The Homunculus Knight

Book II: Heart-Stealer

Chapter One: Red Dreams

“Every act ripples across the Cosmos. Every act of benevolence strengthens the Light. While every act of malice feeds the Dark. In our own small ways, we help tip the balance in the Beyond. Our lives and even our deaths give to the Beyond, and in turn, the Beyond gives to us. Our Gods and Seraphim are built upon our virtues. While the Fell Gods and Hellkyn gorge themselves on our sins. Our existence is balanced on a terrible knife-head that we control in a tiny but noticeable way. Never forget that truth, and let it guide your actions'' - Book of Saint Mira 3-13

A field of identical corpses surrounded the God of Death. While they all belonged to the same person, they each showed a unique and terrible death. No one mourned these bodies nor even knew they existed. For, in fact, they didn't. The field of corpses was little more than a metaphor. A collection of echos, each marking a time when Cole the Deathless proved his epitaph.

Souls are strange things. Magical imprints of experiences, beliefs, and traits that connect a living creature to the Beyond. To see a Soul in its entirety is to see who its owner truly is. Something that can be traumatic for both sides of that exchange. Examining a Soul is something only the most capable mortals can hope to do. But it is the bread and butter of the Gods. One God, in particular, had spent countless eternities doing just this. Master Time, the God of Entropy and its myriad facets. Lord of the Halls of Judgment and final arbiter of a Soul’s destiny.

Master Time wore one of his countless faces. A mortal perception of his cosmic whole, acting as a buffer between his totality and the soul he now examined. The shape he wore was of an Angler, one he favored when dealing with humanoids. In taking this form, Master Time purposely limited himself. Forcing himself to see through the pinhole mortals call consciousness. A necessary trade-off for subtlety and safety. Having a God brush against your soul without any buffer could be deeply disturbing. Something poor Natalie Striga could attest to.

So, where Master Time might be able to see the totality of Cole’s soul, the Angler could only see the field of Corpses he stood upon. On the surface, this was a manifestation of the trauma of Cole’s myriad deaths. But it hid other even fouler secrets that the Angler now searched for.

Cole was not the only one disquieted by his most recent resurrection. The God who he served had noticed the abnormality and wanted to investigate. Leading him here, inside of Cole’s soul while he slept. Walking through the field of bodies, the Angler quickly found what he was looking for. Laying atop a small pile of ruined bodies was a disemboweled version of Cole. The Paladin’s most recent death.

Leaning down, the Angler placed a hand on the Corpse-Cole’s face. The face cracked under the light touch and disintegrated into ash. Brushing away the layer of soot, the Angler saw what lay beneath. A different face, one painfully familiar to the Angler. It was Petar, the Corpse Feeder and near-usurper of the Alukah.

Gently, the Angler brushed away at the Corpse-Cole and uncovered the rest of Petar’s body. It truly was the Feeder or at least a copy of his corpse. Something that did not bode well. Leaving this body, the Angler went over to another and repeated the processes. As he did, the new Corpse-Cole fell apart. Its ashy exterior crumbling away to reveal a twisted mismatch of body parts. Arms, legs, and bits of torso that did not match each other. Only held together by the Cole-shaped shell of ash.

Stepping away from the exposed bodies, the Angler looked around at the hundreds of corpses surrounding him. Speaking to himself, the God-in-Disguise said.

“Oh, this is not good.”

Natalie Striga had spent her entire life in the town of Glockmire. Only leaving it a handful of time and only then journeying a little more than two days ride. Of her two months of undeath, she’d spent most of it out in the frozen wilderness. Learning to hate every last second of it. The weather had turned almost the minute she and Cole left Glockmire. Winter arrived in the Dragontail mountains with its full fury. Catching the Vampire and Paladin out on the road in miserable conditions.

The bitter cold didn’t truly bother Natalie anymore. She was a Vampire now. It would take temperatures not seen outside of the Farthest North to hamper her. But what did bother her was the eternal dampness and her own hunger. Without any body heat or real ability to recognize the cold, Natalie’s clothes were constantly moist. Her own movement and the nightly campfires kept her clothes from actually freezing but did little to dry them out. Every snowflake or bit of frost inevitably added to her damp torment. Of course, a living person would have long frozen to death or noticed the problem before it became so bad. With her newly warped senses, Natalie did neither. Instead existing in a moist purgatory.

To make matters worse, being up in the day and using her supernatural endurance to match Cole’s pace was rapidly burning through her blood supply. Cole could only feed her with so much, as he needed to keep his wits about him. Leaving Natalie both damp and slightly hungry for nearly two months.

Cole had forced them to travel as fast as they could, trying to get as much distance between them and Glockmire before the inevitable hunt started. Leaving little time or energy for anything other than simple survival. The days and nights turned into a quiet monotony of miserable travel and little rest. While Cole was used to this sort of thing, Natalie was starting to crack under the strain. She wasn’t sleeping much, using her Blood Reserve to keep herself awake for days at a time. Fearing the helpless corpse-sleep that came with each dawn and the strange dreams arriving with it.

It was after nearly two months of this torment that the two sat around a pitful campfire in silence. Cole was too tired to make conversation, and Natalie was busy trying to keep her frantic mind under control. It had been three days since she last fed, and the Hunger was becoming louder and louder. Its insidious whispers combined with Natalie’s own irritation regarding the situation. Slowly marinating into a petulant grievance aimed at Cole, a grievance that could only be forgiven with enough blood.

Trying not to look at her new partner, Natalie stared at the campfire. Using the slight disquiet the flames inspired in the Vampire-part of her to combat the Hunger. They sat like that for a few minutes. Having finished up making camp and now thawing themselves by the fire. Eventually, Cole broke the silence.

His words were dry and quiet, coming from a throat now unpracticed with speech. “I need to teach you how to hunt.”

Natalie looked up at him, a questioning look on her pale face. Cole answered before she could voice her queries. “I think we are close to the border. We should be leaving Roloyo in the next few days. We can slow our pace some and focus on other priorities.”

