text: [Themes: grimdark fantasy, serious]
  
  You've served in this army well and always done your job regardless of the shitty situations you've been in. You might not like a lot of it, but you've never complained. Lately you've been on edge about a possible all out assault of some big ass demon army that's going to attack any day now, and playing is one of the few pleasures you have to put your mind at ease.
  
  Perhaps it's a combination of this and a combination of this unwanted and unnecessary scolding that causes you to speak out of turn.
  
  "With all due respect ma'am, I am fully prepared to battle at a moment's notice and so are those under my direct command. But even soldiers need to rest, if only for a minute."
  
  The woman looks very surprised you didn't comply with her demand to see your superior officer.
  
  "...you DARE speak out of turn like that to me? I'll see you sent to the Nuro Front for that sort of insubordination! Then we'd see just how battle ready you are! How would you like that?"
  "I wouldn't like it at all. I barely survived the first time." You say trying not to express any fear.
  "...What? What are you talking about? First time?"
  
  Now you're a little surprised she doesn't know who you are considering how some of the high ups exaggerated about how you managed to survive. You explain yourself briefly and she doesn't quite believe you at first, a couple of your troops hiding nearby at least back up your claims before slinking off.
  
  "That was YOU? What the hell are you doing here? You should be leading from the front not languishing in some fort that barely sees battle!"
  "Doesn't see battle? We suffered a small demon raid last week! We see plenty of battle!"
  "What I mean is, somebody of your obvious combat and survival skills should be assigned on the front lines where you can do more good. Normally I don't question Zalan command, but this is really an oversight on their part."
  "Well maybe they know better than the both of us, besides this assignment isn't a walk in the fairy fields. I think we'll be suffering a grand scale attack any day now."
  "Doubt it. Velzix has been having a hard time keeping his unruly mob together. If it wasn't for a lot of the sycophantic Tulan citizens, he'd probably be confined to pure defense, though something will have to be done soon, reports say he's attempting to gate in more demons everyday. Not to mention that supposedly civilized demons from other nations are starting to display their true colors and flock to his banner. Like I always said the only good demon is a dead one!"
  
  This causes you to smile a bit and she very faintly smiles back when she sees that you feel the same way. This smile disappears quickly though as she continues her rant.
  
  "I wish I wasn't assigned to the Tulan Border though. I'd rather be taking Nuro back. THAT'S the more dangerous threat. The demons will kill themselves with their own chaotic and violent natures, but the undead...they've almost taken over the world before just because of one bastard that lead them. I never thought I'd see a serious threat like this in my lifetime, especially not..."
  
  The female captain at this point stops. She even looks away from you as if whatever she was going to say was just too much even for her. She seems to be a lot more battle hardened than you and probably ten times braver. You can't imagine what horror she experienced that would be worse than your own, but you don't find out since she changes the subject.
  
  "...Bah! Maybe you're right; a soldier does need to keep their mind occupied on other things every now and then. We aren't undead after all. So what's with the lute? You also a bard or something?" she laughs.
  "No, I think those dreams are long gone, but my playing seems to boost spirits around here a little, which can only be a good thing in this situation."
  "Hm. My mother was elven and she used to sing this song to me and my...brother when we were very young. It was very smooth and calming. Beautiful melody."
  "Yeah, most elven music is like that. When I was assigned in Retlad I learned a few elven songs from a few of the citizens there, you wouldn't happen to know the song would you?"
  
  She tells you the name of the song and you know it immediately. One of the first new songs you learned while stationed in Retlad actually. This seems cause her to momentarily revert to a less stand offish behavior. You're about to play it for her, but then a messenger comes running up handing her a note. She reads it and she's all business again.
  
  "Alright men! We're moving out!" she shouts and leaves without saying another word to you. You didn't even learn her name.
  
  Perhaps it's just as well; you'll most likely never meet again due to one of you dying on the battlefield. You go back to doing what you were doing.
  
  Two years pass...
  
  Three years since the Nuro Incident and this struggle still continues.
  
