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Attack of the Totenslaughts
The following morning, the Seatons, along with Umfenus and Father Baloof, were granted permission to enter the castle of Koriston. A royal guard went ahead of them to give word to the Queen. The four walked humbly down the red carpet, greeting the queen’s subjects who welcomed them. At the end of the carpet, they stopped before her and bowed.
“Dragus Seaton, and the impetuous Andromin,” she said in greeting. “A pleasure to see you, Dragus. And, Andromin, your reputation preceeds you. To what do I owe this pleasure?”
“Your Royal Highness, we come here before you to give you word of an infestation that is growing in your society,” said Dragus.
The queen’s beautiful face seemed to age slightly. She lowered her voice to prevent the subjects standing nearby from overhearing secret and harmful information. “What is this infestation you are talking about?”
“The news I bring you is quite unbelievable and will be difficult to hear. But I assure you I make no false statement.”
“Go on, Dragus.”
“We have uncovered a plot that if successful, may do grave damage to the population of Koriston. The seed of a single vampire has been planted in the underground hall of St. Peter’s Monastery. Your people are being infected by the blood of this creature. Once infected by the blood, the victim dies and is reborn into what is called the “undead”, or he becomes what is more commonly called a “vampire”. During the daylight hours they sleep in caskets and grow strong. At night, they emerge. St. Peter’s is filled with them; at present, there are, by our best estimation, over six hundred of these caskets: vampires readying for their colonization. As every night becomes the next, these vampires multiply. More and more of your people are disappearing, infected by the king of the vampires.”
Umfenus stepped forward. “Your Highness, I am Umfenus. It is I who has brought this information to the Seatons. And indeed, together we have witnessed many strange things.”
“I am not aware of this infestation; why has no one come forth?” demanded Amenova.
“The monastery has been closed to the public by a group of mad men who secretly imported these caskets and brought in this king of vampires,” said Andromin.
The crowd began to stir. “My Queen! I have seen a man bringing these caskets they speak of. I thought nothing of it,” said one of her loyal subjects.
“I too have seen this!” said another.
“This explains the people that have gone missing,” said Queen Amenova. “We must take immediate action. Dragus, how many of these vampires are there?”
“In the hall beneath St. Peter’s there are over one hundred of them, and they are multiplying quickly. We must take action at once. By tomorrow there will be more of these creatures, and more of your people dead.”
“Queen Amenova, I suggest we burn down the Monastery to avoid the spread of this plague. If we burn it to the ground, we are sure to destroy them all. We must act now, for during these daylight hours they sleep within their caskets,” stated Andromin.
“The burning of St. Peter’s Monastery will be a great loss,” said the Queen. “Our people give praise to God and Jesus Christ at this holy sanctuary.”
“My Queen, there is no other way,” chimed in another loyal subject. “Our lives depend upon it.”
“No,” she said firmly. “I will not condemn a house of God to such a cruel fate. We will send an army inside and kill each of these vampires one by one.”
“My Queen, you are putting your army at risk,” said a man.
“These creatures can fly. If you do not exterminate all of them, they will return, only to bring forth this plague upon us all over again,” said another.
Amenova was deep in thought. The Monastery was very sacred. The more she thought about it, the more convicted she was that she must save the house of God. She turned to her aide. “Bayton, ready an army of fifty men. Tell them to destroy the vampires – at all costs, they must save St. Peter’s.”
“Queen Amenova?” said Dragus. He was worried she didn’t understand the full ramifications of her orders.
“I have spoken. You Seatons are far too reckless,” said the Queen. “And I shall come too. I wish to look upon these creatures.”
“My Queen, please stay here where you are safe,” said Bayton.
“I will not sit here while you may decide to set fire to St. Peter’s. You have gone against my word at times, Bayton.
The sun was setting. The army entered the doorway to the monastery and headed for the underground hall of St. Peter’s. Led by the Seatons, they came upon the crypt. The fifty soldiers circled the caskets. It was immediately evident that it would not be nearly enough men to do the job. There were many more caskets than they had seen before, well over one thousand of them. As Queen Amenova entered the large hall she could not believe the number of caskets. She was in dismay.
The moment darkness came, in unison, caskets began to open, releasing their vampires into the air, where they hovered above, looking down at the soldiers. The soldier readied their bows.
“Now!” shouted Bayton. Arrows sliced through the air, striking the vampires. As they were hit, they transformed from human to something inhuman and horrifying. Some of soldiers were attacked. Bayton approached the queen, who was quite frightened. “Queen Amenova, you must leave at once! I have to get you out of here!”
“Bayton! she sobbed. I was wrong! Give word to the men to burn down the Monastery!”
“Yes, my Queen! Now go. I’ll be right behind you!” Bayton gestured to a man he should accompany the queen from the building, and he and Amenova fled the underground crypt. The soldiers began to execute Queen Amenova’s order and tossed their candles onto the caskets. Vampires sprung from their caskets. Some were in flames.
“Get out of here now!” yelled Andromin. “The job is done!”
“Bayton, get your men out! Now!” yelled Dragus. As the soldiers ran out the door, Dragus and Andromin stood near the entrance battling the vampires with their claymores of power. Some of the soldiers were attacked by the vampires before they could escape and underwent the transformation; in two day’s time, they too would become these horrid creatures. Andromin and Dragus watched the last soldier get grabbed, and there was nothing they could do to help him.
