To Be a Prince

[matthewkuch]

The bitter smell of vampire blood hung thickly in the air, oppressing the lungs of everything around to breathe it. Gavner felt a tingle of nervousness; the butterflies that plagued his stomach. Vampric war was a vicious exploit. It was more gruesome than most because of their supernatural abilities and refusal to use ballistics weapons. They only used close quarter combat weapons such as swords, maces, axes and things of the sort.

To vampires ranged weapons were instruments of cowardice looked upon with scorn. True honor was due to those who contained their true emotions and displayed courage, valor, and gallantry. Those who perished in combat were among the honorable and praised in the eyes of the clan. The greatest of vampires to ever walk the planet; however, were the princes and generals. Anyone could fight to the death, but it took true resilience to lead an army- or clan- successfully.

[matthewkuch]

Anoterish was one of the highest ranking clans to exist. Anyone in the clan or blooded by a member was of noble blood. Vampires of noble blood evolved and became more powerful at a faster rate than any other type. Because of their vast physical superiority, Anoterish had never lost a war. They had triumphed over all neighboring clans in the vicinity and crushed all others who were in extreme opposition of their morals. Although it was a vampire clan, they were not evil.

Five clans were within warring vicinity; Stultus, Improbus, Sopor, Odi, and Anoterish. None of the other clans liked Anoterish, but Improbus was their biggest rival. The clan that all others originated, the name lost in time, was composed of two classes; the noble and the damned. Those from the damned were much larger in terms of numbers than the noble.

[matthewkuch]

At the dawn of time when the Shan vampire species was created, The Boss noticed that vampires were exploiting their supernatural abilities. The extremely powerful creatures were destroying and manipulating their weaker counterparts, the humans. Seeing this, The Boss warned the species that if they continued this way He would no longer be with them. Most of the children of the night did not heed His advice, but a small group of vampires did. They were rewarded with celestial power called The Holy Spirit, and their blood turned noble.

Vampires of noble blood gained special attributes over those without it. They had much higher strength and speed, and their endurance trumped the normal vampires by tenfold. Nobles did not need to feed nearly as often as the normal vampires did, but they did need slighty more than the other kind. Noble vampires also had special contact with The Boss as well. Because of this, The Boss gave them morals and standards to live by. Because of their upholdance of these morals, The Boss blessed them in everything they did.

[matthewkuch]

Through all of their actions, no matter what it was, the nobles deemed success. The special class of vampires quickly rose in ranking among the clan. Soon the nobles were leading all of the other vampires. Though this became the way of the clan, naturally all of the inferior vampires became jealous. They all wanted the special attributes that the nobles had. As a result, the two classes split into rivaling clans; Anoterish and Improbus. Because of the high morals and noble leadership, Anoterish remained intact throughout the years. Improbus, however, crumbled in the midst of its chaos and malice. Several breakaway groups abandoned the clan and tried to make it on their own. Some groups headed west, some further east, and a few stayed in the vicinity.

Most of the clans hated each other. They never negotiated, never showed mercy, and never showed sign of common sense; until now that is.

[matthewkuch]

It was damp and musty in the cramped tunnels that one could barely stand up in. Mavrik was crouched down writing on a small section of a piece of paper. The experienced vampire relied on Anoterish’s ability to see in the dark for his job. Small sketch marks and symbols composed the complex encryption of the clan’s map system. Utilizing encryption that no civilization could crack without the key, the clan guarded the knowledge as it was the very secret of life.

Mavrik had spent months in Fata Montem, the stronghold of Improbus, sketching maps to bring back to the clan as an advantage. The covert operation was top secret, even from most Anoterish members. Only the princes and select generals knew of this mission. If any Improbus members found out that Anoterish was in the depths of Fata Montem, they would declare a full-fledged war. The Improbus clan was composed of war hawk officials who did not care to preserve the life of the organization. If war occurred losses would be devastating for both sides.

This was why maps were such an essential advantage. Counterattacks could be launched and navigated through the enemys’ base. Mavrik was very experienced in this field as he had been doing it for several years now. When he concentrated, the covert specialist could hear anything approaching down a tunnel from miles away. Mavrik would walk several hundred feet, stop and add to his map, then continue. It was not until he heard the faint sounds of muffled voices that he became leery.

[matthewkuch]

Instantly Mavrik froze and looked up to see if he could see anybody approaching. He waited, listening to see if the voices drew closer; this was his way of knowing whether or not he was hearing through a wall. About five minutes passed and the voices did not advance nor did they retreat. He proceeded forward through the tunnel until he was next to the source of the voices. Being so close, not only could he make out several different voices but the vampire could also understand them and make out words.

“Boles, do not say any more. You have kept us off track for long enough as it is,” said the first voice.

“I am just saying, if we took the city to the east we would have all of the blood we need to feed off of. Problem solved.” Replied the second voice- Boles, Mavrik assumed.

“I have already told you why this is impossible; stop trying to argue with me.” The first voice said irritably.

[matthewkuch]

“Fine. What was it that you were saying about Anoterish?” A third voice asked.

Everybody hates Anoterish,” the first voice said, “and I suspect that they have grown fat and lazy in their extreme spell of peace that has come across the land.”

“I think we have all been at peace for 700 years by now.” A fourth voice said, “they boast of sustaining the conditions when tension exists between all of us.”
"I propose that we break it,” the first voice said. Everybody in the room fell silent. “We will catch them off guard. Shortly after the declaration of war Improbus will begin the initial attacks. Setron, you and Stultus will surround the stronghold. Crotens, Odi will be on standby as backup reinforcements. We will crush Anoterish with sheer numbers."

"But Rimzak," said Boles, "What if Anoterish has secret defensise that we know not of?"

"We will send in covert operations to see."

[matthewkuch]

Mavrik rushed down the tunnel recalling his emergency escape route. He utilized low-traffic tunnels, most of which had flood damage or caved in walls. The destination of the escape route was a single shaft that led directly to the surface. As he drew closer to the shaft, Mavrik became careless. He used tunnels known to have more activity than he was comfortable with. The risk doubled with every corner he turned. The closer he drew to escaping, the closer he came to being discovered.

About 50 feet from escaping the bowels of his enemies' base, Mavrik turned the final bend in the tunnel and collided with one of two vampires who were turning the corner as well. Reacting instantly Mavrik snapped the first vampire's neck and elbowed the second against the wall. Leaping in the air he kicked the second one so forcefully in the chest that his sternum was broken and he was propelled against the bend of the tunnel nearly 20 feet away.

[matthewkuch]

Mavrik had to act fast. The vampires did not react because this was their stronghold. Nobody knew that Mavrik was here, but if he did not escape soon he would be dead and Anoterish would have no warning of the attacks. Listening closely to make sure nobody else was approaching; Mavrik picked up the first vampire and slung him over his shoulder.

The smell of vampire blood burned the nostrils of Mavrik’s sensitive nose. Although it was almost pitch black in the mountain of his enemy Mavrik could see as if it was lit; he was one of the few vampires who were gifted with perfect vision in the dark. Turning the corner he noticed a square of beautiful white light streaming in from somewhere above; the light of the full moon. Mavrik had not seen moonlight in over six weeks; his covert missions were usually very extensive as it was extremely difficult to infiltrate the mountain undetected. Time seemed to stop as he stared at the beautiful patch of light. Then and there, Mavrik realized how much he longed to bask in the glow of the moon once more.

[matthewkuch]

Picking up the second vampire Mavrik rushed to the patch of moonlight and found that he had reached the exit shaft. For six and a half long weeks Mavrik had been sneaking around the house of his enemy with death just around the corner. Almost seven weeks in hiding had made him restless. Oh how he longed to smell the pine needles of Anoterish forest, to feel the wind on his face; to bask in the energizing radiance of the moon.

Finally the time had come. Mavrik’s exit clause had arrived and he was relieved of his mission. All he had to do was climb the shaft and dispose of the bodies; after that he was home free. Mavrik sank the nails of his left hand into the side of the shaft and looked up. The light of the full moon was so soothing and gentle; calming the weary vampire. All he wanted to do now was bask; bask like a snake in the brilliant essence of life. He wanted to soak up as much of the moonlight as he possibly could. After all, he was mere feet away from exiting the mountain.

[matthewkuch]

“Intruder,” Somebody shouted from behind Mavrik. “Intruder just below the surface!”

Mavrik's heart sank at this. He was screwed; he had never been caught before. Nobody ever got caught... He could not imagine what this would mean for his carreer in Anoterish. Mavrik snapped back to reality. He had been standing there for not even two minutes and been caught. He shoved the nails of his other hand into the wall and began to ascend the shaft. The two vampires lay on him like lifeless sacks of potatoes but they weighed virtually nothing to a vampire of Mavrik’s caliber.

[matthewkuch]

As he ascended, Mavrik heard more voices arrive and migrate to the area below; they were beginning to pursue him. Without thinking Mavrik dropped the bodies and leapt as far as he could up the shaft. Looking up Mavrik lifted his arms and soared upwards, clearing the rest of the shaft. He landed in a tunnel that led directly out of the mountain.