  You're still stationed Fort Virtue and you've repelled more demon attacks than you would care to count. Velzix has finally gotten his shit together completely. A unified demonic front is in full swing here and its taking its toll. Once again your skills have come in very handy in defense. You are certainly known as a demon slayer, but you still don't feel like a hero of any kind. You're just trying to do your job and survive. You save lives when you can, but you know ultimately it's a futile task as death seems to be everywhere nowadays.
  
  As bad as it is on the demon front, its nothing compared to what've you've heard on the undead front. The Necromancer has finally broken out from Nuro, and successfully attacked the Kingdom of Brot. Several undead giants demolished the area. You've never even seen a living giant and they sound intimidating. You can't even imagine an undead one. The power to raise one, let alone several is sort of scary. The Grand Alliance army didn't get there in time to stop him and as usual they were repelled when they arrived.
  
  You worry about the Grand Alliance failing to stop the undead horde. You hope it doesn't get any closer to the Zalan Empire where your family might be in danger.
  
  Sometimes you worry so much that you can't sleep, not that you do much of that nowadays anyway. Normally you play to keep your mind at ease, but tonight you go to the archery range to keep yourself focused.
  
  For a long time you're by yourself, but suddenly you feel a creeping suspicion someone is watching you...
  
  You turn around with your bow and see a pale man. He holds up his hands.
  
  "Hey now! Don't shoot! Sorry for creeping around like that. Professional habit." He says.
  "What? Who are you?" you demand.
  "Warnov. Zalan Intelligence."
  "You're a spy?"
  "Well I suppose you could put it that way. I was here to give some info to your Captain Eckard, and I also wanted to take a look around the fort. Didn't think anyone would be on the range though. Nice shooting, I know who you are and heard about your marksmanship with a bow. You're certainly doing your part with the demons around here."
  
  Despite the fact that you're talking to a spy, you feel the need to vent your feelings.
  
  "Yeah, well I hope the Grand Alliance starts doing its part. I mean what the fuck are they doing? Weren't they created to put a stop to all this shit? I mean am I supposed to worry every day if that undead horde is going to get closer to the Zalan Empire where it can threaten my family?"
  
  Warnov doesn't look offended by your words, if anything he looks intrigued.
  
  "Well, I can understand why you're venting. Trust me I sympathize. But as part of intel, I can tell you its not that easy...there were a lot of surprises that weren't accounted for. We're doing our best to rectify this situation by gathering as much info as possible. In fact, you could help us..."
  "Excuse me? How?"
  
  Warnov looks around and gets closer before speaking.
  
  "Look, as I said, I know all about you and your skills, why you joined, all of it. I know you don't much care for some of the propaganda made about some of your exploits. But it's important to realize that deeds like yours must be blown up a little to give common people hope that ultimately good will win the day. You may not consider yourself a hero of any kind, but your actions aren't without some of those qualities. You obviously care very much about your family, and I've heard how you try to keep the people under your command alive. Sound like heroic qualities to me. Perhaps they're on a smaller scale, but they're there. I'm betting that there's a BIGGER hero in there somewhere, just itching to get out. You think the Grand Alliance isn't doing a good job? Perhaps we can arrange something for you to be transferred into it, or maybe you'd like to take an even more direct approach."
  "What do you mean?"
  
  Warnov suddenly backs away.
  
  "Before we go any further. I need to know are you willing to take up the mantle of being a hero. Because if you aren't, then we have nothing more to discuss. I shall require an answer now."
  
  > accept the offer
  You have to admit, the idea has crossed your mind a bit. A small part of you does wonder about embracing the whole hero image and deliberately doing grand deeds that go beyond the call of your duty. You suppose that you'd at least really feel like one if you did that.
  
  "Okay Mr. Warnov. I'll do it." You exclaim.
  "You sure?"
  "Not really, but if I'm already in the shit, I might as well go all the way with it. What do I do next?"
  
  Warnov looks around again to see if anyone is about before answering.
  
  "Well just take a deep breath, relax and uh... brace yourself!"
  "Huh?"
  
  Before you can react Warnov moves faster than you've ever seen anything move. In fact you don't really see him move at all before he's biting your neck! He puts his other hand over your mouth so you can't yell out and easily knocks your hand away from feebly attempting to draw a weapon.
  
  You fall into unconsciousness as your blood is drained from you at a rapid rate. Death soon follows...
  
