Vampire Huntin'

Rolling 5 dice

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'Monster Dice' :

Kyran knelt by the body of the cow. Gently, he prodded the savaged flesh of the neck. The villagers thought this was some kind of demon dog. A Chupacabra, they called it. Kyran wasn't so sure. The bite seemed to be too large. No kind of dog Kyran knew could do such a thing. Then there was the fact that not a drop of blood was left in the body. It was strange and again didn't fit with any dog known to Kyran. Kyran grinned. This was why he had become a mage. To travel to new places, find new things and discover new creatures. It was too bad he would have to destroy the chupacabra though.

Kyran pushed to his feet. The village leader was waiting nervously for his answer. The older woman shifted from foot to foot, constantly checking their surroundings. She had flagged Kyran down while he was passing through the village. Their cattle was their livestock and they needed the culprit for this crime to be dealt with. "Take job. Chupacabra headed off into mountains. Start there." The woman nodded, too relieved to comment on Kyran's strange way of talking. He turned away from her.

The ground around the cow was too torn up for any clear tracks. The only lead Kyran had was a footprint he had spotted earlier. It headed into the brush at the base of the mountains. He headed back to the spot where originally seen it. Looking down at it, Kyran frowned. It didn't look like a dog's paw print. There was a central pad in the print but instead of three round pads close to the original pad, there were three small holes. The holes denoted a spread out foot and claws that couldn't belong to a dog. There was a fourth hole that furthered his theory set close to the right side of the central pad.

Kyran pulled out Last Sight and strung it. He didn't want to head into an animal's hunting grounds unarmed. That would be unwise. Especially since Kyran had no clues to the chupacabra's abilities. The purple bushes would be his starting area. From there, Kyran had a feeling he would track the creature up the mountain. He was tempted to stay. He had never seen purple bushes. They stirred up his curiosity to find out everything about them. Stifling that desire took some effort. Now ready to begin his quest, Kyran started up the mountain.

He hit his first snag upon entering the bushes. Something slammed into his back. Kyran turned, Last Sight at the ready. Unable to see anything, Kyran checked his coat. A large bat was clinging to it. Its teeth were steadily working at the leather. He reached down and snapped its neck. "Curious." Kyran was surprised at the bat's actions. Despite common belief, bats didn't attack without reason. It was also the middle of the day. Kyran checked the sun's position just to be sure. The bat should have been sleeping. He detached its little claws from Black Coat and dropped it into the bushes.

Immediately, three more bats attacked. Kyran felt a pair of teeth sink into his neck. Another set sank into his thigh. Kyran was able to wave the last bat away. He had no time to use Last Sight.
He would have to rely on his new magic spells. "Mystic Blood Beast: Blood Thorn!" A blur of red shot out of his right hand. It struck the flying bat dead center. Kyran would have grinned if its friends hadn't dug their fangs in again. Angry, he repeated the spell, blasting the one off his leg. The final bat leapt off his neck. He watched it begin to fly away. "Can't have you reporting to your master." Kyran said before a red blur sliced it in half.

There was no doubt in his mind that the bats had been controlled. Their erratic behavior left no uncertainty. There was a possibility he wasn't dealing with a creature at all. A mage could be draining the cattle. For what purpose though? How did the dog monsters factor in as well? Kyran shook his head. He would have to be more careful. There was no telling what lay in wait for him.

Kyran took a more cautious approach after that. He crouched, took it slow. His path went from straight to moving back and forth. Kyran took no chances. All the while, his blood sang with the severity of the challenge he now faced. He was headed into unknown territory facing an unknown enemy with unknown strength. Kyran couldn't wait for the final confrontation.

He had barely made any progress when he spotted another group of bats. It made him think they were scouts. Probably. Bats were blind or mostly so. Yet they managed to fly. Kyran raised Last Sight. The bats were well within his range. Nocking an arrow, he drew back on the string and waited. He wanted the perfect shot. Yet he couldn't wait forever. The draw strength on Last Sight was enormous. Kyran could hold it for a minute, two at most without firing. Deciding the bats weren't going to get any closer, he released the arrow. It zipped through the air cutting down two bats with ruthless efficiency.  Kyran didn't have time to celebrate his victory however. A great black dog slammed into his chest.

