The Portal

A Story by TESNerd12

Byurven, the elven archer, is a vampire.

Epilogue

Byurven stood, watching the Grievers beneath her. She had decided that, instead of being stealthy, and stabbing her enemies, she'd use her bow, and become an invisible killer. She pulled her griffin-bone bow away from her rucksack, whilst holding her quiver, and taking a basilisk-tooth arrow from the leather cylinder. She drew her bow, arrow in place, and fired - the arrow tore through the chief's throat, spewing blood all over the place.

She had her chance.

Taking a few more shots, she pinned each of the other three Grievers to the rocks, leaving one alive. She strode towards him, holding her naga-bone blade to it's throat. "What are you doing here?" She growled, baring her vampiric teeth. "Me pushed to cave sacred, and friend too." It whimpered, in a guttural tone. She examined him. He was very much alive, missing no blood. She was feeling a bit peckish, too. Baring her snow-white fangs once again, she lunged forwards, sinking her teeth into it's neck. When she pulled away, she made sure all blood was gone. If not, he'd come back. It was the mistake her murderer made. He'd left her with blood still rushing in her veins, letting her become more ruthless than he himself.

Chapter 1

Byurven looked upon what was left of Fall-Ember Citadel. She'd made it her home, and it was a fitting place for a vampire. The abundance of travellers never left her hungry. Fall-Ember was once capital of Frost-Gorge, a very, very cold part of Wyrd, homeland of the Frost Elf. Of course, Byurven was one. Fall-Ember was destroyed in a skirmish between the Naga, a degenerated race of the solitary Grimm Elf, or Grimmlur. The Fystur, or Frost Elves, won, when an unnamed soldier activated the Tri-Lighting Artefact, wiping the Naga out. It also tore apart any elven culture, turning Fall-Ember into a place fit for a solitary vampire.

Byurven had to leave soon. The main spire of Fall-Ember was beginning to crumble at the base, which would pulverize anything in the ensuing shock-wave. Byurven heard metal bending, and gathered what little she owned, packed it into her rucksack, along with all of her quivers, and ran. Vampire speed didn't exist in her, she was a true vampire, since she wasn't of altered blood. This also meant she might die a second time. And then she saw the shadow and, carrying on running, accepted her fate.

A blur distracted her, slowing her down, giving it enough time to crash into her, and carry her out the way of the falling citadel.

Chapter 2

The Rescuer

Byurven found herself in a small, dark cave. And, she was injured. The other vampire who stood over her was another elf. Just not a Fystur. In fact, she didn't recognize his race. He held a Skysteel sword, that blazed with blue fire. That was the fabled Dyver. She knew it was real, because she'd wielded it herself, once upon a time. She looked outside of the cave's mouth, to see that the fallen citadel had released all sorts of horrors. Flying men, wielding shadowy bows, beings consisting only of the four elements. She knew that the citadel contained all sorts. Just not that.

"Oh, you're awake." The Rescuer said. "Thought you'd never get up. My name's Gryff." Gryff held a hand out, motioning for her to get up. When Byurven did rise, her leg felt as if a thousand blades were sheathing themselves inside the flesh. Gryff immediately sprinted across the room, grabbing a set of crutches, and Byurven's gear. Byurven balanced herself whilst gearing back up, before pulling her hood up, and placing the crutches beneath her armpits.

"So, Gryff, you were the one who saved me from the citadel?" Byurven inquired.

"Indeed I was. If I was to ignore the falling citadel, you'd be living mush. Or dead mush, judging by those injuries." Gryff laughed. Byurven didn't find it funny. Why would she find the fact that she almost died a second time funny?

Byurven stood, watching out of the mouth of the cave. Her old home more ruined than ever, and what was left of a glowing spire laying in the middle. She was scared for the first time in decades. "Gryff, why did you save me?" She asked, turning her head.

Gryff looked at her, raising his eyebrows. "You were just... there." He shrugged, "That, and I don't just let people die by falling debris." Byruven looked at him.

