Yuurei and Renji had finally made it back to the guild. It was something that they couldn’t believe took a few hours. It felt like this was going on for days, but it wasn’t. All this fighting had happened within a day or possibly even less than that. The berserker had made his way back to the guild with his friends alongside him. He was hoping to allow them to rest, and enjoy themselves because they were back at it again whenever they woke up.

He wasn’t sure they would be able to fall asleep, but exhaustion was a powerful tool. When he got to the guild though, he could see that it was being repaired. It would seem like the people within the guild weren’t going to stand by while the guild had been damaged by the vampires from earlier before. Yuurei would make his way to the guild hall as his members were glad to see that he was safe and in one piece.

“I’m glad that they’re making sure that the guild is in tip-top form. Still, we need to get you healed and relaxed. Let’s go to the guild hall and get some chow.” He said to Yuurei.

The Nephilim would hear this and he would smile at everyone as he had taken his gear off.

“Yeah, I need to get patched up, fed, shower, and have a good night's sleep.” He said as chuckled.

Yuurei would enter the hall and there he would see a bunch of guild members that were patched up and walking around the hall. That was good to see that they were doing fine. One of the guild members would make their way to him with a concerned look on their face.

“Do you need someone to heal you guys? You look like you all had a rough time?” She asked waiting for an answer.

Yuurei would smile as he was fine with this. He needed to get patched up with all the wounds that had been given to him by the vampires from earlier.

“Yeah I need some healing if you don’t mind.” He said to her as she was on it.

She was glad she could be of some use to her guild master. He would look around as he would feel his wounds healing and he would look up to the counter not too far from here.

“Hey, could you make me my a special for me, and whatever these guys want to eat? I’m hungry after everything I did, so I’m sure they are too.” He said with a smile on his face as the man behind the counter was on it.

Yuurei would look at Kaito and Brone and he wondered if they were okay.

“I know I haven’t spoken much since we were out there, but how are you guys doing? Are you fine with coming with me to the castle tomorrow?” He asked them wondering what they would say to him.

Once the girl was done healing Yuurei, he would feel relaxed and less tense. She would look at them as she wondered if they needed her.

523

Kaito had followed suit and headed back for the Paradise Guild hall as he was going to stay close in case some new kind of fight were to break loose and him having to help deal with it and he figured that this was a time that he was going to have to take a time to recharge Revy stored his stuff and they entered the guild and Kaito can hear Emil some where in the guild barking orders like he was a big shot trying to get the place back in order but he guessed that was his older brother a man who takes charge and knows what he wants and how he wants to handle it unlike him who is indecisive and just gets dragged along from place to place and wasn't really making his own way. Kaito envied Emil and the way that he can just seize control and run forward head long, where as Kaito is never sure of any step he takes and he thinks he sees who took after their grandmother more and that was Emil.

Kaito went into the mess hall where the people helping to fix up the place are and Kaito goes to a corner and takes a seat and he removes his cloak and he lets his hair down while removing his mask his hair falling down to his shoulders and he slides off his shirt and Kaito was still feeling a bit heavy from the vampires cursed claw and he unwraps his bandages and he looks where he felt the curse hit him and there wasn't any mark from it at least visibly on his body so he guessed that it was going to let up soon probably lucky for him, that belt he had lessened the effects of the curse's effects on his body and he wonders if taking his shirt off like that was right as he hadn't thought about the other people around in the room when he had done it.

He guessed it was too late for that and he gets his shirt back on and his cloak back on as he was for sure going to take a shower so there was no point to reapply his bandages as he was going to have to do it again after his shower anyways just he was going to need to be extra careful not to cause any more problems or bump into anyone and find a shower, bath house, or a hot spring around the area that he can use and hot risk causing a bunch of people to drown in the water cause the bumped into him. He sees the woman walking toward him after she finished tending to Yuurei and he taps his chin. "I am in no need of healing but I could use a fruit punch drink and some hot food if you could help with that getting ordered I would be very grateful." He rubbed the back of his head as that probably sounded like a kind of rude request from the woman that was trying to help them and heal them up but his request was one that he had needed in that moment.
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It was a long night fighting vampires. It wasn't until Brone Heavyaxe saw the guild hall in sight that he began to feel the fatigue of fighting all night. Geri the tempest wolf carried him all the way back, "My thanks, friend" the dwarf whispered to the wolf as he gave a sigh. Though they had defeated many enemies and saved a village, there was a part of Brone that felt they hardly made any progress; but it was the ravens that flew beside him that reassured him that it was a good night of monster slayer and now the next step after a full rest would be the castle where Ansem reside.

