They were abruptly awoken the next morning by a firm, rapid knocking on the door. Erik jumped from the bed, pulling on clothing, while Sassy dashed into the adjoining bathroom, still naked. Erik flung the door open to see Margrave standing there, visibly pale and shaken.


    “What is it, Margrave? You look like hell.” Erik demanded, eyebrows furrowed. “Sorry to wake you, Erik, but we have a problem. Some of our people that were patrolling last night haven’t reported back in. No sign of them anywhere.” Erik scowled at this information. “What about comms, physical signs, anything like that.” He questioned. “We haven’t been able to find a single thing anywhere. Comms are completely dead, no signs of any type of struggle. They vanished without leaving any type of trace.” Erik’s temper slipped for a moment. “GODDAMMIT!” He yelled, before recomposing himself. Sassy stepped out of the bathroom, face as pale and colorless as Margraves. “How many have disappeared?” Erik probed, after he had managed to reel his anger back in. “There have been six who have gone missing.” Margrave said quietly and hesitantly. “One of them is Saphielle.”


    Erik sat quietly; Sassy held close to his chest as she sobbed. Hot anger burned in his blood red eyes, a quiet rage that was ready to be unleashed. “Sassy, I give you my word, I will return our friends safely. The cultist wouldn’t have killed them outright, not when they know that I would stop at nothing to obliterate them in their entirety if they did. Most likely they are being held as prisoners, to keep me from razing their organization to the ground.” He held her close to her chest as her sobs began to turn to whimpers. “P-promise?” She choked out, only managing a single word. “Jeg lover deg, lille. Nothing will keep me from returning them to us safely.” The look in his eyes spoke volumes, reassuring her that he meant every word. “For now, though, I must go look and see what clues have been left behind by those who dare to cross me.” He gently laid her down in the bed and walked out of the room. He made his way to each location that each patrol had reported clean, eyes sweeping for any clues. He found things that only he could notice, a hidden footprint, a smear of blood. Someone had, rather poorly, attempted to conceal all traces of what had happened. Erik spotted an article of torn clothing, and picked it up, giving it a sniff. He recognized it as being from one of those on patrol the previous evening. He lifted his head and sniffed the air around him and smiled savagely. ‘It would seem that we have exactly what we need to find the cultist and make them pay for what they did.’ Alastair stated. “Yes, we do. I can track this scent to the end of the world if needed, although I doubt it will be. They are still in the city, that I am sure of.’ Erik stated in his head. He made his way back toward the entrance of the underground complex. ‘You have grown fond of these creatures, haven’t you?’ Alastair asked him, no hint of taunting in his tone. “Of course I have. They are survivors and have fought tooth and nail for their place here. I can respect that.’ Erik thought back. ‘They are my people now, and I will protect them, no matter what.’ Alastair didn’t reply, and Erik didn’t expect one back. He walked into the central room of the complex, and all eyes shifted to him. Sassy stood close to Margrave, eyes still red and puffy from crying all morning. “I thought you’d still be laying down min elskede.” He said, eyeing her closely. “They took my friends, and they will pay for it. We’re doing everything we can to track them all down.” She said, steel in her voice. Erik had never seen this side of her, and it surprised him. “Well, I have a good idea of where they are hidden. I found clothing from one of the scouts, and with the scent still on it, I can track the scum to exactly where they are keeping our friends.” He smiled, but the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. They still burned red hot with hatred and anger. “We will assemble a team to go with you then. We will fight for what is ours and will hold nothing back.” Margrave stated, steel backing his words as well. Erik looked around the room, seeing the same resolve in each and every being that had gathered around. He laughed out loud and nodded in understanding. “Alright, if you insist on sending some of your people, then I know I can’t stop you. But they will listen to my every order without question. Is that understood?” He said, enough warning in his voice that no one even tried arguing with him. “Good. Sassy, you will remain here. I will not have you put in harm''s way.” For the first time since they had met, she stood at her full height, staring him down. “I will not stay here while my friends are in danger. I am going with you, and there is nothing you can do to stop me.” She practically yelled at him, her eyes flashing from the normal blue to red, the only sign of the deep anger inside of her. Erik stared at her for a moment, jaw clenched, but she didn’t back down. “Fine.” He finally relented, “But you will stay right by my side, no matter what. No arguments.” She nodded her understanding, and everyone started rushing around, gathering weapons and supplies, preparing for the assault that lay before them. “Margrave, I need you to find a location for me. It will most likely be a place similar to this, somewhere big enough for a sizable group to gather, and will be in a part of town that our kind completely avoids, for obvious reasons.” Margrave nodded, and turned to his system of computers, searching for what Erik asked of him. After a moment, he turned back to Erik. “This location is the only place that makes sense. A number of creatures disappeared from this area about a year ago, and since, none have ventured there. More than likely, this is where this group has taken up residence.” Erik smiled. It wasn’t a smile of humor, but one of savagery. “I’ve found you; you scum. Now, time to make you pay for everything you’ve done to me, and the creatures of this city.” Erik turned to Margrave. “How soon can your people be ready to move out?” He asked. “They are ready. Everyone has enough weapons and ammo, and other supplies to take on anything that comes their way. They are ready, waiting on you. Even Sassy is raring to go.” Margrave managed a smile, even with the current circumstance. “Good. Transport?” “We have several vehicles that will be used, each of them armored for protection. They also have some protection against magic, although that is up to each of the individual casters that will be in each transport.” Erik nodded, deep in thought. “How many are going to be attacking the compound with me?” He asked. “Every able-bodied creature we can spare. I’ll be staying behind to coordinate on comms, the kids, and some of the women to take care of them. We have some rabbit holes if we need to flee, in case of a counterattack.” Erik grimaced at that thought. “There won’t be a counterattack. I plan to finally wipe this cancer from the face of the Earth, down to the last person. They have caused some much pain to everything they touch, and I will not let this rot continue anymore.” The anger behind the words caused Margrave to recoil slightly. The words were said with such conviction that Margrave believed he would accomplish his goal. Erik turned without another word, walking toward the rest of the group, all eyes on him. He stopped in front of all of them, and they looked toward him, eyes hard. ‘I think they are waiting on a speech from you.’ Alastair quipped. Erik didn’t reply and instead faced the group. “All of you need to be warned now, this group we are getting ready to face is extremely dangerous. They have persisted for thousands of years, and I personally have attempted to exterminate them before, and yet they are still here. I will not make that mistake twice. We are going to wipe them from the face of the Earth. They are a sickness, a cancer, and they must be dealt with in totality. I want you all to be aware of that fact. If any of you refuses to kill an enemy combatant, and that results in the injury or death of another, I will personally see to it that you spend the remainder of your life locked up, and I will throw away the key. If any of you can’t deal with that, let me know, upfront, right now. There will be no mercy for these people. We will rescue your friends, our friends, and we will do it my way.” He eyed the group closely. “They most certainly will be waiting for him. There’s a chance some of us might not survive this conflict. If that bothers you, now is the time to change your mind and stay. You will not be judged for your decision.” Not one of them waivered. Erik half-smiled, then turned toward Sassy, who was waiting near his bike, helmet in her arms. “You sure you are ready for this min elskede?” He said as he walked over to her. “As ready as I’ve ever been for anything. I want to save my friends, and I will be right there with you when we finally end this.” Erik nodded his head, and mounted his bike, signaling for everyone else to mount up. He led the group out of the underground, and toward what he knew was going to be the final confrontation.


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