The vampire familiar with Mark wanted a piece of him. He hungered to avenge his comrades in arms.
"That one...." He pointed at Mark "...is incredibly dangerous"
Mark charged forward, his sword flashing in the moonlight. The vampires, taken aback by his sudden ferocity, stumbled backward in surprise. Mark seized the opportunity, striking down the first vampire with a swift slash to the chest.
The second vampire, a snarling creature with razor-sharp fangs, lunged at Mark with a vicious bite. Mark sidestepped the attack with ease, his movements fluid and calculated. He countered with a powerful kick, sending the vampire crashing into a nearby tree.
As the vampire struggled to rise, Mark pinned it to the ground with his sword. The vampire's eyes widened in terror as Mark's gaze bore into its soul.
The vampire who survived Mark's initial onslaught looked intently at him.
"Please..." Mark said with his head tilted, a hint of amusement dancing in his eyes. "Don't act like we haven't done this before."
The vampire's face contorted in a mixture of fear and rage. "You're a monster," it spat.
Mark's expression turned cold. "I'm the one who's going to end your existence."
With a swift motion, Mark plunged his sword into the vampire's heart. The creature let out a blood-curdling scream as its body became shrunken.
The remaining vampires, undeterred by their companions' fate, launched a fierce counterattack. Mark parried their blows with precision, his sword slicing through the darkness with deadly accuracy.
One vampire attempted to grab Mark from behind, but he countered with a swift elbow strike, shattering the vampire's jaw. Another tried to bite him, only to be met with a vicious headbutt that sent it stumbling backward.
As the fight raged on, Mark's movements became a blur of steel and shadow. His sword flashed in the moonlight, striking true time and again. The vampires, despite their supernatural strength and speed, were no match for Mark's skill and determination.
Finally, the last vampire fell to the ground, its body shrunken. Mark stood victorious, his chest heaving with exertion. His eyes gleamed with a fierce intensity, a testament to his unwavering dedication to his mission.
In that moment, Mark was the embodiment of darkness and light, a warrior driven by a burning need to vanquish the shadows.
Elena was more frightened of Mark than the vampires.
"Thank goodness he's not our enemy" She thought.
They rushed into the main compound, intending to save any child they could.
"This way" Elana led out some of the smaller children.
They went into dorms of the older children. They found dead children lying everywhere, some of which did not have complete limbs.
On their way to the female dorms, they were stopped by a screecher.
"Does your gift have any tricks for surviving monsters...!!!" Fynn asked; screaming at the top of his lungs.
"I'm not a mentalist dammit"
Fynn picked up a half burnt stake as arms to tackle this monster.
"Ssssssssss..." Came the sound. The screecher was motionless for a while, before its head fell off. It was the cleanest cut both of the boys had ever seen.
They heard calling;
"What are you waiting for, get the sheets!" Mark pointed at some old sheets lying on the grass near them.
"How did he get there?" Fynn whispered to Kael.
"How am I supposed to know" Kael whispered back.
Fynn and Kael exchanged a nervous glance before rushing to grab the sheets. Mark began to rip them into strips, his movements swift and precise.
"What are we doing?" Fynn asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"We're making a way out," Mark replied, his eyes scanning the surrounding area. "We need to get the children to safety."
As they worked, Elena led the smaller children to the entrance of the compound, her heart heavy with grief. The sight of the dead children had shaken her to her core.
Once the sheets were torn, Mark began to tie them together, creating a makeshift rope. He tossed one end up to a window on the second floor, where Kael was waiting.
"Pull it up!" Mark shouted.
Kael heaved the rope up, securing it to a beam.
"Come on!" Kael shouted to the others. "We need to move, now!"
Fynn and Elena helped the children down the rope, one by one. As they climbed, the sounds of screechers and vampires grew louder, closing in on their position.
Mark reached down, pulling the last child up to safety just as a screecher burst through the door below.
"Get back!" Mark shouted, his sword flashing in the moonlight.
The screecher let out a deafening screech as Mark struck it down, his movements a blur of steel and shadow.
"Is there any other place left?"
Fynn pointed to a little path that led to the dorm which Lysera and Vynella were staying.
It's ground floor was ablaze.
