7 Parting ways

Judas," i whisper, "stay behind, but watch my back." Smiling faintly, i add, "I'm glad you're there for me."

He complies with a little grin, alighting on an eroded pillar some distance behind me. I grip my blade tightly and raise my candle, cautiously approaching the center of the courtyard. Totally alert, i suddenly notice the brick wall around me is grooved, filled with a red-colored fire accelerant. Suddenly, a dot of flame appears on the accelerant and fire travels across the grooves, illuminating the scene in a haphazard, orange glow.

Flinching, I move away from the wall and look suspiciously for any sign of the vampire. If the castle is active, that means its owner is nearby. Extinguishing my candle, I begin to search the courtyard but a whistling sound suddenly pierces the air. Startled, i look up to see several extremely long metal needles trailing with wire streaking towards me, gleaming in the dim light.

Raising my trusted blade defensively, i try to deflect the needles with it.

I spin the beam between my fingers, catching the first few needle-and-wire darts on my handle. Some of them make it past, though, and pierce my shoulder and hip. I gasp for breath as the injuries sting, bleeding into my robe. Before i can move, the wire connected to the end of the needles suddenly rotates and in moments im completely immobilized.

I attempt to free myself but quickly change tactics as the floor creaks, then opens beneath my feet.

I curl into a ball, bracing for impact.

I rolled downwards, utterly failing to keep calm

as the spikes grow nearer.

Just before i vanish into the pit, Judas soars towards me, latching onto my jacket with all four hands and legs and flapping his bat-like wings as fast as he can. He struggles hard, but my weight is almost too much. For a moment, i almost fall, smacking my knee into the side of the pit. Im slammed roughly against the pit's mouth as Judas flaps as hard as he can, barely keeping me from falling. He finally pulls me out, although my legs still dangle in the hole. Panting heavily, he immediately begins severing my bonds with his teeth and claws.

Im nearly free, but three small dams set against the sides of the castle abruptly collapse, spilling disgusting water across the ruins and towards where im lying! Judas, forced to take off quickly, shoots into the air and barely avoids the wave of swamp water. I gasp, taking a single breath before the water catches me and forces me downwards. In the tumult, im thrown from one side of the pit to another, finally being tossed onto the spikes at the bottom.

Immobile and in agony, im stuck beneath the rushing water with stakes piercing my arms and legs. My lungs threaten to explode but I close my eyes tightly against the great force of water, forcing myself to keep holding my breath. Things i can't begin to recognize slap my face and arms, and i begin to truly believe that this is the end. A moment later, the water finally starts to subside, lapping gently by my sides.

I gingerly pull away from the spikes, gasping and throwing up horrible tasting, putrid water. Shaking, i stand up awkwardly between protruding spikes. As blood and sewage drip down my body, Judas says his apologies, saying, "I'm sorry, Gaara Pamei! I tried, but the water was too fast."

Reassuring my apprentice that there is nothing he could have been done to prevent this, i clamber to my feet. Meanwhile, a tall figure is emerging from the shadows atop the highest balcony.

Applauding my actions with a slow, sarcastic clap, the figure utters mockingly, "Commendable performance, hunter; you have passed my trial, and therefore you are worthy to face me directly in battle."

Striding forward into view, the vampire flashes his fangs in a demonic looks Flashing my teeth back at him, i respond, "You've got a pretty smile, but you know, I still think I'll win Lordon next beauty contest."

Ignoring me, Lord Starlung takes the initiative. Waving his hand in a complex, fast motion, he produce a purplish-black orb of energy. Im tense, but instead of directly attacking me, he thrusts the sphere into a stone gargoyle beside him. The statue is a menacing ugly looking thing. Spiky wings sit atop its back, and its face is almost like a mixture between a hawk and a lion.

The gargoyle gives a frightening growl, leaping into the courtyard and staring at me intently with its big, violet eyes. As if on cue, the stormy clouds above me suddenly open and im soaked by a quick downpour. Sighing inwardly, I mutter to myself, "What's next, cats and dogs?"

As the sky continues to weep, a bolt of lightning illuminates the scene for just a second before fading away, replaced by a heavy rumble of thunder. In the brief glow, I see the gargoyle lifting a huge stone from a pile of debris. A moment later, he throws the boulder in my direction with astonishing strength.

I attempted to move away from the boulder.

The rock flies through the air but i dive to one side and it misses me completely, exploding against the ground behind me. I breath a sigh of relief, quickly standing and settling into a defensive crouch. Clearly, I will need something powerful to defeat this stone monster. My grenades would be useless against an animated rock, as would the chemicals instilled inside my blade handle,my iron shavings will have absolutely no effect. Heavy explosives are the most sensible solution, then. The gargoyle suddenly lunges forward, bearing his teeth. So it begins.I decided to use Venesa poison vials ,it should make a nice explosive!

I move quickly, removing the poison vials from my waist, then use my lighter to light the wick I tucked into one of the vials last night when i sorted through my weapons. As the gargoyle approaches, i cast the vials through the air. The contents abruptly ignite and detonate in an impressive cloud of pitch-black smoke, vibrant greenish fire, and raw power.

