My name is Jouo Ban Trevant, warrior-priest and servant of the Light. I have walked this path for most of my life. I do not regret the choices I've made, the deeds I've done. I'm content with my life up to this point. Indeed, I feel that Sol is proud of everything I've done in the name of the Light. I feel I've fulfilled my destiny, and am quite prepared to die. Which may not be such a bad thing. I'm . . . losing myself. I entered a blood bond with the Steel Dragon, Manganese. Since that time, I've felt it; this strange . . . force in my body. Something strange -- not me, not even human -- now shares my body. I know my comrades in arms can feel the change, especially Renaku. Damn that spawn of darkness. I know the part he has been chosen to play, but sometimes it's so hard to resist the urge to crush his skull while he 'sleeps'. He even gave me the chance to put him out of my misery, but I could feel . . . something stop me. That strange force took control and made me . . . I can't even write it. Suffice it to say he still lives, if indeed a vampire can be said to live. I swear to Sol that if I ever get another chance, I won't hold back. I'm writing this to . . . I don't know. Maybe it's to help me come to terms with what's happening to me. Maybe it's to convince me that nothing's really happening. Maybe it's to remind this . . . thing I'm becoming of what I used to be. I am Jouo Ban Trevant, warrior-priest and servant of the Light; but I don't know how much longer I'll remain this. ____________________________________ Vampire Legend R Created by Ben Overmyer Hosted by Improfanfic Episode 18: Changes Written by Clint Milton ____________________________________ Warning: This isn't going to be like the rest of the series. The idea came to me around midnight the night before the story was due, so I ran with it. Readers forgive me, for I know not what I do. ____________________________________ Trevant stopped writing and looked at the page he'd just filled out. With a sigh both of disgust and frustration, he ripped it out of the small journal he'd been carrying around. He crumpled the piece of paper and tossed it into the fire, which leapt up eagerly to receive it. "That's where it belongs," Trevant muttered quietly. He sighed again and stared into the fire. He watched the swirling of orange, yellow-red, and yellow. He listened to the wood popping and hissing. His eyes focused on single tongues of flame as the flared up, left the blaze, and vanished due to lack of fuel. He studied the faint wisps of smoke as they wafted up and into the dark night sky. He then turned his attention to the sky itself. Sol had just gone down for the night. The stars twinkled brilliantly in their familiar patterns and constellations as if to say, "Though the Shadow may rule now, the Light will still fight to exist." Trevant took pride in that thought and allowed a small smile to cross his face. "Something strike you as funny, Trevant?" Thiesra asked as she steps out of the shadows in front of him. She had stored enough magic, so she chose to indulge herself and was in her human form. She felt more comfortable like this. "Nothing you'd be interested in, even if you can take a human form," Trevant muttered under his breath. "You forget I still have supernatural hearing. Try me." "Look at the sky." "What about it?" "My point exactly." Trevant rose and walked off into the woods, leaving Thiesra alone with her thoughts. She stared at the night sky for a while, then shook her head. "I'll never understand him," she said, laughing lightly. ------------ Renaku's eyes snapped open, half expecting to see a wooden stake positioned over his chest. He'd hate to explain to the owner of said stake that, even if it did do what was expected, he'd never leave this forest alive. He chuckled lightly at that thought as he rose and made his way into camp. The rest of his companions were beginning to stir. He waited until they were awake, then folded his arms. "Let's go," he said evenly. "We don't have too much time left." "A fact we're all aware of, Renaku," Leandra replied, yawning. Aiger was already on his feet and collecting his gear. Renaku's eyes scanned the campground. "Where's Trevant?" "Right here," Trevant said as he emerged into the clearing. "I just . . . needed some time to be alone; to collect my thoughts." Renaku was about to respond, but was silenced by a look by Thiesra. Something was going on with Trevant, but he didn't have time enough to explore that any further. "Right," Renaku sighed, "Anyway, there's something we need to discuss. As it stands, we have a few options as to how we approach the Jihrasan Mountains: either from the north or from the south. The north is