The Homunculus Knight

Chapter 39: Goodbyes

“The Halls of Master Time have as many different names as there are ways to die. Every culture has some version of them in their stories. The details of what the Halls look like vary drastically, but some details stay consistent. Chief among them is a section of the Halls known as the “The Poet’s Cloister.” Created by Master Time as a favor to mortal kind. The Cloister is a place where Dead souls can sleep away the years. Waiting for their loved ones to pass on and join them in the Halls. Where they might face Master Time’s judgment and petition to be reincarnated together” - Lord-Scholar Reuel’s commentaries on the Codex Mortis.

Leaving the Alukah’s Tomb proved to be a little more difficult than either Cole or Natalie expected. First, they tried to use the enchanted wall they’d first come through. Despite their best efforts, the stone stayed solid and impassable. Whatever magic Glockmire used on the wall died with him. So Cole and Natalie started the unpleasant task of clambering through the Ghoul-dug tunnel. Pushing through the breach poor dead Gurni had created, the duo entered the frost-caked cavern where Dietrich and Cole made their stand.

Holding up a glowstone he’d scavenged from the Tomb, Cole let its soft white light fill the cavern. A slaughterhouse greeted him; the Paladin and Scarlet Knight had cut through a small army of Undead. Covering the ground and walls in a layer of ash and gore. The tunnel floor creaked under Cole’s footsteps as frozen blood and offal strained under his weight. Ignoring that nauseating fact, Cole checked over the chamber and found no apparent dangers. Gesturing for Natalie to follow him into the Chamber, Cole moved deeper. Pointedly ignoring the frozen form of Dietrich lying nearby as he did.

“Oh, Jag!” sputtered Natalie as she looked around the gruesome room. The stolen glowstone’s light reflected off pools of frozen blood, filling the chamber with a strange otherworldly light. The sight walked the line between grotesque and beautiful. Shaking her head slightly to dispel her initial surprise, Natalie followed after Cole. The gentle patter of her bare feet on the ice contrasted with Cole’s crunching steps. Natalie did her best to not think about what she was walking on and to ignore how little the Cold bothered her.

Between Cole’s experience and Natalie’s enhanced night vision, they navigated through the first chamber with minimum difficulty. Moving past the frost and corpses, they entered a crude tunnel. Natalie had to duck her head to move through the tunnel while Cole had to practically bend himself in half to fit. The roughly cylindrical tunnel had been cut into the rock with little planning. Hundreds of chisel marks dotted the stone, and more than a few worrying cracks stretched between them. This tunnel had been hacked into existence with reckless abandon. Petar making full use of his Ghoul miners.

After a few minutes of slowly moving through the tunnel, they reached its end. Cole pulled himself from the tunnel's end, a roughly man-sized hole in the rock. Thankful to be free of the claustrophobic channel. He helped Natalie get clear of the tunnel as well. Cole did his best to not think about what would happen if the tunnel had collapsed on them. Pondering such a fate made Cole distinctly ungrateful for his immortality. Death could be mercy; one denied him if he were to become entombed alive. Pushing away that line of thought, Cole looked around their current location.

It was a larger sloping cave that spread out in two directions. The sound of dribbling water and the look of the stone told Cole this was a natural formation. Apparently, the mines of Glockmire were just part of the subterranean network within the mountains. Inspecting the chamber for herself, Natalie shrugged and started taking the path leading upwards. Cole reached out and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. Turning her in the opposite direction and gesturing towards the downward sloping path.

“See those stains on the walls and ground?” Cole gestured at brownish marks smeared on the living stone. Natalie nodded and winced. Now that she noticed them, Natalie’s Vampire nose caught the smell coming from the stains. It was a mix of dead blood and rotting flesh, clear signs that Ghouls had walked that path. Quashing the instinct to breathe, Natalie followed Cole as he took them deeper.

The Ghoul miners and their taskmasters hadn’t done anything to cover their tracks. So it proved easy enough for Cole to backtrack along their route. Following the decay, discarded equipment and destroyed walls. As they moved through the damp darkness, Cole started to piece together more of what happened. While gaining a new respect for the miners of Glockmire. Some natural or unnatural phenomena had left an incredible array of caverns and tunnels throughout the Mountains. Tunnels the Miners had exploited and expanded upon with gusto. It seemed Petars efforts to tunnel into the Alukah’s tomb were only successful thanks to generations of Miners carving most of the path for him. There was some poetry in that fact, but Cole had neither the time nor inclination to consider it.