Running forward, I thrust the tip of my blade into his face. He has been greatly weakened, cracked by the blast. The blow connects, impaling my blade between the gargoyle's big eyes, cracking his face in half. The stone animation crumples motionless to the ground, the light in his eyes fading away.

The clouds suddenly disappeared, giving me a break from the downpour. Smirking at the vampire, I say confidently, "Enough of your playing, you titled reject, lunatic vampire. Let's dance!"

Starlung actually appears slightly uneasy - impressive! - but he quickly regains his composure. "Very well! I admit I have underestimated you, hunter; you seem to be unusually adept for a mortal." He draws his cloak more rightly around him, a strange expression on his chiseled face. "Thus, I cannot allow you to escape from my fortress alive."

"So I can escape dead, then? No,no, wait..." I comment.

Judas perches on my shoulder, glaring defiantly at the vampire and sticking out his tongue. I grin. Poison won't hurt a vampire, but nothing is more amusing than watching one count every grain of salt as i spill it on the ground!

The salt will only work once per encounter, for after the first throwing off of its effects, the vampire is immune for a short while, but i can use it immediately, or wait till the right moment later in the fight. I could even refrain from using it at all. That would certainly give this encounter an extra thrill. I decided to save the salt for later to catch him by surprise.

Starlung smiles wickedly, pulling the shimmering cloak across his chest. I draw a dagger and send it flying towards him, hoping to draw him into the fight. He flashes his fangs and turns, scaling the wall behind him like a spider. My dagger hits several feet below him, and he is already flying towards me. I can't quite tell if i see wings at his sides, or if it's just his cloak flying behind him.

I ply my throwing daggers against him again

I activate my weapon, casting it into the air to intercept the vampire. The grenade detonates in a churning cloud of tear gas but he merely smirks at you. Wrapping himself in his cloak, he seems to be completely immune to the gases which dissipate harmlessly around him. Ah. The cloak must be magical. Lucky you. Starlung shows me his teeth, though im not sure if it is meant for a smile or a dinner invitation.

He rises into the air with his arms outstretched, almost seeming to glide for a moment. I attack with my blade, but he rises suddenly and lies horizontally in the air , looking like a great, dark hawk with translucent purple wings. Time seems to suspend, but suddenly everything snaps back into place as he slams into me, knocking me over and pinning me to the ground.

He smiles horribly, and i feel frigid breaths wash over me as he bites into my neck. I gasp as he begins to suck, but he reels off of my body with a shout of surprise as Judas soars overhead, slashing his scorpion tail across his head. Standing , i strike out wildly but the vampire easily dodges my attack, slashing his claws across my face.

Staggering backward, i gasp in pain as blood flows down my face. Quickly counterattacking, I drive my blade into his shoulder.

Howling with pain, Lord Starlung staggers back, clutching at his injuries. His eyes glowing with an arcane light, he withdraws towards the castle. His hands weave in the empty air, gradually drawing strands of dark purple together into a great, glowing sphere. As he swallows the sphere, his injuries visibly begin to repair themselves. He pushes backwards through the great double doors of the keep, and the blackness beyond seems to almost pull him inside.

I race to the entrance but are stopped short by a magical ward, crackling with peculiar heat. I guess Starlung won't be needing a welcome mat. Picking up a piece of debris as Judas lands onto the ground nearby , i cast it towards the doorway. It passes through, unaffected by the barrier. I turn and comment to Judas, "They never seem to just make it simple, do they, my friend?"

He returns my grin.

He just shrugs non-committally and i pull out a candle and light it, testing the magical barrier. Curiously, nothing happens.

I blow out my candle and shrug, striding forward, but I was stopped by the barrier as though it were solid rock. I frown pensively but a fancy spell words suddenly appears on the ward. " Gan khat na gut o" Oddly enough, the message is written in a mixture of the common human tongue and God tongue,but it's easy enough to read either way: "Only one may enter!"

Sighing, i say, "Well, that solves the mystery. The barrier will only allow one of us to enter the tower. It looks like I must go alone. Fortunately, my pendant will tell me where Starlung is, so he won't be able to attack either of us without a little warning. Sadly, you will have to stay here, little fellow, but don't worry! I will be back. If I'm not back in an hour, find the nearest hunter or huntress and inform them of the situation." I said to my friend.

Judas nods , telling me, "Just be careful."

Looking back at him standing their awkwardly, i realize that this may be the last time we see each other.

Sighing, i embrace my apprentice and friend,

Judas wraps his little arms around me, snuggling his head against my chest. For a moment i can't bear to let him go, but i gently release him and smile warmly. He has tears swimming in his eyes, so i know that my actions have conveyed my feelings clearly.

Standing up, i swing around to the entrance of the desolate tower. Now that i think of it, it's probably a good idea to use the last of my healing ointment, just in case. Getting it from my bag, I take a few moments to spread it across my body, sighing deeply. That done, i walk forward through the ward into the danger that awaits . Somehow, i always find myself assuming the worst, and somehow, im almost always right when it comes to that. This is definitely one of those times. But I'm always lucky for I'm always in rhe favor of the supreme being, for I had once traded a soul for my protection, until He claimed me of my soul.