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The Old Ones and their underlings did not back down from the fight against the intruders and the rebelling vampires, but the ragtag bunch of different members were much stronger than they had experienced with their kind before. Corstyn was proud of his bug form, and despite the occasional mocking of his ability, the others knew they were no match for the agility his creatures possessed and the nasty bite from their mandibles. Even Dornus did not like to engage him in a serious fight. He grumbled at the effort it took to come even close to the harpy. He had never met anyone as nimble as her in the air and each time he closed in on her, she either stabbed the bug or swept it aside with a directed gust of wind. Telling the others to help him with their bats and crows was no use since they were busy assaulting the dragon, and although they as high vampires controlled many creatures at once, they all lacked the ability to direct attacks at more than one target at the same time. But he needed only one of his bugs to reach her and bite her to gain control over her, and thought hard on how to do it.

Yingshien spit out large balls of fire left and right, and thanks to the crows and bats flying close together, she burned many with little effort, but their sheer numbers and regeneration still made things difficult while they annoyingly pecked and scratched futility at her scales. She needed them to be packed tighter so she could take them down faster than they could regenerate. She watched Conchim blast a wave of the bugs away, and it gave her an idea.

Conchim halted in mid-air when Yingshien flew up behind her and whispered something in her ear. She liked the plan, gave her a nod in confirmation, and flew to one corner of the open space. Yingshien flew to the side, and Conchim concentrated all her mana. With one strong thrust of her wings, she sent off a severe gale through the open space.

The airborne vampires lost control of all their creatures caught in it as they tumbled through the air and smashed hard into the far corner. Before they recovered and regained their orientation in the packed and fluttering cluster though, they watched the dragon sweep down on them.

Yingshien flew up the moment Conchim sent her mighty wind force, did a half loop, and filled her lungs to the brim. She dove at the wriggling cluster driven into the high corner of the courtyard and spat out her lance of fire.

The vampires screamed out when most of their transformed bodies burned to ashes, and the shock of the pain caused the remaining creature not caught in the gale to drop from the air into the fighting crowd below.

The unexpected downfall of three Old Ones intimidated the remaining high vampires and all their followers, and elated Malyssa and her group. She cheered out loud. 'They're faltering! We can bring them down!'

Irian, one of the high vampires, noticed the carnage the bloodwolf caused on his own, and called out to her friend. 'Ginium! Take out that beast with me!'

Ginium threw down a vampire from her own staff, who dared betray her by taking the rebelling side and had the gall to attack her from behind. She looked at the bloodwolf knocking down anyone taking him on, and grinned. She fought a hunter on occasion for sport, but she thought this one would make things less dull. 'All right!' she said, and dropped down to the ground in a pile of large white rats.

Irian transformed into two metre long red and black striped snakes, and slithered fast through the crowd alongside the rats towards Ulric.

Ulric gripped the windpipe of one vampire woman and crushed it, while suppressing the guilt he still felt towards hurting a woman, even if she was on the very bad side. He noticed the movement on the ground around him too late.

Irian wrapped her snakes around his limbs and torso, and squeezed hard while Ginium's rats climbed all over and bit and scratched at any exposed area, and the top ones went for his head. Ginium loved the similar expression from the hunters she fought, when they closed their eyes and pulled back their ears because they knew they couldn't defeat her. The vampire women lost their breath when thin and long spikes pierced straight through all their bodies.

Ulric retracted the fur spikes because they restricted his own movements, and the bloody carcasses of snakes and rats dropped onto the ground to the shock of the surrounding vampires. He sensed the reluctance among them to fight, and snarled fiercely at them for good measure.

Invato appeared at a balcony on the second floor and looked down at the fight. 'They are gaining the upper hand.'

Celesta moved up next to him. 'The party has given Malyssa the advantage. They're stronger than I imagined.'

He nodded. 'But it's a good thing we looked into the matter and found their weakness at the border.' he said, and gestured at the underlings behind him. 'Bring them.'

His booming voice, amplified by the position of the balcony, rang across the courtyard. 'Party of intruders! Cease assisting Malyssa and her ilk!' His call did not only attract the party's attention and the vampires under Malyssa and her friends, but also that of the few still standing Old Ones. Invato loved to stand above the rest and smiled. 'It is better for you to fight for us!'

'Celesta!?' said Iphigenia through the link. 'She's one of them?'

Valdys frowned. 'She might have been under the influence and betrayed us, or worse, chose to.'

Ulric's gut told him something was very wrong with this picture. 'I don't know who you are, but why would we!?'

The vampire leader beckoned behind him, and the party froze with dread and anger when underlings moved an unconscious Kaui, Isazea, Susi, and Handil forward.

***

Muni was the last one to slip through the gap between the doors. The demon party pushed hard against the doors, and closed them just before the thuds of the apes running into them on the other side sounded. Despite the sturdiness of the doors, they trembled as the horde stomped to break them down. Tarrence's ears pricked up when the same happened at the other doors left and right, and looked at Gigacks. 'Was the locking spell unique to these doors?' The lich shook his head and Tarrence grumbled inwards. 'They could enter at any moment then.' He looked up and down the hallway. 'No other way than up.'