For over an hour, Cole and Natalie trudged through the tunnels, occasionally doubling back when the trail went cold. The tight confines of the Cave, accompanied by their generally oppressive atmosphere, started to wear on both of them. They’d both been much, and the initial giddiness of victory and confessed love was starting to wear off. For Natalie, it was especially bad. Grief and shock she’d pushed away in the face of everything were starting to return. Accompanied by a sinister mixture of urges related to Cole. Every time she looked at him, an intense wave of desire would hit her. On the surface was just pure lust. Natalie had fallen hard for Cole and wanted to express that fact in the most classical of ways.

But beneath that already embarrassing wash of desire was something much more sinister. Whenever Natalie found herself staring at Cole’s broad shoulders, she found her newly sensitive hearing picking up his heartbeat. A sound that called to her new instincts with disturbing clarity. Natalie the Woman wanted to enjoy Cole, but unfortunately, so did Natalie the Vampire. Low on blood and only now starting to realize it. Natalie had to fight against the niggling whispers growing in volume. Whispers suggesting all sorts of fun ways to enjoy Cole. How she could take what she needed during the throws of passion. Or how easy it might be to lull Cole to sleep with a gentle touch and have her way with him. Pushing herself to ignore those increasingly deprived thoughts, Natalie let out a low, pained whimper.

To her Horror, Cole noticed the sound. Turning to face Natalie, Cole had a worried look on his face. Glancing over her, quickly checking for injuries, Cole’s flushed slightly. An odd look for his scarred complexion. Natalie was still practically naked, clad only in the ruins of Cole’s cloak. After his near begging insistence, Natalie had agreed to wear the tattered thing. It did little for her modesty, and at this point, Natalie was far, far past caring. She’d always been confident in her looks, and in the light of everything else, any embarrassment related to her near nudity seemed trite. Still, watching Cole squirm had proven a surprising boon for Natalie’s mood. That had changed now as her desire to tease and fluster the man was being subsumed by more… predatory desires.

Trying to regain his composure, Cole fixed his eyes clearly on Natalie’s face and asked, “What’s wrong? Did you cut yourself?”

A million different lies and deflections flitted through Natalie’s mind. She wanted to maybe fake an injury and elicit sympathy. She wanted to use his abashment to her advantage. She wanted to use her beauty to make him lower his guard. Natalie wanted to use that silver tongue of hers to ease away any wariness before she struck. It would be easy to claim her prey and make him enjoy every second of it.

Wait.

Prey?

Eyes wide in horror, Natalie felt sick. Her very mind was betraying her in some truly twisted ways. Feeding a never-ending stream of manipulative thoughts into her. Lips parted, licking her new fangs in nervousness, Natalie tried to say she was fine. To brush away the sinister thoughts, delude herself into normalcy. Instead, something else came from her. Something that made her Vampiric side scream in frustration. Natalie told the truth.

“I’m hungry, and it’s… it’s… making it hard to focus or even be myself.” Natalie shut her eyes and flinched. Her new instincts screamed for her to run, while the self-loathing growing in her heart expected Cole to take that stolen halberd and lop her head off. She didn’t expect his gentle fingers to touch her chin and guide her lips to his wrist. Opening her eyes in surprise, Natalie looked at Cole. Staring up at the Paladin wide-eyed, Natalie wordlessly asked for permission. Cole nodded and murmured softly. “We will work out how to do this in the future, but for now, drink until I need you to stop.”

Gingerly, Natalie bit Cole. Her fangs sinking into his skin, through the blood-magic scars. Letting his ichor flow into her mouth. Cole let out a low noise of pain which almost made Natalie pull away. But to her shame, the taste of his blood was enough to overpower any attempts at being considerate. Drinking down his life, Natalie didn’t know if she wanted to cry, laugh, sleep or make love to Cole right here in this filthy tunnel. After a few minutes of lapping up the blood, Cole gently pulled his wrist away from Natalie. A vicious animal impulse told her to not let him, but now partially stated it was easier for Natalie to ignore it. As he pulled away, Natalie gave the puncture marks one final lick.