Mavrik was bathed in the moonlight that illuminated the mouth of the tunnel, but this time he did not lose himself in it. Running out the tunnel Mavrik began to jog. The exit tunnel was only twenty feet up the mountain and it became level with the ground at a slight declivity. Mavrik was soon at a sprint and the world began to fly past him as he reached flitting speed. He would be at Anoterish’s stronghold within 3 hours and warn everybody about the disaster that was coming their way; about the war he had just caused…

[matthewkuch]

“So remember that the more weight you carry, the harder it is to flit.”

Gavner was in one of his special Tactics and Leadership courses. They were learning the physics of their supernatural abilities. The vampires of Anoterish never ceased to hone in and develop their abilities; a vampire who strives for a specific level and stops is useless.

All vampires were barren. The only way to create more vampires was by a process called blooding. If a human had been educated in the ways of the vampires and wanted to become one, the vampire who was blooding them would cut all ten of his fingertips and all ten of the human’s fingertips. Both parties would then place their fingertips on the opposite persons fingertips and the transfusion of vampire blood to the human would take place.

[matthewkuch]

When the human was fully blooded, he was considered a full vampire. If he was only half-blooded he would be considered a half-vampire. As soon as a human was blooded the vampire blood would work on the body and enhance its capabilities. Strength doubled initially, as did speed. At least one sense would become sharper and very sensitive. Teeth and nails would become as hard as iron within a week and saliva would heal minor flesh wounds. Vampires also aged at 1/10 the rate humans did. For every ten years that passed, the vampire’s body aged one year. Then there was flitting.

Flitting was the trademark of the vampires. Each full vampire had the potential to travel at insane speeds in order to reach a destination. When accelerating up to flitting speed, the world seemed to fly by rather than the vampire running through it. Usually normal vampires’ abilities peaked after they became 220 years old; the average vampire was blooded at age 20. Since Anoterish vampires were of noble blood, their abilities did not peak until they were 500 years old, and they aged at 1/15 the rate of a normal human.

“Now, if the average vampire can lift ten to twenty times his own weight-“ The instructor was cut off by the door opening and Mavrik Grahl bursting in. “Ahh Mavrik,” the instructor said, “would you care to…” He fell silent when Mavrik shook his head seriously and beckoned the instructor over.

[matthewkuch]

Mavrik was a taller vampire with shaggy greyish-white hair that had hints of black. Mavrik was 200 years old but he purposely changed his hair color to signify that he was in the special forces of the clan. The Special Forces were looked upon with great respect and honor; they risked their lives for the clan every day they worked. He had beautiful glowing purple irises and a very muscular frame.

Gavner looked up to Mavrik. He hoped to become as skilled and specialized in his occupation like this vampire. Gavner was only 38 years old, but many had told him he was wise far beyond his years. Most vampires aspiring to become generals did not complete their training until they were around 80 years old, but Gavner had showed massive amounts of discipline and become the youngest general in Anoterish.

“Class, I am afraid this session will have to be postponed. I want you all to head down to the cavern of princes immediately for a council meeting.” The instructor said.

Council meeting, at this short of notice? Gavner thought to himself, This must be an emergency…

Gavner had never seen an emergency council meeting assembled before; whatever had happened must have been serious.

[matthewkuch]

Most vampire clans were fortified in mountains, but Clan Anoterish had been smarter than that. Shortly after the clan split they began to focus all of their resources and manpower into building a vast network of tunnels, sleeping quarters, and training areas underneath the mountain. In this case, if the mountain was ever attacked the enemy would be preoccupied attacking the mountain and the clan could seal off the underground entrance.

The mountain that Anoterish had originally established their stronghold in sat directly on the center of a hotspot and an underwater spring. Likewise, half of the stronghold was always warm and the other half was always cool. Built in the deepest part of the base was The Cavern of Princes. This was where all of the princes had council meetings, and where they worked most of the time.

The class of vampire generals was stopped in the inspection room and thoroughly checked before they were permitted entry to The Cavern of Princes. The entry to the cavern was sealed off by magic; only a prince was able to open it. Upon entry Gavner stood back in awe of the cave. He had only been in this place 3 times before. Once when he became a vampire and swore himself to the clan, a second time for the council meeting and a third time upon him becoming a general.

[matthewkuch]

Grey with crystalline stalactites reaching down from the ceiling, the cavern was a brilliant sight to behold. Being transparent, the back wall of the cavern revealed one of the most awe-inspiring sights Gavner had ever seen. The cavern itself seemed to overlook two pools of polar opposite substances. On the right was flowing lava from the hotspot, on the left a lake that was fed from groundwater. Vampric engineers must have incorporated magic in with their plans because the cavern was so far below the surface that it should have collapsed when it was built. It was also strange that the far wall behind the princes was transparent and that the door to the cavern only opened at the princes’ will.

Gavner and his class were some of the first vampires to arrive at the cavern but more members were filing in after them. The cave was large enough to fit the entire clan; several thousands of vampires, and was filled with wooden benches. Gavner sat down and turned to Reks, a hundred-year old vampire, and said “What do you think this is all about?”

“I’m not sure,” he replied. “If it’s this short of notice it must be about a rival clan.”

[matthewkuch]

There were currently five vampire princes in charge of Clan Anoterish, three were in the stronghold and the other two were out among the cities and wilderness of Althanas. All of the Princes at this time were past their youth. Malik Pagen, Theron Sirius, Julius Kurt all waited in the thrones at the cavern as the clan came trickling into the cavern. Mavrik stood at one of the several podiums that faced the princes, and he stood alone.

When the entering vampires ceased, Malik Pagen cleared his throat. Malik was 750 years old, and appeared to be in his late 50s. Wrinkles plagued his forehead, and unlike Mavrik true grey hairs were interwoven with his long brown locks.

“Mavrik Grahl,” the vampire prince said loud and authoritively, “what has occurred that warrants such immediate attention?”

[matthewkuch]

“I have come across a very troubling issue within my work that is of the utmost importance,” said the vampire. He looked worried, that much he could not contain. Such was a display of emotions; Mavrik was clearly not a general. Generals kept a hold of their emotions. Mavrik was once a general, but Gavner was not even born when this had happened.

“Clan Improbus is plotting to attack Anoterish with Stultus and Odi.”

There was a gasp all throughout the cavern. There hadn’t been a war in over 700 years; why would Improbus start one now?

[matthewkuch]

“What motives do you have to believe this?” Theron asked, “I hope it is a mere overreaction.”

“Sir,” Mavrik said respectfully, “I came across several leaders who were plotting to attack Anoterish. We must prepare.”

Before any more dispute could come about a guard of the cave announced something into the cavern.

“Lords Rimzak, Setron, and Crotens of clans Improbus, Stultus, and Odi request the presence of the Anoterish princes.” The vampire said.

[matthewkuch]

“Admittance granted,” Julius said opening the magic seal. Three vampires laden with fine clothing and materialistic physical trinkets entered the cavern of princes. They advanced to the empty podiums and looked on the princes.

“As representative of Clan Improbus, I War Prince Rimzak hereby declare war on Clan Anoterish.” The first vampire said.

“I, Setron War Prince of Clan Stultus, hereby formally declare war on Anoterish.” The second said.

“Clan Odi hereby declares war on Clan Anoterish as well.” The third creature of the night said.

The first two princes of Anoterish looked surprise, but Julius kept his cool. “By what motives do our rivaling clans act upon?”

“Improbus has caught an Anoterish spy in our stronghold. Such is an unforgivable offense.” Rimzak said, “expect immediate retaliation.”

The princes of Anoterish looked at each other, and Malik nodded. “Clan Anoterish must discus these affairs. Please step outside gentlemen, while we discuss these matters as a clan.”

[matthewkuch]

“Don’t declare war, we must avoid it at all costs!’

“A war would be too costly!”

“Improbus is not going to step down, we must launch an attack before they can get here.”

“We are talking about bloody war here!”

The clan had all been arguing with each other for over ten minutes, and Gavner suspected that the foreign princes would begin to lose their patience soon. As the clan continued to settle disputes, Gavner got the grave feeling that something was terribly wrong. The general waited his turn, and then spoke up.

“Your Majesty,” Gavner said addressing Theron, “what of the princes that wait outside the cavern?”

“Indeed,” said the prince, addressing the others, “let us not keep our guests waiting.”

“Guests!?”

Ignoring the angry comment from the clan, Julius, who was the oldest of the princes, spoke up.

“We are now taking a poll. Whoever wishes to attempt a peace arrangement should cast his vote now.”

[matthewkuch]

A good portion of the cavern voted, possibly half. It was not possible to tell if this was the majority of the attendees. Everybody in the clan voted; if one were to be part of the clan it was required for him to participate in the clan. Malik called for those in favor of war and Gavner cast his vote. He knew who they were dealing with, there was no sense in arguing over whether or not they should try and make peace with the lion that had already pounced on them.