That knowledge (ironically) brought new life to Natalie. A long overdue respite would do wonders for her mental health. But still, Cole hadn’t answered her unspoken question. “Hunting, what exactly?” she said, a hint of nervousness in her voice.

Cole looked at her steadily. “I can tell how bad the Hunger is getting for you.” Natalie flinched at that. Vampire instincts and her own shame reeled at Cole’s bluntness. “You need Blood from sources other than me. There is plenty of game in these woods. I know Animal blood is not as…filling, but it will help.”

Natalie cocked her head in surprise; she hadn’t even thought of using animal blood. It was moments like these that made her remember exactly how knowledgeable Cole was about Vampires. He’d spent his entire life close to them, either as an ally or enemy. Pondering this, Natalie changed the topic.

“Can you teach me Blood Magic?” Natalie knew she had a knack for it, even before becoming a Vampire. And Cole seemed to know little magic outside of the grim art. If he was going to teach her how to hunt, then maybe he could teach her other skills?

Cole seemed to think on it for a moment before answering. “I can try, but I don’t know how good of a teacher I will be. I’m not particularly good at Magic, period, and I think Vampire Magic will take more talent to teach than I possess.”

Biting her cheek in annoyance, Natalie winced slightly. Despite having fangs for two months, she still hadn’t managed to drop that habit. Idly, Cole asked. “Why do you want to learn?”

Wrinkling her nose in slight annoyance, Natalie answered. “I don’t want to be helpless. I’ve had these powers forced upon me, and I feel like I should at least know enough about them to defend myself.”

Cole’s question irked something deep in Natalie. Why was he questioning her right to use her power? She was the bloody Alukah now; she should have the right to use its power. A bitter frown found its way onto Natalie’s face, and the conversation petered out.

Watching her, Cole could almost see the warring emotions and reactions inside of Natalie. Over the last few weeks, he’d watched a bitter, angry streak develop in her. It worried Cole and left him uncertain of what to do. It could be a simple reaction to so much loss in Natalie or a symptom of something much more sinister. Bitterly Cole had to admit it was probably a mixture of both.

Throwing a few more sticks onto the fire, Cole tried a new tactic. “Do you know how its possible for mortals to fight Vampires and win?”

Natalie looked at him and gave the obvious answer, “Because of the weaknesses placed on the them? Sunlight, Fire, Silver, that stuff.” Weaknesses that Natalie had shown an incredible resistance to. Only Silver seemed to effect her like a normal Vampire, with the rest having muted or absent effects.

Considering that, Cole replied. “That helps but isn’t the real secret. In truth, the biggest flaw for Vampires is how little most focus on defending themselves. All that aggression and hunger drives them to fight with overwhelming offense. Couple that with their pride, and you get ambush predators who like to toy with their prey. Leaving openings that can be exploited by anyone who knows where to find them.”

A little annoyed at this conversation topic, Natalie bitingly asked, “Why are you telling me this?”

Pointing a gloved finger at her, Cole actually smiled. “You said you wanted to learn in order to defend yourself. Not to kill your enemies or get revenge. But to defend yourself.”

Getting up from where he sat, Cole came over to where Natalie sat opposite the campfire. Slowly, he put out a hand, which after a moment of hesitation, Natalie took. Looking into her eyes Cole half-whispered. “That's what is going to be the difference, Natalie. Between you and everyone else who wants the power inside of you. Don’t lose it, I beg of you.”

Something about the honest sincerity in Cole’s pale blue eyes put a crack in Natalie’s growing spite. Deflating slightly, Natalie leaned against Cole. Letting herself nestle into his larger form. She let out a slightly annoyed huff upon realizing she couldn’t put her head on his shoulder and needed to be content with just leaning on him. Natalie made another noise of annoyance as Cole moved to wrap his arm around her. Her small protest died quickly as his warmth started to reach her.

In a voice so small it was almost drowned out by the Campfire, Natalie whispered. “It's hard, Cole. It's so jagging hard.”

His only answer was to pull her closer. Shutting her eyes and letting the bone-deep exhaustion hit her, Natalie continued. “I’m hungry, tired, and feel so angry all the time.”

With a bit of difficulty, Cole managed to take his glove off with one hand and started running his fingers through Natalie’s snow-damp hair. That seemed to melt through the last bit of Natalie’s anger, and she felt herself fully relax into Cole’s embrace. Letting out a pleased hum at the attention, Natalie asked, “How did you know I like that?”

At the best of times, Cole was never the best with people. For all his compassion, a lack of tact tended to be his downfall. Exhausted from their trek, and not fully recovered from events in Glockmire, Cole’s facility for some things was diminished. So he answered honestly.

“Isabelle used to like it. So I figured you would.”

Instantly, Natalie went rigid. An iron-spike of jealousy hitting into her core. Pulling away from Cole, Natalie fought the desire to say some truly unkind things. It was a struggle. She’d experienced enough to pull out people’s worst self, not even counting having her soul contaminated with an ancient evil.

Wincing at her reaction, Cole tried to find suitable words. He settled on the tried and true ones. “I’m sorry.”

The bitter part of Natalie that seemed to grow with every day wanted to dismiss the whole thing with “It's fine” and let herself stew in her anger. But the memory of Cole’s warmth and kind words got through to Natalie’s better parts.

On some half-baked impulse, Natalie asked. “Why do you love her?”

A more jaded partner would see her question as a trap. Cole being Cole, just answered honestly. “Lots of reasons, but the one that sticks out to me is her joy.”

“Her joy?” asked Natalie, having not expected that answer at all.

“Yes, she was a scholar at heart. She was happiest when she had a project to work on and discoveries to make. I know it sounds silly, but when she would make a breakthrough, she would run from her labs, laughing loud enough to wake the dead, literally in one case. Then she’d track down anyone who would listen and explain what she learned. I know it sounds strange to say, but in those moments, she was more filled with joy and life than you could imagine.”

