Act 1 Ghouls?

  My eyes closed my body in a room for pleasure and debauchery, but my mind? It saw more than the room I locked myself in with a drunken lush.

  In the eyes of that of a small mouse, sprinting through the corridors, she showed me what I needed inside the building.

  And for the outside of the only place I could find sanctuary in, I saw through the eyes of large brown owl gleefully eating a fruit bat.

  The corridor was empty, but not as silent as before, because now that I wasn’t rushing through the corridors.

  My senses through the scurrying mouse, tells me of how much the occupants of the rooms were enjoying themselves.

  Hopefully they won't be roped into my business tonight.

  I thought as the mouse entered the lobby and saw that a woman just left a side room that had the words, ‘lobby comfort room’.

  She was older than I was, probably in her 20s, and from the way I saw her look at the keys, before taking them with her as she left for another back room which labeled as ‘Staff only’.

  She must be a worker of the hotel, but is she alone? Or are there others?

  I saw nothing of those that followed me and my alcoholically fainted friend, as my eyes shifted to that of outside and saw an explanation of why they didn’t follow me in.

  I count them to be around 20 or more, for the owl can only see the ones poorly hidden in the trees and those who watched on the roofs.

  They were human at first glance, but looking deeper one would see their sickly pale skin, hidden under unkept clothes, showing dark blue veins and starved malnourished flesh.

  Even with the distance of the owl, her senses can smell their breath, and it smelled sickly of rotten iron, there once human teeth turned into small pointed fangs.

  “Ghouls? No, from what Rikka tells me the vampires in this realm call their blood slaves, pawns. . . a fitting name, as unlike those of the other world I’ve visited, it was possible for them to be promoted into regular vampires.” I spoke to myself as my connection to the animals broke.

  I looked at my friend and she was still soundly drunkenly asleep, which is good as I do not want to involve her in any supernatural business. . . it’s not like she had hunter blood.

  I thought about it, weeks ago that if this realm was a world with hidden supernatural creatures then the profession of hunting them, for the humans should be alive, and one I must look into, especially the human like magicians of this world.

  As I dread of being hunted by the magically gifted, as I work as the court mage, for a royal that had genocide in her blood. . . if I was them, they would see me as the ex-Australian artist turned German fuhrer’s driver.

  I felt for my phone, and then saw it wasn’t as late as I expected, only 9 in the evening. I tried Rikka first, it rang but after my 3rd call I think she had silenced her phone.

  I then tried my sister but stopped, as it might worry her for me to call her, so I ended messaging her that I was invited to a friend's house and would be home tomorrow, and that I wanted the princess to call me.

  Now I had a choice, here in my room and the hotel in general I’m safe, as long as no one invites them in. . .

  Either I stay here waiting for the princess, but more accurately would be waiting for Lizel, but realistically I might wait until the sun comes up.

  Or, I prepare my spells and start hunting them down, and slay the Pure blood or noble blooded vampire that had sent them my way. . . which was probably aiming for the princess, through me.

  Which is what I expected but still. . . then I felt my heart start to slow, and then stop. . . my mind raced as my body started to collapse.

  “Why?. .” I felt weak as everything turned dark.

  Act 2 After dinner

  The blood pasta was amazingly prepared, after working for the princess as a maid for two weeks, I was freed from Shiro’s magical blood enslavement.

  Something I thought only the Nobility of the vampire world was capable of.

  Now I was more her guest, and casual informant of the things I see in town, but speaking of my temporary enslaver.

  “Princess? Where is Shiro? I haven’t seen him all evening, and only a few times during the afternoon in school.” I was respectful in my speech as I kept my mask.

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  My words seemed to have given the princess clarity as she paused, her eyes slightly widen in realization, as if an answer was given to a question she forgotten.

  “Right, it’s Friday today isn’t it? I usually give him his dose of Royal blood in the mornings, but he was in such a hurry today that it had slipped my thoughts.” The princess was casual as she basically told me nothing.

  Wait, isn't Shiro an Eternal guard? That was my thought as Lizel stood up, dropping her third bowl of roasted meat with fried rice.

  “Wait! Doesn’t that mean his. . .” The words were like coal in the dog's throat.

  “Probably a corpse lying in the streets, he is new as an Eternal guard, he would need atleast a year of service before not needing my blood so frequently.” The princess shook her head as I saw disappointment in her eyes.

  “Don’t we. . .” The bitch stopped in her words as Nanami entered the room, bowing to the princess first before speaking.

  “Mistress, I just read a message from Shiro, he said to not worry about him and that he was with a friend, but that he wants you to call him.” And with that Nanami excused herself as she was already in her night attire, and half asleep.

  The princess smiled at that, as she looked at me.

  “Rikka darling, can you look for Shiro? He might have sent the message before collapsing with a very confused friend.” She asked me which I nodded.

  “Of course princess, I will call once I find him.” And with that I flew out the balcony doors.