Cole examined his wrist and noted the rapidly forming scabs. The venom and salvia of Vampires are a disturbing mixture of magical and mundane toxins. While the addictive and mind-altering properties of their venom are widely known. That their salvia had coagulant properties was less known. Flexing his fingers and letting fresh blood flow into his hand, Cole looked down at Natalie. Her red eyes were wet and threatened to erupt into full-blown tears. The newly created Alukah, heiress to a legacy of slaughter, looked up at Cole with heart-wrenching guilt plastered over her face.

Freshly fed, Natalie’s body was acting as if it was alive, and that meant tears. When she had lacked the ability to cry, it had been easier to keep her emotions under control. But now that she could cry again, her body and mind were ready to dive right back into all that pain she’d been bottling up. Before an apology for what had happened could escape Natalie’s blood-stained lips, Cole kissed her on the forehead.

Gently in that low rolling accent of his, Cole whispered. “I love you, and I am here for you.”

That broke any little bit of control Natalie had left, and she sucked in a deep, ragged breath. Partially to reply in kind, partially because her body hadn’t yet forgotten being alive. Natalie tried to form words or even just cry in a dignified manner but was failing at both. Sobbing deeply, Natalie sucked down more air to fuel her weeping; and tasted something impossible in the air. Almost instantly, Natalie stopped crying and looked up and around them. Sniffing the air like a curious hound. She’d detected a whiff of something she did not expect to find in a dank cavern system. The rich floral smell of Tea. Faint but unmistakable, it hung in the air like some ill-fitting phantom.

Looking at a confused and slightly pallid Cole, Natalie asked. “Do you smell that? Do you smell Tea?”

Even more mystified, Cole answered. “No, I don’t. But you do? Where is it coming from?”

Latching onto this mystery to distract herself, Natalie kept sniffing the air and followed after the smell. Breaking away from the Ghoul trail, they took another route through the caves. Meandering through the tunnels as Natalie followed the strange smell. Any doubts about its validity or Natalie’s sanity fell away as they got closer. The smell only got stronger, and Cole started to pick it out from the damp, musty stink of the cave. After another hour of following the smell, they reached its presumable source. One of the cave walls was unnaturally flat, with odd grooves in it. The stone looked like panels of a huge cupboard stuck to the cave wall.

Looking at each other, Cole and Natalie shared mutual looks of confusion. After a few seconds, Cole shrugged and angeled the butt of his halberd into one of the Grooves. With surprisingly little effort, Cole managed to slide the stone panel to the side. Bright light and cold air met them as the panel moved. As the wall opened up into a large doorway, Natalie and Cole blinked away the light. Its brilliance was a stark contrast to the murky glowstone they’d used in the tunnels.

A familiar voice echoed from the other side of the entrance. “About jagging time. I was running low on Tea.”

In the doorway was Priest Matthias, the sole servant of Master Time permanently in Glockmire. The lean and weary-looking Priest was bundled up in winter clothing and carried a cup of Tea between mittened hands. Looking at the slack-jawed Natalie and Cole, he gestured for them to enter. “Well, don’t just stand there! I have a holy mission to complete.”

Confused, the duo stepped through the strange doorway and into the Temple Mortuary. As soon as they did, Matthias gripped a hidden latch and sealed the wall shut behind them. The cold chamber was empty of any corpses. Instead, its slabs were occupied by a portable tea service and a small pile of clothing. Sipping his beverage, Matthias gestured towards the pile of clothes.

“I don’t know if I found anything that will fit you, Sir Paladin, but Miss Stirga should find something in there.”

Exchanging another confused glance, Cole and Natalie went over to the clothing. Natalie easily enough found a simple dress and some sandals, while Cole had to tear a few stitches to get a pair of britches of fit. Seeing they were dressed, Matthias let out a low sigh and looked at Natalie. As he did, the sleep-deprived Priest did a double take and dropped his drink. Lukewarm tea splashed onto his feet, and bits of clay pottery exploded across the floor. Matthias, it seemed, had just noticed Natalie’s eyes.

With his own eyes wild and uncertain, Matthias whispered under his breath. “He will come with one corpse but leave with another.”

