Chapter 7
Vampire Hunting

After the huge celebration, which was held in order to celebrate the stopping of the Unholy Trio's Reappearance, Kaid-aw became a citizen of Pavis and got the Pavis Gold medal of Courage plus he was appointed as a member of the Pavis city council. Dolxx got the Pavis silver medal of Courage and Axjack got even later the Pavis bronze medal of Courage. Raven became a Death Lord of Zorak Zoran. The only member of the A-TEAM who did not get any medals or higher status was Merlox. During the next couple of weeks Dolxx got raised POW on the cult Holyday as he led the ceremony for Orlanth. A few days later was held a concert by the "Chantymen", an immensely popular singing group, in the A-TEAM Inn. The idea was Axjack's and it was a success, as there had never been any concerts in the Rubble. The A-TEAM were all gathered to listen to the Chantymen in their own table, when a young girl of about sixteen came to them and asked permission to speak up. She said her name was Armadina and she wanted to get help for her father, who was dying. They lived in the A-TEAM territory and she knew nobody else to turn to anymore. An appointment was made next day, at midday. She then left the Inn, but Axjack, Dolxx and Kaid-aw noticed that two Lunar guards on permission was following her. They followed the soldiers. After a while some shouts were heard and Axjack, Dolxx and Kaid-aw run to the scene where the soldiers tried to rape the girl. Dolxx attacked the second who stood on guard, while Axjack and Kaid-aw attacked the other soldier. Both soldiers were beaten unconscious in the first round. Axjack went to get the A-TEAM Inn Humakti guards to come and take away the soldiers to be punished by the Lunar courts. Kaid-aw soothed and invited the girl to the Inn. There Kaid-aw's wife gave her new clothing, instead of the dirty rags and put her into one of the rooms at the Inn. After that there was no other special occasions, other than that Raven got drunk, but did not start any brawl this evening.

In the morning Armadina came to talk to the A-TEAM. She told that they lived in a small area in the northern part of the A-TEAM territory. Her family had lived there for generations, but had always been very short lived and sick. A special Guardian spirit has been guarding them for a very long time, and they have always prayed for him. The spirit had sometimes given presents after some of the people had disappeared. Her father had some kind of stomage disease, which made him very weak and he was dying. She begged them to come and visit her family in some minor matter to see her father and maybe find out why he was dying. Late in the afternoon the A-TEAM came to visit Armadina's family. They entered through the main entrance of an old building, from the Old Pavis, which had an intact first floor. In a big hall were two large tables around which people were sitting. An elderly lady came to them and asked what the A-TEAM were doing in their humble house. Dolxx answered that they wanted to check the taxes of the family and wanted to meet the master of the house. They were showed to an small room where Lidfold, the father was lying in his bed. A man was sent to fetch something, and came back after sometime. Meanwhile they were talking about the fathers health as he looked very ill. The A-TEAM healer would visit the father to see if he could help him. The man brought back an old heirloom of the family, which nobody of the A-TEAM could evaluate, but it was in any case very valuable. They were also invited to a dinner in the grand hall, after that. When the A-TEAM were eating, their eyes caught a 1:1 statue of an pale skinned, black haired noble with a high brow. The statue was wearing around his neck a golden chain with three gems. He was also wearing an iron plate on his chest and abdomen. On his fingers very many rings. One of the looked like a family seal, and a copy of it was made for further needs. The most peculiar thing was that the statue was hollow inside. The statue is from the 11th century Pavis, an old inhabitant of the house. A good meal was taken while the A-TEAM asked about the statue and the guardian spirit. The spirit was contacted with a special bread on a special, big rock and prayer during the night. The bread was made only for some special occasions, but the guardian would not always give any answer.

The A-TEAM got Armadina to make this special kind of bread to get contact to the guardian spirit. The next night Merlox sat on the stone and prayed for the Guardian spirit to appear, while Dolxx hid nearby and Raven was a little further away. A mist came to the stone and left, but Merlox saw nothing as he had felt asleep. As it had been an unsuccessful night, Dolxx and Kaid-aw went to New Pavis, to search for more information from Lhankor Mhy and Irrippi Ontor. Dolxx didn't find anything, but Kaid-aw got something after three days. During these days Kaid-aw became a father, as his wife got him a healthy girl child.

The seal belonged to a noble family called Schestokost, who had moved into Pavis about year 900. They had been a very important family and had their own castle inside Pavis. The healer which the A-TEAM sent to inspect Lidfold, found traces of unnatural blood loss. I became very evident that the Guardian spirit was in fact a vampire, and had chosen Lidfold as his next victim. Kaid-aw found some old maps where the Schestokost castle had been. It was on the northern side of a small hill and after searching the area thoroughly, they found a hole which could very well be the entrance to the old castle. Kaid-aw prayed two days for a sun bright spell, as it was a very effective weapon against vampires. When everything was ready the A-TEAM took the task and went for vampire hunting. It might be a very dangerous task, as the vampire had most probably lived for centuries, and would be very powerful by now.

