“I’m home” Jonathan called as he hung his hat by the door

“Oh, Master Arc! How was your trip?” Claudette asked

“Enlightening” he said as he moved towards the parlor. He sat on the couch and sighed “Is this stained?” he asked looking at a dark spot on the fabric “Whatever, it was an old couch” he groaned “Did you learn anything?” he asked as he poured himself a glass of his favorite whiskey

“Quite a bit actually” Reginald said “The creatures are called vampires, they thrive in the darkness and during the day they take a form easily mistaken for human. They drink blood to maintain strength” Reginald said

“This guy, Asteroth has something to do with the attacks” Evangeline said

“The name’s familiar” Jonathan said

“You know him!?” Evangeline said in shock

“Yes, once a long time ago, it was one of the few times I’ve ever been truly fearful. Though for the moment the memory escapes me”

“And a rude young man named Maxwell Blud has been coming by for the last two weeks. He has had ‘some’ useful intel on the enemy but he mostly comes to harass Evangeline” she pouted

“I see… So it seems that things have been eventful here” he said “I visited several settlements in the area, it seems they target large settlements primarily, attacking high population areas; not to mention the manner of these attacks, very coordinated indeed, strange for demons” he sipped his whiskey “You may be right about Asteroth, this definitely has his handiwork written all over it. Good work Church, this puts us at an advantage” he stood then heard the subtle creaking of wood at the porch “Mr. Blud I presume?” he said in the direction of Claudette

“Unfortunately” Claudette groaned “please, Mr Blud we would appreciate if you did not pester us each day” Claudette said opening the door

“Awe, dear Claudette, ever the polite door maiden” he said walking through the door “And to go a day without seeing Evangeline’s beautiful face? I’d not dream of such an injustice” he said theatrically “Besides, pestering is what I do best” he walked towards Jonathan and bowed “Jonathan Arc, an honor to meet you at last”

“Charmed” Jonathan said with sarcasm. Something seemed off about this boy, his instincts were conflicted, something about this young man was odd, almost dark though he could not place it.

“I’ve received intel from a trusted source that there may be an attack in three nights” he said officially

“And this source is?”

“They prefer to remain uncredited, surely you understand” he said “They come from the west, perhaps you could head them off, cut them at the legs as it is”

“True, we should engage them where there are less people, remove their blood supply from the equation” Arc pondered “We leave at sundown, do you know what town?” he said

“Elmerath” Maxwell replied

“Thank you” Jonathan said showing him the door “Though when we return I would like to further discuss these ‘sources’ of yours” he said skeptically

“Of course” Maxwell said. He closed the door behind him and Jonathan waited until he was out of sight

“How reliable is Maxwell’s intel?” He said glancing out the window

“So far, rock solid” Reginald said

“One should never be warey of gaining allies in a business like ours, but I have my reservations about this one” he said closing the blinds “We face a dilemma” he said “We have rare intel, the movements of an approaching enemy force, yet to meet them would leave Rosam defenseless” he pondered

“You and Evangeline should go” Reginald said

“Are you sure?” Evangeline said

“You seem itching for a mission, besides, I could get used to some peace and quiet. If anything tries to threaten Rosam I’ll stop’em!” he grinned

“Good man Reginald” Arc affirmed

“Prepare your things and revise your wills, tomorrow we slay the vampire horde” Jonathan said as he adjusted his glasses and left the room

“He’s kidding about the will… right?”

“Pfft, I had mine revised last month” Ajora laughed

 

The sun set over the sand colored town as they drew a carriage and departed west towards the Ebrenian wilderness. The trees hung with a special kind of darkness, the kind that looms just before catastrophe. They pitched camp a mere ten miles from Elmerath. They set their traps of silver bear traps, tripwires and the like to ensure no surprise visitors. They built a fire and and waited through the evening with presumably a single night between the horde and Rosam

“What do you know about mantra?” Jonathan asked as he held the Crucifix in his hand

“Mantra?”

“Mantra is an energy that arises from strength of will and faith” he explained “a type of force that repels darkness and strengthens the resolve of light”

“I… Don’t understand”

“Do you know the true reason why silver burns demons?” Arc inquired, the light of the fire reflected in his glasses like a burning inferno

“It’s holy, right?”

“No, humanity as a collective has put their faith in the power of silver for thousands upon thousands of years. It is not silver that burns them, it is the faith we place in it that hurts the darkness” he said as light radiated from his cross

“Mantra can be channeled, we can wield it by tapping into our own faith and will”

“Well you’re practically a saint, it must be easy for you” Evangeline said with a hung head

“Mantra is never easy for anyone, it takes unwavering faith and determination, one of which I know you have” he said glancing at her “Have you ever been at the end of your rope, hurt and damaged, convinced that the end is near and you hang on simply out of spite for fate, with gritted teeth you conjure a strength you never knew you had from the pit of your heart and against the odds you survive… no, against the odds you Thrive!” he said, as if he had taken the words right out of her mouth as she stared at the Sabbath, awash with the light of the roaring flame

“Yes!”