Some of the vampires in the clan who had voted for peace looked at Gavner and shook their heads. Others turned to the person next to them and whispered something while pointing at the young vampire. Gavner was respected as he was the youngest general in the history of Anoterish, but some vampires did not approve of him. Most vampires thought that the aspiring general was far too young to lead troops into battle, especially since most of the vampires were older than him; little did they know that Gavner was wise far beyond his years.

[matthewkuch]

All vampires who had become generals already thought of Gavner very highly; becoming a general was no easy feat. They knew how difficult it was to become a general and commended Gavner highly. This was the first pressing issue of the clan that Gavner had cast his vote on; he had never attended council meetings before this point. Gavner had always been out doing business when the clan needed to vote on anything, and this was the first time that Gavner had publicly cast his vote on something. The princes counted the votes gravely and looked at each other.

Announcing the results, the princes somberly nodded to each other as they opened the seal only to reveal one of the most horrific scenes beheld in over 700 years.

[matthewkuch]

Waiting for them outside of the Cavern of Princes were numerous guards; all of them lie dead. All gasped as a bitter smell from the pool of ebony blood filled the room and burned the nostrils of everybody inside. Several guards lie in heaps, highlighting the struggle given to the escaping princes.

“They’ll never make it to the surface,” Theron said, “Indus, go and find our guests. Escort them to the surface and kindly wish them a nice day. Mavrik, we must talk in private.”

“Everybody else,” Malik boomed out to the congregation of vampires, “this meeting is over. I suggest that you all prepare yourselves for the war that is to come.”

As everybody began to file out, Gavner sat back and thought about everything that had just happened. The vampires had all been at peace for centuries; and centuries of peace were yet to come… How did such dreadful events dawn upon them? All accounts of vampric warfare were records of terrible death and destruction! Such was an event that Gavner could not begin to fathom let alone partake in. The young general took a deep breath and stood up, making his way to the door but Julius stopped him.

“Not you, Gavner.” The war prince said.

“Is there something wrong, sire?” Gavner asked taken aback.

“No, you will see soon enough child.”

[matthewkuch]

Gavner walked to the first row of benches as the rest of the vampires and generals emptied out of the cavern. Everybody seemed to be in shock at what had just happened, sending them out in a groggy zombie-like state. All three of the princes slumped back into their thrones when the last vampire exited and the seal was closed. Julius sighed, Malik rubbed his temples and Theron rested his head on his arm which was against his throne.

“What on Earth happened down there Mavrik!?” Mavrik burst out, “does the word stealth mean anything to you?”

“Your Majesty,” Mavrik began, “I have served faithfully in Covert Operations for almost a decade now-”

“And now you have been caught.” Malik said coldly. “Part of your duties was not to be caught, and you have failed. Your failure has caused war with the three biggest rivals we have. Here in Anoterish failure is not an option.”

[matthewkuch]

Mavrik remained silent and merely stared at the ground in thought.

“There will be consequences for your actions, Mavrik,” said the prince. “I, Malik Pagen War Prince of Clan Anoterish hereby remove you from the Covert Operations team and relieve you of all Wetwork duties that you have been assigned.”

The prince laid down the sentence as if it was law. It was as if a hammer had been brought down upon Mavrik’s head. Just as the news of war had hit the clan and left them in shock, the Mavrik stared at the princes in disbelief.

“But Your Majesty, I don’t understand… One lapse out of all the time I have served-”

“The statement has already been made, Mavrik. Theron and Julius are present, and Master Nahs can testify as a witness to your sentence. You have been demoted to the ranking of a normal clan member.” Malik said.

[matthewkuch]

“In Anoterish we have a specific way of doing things, Mavrik,” Julius said. “No exceptions may be made; perfection is expected on the first chance that is given. Anything less is unacceptable.”

Mavrik’s face darkened; he knew that this was a losing battle.

“I understand, Your Majesty.” Mavrik said darkly. “May I take my leave?”

“You may.”

The princes fell silent as Mavrik turned to leave. Theron lifted his hand and removed the magical seal from the only porthole leading into the cavern and watched as the exiting vampire struggled to hold his head up with his wounded pride. Nonetheless, Mavrik kept his shoulders square and his chin up, leaving with at least some dignity.

“Gavner,” Theron said after Mavrik had left, “our apologies to keep you waiting, but we have a little… task for you. Would you be up for some traveling?”

[matthewkuch]

Gavner was confused; he did not understand what traveling had to do with anything. The general knew quite a bit of the clan’s ways but they were only in theory; he had rarely seen them put into practice.

“What do you mean traveling, sir?” Gavner asked confusedly, “I thought that I would be fighting in the war with my team.”

“Gavner,” Theron said, “you are indeed a vampire general, but you are yet young and inexperienced. We are not sure if you are ready to lead vampires into battle.”

“Because of our suspicion, we have put together an important task for you,” said Theron. “We want you to take the maps of Althanas from Master Raynor, one of your field princes, and traverse the countryside. You are to do so in a timely manner in search of clans that may assist us in the war.”

“But what will happen to my team?” Gavner asked.

[matthewkuch]

“You only have ten vampires on your team, Gavner,” Malik said. The young general could tell that the war prince was beginning to lose his patience

“That may be true, sire, but they are ten vampires that I am responsible for.” Gavner replied. “With all due respect I am not just going to leave them to die.”

“You do know that this assignment is optional, General,” Julius said addressing Gavner by his well-deserved title. The prince turned, now addressing the others of his ranking. “If Master Nahs wishes to skip our special mission for him, it will all be of his own free will. We cannot force him to choose that which he does not wish to.”

“Fine! Then let the boy go off into war without knowing anything of it and get himself and ten other soldiers killed!” Malik shouted.

“Peace my boy,” Julius said to Malik, “remember to keep your temper. Emotions are poison in times like this.”

“Very well. You are free to go, General.” Malik said bitterly.

“Luck, Master Nahs,” said Julius as he opened the seal, “and may God be with you.”

[matthewkuch]

“Are we there yet?”

“No.”

“How ‘bout now?”

“…”

Mingsk, a 30 year old vampire, had been pestering Gavner for the whole duration of the hike they had been on. In light of the war and the princes’ observation of Gavner’s lack in experience, the general decided to take his team on a training mission before they were sent into combat. When the men were assigned to Gavner’s team he had met with them and gotten to know everyone, but he had not yet taken them on any training missions. Nobody had expected war to break out ever again…

Gavner led his team out in to the surrounding wilderness as they began to grow restless. The vampire general had mainly been assigned vampires of his own age, some were a bit older. Everybody was nervous including Gavner, but the rest of the vampires on the general’s team outwardly showed the emotion. Gavner kept his emotions concealed, as was required of every general of good standing.

[matthewkuch]

Past the plains at the base of the stronghold’s mountain and into the forest the team trekked. Gavner took them up the side of a mountain with no switchbacks and straight down the other side at a steady jog. This was almost an ultimate test of agility and reflexes for everybody, but Gavner had a higher skill in this than everybody assigned under him.

“Come on men,” Gavner called as he heard shouts of fright and close calls from behind him, “higher level troops do this kind of stuff every day!”

When they reached the training grounds that Gavner had prepared, the general put them to work. The camp was stationed in the valley between two mountains; all of it was wooded. When preparing, the general only had time to set up about twenty three stations; good training camps usually had about 80-100. Gavner had carved the directions of each station clearly into a slab of stone that was located at every testing area. Several stations were areas that tested strength or speed, others challenged endurance and stamina, but by far the most difficult tasks were the mental tests. Gavner sent his team into the training stations in pairs as the general himself made rounds to each station making sure each exercise was being completed properly.


Gavner first night of training went well for the most part, but his troops thought otherwise. They were extremely exhausted and all of them felt pushed past the limit. This worried Gavner; they hadn’t yet experienced the full intensity of his preparations yet…

“Get some rest gentlemen,” Gavner said, “tomorrow we start the hard stuff.”

[matthewkuch]

When Gavner woke up, the sun was blocked behind the mountain in front of their camp. This was going better than Gavner had planned; he had not thought of the mountains working in his favor. The general knew that his team needed more sleep so he took this time to add too and improve upon his stations. By the time the vampires started to wake up, Gavner had added 7 stations and refined 13.

“Rise and shine gentlemen,” Gavner called over to camp, “time to wake up.”

The vampires yawned and rubbed the sleep from their eyes and the general walked over to his team.

“Get up and go find dinner. We start in 30 minutes.”

“But, 30 minutes?? How are we supposed to find food, cook it, and eat it?” Richard whined.

“You will not always be able to pack food; learn to hunt. Food does not need to be cooked to eat.”

“Are you serious right now?” Jean said glaring at Gavner. The angry vampire had a bad attitude and a hatred for Gavner ever since he met his commander. Gavner still thought of him as part of his team nonetheless.

“Better get going, you only have 29 minutes left.”

[matthewkuch]

The vampires all left in a hunting pack, and Gavner could hear them clearly from a distance. Slowly, without making a sound, the general followed his team without them knowing. He did not want them to get into any trouble that they could not handle…
“What a joke,” Gavner heard one vampire say angrily, “you would think he’d give us a bit more time since he is making us find it all on our own!”

“Yeah, sergeant heartless over there working us like dogs and then making us go find food like animals.”