empty, and quicker, but chances are they're expecting us to use this path." "What about the south?" Leandra asked. "Certain death," Trevant added grimly, "You remember what the elves said. There's a huge Fumu force waiting. If we go that way, we'll be killed for sure." "On the other hand," Aiger said, tapping his index finger on his chin, "they would probably expect that to keep us from going that way." "Also," Thiesra stated, "it would be a great way to find out what the Fumu are doing and how close they are to the Stone." "Are you all mad?" Trevant shouted, "The only thing guaranteed by going to the mountains from the south is a five day journey into a certain and quite painful death." "I thought you'd jump at the opportunity to kill a few demons, priest," Leandra said with a hint of malice. Trevant just growled in response. Leandra smiled knowingly. "Did I strike a nerve, Trevant?" "Keep that up, mage, and I'll be the next one to strike," Trevant muttered, his hand absently finding its way to the handle of his warhammer. His eyes went from their normal blue color to a smoldering red, then back. Trevant shook his head to clear it. 'Not now,' he thought, 'I've got to keep it together.' Thiesra noticed all of this, but said nothing. 'He deserves his privacy,' she thought, 'and she is taunting him a little fiercely today.' "Trevant, Leandra, that's enough!" Renaku growled. "We aren't discussing this to start a fight. If we can't learn to work without fighting, it doesn't matter which path we choose. BOTH will lead to certain death." Trevant and Leandra both bowed their heads. "Now let's decide which way to go and get going. I don't want to spend all night bickering." Aiger coughed. "I propose we go up from the south. Besides the fact that I'm sure we're expected to take the north pass, I can't pass up the chance to take those Fumu scum by suprise." "Agreed," Leandra said, nodding her head, "the south would be the better choice. Yeah, it's a little out of the way; but in the long run we would definitely have an advantage, of sorts." Trevant snorted, but didn't say anything else due to a withering glare from Leandra. 'If looks could kill,' Renaku thought, 'both Trevant and Manganese would have felt that one.' "I think north would most definitely be a trap," Thiesra added. "But, more importantly, I'd like a chance to see how close the Fumu are to retrieving the Stone. This is a chance we can't afford to pass up. My vote is we go up from the south." "If the main Fumu force is in the southern pass," Renaku stated, "then Trevant is right and the south is certain doom. But I'm not too sure I really trust those elves. Besides, a lot can happen in five days. The force could be moved." "Yeah," Trevant interrupted, "there could be more there." "Or less," Renaku shot back, "anything's possible. But no matter what, once we decide which path we'll take, there's no turning back. We won't have enough time. I say south is the best choice." All eyes locked on Trevant. He shook his head, laughing. "You all are mad," he managed between chuckles, "if we go south, we'll die. If we go north, our chances of survival are better." He collected his thoughts for a moment, and then let out a huge sigh. "But let it not be said of Jouo Ban Trevant that he was afraid of a few demons. If you want to go south, we'll go south." He stood up, and looked at the stars. "It's . . ." He sighed. "It's a good night to choose to die." "All right," Renaku said as he stood up, "let's get moving." They broke camp, and were on their way. ------------ The first two days passed quietly. They saw nothing but trees and the occasional animal, which would become food for the humans and Aiger. Their sleep was troubled; every noise brought ideas of a Fumu advance scout squad. Weapons were drawn at all times. The near constant flow of adrenaline wore down on them after a while and led to a few interesting shouting matches; most of them involving Trevant and some other member of the party. By day three, the journey and irregular sleep patterns had worked away at everyone, even Renaku. He had put Thiesra's idea of an energy diet into action, and it showed. His bloodlust was screaming for energy. Around the others, all he could think of was how easy it would be to just bite into them and drain them of all their blood. He especially liked to entertain this thought around Trevant. The longer he stood around them, the worse it became, until he could swear he heard their heartbeats. Because of this, Renaku often went off into the woods by himself until he regained control. Thiesra, who could see the change in Renaku, was worried about him and followed him on one of these necessary diversions. She found