The elves and vampires haven't seen eye-to-eye on many occasions. So much so that philosophers and poets liken the tendency of disagreement between the two races to their very features, which does nothing to shy away from that fact. The elves were tall, lean and graceful, the likes of a royal breed; their signature pointed ears ended an inch or two below the crest of their heads; their skin-colour was a captivating white, the result of the glorious sun sending its rays down onto the regal elves skin, playing wonders, making it a white that causes doves to be ashamed; their head's shape was rectangular, their features subtle, thin and sharp, regal, elegant, most of them bewitching; their gold-blond, smooth hair cascaded down the features—separated into two at the crest of their heads— till their shoulders, while the male's hair is generally cut mid-neck; their long legs, thin torso, long neck, stretched head and their long and nimble fingers masterfully express the agility and elegance attributed solely to the elves. Though the elves' looks gave out the bearing of a strength-wise weakened race, the truth was far from it, as an average female elf was generally stronger than an adult bear—though they weren't as strong as the vampires. Their unnatural strength plus their agility proved them a considerable foe.

  Rather contrary to the elves' royalty and elegance, the vampires were foreboding and mysterious, giving off a stench of resentment at their secretive ways wherever they go—except among their own kind. The vampires were tall—taller than the elves by average—lissome and chaotic; their signature pointy teeth retractable up to an extent, allowing them to close their mouth without their teeth poking out, though the pike-like tip would be an extra tooth taller; their skin-colour was a bleached white, victim of the predominant part of their lives spent underground, the colour able to scare any average elven soldier; their head's shape was square, their features sharp, bold and eccentric; their raven-black hair were tough, unyielding, the males' generally sticking up in spikes—though the texture was smooth—while the females, were almost equally tough, though they curved down from their crowns, generally cut mid-neck, absorbing any light that comes its way; their long but thick legs, powerful yet lean torso, long but stiff neck, strong head and their long, strong fingers all contributed much to the strength and versatility largely attributed to the vampires. Though their stern bearing and countenance gave out the air of a strong, agile but slow race, they actually possessed a speed unmatched by any in all of Valarion. Their supernatural speed and obvious strength left no doubt about the type of foe any would be dealing with.

  Presently, the glade remained silent, the words of the newcomer washing over the elves while the sight of such an amount of elven blood—the vampires normally feast on the blood of animals, they hardly attack sentient beings without reason—right in front of them enticing them while the knowledge of sending them to waste angered every last one of them—except Val'rize-to the point of fuming.

  The silence that prevailed was frequently interrupted by the dancing of the trees on the western winds, the flapping of bird wings as well as the slight breathing—hardly distinguishable by the rest of the forest sounds—of the powerful races.

  A sparrow's chirp from the ring of trees forming the glade shattered the silence like an arrow through glass.

  "I haven't heard of any Val'rize." expressed Legulus.

  The vampire leader's answer was immediate, firm and smooth.

  "Name two vampires you know who are still alive, other than the Blood Monarch?" put forth Val'rize.

  This question shut Lugulus up, as well as Lorfindal, which was a considerable achievement considering that the question was based on facts.

  Silence took hold of the glade once again, but this time around, its visit was brief.

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  "Why'd you kill them?" asked Legulus, blood boiling at the remembrance of his fallen comrades of the same sky. His grip on his swords tightened, mainly to stop himself from acting rashly.

  The vampire seemed unperturbed by the show, answering simply, without much force onto the words, which ultimately contributed to the strength of the words.

  "We haven't had any dealings with the elves for centuries, except this once."

  This hardly resonated with the elves, who were brimming with adrenaline brought forth by rage and indignation. All the elves, that is, except Lorfindal, who—despite his natural silence at confrontations, letting Legulus speak for the whole team—spoke up, too curious.

  "Then what do you have to say about this massacre?" asked Lorfindal.

  "We didn't do it." was Val'rize's answer, simple, plain nothing complicated.

  "Then how do you explain these bites, and the obvious blood-leeching?" shot Legulus. "We're not that stupid."

  Val'rize shook his head.

  "Whatever you say or do, I'm absolutely certain you aren't convinced by the evidence you collected from the site." said Val'rize. Though it was true, Legulus did nothing to voice his inner doubts, not even a single flicker of recognition.

  "I'm not convinced." said Legulus. "It's obvious that they've been leeched."

  Val'rize sheathed the short hunting knife he had been holding in his left hand.

  "That's what evades me." began Val'rize "I was dispatched to find out what had truly happened after a vampire who'd gone hunting in this area had reported sighting this massacre. This would have been over-looked by us, had she not expressed her concern regarding the bites she'd seen on the victims' body.

  "Curious, the Vampire Guild dispatched me with the few elite who were available, not my usual squadron, the best of the best. Initially I expected a cheap attempt by the elves to frame us and declare a war saying we attacked first." At this he firmly regarded Legulus, making eye contact. "But upon arrival, I see eleven elves investigating the matter seriously, and corpses who have obviously been blood-leeched. I would have believed my eyes outright if I hadn't had two points to make me think otherwise. One, we don't socialize with elves, nor do we harm them, we keep our distance from them as much as possible. Two, there are some things which must be given attention to when investigating the matter at hand, like our attacking method, which Lorfindal marvelously landed on the dot."

  Val'rize then fixed his gaze on Lorfindal, whose obvious pleasure at being praised by a vampire showing through his blushing features.

  "Well then, if you are not our enemies, then what do you want with us?"

  Val'rize stayed quiet a bit. He took a breath in, let it out.

  "This mystery is none like what either of our races have seen before, not for centuries according to our knowledge." began Val'rize, gaining momentum through every word. "Neither of us can solve this by ourselves, we're just too much in the dark."

  Val'rize paused.

  "You're suggesting an alliance?" asked Legulus.

  Val'rize nodded.

  "As much as I hate to admit, but we vampires can't do this aloe, nor can you elves." went on Val'rize, captivating with every word. "But with our combined resources—like our equipment and your intelligence on the matter regarding the courier—I believe, we can catch the culprits."

  The glade remained quiet.

  "It's your call." said Val'rize.

  Legulus let out a deep breath, before turning to his fellow comrades.

  "This time around, it's not my call, but yours." said Legulus. "I don't have the intel I need to make this decision, nor can I override your instincts by mine. So, this time, you'll will independantly make this choice, without me having a say in this matter."

  The elves lowered their heads, none ready to speak out first.

  "Lorf?"

  Lorfindal looked up, met Legulus's eyes, two black and white balls filled with conviction meeting two searching ones.

  "I believe we have to ally in order to resolve this mystery."

  "So do I." joined in Marry.

  Grunts of agreement resounded around the elves. Legulus turned, met Val'rize square in the eyes.

  "Then we have a deal." began Legulus. "For the term of this operation, the elves' within my power will pose no hostility to the vampires, unless provoked outright, either through physical, or disrespectful means."

  "And the vampires under my power—in turn—will not engage in any form of hostility during the period of this operation, unless directly provoked by physical or disrespectful means."

  That, was how the first cross-race alliance in centuries of history of Valarion. This alliance was a harbinger of many large-scale events, fortunate or unfortunate, only time would tell.

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