[b]”Hah! About fucking time!”[/b] Donnel slammed a flagging into the table as the call for another hunt was made. They’d be seeking out bloodsuckers this time. Apparently they had attacked some people in the city. Details were vague, but Donnel heard enough at the guildhall to feel confident for this one. Vampires, though imbue with profane powers, were still human in shape and form. They’ll die just as easily as any other person he’s killed, he figured. Though he’ll have to keep an eye out for any that try to go for his neck. Assuming they didn’t tear out his throat, he’d rather not become a vamp himself. Not yet anyways.

[b]”Alright lads and lassie, I’ll rally ya this time. We got a job, we got our blades, and next time we come back here we’ll have a tale to tell. Now let’s head out!”[/b] Not the best rally Donnel ever lead, but as long as everyone could share his bravado he didn’t care for the quality of his wordplay. He grabbed another drink and a few snacks for the trip. He was joined by a few more hunters, familiar faces from yesterday, as well as a couple of new ones. Despite his rally no one really followed him and instead went with Captain Drystan. Fine with him: Donnel goes at his own pace.

As he continued ever onward Donnel noticed a vagrant on the side of the street. Normally he’d ignore them like all people do, but this one appeared to be a rather pretty little moppet. He has no love for the dissitute and as a professional murader he has both worked alongside and slain many in his life. But he couldn’t resist a pretty face, and that beside, he could use a lass that owes him a favor. So he walked to this girl, dropping half a loaf of bread and even a still warm and greasy leg of chicken into her lap. He looked down to the girl and made his intentions clear. [b]”Follow me and do as I say, and you’ll get more from me.”[/b] Always a charmer, Donnel didn’t really bother to make his case as he went to catch up with the rest of the hunters.

[hr]

Not much longer and the hunters were at the lair. They had the advantage of striking during the day, and thus the enemy likely didn’t know they were coming. But the possibility that perhaps they had animal spies or thralls, or whatever other magical trickery a vampire could muster, did not elude Donnel. Nor the possibility that perhaps this colony was not just made up of ruthless bloodsucking monsters of the night, but families who were simply living with the curse that afflicted them. If they were anything like the bandit camps he worked in before, there would be all manner of women, children, sickly, and innocents inside.

Donnel never saved them before and he wasn’t going to start now.

Donnel choose to enter first. He had bundled some wood together to make a torch and kicked in the door. The first thing he did was throw said torch to the closest, most flammable thing he could see. In this instance it was a pile of mysterious green grass. Perhaps it was some herb or weed, but either way it lit up the room very well, not only illuminating the room inside but surprising any vampire here. Donnel could plainly see about seven total, all of whom appeared to be grown men. He saw one just go down the stairs. [b]”Let the hunt begin!”[/b]

To the nearest man Donnel grabbed the hook off his belt and hurled it to an unfortunate sod. He barely knew what was happening when he felt the piercing pain of a hook dig into his spine and drag him forward right into Donnel’s shield spike. The vampire was hardy however, and while this alone would’ve killed a normal man it only made the vampire angry. He pushed Donnel away a fair distance, but he still kept onto his feet. The vampire however had a gaping chest wound. By the time he registered what was happening, he couldn’t even get a scream out as Donnel’s axe severed his skull in twain. The rest of the vampires quickly realized what was happening however and armed themselves. Most had swords, though two who were working the mysterious grass piles used the pitchforks they were holding to attack the hunters.

Underneath his helmet Donnel merely smiled. Though these vampires were stronger than the usual peasant, he was no greenhorn to a raid. They’ll need more than monstrous strength to survive this battle. Putting his axe away Donnel pulled out his hook from the vampire corpse, spinning it through the air as he approached his next enemy. 

[@ScorpionFlower]