After arriving in front of the guild hall, Brone dismounted. As Kaito and Yuurei entered before him, he took a moment to look at the horizon at the sun that began to rise. He then yawned.

"Tired?" Huginn asked as he perched on top of the dwarf's left shoulder pad.

"The graveyard shift isn't new to me" Brone only realized he accidently made a pun after it escaped his lips. The raven didn't say a word; the tension was heavy since the group of friends have yet to mourn for their fallen friend properly and Ansem was now waiting for them for a rematch, "Where's Muninn?" The dwarf asked as he looked about.

"He left to rest" Huginn answered. Brone nodded and parted ways, allowing the raven to fly off and get rest. Whenever He would walk in through the main doors after a long day of questing and defeating monsters, Brone would express his victory by being loud and baring a wide smile, but the receptionist who does the nightshift saw a different side. She watched as the dwarf walked in through the door, tired, as if his soul had left his body. She wanted to ask how his night was, maybe encourage him to boast about a quest he was on, but she hesitated, believing she probably would make the situation worse.

Brone entered the hall where several guild members were patching the area up, despite it being so close to dawn. A few of them patted the dwarf on the shoulders, trying to show support without over reaching. He then plopped himself onto a chair a few feet from Yuurei, then removed his blue helm and placed it on the bar. His white hair was out and wild, proof of a long night of fighting.

"Your armor is shattered, Sir Brone" one of the assistants from the medical wing came up to him and began to carefully assist him in removing his shirt.

"I'll get it fixed up before I head out" his voice was low and lacked the energy he always emitted which worried the assistant; he barely even looked up at her, just stared at his helm, allowing her to remove his shirt and the remains of his golden armor before she began to tend to his wounds. Brone was then startled by Yuurei's question; it took him a moment to realize he was speaking to him and Kaito, "Of course; we're gonna end this tomorrow night; the sun will keep the vampires from running rampant while we rest, then when night falls, we'll put an end to that damn vampire king" He did his best to smile and show his determination and even gave a thumbs up, but he felt weak, not because he over exerted himself, but because it was a lot to process for him and he needed rest, which he planned to do soon.

601

Yuurei and Renji would be sitting down waiting for their food to arrive. While they were waiting for that, they would see that Brone would sit down not too far from them. He would smile when he heard what he said. He was ready to burst the young man’s bubble.

These vampires didn’t mind the sunlight, but they were vulnerable to light energy that dealt damage to them. He would lean back on his chair and Renji would relax.

“That is good to hear Brone. I’m glad you feel that way. Still, I don’t know why they attacked at night. Probably they felt they had the better advantage, but they could easily roam around in the daytime without a problem.” He said as he laughed a bit at what he said.

He would take in the air and sigh with relief as he looked over to Brone.

“In the end, we’re ending this tomorrow. Ansem will feel the wrath of my anger alongside anybody who gets in our way. We will bring some of the guild members with us, and make sure that there is nothing that gets in our way.” He said to Brone.

Renji would hear this and he would chuckle a bit as he couldn’t believe that Yuurei was dying for the revenge that he wanted for Kailani and his parents.

“I hope nothing comes after us after all of this is said and done.” He said to them as he would just continue to sit on his chair as if he was getting ready to sleep.

It wouldn’t take long, but the person who was cooking would come out with Yuurei’s and Renji’s meal. This was something that they needed truly and it would be the start of getting relaxed before that crashed.

Renji would get up and he would start eating. Yuurei would close his eyes for a second before opening them up and eating his meal without hesitating. He would groan from how good the food was and he was excited.

“This is good, I can’t help but be happy to be eating this right now. This might be my last meal. I doubt it but you can never be too sure.”’ He said out loud as he was eating his meal.

Renji was eating and he was glad to know that Nimbus was okay. He hoped that his friend was still in one piece when he got there. They had gone to Fiore together and he missed him. There was no way that his life would be taken in an instant without him knowing or feeling the pain.