Cole’s words made Natalie reassess some things. Predominantly her image of Isabelle. She’d thought of the semi-dead Vampire as a soulless leach who’d created Cole just to abuse and manipulate. While Natalie wasn’t fully ready to discard that idea, she was willing to believe there had been more complexity to the Vampress.

They sat in silence, Natalie debating whether to apologize for her reaction or to try and change the subject. Cole did it for her. “I first started having feelings for you when we left for Lungu. Your liveliness and passion struck a chord in me. When I later learned of the great personal strength accompanying that passion, I was infatuated. I’ve seen lots of terrible things in my life, including how tragedy can burn people out. That you’ve resisted that and kept that spark is inspiring.”

Natalie hung her head, guilt and self-loathing running rampant in her soul. Predatory instincts screaming for her to emotinally distance herself from Cole. To cut this connection and the weakness it created. Instead, Natalie bared her heart.

“That spark… do I still have it?” a faint tremble accompanied her words. The bare hint of the sobs bearing down on Natalie.

With that intimidating strength of his, Cole spun Natalie to face him and put his forehead to hers. Then spoke the truth. “Of course you do. While it might be buried now more than it was in the past, it's still there. I see flickers of it so often, Natalie. It's not gone, and I don’t think it could ever be. I think it's part of who you are.”

Pulling away from Cole slightly, Natalie looked him in the eyes and softly said. “Thank you.”

Cole simply smiled “You are welc-mmpph” Natalie cut him off with a kiss. Showing off her increasing skills by returning life and warmth to her mouth and lips. They both melted into the kiss. Enjoying their mutual passion. The intensity of it only increased as Natalie ran questing fingers along Cole’s body, and he tentatively returned the gesture. Placing his large hands on her hips and small of her back. Smiling as she kissed him, Natalie was acutely aware they hadn’t “consummated” their relationship in the most classical sense. Something she was planning on rectifying.

Eventually breaking the kiss, Natalie let her lips trail down to Cole’s neck, ready to continue their descent down along his body. As she kissed his throat, the overpowering instincts of a Vampire slammed into her mind in full force. This close to willing prey, in the perfect situation to feed, the terrible mix of lust and hunger inside her was incredible. With a pained yelp, Natalie pushed herself away from Cole. Launching herself back a good meter. Leaving a surprised Cole lying on the ground, having been knocked over by her retreat.

Hugging herself, feeling the warmth drain away, Natalie spoke shakily. “I-I-I want to. I really, really want to. But… I’m afraid. If I lost control and…fed while we were together. I don’t know if I could forgive myself.”

The still stunned Cole answered with all the eloquence expected from a man who’d just been aggressively kissing a beautiful woman. “Uh.. yes, that makes sense.”

Awkwardly the two adjusted their clothes and settled back into silence. Cole stared off into space and tried not to think about what had just happened. He hadn’t been intimate with someone since Isabelle’s death and was completely shocked by this new experience. Not because he hadn’t enjoyed it, precisely the opposite. The feeling of Natalie’s soft body pressed to his body left a curious phantom sensation. Trying not to focus on it, Cole changed the topic in his usually deft manner.

“Let's get some food and get some rest.”

Sheepishly, Natalie nodded. She doubted the wisdom of feeding right after what just happened. But her self-control was just about spent; she wasn’t about to object. So they settled into their strange nightly ritual. Cole offered his right arm to Natalie while he ate his dried rations with his free left arm. There was something perverse about this odd pattern, but neither of them commented on it. Cole gnawed on the preserved food he had. Annoyed at the weather for freezing his rations into a single solid food clump. While Natalie drank his blood and felt the cruel hunger slowly ebb.

Shortly after, they retired to their tent and prepared to sleep. Vampires don’t so much as sleep as they do “die,” becoming little more than a lifeless corpse until the Sun sets. Sleeping during the night was not something a Vampire was supposed to do. So for a time, Natalie had been forced to simply lie awake throughout the night. Distracting herself with wood carving and little else. Noting her distress at this, Cole had offered to help find a way for her to sleep during the day.

After a little experimentation, Cole had found a way to force Natalie into corpse-sleep. Lying down in the tent, Natalie let out a useless breath and said. “Alright, I’m ready.”

Smiling sadly at her, Cole took off his medallion and placed it on her chest, right over her heart. The effect was instantaneous. Natalie dropped into unconsciousness. The sacred relic’s influence shutting her down. Through trial and error, Cole and Natalie learned that a sacred item like the medallion might burn away a normal Vampire's flesh. For Natalie, it simply shut off whatever part of her body it touched. Knocking her out when placed on her heart. It was just as effective as staking a normal Vampire, and once removed, Natalie could awaken as normal.

With her settled, Cole plopped down into his sleeping bag and let out a tired sigh. He was holding together better than Natalie was, but the last two months hadn’t been easy on him either. In part because of the strange dreams that haunted him every night. Dreams he knew were more than unconscious worries. He hadn’t told Natalie about the dreams hoping they would go away, but as he shut his eyes and tried to sleep. Cole knew that hope was probably a foolish one.

Cole felt like he was falling. He felt like he was plummeting through the air at incredible speeds. Shooting his eyes open in surprise, Cole looked around him, trying to get his bearings. His first impression confirmed his initial thoughts. He was definitely falling. The world around him was a whirl of ash clouds and red-tinted sky. As he tumbled through the air, Cole caught sight of a twisted Moon hanging above him. Its light distorted into a reddish hue with hints of silver around its edges. An Eclipsed Moon.

In the pale glow of the Moon, Cole saw other things falling with him. Through the ash and shadows, he caught glimpses of shredded bodies and torn limbs. Grimacing, Cole thought to himself. “So far, just like all the other dreams.”

Awkwardly, he tried to position his body so he could see the ground while he fell. While Cole had fallen off a cliff more than once, he had no knowledge on falling properly. He was no Griffin Knight trained to slow his descent and maneuver through the air if thrown from a mount. Still, Cole managed to change his momentum, so he flipped through the air a little slower. Looking down, Cole saw what lay below him.

