The Second Attempt
By SilentStalker
Not exactly a sequel, but "The First Attempt" was a short story I wrote
while in school, based on a Vampire scene. This is one I'm composing
on the spot; something that's been going on in my head for a while,
and I figured the best way to preserve it was to put it on paper.
I blame my hours of vampire hunting in "Oblivion" as the major inspirations
for this, along with one specific movie in particular, that might become
more obvious in a continuation.
And I was upon it; the jagged rock mouth marked the entrance of
the Cave of the Outcast, where he was said to reside. Voluntarily,
they say, as no other Vampire could have forced him. But I didn't
come to seek his life; I wanted to gain something I've never gained
before, from one of the noblest of immortals I've come to learn of.
It was ten years and mere days ago that I had learned of the story
that befell him; I wanted to hear the tale from the legend himself,
and perhaps see where my dreams that were haunting me placed me in
it.
Not even a foot into the cave, there sat a pile of skeletal
remains, no doubt those that had come before me. I knew not their
reason, and I doubt he could have cared, to be sure, but on my life
this wasn't a risk I was going to take lightly.
"Sire,"
I called, before setting even a good foot near where they lay, "I've
come for an audience. I hold no malice. Please, I...wish to hear your
story, if you would. On my life, I bear no arms."
And silence.
For too long. Enough time for me to observe that there was no other
life in the cave, well, not man nor beast. The cave itself, the water,
the various juts and indents in the walls, almost seemed as if they
were breathing, as if life pulsed through them. Whatever it was, the
life inside was drained. Maybe this was his power as well.
"Come," I heard a voice echo, a distance away, into the nether recesses
of the cavern. "No harm shall befall you; come, and have your audience,
mortal."
I traversed, ever slowly through the cavern.
The stalagmites seemed to part as I approached, guiding my way through
to him; was it my imagination, or were they luring me straight to Lord
Valdralus? The only assurance I had was his word; this was good enough.
If I knew anything, he was honorable, and kept his word. I pressed
on through, following the guidance of the cave itself. Not long through,
I saw it; there he was, Ian Valdralus, in the chamber before me; the
gleam-moss bore a natural light across the walls, which made it visible,
yet bearable to withstand to one of his kind. This was not like the
mansion in which I heard tales of him ruling in; how he made do in
a hovel like this I couldn't fathom, but then again, I wasn't a Vampire.
I wouldn't know the comforts such a place would provide, of such a
defense.
"Welcome to my fortress, mortal," he spoke, seemingly
much more welcoming than he previously sounded. "What exactly brings
you here, in the presence of one others of your race loathe?" Quick
to prove otherwise, I took a knee, and was ready to blurt out a rapid
explanation, but was interrupted abruptly. "No; you forget, I know
deception, and you are not of it. Tell me, what is your name?"
"Me. sire?" I sounded, near taken aback. What did my name matter
to an immortal? Was I expected as well, or was he merely trying to
ease my apprehensions? "Aron Viridens, Sire. I heard tales of you
when I was but seven; townsfolk spoke of you out of fear and disgust.
The story they told me; it didn't come across to me as that of pure
evil. That's why I came, Sire. I wanted to prove that I was right.
Plus--"
"You think you KNOW me, human?" he bellowed, seemingly
annoyed that I'd be so brazen as to judge him, even if it was opposite
of the norm. "what if they were right? what if I slew you where you
stand, and without a care otherwise?"
"Your daughter, Sire."
I belted, as quickly as I could. "You have a daughter, right? She's
the reason you came here; you had to protect what was left. Please
tell me this was true; I wanted to know for myself that it was possible,
even if only in secrecy, for us to coexist. My dreams, the story haunts
me; I know there's a reason for it."
"Ah, so it is," he
said, with a sound of resolution in his voice. "You shall get your
story, Aron. Take a seat; this will take a while..."
It
was one-hundred-fifty years ago; Ian Valdralus, Vampire, and Lord of
Blackstone Hall, over a legion of his brethren. Together, they had
control of the humans in the towns; demanding a sacrifice every week
from each, else the town in defiance would be ravaged. One town in
particular, in 3M 186, put their threat to the test, and were all
drained lifeless; not turned, just slaughtered. It was not long after
that Valdralus set his eyes upon one of the sacrifices bestowed directly
upon him, and fell for her.
"Lovina Adules," he smiled.