“I hope he knows that I’m not bringing him back any.”

“Come on guys, let’s be respectful.” Somebody said.

“Well if you love him so much why don’t you drink his blood.”

The vampires were traipsing through the woods and talking very loudly; they would never be able to sneak up on or catch anything.

“What can he do to us if we don’t show up on time?”

No, Gavner thought, bad idea, really really bad idea…

“You know what,” another vampire said, “that’s a thought.”

[matthewkuch]

Gavner stood at attention, precisely 29 minutes after he had told his team to return to camp. They had one minute before they would be officially late according to the general’s orders. That minute came and was long gone before Gavner even heard them on the horizon (his hearing was far better than his eyesight). A scowl plagued Gavner’s face and his face was redder than his hair. Upon seeing him, the young vampires looked like they grew frightened. Remembering his oath Gavner told himself to let go of his anger, no matter hard it was going to be. A true general never acted on emotional impulse.

“You are late,” Gavner said, his face softening. He counted ten vampires returning, as they came to a stop before him. “Why?”

“You didn’t give us enough time to hunt,” Jean sneered, “we didn’t even catch anything!”

“You do not take it upon yourselves to discredit orders,” Gavner said, “there will always be consequences for insubordination; no matter the circumstances. If you have a problem with your orders you will address them with me; otherwise you follow them. Do I make myself clear?”

[matthewkuch]

“But-“

“I said do I make myself clear?” Gavner repeated.

“Sir, with all due respect the orders you did give us were absolutely-”

“My apologies, master Jean. I did not make myself clear enough. Allow me to elaborate; everyone follow me.”

Gavner began to lead his team through the forest. They twisted and turned on their path, weaving through the trees until they reached the base of a mountain. Gavner came to a halt at the face of a large boulder. It was about twice as tall as Gavner was and must have weighed several tons due to its density.

“You disobey my orders; you pay the price for it. It is as simple as that,” Gavner said. “Get ready to push.”

[matthewkuch]

After a long night of training, Gavner’s team grumbled off for their tents just before sunrise. The general had pushed his troops to their physical limit that day. They seemed to hate him now, but Gavner knew that they would thank him later though. Ever since he had punished them for showing up late, nobody had been insubordinate at all. Gavner had pushed them for 4 more days, and every order he gave was fulfilled. If somebody didn’t think something the general said was fair, they spoke with him about it and he tried to arrange something more fairly.

“Good job today,” Gavner said as his men settled into bed, “rest up. Who knows when we will be part of a deployment.”

The vampire general lay down in his tent and slowly drifted out of the conscious world. Gavner dreamt that he was deep in the mines of Istraloth with a terrible fate at hand. Black Shadow, Koli, Drake, Matthew, and Queen Olivia were all tied up against a wall while a whole horde of spiders were closed in on them. A demon stood nearby, taunting the general.

“It’s your choice Gavner,” he said in a deep voice with a grin from ear to ear. “Either you surrender to me, or your friends will be no more.”

[matthewkuch]

Just then a bright white light filled the entire area that Gavner was in and everything dispersed. The vampire felt a wave of peace wash over him and all of his muscles relaxed. He suddenly felt completely off balance and fell backwards. He did not hit a ground, nor did he stop; he was simply falling.

“Gavner…” the vampire heard a voice whisper in his head. “Gavner…”

“What is it?” Gavner said, “Who is there?”

“Gavner, you must stop avoiding your duties…”

“What duties have I avoided?” Gavner replied, “my duties are to lead vampires into combat.”

“You have been given an assignment from your superiors…”

Gavner thought of this. He did not want to leave the clan. The general did not want to dash off into the wilderness while his team was left behind to fight the enemy. Julius had said his mission was optional…

“No assignment is optional…”

“Who are you?” Gavner asked desperately. He was beginning to grow frightened.

[matthewkuch]

“I am that which bestowed the noble blood among your clan.” The whisper answered, “listen to me and you will never fall astray. Take strength in me and you will never grow weary or fail. I am the reason your ancestors prospered as they did.”

“You are The Boss…” Gavner gasped, and the whisper did not answer. “No, no you are not real. I am talking to myself… The Boss is just a myth of the clan; an idea that explains how Anoterish came into existence. Vampires cannot simply accept that we have evolved into more powerful creatures and they remained weak!”

“If you believe so, go to the stronghold and observe what has befallen in your absence. Gavner, when you are ready to listen to me I want you to travel to clans beyond the Anoterish war zone and spread the news of Me to the others. Let each clan know that whoever pledges an alliance with Anoterish and accepts me will receive noble blood in their princes.”

“No, you are merely a figment of my imagination. Leave me.”

And so Gavner drifted back into his nightmares…

[matthewkuch]

Gavner woke just as the last rays of the sun peeked over the horizon. Waiting until the sun had fully set, Gavner set out into the woods and hunted a nice large elk. Dragging it back to camp Gavner cooked it for his troops before they woke up. All morning he had been contemplating whether or not he should return to the stronghold. Just as he made his decision some of the first vampires began to wake up. It lifted their spirits as the troops woke up to dinner already made for them. Gavner waited until everybody was eating to tell his news.

“We will not be training today,” Gavner said and everybody gave a sigh of relief. “We will check in with the stronghold and receive further orders as to if we are needed in battle or if we can continue training. Finish eating and pack up, we leave in ten minutes.”

As the team walked back through the wilderness, Gavner seized the opportunity to put them through a stealth test; He walked in front and if he heard anything behind him they restarted. Gavner and his team finally made it to the summit nearest the stronghold; when they reached the peak of the mountain, their base was visible. When Gavner reached the mountain’s summit, his jaw dropped. Thousands of vampires had surrounded the stronghold and held ranks. It was almost as if they had all been moving in for awhile now. Gavner did not know what to do; they could not go back to the stronghold now and he could not leave his team to go for help.

[matthewkuch]

He spotted somebody sprinting towards him from a distance; could this be somebody from the other clans? Gavner began to prepare himself mentally for a duel; it was customary for a challenger to charge the leader of a group to a death match. Gavner looked up towards the heavens. The general remembered legends of this ‘Boss.’ Apparently if one did not believe in the entity, he was going to hell. It was nearly impossible for Gavner to wrap his mind around the concept of a single higher being that was more powerful than anything. Where could It come from? Where did It get its power?

I guess I am going to hell if I lose this duel. Gavner thought to himself. Then the vampire thought more to himself… Who was this “Boss” to tell him that he was going to hell before even giving him a way to get into heaven?

[matthewkuch]

[Alright, Boss,] Gavner said in his mind, humoring the concept but not believing it, [I do not know if You can even hear me but if You can and you are really the most powerful being in the world, make it so I still have a chance to get into heaven.]

Gavner took a defensive stance; the assailant was now about 50 feet away and slowing down. He was cloaked and a hood was drawn over his face. The figure had closed the distance between him and Gavner with ungodly speed, and was now within 5 feet of the general. He stared at Gavner from under his hood and Gavner glared at him from where he stood. Then the figure drew back his hood and everything changed…

[matthewkuch]

“Raynor??” Gavner said, astonished.

“Yes Gavner, it seems we are at war.” The prince said gesturing to the stronghold.

“I would say,” the general replied, “what brings you here?”

“I’m here making sure vampires traveling to the stronghold don’t run into that,” Raynor said gesturing to the besieged base once more. “You are to take a detour to Vampire Mountain where you can rendezvous with the other vampires. Vıđarr is supervising the mountain until I get there. We will then have a meeting and discus what action we will take from there.”

[matthewkuch]

Vampire Mountain was nothing like the stronghold. All of the tunnels led to many different caverns which led to sleeping quarters and training facilities. Unfortunately there was no source of light, so Gavner had to carry a torch through the tunnels to find his way. For some reason the assignment that the princes gave Gavner was on his mind the whole time. He could not stop thinking about it. When it felt like they had been walking for an hour, Gavner led them into a very large cavern that was similar to the Cavern of Princes.

The cavern was filled with vampires who had already arrived and Vıđarr was sitting atop one of several thrones; his being the only one occupied. The prince’s gaze locked onto Gavner as soon as he stepped foot in the room, and he called out an order.

“Stop where you are or you will be killed where you stand.”

[matthewkuch]

Gavner looked around and noticed that 15 guards surrounded him, all pointing sharp spears at him. The general stopped and raised his hands as he looked up at the prince.

“State your name and business here,” Vıđarr said.

“I am Gavner Nahs, general of Clan Anoterish.” Gavner said, “I am escorting my team into Vampire Mountain as ordered by Raynor, my War Prince.”

Vıđarr stared at Gavner for a few seconds, then he raised his hand and admitted the general and his team. Gavner and his troops pretty much laid on the benches and relaxed for the whole day until Raynor arrived. As soon as he made it, the prince got up onto a throne and called everyone to attention.

“Alright, let’s call this meeting to order.” Raynor said. “I don’t know what just happened, but we are now at war. By the looks of it, it’s not just one clan and the rest of our forces are pinned down inside the mountain. Anybody know what happened?”

