The Vampire

Eris stood in the middle of the grand hall with her wand raised in right hand and a spellbook on left, staring at the man sitting on a grand table at the far end of the room.
She wore a white-silver robe, its color almost glowing in the darkness. Her long silver hair fell softly over her shoulders, while her golden honey eyes shone brightly.
Her delicate features and rosy cheeks gave her a gentle, healthy beauty.
But the room around her was nothing like that.
It was gloomy, dark, and dusty, with an ominous silence hanging in the air.
Beside her stood Yon, a man of few words.
He was tall and slender, with a lean build. His short, dark hair framed his sharp features, while his striking blue eyes gave him a cool appearance that could charm any lady.
Yon kept his sword drawn, he nervously watched the demonic statues around the hall, worried that they might suddenly come to life and turn into gargoyles.
The sitting man's face was lit by the soft glow of floating orbs of light. Yet, despite the two intruders standing before him, he calmly continued eating his lavish dinner.
The man's face looked like the perfect image of a vampire lord from one of those cheap, trashy novels. Even the whole lair screamed bad taste and far too much free time.
Every corner was decorated with the most generic dark-villain junk imaginable, the kind of stuff you could find in any shady magic shop. Troll skulls, dried bat wings, animal bones of every kind, jars filled with eyeballs and dust.
A dreadful smell filled the whole room, thick enough to make Eris want to cover her nose. She met the red-eyed man's gaze and raised her wand.
“Hey, Vampire. Nothing personal about me invading your lair. The village elder gave me a quest, this whole place stinks, and I’m going to burn it to the ground. Also, your illegal experiments have to stop.”
The vampire calmly lifted his glass of red liquid, which is likely blood. His red eyes began to glow as he took a small sip, completely unfazed by Eris's threat.
“Well, I still have food left. Care to join?”
Eris instantly cast a Dispel spell over herself and her companion. A faint glow passed over them as she smirked at the vampire.
“Vampiric charm won’t work.”
She then turned to Yon. “Remember to use the silver sword.”
Yon quickly swapped his blade for a silver sword strapped on his back, its hilt decorated with small amethyst gems that shone even in the dark.
The vampires scanned again both adventurers from head to toe.
Golden rings, silver bracelets, jeweled clasps, decorated belts—accessories covered them from head to toe. They looked less like ordinary adventurers and more like walking treasure chests.
The vampire raised his brow, showing a hint of annoyance.
“I’m sure some of those fine pieces you carry are from my collection.”
“Yup,” Eris said without a hint of shame. She casually glanced at the gold and silver covering her gear. “I figured they needed a new owner. They were just sitting in those dark rooms, gathering dust and waiting to rot.”
She gave one of the silver pieces a little tap.
“And these silver babies are enchanted, so…” She grinned. “Pretty bad for you.”
The vampire suddenly threw his glass onto the floor.
It shattered with a sharp crack, and the mood of the room changed at once. The faint smell of blood began to spread through the air, growing stronger with every passing second.
The vampire slowly raised his hand.
“Vostereuihus,Ouisterus,Yinastueis.”
His eyes began to glow silver, and several powerful orbs of mana appeared around him. They floated in the air like small moons, each one packed with enough magic to make Eris's instincts scream.
“Yon, get closer!”
Yon, who had been standing on Eris's right, quickly jumped closer to her.
Eris raised her wand and pages of her spellbook started flipping.
“Greater Barrier!”
A large cyan shield of magic formed around them, wrapping the two adventurers in a bright layer of light.
Some of the orbs turned into dark lightning and started hitting the barrier. Each strike made the shield shake but not even a dent.
“Hey, Yon. It’s time to fulfill your dream of being a hero and save the day.”
Eris cast Greater Protection over his barely-beginner leather armor, which already had a few rough patches sewn into it. She then placed the Firemoon enchantment on his silver sword, making the blade glow with a faint red light.
She looked at him seriously.
“Remember what I told you before we started. You need to grow a spine.”
Eris gave him a small push toward the outside of the barrier.
“Now go do your job.”
It had only been two months since Yon had started learning swordsmanship. Before that, he had been nothing more than an apprentice herbalist. Even though he was a year older than Eris, she mostly treated him like a luggage carrier.
Yon readied his sword and took a deep breath. He remembered the sword manual Eris had given him and followed the stance it taught him.
Then he stepped forward and swung.
The silver blade cut through the air with a bright flash of Firemoon magic.
The vampire was quick enough to dodge the first slash. Yon followed with another, then another, but the vampire calmly blocked each one with nothing more than a steak knife.
Eris watched the fight without much interest. Instead of cheering for her companion, she simply yawned and leaned against the barrier.
“God, this is so boring. I just want to go home and eat pastries.”
The vampire cast the classic fireball. It grew large in his hand before shooting straight at Yon and hitting him head-on but it dispelled due the protection spell.
The vampire smirked.
“Heh. I usually prefer mine raw, but today I’ll have it well done.”
Yon started to sweat as the fight dragged on, and the fatigue was starting to take its toll. The vampire lord suddenly lunged at him, his mouth opening to reveal a set of long fangs as he aimed for Yon's neck.
Yon barely managed to get his sword between them.
The silver blade caught the vampire across the mouth, cutting his lip. For a moment, the two were locked in place.
Yon breathed heavily.
The vampire froze.
His red eyes widened.
Garlic.
Yon's breath smelled strongly of garlic.
The vampire's face showed the first hint of panic.
Without wasting a second, he cast another fire spell.
This time, Yon was ready.
He swung his silver sword straight through the incoming fireball, cutting it cleanly in half. The two halves flew past him and exploded against the walls.
Yon stood there, breathing hard, but still holding his sword.
The vampire clicked his tongue.
“I don't have time to play anymore.”
He raised one hand and began chanting a spell Eris couldn't understand. The strange words echoed through the hall as dark magic spread across the floor.
Then the ominous statues in the corners began to move.
Stone cracked.
Dust fell from their bodies.
One by one, the statues started coming to life.