him huddled under a tree, holding his knees. "Renaku?" she asked softly, "Are you okay?" "Please go," he whispered, gritting his teeth. "I want to help." "You can't. I have to get it under control. By the gods, this hurts." He started to slowly rock back and forth. "You're on the diet?" "Please leave me. I . . . don't know how much longer I can hold back." There was a sudden movement in the bushes behind Thiesra. Renaku's eyes lit up. He snapped his head up to face her, his lips curled into a fierce snarl. Suddenly he moved. In one fluid motion, Renaku stood and launched himself at Thiesra. She drew in a sharp breath and dropped into an offensive position, magical energy at the ready. Renaku sailed over her head and into the bushes. There was a sickening scream that was soon silenced. Renaku stood up, wiping the blood from his chin. The blissful smile on his lips turned Thiesra's stomach. "That should hold me for a while," Renaku stated, satisfied. Then he saw the look on her face, and turned away. "I couldn't control myself anymore, Theisra. The bloodlust, it was too strong. I . . . I'm weak when it comes to that. I had to have just a little blood. I couldn't help it." Thiesra smiled tenderly and started to walk towards him. He took a step back, but she still kept coming. He sighed as she wrapped her arms around him and held him close to her. Then he buried his face into her shoulder and did something he didn't think he could anymore: he cried. He could feel the tears as they fell from his eyes and onto her shoulder. He just kept repeating "I can't control it, I can't control it." Thiesra just held him. She didn't say anything, didn't do anything more than hold him. Soon she too could feel the tears falling from her eyes. To see him like this, it was too much for her. She sobbed uncontrollably as he repeated that sentence like a mantra. Finally, she couldn't bear to hear it anymore. She stepped back and grabbed his head, forcing him to look at her. "Listen to me," she said, looking right into his eyes, "you can beat this. You are stronger than this. I believe in you." Renaku blinked and wiped his eyes. Soon he had regained control. "I can't. It's too strong for me to face." He sighed. "You mean too strong for you to face alone. But you won't be alone, anymore. I'll be here for you. I'll always be there for you. Together, we'll beat this." Herright hand traveled down his body to his left hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. She smiled. "You may not be able to control it, but we can." He smiled back at her. "I believe you," he said. Hand in hand, they walked back to the group. Leandra looked up as they walked back, but said nothing and motioned for the others to keep quiet as well. Together they made camp and waited for dawn. ------------ The fourth day of their journey arrived. They were more cautious than usual, for they were only a day's travel away from their destination. This meant that they should expect to run into a Fumu patrol or two. Not a word was spoken and all eyes scanned the forest around them. Trevant shifted the weight of his hammer from his left hand to his right and back. He prepared himself for battle by running over the techniques of the Water stance. He always favored this stance for its fluid motions; every attack flowed into the next, to give the appearance that the entire battle was one attack. It was breathtaking to watch, and hard to defend. He then focused on the Earth stance. This was a defensive stance and the attacks it incorporated were designed not to do damage so much as to knock the opponent off balance. He continued through all the elements, except Shadow. He had never been taught this stance, as its use was forbidden by his Order. To use it was to sacrifice your soul to the darkness it represents, or so the Order said. But, for some reason, a strange craving had developed in Trevant. He wanted to know the Shadow stance; he had to, for while the stances he did know were formidable, he knew they were not enough to defeat the Fumu. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted it. He could feel the knowledge buried somewhere in his mind, given to him by the blood bond, but he just couldn't bring it into focus. He concentrated, willing himself to surrender his mind to Manganese. The dragon's mind came rushing to the forefront, and brought with it that which he sought. The Shadow stance, and all its techniques, came flooding into his mind like a raging torrent. He could envision every strike, every move. It was like watching a dance. Apparently, the Shadow stance involved all of the others and was used primarily as a countering stance. There wasn't anything aggressive about it. Instead it focused on deception and subtle strikes that wore an opponent down. He stopped walking and smiled. "It's so simple," he whispered. 