Natalie flinched at his words and looked away from Matthias. To her surprise, the Priest stalked over to Cole and glared at him. In a bitter tone, he snapped at the Paladin. “I hope whatever task Master Time set you was worth it. Dozens of people are dead or missing, and I don’t even want to think about what the Vampires will do when they find out you escaped them.” Looking back at Natalie, Matthias set his jaw and continued speaking to Cole. “Why have you failed her, Paladin? You couldn’t rescue her, and now you let this…falsehood wear Natalie’s body?”

Those words hit Natalie like a slap. Pushing past her momentary surprise, she stepped towards Matthias and snapped. “Dammit, Matthias, you’ve known me my whole life. I’m still me!”

The Priest looked at her with genuine sadness in his eyes. “This is the cruelest part of the Vampire’s curse. Natalie died when a Vampire infected her corpse. Now a morass of memories and a tainted soul think it's still alive. For now, it can still think and feel like a human, but that will change. It would be kinder to end this false life before the Curse can ruin her soul.”

Natalie was speechless; she wanted to punch Matthias as much as she wanted to escape back into the tunnels and never see another person again. Tears of anger and sadness started to boil up, but Cole interjected. “It's possible for a person to resist the worst of the Curse. To still be the same person they were in life. On top of that, there are other extenuating circumstances. Truly killing Natalie is not something I cannot do nor let anyone else attempt.”

Staring down Matthias, Cole let some of that intensity of his press against the Priest. The force of will of someone who’d seen and experienced things no mortal could ever understand. It made Priest quail slightly, shrinking under the pressure of an Immortal’s focus. “She is under my protection and in my custody. I will let no harm come to her nor let her bring harm to anyone else.”

Turning away from the Priest, Cole looked back at the shut passageway and continued. “Besides, the Court will have bigger problems than meting out petty reprisals. The survivors, if there are any, will be busy trying to survive the fallout of Glockmire’s death.”

Matthias just blinked and stared at Cole like the man had started speaking Gob-Tongue. Ignoring him, Cole turned back toward Natalie and started making plans. “I will need to find my equipment, and you will need to start packing for our journey.” Then after another moment of hesitation, Cole addressed Matthias again. “If I bring Wilhelm's body, could he be buried tomorrow?”

Pregnant silence filled the mortuary for a moment before Matthias nodded in assent. “I’ve had terrible dreams the past two nights. Dreams of cold and death that spoke of what might happen. In my dreams, I heard him; I heard Master Times commands. He said to gather clothing for you two and to prepare for a funeral. I did as our God wished and have waited here since twilight. We will bury Wilhelm before the day is out.”

At those words, Cole moved towards the door, gently pulling Natalie behind him. The newly turned Vampire accepted the help without complaint. Matthias’s words had robbed Natalie of what little strength she had left. As they started to leave, Matthias called after them.

“Natalie. I don’t know if what the Paladin says is true, but I hope it is. Hold onto your humanity because your very soul itself will be trying to cast it aside.”

Not meeting his eyes, Natalie just nodded at his words. Oh, how true they were. Matthias didn’t even know half of it.

They left the mortuary and the Temple. Stepping into the predawn streets of Glockmire. Idly, Natalie wondered if they would change the town name with the Lord dead. The first hints of pale sunlight were visibly cresting the distant peaks, and the town was still asleep. Taking the familiar path from the Temple to the Silly Goat was disconcerting for Natalie. Looking around, it was like nothing had changed. Just another fall morning in the town of her birth. But for her, everything had changed. This place wasn’t truly home anymore. It had been where she’d lived a human life, but that was over.

As they walked, Natalie asked Cole. “I really have to leave, don't I?”

Cole squeezed her hand gently and answered. “Yes, we are now both being hunted. They will do so on the principle of me being a Paladin and you being a Vampire who aided me. Our presence will bring nothing good to this town. That's not even considering if the Courts realize what you now host. Drakovich and his rivals will want that power. Getting out of the Blood Duchies and out of their reach is crucial.”

Natalie had known or guessed most of what Cole said, but she just wanted to double-check. While she’d been thinking about leaving Glockmire for weeks now, having that choice thrust upon her in these circumstances made it suddenly very bitter.

