that she didn't actually recognize me? Or rather could it be that she didn't recognize me for who I had been in that other life I kept having flashbacks of every once in a while? Well that didn't really matter right now. I had more immediate problems to deal with.

I snarled at her. “You will have to try harder if you really want to kill me, thrice cursed Spawn of the Devourer!” I tried to tense my abdominal muscles to buck my hips and arch my back and throw her off but the cursed monster held on tight. Worse, she didn't let go of my horns either and as a result the only thing my attempt earned me was another wave of pain that came within a hair of pushing me into unconsciousness. In the end I still lay there, trapped beneath her, with tears in my eyes and gasping for breath.

“Oh? I will have to try harder?” She changed her grip, finally letting go of my horns and grabbing my neck instead. Her gloved fingers were delicate but he grip was like iron anyway. “I think not.” She pushed my head back to expose my throat and bared her fangs for real. “Just give up and enjoy the moment. It wont take long” She giggled like a madwoman and sent another shudder down my back.

I didn't give up though. I kept struggling and snarling even as she bent in low to tear out my throat. Before she could sink her teeth into my flesh though, something caught her attention and she straightened back up. “Huh?” She straightened back up just in time to catch Quu'za's foot and he steel covered claws right with her face. The harpy's claws tore deep into the vampire's face but the wounds started healing unnaturally fast even as Quu'za's momentum finally tore my assailant off me.

It was a good thing that the bloodsucker hadn't held onto my neck like she had in the beginning. Otherwise Quu'za's intervention might have cost me my head as well. Even as the vampire was knocked away my harpy friend followed it, keeping up the attack. One vicious, lightning fast kick followed the other and attack for attack the monster in human disguise was driven back. The harpy's kicks apparently to hurt the bloodsucker although none seemed to leave any lasting damage.

How did one kill a vampire? My mind was blank. No easy answers came to me, as I struggled to get back on my feet. Sunlight obviously didn't hurt or even just hamper it in the slightest. Although, maybe it would if the sun were shining bright which it didn't right now. A stake through the heart? That would kill most creatures. I had no idea if it would work on a vampire though. Well, I didn't exactly have a proper stake handy anyway although there was plenty of broken wood all around us.

For the time being I settled for my last knife. I drew it from its sheath once I was back on my own feet. Movement from the side caught my attention. It was the damn ghoul trying to wiggle free although his neck was half severed. I glanced back at Quu'za. She seemed to have things well in hand, at least for now. I stepped to the struggling ghoul and put the blade of my knife to its neck. The spine was already mostly severed. Thus I quickly cut through what little still connected head and body. The damn thing kept hissing and snapping at me all the time even although none of that would keep me from finishing it off.

Its body slumped to the ground once I was through. I grabbed the helmeted head, careful not to touch the jagged crown made of Arkanium. I threw it at the still retreating vampire before grabbing my glaive. It took some effort but I managed to pull it free from the tree it had been lodged in. Finally properly armed I turned to face the blood drinking monster again. “I'm not quite sure how to kill something like you but lets start by putting this thing through your heart. It kills other creatures of the Devourer just fine after all.”

At that moment, just as it turned to face me, while still retreating from Quu'za, a barrage of magic missiles, launched from the woods beyond, tore into the vampire and it let loose another of its terrible screeching wails. It was almost enough to drive me back down to my knees. Kaele's magical attack seemed to have a more profound effect on the creature than any of Quu'za's attacks. The magical projectiles tore big holes into it but before I or any of the others could capitalize on it, the vampire turned into a glistening black mist that quickly seeped into the ground.

For a moment I looked around uneasily. Would it be back? As nothing else happened I allowed myself to relax a little. Well, it wasn't like I had much of a choice. After all I was back to using my weapon as a makeshift crutch. My sister wasn't in much of a better state. She was leaning heavily onto Tortho, who supported her as she limped out of the woods to join me and our harpy friend. It was the dark elf mercenary who spoke up first. “As much as I would like to give you some time to recover, we still have a battle to win.”

I could only grimace even as I nodded. He was right after all.