Dragus held out his hand, “Bayton! Give me your sword! Give me your sword now and go!” Bayton tossed his sword to Dragus and ran to help Queen Amenova, who would still be inside the monastery. “Andromin! Get out of here now!” Knowing Dragus would easily slay the creature, Andromin left Dragus to decapitate the vampire. Dragus sliced off the vampire’s head shoved the body deep inside the doorway and shut the doors behind him, running Bayton’s sword through the door handles, which barricaded the dreaded vampires inside the now blazing inferno. The vampires pounded at the heavy door, screaming. Dragus touched the door and felt the intense heat. Looking back to make sure they didn’t get out, Dragus ran up the stairs. Just as he reached the top of the staircase, the doors from the crypt blasted open, and fire roared up the stairs towards the doors to the sanctuary. Dragus continued to run past the doors into the hall, and leapt to the floor. He hid behind the stone altar, which protected him from the flames.
Behind him, Dragus could see no sign of any vampires. He got to his feet and watched the fire spread over the ceilings and walls of the Monastery, devouring the benches and rugs. Though the fire was spreading and the air was growing thick with smoke, Dragus kept his eye on the doors to the underground. He needed to be sure the vampire cult was completely destroyed.
Then a single, burning vampire appeared and tried to crawl through the doorway. Dragus knew this was the end for the cult, that they were all dead. This fire was the end of them. With this, he ran for his life.
From the outside, Andromin and the lucky few who escaped watched the Monastery burn. Andromin scanned every door and window for his brother. The flames crept higher into the sky; the monastery would explode. He had to go back for Dragus. Andromin began to run back. Before he could get far, Bayton jumped on top of him.
“It is too late! You will die in there along with your brother!” shouted Bayton.
Andromin glanced at the doorway from the ground. “Get off me, you bastard! I have got to save Dragus!”
“No, you must not lose your life, too!” Bayton struggled with Andromin. Finally, with a hard elbow to Bayton’s face, Andromin was able to free himself, and rushed towards the monastery doors, which had since caught fire. Andromin stopped running. The monastery was engulfed in flames that reached high into the sky. No door or window was spared. Andromin’s heart beat wildly and he thought he would scream. He realized it was too late. He had failed his brother.
Suddenly, the doors crashed open and Dragus tumbled to the ground, blackened and coughing. Andromin’s face lit up with joy to see his brother alive, and he ran to him. He helped Dragus put his arms around his shoulders, and they walked away from the burning building. They slowly approached the small army and Queen Amenova, who had been standing on the side with her men.
The queen looked at Dragus. “You, Dragus Seaton, are by far the most reckless. You have risked your life for my people. Your courage astounds me.”
“What took you so long?” Andromin shouted at his brother. “You were right behind me!”
“I had to make sure that they were all destroyed.”
“And are they?” asked the queen.
Dragus tried to speak clearly and stay conscious “We destroyed… them all. Every single one of them.”
“This city owes its debt to the Seatons,” said the queen. “Dragus, I thank you for what you have done. Andromin, I forgive you for your past. The Seatons are most welcome in Koriston.”
Upon the hill, a man steered a horse drawn carriage. He stopped at the peak, bathed in moonlight. One of the soldiers called out, “Look! Up on the hill. A man brings caskets!”
Dragus and Andromin immediately recognized the man. “It is Bombidus!”
“I want that man captured!” yelled the Queen. “After him!” The Seatons and seven remaining soldiers began to run for the hilltop. Bombidus paused when he saw the band of soldiers running toward him. He looked at the blazing St. Peter’s and knew that the vampire’s plot to overtake the city had been foiled.
Bombidus quickly got off the seat of the carriage and unfastened the carriage from the horse. He worked quickly, but the Seatons and the small army continued to close in on him. With the carriage unfastened, Bombidus harnessed the horse and mounted. He took one last look at the army and the blazing St. Peter’s Monastery before yanking the reins and galloping away, away toward Shillian’s Plateau, to the mountain of Drone.
The Seatons and the army got to the carriage too late; it was abandoned. Dragus and Andromin watched Bombidus ride off into the night, while the army examined the caskets.
“Empty! All empty!” replied a soldier.
“Missed him again!” yelled Andromin.
“He heads toward Shillian’s Plateau. We must get to our horses, and go after him,” remarked Dragus.
“No, brother. We need food and water, and you need rest,” said Andromin. The Seatons and the army walked back to Queen Avenova and Bayton. When the Seatons approached without Bombidus, Amenova knew that this quest of the vampires was not entirely over. She knew this fugitive Bombidus had to be dealt with.
“Dragus, Andromin, I want that renegade captured. He must withstand trial and meet his punishment,” said the Queen.
“Queen Amenova, Bombidus Barrons is a man of Elysium. Andromin and I will go after him. It is our council that will decide his fate,” said Dragus.
“If we capture him, we can learn more of what has transpired here,” said Andromin.
“Then do what you must,” said the queen.
“Our horses must be rested by now. We must get to them and pursue Bombidus at once,” said Dragus.
“You will not stay the night and wait until sunrise?” asked the queen.
“No, your Highness. Every moment we wait, we lose ground on him,” said Andromin.
In the darkened stables, Andromin and Dragus tended to the horses. They fed them again and gave them water. “Here we go, boys,” they said, mounting their horses, and slowly trotting out of the barn. Dragus and Andromin circled into the courtyard where the queen and her soldiers remained.
She looked at them both fondly. “Good luck, my Seatons, in your endevours. May God be with you,” said the queen. “And give my regards to your father, Confidus.”
“We shall!” said Dragus.
“My dear Totenslaughts, I bid you farewell,” said Andromin.
“Andromin?” A soldier stepped forward. It was one of the men who had been so rude in the pub earlier. “I am sorry about my remarks in Gripper’s Green Dragon.”
“All is forgiven,” remarked Andromin, shaking his hand.
Dragus and Andromin galloped away into the night, down the hill toward Shillian’s Plateau. The full moon shown brightly. And Queen Amenova and the Totenslaughts watched the Seatons disappear over the horizon. “Good bye, Dragus and Andromin Seaton.”
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