A strange wasteland of ash awaited him. Dotted by ruined monuments and crumbling towers, it stretched out in every direction. In the distance, Castle spires and Temple cloisters stuck out of the ash. While directly below him was a small pile of crumpled figures. Bodies or bits of bodies spread out over a field. As he watched, Cole saw some of the falling corpses around him hit the ground with puffs of ash. Looking away from that, Cole saw he had gotten close to one of the ruined bodies in the air. He was only a meter or two away and could recognize its face. It was Wilhelm or at least part of him. The Innkeeper's ruined face stared at him unblinkingly.

Stunned, Cole didn’t even realize the ground had come up to meet them. A bone-pulping impact smashed into Cole and knocked him clear out of his dream. Cole lay in the tent, gasping for breath. The wind had been knocked out of him. Frantically sucking down air, Cole sat up and tried to collect his thoughts. The dreams of falling through a sky surrounded by ash and corpses were not new. Hitting the ground in them was. Looking over at the still “sleeping” Natalie, Cole winced and lay back down. He really wouldn’t be sharing these dreams with her now. She had enough of her own guilt and loss without him adding to her plate. Shutting his eyes, Cole tried to sleep. Uncertain of what his evolving dreams portend, but doubted it was anything good.

Natalie’s dreams were, for the most part, fairly normal. In her strange corpse-sleep she dreamt of serving drinks at the Silly Goat. Except all the customers were actual Goats, and the food she was serving kept trying to scuttle away on legs made of sawdust. While her teeth also kept falling out whenever she concentrated on anything. In this strange false copy of happier memories, Natalie bustled about. Eventually, realizing she needed to go to the pantry and get something. She couldn’t remember exactly what, but she needed to enter the pantry.

Slipping past a small herd of Goats, Natalie entered the pantry and stopped mid-stride. She was standing in the middle of a lake. A lake of blood, with an oversized moon hanging overhead. Turning back to the pantry door, Natalie was startled to see it was missing. Whirling around to see where it was gone, Natalie stopped her little spin when she realized she wasn’t alone.

Standing not two meters away was a tall, elegant woman with imperious cheekbones, hawkish features, and a tight smile. The strange woman gilded towards Natalie across the blood lake. Her long skirts leaving a rippling wake in the ichor. Nervously, Natalie took a step back and nearly tripped. The blood lake was strangely slick under her feet. The woman shot out a lightning-quick hand and caught Natalie. Gasping at the cold strength of the stranger's grip, Natalie regained her balance. Just in time for the woman to drag her closer.

Suddenly Natalie was a handspan away from the woman. Their faces almost touching. Startled, Natalie just stood there as the woman checked her over. Natalie had the uncomfortable sensation she was being assessed somehow. After a few seconds, the stranger released her grip but did not stop her unblinking examination. The woman circled around Natalie, observing her with that same hyper-focused interest. Shivering slightly under the intensity, Natalie broke the silence.

“Who the Hells are you? And what are you doing in my dream?” while she hadn’t been certain earlier. The jarring switch from the Silly Goat to this strange lake was confirmation enough.

The stranger’s smile widened, showing pearly fangs that Natalie somehow recognized. It was those fangs that had started this entire story. When Natalie found the skull in Cole’s room. Answering her own question, Natalie said. “You are Isabelle!”

Isabelle just nodded and gestured nearby. Where a pair of wrought iron chairs emerged from the blood. Well, perhaps emerge was the wrong word; they seemed to be made from the blood. It snaked up and congealed into surprisingly comfortable-looking chairs.

In a lilting voice with an accent similar to Cole's, Isabelle finally spoke. “We have much to discuss. Come sit with me, Natalie.”

Shrugging her shoulders, Natalie did as she was asked. Sitting into the chair opposite Isabelle and fixing the phantom with a scowl. “How are you doing this?”

Raising a single perfectly sculpted eyebrow, Isabelle asked, “Entering your dreams? It wasn’t hard with that drop of blood I took from you. But worry not; I can do little more than link my own dream with yours. Creating this little overlap we can talk in.”

One of Natalie’s fingers tingled slightly at the memory. She’d cut herself on Isabelle’s fangs shortly before her father’s funeral. Realizing that hadn’t been an accident but some ploy by Isabelle, Natalie spat. “What do you want?”

Isabelle actually laughed. A melodic sound that Natalie knew had been practiced for noble functions. “Oh, I can see why he likes you. You have a fire in you, Natalie.”

Ignoring Isabelle’s “compliment,” Natalie reiterated. “What do you want with me, Isabelle?”

Smiling with all the haughty confidence you’d expect from a powerful Vampire, Isabelle explained. “I want to teach you, Natalie. You have all these gifts but no one to teach you how to use them. Something I can easily rectify.”

Narrowing her eyes, Natalie half-snarled “Why would you help me?” pointing an accusatory finger at the older Vampire, Natalie cut off the expected retort. “If you even try to say it's out of the goodness in your heart or some other paper-thin lie. I will huck your skull into the next Well I find.”

Tired, stressed beyond words, and coping with enough trauma to break a person, Natalie was not taking kindly to her dream being invaded. Dropping any attempt at politeness, Natalie was ready to verbally flay Isabelle at any provocation.

Instead of getting angry at Natalie’s threats, Isabelle laughed. An actual laugh this time, not the false-thing of before. Deep rolling laughter that ended with a few undignified snorts. Clutching her mouth and trying to stifle the last few giggles. Isabelle looked at Natalie with genuine mirth.

“Oh, you are a fun one. We are going to have so much fun together!” collecting herself, Isabelle steepled her fingers and returned to her earlier aristocratic bearing. “No, I won’t insult your intelligence or feed your paranoia through such an overt lie. I intend this to be a mutually beneficial relationship.”

Crossing her arms and glaring at Isabelle, Natalie asked. “What would you get out of teaching me?”

