The Real Gray

The sound of metal straining against chitin was oddly satisfying. I walked among my initiates, a single raised claw carving through the necks and flesh of the enemy. "Keep your form everyone, we have the advantage through virtue of ambush. Cover each other." I whispered the words, sending them through our connections. Their fervor increased, while the enemy dispaired. The thralls had circled back around to block off any chance of escape, our prey encircled.

These were the lower rungs of the blue banners. Many of them were used to using runic weapons, instead of their magic in such close quarters. They were untrained in melee, with their brawling experience likely stemming from drunken fights amongst themselves. It was too easy to send a private message to an initiate, telling them to move any which way so that they did not take any damage. Friendly fire among them was common, while our numbers couldn't harm each other thanks to the giants channeling the flames my initiates used.

Weapons were effortlessly tossed out from the hands of those we were fighting. Many were not yet willing to kill other humans, something we'd have to work on later. "Poor form!" I chuckled, severing the wrist of a fool that thought they could strike me from behind. They cried out in pain, clutching the bleeding stump.

Blood was burnt whenever I needed to move quickly enough to redirect an attack. The important part was sending a message, my three other bodies tending to the initiates while I walked straight for the commander. I was approaching, yet none of them could stop me. The enemy would see their commander cowering, retreating while pulling more men in front of them. Death had arrived and it had a single target. Some of the smarter soldiers dropped their weapons in fear, declaring their surrender.

A leader was meant to set an example, something for all those under them to follow. "Kneel if you do not wish to die," I spoke loud enough for those around me to hear. Another message was sent to my initiates to say the same. Some of them even went as far as crying out that they didn't want to kill each other.

Arrogant fools sought to betray such a kind offer. Attacking the initiates after pretending to surrender. My auxiliary bodies were more than happy to step in and cripple them. I continued to grin as I approached the enemy commander, "Ask yourselves, is this sniveling coward one you wish to serve? The one you will die for on this field of war?"

The sounds of fighting started to die down around me. "This creature, that only knows how to hide behind those fighting? Is that someone all of you seek to follow? One appointed by the connections they were born with?"

Sensing the battle was already lost, the coward threw themselves to the ground, prostrating themselves before me. "Please! Spare me, I can't die here! I surrender! You can't kill me, I'm the fifth son of Yaeger!"

Domination, a useful little perk of vampirism. It allowed me to utterly bear down on the mind of any human. The weight of the Hive breathing down his neck, as he knew proper fear towards what we were. "Spare you?" I tilted my head, looking down at their sniveling form. "What is in it for me?"

"Take the peasants! Take them! Just let me go, please!" They couldn't say anything else, I wouldn't allow it. To them, it felt as though my hand was already gripping their very heart.

"You should meet the eyes of those you are negotiating with." I sent a message to the initiates to guide away those that surrendered. The few filled with patriotic fervor were slain before they could kill the wretch before me. The same that met my eyes, and had their mind swarmed by the dreaming giants.

A bloody claw was placed on their head, "Can you hear it? The voices?" They started to rock, lost in shock.

I grinned down at the man, "Yes, every second of every day." His nose started to bleed, "Do not fight them, do not struggle. Your mind belongs to us, you will be initiated as a spy with others of my choice. You know what you must do?"

The commander groaned, "Burn the wagons, bring others to the places you have set up. Yes... I will."

"Excellent," I explained what happened to the initiates in polite terms. Then turned my attention to those that had yet to surrender themselves. Our army would grow, while the enemy fought amongst themselves. This war would become the seeds for something far greater, the stronger vampires were going to have their fun soon. Many of the first batches of targets now ready for the final conditions to be met.

Guy'Spears

My head was throbbing, as I opened my bleary eyes. I touched the corner of my lips, finding blood there. Patches and I were alone in a room, the strange hybrid holding a bucket of water. I didn't know where we were, or even how we got here. I just remembered running from those thralls. Looking at my skin, it appeared pale for some odd reason. I looked at Patches, "How long have I been out? Where are the others?"

She walked towards me, getting the rag wet as she knelt in front of me. "We can't tell, but it's been a while, sir." She smiled a bit, "Wheels said to leave you, but I couldn't cast you out. You saved me, if you remember."