“So, what do you guys planning on doing right now guys?” He asked wondering what the plan was.

453|976

Kaito saw the woman nod that she would have it handled and Kaito makes a swinging motion with his arm and his sword appeared and he took out a special cloth and stone and he ran it along the blade as the blade flashed different colored elements, it was hard to be able to maintain something the swapped elements on contact as the blade always sought to change to be stronger than the thing that it came in contact with. Revy watched the man hard at work sharpening the blade and looking like she was going to nearly pass out her self as she was tired as hell from all they had been through and the relief that Nimbus had maybe still been alive was a grand thing to her though she wonders what the catch is as the whole night had been full of things that didn't seem on the level and vampires that seemed stronger than anything else that they had seen in this world so far besides maybe the dragons which were a real pain in the neck to deal with.

Kaito lifted Revy up to her seat as the food and drinks came to the table and she was happy to be able to have gotten something to eat and drink after all they had been through and she knows that Kaito had been giving her snacks along the way and she knows that he is going to have to make more when he gets the time to for himself and she really admired him for all he has done for her and the things that she probably doesn't see him doing. He could have just let her have taken the fall and ratted her out all that time ago but he lied and covered for her instead and he has made sure to take care of her and if she got in over her head he would take care of her and save her like a true partner would and she wondered often if she was holding him back in all of this or if she still had room to grow and get it all together and help him reach the heights he was yet to reach.

Kaito hears Yuurei call out asking what they were going to be doing tonight and Kaito knows what he wants to do but remembers this is not his place and not his resources. "I think after I eat I am going to scare up a bath or some where to soak alone and relax my body dragon transforming will really take it out of you after awhile and that last vampire lord thing we fought had a pretty nasty curse on his weapon that pay backed me." Revy looked at Kaito as she ate and she wondered what she wanted to do with her night before they turned in and she doesn't know what she feels like doing. She looked at Yuurei and she rubbed the back of her head "I am unsure what I want to do before turning in maybe following Kaito to just soak and let myself relax before I risk dying tomorrow. I just know that we are going to show that Vampire that there is nothing they can do to stop us, we will get Nimbus and the others back no matter what!"
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Brone felt more confident about the final battle with how Yuurei was being so optimistic. Despite what the half-elf went through with the vampire king, he still had a smile on his face and a determination in his sight; this was proof that he was fit to be the guild leader. The dwarf couldn't help but smile widely, his concerns and worry withered as he slammed a hand on the bar, "I'm gonna need a nightcap in order to help me sleep then" he laughed as he called to Erica the bartender.

Erica was assisting with some cleaning while the more brawny guild members handled the heavier tasks, "Alright then, you guys deserve it" she put the broom to the side and went behind the bar to retrieve a bottle of wine.

"Something a bit stronger, lass" Brone chuckled.

"No can do, Brone-san, you got a big battle tomorrow" Erica poured the red wine into a glass before passing it to the grumbling dwarf. Regardless, Brone took the drink and downed it in one gulp while the medical assistant continued to bandage the dwarf's waist.

The cook who had served the the heroes had also handed Brone a plate too, encouraging him to eat something along with the nightcap. With a toothy grin, the dwarf accepted and happily ate without hesitation. Finally, the night was done and they were given a moment of reprieve, for it felt as if they were walking through hell. It was fascinating how powerful Kaito, Brone, and Yuurei were, but the dwarf understood that though they were wading through the vampires as if they were simply fodder, the quantity was enough to cause not only injury, but fatigue. But now, even though for the moment, they were back home with their guildmates.

"Oi, if this is our final meal, then I should have gotten a pitcher of ale!" Brone replied to Yuurei's statement before bursting out laughing, though Erica the bartender didn't give in, "Och! Careful, lass" The dwarf winced as the nurse applied an alcohol pad to one of his wounds.

"Forgive me, Sir Brone, but I need to clean the wound to avoid infection" the young lady was timid and shy, but she didn't hesitate with her first-aid; she even tightened the bandages to a point that a young human would find it uncomfortable.

"Ah! A bath sounds a brilliant idea, Kaito, my friend! I'll join ye!" The sound of warm bath soak was pleasing to the ear, "Yuurei, care to join us, captain!?" he bellowed before stuffing his mouth with more of the food.