Isabelle answered with a thin-lipped smile. “A body eventually. You are an Alukah and have incredible potential in all manner of dark magical arts. Flesh crafting included. Once you get a handle on that ancient power inside of you, creating me a body would be a simple side project.”

Smile broadening, Isabelle gestured at herself. “Especially if you have the greatest scholars of this age to help you!”

Natalie didn’t break her guarded posture and resisted the urge to lash out. She had some choice words for this “greatest scholar.” But her earlier anger was receding as warry curiosity took its place. Tentatively, Natalie tested the metaphorical waters. “I still don’t see why I should accept your offer. It might take me some time, but I should be able to figure things out. That seems an acceptable cost to ensure you aren’t resurrected.”

A tiny crack in Isabelle’s demeanor appeared. A moment of seething anger that quickly disappeared beneath aloof airs. Seeing that made Natalie smile slightly. “See, Cole might still love you, but I think that has more to do with your venom and manipulations than anything else. I wonder if you are even capable of loving him in kind? From where I sit, you seem like an ancient monster so proud of her genius that she became obsessed with her own creation. Engaged in a self-absorbed parody of affection without giving a damn about your partner in truth. Now unwilling to let him have his own life even after you jagging died!”

Building up momentum, Natalie continued pushing. “Even if we disregard everything with Cole. Which is in itself reason enough. I think the world is probably better off without you. While Cole said you were one of the nicer Nobles, I don’t buy that for a second. I’ve seen firsthand what the Nobles are like and how well they can hide that truth. On top of that, whatever Dark Magic you used to create Cole was not developed innocently. I heard as much from a literal God!”

Finishing her rant, Natalie stared at Isabelle. Neither broke eye contact. Neither needing to blink or breathe. The only sound in the strange moonlit lake was the faint clicking of Isabelle's teeth rubbing together. Eventually, Isabelle broke first. Shutting her eyes and leaning back into her chair.

In a faint, almost wavering voice, Isabelle asked. “There is… an element to truth in what you say. But you also lack the full picture. I will not deny I’ve done things that would merit my demise. I, however, will contest any claim that my feelings for Cole are in any way false!”

Isabelle’s last words built into almost a shout before dying back down. “You’ve met him and fallen for him. Natalie, you know what Cole is like. That strange empathy of his and the effect it has on people. From the moment of his creation, he had that…oddity to him, and no matter what life has thrown at him, it’s not been stamped out. Is it so hard to believe being around him was enough to convince even an old monster to change? I may have created him, Natalie, but he saved me!”

The tense silence of before was replaced by an uncomfortable twin. This time it was Natalie’s turn to break it. “I’m willing to maybe reassess my opinion, Isabelle. Before I even consider creating you a body, I need to trust you. Which is something you are going to have to earn.”

The weary sorrow in Isabelle faded as Natalie started speaking the familiar language of transaction. Drawing on years of experience haggling at the market, Natalie set her terms. “Teach me something basic. Something I can use. No strings attached. Do that, and I might consider your offer.”

To Natalie’s surprise, Isabelle clapped her hand together and smiled. “I accept! This will be so much fun. I haven’t had a proper pupil in close to a century!”

Getting out of her chair and gliding over towards Natalie, Isabelle continued speaking. An oddly chipper note to her words. “In fact, as an additional gesture of goodwill, I’ll teach you two valuable skills. One practical, one pleasurable!”

In one smooth motion, Isabelle grabbed Natalie’s hand, pulled her to her feet, and dissolved the two chairs with a flick of her wrist. Isabelle made another gesture, and a strange shaft emerged from the blood-lake a few meters away. Natalie watched as the shaft continued growing, turning into a tall withered tree. With branches snapped away, and its bark burned. It looked like a victim of a forest fire.

As the tree settled into being, Isabelle strode over to it and placed a hand on the tree. Turning her head back to face Natalie, she explained. “I take it, you know how to activate your strength and speed?”

Natalie nodded; she’d learned that much herself. Focus on whatever muscles she wanted to strengthen and pour some of her stored blood into them. Spending the precious ichor to enhance her body in proportion to much blood she’d used. It had been the second trick Natalie had picked up after learning to stay awake in the daytime.

“Good,” replied Isabelle. “Now, I would like you to punch this tree with all your might.”

Scoffing at that, Natalie gestured at the tree and remarked. “I’d break my entire arm in the process. I’ve figured out that much by myself.”

In some of her experimentation, Natalie learned that enhanced strength did not mean enhanced durability. She’d more than once snapped a bone in an ill-advised attempt at using her powers. Even though she could heal from such a wound in minutes, it still hurt like the Hells.

Isabelle, for her part, seemed both disappointed and amused. “That's because you’ve been doing it improperly. Let me demonstrate before I teach you.” on that mark, Isabelle backhanded the tree. Slamming her elbow and forearm into the worn wood with incredible force. A loud crack echoed through the dreamscape, and Natalie winced instinctually. But in contrast to her gut reaction, the sound didn’t come from Isabelle’s bones splintering but from the tree shattering. Its trunk torn open like a particularly large if blunt axe had hit it.

Standing about a meter farther away from the tree was Isabelle regaining her balance. Meeting Natalie’s eyes, Isabelle explained. “It's not enough to merely enhance the muscle, bones, and anything else you want to preserve needs to be strengthened as well.” raising up her arm, Isabelle showed it was intact…mostly. The skin had been shredded. Black blood was regrowing the ruined patches. “The main problem is concentrating on the different bodily systems and balancing the used blood is difficult. So sacrificing less crucial elements can be necessary.”

Wincing, Natalie looked down at her hands. Clenching them into fists, she took an unneeded breath. “Alright, I can start with that, but what's the other thing you want to teach me?”

Isabelle’s serene smile turned almost predatory as she answered. “How to appear mortal, of course!”