Last Sight went flying. Kyran shoved a hand up, forcing the teeth away from his throat. The dog thing snarled and writhed trying to attack him. Kyran struggled to keep it from killing him. Black Flower's Thorn was trapped against his back. Great place for a knife. The dog was keeping him from focusing, so his magic was out too. Kyran winced as the dog caught the edge of his hand. The teeth didn't get very deep but the flesh was ripped away. This dog was dangerous. It was also too heavy to simply throw off.

Kyran considered an option that would hurt but might be his only chance. Letting go of its face, Kyran wedged his arm into the cavern of its mouth. Instinctively it bit down. Kyran howled. The dog was jerking back and forth trying to tear his arm off. It soaked his sleeve in blood. Kyran had to grit his teeth against the pain. Focus. Focus. "Mystic Blood Beasts: Woven Blood!" His sleeve was coated in long spiky thorns. They cut into the dog thing's mouth as it tried to savage his arm. It yelped, releasing him and jumping away. Kyran felt a brief moment of satisfaction. He could rarely pull that spell off.

The dog thing was whimpering. It pawed at its snout. Kyran took its distraction to look it over. This was the chupacabra the villagers had described. It looked like a pitiful creature. While canine in appearance, its black skin had lesions across it and stretched tight across its skeleton. Its lack of lips revealed a mouth too full of teeth. The red eyes and thick claws added to its frightening appearance. Any other time, Kyran might have tried to make it into a pet. It reminded him of himself before Sylvia had picked him out of the gutter. As it was, Kyran had no mercy. His hand raised. Red sprouted from the chupacabra's chest. Kyran hit it with a few more blood thorns to ensure its demise. Not his smartest move.

Injured as he was and his magic's requirement for blood, Kyran was starting to feel the effects of this outing. His body warned him of his dangerous loss of blood as he got to his feet. The bats were nowhere to be seen. Kyran collected Last Sight. Had the bats been bait? If so, they were either smarter than he gave them credit for or there really was a mage. Kyran was banking on the mage. It made more sense. Unless there was a creature that could control bats. That was an intriguing thought. Kyran took a moment to bandage his arm. Usually, he would have left it undone. Use the blood for his spells. At this moment it didn't seem wise to leave a blood trail.

He continued his journey up the mountain. Last Sight was transferred to his back. He didn't want to unintentionally injure his arm carrying it. Kyran kept up his cautious ascent from before. If anything he was even more careful. There could be no underestimating this opponent. They had resources and allies at their command. They were dangerous.

Kyran spotted two bats hovering over a cave as he climbed. Perhaps that was the master's lair? Kyran couldn't be certain. To be sure, he crept closer to the cave. A nearby tree provided a perfect perch. He climbed up it quickly being careful of his arm. Once in place, he checked on the cave. The bats were still flying above it. Unlimbering Last Sight, Kyran lined an arrow up with the bats. He could take them out even if it wasn't the lair. He synced his breathing to their pattern of flight. It was another reason he felt they were controlled. No bat continuously flew in the same pattern.

Both bats went down when he released the arrow. Kyran let a small smile curve his lips. The smile fell away when a humanoid shape exited the cave. The mage? He nocked another arrow and watched. Under closer inspection, it was human. The clothes were torn. It looked skeletal. The movements were erratic. Whatever it was had once been human. Kyran wasn't sure what had changed it. His mood soured when another of the creatures stepped from the cave. Kyran decided he would leave the cave alone for now. Better to ensure there were no other creatures waiting to ambush him on the mountain. He had a nasty feeling the humanoid creatures were strong.

Kyran made his way back down the tree. The ground crunched somewhere nearby. It caused Kyran to spin, Last Sight at the ready. Were they watching him? Kyran shook his head. Paranoia wouldn't help him here. He needed to focus. Hunt for the remainder of the enemy forces. Preferably before they found him, or the creatures in the cave decided to descend. Kyran knelt down. There had been many tracks all over the mountain. He needed a specific print. He couldn't track bats but he could deal with the chupacabra. The chupacabra he had slain had to have been part of a pack. He didn't know of a single wild canine that didn't hunt in a pack.  