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Yuurei would wait to hear what the guys had to say. It was Kaito who had spoken to him and he would hear him. He would nod as he understood how he felt. If anything the vampires tomorrow or later on would be much more difficult than the ones that they had fought. He wondered what kind of monster had entered his body and wondered if he was okay or would be okay. He would smile at Revy’s words as he was glad to hear she was optimistic about the situation. He was glad to hear that as he was eating the meal that had been made for him.

Renji would eat as well as he heard what Revy had said and he was glad to see Nimbus again. He probably could hear the young Exceed crying when he saw everybody later.

The duo would look at Brone as he would ask for drinks for them. He would chuckle, he was sure Kaito didn’t drink, but would this be the first time for everything?

He would continue eating as his friend would speak to them. He would smile as Brone was an interesting man to listen to. It wouldn’t be too long but he would be asked if he would join them in bathing. He would swallow down his meal and he would stretch a bit.

“Kaito don’t feel weird about moving around the guild freely. You are one of us even if you aren’t wearing our insignia.” He said to him as he smiled and laughed a bit about it.

Renji would give Kaito a thumbs up as it sounded like the best thing to do, but he was enjoying his food right now.

“Sounds like we are going to see a few people we care about tomorrow.” He said to Revy as he would look at Brone next.

“Yeah I will go and join you guys in the bath. Of course, after I eat all of this first.” He said to them as he would continue to chow down his food.

He would look at the glass of wine that was poured for them and he would drink it. He wasn’t sure if Kaito would take it, but if he didn’t then they wouldn’t pour for him.

The duo would continue eating their food without stopping as they figured they needed to soak their body before heading to bed for the big battle ahead. It wouldn’t take long, but Yuurei would finish his meal and he would lean back on his chair and tap his stomach a bit.

“I’m full. I guess we can head to the bathing area whenever you guys are done.” He said to them as he would wait for them before making his way to that area.

Renji would finish his food soon after as well and he would get off his seat as he was ready for a bath.

“I’m going to pull Nimbus's cheeks when I see him tomorrow, just wait.” He said as he couldn’t wait to see his best friend.

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It would seem that they were just inviting themselves even though he had voiced to being alone for it, Even Revy had voiced her want to join in so he didn't see fit to causing a scene as this was their home and even if Yuurei says he should feel at home he was not going to do such a thing as that as he had rejected joining this guild countless times he was not deserving of such a right. He finished what he had gotten and his drink then headed through the halls as he had an idea of where most things where in this place and he knew the baths were in a decent place in this huge monster of a guild hall, which seemed more like an abandoned fortress that had been moved into he reached the end of a hall and he clears some debris and he walked into the communal like bath area it seemed like this area hadn't really been damaged as it appeared that it was on the edge of place where they had stopped the invading vampires before they could really destroy the place and he can hear the water flowing in the bath area and he wondered if the place used a natural hot spring or if the water was heated with magic of some sort or had something special to it.

He pretty much phased out of his clothes putting them in a basket on the side and he goes and he gets into the water in the room he was glad there was a lot space in this bath area means that they will not all be cramped in together and force him to be extra careful of the others in the bath that would join him soon after and he takes a seat and he leans back and he relaxed his body felt a lot less heavy, till he heard a squeal of fright and surprise from a woman and the second he heard that sound he knew what he had done and he warps himself out and warped into the men's side with a splash as he landed head first into the water on the other side as he had no idea of where he needed to land just the general area in which he needed to go to be on the men's side of it. Kaito get himself so his head was above the water as he hadn't looked or anything but he still felt stupid it happened in the first place something that must have been knocked off or hidden by the debris was the marker for which was which.

He looked at the other two men and the exceeds but he said nothing as he was a bit embarrassed and he had no need to give them any ammo or need to tease or make fun of his thoughtlessness but he guessed that Yuurei was probably going to get a report of a strange man that was peeping in the woman's bath and was bold enough to just get in the water and make himself at home. Kaito was not sure that he could really relax after what he had just done as that was a mess up that can really come back to bite him in the ass and he would need to send Revy in later to regain his clothes as he hadn't stored them in his own dimension and had put them in the basket over there.
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Brone got his reply from Yuurei, but as the dwarf turned to face Kaito, his smile faded as he watched the dragon slayer simply leave out of the mess hall without giving an answer whether or not he was alright with having company. "He didn't answer... I guess that's a 'yes'" the dwarf chuckled as he gave Yuurei a thumbs-up before turning back to his own meal.

