A Shade of Vampire 64: A Camp of Savages

by Bella Forrest

  “This is incredible,” Bogdana whispered.

  “You’re so happy about it,” Serena said, reading the fae’s emotional aura.

  Bogdana gave her a soft smile. “I am. Life seems to always find a way. I’m relieved to see the Draenir still exist. The universe must have a plan for them.”

  “Or maybe the Hermessi?” Lumi asked, smirking.

  Bogdana nodded. “It could very well be! I can almost feel them here, you know? The pure energy of the natural elements. Maybe the Hermessi sheltered them. From what I can see, the conditions are a bit gentler here, in the middle of the jungle. They can grow a few vegetables, maybe even patches of grain, if there’s a clearing nearby. They can clearly hunt and have constant access to fresh water. This region is not known for being merciful. So, yes. Perhaps the Hermessi are supporting the Draenir. Look at those little children…” Her voice trailed off, pure joy twinkling in her amber eyes.

  “They’re so sweet,” Avril said, equally charmed.

  The kids were cute, indeed. Their small, round faces were tanned, their eyes a plethora of wild greens and deep blues. Their hair was full, rich, and black, not yet slick and straight like the adults’, but rather curly and frizzy. They all smiled at us, revealing the occasional gap in their white teeth.

  “Their ears are pointy,” Serena observed. “That’s a Draenir trait, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, it is. As well as the dark skin complexion and black hair, though they do have the occasional blonde or redhead—but those are considered rare,” Bogdana explained. “Unfortunately, I don’t see any here. I suppose the plague didn’t spare any of them.”

  “And they’re all like this, slender and toned, tall and with long limbs?” I asked.

  She nodded again. “Pretty much.”

  “They share some of their features with the Dhaxanians,” Avril replied. “The pointy ears, the slender figures. The skin and hair color are the complete opposite, but I could venture a guess and say they’re connected, somehow.”

  “It could very well be,” Bogdana said. “We do not know the origin of life in the In-Between, as you call it. We just know that life found a way, and that it spread from one solar system to another. The Draenir had begun to study the universe, making impressive advancements in science and astronomy. They were negotiating with Eritopia and other galaxies to share their knowledge and research technology. But the plague—”

  “Ended them,” Taeral interjected, keeping his eyes on the wooden cabin.

  An old Draenir emerged, accompanied by Wallah. They both stopped to look at us from afar, while the kids darted off back inside the camp. Rakkhan was old, indeed, physically speaking. His hair was short, white, and fading, his eyes a pale blue that made me think he was blind. He wore a long and heavy coat made of a pale blue textile, with thousands of colored beads hanging around his thin neck.

  “He’s worried,” Serena murmured. “The Elder… He’s worried and scared.”

  “We’re strangers,” Lumi said. “They’ve been living here in isolation, surviving, untouched by anyone. Of course he’s worried and scared. He’s the tribe’s chief. He’s responsible for the wellbeing and safety of his people.”

  “Ugh, and that’s not something we’re offering,” Taeral groaned. “On the contrary.”

  “I think it matters how we sell it,” Lumi replied.

  Wallah and the Elder Rakkhan made their way through the camp toward us. As they walked, the armed young males joined them once more, their expressions firm and their glowing blue weapons ready to fire.

  “You came from the sky,” Rakkhan said when he reached us.

  I nodded. “From far away, actually, yes,” I replied. “We come in peace, sir.”

  “Our people were taken by Ta’Zan. Do you know him?” Serena asked.

  Rakkhan froze. Wallah didn’t seem as terrified, nor did the other boys, but the Elder’s dread was enough to stir the entire tribe. He knew our enemy well.

  “He’s still alive,” Rakkhan muttered. “I’d heard rumors from the boys who ventured farther to the east, but I didn’t know for sure he’d survived the plague… even though it had supposedly been designed only for full Draenir. Then they came back the other night and told me about creatures flying at incredible speed. I knew he had something to do with it.”

  “You’re the only survivors of the plague, aren’t you?” Lumi asked.