It hurt to think, to remember. Even as the woman dabbed at my face. Her strange features grew on me. "That didn't answer anything Patches, you know it."

She chuckled madly, "Yeah, it doesn't. I got to carry you to the smithy we ended up at. The others are outside, just in case you turn. The black blood hits harder if you are compatible with it."

I froze, looking at her. "What do you mean?"

Patches licked my nose, her muzzled face giving me a wolfish grin. "I've seen it lots, sir. Cultivators like injecting their captured enemies with monster blood of some kind or another. It can take months or even years to kill someone, but if it takes, well, it'll only take a few days or even a couple weeks before you change into a monster."

My jaw dropped, as I just stared at patches. She put a finger under my chin and closed my mouth. Shaking my head, as I came to terms with what she said, "You mean, I'm going to become a monster?" I still couldn't believe it.

Patches nodded, "Yes, sir. Probably a vampire, or a variant. I don't know what that last v-word meant, but they said it all the time."

"Wait, Patches. You came from the Peaks? What in the hells is going on over there?"

She laughed, "Typical valley boy, not knowing a thing about the mountains. They do love their beauties in the West. Elf slaves are the biggest things for sects to buy. Get'em young enough and you can have an eternal guardian. Sometimes the sects go to war against each other, just to capture the guardian for breeding experiments. Then you get accidents, like me." She bounced a little on her knees.

My world view of the Peaks was shattered. They went to defenders of the Western landbridge, to petty people squabbling over elf slaves. I probably shouldn't have been surprised, but to find out this way. I lurched forward, "There really aren't any good people out there."

Patches put a hand on my chest, "There is you, sir. Becoming a monster doesn't mean you have to be as bad as them. You saved my life, so I'll follow you. Even if you want to drink my blood." She blushed a bit, fidgeting in front of me as a maiden would.

I put a hand on the woman's shoulder, to stop her addled mind from coming up with delusions. "I would never take advantage of you like that."

She perked up more, "Oh!? You're actually interested, are you? I thought I would just tease you a bit, but I never thought." She turned away with both hands on her snout, "I never thought someone would be freakish enough to consider me useful for warming their beds." She gave a husky laugh, as she started to pant.

A sharp knock came from the door, making us both jump. Patches quickly hopped to her feet. "Is he okay in there? I thought I heard talking." It sounded like Straps.

"He's fine," Patches called back, "He hasn't turned yet. He will though, what does Wheels want us to do?"

Straps opened the door, "We're breaking bread with the food everyone has found." His eyes flitted to me, before looking back at Patches, "Will he be okay to eat?"

Patches offered me a hand, after dusting off her knees. I took it, feeling lethargic. "Eating and drinking will be fine. We can try praying to the gods, and see if they might cure him. Otherwise, there isn't much else we can do." Her stumpy tail wagged, patches of fur contrasting with the sickly scales. Why was I noticing these things now? She put a hand on her hip, "I won't leave him behind."

"You're our healer, we can't afford to leave you with him." Straps tried to reason. "We can make it painless." He tilted his head towards me, a clear offer made.

My throat felt dry and cracked, as I shook my head. "I won't die." I stared him in the eyes, "Not until we save Belts, not until we save the others."

He shook his head, "They're dead! What do you think happened, after seeing the fucking thralls!"

I narrowed my eyes at him, as we had a stand-off. Patches wasn't letting go of my hand, the wispy fur on the back of hers tickling my wrist, pads on her fingertips, and scales on the outside. "Let's eat," she suggested. Both of us reluctantly nodded after realizing our stand-off wasn't going anywhere.

Patches half-carried half-pulled me into the room where everyone was eating. Four people standing guard. There were some new faces, but I couldn't bring myself to even try to remember what they used to do. Latrine was there though, it made me smile thinking of how the one earth user ended up using it exclusively for that. It was dumb, but my vision was swimming. I couldn't think straight.

Wheels was staring at me, he tilted his head back when I met his gaze. An almost smug kind of smirk on his face, "Look who finally got up, sleep well enough?" I knew he wanted to add some snide comment or another, but kept it formal. Patches was our healer, she made it clear who she stood behind. A dark thought came, the knowledge that they'd ditch us for the first new healer they found.

