



Art by Manny Trembley

It was like any normal day. Steven the Shadow Thief had been spending the afternoon pondering in the shadows, wondering the best way to shank his foes that sauntered by. However, something different occurred on this particular day around night fall. The hunting grounds in the city where Steven stalked his prey and practiced his thieving skills were abnormally empty. Steven thought to himself, "Maybe the tournament had already begun", but Steven was unable to find or hear chatter of any events occurring nearby. The more densely populated parts of the city showed nothing out of the ordinary and were following normal nightly routines. Suddenly a scream emerged from the outskirts of the city, but only lasted a moment before being muted by an unknown source. Steven sprinted in the general direction hoping that this scream would grant him the answers he was looking for in regards to his hunting ground absences. However, only a few small drops of blood were found, leaving Steven quite puzzled. No other clues were available that could have helped Steven discover who could have possibly emitted the scream, much less what may have caused it. This plagued Steven's consciousness as he was concerned that someone with similar sneaking abilities may be trying to encroach upon his hunting sector. This was particularly worrisome because Steven had become quite wealthy by pickpocketing citizens from this area. Usually he would only prey on the souls of the less fortunate with his poison shanks. He is quite fond of his gold, which he eerily calls his CP, and keeping his pockets full to upgrade his weaponry and improve his skills. Therefore, Steven came to the decision that it would be vital for him to seek out this new competitor and see what he can learn from within the shadows.





Days passed by with no avail. Frustrated, Steven started to wonder if there was actually another being that night at all or if this was just a huge coincidence. Steven's CP had slowly started to dwindle, thanks to a decreased supply of wanderers that normally produced his CP fix. Finally on one foggy night, Steven discovered his competitor. Unsure if his eyes were playing tricks on him, he could not believe what he saw. From within the shadows, Steven witnessed a Vampire draining the life from a drunken homeless citizen. He had heard many stories of Vampires. These Vampires supposedly dwelled to the North East inside the caves beneath the Whispering Mountains. Steven hastily thought of a way to confront this Vampire. He tried his best to tread lightly due to the terrifying stories of immense strength and agility that the monstrosities contained. As Steven began to make his move, the Vampire moved slightly into the light revealing a face that held unimaginable beauty. Steven stopped in his tracks before revealing himself to the beast turned beauty. He marveled at her pale skin, blood stained lips, high razor sharp cheek bones and hypnotizing eyes. Steven's gaze felt like a eternity, but as he snapped back into realty he discovered that his new found attraction had swiftly vanished into the night air. Angry with his inept hesitation, Steven began plotting ways he could contact this tantalizing creature without falling victim to her ferociousness or becoming dazed due to her mesmerizing appearance. He decided he would do everything in his power to make sure he would at least speak to this Vampire, even if it means the possibility of sacrificing his own life. Although this Shadow Thief is quite the formidable opponent when it comes to battle, the Vampire's strength and abilities were unknown to him since they were supposed to be a myth! Nonetheless, Steven did have a few tricks up his sleeve and was quite magnificent when it comes to planning. He is known for winning his battles by playing the long game and he will do the same for this Vampire should tensions arise. This Vampire may have stolen Steven's heart, but Steven is not going to let her literally steal his heart if the dance becomes more physically inclined than initially intended.





To be continued...





Art by Manny Trembley





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