Elyta looked up the stairs. 'I doubt we'll encounter any of those apes there though.'

Tarrence ascended the steps. 'Let's find out what we'll encounter instead.'

They found another hallway at the top of the stairs. Muni walked up to a door nearby on one side, and opened it carefully. The room beyond looked fairly plain with still intact seats and sofas, tables, and cabinets. 'I think we're looking at chambers for the higher-ups of the tower.'

Tarrence checked a similar room. 'Makes sense.' he said, and stepped farther down the hallway towards one leading deeper inside. 'We'll go this way.'

Apart from living quarters, there were studies, alchemic and magic work shops, and a vast library filled with mostly empty shelves. The few remaining books Gigacks looked at were worthless low level teachings. The large, square open space they ended up in was more interesting.

A thick, square pillar with a winding stairway rose up to the barely visible ceiling. Muni looked up. 'Don't tell me, we're going up again.'

Crashes and a light rumble arose from hallways in different directions.

Tarrence squinted at the opening at the top of the stairs. 'You want to wait for our friends to tell you?'

Muni stepped onto the first step. 'Shit no.' he said, and went up.

Halfway up the stairway, the apes burst into the square below, and Coëllo looked down at the mass of bodies wriggling against one another to reach the bottom of the stairs. 'What possesses those things? I've never seen them so agitated.'

Elyta glanced down. 'There must be something really special up here because I doubt it's us that drives them so crazy.'

Muni poked his head through the opening in the floor, and looked at a large chamber lit with eternal fire pits. 'Looks clear.' he said, and ascended farther onto the floor. The others followed and they all gazed at the empty place, apart from an alter and an iron stand with a long staff made from bone, which had several different coloured gems embedded along the length.

Tarrence and Gigacks stepped up to the altar and examined it all. Tarrence couldn't spot a trap. 'What do you think? Any traps, or is it safe to take it?'

Gigacks used his senses and detected nothing. 'Safe, as far as I can see.'

'I expect this staff is more your kind of thing, so see what you can do with it.'

Gigacks laid his bone hand on the shaft, sensed the magic in it but no danger, gripped it, and took it from the stand.

The screeches from the apes ascending the bottom of the stairway ceased at once.

Muni looked down. 'They're just standing there and looking up.'

Tarrence looked at the staff in Gigacks's hand. 'I think we found at least one use out for it.'

The party descended the stairs with Gigacks in front, and stopped at a short distance from the apes, who were all staring in dead silence at him. Muni looked around. 'It would be nice if they moved back and didn't block our way. Would you mind telling them to buzz off?'

'Leave.' said Gigacks, but the apes didn't respond.

Muni sighed. 'Imagine that. That thing is less useful that we hoped.'

Gigacks thought that might be it, and imagined the apes retreating. They all instantly moved back, and cleared the stairs and the centre of the square. 'Indeed. Imagine that.'

They descended to the floor. 'So, are we still going to look for the artefact?' asked Muni.

Tarrence looked at Gigacks. 'Might they know where it is?'

Gigacks focused his thoughts around it and towards the apes, but the apes only shifted on their feet. 'They don't know.'

'Try something else to see if it's possible to have them fetch anything at all.'

Gigacks pondered what he could ask for, then tried the most useful thing he hoped for that might still be around. A few of the apes stirred, and they left quickly through one of the hallways.

Muni looked at him. 'What did you tell them to bring?'

'You'll see, if it is what I need.'

The apes returned with slight excitement, and one of them held out a book with a cover in the same light colour as the bone of the staff. Gigacks took it and opened it. The others could sense he smiled, even when his skull didn't show. 'What do you have there?' asked Muni.

Gigacks flipped the pages. 'The book on Ascultaer, this staff.'

Tarrence smiled in satisfaction. 'We might not find an artefact here, but this is also good. Let's spread out first and search to make sure it really isn't here.'

***

'Handil!' cried Rachael, and bolted through the opening in Valdys's shield before anyone could stop her.

Ulric reacted fast enough, grabbed her, and held her tight as she struggled to free herself. 'Let me go!' she shouted.

'Wait!' snarled Ulric in her ear, and the sudden spike in ancestral fear numbed her. He relaxed his grip on her. 'We can't do anything right now, so don't endanger yourself and her.'

She understood, but trembled in frustration while Ulric seethed and his gaze pierced Invato. The vampire hid his unexpected unease behind his smirk. 'Stay obedient, and nothing will happen to your comrades. All I want is for you to fight on our side, and against Malyssa and her group if she defies me.'

Malyssa climbed on top of a short and low stone wall. 'Invato, you backstabbing piece of shit! Don't think you can take them from me!' She held up her hand and looked at Valdys. 'This is what you wanted! I will give it to you if you kill Invato and his group!' She was glad one of her group served the Old Ones and knew about the stone, and where to find it.

Elzbieta gripped her sword. 'Looks like Malyssa has just as much compassion as that guy.'

Ulric growled low. 'Yes. So screw them both. I want the girls safe and sound.'

Rachael looked up in anger at him. 'If Handil comes to harm, I will take my revenge on anyone. Even you if you cause it.'

