After leaving the city of Ostia, Samuel headed for Argyre, the massive forest where he was so accustomed to. The journey took him several weeks where he camped under the star filled sky, and on rainy nights, he would usually made a shelter using a bunch of branches and a lot of leaves he would get from the rare trees he would find. But on clear nights, Samuel would lay on the carpet of grass, and watch the night sky, so full of stars 'till he would fall asleep. Weeks, just feeding on wild berries, cought animals and the occasional alms the isolated farmers were giving him. Finally, he has arrived in a village, not far from the forest Argyre, where he could seek a job. In the middle of the village, there was a well where he could drink water from and fill his bottle. He then sat on a bench nearby and looked at some kids playing. Looking at those children, Samuel couldn't help but feel nostalgia, and remember the days before that awfull bane was cast upon him (Note: see the character's history). Sometimes he wonders, why was he the only one spared, and how. And why did that demon lord made that mark on his shoulder. Disgusted by these thought and the nostalgia, Samuel started wondering aimlessly in the village in the hope to clear his head of those thoughts and see if he could find a job.
When he was passing by a dark alley he heard a yell, so he peaked and saw three thieves trying to rob a young girl. As he was drawing the magic circle on a wall, Samuel thought to himself "Why do I always have to do this?".

Thieve A: There's no one around, you can scream all you want.
The girl: Leave me alone, please.
Thieve B: Give us your money!
The girl: I-I don't have any money.
Thieve A (grabbing her arm): You're lying. For this we'll gonna have some fun with you.
The girl (trying to evade): No! Let me go!
Samuel (finishing the circle): I summon you demon of the abyss, rise from your prision and serve me.
Thieve A: Huh? What was that? Go check it out.

Thieve B rushed at the edge of the alley an peeked over the corner. He was surprised by the sight of Bathin and didn't even got time to yell, Bathin managed to jump and made a long cut on Thieve A's face. Dazed by the attack the man yelles: "Monster, monster!". Samuel quickly grabbed a rock from the ground and hit the man's head as hard as he could. Thieve B fell unconscious to the ground.

Thieve A (grabbing the girl from the back and pointing a knife at her neck): Who's there!? Show yourself!
Samuel (coming into the alley): Calm yourself, look, I'm unarmed...(throwing the rock at his feet).
Thieve A (to Thieve C): Go check him!

As Thieve C approached the boy, from under Samuel's robe jumps Bathin and misses the man, but Samuel grabs the knife from his waist and pierces the man's heart. Thieve C falls breathless to the ground.

Thieve A (frozen in place and with a trembling voice): ... Stop right there or I'll kill her.
Samuel: ... I could kill you where you stand, or the little demon can cut your hand in a split of a second.
Thieve A (scared): ...
Samuel: ... You have another choice though, let the girl go and run, now!

Thieve A hesitates at first but lets the girl go. Samuel clears his way and he runs.

Samuel (to the girl) Are you OK?
The girl: [color=darkred]Y-yes. Th-thank you... I'm Lania.
Samuel (recovering his knife from the man's chest): Why are you introducing yourself to me?
Lania: Eh...?
Samuel: It's improbable that we'll meet again... Or maybe you have a job for me?
Lania: ... In fact I do.

Lania tells Samuel about a strange creature that haunts her grandmother's mansion, sucking the blood from animals and occasional humans. Hearing about the 3000 Drachma reward for the beast's head, Samuel accepts the mission and he's invited at her mansion to be their bodyguard. After two hours of walking, they finnaly arrives at the mansion where a tall, gray-haired man (the butler) greets them. The mansion was about five times larger than a house, surrounded by a tall, stone fence and a big, metal gate serves as entrance to the mansions yard. The front yard was split by the road to the house, on both sides were well-arranged bushes and trees and flowers decorates the sides of the road. The mansions back faced a small forest and it would seem that it would serve as a perfect hideout for any kind of creature, that is if it could pass the fence. In the hall, a well-dressed man, with long, black hair and blue eyes appeared just as the three entered. "Who is he?" the man inquired, "He is the hunter I hired." replied Lania. The man looked disturbed by the girls reply and left nervously the hall.