Fynn was moved to tears. His friends were seemingly dead.
" Those on the ground floor are hopeless at this point". Mark said " Looks like the top floor still has people on it"
"How do we get up there?" Ferdinand inquired. He was hoping to see Mark do something inhuman again.
Mark took a squat and in one leap bound ascended to the second floor.
"That is...amazing!"
He would take two girls at a time descending and ascending the floor till all that was left on the second floor were people who couldn't make it.
Ferdinand's eyes widened in awe as Mark leapt from the ground to the second floor with ease. "That's incredible!" he exclaimed.
Mark didn't respond, his focus solely on rescuing those trapped on the top floor. He began to ferry the children and survivors up to the second floor, two at a time, his movements swift and precise.
As they watched, Fynn's tears of grief turned to tears of amazement.
Ferdinand nodded, his eyes fixed on Mark's incredible feats. "He's more than that," she said. "He's our only hope."
Once everyone who could be saved was on the second floor, Mark turned his attention to those who couldn't make it. He knelt before their remains and with palms clasped said a silent prayer. He moved with a quiet reverence, his eyes scanning the room for anyone left behind.
Fynn approached him, his voice barely above a whisper. "Sir, we have to leave. The fire is spreading."
Mark nodded, his gaze lingering on the faces of those they couldn't save. "Let's go," he said, his voice low and gravelly.
As they made their way to the makeshift rope, the sounds of screechers and vampires grew louder, the flames licking at their heels. Mark took the lead, his sword at the ready, his eyes fixed on the path ahead.
They descended into the night, the darkness swallowing them whole. But with Mark leading the way, they knew they had a chance to survive.
......................
Morning came, and with it the trouble of finding a place for the children. They were yards away from where the orphanage once stood. Their clothes, books, food, all they had were now ash. Some cried throughout the night, some wondered what the future held for them, none slept.
A boy was lying next to Kael on the grass. It was cold and wet.
"I don't think I can survive outside" Olly was worried and confused. He lost two of his friends that night.
"What do you think we should do now" He turned and faced Kael.
"Honestly, I have no idea"
"There are 39 of us...do you think these adults can help us?"
"I'm in the same boat as you"
"I honestly don't want to go to another orphanage. I've heard horrible stories from the flour vendors....an orphanage without Ms. Maroon is no home"
Olly was trying to hold back his tears. He was trying terribly.
"What would a couple of vampires want with an orphanage?"
Fynn was asking his friends. Vynella, Lysera and Fynn were sitting in a little circle.
"I've never seen one in person. Usually I thought they'd be bigger" said Lysera.
Vynella was in no mood to talk. She was simply tired.
"Vyny...you alright?"
Fynn asked, concerned. Lysera sat looking at them.
"I've lost all my pretty clothes and my books..."
Lysera said hoping to distract Fynn.
'Books' came up in Fynn's mind.
He stood up and left, searching.
"The book"
He scanned the plane. He saw Kael and Olly lying some feet away, talking. He immediately came up to them.
"Mind if I borrow him for a minute" Fynn asked immediately taking Kael away.
"Do you have the book?" He asked with his eyes open.
"I stuck it in my area before I came to your dorm. It's safe" Kael answered back.
Mark was sitting under a shade, his back leaning on a tree. He was half asleep.
"Wake up" Elena tapped him, with a stern look on her face.
"Where's Ferdinand?"
"He went back to the orphanage to harvest"
"Harvest what?" Elena was curious.
"Screecher eyes...they turn crystalline when they die. One's worth about 200 Kredits"
Elena put her hand over her mouth.
"That's a lot of money!" She added.
"How many did you kill?"
"About seven I think, I lost count" Mark felt too tired to keep speaking.
"Can't believe my mother used to kill those for free"
There weren't many stories about screechers when Elena was little. Most people believed they were myth.
Lyorne would usually hunt them and used their skin for brewing potions or making fertiliser.
She came and sat next to Mark.
"What do you think we should do about these kids?" She was very much concerned.
"Either we find them a new orphanage or find them a place to earn some living..." Said Mark. They'll have to be survivalists from now on"
"The only possible place they could find work would be..."
"... Tinker's Island"
Elena almost screamed.
