Once you had experienced your first kill, you were no longer satiated by the meager offerings of my blood. You would only settle for the lives of other men. Death became a normalcy in our time together, a necessity to help you sustain your strength so that you may do as you pleased. And admittedly, after the twelfth kill or so, I began to lose count, seeing our activities as naught but a trivial matter.
A body was a body, and we simply left the remains on the streets, in their beds, and forgot about their existence after the fact. We returned to the cellar, to our home, without batting an eye at what we had done.
The people of the town, however, did not forget. It was a risky game to play as they grew more and more fearful of the night, barricading their doors and keeping the streets well lit in an attempt to stay the murderer. Or perhaps even discern their identity, if they were lucky enough to see and escape with their lives.
In a few months, the nightscape of the town had been completely transformed. Guards now nervously patrolled the streets, armed to the teeth in hopes of staving off the mad killer. They were no match for you, obviously. I, on the other hand, felt quite like a hindrance, moving at less than a quarter of your speed and being four times as weak. Yet you required me to take out their hearts, and in that, I found my purpose in this partnership, grateful to be near you at all times.
In the manor, things had changed as well. Master Halvatt, whom I had been loyally serving all this time, had grown quite paranoid as of late. Since the killer seemed to target only men, he felt at risk of becoming a victim. As a result, the manor had become populated with bodyguards, and in his foresight, Master Halvatt had me trained for possible combat situations as well. Such an opportunity only helped me in my nightly excursions, and I was all too eager to learn.
The biggest issue that had surfaced as of late, though, was that the situation in our town had also attracted several unwanted players. Hired hands from beyond the province, seeking fortune. had begun to trickle in. And with them, came a dearth of exorcists.
In particular, an acclaimed exorcist by the name of Eleanor Lottbrung had arrived in town and was planning on quickly resolving the situation, or so the rumours went. I felt that it would be important to meet her, to figure out what we were up against, so that you may not be harmed.
I located this Miss Lottbrung in the markets as I was conducting my daily errands. She was patiently gathering information from the populace in regards to the murders, and she walked through the streets with a steady poise, as if she had no fear of the death that had been touching everyone else. Yet unlike Gache's swagger, she seemed to carry herself in a calm and calculating manner, traits that made her a much more challenging opponent.
Upon striking up a conversation with the lady exorcist, I came to understand more about her career, but nothing about the types of powers she wielded that had brought her to fame. She did, however, immediately sense my own magical aptitude, something I had not thought possible. When I asked her how she managed such a feat, she maintained her secretive demeanour, stating only that she had her mentor to thank.
My meeting with Miss Lottbrung revealed little things of import, but near the end of the conversation, she had a slight mishap, revealing to me a piece of information I could use for later. As she spoke of how she was so sure of her success, she offhandedly mentioned that there was an ambush planned, her attempt to catch the villain by surprise.
With that knowledge in my grasp, I returned to the manor with my mind abuzz, ruminating on ways to avoid being outnumbered at the wrong time when we struck out later that night to conduct our scheduled affairs.