  I felt the night wind upon me as I enjoyed the beauty of a moon covered night, only illuminated by the lights below and the few stars above.

  Then a thought crossed my mind as I checked my phone, it was buzzing as I feasted on blood sausages, so I placed it into silence.

  And what I saw was not promising, three miss calls from Shiro, well hopefully he wasn’t in too much trouble.

  Act 3 Black outs

  As I woke up and saw I was still in my hotel room. I looked at the time on my phone, only half an hour had passed.

  That’s not good, I felt heavy, my heart beating slow and weak, my connection to the weave of Arcana was wavering as my vessel was losing vitality.

  Thankful I had strengthened myself, if not I would have been trapped between oblivion for longer, those were my last thoughts as I looked at my friend Janne.

  She seemed to have woken up and then wrapped herself in bed, thankfully the bed and sheet was clean and newly changed, but the mattress was. . . questionable.

  I took some chalk from my pocket, and drew a stylized greek character that means purity into the door and as I finished the inches long stick of barely used chalk in my hand turned to dust.

  “An entire stick of silver bone dust should be powerful enough.” I said to myself as I gave my friend one last look before leaving the room.

  As I walked slowly locking the door behind me leaving the keys inside, I started writing as I added smaller spells upon the joints of my fingers with a black-red inked pen.

  As I entered the lobby the woman earlier was still in the backrooms, so I took out a pouch and spread its silvery contents upon the entrance of the hotel.

  But as I did so it happened again, my heart stopped beating and my strength sapped as I once again felt oblivion’s embrace ”Tud”.

  “What is happening?” I said as I pressed both hands on my heart, as I felt the coldness of the floor.

  “Sir? Sir!” I heard a young woman's voice as my open eyes saw only darkness.

  Act 4 Hospital room

  “--------------------Z- - - - z - - - z z - - - z z z - - - z” I heard the buzzing of a heart monitor.

  I woke up again, and felt for my pockets as I pulled out my phone. ‘10:35’ Almost an hour? That was my thought as I looked around and saw I was in a private hospital room.

  A single bed, with chairs on the side, and a nightstand, the window gave me a view of the tall buildings of the town, the metal painted door was closed, I spoke with a whisper.

  “Sanctuary.” The knob locking itself, as my spell did its work, I looked about.

  I felt my body, and it was actually a little better than earlier, it was still heavy and my heart was still beating slowly, but my connection to the weave has returned to normal.

  “Why is that so?” I said to myself as I removed the needles and suction cups placed on my chest and arms.

  Standing slowly I moved towards the window and then felt my blood pulse quicken, as I looked down and saw a golden haired maiden, looking up towards me with her scarlet red eyes.

  “Crk, crk, crk. . . Sir? Are you awake? Can you please open the door?” The voice was sweet, young even sultry if not for the struggle of her speech.

  I did not speak but walked towards a shadowed corner of the room as I bit on one of my fingers.

  “Thud! Thud! Break!” The door was kicked open, and what I saw did not surprise me.

  Blood eyed, ghouls, human maws opened, wearing the cloaks of the living, nurses stained in dried blood, clothes ripped, heels broken.

  Their eyes widened as they saw the room empty, their noses sniffing the air but finding no scent as they looked and clawed at the room.

  “Dead man walker, not here.” One said her throat rough and parch.

  “No scent.” Another spoke her voice sounding less inhuman.

  “We need to tell the doctor, the dead man’s trying to escape again, come now.” This one's voice was sweet, yet strained and her body was the one with the least ravagement.

  As her clothes were only bloodied with a few rips, unlike the others which were flashing their undergarments, because of the tears of their uniform.

  “Thud!” The door was closed violently behind them as I breathed out a hard breath, as my enchantments faded revealing me, as more than a silhouette in shadow.

  “They looked newly turned, they were yet to become deathly pale, the blood on them were dried, so they had probably been turned only hours ago.” I was quiet as I digested the information I've observed.

  “Which means the enemy had already taken this place.” I thought aloud, as I moved towards the window again and saw not the princess nor my red headed wolfic friend.

  I looked at the skies and knew that somewhere up there Rikka should be watching, but she was a craven girl at heart.

  And I know, If she knew a vampire as strong or stronger than her was within this hospital, she wouldn’t dare come near.

  I went back to my bed, placing the blinds to give myself some privacy, thinking why would anyone think I would come back to my room, rather than madly running towards an exit, shouting for help.

  “What’s better, what’s better than peace, and love, on our earth. . .” I started to sing slowly, as I focused myself, centering the arcane I’m breathing in deeply as I sang.

  “Nothing could, Nothing could, but war, and hate, prevents it. . .” The song was one tool, to know my path to be straight as I focused and then.

  “Without a hearth, but with a breath, let me live on to see my lady again.” And with that end of a song, I felt my heart stop as two no, four others took its place as I closed my eyes, and felt the recoil of the spell forcing me into oblivion.