Lania: Forgive my brother, he usually isn't very polite.
Samuel: You do not have to apologize, I understand his distrust.

Lania showed Samuel his room and invited him for lunch. The room was located right above the entrance, on the 1st floor, and seemed to be a guest room. Before lunch, Samuel checked the surrounding area. The back yard wasn't as large as the front one but it had a wonderfull gazebo. On the left and right sides of the mansion, there was about a mile of plain and hills covered with trees. The mansion was situated on a large hill that resembled more like a mountain, It had also quite a nice view of the village. It was isolated, a perfect target for a creature hungry for blood. just before the meal, the blue-eyed man from the hallway stoped Samuel on his way.

The man: Listen to me boy, leave while you still can.
Samuel: I reckon that it's polite to introduce yourself first. My name is Samuel.
The man (a little annoyed): ...Agore.
Samuel: I understand that you don't trust me...
Agore: It isn't just that. Before, we had about fifteen servants, but then that creature showed up and killed four of them. Do you wish the same fate?
Samuel: I'm flattered that you care about my own good but I gave my word.
Agore: ... Very well, it's your choice.

Lunch was pretty bleak, only Lania, Agore and Samuel. The butler and the two maids were eating in the servants room. Lania tried to cheer up the atmosfere with conversations about the weather, politics, the view, etc. but it was futile.

Samuel: Are there only you five living in the house?
Lania: In fact six, our grandmother is in her room but she's too weak to come downstairs. I've brought her her lunch.
Samuel: When did it all started?
Agore: Seven weeks ago, we started to find dead sheeps or animals dried out of blood.
Lania: Then one of the servants gone missing, we tried looking for him in the woods but we found him instead in the gazebo with no blood in his veins.
Samuel (thinking): ...
Lania: You will find it, right? I mean I saw that little demon of yours, you can kill it, right?
Samuel: Well... I can't act be the bodyguard and the hunter at the same time.
Agore: Try hunting the beast. It's better that way.
Samuel: Very well.

After lunch, Samuel resumed his inspection of the area. The next day, at breakfeast, the two siblings looked pale.

Samuel: ... What is it?
Agore: They've found another cattle...
Samuel: Where?
Lania: Just outside, near the road.

Hearing this, Samuel rushed to the scene. It was true, the owner of the cow was siting near the corpse, waiting for the police. At the owners permission, the boy inspected the cow and found that it's legs were broken. Also, he discovered teeth marks on the cows neck. Once back, Samuel started wondering...

Samuel: Have you considered that it's a vampire?
Agore: Yes. We even put garlic on the walls and crosses around the house, but useless.

A week has past and until now nothing new but some animals fell victim to the creature. Because the creature seemed to attack only during night, Samuel, as a measure of safety, had a thick piece of paper strongly glued to the door, connecting it with it's frame, so that if someone would enter the room at night, Samuel would be waken by the ripping papper or at least by the strugle to open the door. One night though, when he was still awake, Samuel heard the footsteps of something non-human passing by his door. He carefully opened the door and followed the footsteps. Because it was dark, he couldn't see a thing, and after a few seconds, the footsteps stopped in front of a door, and the creature enterd the room. In the morning, Samuel asked about the room he has seen the creature get into.

Lania: Oh, that's our grandmother's room.
Samuel (thinking): ...
Lania: What's wrong?
Samuel: I find it strange, I have been here for a few weeks but I never have met you grandmother. Can you introduce me?
Lania: Of course.
..............................................
Lania (knocking at the door): Granny?
Old women: Yes sweetheart.
Lania (opens the door): Granny, this is Samuel, he is a friend of mine.

The room was quite big, with photos hanging on the walls and on the drawers, and a bed in the middle. In the bed was an old women, smilling and the two. As they were approaching the elder, Samuel stopped suddenly, like he he was struck by a important detail. He stood a second and then greeted the old women with a smile. The old women was wrinkled all over her body, with white hair and shaking hands. After a short conversation between the two, the elder asked to be left alone, for sher was tired and needed rest.