  A few minutes later you wake up outside the fort.
  
  "Ah you're up. Sorry about surprising you like that, but I had to work quickly. Someone else could've popped up and that would've gotten complicated..."
  
  You quickly check your neck which is completely healed now, but you know what's just occurred! You feel a cold numbness throughout your body and you freak out.
  
  "I'M DEAD! I'M FUCKIN DEAD! And you're a vampire!"
  "Shhhh! Keep your voice down! Yeah, you figured it out. Nice detective work, now let's get down to this hero business. Though we should really get to Rostov's and talk about all this."
  "I'm...I'm dead! I'm one of you! I don't want to be an undead thrall for the Necromancer Lord!"
  "What? No, no, no, we're not... look I'll explain later, let's just..."
  
  You pull away from Warnov when he tries to help you up. You feel your reflexes are much quicker. This temporary curiousity in your new found abilities allows Warnov to calm you down.
  
  "WAIT! Just stop! (Sigh) Okay look I'll try to give you the condensed version right now. We vampires aren't on the side of the Necromancer Lord. If anything he's fucking things up for us. We like to keep a balanced order as it were. The last time we sided with some megalomaniacal necromancer it nearly resulted in our extinction. Never again. In fact we've been manipulating shit for centuries just to make sure something like this didn't happen. Somebody really fucked up in the observation department on this one!"
  
  Warnov goes on to explain that his superior, Lord Rostov will be able to explain better and in more detail, but that you have to come with him now.
  
  > go with Warnov
  While this is all a lot to take in, you manage to calm down.
  
  "Okay. Okay. I'm calm, but...man this is a lot of shit." You reply.
  "Heh, well you did say you might as well go with it! Don't worry; it'll all be second nature soon. Okay let's go see Lord Rostov."
  
  Warnov pulls out a black cube and teleports you to what seems to be the inside of a castle.
  
  "Alright, YOU stay right here in the foyer! Don't go wandering around, I'm serious! You're not quite in the fold yet, I have to go straighten this out and explain all this to Lord Rostov. I'll be back to come get you later. Everything will be explained in full detail soon."
  
  Not wishing to piss off anyone and being completely out of your element you stay put. The foyer has enough to keep you occupied though, you begin examining many of the paintings and statues to pass the time.
  
  Soon, Warnov returns with a very regal looking vampire. You can only assume that this is Lord Rostov.
  
  "Welcome, I'm sure you have ask many questions for me as I have for you, so we'll just get right to it. We'll walk and talk on the way to the throne room. Don't worry about anyone listening. There are no secrets here." Lord Rostov says.
  "Okay...I..."
  "BUT! Remember to address me as Lord Rostov if you are going to address me by name." Lord Rostov adds with authority.
  
  You take notice and obey, though Lord Rostov has such a commanding presence that you would be hard pressed not to obey him.
  
  Your questions are typical for someone brought into the fold. Rostov goes on about how his kind have been manipulating the mortal world for centuries just like Warnov said before. Several of the known governments have at least one vamp keeping an eye on things. Apparently many high ranking political types in your own Zalan Empire are vampires! The Grand Alliance is even a tool of the vampires.
  
  While Lord Rostov goes on about this fascinating history lesson, you look at some of his "court" as you walk through his castle. Some of them are more "mortal looking" than others. Some look down right hideous. You always thought vampires were supposed to be ultra attractive, but you can see that isn't necessarily the case. When you get to his throne room Lord Rostov stops and turns to you.
  
  "So I hear you want to be a real hero eh? Well this is the place where they're made."
  "What do you mean?"
  "Why do you think most heroes are always storming dungeons and doing impossible things? They don't get those abilities without some help. The supernatural skill comes into play and dungeons aren't exactly beacons of light!" Lord Rostov laughs.
  