Eyes widening in surprise, Natalie rushed over to where Isabelle stood and frantically asked. “How? I’ve figured out how to make some body parts life-like, but it's not enough to appear truly human”

In response, Isabelle closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath. Natalie watched as Isabelle’s color turned from pure white to tan. Her chest rose and fell with breaths, and her body adopted the thousand tiny twitches and unconscious movements absent in the Undead. Clearing her throat, Isabelle opened incredibly dark brown eyes and smiled. The presence of fangs in that smile dampened Natalie’s excitement.

Seeing that, Isabelle closed her lips. “Learning to speak without showing any teeth is another important skill, but I think you can manage that one by yourself. Now restoring your body to false-life is tricky at first, but with practice can become second nature. First channel blood to your heart.”

Natalie did as requested, but nothing happened. “Make sure you are pouring only a little bit of blood into this. It will make things easier.” Natalie obliged Isabelle’s instructions and awaited the next set “Now try putting a little more blood into your heart. Then lower the amount back to the original amount.”

Haltingly, Natalie did as she was commanded and experienced something she hadn’t felt in two months. Her heartbeat. A single weak thump that echoed through her chest like a physical blow. Isabelle glided over to Natalie and placed a now warm hand on her student’s neck. Uncaring of the subtly intimate touch, Natalie tried again. Feeling like she was squeezing a sponge and releasing it over and over. Rapid unsteady heartbeats came to Natalie, and she felt her body begin to warm. Fast breaths came next, and in her excitement, she lost the rhythm. Losing the little warmth she’d gained.

Restarting, Natalie kept practicing. Unconsciously smiling at Isabelle in triumph. Isabelle returned the smile and leaned forward. “You are an interesting one, young Natalie. I look forward to a rewarding relationship with you.”

Acutely aware of Isabelle’s closeness, Natalie looked away and nodded in response. Up close, she was acutely reminded of how beautiful Isabelle was. A truth enforced by the new life breathed into her. Rapidly retreating from that dangerous line of thought, Natalie turned her focus back to the technique. Forcing her mind to dwell on the processes of forcing life back into the corpse she inhabited.

After nearly half an hour of this, only interrupted by Isabelle giving Natalie pointers. The older Vampire stepped away. “You have the basics down well. Let's spend the remaining time on practical skills.” Grimacing, Natalie stopped her effort and looked at the burnt tree. She instinctively knew this wasn’t going to be fun.

Natalie had been right in her worries. She’d broken both her arms thrice and pulped her knuckle bones more times than she wanted to count. Throughout this torturous exercise, Isabelle lectured Natalie on the anatomy of the hands. Insisting knowledge of the complicated bone structure would help Natalie better fortify them. Natalie wasn’t sure about that but was willing to listen. Eventually, after a small eternity, Isabelle stopped Natalie's training.

The pale moon overhead was becoming darker like it was obscured by something. Isabelle gestured at it and said. “It's time for you to return. I can only connect our dreams for so long before it starts to wear on me. When you decide to take up my offer, just feed my skull another drop of your blood.”

Not if, when she agreed to take up her offer. The confidence rankled Natalie and brought back some of the earlier anger. Before it could grow out of proportion, Isabelle clapped her hands excitedly. “Oh! One thing before you go. I overheard my Darling is taking you hunting tomorrow. If you catch anything, keep its skull. I can use that in your next lessons.”

Natalie wanted to ask why she needed the skull, but before she could, the Blood-Lake changed. Natalie plunged into it, no longer skimming along its surface but dropping into its depths like a stone. Stunned, Natalie inhaled a lungful of blood and felt the world go black.

Cole held his wrist over Natalie’s mouth and let a few drops of his blood fall into it. The effect was instantaneous. The young Vampire awoke with a start, limbs flailing in sudden surprise. Making a soothing noise, Cole put a hand on Natalie’s arm and helped ground her. Pushing past the surprise of sudden violent consciousness, Natalie looked up at Cole and smiled. A smile that quickly turned into a concerned frown. Partially because her “dreams” from the previous night returned in full force. Partially because of how weary Cole looked. Just from his slightly glazed eyes and stooped posture, Natalie knew he hadn’t slept well.

“How long have you been up?” asked Natalie, suddenly worried he’d stayed awake all night to guard her. He’d done that a few times. When their path took them close to settlements, and each time, Natalie had almost throttled him in frustration upon realizing it.

“Not long,” replied Cole. “It's a little after first light. How are you?”

Natalie opened her mouth to answer but paused. She was about to tell Cole about her nocturnal communion, but some part of her decided against it. “I’m feeling decent. But my dreams were odd.”

Cole answered with a mirthless chuckle. “So were mine. Sometimes there's nothing better than to wake up.”

“Yeah,” said Natalie halfheartedly. She didn’t know why she wasn’t telling Cole the details of the dream. He had a right to know what Isabelle was up to, right? But some gut feeling told Natalie not to. The only question was, where was that feeling coming from? Was it a legitimate worry about Isabelle manipulating Cole or Natalie’s own jealousy? Bitterly Natalie knew the truth was probably a mix.

As she got up and exited the tent, Natalie made a promise to herself. If Isabelle proved herself trustworthy, then she’d tell Cole. Which admittedly was a promise as vague as it was flimsy. Sighing slightly, Natalie went over to the remnants of last night's fire. Where Cole was breathing new life into its final embers. Natalie took a moment to watch him work. While Cole swore his methods of resurrecting the fire weren’t magical, Natalie wasn’t so sure. He would crouch over the few final embers and, in a minute or two, have it restored to a crackling flame.

Stepping away from today's example, Cole warmed his hands on the rapidly growing fire. No magic was involved in the effort. Just a mixture of wisdom and luck. In his travels, Cole had learned a wide variety of survival skills, either from fellow wanderers or by trial and error. Finding dry bits of tinder even in the winter was a prime example of this. Content with the fire, Cole started his next order of business. He needed to teach Natalie how to hunt. She needed a source of blood that wasn’t him or an innocent. Of course, he doubted any wildlife could be considered guilty of a crime worthy of death. But the loss of a Rabbit’s life weighed less on the soul than a fellow humanoid.