There was a few large prints near the base of a nearby tree. The bark was marked up as well. A territory marker. Kyran crept to the tree, keeping low to the ground. He carefully checked the bark and the prints. He bit back a curse. It was all a day or so old. Nothing he could reliably use. Not with the time restraint Kyran felt he had. Whatever was draining the cows attacked at night. Kyran suspected he had to finish whatever it was before then.

He checked the sun's position. It was closing in on the horizon. Kyran sighed heavily wondering how he was going to complete this job before sundown. Maybe he wasn't. He might have to accept that but Kyran was going to make sure it was mostly done. First the rest of the chupacabra pack, then the strange humanoid creatures in the cave. The question was how to find the pack quickly.

Kyran looked at his arm. The first one had attacked him while he was aiming at the bat pack. His neck and thigh had still been bleeding. Could the creatures be attracted to blood? Plus he was on the edge of their hunting territory. Kyran hoped it wasn't a big territory or he would be exposing his arm for nothing. Grabbing the bandage, Kyran unraveled it partway. Kyran bit his lip as it tore at his skin. The blood had dried, causing the bandage to stick to the wound. The extra length of the bandage was tucked into the other end. Now he only had to wait. Kyran pressed his back against the tree. An arrow was laid across Last Sight in preparation.

It was a long wait. Kyran had to jerk himself from a reverie several times. The sun sank down toward the horizon. It finally happened when Kyran was about to give up. Three eerie howls rent the air. Kyran could see three black shapes racing through the trees. This was it. The rest of the pack was here.

Kyran straightened quickly. Kneeling down wouldn't help here. The chupracabra were too quick. He silently thanked Sylvia for teaching him to hunt. Last Sight began to sing. Arrow after arrow flew through the air. Two of the dogs yelped. They visibly slowed down. Kyran focused on them. The first fell bristling with arrows. The second one went down with only three. The last chupacabra was too close to use Last Sight anymore. Kyran tossed it aside and pulled out Black Flower's Thorn. He held it between himself and the chupacabra. It didn't even bother the creature which leapt for Kyran.

He tried to twist out of the way. The canine proved faster than Kyran. Its teeth sank into his shoulder. Black Coat took most of the damage. He smiled grimly as he stabbed the chupacabra repeatedly. Kyran aimed for the throat and stomach. It howled, releasing him. It landed near his feet and Kyran didn't waste the opportunity. He brought Black Flower's Thorn down with all his might. The head plopped down onto the ground. The body fell to the side. Kyran let out a sigh of relief. If they hadn't come at him straight on, he would have been in trouble.

Kyran checked his quiver. Seven arrows left. Might not be enough to bring down the humanoids. Especially if there was another creature pulling the strings. He went to the chupacabra he had brought down with arrows. The arrows might still be good. Kyran went to work. It only ended up yielding three arrows. A disappointing yield for the amount of work he had had to put into it.

Kyran didn't bother using stealth. The creatures had been drawn to his blood. Since he didn't have any bandages, they would come right at him. If there were any more that was. The humanoids were still outside the cave. Their noses raised to the wind as Kyran got closer. They turned toward him, slowly. Their expressions were blank. Their necks were a mass of scar tissue. Kyran couldn't tell what they were. The only sure thing was they were working with the enemy.

He stopped, raising Last Sight. It wasn't ideal. The creatures had the high ground. One of them began to head in his direction. The other stayed near the cave. They were protecting something then. Kyran unleashed an arrow. It struck the creature in the neck. The creature didn't even stop still advancing upon Kyran. "Can't feel pain? Good." He said pulling out another arrow. There had to be a master then. If these things couldn't think, couldn't feel pain, they were undead. There was no way they were draining the cows.

