Vampire Mages

"How many good men did you send?" Hagel asked Ava, raising his wine. They were in a cold, dim chamber. Water dripped somewhere in the dark.

"Over a hundred, my master!" Ava replied, her voice low and tired.

"And wait!" Hagel stopped her. "Do these vampires really exist? I found a newspaper that talks a lot about them and even their mages."

"I have many thoughts on that," Ava said. "They feel too real, even in dreams. But, now I think we have to locate them.”

"I agree," Hagel muttered. "The stories from everywhere match."

"What scares me is how they team up with demons!" Ava burst out. She sounded truly unhappy. "They become so powerful and deadly!"

"Vampire mages?" Hagel asked, his eyes narrow. He'd heard the term but never truly believed it.

"Yes," Ava confirmed, a cold shiver running through her veins. "They're actually the strongest vampires, and they deal in capturing souls."

"Do you mean they sell people's souls to the devil?" Hagel was curious now.

"I think so," Ava whispered.

"Well," Hagel said, setting his glass down. He shrugged. "I only see soul-trading in my imaginations, though."

"When did you last visit China, my master?" Ava asked, trying to bring up another matter. She didn't want to talk about demons anymore.

"So, they're just 'demonic vampires'?" Hagel asked, a bit jokingly.

"Yes, the vampire mages!" Ava practically yelled back, showing how exhausted she was. She wanted to rest.

Hagel ignored her. His mind was racing. "Can you sacrifice anything to destroy them?"

"It's possible!" Ava said, more firmly this time.

"But why do vampire mages?" Hagel pressed. "Why mix magic with vampirism?"

Ava sighed. "It's a dark partnership. Demons give them twisted magic. Vampires are the perfect hosts, strong enough to handle it, and they get souls. It creates something far worse than either alone."

"So, Arleta is crawling with these demonic vampires?" Hagel asked. The name Arleta now sounded much darker. His excitement about riches faded, replaced by dread.

"Yes, my master," Ava confirmed. "Scouts saw them. Not just normal vampires, but these 'vampire mages.' They're said to be incredibly powerful: shadow control, mind draining, illusions that drive people mad. They control the other mages and shifters. Arleta isn't just dangerous; it's their fortress."

Hagel stood and walked around the chamber. The joke was gone from his face. "And the jewels we seek?"

"They're in the deepest, most guarded areas, my master," Ava explained. "Right where the vampire mages would be. Getting them means fighting them directly."

"Direct fight," Hagel repeated, a dangerous gleam in his eyes. "Good. We like direct fights." He faced Ava. "What about this 'immortal sage' we heard about? The ancient knowledge?"

Ava's expression softened a little. "The sage is a hermit, in old caves near Arleta's edge. He knows things from before the vampires, maybe even how to break their power."

"Knowledge, then," Hagel said thoughtfully. "More valuable than jewels now. We need information, Ava. Hard facts. Where exactly are these vampire mages? How many? Their weaknesses?" He went to a map on a table. "And this sage... where is he? Can we trust him?"

Ava joined him at the map. "Their main base seems to be here," she pointed, "deep inside what was called the 'Whispering Peaks.' The sage moves around, but most reports put him in these outer caves." She traced a finger along a mountain range. "Trusting him is a risk, my master. But his knowledge might be our only real weapon against this evil."

Hagel studied the map. He was already planning. "A hundred men went missing, you said?" he asked, realizing the true cost.

"Yes, my master. Our best," Ava said sadly. "No contact for three days."

Silence filled the room. Hagel knew what that meant. A hundred men, lost. Taken by Arleta, consumed by the demonic vampires. His jaw tightened.

"Then we send more," Hagel declared, his voice low but firm. "Not for jewels. For answers. For revenge. To break Arleta's curse." He looked at Ava, his eyes burning. "Prepare a new team, Ava. This time, we know what we face. This time, we will hunt them."

Ava met his gaze. A mix of wonder and fear showed on her face. "As you command, my master," she answered, turning to obey. The night in the Highlands was long, but in Arleta, a scary new day was about to begin.

Hagel stared at the map. The lines marking Arleta’s borders looked less like a trip and more like a grave. A hundred men, gone. Not missing, but eaten up. The thought left a bad taste in his mouth. Ava’s news of "vampire mages" and "demonic agreements" had destroyed any remaining ideas of a simple treasure hunt.

It was a war, a dark, overwhelming war against something of the past and of evil.

"So, these mages," Hagel said, tapping a finger on a dark spot on the map, "they're not just strong, they're… more of evil."

"Yes, my master," Ava confirmed, her voice now flat with a twisted face. "They serve a greater power, a true master of Arleta’s darkness. Old wise writings hint at a being of immense age, something that existed long before the current vampires took over. It feeds not just on life, but on the hopelessness and fear it creates."

Hagel's gaze became harder. "And we’re going to walk right into its home for some old, dusty jewels?" He scoffed, a humorless sound. "No. Our mission changes. The jewels are not as important. We go for information. We go to understand this 'master.' And if we can, we will kill it."

Ava nodded slowly. "It's a dangerous path, my master. Our usual weapons and methods may not be enough against such an enemy."

"Then we find new ones," Hagel replied, his eyes burning with strong determination. "We learn from the wise person. We find their weaknesses. We will not let our men die for nothing." He turned from the map, his stand firm. "Gather everyone in the team! Tell them to get ready for another kind of fight. A long one. A bloody one."

Everyone referred to anyone of the vampire mages, beasts and monsters as ‘he’, but sometimes classified such as ‘it.’ All except the humans were more than dangerous.

Another fight.

As the first glowing light of dawn began to enter the cave, coloring the rough walls with various shades of grey, Hagel felt the slight sound of a faint voice whispering afar.

Not a human voice; not that of water dropping.