“Thank you” Elaine would reply, that Bretonnian drawl not having left her tongue a bit, for all the bloodletting she was doing these days. “Though I have not seen you before, and you smell divine. Are you new?” she would ask. Estaria was, frozen. She hoped to meet Elaine in Altdorf, when not dressed quite like this. Having some time to prepare herself before going in. But to see her, on the battlefield, was..too much. Her brain was just turning off.

“Mon ami? You are staring?” Elaine would comment after a few seconds. But even if Es could respond, it would have been cut off by Filnon appeared.

“Rest of the guys are dead. A few shocked looks, but you were right. I did fit in well” Filnon would comment, giving Elaine a nod. And then double-taking back to the woman as she clocked the nametag.

“Elaine?! Dam, you are a lot more, soldier than I was expecting” Filnon would be less paralyzed than Es, and chunner away.

“I have never met a Druchii before, so your familiarity is confusing. Who are you two?” Elaine would ask, sliding her sword back into her scabbard. Filnon would look to the stunned Es, and roll her eyes, nudging the woman in the ribs.

“You are a demi-god of statuesque beauty. Of course she doesn’t recognize you” Filnon would exclaim. Finally, that jolted Es out of her shock enough to speak.

“Ahh. Err…It’s…me. Estaria” she’d manage to force out. And then there was a change. The gentle, polite courtesy was replaced with an ice cold fury. 

“Do not move” Elaine replied, stepping forward. Her voice promising unfathomable violence in a few moments, should she not find what she desired. Getting close, she would sniff Estaria, and then bare fangs and sink them into the woman’s neck. Filnon tensed, but trusted her wife enough to not do anything brash. 

It was a good call, as a few moments later, all the tension drained from Elaine’s body, and was replaced with hitched breathing. 

“It….it really…really…” she whispered, heavy tears dripping out of her eyes and splashing onto Estaria’s shoulder. Overcoming herself in her lover’s moment of need, Estaria would wrap her arms around the woman and press her blood-stained chestplate in tight.

“It’s me” Estaria would whisper in response. The fact that Elaine was a Vampire, was something to deal with later. They stood in each other’s embrace for a while, before eventually managing to break apart.

“Ohh, wow. That’s terrifying” Estaria would exclaim as she saw the bloody trails from Elaine’s eyes. Wiping them away with her dress, it was surprisingly good at absorbing blood.

“We can make it normal. I just..” Elaine would trail off, at Estaria’s nodding.

“I get it. It must have been hard for you” Estaria would reply, stroking Elaine’s hair.

“Was it….not, for you?” Elaine asked, her voice trembling. As if worried that Estaria might have lost her love.

“I’ve been….” she’d pause for a few moments to get the right words. And then settled on the wrong one for the sake of brevity “Busy. Besides, you were in Altdorf. What could go wrong?” 

Though rhetorical, Elaine answered anyway.

“Altdorf has fallen” She’d state, simple and direct. Estaria, however…just stared.

“What?!” came a loud noise from Estaria.

“After conquering Middenheim, Archeon marched his army through Drakenwald and laid siege to Altdorf. While he ultimately failed in conquering it, the city was damaged enough that it couldn’t be used as a residence anymore, and so we retreated to Nuln”

Estaria would simply, stare. That explained why the Road was empty, but brought up a whole different set of questions. 

“I…” she’d look to Filnon, who was quite courteously just watching, and then back to Elaine. “Shit….But, if Altdorf has fallen, what are you doing hundreds of miles north? Shouldn’t you be in Nuln?” Estaria asked, the fact that she was supernaturally powerful was not something that was clocking in Es’ brain right now.

“A terribly long story. I’ll tell you on the road. And I am sure you have one of your own to tell” Elaine would nod to Filnon.

“Ahh. Yea. So, where is camp?” Es would ask, looking around a the ragged bunch of fighters gathered.

“Follow me”

Lead out of the village, with carts of salvage, Estaria followed, and Elaine began to tell her tale.

You might have noticed I am a….vampire, yea?” Elaine asked, and carried on when Es nodded. “Specifically, I am a Blood Knight. I left that life behind when my Master and his followers were killed in a coup, and met you on the side of the road. Originally, I was going to use you to get passage into the Border Princes, but…you were so bright, so warm. You fumbled and bumbled your way through trying to teach me, La Chelia Delari, how to use a sword. It was so genuinely heartening. I fell in love with you at that moment, and chose to spend the rest of my life with you.

But then, Archeon turned up at the gates of Altdorf. And you were gone, away at Nippon or dead from the threats of Sea. So I had to do what I could and join the Militia. At that point, nobody cared about my abilities, so long as they were used to kill those of Chaos. Fighting atop the walls, I saw The Emperor go down, Deathclaw wounded by the aerial menaces of Chimera and Manticore. And I couldn’t just let him die, so I leapt from the walls and stood with him while we fought.

A foolish move. We were both going to die. And then he arrived. A Man I thought a myth. A man my Master venerated by had never met. Abhorash, Lord Of The Blood Knights. With him, my estranged kin charged down the enemy, and drove them from Altdorf. Shattered though it’s walls and ramparts were now. He knew my name, and offered me a place by his side, to lead a fist of Blood Knights north, to harrow, harass, and rend the foe. I jumped at the chance to serve the greatest Vampire in history, and came here. The Emperor, after some deliberation, sent a few Knights and Swordsmen as well.

It was worse than we expected. Not only had Beastmen infested the road through Drakenwald after Archeon razed all the forts, but Walach Harkon had corrupted his order of Blood Dragons to worship of Khorne, and we were ambushed, harrowed and whittled by their attacks, Beastmen, and Marauders. Battered, and with massive casualties, we eventually made it into Middenland, where we were met by Eala Fardrifter, who took us in despite our nature, and told us she knew all about the events of Altdorf. And that she would support us, if we supported them.

And so  we are here. Gathering those surviving villagers of Middenland, fighting a resistance, bleeding the enemy. Doing what we can, however little that might turn out. Imperial Support is focused on the South, and so the North is basically left to the enemy. We are not going to succeed here, but we will fight on anyway. Adversity breeds the greatest of warriors”

Elaine would finish her long story, and look to Estaria, with a warm smile. 

“Now, I do believe it is your turn to talk”