Tower of Blood

The walls were that of a darkened brick color and the ground was similar, having a red carpet on it with a hallway to stairs that led only downward and a frame for a room on the left.

The two cautiously moved towards it, checking what was there, finding nothing but books, an older appearing red chair and splatters of blood all around the room. On the table, chair, ground, books even the walls too. An odd smell too...

All different shades of blood, from old to new.

Lucian lowered his guard and went to inspect closer, checking below the table from where the stench was coming from and finding a dead body there, instinctively widening his eyes and backing away.

"Richard, who is that?" he asked, noticing that the older man is crouched down and gazing at the stuffed person.

"It's Goran.. Didn't know him well, but knew he was a regular at the Inn. Damn."

"That's messed up..." Lucian said, returning to crouch beside him, wanting to see what killed him.

He observed and rotated his body, finding two very small holes on his neck.

A vampire! That was Lucian's first thought. Thinking about it further, there was no way he could narrow down what kind of vampire it is. A higher vampire wouldn't do this, they're not in this area. A bruxa would have most definitely used it's claws and fangs to damage Goran yet he's unscathed, almost like he went willingly.

But that's all the vampire species that Lucian could remember right now and all he could recognize, apart from... There was something between his fingers, a small batch of black hair. No... It was fur.

He didn't take it but he took it under note and soon backed away from the body once more, going outside of the room with Richard.

"It's a vampire. Can't identify which kind." disappointedly he said. 

"We're not prepared to face such a beast, but I sure as hell don't give a shit. I'll see this to the end and find Isolde and Perin. If you want you can head back or wait up here."

"Nah, I'm coming you."

They both nodded and gripped their axes firmly, going to descend down the circular stairway, which was lit up by torches.

Soon enough they ended up down there and checked around the wide area only being met by a door, which seemed to be locked.

Instead of searching for any key, Richard went to the door and kicked it open.

Both of them proceeded inside and followed the path, having frames of rooms on the left and right but nothing mentionable about them until the one at the end of the path, which upon entering they turned right and saw a pathway with cages on their left, which acted as rooms with bars, the doors being locked by something.

1st cage empty, 2nd cage empty, but from there...

"Isolde!" Richard exclaimed, coming to the iron bars as she noticed him and alongside Perin rushed to them, meeting each other and being happy to see one another once more.

"We'll get you out of here!" Richard said to comfort them, noticing that there aren't any bite marks on them.

"She's the only one that has the key! You've got to kill her uncle Rick!" 

Lucian butted in "I'll check for Aeliana and the others."

Richard nodded and continued to speak to both her and Perin, learning not much of it as they didn't remember much.

Lucian checked each cage, noticing some that had dead bodies and others that had ones still alive. He told all of them that they'll get them out of here, still searching for the sister of Uldric, finding her in one of the furthest cages away, before the last one.

"Aeliana?"

"Yes, that's me!" the beautiful girl faintly exclaimed, already being at bars and looked at Lucian.

She had long brown hair up to her tailbone, dazzling blue brown eyes and wore black trousers and a dark blue leather tunic with boots.

"My name is Lucian and I've come to free all of you. Is there anything you can tell me about the vampire that holds you here?" he asked her, noticing the fear in her eyes to mitigate.

"Y-Yes.. She's white, white as a ghost and sometimes regular skin color. Red-ish long hair.. Her facial features can be either humanoid or-or demon like. Long claw hands, sometimes regular humanoid. She comes to feed on us here so she can 'live in peace'... She's also-"

A loud bang stopped her from continuing as she tried to peek out to see what it was, yet Lucian turned to see Richard who also checked to see what it was. Something from where they came from for sure.

Like a pan hitting the stone ground and echoing, but without the echo.

Hearing tapping on the ground, making it come closer and closer with each tap, Lucian started to move away from Aeliana's cage and took a few silent steps to from where he came from.

"Lucian!" the girl called out his name and he turned his head. "You and mr. Richard, there's a hidden room behind him, right in front of the cell's door on the opposite side. There's armor there, but be quick. It's brutal!"

"Thanks" Lucian replied with a smile.

"Another thing, she is somehow... Rune."

His eyebrow arose as he looked at her "Your dog? The vampire is your dog..?"

"Yes! Trust me. I'm not crazy!" her eyes swindled into that of fear as he held onto the bars of the cage.

He placed his hand on her hand, with only the intention of trusting her "Okay, okay. I believe you."

Even though he saw the bitemarks of a vampire on her neck, she could be high from the blood loss or she could be telling the truth. Either way, he moved back to Richard and told him of the secret room, opening it quickly by pushing the torch and entering the open area room.

There they saw multiple dead bodies stacked one on another, even skeletons and blood everywhere. But they took the armor that fitted them and quickly put it on and were now protected by an iron breastplate.

It was almost there.

There was no time to take anything else.

Both of them left back outside and waited for whatever is coming to finally arrive as they held their axes firmly, feeling the gaze of those who could see them on their backs.

Tap after tap, it was soon there.

It entered through the door and took a turn.

It was a black dog with yellow eyes. It was Rune.

"Rune? Fuck, you almost gave me a scare!" Richard said to it as Lucian tapped him and waved his head left and right.

The following moment, the beast screeched as it began to take the shape of a demon-like being, the same demon like features that Aelianna said. It was a vampire for sure.

Isolde, Perin and multiple others backed away from the cage and kept observing.

The vampire began to unleash a scream at them, seeing it's shockwaves and quickly entering the large room from where they got their armor to dodge it.

"You ready boy?" Richard asked him, standing beside him and being at the ready for when it stops screaming.

"Ready as I'll ever be..."