Everybody shook their heads and looked around.

“I know what happened, your majesty.” Gavner said.

[matthewkuch]

“Well go on son we don’t got all day.”

“All was normal, as a regular day always is, when Mavrik came rushing through. He called an emergency council meeting and everybody congregated in the Cavern of Princes.” Gavner started. “He stated how Improbus, Stultus, and Odi were all going to join together in an alliance and declare war on Anoterish. Not even five minutes later, three princes came in and declared war on Anoterish. I took my team out into the countryside to train and when we came back the stronghold was surrounded.”

“Xczunge!” The prince cursed, “without those reinforcements we are doomed!”

“Your Majesty,” Gavner said, “may I have a word with you and Vıđarr in private after the conclusion of this meeting?”

“I don’t see why not.” The prince answered, “now let’s see… How many troops do we have here?”

[matthewkuch]

After a long night of planning and thoughts, the small force of vampires seemed to have gotten nowhere. The two princes decided to let everybody return to their quarters for the night and contemplate war strategies the next day.

“What is it, Gavner?” Raynor said tiredly as everybody emptied. Only the two princes and Gavner remained in the room.

“I have been charged on a mission by Malik, Theron, and Julius to travel to other clans and gather support if possible.” Gavner started.

“Good, we need that. I was contemplating sending somebody out to do such a thing but it seems the others already have it covered. Take these maps and go as soon as you can; dismissed.” Raynor said.

“Wait, sir. What will happen to my team?” Gavner asked.

“What, that bunch of cubs? They will not see combat unless you are the one to lead them in.” The prince said, “between you and me, they are not fit to fight anyways. They still have yet a few years of experience to come.”

“Very well,” Gavner said, “thank you sir.”

[matthewkuch]

Just then Mavrik burst into the cavern huffing, out of breath. His grey and black hair was saturated and he was drenched in sweat. He doubled over, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.

“Mavrik!” Gavner said suprisedly, “I thought you were in the stronghold! Thank goodness you are here.”

“Was… only one to escape. Princes sent… me to give supply… status.” Mavrik puffed out.

“Whenever you’re ready,” Raynor said. Mavrik waited until he caught his breath and stood up.


“The blood stores should last for about nine months, food supplies will last one year. They can remain functional under siege for about ten months.” Mavrik said, “they wanted me to tell you not to do anything irrational or illogical. Conserve lives, wait until you rally up enough forces to attack.”

[matthewkuch]

“Very well, thank you Mavrik,” Vıđarr said, “you are dismissed.”

“Hey Mavrik,” Gavner said after they left the Hall of Princes, “how did you get out?”

“I am- was- on the covert opps team,” Mavrik said, “sneaking past vampires was what I trained to do for over fifty years.”

“Well I could use somebody of your experience level,” Gavner said. “I am going to other clans attempting to rally support for the war. Accompanying me would undoubtedly increase your standing with the princes.”

Mavrik looked at Gavner and raised his eyebrow.

[matthewkuch]

“No.”

“But Mavrik-”

“No.”

“Not even if-”

“No. Not doing it.”

“Fine,” Gavner sighed, “I am leaving tomorrow evening at sunset. If you change your mind meet me at the outermost exit.”

Mavrik did not respond.

[matthewkuch]

Gavner waited extra-long at the exit before he left. He really wanted Mavrik to change his mind, but the general could not make the vampire change his mind. As he was about to step out of the tunnel, he heard a voice behind him.

“I suppose I have taken a liking to you, Gavner.” Mavrik said to the young vampire. “I will accompany you, but I am not doing this for the clan.”

“Then why are you doing it?” Gavner asked.

“I am doing it for you.”

[matthewkuch]

The map that Raynor gave Gavner had the locations of several clans on it, but only one of them was anywhere near their location. Four clans were on the main land, and one clan was in Dheathain. There were many others marked, but they were deep into the outlands and they would take way too long to reach. Heading out the mountain, Gavner and Mavrik began to flit into the rising moon.

The first clan that they approached was Clan Durus of Dheathain. A few months back Gavner had been on a quest with Black Shadow and had encountered a war prince of this clan. Vir Fortis, a fine man and one of the greatest vampires that Gavner had ever met, was on his deathbed when Gavner had found him. Both vampires were extremely seasick and Vir had asked Gavner to give a message to his clan. It was time for Gavner to keep his word.

Gavner and Mavrik slowed to a sprint as they were about 100 feet from the mountain the clan resided in. They came to a halt at the base of the mountain and waited to see if any lookout would address them. It took about five minutes of waiting, but sure enough a guard stepped out of the mountain, 20 feet up the side, and addressed the two messengers.

[matthewkuch]

“You there,” he called, “what business have you with Clan Durus?”

“We come bearing a message from Clan Anoterish,” Gavner called back, “it is of the utmost urgency. We request immediate admittance and permission to speak with your council of War Princes.”

The vampire disappeared into the tunnel and returned about 20 minutes later.

“Clan Durus welcomes you! Please enter with great haste; a council of the current population is being assembled.”

[matthewkuch]

“Clan Improbus has allied themselves with Stultus and Odi and they have declared war on Anoterish. If you assist Anoterish, a lasting alliance will be formed and we will help Clan Durus in any time of need.” Gavner stated to the congregation of vampires. “We desperately need reinforcements at this time.”

The clan murmured amongst themselves as the princes exchanged glances. There were some disapproving scowles from the crowd but most of them seemed okay with it.

“Naturally we need to vote on this, gentlemen,” one of the princes said, “would you mind waiting outside the hall for a time while we discuss your proposition?”

Gavner and Mavrik stepped outside while the clan started to contemplate what Gavner had said. Mavrik walked over to the side of the tunnel and plopped himself on the ground. Gavner remained standing, pacing nervously back and forth. What if they said no? What if Gavner could not get any support and the clan was doomed to their own numbers? The clan would never recover if the assailants spared any of Anoterish.

[matthewkuch]

“Relax kid,” Mavrik said from his spot, “have a seat; they are going to be awhile.”

Gavner looked at the ex-spy and cocked his head. “How do you know?”

“The basic vampric thought process is at work in there,” Mavrik started. “There will be one prince extremely in favor of the alliance and one that is very much against it. The third will be wise and keep his nose out of things while the other two hash it out; in the end it all falls on numbers.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, if the clan is comfortable with their numbers they will lend support. If they believe they do not have enough numbers, they will decline.”

“How do you know all of this?” Gavner asked, amazed that his friend knew this much about thought process.

“This is the most basic belief of all political systems,” Mavrik said, “I had to learn it during training for covert opps.”

[matthewkuch]

Gavner still did not completely believe what Mavrik said so he continued to pace around the tunnel. Long seconds turned into minutes. The minutes turned into what seemed like hours and Gavner grew far more restless than he had been at first.

“Do you think they are done yet?” Gavner said after he was sure a few hours had gone by.

“Gavner, it has only been seven minutes.”

“WHAT!?”

“Sit down before you become sick.” Mavrik ordered. It was true… If Gavner was restless in a confined space for a long period of time he would get violently sick. But who was Mavrik to tell Gavner what to do? Mavrik was a normal vampire and Gavner was a general. Gavner opened his mouth in protest but stopped before he said anything; how did Mavrik know that Gavner got sick when he was restless?

[matthewkuch]

Swallowing his pride Gavner sat next to Mavrik and looked at the vampire.

“You should get some rest, they have approximately four more hours of debating to do.”

“Really?” Gavner asked, “What could they be arguing about for that long?”

“Just the same argument being overturned and restated many different ways,” Mavrik said, “vampires like to work through all of the loopholes.”

Gavner wanted to sleep, but something stopped him. “I do not think I will be able to drift off.”

“Trust me Gavner,” Mavrik said, “you want to sleep. Sleeping will help.”

“Ugh,” Gavner said to his friend, “how do you know all of these things?”

“Being in the Special Forces is no easy feat,” Mavrik said, “why do you think we train for almost a hundred years? We are learning almost every possible scenario and how to combat them.”

Gavner looked at Mavrik with a new sense of admiration. This vampire most likely had a similar situation as Gavner… Usually vampires in the Special Forces were about 400 or 500 years old; Mavrik was only half that age. Gavner was probably looking at one of the youngest covert opps specialist to ever exist in Clan Anoterish. Mavrik was a bank of knowledge that was packed to the brim.

[matthewkuch]

“Would you mind teaching me what you know?” Gavner asked, “I could learn so much from an elite like you.”

Mavrik smiled. “Well according to my oath I am not supposed to pass on my knowledge in formal lessons or teachings, but I am no longer an elite.” The vampire’s smile faded. “After this mission with you I will not be part of the clan anymore.”

“Mavrik you are not...” Gavner began but trailed away. He knew what was going to happen, he just did not want to believe it.

“Yes, Gavner, I am leaving the clan.” Mavrik said.

“But you cannot!” Gavner said, “we need you!”

“For what?” Mavrik said, tears of fury in his eyes.