Kyran loosed a second arrow. At this distance, he couldn't miss the head. The creature collapsed as if boneless. A roar came from deep inside the cave. Kyran checked the sun quickly. It was almost at the horizon. He had a few hours left. He gave a sigh of relief. In that moment of hesitation, the other creature attacked. Kyran turned back toward it in time to see its arm sweeping toward him. He flew through the air colliding with a tree. Last Sight was lost during his flight.

"Damn it!" Kyran got up slowly. His left arm hung at his side. It felt like it was on fire. Moving it probably wasn't the best idea. He dipped his fingers in his bleeding wound. Colliding with the tree had reopened it. Looked like he would spend a few days recuperating in the town. The creature was rushing for him again. Kyran raised his bloody fingers. "Mystic Blood Beasts: Blood Thorn!" Two neat holes appeared in the creature's head. It collapsed onto Kyran. He grit his teeth as he rolled it off. His arm might very well be broken.

Last Sight would have to stay where it was. It was magic time from here on out. Perhaps his new spells would help the most here. Kyran climbed the hill and knelt at the top of the hill. It left him fifty meters from the cave entrance. More than enough space but not too far from the entrance. He was learning to use his magic more wisely. Placing his hand on his wound, Kyran began to draw upon his magic.

When Kyran had placed enough magic into his spell, he cried out "Mystic Blood Beasts: Ophanim of Denial!" A flaming wheel formed above his arm. The flames were bloodred and eyes covered the wheel. Having already mentally input his commands, the ophanim began to drift toward the top of the cave entrance. Kyran shook his head to clear it of exhaustion. He was losing a lot of blood. Black Coat may have absorbed some of the damage but enough had gone through. He needed to finish this quickly. Kyran began his second spell.

Whatever was in the cave called out to him. "Wait, human! I can grant you your dreams of immortality! I can give you great treasure that I have collected for thousands of years. You need only leave me alive." Kyran didn't let his surprise make his focus falter. This creature was dangerous. The sun was almost down as well. It would kill or drain him as soon as the sun was down. He suspected that was all that kept it in its cave.

The ophanim opened its eyes, spreading a great red light across the entirety of the cave entrance. Kyran smiled. The creature would be slowed at least now. His second spell was nearly finished. "I do not believe you, vile creature. You have drained cattle consistently though I'm sure you would drain humans if you could." He tried not to think of the two humanoid creatures he had slain. "This is a fate you brought upon yourself! Mystic Blood Beasts: Manticore of Spite!" The creature roared.

A tiny lion covered in spikes charged away from Kyran. The creature came charging out of the cave near the same time. It made Kyran glad of his ophanim. It's powers slowed the creature near a stop allowing Kyran to look at it. The creature was hideous. Covered in a black mane, its nose curled up and back along its head. Two ears stuck out on either side, glittering with earrings. Long curved claws tipped each of its fingers. Kyran wanted to look away from it.

Instead he watched as his manticore latched on. The creature batted at it even as it exploded. Kyran was already raising his bloody hand. The creature might be filled with red spikes but he didn't want to take chances. He was weak. The ophanim wouldn't hold forever and the sun was nearly under the horizon. "Goodbye, creature. Mystic Blood Beasts: Blood Thorn!" Holes bloomed in the creature's chest. It let out one last mournful roar before it fell. Kyran got up slowly. His hand was still outstretched in front of him.

Once he was convinced the creature really was dead, Kyran removed its head. He wanted proof he had brought the beast down. It was slow work with Kyran's blurry vision and shaking arm. He continuously had to stop. When he was finished, Kyran took the time to rip his vest to shreds. Better that he bind his wounds. Mayhap it would have been better to bind them earlier but it would be a lesson he remembered.

Kyran strapped the head to his hip. It was an awkward bundle but it would get him to the base of the mountain. He hoped there weren't any other creatures that had been under its thrall. Last Sight turned out to be under a few bushes when Kyran went looking for it. The bow didn't appear to be damaged. It was slung over his back without ceremony. Kyran looked about him before he stumbled toward the village. "A job well done." He announced to himself. Kyran could only hope he made it to the village without passing out. That would turn this from a triumph into a catastrophe.

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