Numen Chronicles | Nosferatu [Volume One]

Chapter Two | The Bard

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| Elvin |

Elvin flew out of the tavern's wide-open door, grasping his beloved lute against his chest. His pecan-brown hair was scattered with pieces of rotten tomato and peanut shells, and as the crowd inside hollered in revolt, he pouted sadly.

"You don't know a good story when you hear it!" he yelled, shaking his fist.

"Get lost!" the doorman shouted, pulling the door shut.

Alone on the street, Elvin scowled sullenly. He had so many other things he could say, but what was the point of wasting his breath? No one wanted to hear his stories; nobody wanted to hear the truth about the vampires they shared Dor-Sanguis with. He was the only one that could tell that story...but he'd not give another second to the hapless drunks inside that establishment.

As he shook the food from his hair, he walked down the cold, lantern-lit cobblestone street. He pulled his feather-tipped hat from his inside pocket, and once he put it on, he glanced up at the star-filled sky. He admired the array of beautiful colours spread throughout it as a result of the six brightly glowing moons. The mixture of purple, red, blue, and gold shined like sunlight through a stained-glass window, and if there was anything Elvin found beautiful in this world of darkness and misery, it was that.

He looked up and down the road, but there wasn't a single person in sight. The quietness sent a shiver down his spine, and he didn't know where he was going. He thought he'd be in the tavern much longer than he was, and for all he knew, it could be hours before it was time to meet Alucard.

A small school of shimmering, silver fish swam around the lantern he was approaching. What were they doing out? Skyfish didn't descend past the clouds unless it was raining. Was it going to rain soon? That was the last thing he needed. His hat wouldn't keep his head dry and he'd surely catch a cold.

He started thinking about the tavern again, and it made a sour scowl warp his face. "I'm better than all the other bards," he told himself as he turned left at the crossroad. "All they sing about is nonsense about some ugly lady and her stupid man friend. No one wants to hear about that. Stupid love stories. Stupid bard. Stupid tavern. They should be pining after my stories!" He looked over his shoulder as the wind raced past him, almost swiping the hat from his head. "I'm talented," he muttered, pouting. He was talented...right?

His words hadn't gone unheard.

He sharply turned his head to stare ahead as a low growl ruptured the night's ominous silence. The bard frowned and gripped his lute tightly, watching a pair of dim yellow eyes shimmer in the dark alley across the road. He tensed up and dropped his instrument as he screamed in horror, but before Elvin could flee, a blurred beast burst out of the shadows and crashed into him, pinning him against the wall. The bard let out a hysterical screech, and the wolfish monster snarled ferociously in his face.

Elvin whimpered and cried as he tried to escape the monster's grip. He knew he couldn't do anything, though. What was a measly little human going to do against a werewolf?

But the beast was suddenly torn away from him as it yelped and snarled. He stumbled forward, and when he set his eyes on Alucard, relief struck him. Alucard was the best werewolf slayer Elvin knew.

The vampire had his arms around the wolf's neck, but it looked like he was struggling. With several angry snarls, the wolf broke free and turned to face him. Alucard pulled his rapier from its sheath, but as he swung it towards the creature, it dodged and lunged at him—