"Who are you, then?" She inquired.

"I'm a wanderer. Exiled because I was bitten, and I hid it. I've met other vampires, but none were as... None were as human as you." He breathed. "I figured you were a pure blood, since you weren't running as fast as the others, and the pure bloods are dying out, so I wouldn't let another die needlessly. Vampire Hunters do enough damage to the species, without most of them meeting their doom by a falling object."

Byruven laughed. She figured she'd have a good time, hiding in that cave.

Chapter 3

The Lycanthropes

Dyre sat in his tree, waiting for another vampire to kill. He was also helping those Hunters, who were planning to find one of the last pure bloods. She was a frost elf, who apparently went by the name of 'Byurven'. Typical Elven names. He didn't hate vampires. Although most lycanthropes despised them with a passion, he had sympathy for them. He lost his brother to the vampires. They had exiled him, and last he heard from him, he was heading for Fall-Ember Citadel.

Dyre dropped from his tree, turning from a human, into a large, snowy wolf. He was only going to betray those Hunters when he got to Fall-Ember, since they were only going to do the same to him. They killed whatever they were using when it ran out of use. They were evil, and they knew it. He'd heard their plans to use his fur as a coat. As if. He planned to take out the backmost Hunters, as a human, then he'd tear the throats out of the rest.

They'd told him that they'd be there within six weeks. That gave him time to prepare to betray them.

3 weeks later

Dyre drew his dagger. He saw a man and a woman in a cave. One human, one elf. He recognized the human immediately. And the human recognized him. Sneaking up on the hunters, he pounced forward, and stabbed the three at the back in the throat. Silent kills. He then turned into a wolf, and pounced at their leader, howling as he tore into his torso. After finishing off the Hunter's leader, he turned to the others. He jumped forward, and snapped one of the two runner's necks, then chased the other. The Hunter was too slow. Soon, that runner was a pile of pooling blood and bones. He turned towards the wreckage of the citadel, seeing the elf on crutches and his brother. "Dyre?" Gryff frowned, his mouth almost hesitant to say the name.

"Gryff,"Dyre said,"I'm alive." Dyre turned back into a human, and looked at the wounded elf. "Who's she?" He asked.

"Byurven, she a pure blood vampire. And, you work with the Hunters now?" Gryff questioned.

"Ha. I used them as a means to find you. They knew you were here. They still do, so we'll have to find a different place. And, there are more lycanthropes actually working for them. So they could sniff us out." Dyre groaned.

"We?" Byurven asked.

"Yes, we." Gryff said "And, we won't be tracked down. You smell like lycanthrope, so they'll ignore you, and we don't smell of anything. Except blood."

"Look, Dyre, Gryff, we need to go. Whatever was so important that that citadel was locked when Fall-Ember was bustling is probably dangerous. It held something evil, and that evil is probably escaping, so we need to leave. Now.

Chapter 4

The Darkness

Darkness reached out of his prison. It's hand caught onto an overturned ledge, and pulled itself up and out of it's prison. It reached forward and created a portal out of the cold, thin air. It was purple, and smoking. Out of it, pitch black smoke poured. It immediately went into the Darkness. It screamed, and screamed, more smoke pouring into it. Then, Dyffilin appeared, falling to his knees. Smoke twisted and curled around him, creating his clothes. The portal stayed where it was.

"Good... I can come back here when I am weakened."

Dyffilin fell from the wreckage of Fall-Ember Citadel. A loud cracking sound boomed across the surrounding lands as his arm smashed. It was no matter to him, as his arm repaired itself from any remaining darkness inside him. He stood up, wobbling slightly. Off, in the distance, he could see a forest. Something was in there. He had to learn about it. He had to know more... Knowledge was power, and he had to be the most powerful.

Chapter 5

The Elementals

Gryff, Byurven and Dyre stalked through the forest. Byurven was still using her crutches, but not to the extent of earlier. Dyre was in his wolf form, teeth bared. He would growl at anything and everything that moved.