"You want to take them to the Capital..."
"The grownups can do well to survive on their own, the young ones should be kept in an orphanage...it's the least I can do"
"How do we get there?" Elena asked.
"Ferdinand is fetching our fare isn't he?"
Two boys walked toward Mark and Elena's direction.
"There he is" Kael pointed at Mark.
"He's the Stained One...from your dreams about the old lady"
"Him?" Fynn pointed at Mark, a tad disappointed.
"Umm father..."
"...Mark" Mark chipped in.
"I was told to find you..."
"...I have no reason to help you boy"
"Please..." Fynn toned down his voice. "My parents....they were murdered along with a number of people in a church. I thought it was random but it's not. My parents deserve justice...or I at least a sense of closure"
"You..."
"Hey..." Ferdinand stormed in from nowhere, smiling and panting, completely oblivious to whatever conversation he just barged into.
"How many?" Mark asked, looking up at Ferdinand.
"Are you sure?" Ferdinand asked, pointing at the boys.
"They grew up in a home made for parentless children, they wouldn't know a thing"
"Rude much?!" Fynn asked, his eyes squinted.
Mark didn't react. He simply looked at him complacently.
"Who's the boy?" Ferdinand asked, very much intrigued.
"You're a gifted aren't you? Would make sense since 'normal' people can't jump two storeys high" Fynn wanted to annoy Mark, to see his reaction.
"You're asking questions, now" Mark replied, still sitting, unfazed.
"Seems we're all ignoring the fact that I wanted to know who he was" Ferdinand said, looking at Mark.
Mark wiped his hand with his face.
"He says an old lady wanted him to find me...for some reason apparently"
"Could it be him?" He asked.
"He's scrawny, can barely fight with a stick much less a sword"
"You do realize you've both met?" Kael chipped in.
"You're still sore cuz you couldn't do anything that day..."
Mark's eyebrows met at his forehead. No other day had made Mark feel so helpless before.
"Here..." Kael pulled out the book and handed it to Mark.
"What are you doing?" Fynn gripped Kael on the shoulder, unsure if they could trust Mark anymore.
Elena was intrigued by it. She knelt closer to Mark to take a good look at the book.
"What sort of grimoire is this?" She was curious.
"Old, found it at the school"
Mark flipped its pages a few times until he came across the diagram of the sword.
"That's the sword you're supposed to be looking for" said Kael as he pointed to the page.
Mark sat and thought for a while. Following these boys to their merry quest may lead to something, anything. He stood up and went to where some of the children were lying.
"Get some rest! You'll need it for the journey ahead".
Olly rose up gently. "A journey to where?"
"The Capital! You might get much better help there"
"Are you putting us back in an orphanage?" A girl asked.
"Most likely..." Mark answered. "We'll walk some distance, find a caravan and be headed our way"
Some of the children thought this may be the time to choose what path to take. Some were really comfortable with the idea of a new 'home'. Many were still very much overwhelmed from the last night's events. They couldn't shake off the trauma.
Night came, it was colder than usual. Not many of them had sheets or blankets. Those who did had to share with those didn't. Some still wailed themselves to sleep.
Mark was still sitting under the tree, awake with his guard up like a shepherd dog. A little sleep wasn't worth being careless about the children's safety.
"It sure is warm in here" Ferdinand was also sitting under a tree sharing a blanket.
"You don't say". Elena lended her own smaller sheet to a child for cover. She felt she could bear the cold. She couldn't.
"What are you going to do once we reach Tinker's Island?" Ferdinand felt bored. He wanted to start a conversation.
"I'll have to look into my mother's past a bit...try to continue her work"
"You're leaving?" Ferdinand was bummed.
"We'll probably meet again....maybe" At least she hoped.
"What else do you do when you're not 'adventuring'?" Elena asked.
"If you're asking what I do for fun, 'this' is what I usually do"
"Ferdinand, you're making this boring"
"Fine, fine...." Ferdinand chuckled a bit.
"When I was little..." He continued "My father used to own a farm...I used to like riding the horses..."
"You don't seem strong for a horse rider" Elena said, while trying to feel his shoulder's thickness with hers.
"I did fight a horse once"
"You what" Elena burst out a little laugh.