  "Y...you mean ALL the heroes in the world are vampires?!"
  "Hah! I wish that was the case. No, there are many regular mortal heroes that do their part I suppose, but if you want the really legendary ones that have done impossible deeds, well chances are there was a vampire involved. Sadly we haven't been too much more successful than the mortals in the heroics department lately."
  "What's been going on exactly?"
  "That little annoying necromancer lord, or whatever he thinks he is, has been proving to be a lot cleverer than what was previously believed. His armies have been growing in strength and I'm sure you know about the undead giant business and crushing the Brot Kingdom. What isn't commonly known is how he accomplished it. He had help from one of our kind. A loathsome outcast known as the Ghoul King. (Sigh) Should've killed him long ago really, but...bah, it's a long story. We'll deal with him when the time comes. What's more alarming is that we've sent assassins...or heroes to kill the necromancer lord and his bitch and he's somehow managed to kill all of them. I mean I can somewhat understand them being killed by that brutish demon tyrant Velzix, but a fucking necromancer? He's a fucking mortal! And from what we know of him, he wasn't even that good of a wizard to begin with!"
  
  Suddenly Lord Rostov flies into a rage, yelling and punches a hole into the solid brick wall. Many of his court, as well as you and Warnov back away. He then stops and composes himself.
  
  "My apologies to you all. It's been a trying time with upstart mortals and traitors and other annoyances. And to you, the newest member of our fold."
  "Uh, no need to apologize to me Lord Rostov. It's your home after all" You say which causes him to smile.
  "Carefully chosen words. Not overly sycophantic, yet still displaying the right subservient mindset. You should fit in very well here."
  "But I meant it..."
  "Ha ha! And honest too! You're more interesting than how Warnov described you. I have heard that you were one of those minor mortal heroes I was talking about earlier, but more interesting to me, is apparently you have talent in the musical field?"
  "So I've been told."
  "Well, play something for me! All of us!"
  "What did you want to hear?"
  "Surprise me, if you're able!"
  
  Lord Rostov sits on his throne while his court whispers among themselves and then go quiet waiting for you to play. You pull out your lute and try to think of a song that they might like. You think of an old song that once was very popular among the aristocracy. Seems like a perfect crowd...
  
  You begin to concentrate on the music and nothing but the music. You play as if your life was in danger, which you're somewhat certain that it isn't, but it doesn't hurt to play your best right now.
  
  Your new supernatural reflexes certainly come in handy as you're able to hit notes and play faster than you normally would've been able to as a mortal.
  
  When you're finished you look around the room which is still silence until Lord Rostov gets off his throne and begins clapping. Everyone else follows suit.
  
  "That was magnificent! I heard the original bard who performed that piece three hundred years ago and even he couldn't have done a better job! Warnov, this man is too valuable to make into a hero!"
  "Lord Rostov?"
  "While this man may have combat skills as you described, he is obviously a musician! Such talent such not be wasted in battle! Beautiful playing!"
  "While I agree he is a good musician Lord Rostov, I think we should consider the matter of the necromancer..."
  "(Sigh) Warnov, I was feeling good until you mentioned that mortal again! Nevertheless you are right. But still, this shall be HIS choosing. Not ours."
  
  Lord Rostov turns to you.
  
  "The decision shall be yours broodling. You may if you wish under go extensive training to prepare yourself for an encounter with that little necromancer lord. If you succeed, your name will be known, and you will become a legend. However, I can sense that such things are probably not your nature. Music is. I can see that you would be content to just play your music for an appreciative crowd. You could do that here. You could also learn songs that I have possession of, but sadly unable to play with the same spirit that you obviously have."
  "What about my family? And my job and all that?"
  "Ah, your mortal life. I'm sure Warnov will already be taking steps to explain that you have been transferred from your current assignment. Considering he's part of intelligence, nobody will ask too many questions, even if they bothered to. As for your family, they will be taken care of as you will still officially be part of the Zalan army. If you wish you may stay in contact with them through letters. Possibly arrangements can be made for you to visit them. During the night of course. But under NO circumstances will you tell them about any of this. Doing so would ruin my generous offer and be extremely bad for you. I don't think we need to dwell on such depressing things because I know you're smarter than that right?"
  "Yes Lord Rostov."
  "Good, now what is it that you would like to do?"
  
  > be a hero
  While the offer of playing for what could possibly be eternity is tempting, part of you has been affected by world events and the war going on. You have come to realize that the Necromancer (and the demons) need to be stopped. If you can take an active role in that, then you'll know for sure that your family will be safe in the near future. You did do all this for your family after all, and while your path has definitely undergone a change, you're still going to put them first.
  