  The Elder sighed. “I’m afraid so. We had protocols in place. Stations to go to, from which to send life signals to other stations. I tried… for days, weeks, but no one answered,” he said, and looked at me. “I suppose you’ve had a long trip and would like to rest for a while.”

  “Yes, sir,” I replied, offering a polite smile.

  “Well, we can let you stay here for a while, but we will keep your weapons until you leave,” Rakkhan said.

  “Will you listen to what we have to say?” I asked.

  “And what is that, exactly? Tell me now. I’m an old man. My patience is already short.”

  “You know of Ta’Zan’s creatures, I presume. And you know Ta’Zan, as well,” I said, stealing the occasional glance at Serena and the rest of our small crew. Our nerves were stretched quite thin.

  Rakkhan nodded once more. “I know Ta’Zan very well. I was there when he left. I had nothing to do with his creation, but I knew his maker. I’m well acquainted with his character, and, yes, I know of his prototypes, too.”

  This made Rakkhan significantly older than the other Draenir. I guessed he was at least two, maybe three centuries older than the others, given that Ta’Zan and the Faulties went into stasis approximately one-hundred-and-fifty years ago—specifically, when Rakkhan was old enough to lead a rescue operation for plague survivors. Bogdana had also confirmed that the Draenir had remarkably long lives, so it didn’t exactly come as a surprise.

  “Is that what he called them, back then?” Lumi replied. “Prototypes?”

  “Yes. His first… batch of subjects. That’s what he called them at first,” Rakkhan said.

  “He calls them Faulties now. He took our people and used their genes to create stronger and more powerful specimens,” I explained. “Perfects. The ones your boys have seen flying around.”

  “I wonder how he and his… Faulties survived,” Rakkhan muttered, his bushy white brows furrowed.

  “He put them and himself into stasis, inside isolated pods. According to our sources, they were supposed to be under for three centuries,” I said. “We thought the planet was abandoned. We did a full scan. No one popped up, not your people, not the pods, nothing. So, we sent our founders here on a vacation. They stumbled upon Ta’Zan’s pods and accidentally awakened him. That night, he took them.”

  “He and his Faulties move at incredible speeds where processing and manufacturing are concerned. He’s making Perfects by the dozens, on a daily basis, in hundreds of diamond coliseums they’ve practically built overnight,” Serena added.

  “And they must be stopped. They plan to go out and conquer every civilized planet out there,” I continued. “You have to understand, this isn’t about this land or this planet anymore. The entire universe is at risk, because these new creatures are seemingly invincible. They took down two of our ships. Killed a couple hundred of our people like it was nothing, then captured the others. We still have a group out here, in the wild, dodging their hunters. We’re trying to get reunited with them, before Ta’Zan figures out space travel.”

  “Ah, yes, he never thought of studying up on that,” Rakkhan said. “He was content with stealing and using our ships. It’s a good thing our people destroyed them all when the plague hit. They burned all the blueprints and everything that had to do with space travel. We knew we couldn’t risk anyone getting off the planet while the plague was ravaging our people.”

  “Hah… So, that’s why he hasn’t left yet,” Lumi concluded, a grin brightening her face, her white-blue eyes twinkling with satisfaction.

  “I suppose. Our ships required constant
and specialized maintenance. Ta’Zan was more versed in the principles of medicine and genetics. He never fully mastered the concepts of aerodynamics and physical mechanics. He was good at building, but nothing that could be used to fly people from point A to point B,” Rakkhan replied, then narrowed his eyes at me. “So, what is it you want from us, exactly?”

  I exhaled sharply, hoping I’d gotten his interest. Judging by the looks on Wallah’s and his companions’ faces, they were certainly intrigued and willing to hear more. I figured they must’ve grown tired of living in this hellish storm cluster, instead of enjoying the peaceful beaches to the east.

  “Those weapons,” Lumi said, her gaze fixed on the youths’ blue energy guns. “Who made them?”

  Rakkhan briefly glanced at the one on Wallah’s back. “My people, long before the plague,” he replied. “All the designers, technicians, and manufacturers died.”