When they had entered the cave and went for sometime inside the tunnel, three bolts from an arbalest hit Dolxx. Luckily Dolxx wears heavy armour, and no damage went through the armour. They were shot from above, on top of a steep cliff in the cave. Axjack found it very easy to climb up the cliff, the others took more time to do it. The tunnel continued from there into a big cave filled with mushrooms. The A-TEAM looked around and found five Eurmals Crumbs, among the mushrooms. Water ran down to a pond, from where the water continued through a hole covered with brass bars. On the other end of the cave, there was a gate continuing the passage further inside the hill. The gate had a door made of oak planks and decorated with human bones in the form of

, the Hunger/Undead Rune. The corridor behind the door ended in a cloth hanging over it. Behind the cloth was room with a table and four chairs. On the other end of the room was a door made of rattan. The corridor behind the door led very steeply down to a 6 meter wide gorge. Over the gorge was a high bent bridge, and a wall at the other end of the bridge. On this side of the bridge was four zombies waiting for the A-TEAM. Dolxx killed immediately one of them, while one other put Raven unconscious. Raven was also attacked by a ghost, as was also Axjack. Dolxx killed two more zombies on consecutive rounds, while Merlox killed the last one. Raven and Axjack managed to win over the Ghosts, so they were sent back to the spirit plane. Kaid-aw first cast a lightwall on the wall, to stop the humans on the other side to see the A-TEAM going over the bridge and shooting them down, then Dolxx and Kaid-aw climbed over the wall and were attacked by all the 8 humans. After that they started to kill of them. Raven who had been woken up, was once again unconscious, as his right arm was smashed away. Merlox cast venom and killed three of the humans. Axjack was also hit badly and out of action, but Dolxx killed two more and Kaid-aw the last standing human. A tunnel led further into the hill. Behind doors opened a temple. In the temple there are doors and drapes, but the middle of the temple is cut into two with a portcullis. With all the strength available, the portcullis is lifted up and one at a time can pass under it. Behind the drapes are more corridors, but the main doors are chosen. In behind is the actual temple. There is a big altar made of a black block of stone, 2*1 meter in the middle of the room. Two steps lead up to the altar. The room itself is 9 meters high, and also a 3 meter high statue of Vivamort. On the left wall is three skeleton lamps. The Vivamort statue has coal cauldrons which gives light to the room. The room feels cold. When Dolxx, Kaid-aw and Raven enter the room the are stupefied. A vampire, ghoul, 2 ghosts and 5 humanoids are in the room. Merlox manages to wake Kaid-aw and Raven immediately, and Dolxx after one round. Kaid-aw casts sun bright, which made the vampire to flee. One of the ghosts attacked Merlox and the other Axjack. Dolxx cleaves the ghoul in one huge attack, after which he goes and helps the others with the humanoids. Merlox first destroys one of the ghosts, and then when the other cannot do anything to Axjack, it attacks Merlox, who destroys also the second ghost. Kaid-aw and Raven run after the vampire. A door is closed and when Kaid-aw and Merlox tries to open it the are poisoned by a trap. Axjack chops the door down with his axe. In the room behind the door is the vampires coffin. It is not here, as it has used a small, crack in the floor downwards. Kaid-aw's pet mouse follows the crack until it ends fifty meter below in a huge room. The A-TEAM first takes away the earth from the coffin and then turns around to find a new way to face the vampire. The vampire tried to make a surprise attack from behind, but is met by the A-TEAM. Kaid-aw is the fastest and he gets to hit the vampire, but does no harm. Instead he gets enthralled by the vampire. Dolxx and Raven hit the vampire very hard and the vampire is transformed into mist again. Merlox takes spirit form and follows the vampire. The rest of the A-TEAM climb down to the big room down below. There are two more coffins lined with earth. Also these are cleaned from the earth. The vampire cast a very potent venom against Dolxx, but luckily he resists it. Kaid-aw and Raven resisted it in an POW versus POW resistance against a spell. The vampire made a last attack but flees as it understands that this is a lost fight. It curses the A-TEAM on behalf of the Blind One. According to rumours there are vampires in the Blind Kings Hill castle ruins. Nobody has come back from there. The place is searched and a locked bronze door is found. The keys were found in the vampires room. It lead to an enormous library with books and scrolls. From there a door lead to a new room with more books and a wraith. It chose wrongly Merlox as it goal, and loses to him. After a door a third library is found. From there a door lead to a shrine for Than and Atyar. Inside the shrine the vampire was praying, but it has to fight once again. This time Kaid-aw hit its abdom, which makes it go to mist form, and it flees for the last time.

The libraries have many very interesting books and scrolls, of which the most interesting are taken to the A-TEAM Inn and the library there. There was also other treasure for the A-TEAM. Armadina's father got well and the vampire stopped hunting them anymore.

The A-TEAM had to next solve The Murder of Duke Raus of Rone.
Did you read how the A-TEAM stopped the Reappearance of the Unholy Trio?

Chapter 7 Vampire Hunting

Chapter 7
Vampire Hunting