His gaze at Invato didn't falter. 'Then I will join you in your revenge in every way, Rachael.'

His serious tone left her speechless. She couldn't find any reason to doubt his words or think he didn't realise what he said.

Invato laughed out loud once. 'I can give them that rock from your ashes!'

Iphigenia moved up next to Ulric. 'What are we going to do when they're unconscious?'

'We need a good distraction, but it would have helped if Kaui was awake and could use her shock rings.'

'Can't we wake her through the link?' asked Caylais.

An idea hit Iphigenia, and moved against Ulric's side. 'I have an idea, but all you girls need to block the link for the time being.'

'What do you have in mind?' asked Ulric while he couldn't imagine why.

She put her hand on his paw. 'Trust me. I'm pretty sure this'll wake up Kaui and Isazea. Just tell Kaui to use her rings at once. Girls, are you blocked?' The others confirmed while the Malyssa and Invato argued back and forth about who can control the party. She slipped Ulric's paw under the front of her dress and against her mound. 'Now, pinch me hard and don't forget to tell Kaui what to do.'

Ulric hid his surprise behind his angered expression. 'Are you sure?'

'Do you have any other idea on how to wake them?'

He knew she was right. 'Stand ready to fight, Rachael.' he said as he let her go, and Iphigenia shivered when he took her clitoris between his fingers. 'Here it comes, my love.' he said, and pinched as hard as he dared.

The vampires jumped up startled at the cries of the pig orc and the lizard, and let go of their hostages in surprise. Kaui fell dazed to the floor while her master's voice rang in her head and his touch burned her mound. 'Kaui? Can you hear me? Kaui?'

'Master? Where are you? I fell asleep but I don't know where I am.'

'I'll explain later. Use your rings on those around you, now.'

Her trust was absolute and she didn't hesitate for a moment. She reached out her hand and stunned anyone close to her and her friends.

The vampires cried out and backed away from the fierce attack. 'Now!' Ulric said, and bolted with Rachael to the lower balcony.

Invato was the first to realise what happened. 'You want your friends to die then!' he said, grabbed Handil's hair at the back of her head as she was closest to him, lifted her up, and bit her in her neck.

Rachael's berserker fury ignited. 'Rachael!' she shouted, and barely registered surprise when Ulric shot past her with a loud and sharp snarl and burning red eyes.

She pole-vaulted on top of the balcony just in time to see Ulric crush Invato's throat with a punch. He nearly severed the vampire's head from his body. She knelt next to Handil and was glad to see her at least breathing and moaning softly. The vampires surrounding them attacked in panic, and she unleashed her rage as she mowed them down and crushed their skulls with her staff.

The panic spread and within moments, every vampire of every faction was fighting another and the party below on the courtyard moved to the side when fewer of the attacks were directed at them. Valdys conjured up a thick fog to cover the courtyard and create more confusion. 'How are you doing, Kaui, Isa?'

Kaui and Isazea moved Susi to Handil. 'We two are all right. Susi stirred and might wake up soon, but Handil doesn't look good.' She looked at Ulric and Rachael crushing the vampires. 'Master and Rachael are taking care of the vampires here.'

Valdys looked up. 'I'm coming up.' she said, and Elzbieta gave her a boost to reach the first balcony above them. She climbed via the stone decorations to the second balcony, and examined Handil with Kaui.

Iphigenia, Elzbieta, and Caylais fought off vampires on the ground while Conchim and Yingshien took care of anything that was capable of flying. Caylais zapped a vampire unconsciously, then noticed they were short one member. 'Where's Tipper?'

Malyssa stomped her foot. 'Damn them all! My perfect plan is ruined because of Invato! I had that party under control! They should have fought for the stone!' She glared at the artefact when the dwarf of the party suddenly appeared in front of her.

'I'll take that, thank you.' Tipper said, and smacked the artefact out of Malyssa's hand with a fast swing from her spade. The artefact flew to the side and disappeared in the fog, and so did she while Malyssa clenched her teeth in rage and nursed her painful hand. She chased after Tipper with an enraged hiss but couldn't find her or the artefact. Her lust for blood peaked with her desire for revenge, and she stormed towards the balconies to hurt them where she could only see where they were weak, the four who were captured by Invato.

Rachael and Ulric moved to the others after taking down the last vampire, and she knelt close to Handil without disturbing Kaui and Valdys. 'How is she?'

'I can treat the wounds, but I have nothing else to save her.' said Kaui.

Valdys pulled her hand from Handil's forehead. 'She's infected with a curse in her blood. Luckily I found a cure in the library, but I'll need fresh vampire blood to carry the counter spell through her blood.'

Malyssa jumped up on the balcony. 'You ruined it all!' she snarled, and lunged at the group.

She cried out when Ulric smacked her down onto the floor with a firm grip on the back of her neck. 'Fresh vampire blood, you said?' he growled.

Malyssa hissed and struggled in vain while he gripped her hand, and Valdys cut her palm to draw blood in a vial. She cast the spell on it and opened Handil's muzzle. 'This is the only thing I know of, so it better well work.' she said, and poured the blood on Handil's tongue.