  “But there has to be a stock somewhere, right?” I asked. “Also, more importantly, what sort of damage can they do? I’d dare to guess quite serious, but the Perfects are practically invincible.”

  Rakkhan gave Wallah a nod. The young Draenir then grabbed his weapon from his back and pointed it at a nearby tree. He fired one shot. The bright blue pellet went right through the tree, drilling a two-inch hole in its trunk, just like with Bijarki’s sword. Then, Wallah flipped a small switch on the side of the weapon and fired again. This time, however, a large and bright blue blast was expelled. It hit the tree again and burst into an equally blue cloud. Within seconds, the tree was turned into a fine powder… no, ashes. It turned the tree into ashes.

  My jaw dropped.

  “Whoa…” Taeral mumbled. “I hope you were at least pointing those weapons at us in pellet-mode.”

  “They were designed for absolute obliteration,” Rakkhan said, a tinge of pride lingering in his tone, while Wallah put the weapon away.

  “We usually keep them in… pellet-mode, as you call it,” the young Draenir said.

  This wasn’t just a new and wonderful development. It looked like the break we’d been hoping for. I tried not to let hope clutch my heart too hard, fearing potential disappointment, but I was too excited to ignore the possible outcomes we could be looking at, if we had such weapons in our hands.

  “We do not condone killing, in general,” Rakkhan replied, briefly scowling at Wallah. There was a backstory there, for sure. “We use the weapons only to defend ourselves from deadly enemies. Though, you’re the first similar to our kind that we’ve pointed them at. Until now, it’s been mostly jungle wolves and sand panthers.”

  “What about the Perfects?” I asked. “Have they not come around? Do they know you’re here?”

  Rakkhan shook his head. “We haven’t met. And we’re well hidden, enough for them not to find us. Your scanners couldn’t find us either,” he replied with a smirk.

  “We need your help,” Avril interjected. “We need to save our people and get them back. Most importantly, we’ve got to stop Ta’Zan before he takes flight. Before his Perfects infect the universe. It’s only a matter of time before they get to you.”

  “Do they know you’re here?” Rakkhan asked me. It was my turn to shake my head. “Good. Spend the night here. We’ll talk some more.”

  The Elder then walked away, back into the camp. The young Draenir pointed their weapons at us again. No matter what happened, we could not be aggressive with them. They were nowhere near ready to answer our plea. And I was nowhere near done persuading them.

  Wallah stepped forward. “Our Elder is not easily convinced,” he said, keeping his voice low. “But we’ll get him to listen.”

  “You’re willing to help us?” Bogdana replied, her eyebrows arched.

  “We’ve seen those Perfects fly and hunt, from afar.” Wallah sighed. “We know they’re a threat to us. Maybe not right now, but we don’t know what tomorrow will bring. Up until now, it’s only been us. For the past few days, however, we’ve noticed the lights… heard the booms in the sky. Things are changing, and we’ll do whatever we can to protect our people.”

  “I think those weapons might help,” Heron replied.

  “Maybe. But there aren’t many between us,” another young Draenir said.

  Wallah smirked. “Not here, no,” he said, then scowled at me. “You get the Elder to agree with your request, and we’ll offer whatever we can. For now, be thankful he let you live.”

  He then stepped aside and motioned for us to go into the camp. I felt Serena’s angst, and gave her a soft smile.

  “It’ll be okay,” I whispered to her.

  “We’re wasting time,” Avril said, as if reading my wife’s mind.

  “We can’t force them to help us,” I replied. “They have to be willing. They might have the resources we need.”

  “We’ll do it your way. For now,” Lumi muttered. “Till I get bored, that is. Then, we’re doing it my way.”

  I didn’t like the sound of that. We’d talked about this. Whatever it takes. But, when truly faced with the prospect, I wasn’t sure it would be so easily doable. I had to do my best to persuade Rakkhan to help us. We needed weapons and whatever else the Draenir still had, that his tribe could supply. Even some spies on the ground wouldn’t hurt.