They arrived at the Silly Goat and found its door still open. Cautiously they entered the chilly building and found Wilhelms body. Someone had laid a white sheet over the corpse, something Natalie was incredibly grateful for. She had no desire to see her Father’s body. Without prompting, Cole picked up the corpse, keeping it wrapped in its shroud. Natalie couldn’t bear to look at the body. Instead, whispering softly as Cole left. “Goodbye, Dad. I’ll always love you.”

Stepping past the bloodstain on the floor, Natalie walked deeper into Silly Goat. The building was much like her father's body. A cold empty reminder of something once wonderful. Absently Natalie traced her fingers along the carved banister, and other bits of woodcraft she and her mother had made. While she knew she should be packing, Natalie knew she needed to take this moment. A moment that was quickly broken by the clatter of dishes from the kitchen. Natalie froze and whirled towards the sound. Irrationally wanting the sound to be her father. Fearing it would be a Vampire or their servants. It was neither. Stockings sat on the counter, looking at Natalie with an inquisitive expression.

Smiling sadly, Natalie stepped towards the Cat; Stockings tensed at her approach. Taking a more wary stance. Grimacing, Natalie realized the Cat knew she had changed. Making a clicking noise with her tongue, Natalie slowly approached Stockings. Wary and uncertain, the Cat held still but was ready to scurry away. Eventually, Natalie ran a hand along the Cat’s back, and the familiar gesture got Stockings to relax. Petting the Cat for a few minutes, Natalie realized she needed to do something with Stockings. They couldn’t take the Cat with them, but leaving her here in this now dead building was wrong. An idea struck Natalie, one that solved a number of problems at once if she dared make a gamble.

Slowly, so as to not alarm Stockings, Natalie picked up the feline and left the Silly Goat. The walk to Barnbas’s shop was even more familiar than the walk to the Temple. Clutching the mildly annoyed cat to her breast, Natalie arrived at the store and knocked loudly on the door. After a few moments, she knocked again. Still, nothing happened, and by the third knock, Natalie was fearing the worst. Before fear could truly take hold, Natalie’s newly sensitive ears heard the sound of muffled curses coming from inside the store.

Smiling as the tension left her, Natalie ignored the squirming cat in her arms. Now was the moment of truth. A familiar sleep-addled voice called out to her. “Who the Jag is it!”

Taking in a deep pointless breath to steady herself, Natalie answered. “It’s me, Barnabas. I’m back”

There was silence for a time before the sound of locks and deadbolts being undone reached Natalie. Slowly the door opened a crack, just enough for Barnabas to see Natalie on his front step. Calmly, Barnabas asked her. “What did I give you at your sixth birthday party?”

Natalie actually laughed at that. “You missed my sixth birthday party. You were on the road with the last merchant convoy you were part of. But when you got back, you gave me a dress I had outgrown in a month.”

Barnabas yanked the door open. Wearing day-old clothing and generally ungroomed, Barnabas looked terrible. But that wasn’t what caught Natalie’s attention. In the crook of one arm was a Crossbow tipped with a silver bolt. She never knew he had such a weapon but was glad he did. Barnabas’s exhausted smile of relief upon seeing Natalie died as quickly as it arrived. The blood-red eyes and fang of his niece killed it. Barnabas started to lift his crossbow against her but stopped.

With a defeated sigh, he let the weapon drop to the ground and simply said. “So Cole failed. I… I had hoped. Well, fine, let's get this over with.”

Barnabas shut his eyes and expected death. Instead, he got a face full of fur. Surprised, he looked to see Natalie holding out Stockings, pressing the cat to his chest. Confused and operating on instinct, Barnabas took the Cat into his arms. Looking up at Natalie, he was mystified.

Natalie just smiled sadly and said. “Cole didn’t fail. I’m a Vampire Barnabas, but I’m not one of them. I’m still me.”

Barnabas was still confused, so Natalie elaborated. “Cole rescued me… Well, we kind of rescued each other. But what matters is I’m not like them. When the Court creates a Vampire, they do everything they can to destroy the good in that person. Cole stopped them from doing that to me, and he’s going to help me.”

Looking away from Barnabas’s eyes and towards Stockings, Natalie continued. “I’m not a monster, but I could become one. So I can’t stay here. I’m going to go with Cole and find a way to be a Vampire and a good person.” Gesturing at the cat, Natalie explained why she had brought the feline with her. “I can’t take Stockings with me, and… well, I thought her company might help you.”