“That is merely  taste of ‘mantra’, more simply described as the power of faith” he spoke as he drank from his canteen, clutching the crucifix

“You think I could learn to use Mantra?”

“I think you can master it” he said. This took her by surprise. He had never shown so much faith in her abilities. What changed, what new perspective did he have?

“In truth, I only half investigated the vampires in the last two weeks” he said “I looked at all of your past excursions, the battles you fought to get here, the monsters you have slain. It was blatantly obvious that you could become a true wielder of Mantra” then suddenly a piercing scream erupted from the underbrush, something had stepped into their trap. “Wait here” he said as he stood to investigate “Wrath of the heavens, rain fury upon the darkness without discretion, clean the earth of evil, Brutal Mantra!” he said, forming the the crucifix into a knuckleduster and punching the ground with the force of a mountain. The earth split as rays of ethereal light shot from the ground bathing the night in blinding light. Shouts of devilish screams rang as vampires attacked from the underbrush while the beasts that suffered Jonathan’s attack laid smoldering.

“Kill them!” shouted a vampire as Evangeline readied her weapons. She shot a vampire through the throat with a silver crossbow bolt dropping it to the ground. Jonathan continued to pummel the monsters with his giant like fists, as the beaten demon laid smoldering and bloodied. Evangeline fought off as many as she could with her saber but failed to keep the horde from closing in on her.

“There’re too many of them!” he yelled as she quickly became overwhelmed, one vampire sinking its sharp teeth deep into her collar bone. Then suddenly a streak of light fell from the darkness, a very young girl, in eastern robes with a pearl colored katana had sliced in two the vampire that had fed from miss Church.

“What?” was all Evangeline had time to say before she returned to her feet to combat the horde.the little girl then smacked a vampire in the forehead with an open palm, sticking a strange piece of paper to its forehead

“I can’t see, it won’t come off! It hurts!” then the beast fell faintly to the ground dead.  along with this strange young girl they managed to route the demons, forcing them south in small groups, preventing a large attack on Rosam. Arc would have typically followed them but Evangeline’s wounds required his attention. She had been bitten at her collarbone, her wrist, and her waist. The silent young girl dressed her wounds as Arc walked towards her

“Not to say that I am ungrateful, but who are you?” he asked

“A friend” she said simply

“A name would be helpful”

“Kiki” she replied stoically

“Well, Kiki, what are you doing here?”

“No time, talk later, we go back to Rosam, we talk there” she said as she pointed at Jonathan “Put her in the cart” she said. Jonathan complied, gently lifting Evangeline into the wagon. They moved quickly, returning home to Rosam and the Arc Estate. The whole way there was quiet. Kiki keeping a watchful eye for blood drinkers. She had light cream colored hair and brown eyes. She dressed in robes of a shrine maiden and carried a pristine Katana with a blade made of pearl.

 

They arrived back at Rosam a few hours after sunrise and hastily took Evangeline into the manor. When the door opened Claudette’s heart practically stopped; in the relatively short time she knew her she had never seen Evangeline look so injured and vulnerable, it broke her heart to see evangeline in pain like that. Jonathan and Reginald franticly carried her to her room and set her on her bed as Claudette frantically went to work trying to heal her as best she could. Reginald, Arc and the newcomer Kiki all sat in the parlor, awkwardly looking at one another sipping afternoon tea.

“No wonder your sister is the only one who cooks, this tea is disgusting” Kiki said blankly towards Reginald

“Hey!”

“You are an exorcist, from the eastern island chain, correct?” Jonathan asked, recognizing her garb

“Yes” she said

“Why are you here in Ebren?” he asked as  she poured her tea into the soil of a potted plant

“My mother thought it would be beneficial for me to study under you for a time” she said

“For how long?”

“Until I’ve learned enough” she said plainly

“You need little tutoring, you seem above par already” he said sipping his stale tea

“You are the only man in all of Ebren to correctly utilize Mantra” she said blankly “There is much to learn from you, that attack you used on those vampires, it was incredible”

“Yet I could not keep Evangeline safe” he said with a sour expression

“She is still alive, in no small part this is your doing, you are to thank for that” she replied

“I suppose” he said “Though I cannot accept you as a pupil in the ways of Mantra” he said. Kiki looked slightly confused and tilted her head

“Is it my age that troubles you, or is it that I am a woman?” she asked “I assure, I have survived far more taxing training before”

“I already have a student in Mantra, such an art requires unbreakable attention and focus towards a single student, it would be unfair to both of you to try and teach you two Mantra skill simultaneously” he said “Besides, Mantra requires faith and determination in its rawest form, thus it tends to favor the more passionate soul, I’m afraid your discipline would hinder you immensely”

“I understand” she said as she stood and left towards Evangeline’s room.