As Natalie got to work packing up the tent, Cole went over to some nearby trees and got to work. Using his Axe and knife, he started harvesting strips of bark. He was careful not to take too much from any tree, not wanting to damage the sturdy Pines surrounding them. With the stripes in hand, he went back to Natalie, who’d just finished folding up the small tent. Natalie looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “What are those for?”

In answer, Cole started twisting one of the strips into a crude bit of rope. Winding it tighter and tighter to form a sturdy string. He handed one of the other strips to Natalie and said, “Snares are useful and easy to make. With strips of bark like this, you can make a simple rope.”

Shrugging her shoulders, Natalie took the bark strip and started twisting it like Cole had. They sat like that for a few minutes. Cole offering some advice but mainly leaving Natalie to her own devices. Once he was certain Natalie knew what she was doing, Cole grabbed a quick breakfast. They were running low on rations, and Cole hadn’t had any real opportunity to replenish their stock while traveling. So going at a slower pace and teaching Natalie some survival skills would come in handy. Because, well… if he ran out of food, then so would Natalie. Cole hadn’t starved to death before and was not eager to try that particular form of death.

After eating and finishing packing up, Cole and Natalie set out. They hadn’t camped far from the road, so returning to the old Imperial highway wasn’t too terrible of a hike. The snow was starting to truly pile up in parts of the forest. But between Cole’s experience and Natalie’s enhanced agility, they made it through alright. The road was still faintly visible beneath a layer of white powder. Some magic or a clever bit of engineering stopped snow from sticking to the Imperial Roads. Where the forest had a solid half-meter of snow at parts, the road held only a fine dusting.

Continuing their trip, they headed along the road. Heading west to the edge of the Blood Duchies. They’d soon be entering the Southern Marches. While technically a Holy League province, the Marches were contested territory. With cities and towns across the region changing hands between Mortal and Vampire every decade or so. Few places outside the capital, Harmas were truly safe. The border between the Southern Marches and the Roloyo Duchy was an ever-shifting mess. A mess Cole and Natalie intended to cross in the next few days.

So far, they’d been relatively lucky in their flight from Glockmire. They had taken the main road and avoided any fellow travelers. Natalie’s hearing made it fairly easy to do so. Giving them plenty of warning to get off the road and obscure their tracks. This day of travel proved to be similar to most of its predecessors. Only contrasting in the slower pace the two wanderers set. Cole and Natalie spent the time chatting about a thousand different topics. Some important, some mundane. No matter the topic, they both enjoyed being able to actually talk with one another. Their frantic pace over the past two months had left little for conversation.

Eventually, as the Sun started its inevitable dip towards the horizon and they broke for camp. Settling into the familiar routine of finding a relatively open clearing and setting up the tent. Cole had at first scoffed at it, viewing the tent as unnecessary weight. But upon Natalie’s insistence, they’d kept the small tarpaulin and wooden stakes. As the weather had turned, Cole had learned to enjoy the simple comfort of having something over his head at night. Once camp was set up, Cole took Natalie deeper into the woods.

During their trip, they’d kept their hands busy twisting bark into a surprising amount of string. String Cole now started to put into use. Following his instruction, Natalie started setting up a number of crude snares in the forest around their campsite. Many of them were near-useless in the Winter, but Cole still wanted Natalie to know the different varieties. The one type he had high hopes for was the Squirrel snares. He’d seen a number of nests in the surrounding trees and figured at least one of them would journey to the forest floor in search of their stashed nuts.

Returning to camp, Natalie flexed her fingers. As a Vampire, she was immune to the usual soreness you’d expect from such work. But that didn’t stop her from doing the familiar gestures. As Cole got working on the campfire, Natalie leaned against a tree and asked. “Will those snares really work?”

Cole shrugged as he picked through fallen branches and twigs. Looking for ones dry enough to be usable. “Technically, yes, but I don’t expect more than one or two to catch anything. It's wintertime, and our scent will be everywhere. Not ideal hunting conditions. If we had more time, I’d try and track some Deer. Still, snares are useful, and being able to make decent rope is even more so.”

Once the fire was set, Cole moved over to where Natalie was leaning. She slid down the tree, ending up with her knees by her face. Settling into this new posture, she patted a dry spot of ground next to her. Accepting her prompting, Cole sat down next to her. The first bits of the fire’s heat was reaching them, and Natalie leaned against Cole. They sat like that for a little bit. Until Natalie tentatively made a request.

“I’ve been practicing with something. I’d like to show you… but I need some blood.” Natalie’s words trailed off as her own shame. She hated this, literally leeching off of Cole and his kindness.

Cole simply pulled at his clothes, exposing his neck to the cold winter air. Natalie’s eyes widened at that sight. She hadn’t fed from his neck since… since the first time she’d ever fed. There had been an unspoken agreement between them to not bring that incident up or repeat it in any form.

“Are you sure?” asked Natalie; she shifted uncomfortably in her place, pulling away from Cole slightly.

He nodded and plucked his amulet free. The unusual knot tying it around his neck unraveled with the proper tug. “I have this in case you lose control. But I don’t think you will. You haven’t used your venom on me this entire time. From my understanding, that takes self-discipline.”

Natalie bit her lower lip, her fangs shining in the setting of winter sunlight. She didn’t have the heart to tell Cole why she hadn’t used her venom. While she knew there were multiple types, each with its own unique purpose. Natalie didn’t know which was which. The worry of knocking Cole out with a dose of tranquilizer or messing with his memory had blunted the temptation to use her most dangerous venom.

The Sting, as Cole had referred to it, is a potent narcotic, aphrodisiac, and “blood spice.” A person dosed with it became pliant, amorous, and easy to magically control. While their blood became far more enjoyable to drink. It was through this sick toxin that Vampires cultivated eager harems of blood-slaves. Humanoids hopelessly addicted to the Sting and utterly subservient to their master. The presence of that temptation had nagged at Natalie ever since Cole explained it to her. The interplay of sex, violence, and control spoke to the twisted Vampire side of her. Giving her Hunger new things to whisper in her weaker moments.

