Sound. Such sound full of energy, but of hatred. The guards chained Tekkud so that he could not leave the center of the room. The room was full of swearing, shouting, and cursing, as dwarves gathered to see the final sentencing. Tekkud remained unaffected, observing those who would happily fight him on their own, out of need for revenge. His eyes wide, and his beard still covered in blood from the day before, he would continue to scare those who were not shouting but caught his eye.

Lorbam walked in, accompanied by a further group of guards, and an uproar of cheer and hopeful-curses accompanied him. They knew. They all knew. Lorbam had reached a verdict with the nobles and would sentence Tekkud that day. They hoped it would end this curse of Godenegast.

Lorbam silenced the crowd, and approached Tekkud, as if he was the blood god Armok in a physical form, casting judgement…

“We know what you’re here to do. Get on with it.” sighed Tekkud. Lorbam was taken aback at the seemingly exhausted Tekkud, who had seemed full of energy up to that point. Did he feel defeated? Was he merely pretending? It didn’t matter now, it was too late to care for his feelings.

“Tekkud Oltartathur, you have been found guilty of being a vampire and two cases of draining dwarves of blood. The punishment is death. You will spend your final hours in the drowning chamber, may Armok take pity on you.”

The crowd went wild, its energy soared. The sounds of cheering and joyful crying spread through Godenegast, as four guards dragged Tekkud off to the drowning chamber. He offered no resistance as they picked up his arms and pulled him through the halls. Lorbam breathed a sigh of relief, and was quickly swarmed with dwarves offering thanks, praises, and prized cheese.

The storm over Godenegast remained. There was no calm in the fortress yet. It’s plague still lived. It still sat in a room, even if there was a chain to its neck and the door heavily guarded, it still lived.

Lorbam was troubled that night as well. There was an uneasy atmosphere, as if something was missing. Perhaps it was nothing, but he went to check on Tekkud before the lever was pulled to rid the colony of him for good.

Lorbam passed the guards, who thanked him for the sentencing he passed, and entered the Drowning Chamber. It was a spectacular design; It would fill the room with water inside thirty seconds and one simple lever would drain the water, and any other contents, into the caverns below. As he finished admiring the design, he noticed Tekkud in the middle of the room. He had not tried to leave his chair, nor break his chains, or even notice Lorbam. He was looking down at the floor, his eyes half-open, as if worried about his death. He approached Tekkud, bracing to unleash what ever hatred he had into words, when suddenly, Tekkud spoke:

“I didn’t mean for this.”

“What?”, Lorbam asked, confused.

“I didn’t mean to kill those people.”

“Sure, that’s why you did it twice!”

“I didn’t mean to be a vampire.”

Tears began to fall from Tekkud’s eyes. A slow and silent cry from a defeated dwarf. He didn’t know what to make of the situation; was he pretending? Or was he genuinely ashamed?

“You surely had a choice?”

“No. I’ve been like this for a hundred and fifteen years, just running from place to place, trying to hide that which I can’t cure. Death might be the only solution.”

Silence broke between the two of them. There was little to say now. The hatred within Lorbam had faded somewhat, feeling almost sorry for him. Suddenly, Tekkud seemed to have an idea:

“You could just let me go.”

“What?”

“Let me go. I can leave and never come back. I wouldn’t harm anyone from Godenegast again!”

“You’re insane! We can’t trust you. You’ll just kill again.”

“I can resist! I didn’t mean to kill the people here, and I can be useful elsewhere!” Tekkud was desperate, that much was obvious. He looked Lorbam in the eye, hoping he would let him go.

“No. That is final. You are a vampire, and we must rid the world of this problem.” Lorbam stated, all the while unsure of his verdict.

The words defeated Tekkud, as if enough to physically crush him. His crying intensified as his head hung low. His breathing became tougher, as if he was angry. But no emotion would defeat the sadness he now felt. A lifetime of no emotion left him weak to the realization of his own demise.

Lorbam felt as if his judgement was becoming clouded. Any longer and he might change his mind. To see a dwarf break down like that was too much. He had to leave. He promptly walked out the chamber and shut the door behind him, leaving the doomed Tekkud to cry until his death. The guards looked to Lorbam, holding the lever. He nodded, giving them the confirmation to flood the chamber…

The lever was pulled, and they heard the floodgate shut behind the door. They heard the sound of waves crashing against the walls as the other floodgates poured water in at an alarming rate. They all looked down to the ground, trying to ignore it. Trying to not think of what was happening in there. Suddenly, they heard Tekkud crying out:

“You bastards! You couldn’t just let me go! Bastards! Basta-” He was cut off as water knocked him down to the floor. From there, nothing more than incomprehensible gargling was heard. Eventually, the sounds stopped. Silence once again. After a wait, the guards pulled a second lever, breaking the supports under the floor where Tekkud was chained, and allowing the room’s contents to fall to the caverns.

It was over now. He was gone for good.

Epilogue

One Year Later

It is a day of clear skies around Godenegast. Lorbam celebrated his re-election as mayor in the dining hall, offering extra mead to every dwarf, with everyone desperate to join the party at his table to congratulate him.

More than ninety filled the room, with almost every table jam-packed, except for one corner. No one had sat there for a year now. Kids still believed it was haunted, and many remembered who had once sat in that corner. Emotionless. Soundless.

Lorbam remembered the corner well, his mind often plagued by the memories of hearing Tekkud Oltartathur drown. After the party died down that night, he took a final beer to that corner, and sat down. Worn out by his celebration, he sat there quiet and still, hardly touching his beer. He felt the cold touch of the chair, where Tekkud had once sat. Sitting there removed what little was left of him in Godenegast.

He felt calm, as if his troubles were lifted by seeing to his past. He was at peace…

Suddenly, a dwarf rushed in to find him:

“Lorbam! Come quick! Trask got himself stuck in a brawl again!”

“Ugh!” Lorbam growled, as he rushed out of his seat to jog down the halls of Godenegast.

Godenegast had returned to normal. The storms had cleared.

Godenegast will return.