After a bit of time, Brone finished his meal rather quickly. He wanted to head to the baths before Yuurei could finish, giving his impatient nature at the moment, but the nurse wouldn't allow him to stand until she was finished, "Could ye go a bit faster, lass?" he asked. The nurse looked at him with a pouting expression which caused the dwarf to look away, slightly embarrassed.

From what he could hear from Revy and Yuurei, they were excited for tomorrow night, given that they were able to see Nimbus. Though Brone was also looking forward to seeing that feline; he was worried of how the exceed was. Kailani, his partner, had perished at the hands of the vampires, so it worried the dwarf of Nimbus' current state. If he was alive, then Brone could find some comfort, but the probability seemed low. Why would Ansem keep anyone alive? Then he thought about Yuurei's parents. The half-elf had assumed his parents were dead, but after all these years, Ansem had kept them alive; possibly to torment Yuurei with hope, but regardless of how sadistic the vampire was, if he chose to keep Yuurei's parents alive, then maybe he had Nimbus' in a similar state. He could only hope.

As soon as the nurse was finished patching up, Brone thanked her and began making his way to the baths. Luckily, the nurse provided for him water-proof bandages, some form of enchantment magic for medicinal purposes he assumed.

Right before entering through the main door to the bath-house section of the guild, a woman wrapped in a towel rushed out, yelling about a pervert in the bath. Brone gave a heavy sigh as he summoned forth his golden axe into one of his four hands. As he walked into the changing area, he threw his clothing, or what was left of it after the battle, to the side before he walked into the women's area fully nude, "Where is the peeping-tom?" he announced as the sentinel of the guild, his shoulders squared and his chest puffed out. Despite how he was use to presenting as heroic, he didn't realize being fully nude would void his heroic entrance. Another woman ran out of the bath, screaming about two perverts. Brone was confused, not understanding what she meant. Either way, he would search the women's area, but found no one suspicious other than someone's clothing that smelled of blood in a basket, so he made his way to the men's side.

"Oi, Kaito, did you see any perverts snooping in on the women?" Brone asked as he noticed Kaito in the water, "Found these cloths, they don't look like women's cloths" he placed the basket to the side before dipping into the water. Once he felt the warmth, he immediately forgotten about the report of the pervert and allowed the water to overtake him.

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Yuurei would watch Kaito leave first before them. He was fine with that, and he would look over to Brone as he had given Kaito an answer. Yuurei would chuckle a bit when he heard his friend speak and he would relax a bit. It was then he would see Brone would be on his way next, and it was only him alone. He would shake his head as he would start moving. The two of them would start making their way to the bathhouse.

“They were quick to go to the bath.” He said to Renji.

Renji would hear him and he would laugh a bit as it would seem like he didn’t notice.

“It didn’t seem like Kaito wanted anybody to come with him, but that’s too late.” He said to Yuurei.

Then Nephilim heard him and he would understand that, but the deed was too late indeed.

The berserker would see a woman running away from the bath as she was screaming out pervert. It was then when he entered the place, he would see a second woman screaming out for a second pervert. His eyes widen as he was confused about what was going on.

He was planning on checking but decided that it was not the best thing to do. He didn’t want to be called a pervert as well if there was a third woman there. Instead, he would take his clothes off and put them in the basket. He would wrap a towel around him and he would step into the men’s bath. There, he would see the two of them, Brone out of the water, concerned for something, and Kaito in the water, looking as if he was embarrassed about something.

“Did you guys not see the perverts those two girls spoke about?” He asked them as he would get into the water and soak himself.

It was relaxing to feel, and he would lean back as he felt it all go away. Renji would enter the bath as well as he would relax a bit as well. This was good and he understood the feeling of relaxation more than anything.

“After this, I’m going to hit the beds. I’m going to need it after everything that has happened.” He said as he would move around, enjoying it all.