  Draven

  The night passed, and Rakkhan didn’t come to see us again. We were housed in two of the larger tents and given food and water. Avril and Heron were given fresh blood, since the Draenir had domesticated some of the local antelopes and kept them in an enclosure about two hundred yards from the camp. They also had one of the tents for themselves and the wards, while the rest of us huddled in the other.

  We were all too shaken and shocked by the Draenir to even think about Bogdana and the promise she’d made to us. I made a note to bring this up as soon as I saw her, since she’d been housed in another tent. Lumi was with us, as well, and for the sake of diplomacy and not wishing to arouse any suspicion among the Draenir, she chose to stay put and wait for morning to come. Any information that Bogdana had could be crucial to our mission.

  We all grew frustrated as dawn came upon us, and Rakkhan was still in his cabin, consulting with Wallah and a couple of other Draenir.

  The kids stayed close as we got out and gathered around the morning fire. Some in our crew had caught a few hours of sleep, and woke up crankier than the previous night—Lumi, in particular.

  “Still no sign of Rakkhan?” she asked.

  I shook my head slowly. “I think Wallah is trying to persuade Rakkhan to help us.”

  “He’s sure taking his sweet time!” Lumi said.

  “We should try to understand them,” Serena said. “They’ve been on their own for so long, fearful of everything, struggling to survive and adapt. They’ve finally found some kind of balance here, and now we’ve showed up, along with the concept of Ta’Zan and his Perfects. It’s got to be a shock for them.”

  “They should just give us their weapons then,” Taeral muttered.

  “And what will they defend themselves with, huh?” Bogdana said, somewhat aggravated. “I can only imagine what they’ve been through. What Rakkhan has been through. He’s raised them all, practically. He saved them and brought them here, to relative safety. If Ta’Zan finds out they’re here, he’ll—” She stopped herself, then shifted her gaze to the crackling fire.

  It drew Lumi’s undivided attention. “Finish your sentence,” she said.

  “There’s nothing to finish. Based on his behavior so far, you all know what will happen to the Draenir if Ta’Zan finds out they’re here,” she murmured.

  “They’ll end up prisoners,” Heron said, covering himself and Avril with a blanket as the sun slowly came up. Rays pierced the tree crowns, but they weren’t going to be here for long. “Or worse, dead.”

  “He’ll find them, anyway,” Lumi grumbled, then shifted her focus on Bogdana. “So, you promised you’d tell us everything you know. As soon as you set foot on Strava. We’re all waiting. Breathlessly, for that matter.
”

  Bogdana glanced around at the Draenir kids. “This really isn’t a good time. Young and innocent ears are listening.”

  “That’s a lame excuse,” Lumi said, scowling at the old fae.

  “Nothing I tell you will be of immediate use,” Bogdana retorted. “We need a bit more privacy to talk about my intel. Rest assured, I always keep my word, Lumi. Always.”

  “Or, I could just make you talk, if I snap my fingers,” Lumi sniped.

  “And scare off the kids? I strongly advise against that,” Bogdana replied with a dry smirk.

  “Let’s just wait and see what Rakkhan says about our request for support, first. At least the restraints are off,” I said, rubbing my wrists, with zero patience left to mediate a potential conflict between Bogdana and Lumi. “I’m not a fan of waiting, either, but we shouldn’t force Bogdana to do anything, especially with witnesses as young as these. The last thing we want is to freak them and the elders out with our abilities.”

  Lumi exhaled deeply and shook her head. That was the best I’d get from her, in terms of a concession. At least we were allowed to stay in the camp, with our hands and legs free, but there were always young Draenir around, clutching their weapons and scowling at us.

  The kids, on the other hand, seemed fearless and carefree. They gradually gathered around Bogdana, who proceeded to tell them stories about her fire star and her many travels throughout the In-Between. They ate up her every word, enthralled by her adventures. She told them about how she had met the first Dhaxanians and fought the first daemons on Neraka, long before the consumption of souls and Lumi’s crash. They occasionally stole fearful glances from Heron’s wards—most likely drawn by the swamp witch tattoos visible on the Maras’ necks and hands, along with their cool leather tunic uniforms. They had a certain visual appeal to any beholder, always dark and mysterious.