[matthewkuch]

Mavrik never was one to hold his emotions. He once was a general; very few vampires knew of this. Lots of things used to be different... Mavrik had his own team. He was the best of all, and in the end his arrogance got everybody in his team but himself killed. Heartbroken, the vampire went to the princes and demanded that he was no longer a general. He pleaded to be given a solo operative position, one where he could only hurt himself if something went wrong; he could not bear to see another vampire killed under his watch. The princes looked upon him infuriated, but Julius had mercy in his eyes. The old War Prince agreed to give the maturing vampire another chance and train him as an elite. If Mavrik did not make the cut, he would be a normal ranking vampire for the rest of his life.

Overjoyed by his second chance, Mavrik engulfed himself in his studies. Normally it took 150 years for a vampire to complete Special Operation training but Mavrik did it in 90. He was so happy to be doing something where he could not hurt anybody but himself, but he ended up finding a way to screw it up. Now the whole clan was doomed and it was all his fault. In light of all that had happens, vampires are supposed to embrace those of their kind. Even though Mavrik got the whole clan into a huge mess, they were supposed to help him back up and watch him rise again. The princes did the exact opposite. They cast him out of the clan and stripped him of his pride.

Mavrik did not owe anything to the clan; they had hurt him beyond belief. Mavrik was not going back.

But then there was Gavner.

Mavrik saw aspiration in the youth’s eyes. He was only 38 years old yet he had already become a vampire general. The young general showed wisdom far beyond his years. Looking at the youth reminded Mavrik of himself; Gavner gave him hope.

Mavrik was angry and hurt by the clan; he no longer owed them anything. Because of this, he would train Gavner and teach him everything he knew. After all, Mavrik had taken a liking to the vampire.

[matthewkuch]

Gavner woke up to a gentle nudge in his rib cage. Slowly the general opened his eyes, stretched, and yawned rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“You may want to get up, they should be done any minute now.” Mavrik said softly.

“Almost done...” Gavner repeated, dumbly staring off into the distance. Then it registered. “Ohurmmagh!!” The general scrambled for his feet. He began to brush off his cloak and see if his hair needed fixed when the door to the hall opened. Mavrik was already on his feet and looking attentive while Gavner managed to look natural.

“The princes will see you now,” said the vampire who opened the door. Mavrik and Gavnaer exchanged a look and started in. The vampires inside all looked exhausted; some were angry and others were irritated.

“Do not let your emotions show,” Gavner mumbled dangerously to Mavrik, “if they say no we may still have a chance. Do not ruin it.”

[matthewkuch]

Mavrik nodded in acknowledgement and they stood before the princes.

“Just do not do anything stupid.”

“Master Nahs, Master Grahl,” The first prince said, “after much contemplation and discussion, Clan Durus must decline aiding Clan Anoterish. Anoterish has not proven trustworthy, and we refuse to send aid to a Clan that may turn on us.”

Gavner could tell that Mavrik would be infuriated at this, and he was right.

“Watch what you say prince,” he spat, “those are dangerous words in time of war.”

The vampire general cringed as his friend defied the prince. Do not do anything stupid...

[matthewkuch]

“Forgive his harsh words, Your Majesty,” Gavner recovered, “he is merely upset; his hunger is getting the better of him.”

“Oh,” the prince said taken aback, “did we not offer our guests anything to refresh themselves?”

“We are fine Sir,” Gavner said, “we can hunt tonight in the forest.”

“Nonsense, somebody go and prepare a meal for these two vampires immediately.”

“Thank you so much sir,” Gavner said sucking up, “I wish I knew your name so I could properly address you; it seems you did not have time to introduce yourselves.”

“How rude of us!” The prince said, “I am Jari, this is Koldo, and he is Louis. We are the princes of Clan Durus.”

[matthewkuch]

“Well, Jari,” Gavner said, “I have news of Vir Fortis.”

Everybody in the hall gasped and fell silent.

“Please tell,” Jari said, “we have not heard from Vir Fortis in... well in...”

“Far too long.” Gavner finished, “and you will not see him for even longer. He is gone, Your Majesty.”

There were sounds of groan and cries of mourning that rang out throughout the hall.

“I would like to grieve with you,” Gavner said, “as Vir was a great vampire and I looked up to him. He saved the lives of a merchant ship and sentenced a pirate captain to death for dishonorable conduct in a significant duel. It was the last sentence he ever made.”

Louis smiled. “He always was a stickler for honor.”

[matthewkuch]

“He gave me a message to deliver.” Gavner said, “he said, and I quote; ‘I am going to die before this voyage comes to a close and I want you to send a message to my clan in Dhethain. With me gone, the clan needs another prince to fill my place. Tell the other princes that my vote goes to Sammy Yirvik. He may seem small, but he is wise far beyond most in the clan.”

The whole hall gasped once more as Gavner recounted the message.

“Vir really voted for Sammy??” someone yelled from the crowd.

“Well er um…” Jari stuttered.

“If Vir chose him, I think he is the best choice.” Gavner chimed in.

[matthewkuch]

“Well we will make such decisions at a later date. For now our guests need rest before they depart,” The prince said, “Clan Durus thanks you.”

“Sir,” Gavner said, “might I remind you that I represent Clan Anoterish. We still are in desperate need of reinforcements; Mavrik and I will be back this way when we return to Anoterish. If you change your mind, be ready to leave with us.”

“Very well Master Nahs, farewell.”

“Farewell Your Majesty.”

[matthewkuch]

“The next clan is in Scara Brae,” Mavrik said to Gavner as they were planning their route, “we will have to flit across the water.”

Gavner cringed upon hearing this; he hated flitting on water. A vampire had to push himself exceptionally hard to flit on water and he could not stop once he had started. If a vampire was flitting across water and stopped, he would sink into the water and there would be no way of accelerating up to flitting speed again.

“I know that sounds intimidating but we should be there within an hour.” Mavrik said.

“What? How?” Gavner asked, astonished.

“Flit faster.”

[matthewkuch]

“Okay,” Mavrik said to Gavner in the forest, “this technique of flitting is extreme and drains a vampire, but his flitting speed can be maxed out. When you reach flitting speed, you have to maintain that speed for five minutes until your body thinks you are done accelerating. Once this happens it takes an ‘autopilot’ mode and flits without you trying. At this point you push yourself as hard as you can and max out your flitting speed.”

“Woah,” Gavner said, “I never thought of that before.”

“Of course you did not,” Mavrik said, “nobody tells you that unless they are training you for a Special position. You ready to try it out?”

“Well… Yeah.” Gavner said. He was nervous, but he wanted to get this trip over.

“Then let us go,” Mavrik said and took of through the forest.

“Hey wait up!”

[matthewkuch]

Gavner began to sprint towards Mavrik, and pushed himself into a flit. The young vampire knew that he could not catch up with or even overtake his friend, so he focused on Mavrik’s back. 5 minutes turned into ten minutes which turned into 15 minutes; then they hit water. As soon as Mavrik was on the water, Gavner could see him speeding up. The vampire flatlined at speed and then shot out of view. Gavner pushed himself as hard as he could and nothing happened; then the world seemed to be traveling past him at super speed for every step he took. This trip was going to be shorter than he had expected.

Gavner loved flitting like this; until they stopped. When Gavner slowed down to a sprint as they hit the secluded beaches of Scara Brae, his legs gave out from under him and he faceplanted into the sand. He felt like he had been hit by a boulder that rolled down a mountain. The world flickered and faded out of existence. Gavner woke up to a bunch of people staring down at him.

“He is awake!” somebody yelled and the rest gave a loud cheer.

[matthewkuch]

“Good evening sleepyhead,” Mavrik said to Gavner. “I took you to the clan as you were sleeping and spoke to them; Anoterish now has the support and reinforcements of Clan Pongus.”

All of the vampires cheered once more.

“As you can tell, they love Anoterish and admire us greatly.” Mavrik said, “rest up, our next stop is Clan Arcen in Fallien.

Clan Arcen denied Anoterish’s request, as did Fusilis at the Tular Planes, but the difference between these clans and Clan Durus was that they genuinely could not join because of numbers. They showed an interest in allying themselves with Anoterish, and they put in place measures to ensure that happened, but Durus had not shown any interest at all.

[matthewkuch]

“Well we have had little success with the previous clans, but I have a good feeling about his next one!” Mavrik said, “Clan…” he craned his neck as he looked at the map “Novo.”

“Well they better give me something for headaches.” Gavner said, “All this learning is going to make my head explode.”

Mavrik had started Gavner’s studies while they were at each clan. He started off with teaching Gavner fluency in all the different languages of Althanas; the elite insisted that they start with tradespeak. Mavrik taught the general all aspects of the language, and its sign language counterpart. By the end of the journey, Gavner would be fluent in almost every common language in Althanas.

[matthewkuch]

Mavrik slowed down to a sprint when they began to near Novo in Alerar; they were unsure of the exact location. Gavner stepped on a stone and it crumbled, releasing a bad odor. The odor made Gavner light headed, and he passed out after a few minutes. He woke up next to Mavrik, upside down shackled by his ankles to a wall. He looked up and saw a man towering over him.

“Who are you and why have you come trespassing!?”

“Ahh!” Gavner cried, startled.