"Yeah, I feel like shit, but I can't give up yet. Please tell me that there is some good news for once." My head found its way to the table, unable to find the strength to keep looking at anyone around me.

Our 'leader' tsked, "Beyond the fact that every shop has food and water in it? Not really. Kind of fucked up that they almost all have the same shit though. We talked about it earlier, but after realizing that if we didn't eat or drink we'd die anyway. Well, there's no point in questioning it, is there?"

I could barely nod with my face rubbing against the table, "Yeah, they must have water crystals though. If we get a container and carry it, we should be fine. Then we can carry rations while resting in smithies with sturdier walls. Does everything seem to repeat, in a pattern? It always felt like the church was the center point of an area, while everything around it was roughly in the same location."

"What are you talking about, this is a city? Why wouldn't things repeat?" He moved closer, stopping when Patches gave him a throaty growl.

A groan escaped my lips, as I struggled to look up at him again. "Cities aren't this clean from what I've heard. They grow naturally and fuse together from other spots. Everything here, it's too clean. Almost like someone built it with plans or something. Something in the back of my mind is telling me this isn't right."

Wheels let out a deep breath, his nose flaring. "We can't do shit about that, why bring it up?"

"If we learn the pattern, we can hide better. We'll know how to escape through the alleys. We'll also know the best spots to set up an ambush. Least, that's what I think." I closed my eyes for a second, hearing Wheels affirm what I said as a 'decent' idea.

When my eyes snapped open, I found one arm hanging limply by my side. The other as a kind of pillow. I felt hot, even after Patches dabbed me with some more cool water. She had a chair beside me, and gently put a finger to my lips. It was fine, I didn't feel like talking anyway.

Everyone in the room laughed, "I'm tellin' ya Wheels, the blue boys aren't doing much better than we are." It was Straps, still chuckling a bit.

Wheels responded with his laugh, "Yeah? Well, serves them right! Just because most of them can use magic, doesn't mean they know how to use it. They always thought they were better than us."

"Yeah!" one of the others replied, "They always blamed us for shit they did. A frayed rope, a broken tool. We didn't even have anything to do with it!" Some new people joined us while I was asleep.

"Fuck the Blues!" Straps cried out, the others cheering. It was stupid to do this, they weren't going to be much better off than we were. Wheels and Straps were making a situation where we were the only ones we could trust. They were making things harder for the group later. Blind anger was going to get everyone killed, in this damned kingdom.

Patches dabbed at my forehead again, the new voice making a murmur. "What's the deal with that guy? Why's he sleeping here?"

Wheels probably shrugged with mirth, his voice way too happy. "He's pretty much dead, but our healer here won't let him go. We'll just carry him around until he turns. Then we'll kill him on the spot. I mean, have you seen the ghouls lurking around? He's probably gonna turn into one of them."

"Thralls," Ink corrected, "The difference is important." There was a sharp moan from her, but I didn't see what happened.

"Don't correct me, nobody cares what the difference is. Do I need to remind you, that this isn't the tents anymore? All you can do is keep a bed warm, you're lucky we haven't taken our turns yet." Wheels was a fucking idiot for saying that. I felt my blood getting hotter, as I clenched my jaw. He was going to get us all killed!

"What is the difference though?" One of the new voices asked, probably a group wanting to join us, if I had to guess. It made sense for smaller groups to join the bigger ones.

Ink murmured to herself, "Thralls have black blood, they're monsters just like zombies. Just stronger and controlled by vampires. Who they were is gone, just like a husk. Ghouls are still people that have adapted to the vampire blood. They are stronger than thralls but serve the vampires still. As far as monster blood goes, Vampire blood isn't as dangerous as a lot of other types."

"Boring." Wheels said, which caused Ink to shut down. "Both of them serve vampires, both of them are monsters. The rest doesn't matter, go join the watch Ink." There was a smack as the poor girl gasped. The door opened and closed behind her.

Straps chuckled a bit, "Serves her right, shacking up with the blues to get out of the shit work." There were some raised cups before the others drank. He continued, "Didn't you guys come from the second wave or something? How'd that go?"