'Keep walking,' Manganese thought, 'You'll get a chance to test that soon enough.' Trevant blinked. He distinctly heard a voice, yet couldn't tell where it came from. 'Keep walking,' Manganese repeated. Trevant looked around, and kept walking. As the party continued, Manganese explained the finer points of the Elemental stances Trevant used. Trevant's eyes shifted from blue to red and back again as this internal conversation went on. He learned much that day -- about the nature of the world, the destiny of this little group, and his part in it. ------------ It was late into the night when they ran across a Fumu scouting party. There were four that they could see, but Renaku and Thiesra could sense at least two more in the woods. Renaku took that into consideration before he spoke. "Aiger, Leandra," he whispered, "you two are with me. Trevant, Thiesra, you two take care of the two in the woods. Let none of these return to the main force." Thiesra allowed a look of concern flash across her face in Renaku's direction. 'Don't worry,' he mouthed, 'I'll be fine.' Thiesra's brow furrowed the distrust evident. But, deep inside her, she knew he'd be safe. "Right," she said, nodding toward Trevant. "These foul demons won't see another sunrise," Trevant stated, his hand on the handle of his warhammer. "I swear it." Leandra just sighed and stood. Aiger stood by Renaku, who took one last look at the group. "Let's do it," Renaku whispered. "Right," the group replied. Then they divided up, and set to their tasks. ------------ Trevant locked eyes with the demon. His hands gripped the massive iron hammer tightly. He spun it once, his eyes never leaving the Fumu's. "In the name of Sol, and the Light," Trevant declared, "you shall not harm another living being." "Big words, priest," the Fumu snarled, "but I'm afraid that's all they are." Trevant dropped into the Water stance. He beckoned to the demon with his right hand. "Step forward, foul beast," he taunted, "and see if there is anything behind my words." The Fumu grinned and extended its claws. With a snarl, it launched itself at Trevant. 'Air attack,' he thought as he ducked and spun. 'Easily defeated.' He extended the hammer in an overhead strike, catching the demon in the back. There was a sickening crunch as the hammer found its mark. The demon dropped to the ground, but soon stood. Trevant, never breaking the motion, swung the hammer up, around, and downward, catching the demon in the back of the thigh. Another sickening crunch followed by the sight of something sticking out of the front of the demon's leg. The demon dropped onto its back clutching its leg. Trevant used the momentum of the swing to propel the hammer up and over the demon's head. He then put all his force into a downward swing, crushing the skull of the demon. It lay there, twitching for a few minutes. Then, all was still. Trevant propped himself up against a tree, breathing heavily. "All talk, huh?" he said between breaths. "At least I can still talk." He laughed, picked up his hammer, and ran back to the group. ------------ Renaku and the group were just finishing up with the last Fumu. Aiger snarled viciously as he ripped the demon's flesh with his claws. Leandra threw spell after spell at the beast. Renaku made the killing blow with the Demon Slayer. He smiled as the sword drained the energy from the demon. But he left the energy in the sword, and did not absorb it into his body. 'I'm still on my diet,' he thought. 'Leandra would be upset if I cheated on it now.' The Fumu shuddered, and then fell limp and crumbled to dust. About that time Trevant and Thiesra came into the clearing. "Here comes the calvary," Leandra said dryly. Trevant just glared at her. "Looks like we missed the fun," Thiesra said, a hint of disappointment in her voice. "Let's keep moving," Renaku stated simply, "These few will be missed soon enough. We don't want to be here when the search party arrives." They nodded their agreement, gathered their belongings, and left the clearing. ------------ A few hours later, the party had found the Fumu-corrupted village. They stood in the shadows and watched as a small group of humans were brought up, bound in chains. They were being pulled along by a group of possessed humans. Trevant fingered the medallion around his neck and whispered a quick prayer for the souls of the humans before them. "So these are the humans who thought they could escape," the Fumu commander laughed. "Yes, sir," his underling replied. "They must be taught . . ." He never finished that sentence, due to the