"I did..." Then he slowly turned his head away from her. "Though I didn't win...kicked me in the gut do you know how painful that is?"
Elena was still laughing. They both were...till their heads bumped.
"Owww"
Didn't take a moment till they started staring at each other.
"You two!" Mark's voice from the other tree broke their silence.
"You're ringing in my ears. Get some shuteye"
The night's conversation ended, although with Ferdinand a bit flustered.
......................
A few hours after sunrise, they found a large caravan, at least one that was capable of accommodating all the children.
Kael and Fynn however we're in the same caravan as Mark and Elena. She seemed to bond well with the two, although Mark hadn't said a word all morning.
"Is there also a vow of silence in your set of oaths?" Fynn was uncomfortable with Mark's eery demeanor.
"Is never taking time to quietly think not one of the things you were taught at the orphanage?" Mark replied back. He was trying to be demure.
Elena was looking at them. She noticed they didn't really seem to be getting along. With her gone, leaving Mark and Fynn with Ferdinand didn't seem to be a good idea. 'Boys are boys'.
"Do you plan on staying in a new orphanage" Elena asked, concerned.
"I'll have to find that sword...." Fynn then looked at Mark "Though I don't know why I need him to do so". Kael knew why, but decided being quiet was a much better approach.
"Do you have any other friends...other than him?" She asked referring to Kael.
"I do...they're in the cart next to us"
The journey took about three hours. They reached the gates to the Capital. Ferdinand sold one of the crystalline eyes to a merchant in line and paid for their entrance card. The gate was made of steel, something very uncommon in the boonies. The children were soon to learn why the Capital was called Tinker's Island.
The guards at the gate would pull down a short mechanical lever, little gear clanks could be heard loudly from the gates as they would open.
The children were genuinely amazed. Mechanical and semi-electrical machines were new to them. They rounded up together and unloaded from their caravans.
"I'll be back shortly" Ferdinand left for about an hour and returned with a bearded man, a little fat.
"Follow me" He beckoned them to come. Mark followed to children closely behind.
"Hey" Elena tapped Ferdinand as he was about following Mark. She hoped for a little chat.
"So this is where we part...." She was looking a bit intently at him.
"I guess..."
"I'll have to look for some of my mother's old allies"
"Yeah"
"And maybe..." She didn't know how to continue.
"Till we meet again then"
"Wait..." Ferdinand stopped her. He pulled out a little red bag from his own and gave it to her.
"Here...a parting gift...you'll be stuffing a lot of things in there".
Elena was a bit flustered. "This is totally unnecessary"
"I...I do this f..for everyone I meet"
She gave him a little smile and with a little wave went her way. Ferdinand went his way too, reaching Mark and the children.
"You done" Asked Mark.
"I guess"
The chubby man led them a place that looked like a little castle, adorned with windows with beautiful designed gold frames.
"Does someone actually live here?" Some of them thought as they walked the spiral staircase of the castle. The chubby man took them to a little hall with a desk facing a window and a man sitting there with another person. When the man noticed the children he quickly got up and dismissed his partner.
"...and tell him to arrange that meeting for next week" He seemed to be the owner of the castle. He was tall, had reddish brown hair, no beard and was dashingly handsome. He wore a mule-brown over coat which looked very expensive.
"These are the ones boss" The chubby man motioned to the children to come forward.
"I already know some of you may not want to continue the orphanage life, so those of you who will should come forward" He said as he brought out a ledger and a special kind of quill, with rainbow coloured feathers and a gold shaft with little engravings.
"What kind of quill is that?" One of the little girls asked.
He came to her and smiled at her gently.
"It's a kind that lets you store ink in it and gradually leak it out as you write"
Many of the children came and put down their names, one by one. Olly came forward as well.
"Till we meet again then?" Kael asked Olly.
"I guess so" They both embraced, wondering what missing each other would be like.
"To the rest of you I'll give you cards to go find various people. Work for them and earn your pay". He said as he motioned to chubby man to hand out cards to them.
Mark was a little distance behind them. The man walked up to him. It was then Mark realised who he was. He stretched out his hand for a handshake to Mark.
"Hi...my name is Dean Colter....."