"Terribly, but we didn't get shot in the back as you guys did. Everyone just ran towards the vampires, and a lot of us died. More of us managed to make it through, I think. I kind of get why we're spread out among the armies though. We have to tend to all the shit labor, and we hear second-hand sources the further back we are. Most of us thought you guys charged in bravely, then one of the mutts got hung. They screamed about how they watched you guys get shot. The smarter ones started asking around, discreetly."

I could hear Wheels scratch his chin, his heart beating calmly. "Any word on the grays and blues? I thought they would have attacked by now, after seeing ghouls made out of those they already sent."

"They are keeping their reports close to themselves, but some people in both of those camps have gone out on scouting runs. They're probably confirming the reports before sending out their full force. As I said, it was better since we weren't fighting the vampires this time. We were just told to run through them, kill any if we can." I'd have liked a name for this voice, but I couldn't bother asking. The scent of blood was growing stronger. I felt hungry, and I pushed that feeling to the lowest pit I could manage. I wasn't going to eat them, I refused.

"You're telling me, that some of the blues are already out here? If we set up ambushes, then we'd be able to get their gear. I don't know about you, but I'm tired of serving under the heel of the Fire Lord." Wheels spat at the name.

"Fuck the Fire Lord!" Straps exclaimed, raising his cup. There was less noise, as not everyone did it this time.

"We can't win this battle, what are you thinking?" The new voice was upset.

"Axel, we aren't going to fight the vampires. We'll pick off the blues and hide. The vampires will probably notice this and leave us alone. Let the monsters and the great warriors fight it out. Then we come in with everyone from the whites we can find. We overwhelm them, kill them, then take this kingdom for ourselves. We just have to survive, think about that." Wheels at least gave me a name for the voice. Even if everything that came out of his mouth was utter shit.

Really? Trust the monsters defending their homes to let us go, just because we're turning on their enemies? He ran away when we saw what happened when the vampires found us. At most, we'd be their pets. That's probably what ghouls were to them. I wished that Wheels had let Ink explain what she knew. My vision was starting to swirl again. Even as Patches coaxed me to drink some water.

"We're basically already doing that, either side will kill us on the spot. It's not a great idea, but it's better than nothing." Axel said, after thinking about it for a few seconds.

"It's the best we got. Tell everyone else that you know. All of us should meet at the smithies. Gather all the whites we can, we'll attack the blues when there are enough of us. We'll get everyone a weapon, and if we're lucky; we'll find a talent stone on one of the grays. We might get something good."

I passed out once more, my nightmares plagued by that scene again. That creepy masked fuck, biting into the necks of everyone I knew. Saving Belts for last, before offering him to me. I took the poor youth, doing something that disgusted me. Then I looked into a mirror and didn't see a reflection. My hands shaking as I felt the blood running down my lips. I knew what I had become.

Patches held me to her, as I woke up from that nightmare. My entire body was shaking, but I felt a tiny bit better. I still felt like shit, but there wasn't anything else for me to do. We had moved to another place, as far as I could tell. I had no idea how much time had passed. Shaking my head, I freed myself from Patches' embrace, "Where are we? How long?" My voice cracked.

"You were out a little longer this time, we moved twice. Wheels, he told me to make my decision. They found another healer. Our little group has grown since then. There are even people with strange bug weapons. We thought them mad at first, until they used magic. They said... they said they found a god that granted power to those that truly believed. Ink hasn't said anything since she was traded between our groups to ensure everyone was on friendly terms." She lowered her head, on the verge of tears.

My heart skipped a beat as Patches broke the news to me. I ground my teeth, as I forced myself to stand up. Patches tried to pull me down, but I refused. "Where is she? We're getting her out of here. Even if I die, you two need to run away."

Patches shook her head, "You're too sick to run, sir. They won't hurt Ink anymore if I put my foot down on protecting her."

I put my hand on the wall, steadying myself. "You said it yourself, they found another healer. They don't care what you think, now that they have a backup. Mingling with other groups and trading members means they're not loyal to each other, but are willing to help. Wheels has already gone this far, he'll probably trade you for another if you try to protect Ink. These bastards aren't worth staying with. Please, help me get her out of here. Let me get you both away from these idiots, they'll get themselves killed."