immense fist that backhanded him. "If you ever try to tell me what to do again," the commander growled, "I will personally rip you in half and feast on your still-beating heart. Is that understood?" The underling nodded, the sweat beginning to bead on his forehead. "I meant no disrespect, my lord." "Of course not. Just make sure it doesn't happen again." "Yes, my lord." The commander now turned his attention on the three humans before him. He stepped up to the leader, a stunningly beautiful blond woman. "So you're the one responsible for this?" he chuckled. She looked him right in the eyes, and spat on his face. He took a moment to wipe his face before he slit her throat with his claw. To her credit, she didn't scream before she fell to the ground, her life slowly leaking away. "Pity, really," the commander said, licking the blood off his claws. "She would have been . . . fun." He laughed evilly, then walked to the next human. The human shrank back, trembling. The commander locked eyes with him, but the human looked away quickly. "Please, sir," he choked out, "I don't want to die." "You won't. No, you will have the glorious honor of serving the Fumu." The commander stretched out his hand and grabbed the young man by the top of his head. He forced the young man to lock eyes with him. Tears began to well up in the man's eyes. "No," he whispered, "please no." The Fumu laughed, and began to chant. The young man twitched, screamed, and groaned. The Fumu chanted louder and faster as a white mist began to drift from his eyes and into the human's. The man began to twitch faster, trying to break free. He let out one last scream, then fell silent. The Fumu continued the chant, and soon the man joined with him. He let go of the young man's head and stepped back. The young man fell to his knees and bowed his head. "I live to serve you," he said in an otherworldly voice, "your wish is my will. Tell me what I can do for the Fumu, I beg of you." The commander laughed. "Soon enough, young one," he chuckled, "They're so cute at that age, so willing to give their lives for us." He patted the new Fumu-corrupted human on the head. ------------ Trevant could stand the sight no longer. With a cry of rage, he grabbed his warhammer and charged the scene before him. "Foul creature!" he screamed, "Your kind will no longer trouble this world." The Fumu looked right at him and snorted. "Another one," he sighed. "You and you, deal with this annoyance." The two Fumu launched themselves at Trevant, who lifted up his medallion. "Foul creatures BEGONE!" he screamed. A bolt of white light flew from the medallion and slammed into the demons, who screamed and vanished. Trevant, panting, lifted his hammer and locked eyes with the Fumu commander. "I am Jouo Ban Trevant, warrior-priest," he shouted. "In the name of Sol and the Light, I will not allow you to trouble this town any longer. Step forward and face me, if you dare." He spun the hammer once, his eyes never leaving the commander; who just smiled. "Why should I, when I have minions to do this for me?" the commander asked smugly. He waved his right hand and a horde of Fumu and Fumu-possessed humans attacked Trevant. ------------ Renaku cursed at the sight before him. Trevant had walked - no, ran - into certain doom. "Serves him right," Leandra said. Aiger stood. "We must help him," he stated simply, then started into the battle. "It's the right thing to do," Thiesra said quietly, following Aiger. Renaku watched them go, then turned to Leandra, who sighed. "All right, let's go," she said as she stood. Renaku smiled, drew his sword, and rushed into battle. ------------ Trevant, amazingly, was holding his own against the torrent before him. The Water stance was proving itself to him by keeping them at bay, but he knew it wouldn't last forever. He had no choice but to switch stances. Mentally, while he allowed his body to function on instinct, he ran over the other stances he knew. Fire was only good against one opponent, not many. Earth was too defensive for massive group combat. Air would leave him too open. 'What about Shadow?' Manganese offered. He considered it as he caved in the skull of a Fumu warrior. He really didn't have a choice. He dropped into the Shadow stance and proceeded to use the attacks it offered. In a matter of moments, he had cleared a path to the others. Suddenly, Trevant felt cold claws drag down his back, ripping through his shirt and skin. He screamed and turned to face the demon behind him. With a snarl of rage, he leapt upon his attacker, his eyes blazing red. It was over in a few seconds. The Fumu never even had a chance to defend himself. Trevant turned and leapt at the next attacker, a Fumu-corrupted human who screamed as he fell. Thiesra, in her natural form, paused for a moment and watched Trevant. 