  Besides, you're a vampire now, you're sure that you'll have tons of time to play later if all goes well. You're definitely nervous about this decision, but you're going to make it.
  
  "Lord Rostov, I wish to begin your advanced combat training." You say.
  "Very well, though I almost hoped that you wouldn't. Your playing was just divine and you won't be able to play again for a long time during your extensive training time. Possibly never if you fail...but let us hope that you do not fail! It would be a loss for all of us. Warnov escourt him to the lower dungeons."
  "Yes, Lord Rostov."
  
  Warnov takes you into the lower dungeons of the castle just as Lord Rostov commanded. Warnov tells you that this isn't going to be easy and that you better condition your mind to almost a pure instinctive level because you could very well die in training!
  
  Finally you reach a large barren room with a pair of large doors on the far end.
  
  "This is it. Just keep an eye on the large door over there and well, brace yourself!"
  
  You half expect to get bitten again after hearing those words, but instead Warnov quickly steps out of the room and locks the door leaving you alone. The large doors on the other side of the room start to open.
  
  And you just realized that you don't have a weapon...
  
  A year passes...
  
  You survive your rigorous training. You have fought all manner of dangerous beasts with and without weapons. (And feasting on their blood for survival) You have undergone pain you didn't think possible even in your new undead state. You're definitely a better killing machine than you were.
  
  You were allowed to write letters to your family which were overlooked first by Lord Rostov of course to make sure you weren't saying something you shouldn't. You barely know what to tell them except keeping your lies to a minimum about your supposed new job with Zalan intelligence. You have dedicated and conditioned yourself to combat so much that you don't even think about music. You briefly wonder if you've "lost" something, but you then dismiss such things as you must focus on battle.
  
  During this time you have been informed that the Necromancer Lord as well as Velzix have grown in power. Lord Rostov says though that he believes the demons will pose no serious threat if a concentrated effort can be made on them by the mortals. However, for that to happen, the Necromancer Lord must die and that's where you come in and what you've been training for.
  
  However, you won't be going in by yourself. A band of "heroes" will be necessary for a job like this. You are told you will meet the others in a small abandoned village bordering on the Necromancer's Domain.
  
  Another vampire takes you there with the aid of a black teleportation cube. This is a one way trip. You're not coming back unless you win. That and the fact that the black cubes can't possibly be allowed to fall into enemy hands.
  
  There you meet the others. They look unimpressed with you, but you're a little surprised to see one of them. She's very well known...a "hero".
  
  "You're Deliah the Deathdealer! You fought at the battle of Azark and you also retrieved the Celestial Sword! You're a hero! I didn't know you were..."
  "Didn't they tell you all this shit when you started training? Sheesh, we gotta get paired up with some broodling..." a brutish vampire interrupts.
  "Quiet Gorax! I'm sure he was, but meeting a legend is a lot different from basking in their glory in person." Deliah replies.
  "Gorax!? Gorax the Mighty? You were a barbarian king that held back the orc hordes over a hundred years ago!" you say in amazement.
  "Huh, fat lot good that did me. I can't take any credit for of my deeds today and barely anyone remembers my past deeds except some useless tribal shamen that now cower from the undead hordes in the Drozz Plains. Feh! Back in my day such men would not allow mere ghouls run them off their lands! I don't know why Rostov won't allow me to go in, seek out, and just chop off that retched Ghoul King's head! He's partially to blame for this mess!"
  "Oh you know Rostov, he has his reasons. Besides, if we take out the Necromancer lord, the Ghoul King will probably be our next assignment." Another vampire says in a bored tone. This one looks like he was once a Halfling. It almost makes you laugh to think of a vampire Halfling, but there he is. You don't know who he is or was, but given the other two, he was probably important at one time.
  
  "So are you ready to go broodling? Or are you going to stand there with a dumb look on your face?" Delilah asks.
  "Uh sure, let's go!"
  
  The trip into the Necromancer's Domain is surprisingly quick and uneventful. You attempt to make conversation as you can't help now but be curious about your companions, but all of them are less than talkative and forthcoming. Deliah eventually takes you aside harshly.
  