"I'll never forget that beauty; I'll never forget that rage. She
cursed me for ever being spawned; such viciousness and liveliness from
mere cattle was a sight to be seen, and I was enthralled by it. So
I gave her a different fate; instead of draining her life like the
rest of the sacrifices, I gave her a child. She couldn't have disagreed
more, I admit, but somehow I knew it had to have been better than the
alternative. You wouldn't have guessed it from her words, though."
"I let her escape. I told her to tell the rest of the town
that she had somehow bested me; that her beauty was no match for my
power. She scoffed and spit at me, and said that should this child
ever make it to adulthood, that it would be the end of my days. It
was better than I expected from her, so I sealed the exit behind, and
prepared myself for the more obvious consequences to come."
"She disappeared shortly thereafter, possibly ashamed that such events
had happened. I was set upon by my own clan, as a lover of mortals,
for bedding with a human. I slew quite a tenfold of my brethren that
night, all but mere apprentices at combat, and eventually left to this
cavern as a result. I was no longer welcome to human nor vampire,
and hunters from both sought to destroy me in these years, none of which
were in the least bit successful."
Lovina had birthed their
child in 3M 189, and raised the halfling on her own for a while. "Miriella
Adules," Lord Valdralus whispered, "she denied her my last name out
of fear and hatred. But as she hated the vampire that was her child,
she loved the human that was her child. It became harder to take care
of her; to fulfill her needs, and when she finally did start feeding,
on mere animals, of course, Lovina knew she needed help to take care
of Miriella. So she found me, and brought her to me."
Ian taught his daughter the art of discretion, and how to keep the animals
from turning vampiric on them within the next day; Lovina nearly succumbed
to a rat that had suddenly came to, "if it weren't for the blood link,
Miriella may not have sensed the danger, and have been upon the rodent
so quickly. If anything, she protected her mother at all costs."
He smiled, "The most beautiful thing of my Miriella; she's a halfling.
When she feeds, all signs of her vampiric side simply disappear for
a while; she appears as human as you are. It doesn't last forever,
though, but it was enough to help her survive in the world of mortals
without causing much of a stir."
Lovina brought their daughter
to him nearly every month; the same greeting, though preceded by "mongrel,"
"bastard." or "hellspawn," but always, "I've brought your daughter."
And father and daughter would catch up and tell of their hunts, as
Lovina grimaced in disgust. That was when she decided she had to
try to break the link. Unbeknown to Miriella, she hired a band of
vampire hunters shortly after feeding her, just before the trip to Valdralus.
She told them that the girl was merely a bait; she would present her
daughter as a sacrifice, and when Lord Valrdralus appeared, they could
slay him. A brazen and reckless suggestion, they unanimously agreed,
but if it guaranteed they would kill a vampire that day, they were
all for it.
"Only she didn't change her greeting," he moaned,
saddened. If only she had, I might have been more prepared to see
the outcome. No, it was the same as before."
"Mongrel,"
Lovina started, "I've brought your daughter--" she suddenly gasped.
She realized the grave mistake she made. The hunters turned to each
other, and then to Lovina.
"You bitch!" one cried. "You
set us in a trap! Look at her; she's part vampire. I can tell! Look
at her eyes!"
"How could you!" another started. "Were you
planning to get us all killed?" No! To arms, men; the real traitor
is before us!"
The hunters attacked Lovina. Miriella, having
just fed, was unable to help her mother fight. Frightened, she hid
in the shadows. Lovina cried for Miriella, and finally, after the
last blow, called for Valdralus.
"Ian! Please--" And
he listened. Lord Valdralus slew every last one of the vampire hunters
with ease, but it was much too late. His beloved was lying in a pool
of her own blood; her life was rapidly escaping her. "Ian," she breathed
with her final breaths, "please forgive me. Our daughter...protect
our daughter." And she was gone before him.
I was in
shock. And in tears, as was Lord Valdralus. After a moment of silence,
he started, "So now, human, you'll tell me what you wanted to achieve
by hearing my story."
"My liege," I responded, almost instinctively,
"My dreams shall haunt me no longer. I've dreamt of preserving that
which was not supposed to be in our world or yours, and now I'm before
you, who has presented me with just that. I'm here to help you, Sire."
Comments on "The Second Attempt"
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On Tuesday, March 10, 2009, Dissolving Poet
(564) wrote:
You seem to have many tricks and traits up your sleeve, I quite fancy this. I do love a good vampire story