Barnabas set the Feline down, giving her a scratch behind the ears as he did. Then he reached out and hugged Natalie. The surprised Vampire hadn’t expected that but returned the embrace. After a second, Barnabas pulled away from her slightly and looked her in the eyes, forcing himself to not flinch away from the faintly glowing scarlet he saw there.

“The bastard who killed your father, did you get him?” asked Barnabas, his earlier shock fading as the reality of the situation sunk in.

Natalie actually smiled. “Yes, and pretty much every other Vampire in the Castle.” Natalie’s smile died as she elaborated on the chaos she and Cole caused. “Things are going to change around here, Barnabas. Lord Glockmire and the Vampire who killed Dad are both dead. The other Nobles won’t take that news well. It's in part why I need to leave.”

Barnabas absorbed that information with a nervous gulp. Sighing in resignation, he looked back into his store and ignored the Cat rubbing against his ankles. “You will need to leave quickly, but I am sure I can gather up you and Cole some supplies.”

“Thank you” was Natalie’s response; as Barnabas turned to work, she continued. “We are going to bury my Father before we leave.”

That got Barnabas to pause for a second before he nodded and got back to his task. Natalie stood in the doorway just watching him work. Seeing the old man bustle about for what was probably the last time brought a strange mix of emotions to Natalie. There was melancholy in spades but also a sense of resolution. Events had forced Natalie to make her choice, and with that choice came new certainty. A grim but solid feeling she could fall back onto in the face of overwhelming loss.

After a minute or two, Natalie stepped inside the store and felt a strange tingle on her skin. A pins and needles sensation that lasted for less than a second before it faded. Confused and wary, Natalie stepped out of the building. Tentatively, she passed back through the doorway and felt the same sensation. As it faded, realization struck Natalie. Vampires couldn’t enter a place without invitation, and Barnabas had never properly let her into the shop. Now a little nervous, Natalie waited for the unpleasant feeling to return, but it didn’t. However, her body felt a little sluggish, and her senses were somewhat dulled. As an Alukah Vampire, she wasn’t truly prevented from entering uninvited, but breaking that taboo did not come without consequences.

Taking this into account, Natalie reached down to pet Stockings and waited for Barnabas to finish up. It didn’t take the old Merchant long. He returned to her with a large pack slung over one shoulder and a short scabbard in his other hand. Setting the pack down, Barnabas explained what was inside it.

“Sleeping bag, rope, pitons, dried rations, two canteens, flint and tinder, Maps, bandages, some choice ointments, a new lily soap I set aside for you, and this.” he held out the scabbard to Natalie. Gingerly she took the weapon and unsheathed it. About as long as her forearm and completely straight was an unusual short-sword. It lacked a cross guard, and its scabbard was made from some sturdy dark wood. The tip of the blade was a clean point that shone brightly, and Natalie reached out an experimental finger to touch it. It felt like she’d just touched a hot stove. Pulling her hand back in surprise, Natalie realized the short-swords tip was coated in silver.

Barnabas winced as he saw Natalie singe her finger. It seemed her resistance to most Vampire’s banes didn’t extend to silver. Sheathing the shortsword, Natalie asked. “What is it?”

“A Dueling Spatha from the White Isles. An old family heirloom of mine. Never got much use out of it but figured you might.”

Natalie looked at the weapon and started to say. “Barnabas, I can’t!-” the old merchant cut her off. “What am I going to do with it? Give it to a Son I don’t have? You're the only family I have left in this world, Natalie. I might not be able to protect you, but that doesn't mean I can’t give you something to help you protect yourself.”

Nodding in surrender, Natalie picked up the pack and the shortsword. With them both in place, She hugged Barnabas and left for the Silly Goat. Her adopted Uncle watched her go with a new cat in his arms and tears in his eyes.

Weighed down by her pack and emotions, Natalie walked slowly through the streets of Glockmire. Drinking in the sights for perhaps the final time as the Sun slowly crested the mountain peaks. Pale daybreak started to bleed into golden dawn; as the first Roosters crowed, and the day arrived in earnest. From her place on the street, Natalie could watch the Sun’s light move towards her as it crested the peaks and buildings. Shutting her eyes to the approaching dawn, she murmured under her breath.

“Moment of Truth.”