“Aw Phineas, you scared him!” Gavner heard a female voice say.

“Listen,” Gavner said nervously, “we come bringing alliance terms from Anoterish. If you-”

“Anoterish!?” The female squealed, “let them down let them down!!”

[matthewkuch]

“Wait- no- take it easy-”

The man unlocked Gavner’s shackles and he fell to the ground with a loud thud. Gavner sat up with a groan.

“Ouch.”

The male bent down and picked Gavner up by the front of his garment and held him inches away from his face. “You listen pretty boy, here in Novo we don’t put up with any funny business! If you become a security threat you will be killed on site!”

“Pretty boy?” Gavner muttered.

“AM I CLEAR!?” the brute roared into Gavner’s face.

[matthewkuch]

“Yeah, whatever!” Gavner shouted back. He was not afraid of a little muscle; he was prepared to die at any time. The creature dropped Gavner who stumbled back against the wall.

“Please forgive Phineas; he is not one like us.” The female said.

“Well what is he?” Gavner asked.

“It’s complicated,” she replied. “I assume you would like to meet with our council?”

“Yes,” said Gavner. “We have important matters to discuss.”

Phineas undid the unconscious Mavrik’s shackles and he broke his fall with his hands, rolling to the side and getting to his feet gracefully.

[matthewkuch]

“Thank you sir,” said Mavrik. Gavner thought the vampire was sleeping; apparently he had been awake. He walked over to the female, who Gavner looked at for the first time. He could tell she was a vampiress, and her body looked in her early forties. She was probably in her early to mid-200s. Mavrik approached her and kissed her hand for a long time. “And what might I call you by?”

“I am Rachel,” said the vampiress. She was about as tall as Mavrik and had long red hair that reached past her shoulders. The woman was garbed in trousers that were cut below the knees and a grey kimono. She went barefoot.

“Lead the way, Rachel.” Mavrik said seductively. She rolled her eyes and turned away, but could not help but smile.

The first thing Gavner noticed was the artificial light. No candles lit the tunnels, but cylindrical tubes glowed a bright white color, illuminating all of the tunnels. Carpets lined the floors and the walls were painted a dark tan color. Gavner wondered where they were. They finally walked into a large room that was square and well lit. The seating system was different than any that Gavner had ever seen. Instead of benches there were individual chairs and they were set up in an arc form; each row a bit higher than the one before. A raised platform hosted about eleven chairs filled with greying and old vampires. Rachel led Gavner and Mavrik in front of the raised platform.

[matthewkuch]

“Grand Council,” she said, “today I bring before you Gavner and Mavrik of Clan Anoterish.”

The council did not seem impressed.

“They wish to negotiate an alliance.”

They all took a look at each other and shook their heads.

“I am afraid that won’t be nessicary, Master Gavner,” one of the council members said. “You see, times have changed. Technology is advancing, and all of the other clans refuse to embrace it. We will not associate ourselves with the likes of you. Leave this mountain at once, or you will be forced to leave. Case dismissed.”

[matthewkuch]

“But sir,” Gavner started. Phineas stepped forward and Gavner fell silent. “It was nice talking with you.”

When Rachel had led Gavner and Mavrik out of the room she stopped.

“It’s okay Phineas, I’ve got it from here.”

The large brute glared at Gavner and Mavrik, but slowly turned and left. Both Gavner and Mavrik sighed when he was gone.

“Shall I escort you two out?” She asked sweetly.

“That would be nice, thank you.” Gavner said.

[matthewkuch]

The woman turned and motioned for the two to follow her. For some reason Gavner got the feeling that she was not leading them out, but deeper into the mountain. She led them through an expanse of tunnels until Gavner finally stopped her.

“What are you playing at?” He said angrily, “you are not leading us out of the mountain you are leading us further! We have been at a decline for the past thirty minutes.”

She looked at Mavrik who’s face hardened. “He speaks the truth.”

The woman sighed. “You want to know what I’m doing?”

[matthewkuch]

“Yes.” Gavner demanded.

“I’m helping you.”

“What?” Gavner said confused, “how are you helping us?”

“How are you going to take tons of reinforcements from Scara Brae to the depths of the outlands?” She asked.

“Hey, how do you know about that??” Gavner pressed.

“That was me,” Mavrik said. “When you passed out I tried to take you away but I heard people coming. I pretended to be unconscious with you and escaped when we got to the prison. I ran into this one who talked to me about the clan.”

[matthewkuch]

“She said that it is terrible and she hates it here. I told her everything and she told me about a small rebellion group who hates it here as well.” Mavrik explained.

“I rallied them up along with a ride out of here. We just have to get there undetected by the rough security system,” Rachel said.

“Security system?” Gavner asked nervously.

“Oh please,” Rachel said, “Novo is famous for their technological achievement and milestones. You think we just leave it all out for anybody to take? No I had to reorganize the guards’ schedules so we would not run into any… anoyances.”

“She is the secretary for the security system here,” Mavrik said.

“I delayed their schedules for a few minutes. We don’t have much ti-”
“You there! Do you have authorization to be down here??” A voice called out from behind them.

[matthewkuch]

“Too late!” She yelled, “get rid of him!”

Gavner spun around and leapt at the assailant. The guard pulled out a metal object and pointed it at Gavner. It was a gun! You filthy cur!

Reacting instantly, Gavner dropped to his knees when he landed and slid between the vampire’s legs. The vampire general sprang up behind his foe and grabbed the side of his neck, then bashed his enemy against the wall killing him.

“Run!”

[matthewkuch]

The three took off down the hallway, making a desperate break for their lives. At the end of the tunnel they reached a clearing and Gavner burst out to see a huge airship being held in place by an enormous anchor. The anchor was attached to the ship by an extremely long iron chain, and people looked down from up top.

“Oi Trent, let down the ladder- change of plans!” Rachel yelled, “we gotta get going NOW!”

“Very well miss,” a voice came from up above. The man tossed down a long rope ladder and Rachel jumped onto it. The moment she touched the ladder she disappeared.

“It’s teleportation!” She yelled from up above, “jump on!”

Mavrik ran for the rope ladder and leapt through the air. The second he touched the object he disappeared as well. Gavner was not sure if he trusted it but he did not have a choice. Walking up to the ladder he extended his hand and placed it on the wood of the bottom prong. Instantly he felt a terrible electric shock throughout his whole body and he was forced stiff. All of the air exited his lungs and it felt as if he was being squeezed into a tiny ball. He was thrown from the other end of the ladder out onto the ship gasping for air.

“Get us out of here!”

[matthewkuch]

“Okay, where exactly do you want to go?” Said Trent.

Trent was the captain of the airship. Apparently Clan Novo had an army of vampires with guns, electricity, skilled chemists, demolitions, and just about anything you can think of. Among these things was a huge fleet of airships. Rachel insisted that nobody noticed if one was gone but Gavner was not so convinced… They were now anchored above Clan Pongus in their giant airship; more like a fortress Gavner thought. The general was in the captain’s room with Mavrik, Rachel, and Trent-the captain.

“First I want to pick up the reinforcements from Pongus, then I want to go and check in on Durus again.” Gavner said, “after that we are to go and ask the dwarves and the elves if they are to aid us in this battle. They owe me a favor.”

[matthewkuch]

“All the extra passengers will weigh us down you know that right?” said Trent.

“Yes, but we cannot come back for them. That will take far too long.”

“Very well.”

They traveled at a slower pace than before after the reinforcements from Pongus were picked up. Mavrik and Gavner left to check on Clan Durus and rejoiced when they found that Durus did in fact send Anoterish aid in terms of troops. They all loaded onto the airship and Gavner directed them for Al Kitar to ask favor from the dwarves. King Hronzak naturally agreed to assist the vampire clan, but he was sending too many troops to fit onto the airship. The dwarves also agreed to send siege equipment as aid; though they were all traveling by foot. It would take a night or two for them to arrive at Anoterish.

[matthewkuch]

Gavner dismounted the ship when they anchored over the elven capital where Queen Olivia resided. Dismounting the ladder, Gavner walked up to the gate that led into the city.

“Who goes there?” A guard shouted, concealed by a structure.

“It is I, Gavner Nahs of Clan Anoterish; ally of the outlandish elves.” The general replied. Instantly the gate opened and the guard clicked his heals together, saluting the vampire.

“Welcome, general!” the elf shouted.

“At ease sir,” Gavner reacted returning the salute. He had history with the elves and the general’s name was known throughout the entire kingdom.

[matthewkuch]

“Might I ask, sir, what you are in need of today?” The guard asked. “I can assure you that the elven kingdom will accommodate your requests as quickly as possible.”

“I need an audience with your Queen, Miss Olivia.” Gavner said.

“Right away, follow me.”

The guard took Gavner to the heart of the capitol where the royal palace was erected, higher than any other structure. This place reminded Gavner of the citadel. He was led through the long and elegant hallways with elven carpets and tapestries of deep green and blue. The guard led the vampire to the throne room which he recognized.