Doing everything to ignore those whispers, Natalie decided to accept Cole's offer. Even if she had no faith in herself anymore, he did. Right now, that might just be enough. Gently, Natalie bit Cole. Letting his blood enter her. Something about the gesture felt right to Natalie. This was how a Vampire was supposed to feed. It spoke to her new instincts, and the blood arriving somehow tasted better. The pleasure arriving with it enhanced to new levels.

After not enough time for her liking, Cole gently pushed Natalie away. She complied reluctantly but still licked the wound shut, leaving the puncture marks with a perversion of a kiss. With the new blood in her, Natalie tested out one of Isabelle’s teachings. She’d practiced a little during the day but hadn’t wanted to use too much of her limited blood supply. Now she was ready to try in earnest.

Shutting her eyes, Natalie focused on her heart. Doing what Isabelle had taught her to do. Letting the flow of blood rise and fall at a steady drum beat. A drum beat soon matched by her heart. Soon warmth returned to her body. The winter air having all that more bite from the contrast. Keeping the focus on the drum beat, Natalie pulled Cole close and kissed him. Her newly warm lips meeting his. This was subtly different from her crude attempts to animate just her mouth and lips. Now all the minutiae of life filled her body, and with it came a true kiss. Just like the one she’d shared with Cole a lifetime ago in the Silly Goat.

As she slowly broke it, Natalie looked to see Cole wide-eyed and smiling. “How did you-?” he tried to ask.

Natalie cut him off with another kiss. Destroying his chain of thought in the process. Something Natalie had long learned to enjoy doing. Putting the serious and ever-focused holy warrior on the back foot just with her affection was a private joy for Natalie. Maybe not the most mature of enjoyments but an ultimately harmless one.

Breaking the second kiss, Natalie explained. “It took some effort, but I can mimic life now.” as she spoke, her concentration lapsed, and the new warmth fled her body. Chiding herself, Natalie continued. “I can’t do it for long yet, but I think with practice, I’ll be able to do it without thinking.”

Cole’s smile turned pensive as he asked. “Did you know your eyes are different now?”

Natalie raised an eyebrow, “Of course, it wouldn’t be much good if they were still red.”

Cole cut her off, “No, not what I meant. They are a different shade than…before. A much darker brown. Almost as black as your iris, in fact.”

Blinking in surprise, Natalie lifted a hand to her eyes before asking. “You noticed that?”

The corner of Cole’s mouth quirked up. Stretching some of the scars there. “I’ve spent a lot of time looking into your eyes since we met. I noticed.”

Now it was Natalie’s turn to be on the back foot. If she’d kept up her false life she would definitely be blushing. Sighing in a strange sort of contentment, Natalie returned to leaning against Cole. Watching the fire and enjoying his company. While Natalie had more than her fair share of romances. No man or woman had managed to make her feel like Cole did. Just something about him made her feel warm and safe. A significant achievement considering she was an animated predatory corpse.

The night came and went without incident. For Natalie, at least. Cole’s dreams hadn’t been pleasant. More of the same, falling through ashen skies surrounded by corpses. Pushing through the disturbing memories, Cole now led Natalie to check their various traps. As he’d suspected, they were all empty. Well, empty except for one. Dangling from a branch was a particularly irate squirrel. The reddish ball of fur was nearly round with winter fat and thrashed in the snare caught around its upper torso.

Seeing this, Cole gestured at the creature and said to Natalie. “Alright, it's up to you now.”

Looking at the fuzzy animal thrashing in distress, Natalie felt new pangs of guilt run through her. The theoretical idea of killing an animal was very different from confronting the practical. Still, she needed to do this. A dead squirrel was infinitely better than a dead person. Haltingly Natalie stepped toward the squirrel. It seemed to sense her arrival and paused its thrashing. A single beady black eye looked at her.

After a moment, some sort of recognition seemed to pass through the squirrel. It thrashed harder and started to make an awful chattering sound. Shutting her eyes, Natalie pushed forward. Reaching the Squirrel in less than a second. Vampire senses and speed guiding her to the Squirrel. Opening her eyes, Natalie reached out and grabbed the rodent. Its chattering stopped, and it looked at her with wild-eyed animal panic.

Letting out a deep sigh, Natalie started to undo the snare. She couldn’t do this. The look of fear in the Squirrel’s eye was too much. Its incredibly fast heartbeat pulsed against her palm and added to her melancholy. She couldn’t do this.

Then the Squirrel bit her. With speed surprising to even a Vampire, the Squirrel sunk its teeth into Natalie’s finger. Yelping in pain, Natalie followed her instincts. Which for a human might have been to toss the Squirrel as far as she could. As a Vampire, she instead responded in kind. Sinking her fangs into the Squirrel and quickly killed it.

The little blood in the rodent entered Natalie. To her surprise, it didn’t taste bad. It just lacked… potency. Like watered-down beer or diluted broth. Gulping down the creature's meager lifeblood. Natalie dropped its body onto the ground and let out a disgusted groan. The disgust was directed at herself more than the Squirrel. How quickly she’d attacked it startled her. She hadn’t expected her new instincts to hit her so hard or so fast. Natalie had been hungry before this hunt, her experiment last night taking up more of her blood than she expected. Her thirst let The Hunger have more control. Leading to the dead squirrel at her feet.

Shutting her eyes again, Natalie reminded herself of an important truth. If she started to starve, she would lose control. At best, she would attack Cole. At worst, someone less likely to survive (or revive.) This was unpleasant, but something she could live with. Drinking another person to death because she lost control? That might just kill her soul. Opening her eyes and turning to Cole, Natalie looked pitiable. Her shoulders dropped in dejection, a bit of blood leaking from the corner of her mouth.

Absently licking up the little bit of blood, Natalie said. “I hate being a Vampire.”