“Is my tea really that bad?” Reginald asked

“Easterners have a more acute taste for tea than us mainlanders, but yes it is atrocious” Jonathan said pouring his tea into a potted plant as well

“You’re brutal master!” he said with a sob

 

“Evangeline Church!” Kiki yelled, throwing open the door to her room. Prior to this interruption Evangeline was asleep, peacefully recovering from her wounds whilst Claudette sat in a wooden chair, her tired head resting on Evangeline’s chest, also asleep. The two sprung awake as they stared at Kiki confused. Kiki then dropped to her knees and bowed ceremonially. “Please forgive my insolence, but consider making me your apprentice once you graduate from Jonathan Arc’s care!”

“What?” she said

“I want you to pass down onto me your knowledge in the ways of the Mantra, please master Church, I beg of you!” Evangeline just stared at her for a moment

“Um… sure”

“Thank you master!” Kiki said grabbing Evangeline’s arm “I patiently await the day when you can teach me all of you greatest skills!” this time she had a child like look of glee on her face “My ancestors smile down upon you”

“Arc!” She called as Jonathan entered the room “Who is this?” she asked

“This is Kiki, she’s an exorcist from… which Island are you from again?” he asked

“The seventh Isle of Karatoaka”

“Yeah, that one”

“What’s an exorcist?” she asked

“Exorcism is an art of demon slaying that far predates even magic itself” Kiki began to explain “We utilize ‘Soul Art’ an art of combat in which we break apart our own soul as fuel for mystical attributes, as an exorcist I do not use silver weapons, instead I use my soul to ensnare a demon inside of me, and then call upon that demon’s abilities to fight other demons”  she explained “It’s quite simple Master Church, no?” she said with a smile

“Could you quit calling me master?” Evangeline asked. Kiki gasped

“Surely you jest?! To call you anything else would be immensely inappropriate!” she said bowing repeatedly

“What’s going on here?” she asked

“Simple really, I was unwilling to have another surprise pupil so instead she asked you to teach her once your training is complete” Jonathan explained

“Can I take it back?”

“Of course not, you gave her your word” Jonathan replied

“Peachy” she said

“I think it’s cute” Claudette said “You’d make a great teacher...M-Master” Claudette said with shyness and trepidation causing Evangeline to blush bright red. Reginald broke out into hysterical laughter. “Shut up!” She yelled throwing a book at her brother’s forehead.

“How did you find us anyways?” Evangeline asked

“A man named Maxwell told me you would be in the woods outside Elmerath” she said innocently

“Of course” Claudette groaned “That guy is everywhere”

 

Maxwell loitered in a dark Rosam alley, the full midnight moon beating bright above him, somehow washing him a deeper darkness, it was almost pleasant, like a long deserved bath. He grinned his once latent sharp fangs glistening in the moonlight, his red eyes piercing the veil of darkness. Then suddenly he felt a familiar presence; it was Alicia. She strode into the alleyway, swaying her curvy hips, her long white hair bobbing back and forth, typically Maxwell would be attracted to someone so voluptuous and curvy but something about Alicia disgusted him more than her body intrigued him.

“Ooh, you seem mad” he mocked as she drove her foot through a metal trash bin

“My plan was perfect, you tell them about an incoming attack, they venture away from home, we get the drop on them! It was the perfect plan!”

“And I did my part right” Maxwell said lighting a tobacco pipe

“And then some” Alicia said snatching the pipe from his mouth “You told that little exorcist exactly where to go to find them” she scowled “‘are you looking for Jonathan Arc?’” she said mocking him “‘last I heard he was just outside Elmerath, let me show you the way, it’s not too far!’” she said angrily

“I knew where they were and she asked, if I told her I didn’t know and she told Reginald and the maid my goose would have been cooked” he said snatching back his pipe

“That’s when you kill the student and the maid” Alicia chimed

“Do you want to fight the exorcist too then?” he replied “Jonathan was gonna survive regardless, all you would have done was killed Evangeline” he said as Alicia glanced away “Don’t tell me you’re jealous” he groaned

“Forget about her, be my prince in bloody armor” she cooed, stroking maxwell’s chin. He batted her hand away

“I’m not interested in heartless, cold blooded reptiles Alicia” he scoffed “Evangeline’s real, she’s genuine, honest and pure of heart… I trust her more than I trust myself” he groaned “I don’t care about being a God… But if it keeps the casualty rate low then I guess I don’t have a choice” he puffed a ring of smoke into the night sky and sighed.