[matthewkuch]

This song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-DmAh0dObI) starts playing in the background

They walked into the room and Gavner was instantly mesmerized upon looking at the queen; it was as if the vampire had been struck over the head as he set eyes upon this woman. She was beautiful beyond belief; Gavner had not noticed this before and it just now dawned on him how gorgeous she was. The vampire found himself gawking at the queen; undoubtedly the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

With silver hair of shoulder length and aqua blue irises, the queen boasted no crown atop her head. A silver headband encrusted with a diamond in the center sat atop her eyebrows and the soft pink in her upper cheeks led up into the bottom of her eyes. Her thin lips were blood red just below her little nose that fit into her face perfectly. Her longer face led to pointed ears that could pick up any sounds in the vicinity. She was garbed in black leggings that were clad in white armor with black and gold trim. Her torso was completely covered with white armor and shoulder plates, all with gold trim. A long elvish sword was sheathed on her belt, used for only the worst of all conditions, but nevertheless crafted perfectly for her use.

[matthewkuch]

“Master Nahs,” Queen Olivia said sweetly, awakening the vampire from his trance, “are you well?”

“Indeed, indeed my lady,” Gavner said quickly, “I will be brief. Are you aware of the war that plagues Anoterish?”

“I am afraid not, general.” She said frowning. “Please explain.”

“Well,” Gavner began “Improbus has allied themselves with Stultus and Odi to wage war against us. They surrounded the stronghold and we are now under siege. Would it be possible to take a favor from you, my lady, and grace us with your reinforcements?”

[matthewkuch]

The queen contemplated this proposition for a time, and then sadly looked at Gavner.

“I am afraid not. My apologies Master Nahs; I hope Anoterish will remain allies with us after this.”

“Indeed, my lady.” Gavner said turning to leave.

“General?” She said, and Gavner stopped.

“You would not be able to spare a few days for formal alliance arrangements would you?” She asked.

“I am afraid not my lady,” the vampire said, “the war is very pressing. Perhaps some other time.”

“Perhaps.”

[matthewkuch]

“Alright men, this is it!” Gavner encouraged all of his reinforcements, “the moment you have been waiting for! Raynor and Vıđarr have surrounded the vampires that are besieging the stronghold. Everything is in place and we are at 10,000 feet; with the assistance of these flying suits supplied by the courtesy of Novo, we will be able to swoop in and destroy them! Who is ready!?”

The crowd of vampires on the ship roared in approval.

“Standby, Rachel will teach you how to use these suits.” Gavner said, and slipped down from the podium.

[matthewkuch]

“The squirrel suit is very easy to use,” Rachel started, “after you jump off of the ship just spread your arms and legs and tilt in the direction you want to go. In this suit you can reach over 300mph so pay attention to where you are. When you are ready to stop, say ‘deploy’ and you will gradually come to a stop and drop to the ground. After this, close your arms and legs and the squirrel webbing will remain closed granting you mobility of arms and legs once more.”

“Are you ready!?” Gavner shouted. All of the vampires shouted their approval once more, and Gavner leapt over the edge of the airship leading his army into battle.

[matthewkuch]

One moment things were tranquil, and the next things turned to chaos. Anoterish had been under siege for two months, and they randomly decide to attack. Vampires burst out of the woods and attack the army camps destroying its unsuspecting inhabitants, but that was the least of Improbus’s worries. Vampires began to swoop in from the air and attack the camps; there was no way of telling how many there were! Instantly the fighting broke out into vicious duels, vampire against vampire, noble against damned. Stultus was suffering heavy losses and Anoterish was prevailing.

“Retreat!” one of the princes of Improbus shouted, “fall back!”

The vampires turned tail and began to flit away from the massive carnage that had occurred. Anoterish began to cheer and rejoice; the first battle of the war had broken out and they were victorious.

[matthewkuch]

The bitter smell of vampire blood hung thickly in the air, oppressing the lungs of everything around to breathe it. Gavner felt a tingle of nervousness; the butterflies that plagued his stomach. Vampric war was a vicious exploit…

Gavner was nervous for what was coming. Raynor and Vıđarr had teamed up with the other princes and they had agreed to launch a counterattack. Before the young general knew it, he was preparing for his deployment.

“Are you nervous?” Mavrik asked, squeezing Gavner’s shoulder.

“Yeah,” the general replied, “I just cannot shake the butterflies.”

[matthewkuch]

“It happens during your first deployment. It will pass in time,” the elite replied.
“how many missions have you been on?” gavner asked.

“Far too many to count.”

“Are you fighting with us?” Gavner asked his friend.

“Of course,” Mavrik replied with a smile, “you think I would let you go in there alone?”

[matthewkuch]

Improbus mountain was indeed a vicious exploit. The army of vampires met in furious combat with the forces of Improbus as they were halfway to their stronghold. Anoterish was clearly the superior in combat, but Improbus had more numbers. It was a terrible battle but Anoterish managed to push them to the mountain where Improbus mountain was besieged. The first month was invigorating, but as the second month began to drag on morale fell.

After the third month, the dwarves finally arrived with their mighty instruments of war, and everybody’s spirits were lifted. The entire army gave a mighty battle cry and the dwarves began shelling the mountain with massive boulders from catapults and trebuchets. Giant ballista rained down barrages of giant bolts upon all who exited the mountain, and within two days no vampire was seen outside the mountain. The dwarves kept hammering down boulders, flaming wood, and even full trees upon the mountain for two weeks until Raynor decided that some recon was in order. Since Gavner was so successful on his last mission, Raynor agreed to send Gavner and Mavrik into the mountain to see what was going on.

[matthewkuch]

Mavrik knew all of the tunnels like the back of his hand, and he quickly led Gavner to a secluded entrance and they made their way through the enemy’s stronghold. They came across a congregation room and the two bolted for the exit upon seeing this. There were thousands upon thousands of vampires waiting inside the mountain.

“Well what are we supposed to do now?” Gavner asked Mavrik as they lay in the woods, panting.

[matthewkuch]

“I am working on it,” Mavrik said. He sat in thought for a long time, and then he perked up. “I have got it!” he shouted.

“What is it?” Gavner pressed.

“Novo’s technology! We have to see if they have anything that can take out the entire mountain.”

“Let us do it!” Gavner said eagerly. The two started off towards the ship at the camp. Vampires tried to inquire of them as they passed but Gavner and Mavrik were determined to make it in a timely manner.

“Sorry guys, we can’t talk now!”

[matthewkuch]

“Why do you need something that dangerous?” Rachel asked. They had been in an hour long argument with her and she still refused to give them an explosive device.

“We need it to destroy Improbus mountain.” Gavner urged, “please it is truly our only hope.”

Rachel sighed. “Fine,” she said opening a small chest, “but only for that.”

“Thank you!”

She pulled out a small pouch and took a green glass orb that was the size of a marble. “This is Kiramaini, it has absorbed an ungodly amount of energy and will release it all explosively if the right password is sent to it telepathically.”

[matthewkuch]

“What is the telepathic transmission?” Gavner asked.

“Novo,” she said, “direct all of your thoughts at it and make sure you are at a safe distance. Good luck.”

“Thank you so much, Rachel.”

“Just don’t get yourself killed.”

Mavrik looked at Gavner as they approached the side of the ship. “Thank you, Gavner, for being such a good friend.”

“No thank you Mavrik, for being there.”

[matthewkuch]

“You know, you would make a fine prince.” Mavrik said.

"Would I?" Gavner replied.

"You would." Gavner laughed but Mavrik looked at the general. "I am serious," he said. "You really would make a fine prince."

Gavner shrugged. He had never thought of this before. “Maybe I will.”

Mavrik smiled and jumped off the ship, followed by Gavner.

[matthewkuch]

Gavner and Mavrik navigated their way through the skies at top speed and broke into the mountain, switching to stealth mode. They entered the mountain and placed the bead under the congregation room, blowing Improbus Mountain to smithereens when they returned to the vampire camp. Everybody cheered as the mountain of their foes was decimated, along with every vampire inside. Some began to rave about the war; how amazing it had been but Gavner was not fooled. He knew the war was not even close to being over; no- the war had just begun.
[HR][/HR}

"Hey Gavner, is it true that you blew up Improbus Mountain?"

"I have told you several times," Gavner said, "Mavrik was with me. I did not do it alone."

"If you keep this up you might become a prince!"

Gavner thought of this again. Gavner Nahs, War Prince of Clan Anoterish... That sounded pretty nice actually; Gavner liked that. What if he did become a prince? At this moment Gavner set a goal with himself; he was going to try and become a prince. He had never thought of it this way, but what if he tried to become a prince? After all he had become a general when he put his mind to it... What made this any different?

End of story. Thread will be submitted for judgement

[Philomel]

Name of Thread: To Be A Prince (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?28548-To-Be-a-Prince)
Judgement Type: No Judgement
Participants: matthewkuch (http://www.althanas.com/world/member.php?17109-matthewkuch)

Rewards:
matthewkuch receives:
8,553 EXP!
1100 GP!

Maximum EXP received for gaining one level.

Many apologies for the over-estimation at first of the EXP gained.

[Hysteria]

Gold and EXP added!