She grabbed my other arm, helping me prop myself up. "I'll follow your orders, sir. I don't agree with doing this, but you're right." Patches lowered her head, "I'm sorry I didn't see this sooner."

"It's not your fault, I'll need you to peek around corners before we go. If Wheels knows we're leaving, he'll have the others hunt us down. I've seen it from mobs. It's what got me drafted in the first place."

Patches opened the door, nodding to herself. She peeked around the corners, quietly whispering, "You were a part of the revolt in one of those villages?"

"Kind of, Belts and I had history." I did my best to shamble with her help, making as little noise as possible. "My mother was a mutt, and you know how they either have beast kin babies or human babies. Dear old dad? Well, I never got to see him. He was supposedly someone important, mom had a drawing of him."

"Why are you telling me this?" Patches asked as we snuck past some of the people watching the exit with their backs to us. We started walking up the stairs.

I struggled with every step, forcing my knees to bend while she helped me up. "If we fuck up, I'm going to die here. I... I just wanted someone to know a little bit about me. If you make it out alive, I want you to meet my mom and let her know I didn't die a coward. She's a jackal-human mutt, lives on the farms south of Bar'Guy. A small little village just a few days of travel from the landbridge of the East. It grows barley for the beverages a lot of pubs have. Promise me, that you'll see her."

"You saved my life, Guy'Spears." Patches smiled gently, "Even if the demons catch me, I'll make sure she knows you were a true man to the end."

My smile met hers, though it did not last long as we walked quietly down the hall. Some kind of tavern, likely so Straps and the others could get more booze. We heard quiet sobbing as we walked towards the back room. Patches opened the door, then closed it as we walked into the bare room. The mousy girl was on her side with her back to us. A few bruises on her arms, one leg tied to the post.

Patches looked at me, unsure of where to start.

I gently pushed her toward Ink, "I'm going to open the window, I need you to convince her to leave." I grabbed the dagger still at my side, "Cut the rope if you can't untie it. We might need it to climb down to the streets below." We broke off from each other, Patches quietly consoling the poor woman, while I used what strength I had to open the window. There was a sloped roof on this side of the tavern, making it clear anyone could escape. That explained why Ink was tied up, why they set up a base here. More ways for people to escape just meant more ways for those monsters to come in.

A cruel realization dawned on me, as I smelt the blood lingering in the air. Those bastards were using Ink as a lure. She'd scream when a monster came, then they'd bolt and leave her to her fate. I looked over to see Patches cutting the sheets into crude shapes to give Ink some modesty. I wasn't going to say a word, nodding when Patches glanced my way.

They needed time, the least I could do was check what was happening outside. Slowly, I crept in out the window, peering into the ones on either side. Four people per room confirmed my suspicions as it made sense for a monster to go for easier prey. Despite how hot I felt, my heart still froze at the callousness of these actions. Without a sound, I looked over the ledge the roof made, seeing an empty alley with guards blocking the entrance. They had those weird weapons mentioned before I passed out. I had no idea where they found it, but I wasn't about to start asking either.

Patches quietly tapped the window to get my attention. I pointed towards the guards at the entrance, then the two windows and made a sleeping motion. She nodded, with Ink hiding behind her. I didn't want to get close to her, since men were the reason she was hurting right now. I put a finger in front of my lips, then motioned tying a knot and climbing down. Patches gave a curt nod, before grabbing the rope. She tossed the end to me, as I slowly lowered it to the alley.

I pointed at myself, then down. After that, I pointed at Ink then Patches and motioned the same. Ink was reluctant, but after Patches whispered something to her she seemed to calm down and agree. I quietly descended into the alley, sticking to the shadows cast by the moon above. Thankfully, the strange guards didn't even think to look behind them. Ink came next, but her hands were shaking so much that she lost her grip. I moved, catching her before she made a sound.

She flailed, her nails scratching me as I let it happen. I gave her a nod, setting her down gently as she calmed down. It hurt, but nowhere near as much as what she went through. Patches came down next, before she hit the ground I started moving deeper into the alley. I wiped away the bead of blood that formed from the scratch, taking a moment to see how unnaturally pale my skin was. My blood was almost completely black, with specks of crimson in it.