He would stay quiet as he was enjoying soaking himself and the same with Renji. The two of them would continue to move around the place, but soon enough they would be done with it. Yuurei figured that things would get hectic tomorrow, so he decided to be the first one to leave the bath even though he was the last one to enter.

The Nephilim would grab his stuff and he would go to his room. It was then he would drop to his bed butt naked and all.

“It’s finally happening.” He said as he closed his eyes.

It wouldn’t take long for him to go into a deep sleep, but within his sleep, the creature within him was lurking. It didn’t make Yuurei nervous or anything like that, but it was going to be annoying to deal with something like that in the future.

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[exit]

Kaito had heard a woman's voice scream out again and when he looks up from the water as Brone comes in and asks about a pervert and he sees the dwarf throw his clothes to the side. "Lets just say next time I am not going on ahead and am just going to move with you guys as Yuurei is probably going to have a report of a perv in the woman's bath as I went into the wrong one, which if I had had my key on me wouldn't have been such a big deal but seems I am going to be branded as a perv for a bit." He let out a sigh as he was just going to confess that he was the "perv" that the women had screamed about and he knows that he is probably gonna get more than a few side ways looks from the two men that are in there with them and he figures that if he died tomorrow it might be for the best of the populace at large as he was a menace to them and others and he needs to just stop for a bit.

Kaito just relaxes in the water as he is feeling exhausted from the long day that he has been having and there was no way that he could even face Kailani now even as a spirit as there was no way she would see his idiocy as a charming feature and would probably give him a lecture as he was a bumbling idiot that needed to be watched out for or he will just mess up again and leave it all up to chance in the end if it came up to that and he knows that he needs to be better but can he really be better? Was he a "hero" as some people call him and he has no idea to if he even should be a hero or anything like that he is just a person no one special and just because he is strong and does request shouldn't automatically make him a hero he is just a hard worker and it has given him a reputation with the community as a good guy when really he wasn't all that good even while fighting the vampires he has had a few feeling of guilt that he is having to fight and kill them even if they are an enemy as he was not the right man for this all.

"Sorry to cut this short for myself but I think I should go turn in as tomorrow is going to be very eventful probably." Kaito gets out of the water and a towel covers him and he grabs his clothes and he makes his way out of the bath and into the changing room and he gets dressed and gets his bandages re wrapped then he heads to bed with Revy not being very far behind him as she was already to turn in as well and she knows she is going to have to watch Kaito.
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Brone took a moment to piece together what Kaito explained before bursting out laughing, "Don't ye worry about it, if ye didn't mean to and no one got hurt, then don't worry about it" he told the dragon slayer as he leaned back and allowed himself to float upon the water. Peace embraced him and the heat from the bath caressed him. "Yer constant title of hero overtakes a single moment of a pervert, Kaito, my friend, let it go" he chuckled. It was humorous to hear people worry about such little things, especially right after a dangerous night of fighting creatures of the dead; either one of them could have lost a body part, or even died, and yet, Kaito, the feisty fighter who released draconic wrath upon his enemies is now sheepishly in the bath because of a petite woman made a wrong assumption of him.

Yuurei arrived and simply waved at him before turning to his relaxation. When he asked about the 'Two perverts', Brone raised his hand with little care, "That would be us; oh how buxom they were" he joked as he floated to the other side of the bath. He cared not for the assumption mainly because Yuurei knew the two of them too well to believe such an assumption; Kaito has always been a shy person when it came to social interactions and as for Brone, the dwarf had mentioned several times that he never found elves, nor humans appealing, given how thin and dainty they were compared to a female dwarf.

After a bit of silence between the three of them, Yuurei got up to leave, heading to bed early, which surprised Brone who finally got up from his relaxed state. "Alright, see yer in the afternoon I suppose" he called to his friend as the half-elf made his leave. Soon after, Kaito had exited in order to turn-in already.

Brone was left in the bath alone with his thoughts. Silence filled the bath, save for the movement of the water. For the entire night, he remembered hearing the clashing of weapons, the explosion of magic and the cries of the vampires who fell by his blade. Now all is still, but only for the moment. Brone understood he needed to follow his friends' lead and head to bed in order to fully rest up, given that they are expected to fight Ansem once again. The thought of facing that vampire again sent a shiver up his spine.

Eventually, Brone went to bed and had little trouble falling asleep.

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[Exit]