Samuel (after they left the room): Lania?
Lania: Mmh?
Samuel: Tell me, have you noticed any change in you grandmother's behavior or appereance?
Lania: Well she's old, it would be expected, wouldn't it?
Samuel: ... Yes

Later that evening, when Samuel was preparing to go to the village to ask the people about this 'creature', a loud noise came from Lania's room, and then, a shriek. Samuel rushed to the gril's bedroom and found Agore allready there, petrified. Liana's corpse was sitting on the blood stained floor, the room was ravaged, like it was robbed.

Agore: No... Liana.
Samuel: Agore, calm yourself, we have to go check for your grandmother.
Agore: What...?
Samuel: Come on!
..........................................
Agore (knocking at the door): Granny, are you there?
Samuel: Stand aside.
BOOM...(Samuel breaking the door)

The room was silent, nothing was out of the ordinary, only the old women was sleeping in her bed quietly. Samuel uncovered the bed and what he had found could make someone's mind go insane. It wasn't the old woman sleeping there, it was her skin. Upon seeing this, Agore rushed outside the room and began to throw up.

Samuel: Agore! Come look at this.
Agore: Oh God! ...
Samuel: Agore, try and remain calm, your grandmother didn't died here.
Agore: What do you mean?
Samuel: The blood from the inside of her skin is dried...
Agore: What?!
Samuel: And also, there isn't even a little blood on the floor.
Agore: So... you mean...
Samuel: She didn't died here, and se didn't died now.
Agore: But... that's imposible!
Maid: Yeeeeeeek!!!
Samuel: Come on!

Both Samuel and Agore rushed where the shriek came from and found one of the maids shocked in fear.

Maid: Ah... ahahaha (crying)
Agore: Dia, what happened?
Maid: Go... th-that cre...
Samuel: Calm yourself woman! Tell us what did you saw.
Maid: Th-that thing... i-it went into the basement.
Samuel: What's in there?
Agore: Some twisted coridors, like a labirinth.

Finally, they both stood in front of the basement door. Before they would go in, Samuel draw a magic circle and invoked Bathin. In the meantime, Agore went to get a couple of torches. They've all entered the pitch black basement where the creature should be.

Samuel: Is there another way out than this door?
Agore: No, I don't think there is.
Samuel: Then seal it, so it won't escape.

After several minutes of wander, they have finally picked the trail of the beast. All three of them chased after the creature but couldn't catch it. It was so fast that neither of them could catch it, and Samuel wouldn't want to let bathin chase it for it was strong as well. Suddenly, the creature attacked them from behind, and injured Agore's arm. The creature was hideous, it was about as tall as a human but it walked on all its four legs. The beast looked like a scheleton covered thightly in thin skin. Luckily, Bathin succeded in cutting his leg. Despite its strenght, the creature was pretty weak when it came to endurence, but it was also very agile and fast.

Samuel (monologue): *So the creature prefers a "hit and run" strategy than a face-to-face confruntation, but it can't run forever, and if we hit it enough times we should be able to weaken him. I reckon even a Poisonous Arrow will do*
Agore: Look out! There! (points)
Samuel: Bathin!

Bathin charged towords the blood-sucking beast. Samuel began to chant "Corrupt the blood and devour the flesh, Poisonous Arrow!"....Silence.... He had hit something, but was it Bathin or the creature? After a few seconds, Bathin emerged out of the darkness barely standing. The two came closer only to see the horid creature slain.

Samuel: Bathin, slay his head. Then you can go and rest.

Bathin has done what he was ordered to and beheaded the corpse....... Finally, the nightmare was over. With the creature slain, Samuel had no other reason to stay any longer, and Agore didn't regret his departure. Before he had left, Agore gave the reward of 3000 Drachma to Samuel in thanks for defeating the beast. He left at dawn, unknowing where to go next.


---End---

If no one have any complaint about it, I'll grade it

Samuel : 2 SP, 1 MP and 100,000 Drachma