  "Look broodling, we've got a job to do. A fucking dangerous one at that! We all need to be in focus and not concentrating on anything else! So keep your damn questions to yourself and if you happen to survive this encounter THEN perhaps you may get a little more information from us and our fascinating history. Until then, stay in the fucking dark!"
  
  The rest of the trip is silent.
  
  At last you reach the city of Nuro and easily scale its walls and onto the battlements while remaining undetected the whole time. This is a lot different from what it was when you arrived here as a mortal. That memory still gives you a bit of pause. You remember how scared you were back then.
  
  "Hurry up broodling! These walking corpses might not be able to detect us, but the Necromancer will soon! We need to get the advantage as soon as possible! Gorax, Wally you go through the front of the main tower. I'm sure you two can handle that. While whatever guards rush to defend their master, me and the broodling will scale the tower and go in through one of the top windows.
  
  "You sure about that Delilah? Would you rather I go with you than some broodling?" Wally asks.
  "Yeah, but if I leave him with Gorax he'll probably get killed in the fighting and be useless. At least if he's with me, he can serve as an extra body for the Necromancer Lord to draw his attention to."
  "HEY! I'm right here y'know!" you exclaim indignantly which causes Deliah to smack you in the face hard. You didn't even see it coming.
  "Shut the fuck up! You'll draw attention! Look if we pull this off just maybe you'll come out of this alive. I need you to take care of the Necromancer's bitch anyway. She's probably up there with him. Now let's do this!"
  
  The plan is set into action. Gorax and Wally make their presence known immediately jumping off the battlements and into the courtyard while yelling at the top of their lungs.
  
  "Intruder! Protect the master!" you hear a scratchy voice yell in the distance, while you and Delilah sneak around, jumping onto the rooftops and attempting to avoid the main fighting force. A few flying shadows try to stop you, but they're easily dispatched with your bow and silver arrows. Delilah looks glad that you aren't entirely useless and you and her proceed to scale the walls.
  
  "I can't believe this place isn't more protected." You say while climbing.
  "Heh, he's got his troops all spread out and mostly on his borders, plus he's grown more arrogant and confident. That will be his undoing." She replies quickly.
  
  "Funny I was about to say the same for you bloodsuckers." A voice says causing the both of you to look up.
  
  A raven haired female leans over the nearby window above Delilah and blast her directly in the face burning it off with a beam of light. You certainly weren't expecting a necromancer to cast any sort of spell like that! You then see Delilah fall...and get impaled through the chest by a weathervane. A fucking weathervane. Unbelievable.
  
  You attempt to scale the wall to the nearest window under you and just barely get out of the way of the lady necromancer's next spell.
  
  You have no idea where you are in the tower, but you can hear fighting going on outside and a couple of hearty roars which you can only guess is Gorax.
  
  A quick scan would indicate that you're in some sort of library. You cautiously proceed and decide that finding stairs that lead up would be the way to go. You just hope you're ready to take him on and his mistress.
  
  As you make your way through, you fight all manner of undead sentries: Wraiths, ghosts, skeletal warriors, etc. During one of your moments of hiding a couple of wight guards run by talking in a hoarse tone.
  
  "The big one and little one are dead! We must find the last one! Quick Quick!"
  "Yes Yes! The master must be protected!"
  
  You come to the very real feeling of having been in the position before...all alone, surrounded by hostile undead, and in Nuro...
  
  Your resolve breaks a little and you wish that you weren't here. You want to go home.
  
  Eventually you push yourself forward, but somehow fear has crept back into your own dead heart. To your credit you do reach the top of the tower, but the Necromancer's mistress once again surprises you. A ray of light sears your face off and destroys your vision. You fall to the cold stone floor in extreme pain and can only make out blurry images.
  
  You see a blurred black hooded figure approach. You can't see his face, but this could only be who you think it is. You attempt to reach for your sword.
  
  "More assassins? I swear something is going to have to be done about these bloodsuckers. The Ghoul King's kin are really starting to get on my nerves. These ones weren't even a challenge. What are you doing bloodsucker? Don't you know that's futile?"
  
  The Necromancer Lord unleashes a ball of flame that engulfs your body, putting an end to your undead existence.