'This isn't like him,' she thought. She dispatched another Fumu and continued to watch Trevant. 'He's fighting like . . . a dragon.' She made her way through the battlefield to his side. "Trevant?" Thiesra called cautiously. He turned to look at her, his blazing red eyes locked with hers. She stepped back and gasped. "You . . . you're not . . ." "I am Manganese," Trevant said in a deep, definitely not human, voice. "There was an . . . unforeseen consequence with the blood bond. I'll explain later. We have a duty right now, though." Thiesra nodded, and went back to dispatching Fumu. ------------ A few hours later, and the battle was over. The bodies of the Fumu and their human victims lay strewn about the town. The Fumu commander had fled the scene during the confusion. Renaku turned to face Trevant, the anger evident in his eyes. "What the hell was that about?" he demanded. "Watch your tongue, vampire," Trevant said evenly, "I'm not who you think I am . . . anymore. Though the body may still be Jouo Ban Trevant, I assure you that is not who is inside. I am Manganese, the dragon. Well, a part of Manganese anyway. Apparently the dragon spirit was too powerful to bond with a human. My will has overpowered his. This, I assure you, was not the plan. We had no way of knowing that this would be the result." "Can it be corrected?" Thiesra asked. Manganese shook his head. "Corrected? No. In time, however, there's a chance that Trevant's spirit may become strong enough to complete the bond properly. For now, though, I will be in control." "Whatever the case," Renaku stated, "we don't have time to wait for Trevant to become strong enough to finish the quest. If the Fumu didn't know we were here, they do now. We have to reach the mountain tonight. Let's go." The group started to walk out of town and toward the mountains. Thiesra slowed down until she was next to Manganese. "Manganese?" Thiesra started. The dragon/priest turned to look at her. "Can Trevant still hear me if I talk to you?" "I believe so," he said after a moment's thought. "When he was in control, I could hear everything he did; so I'd guess it would work both ways. Why, do you have something to tell him?" She nodded. "I finally understand what he said to me - about the sky. I understand now, I feel the same way." Manganese looked confused. "What about the sky?" Thiesra's face fell. "Never mind," she said as she walked off, leaving Manganese to contemplate what she had said. After a while, he just shrugged his shoulders and walked on toward the mountain. ------------ Author's Note: It's finally done! Yippee! My little contribution to this story, crap though it may be, is added at last. I am so grateful to be finally finished with this. You have to understand what went on while I was waiting. First, I lost Internet access (too expensive. I'm in the process of finding a cheaper server, but first I have to get my bills caught up). Next, I found myself with the BIGGEST case of Writer's Block known to man. I finally had an idea at midnight the night before it was due. But I didn't finish in time, so I had to file for an extension. And now, with no small amount of blood, sweat, and tears, I'm done. I know that Trevant isn't the hero of "Vampire Legend R," but Coyote had left me SUCH a huge chance for a side plot that I had to take it (Thanks, man, for tossing a bone to a starving author). I like Trevant more than I do Renaku, and I noticed that his character was a bit one-dimensional through most of the stories he's been in. I believe that a good hero is only as good as the people around him. A well-developed supporting character adds to the flavor of the story and helps it to be a bit more real. So I messed with Trevant a bit. Fellow writers, please note that I did leave a way to get Trevant back. If you don't like what I did with him, it can be fixed. Well, before the Author's note gets too big (bear with me, I'm new here), I'd better get to the "Thank you" part. Big thanks go out to: Mike Thrall, for proofreading and actually doing the submitting part; Ian Heafer, for being a great friend and huge moral support during this, and other crises in my life; Scott and Chris, whose last name I can't spell, for being great friends; and to everyone here at Improfanfic for letting me do this. There's probably more, so if I didn't say your name here and you think I should thank you, thanks. (insert smile here.) Questions? Comments? Death threats? Send them to clintmilton@hotmail.com Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you again when I send in my addition to "Do Gooders." TTFN!