"I have never heard of them. There are hundreds of lesser houses in Kurayo, with new names emerging every night. Aside from houses allied to mine and those ruling over the city, I have no reason to know every name and crest." He responded curtly. "And though the city is known for its vampires, do not think that they are the entirety of its population. Dark elves, werewolves, and whatever the cities that live in the sun throw out come here." It was essentially where the hated and despised came to gather, only to form a society that hated and despised each other. One could imagine this was why keeping guards was pointless in Kurayo. Why would anyone bother risking their necks for complete and utter strangers when they would cut you down from behind regardless?

Sylvain's distinct lack of a reaction to the fledgling's family name would give the boy a hint that perhaps the family who sired him had thought too loftily of themselves. In general, vampire hunters only paid attention to vampire families if they were still alive, as a hunter would keep track of migratory herds of game. Once they completely wiped an entire family out, they would move on to the next. The same was said for vampires and their prey. Would a huntsman care to remember the names of every buck and doe he shot and skinned?

Surrounded by an ambush of ghouls, the boy cried out while pointing in a direction. Sylvain's steel-grey eyes followed to make direct eye-to-eye contact with the alghoul pack leader who had escaped him before. So the coward finally showed itself. It was taking comfort in the belief that there was strength in numbers while using the lesser corpse-eaters as living shields. But tonight the vampire lord would show that fetid creature who the superior species were on this isle–by sending its head rolling. With blades brandished at the ready, he let out a shout causing the ghouls to rush in like swarming rats. Keeping Fenriz's safety and his own at the forefront, he hacked and slashed at anything that came his way. Snarls and shrieks filled the air as limbs were sent flying in pieces, while their fluids and innards stained the ground. It was an intense battle in close quarters. They truly had engineered this ambush to press them from all sides.

It was then that the alghoul made its move when Sylvain was preoccupied with its underlings. It had its sights set on the young vampire when its pack had caught him in the graveyard, and it was intelligent enough to know better than to take its chances while the lord was paying attention. But now, it was the perfect opportunity. In the midst of the fray, a snarl came as the horrid beast bounded on all fours towards Fenriz!   

Were Fenriz his father, he certainly would have taken offense to the more aloof reply. Ghouls be dammed, the only one Varo’thori would have a conflict with would be Sylvain. And were the elder Hallowthorne present, he would likely be disappointed in his child’s timid response. The would-be heir to the Hallowthorne clan only offered a stunned, if not disheartened silence in his family’s defense. It’s not possible his parents embellished their reputation, was it? To his mind, the answer was no. But Sylvain seemed highly knowledgeable about the island, and equally well connected. It seemed unlikely were his clan as famous as his parents often boasted that this man wouldn’t have at least heard murmurs of their existence. But Sylvain also didn’t seem like the type to lie, especially for seemingly no reason. Whether this was a case of genuine ignorance, or one party not being truthful with him, Fenriz didn’t particularly feel any better about his reasons for traveling to Kurayo.

Of course if Kurayo is where what other cities threw out lived, it definitely felt like a fitting place to be at the moment.

Fenriz pointed out the leader of the ghouls, and his companion wasted little time in taking after it like a demon possessed. For a moment, this allowed Fen to become engrossed in his own thoughts. Despite his aversion to violence, Fen couldn’t help but be at least partially impressed. Sylvain did not seem one to waste time. This not only showed in the way he spoke and carried himself, but even in the way he fought. If dispatching the abominations took any effort on his part, such effort was lost on the younger vampire. He squirmed a bit, as guts and limbs flew about, but he figured an upset stomach was certainly a small price to pay for safety.

Almost as if it had spawned from the shadow’s itself, Fenriz didn’t notice the alghoul bounding his way until it was nearly on top of him. With a sharp gasp, he reflexively leapt in a direction, trying to clear himself from the monster’s path. While he was mostly successful, a large arm swipes at the small boy, catching him in his right arm and sending him into a brief spin before he landed with an audible thud, wind being immediately knocked out of his lungs. Upon first glance, one might figure the boy for dead, as he laid on his back sprawled out and motionless. But the throbbing pain in his head and arm told him that he was still alive, at least for now. Without the will to pull himself to his feet, Fenriz would no doubt appear easy pickings for the alghoul. Once more the creature put Fen in its sights, malicious intent evident as it once more rushed at the helpless boy.

The alghoul rushed at its victim, set to snuff out the young life before it could truly begin, but it was stopped, just out of reach. Enraged, the abomination violently struggled against its bonds, thick, shadowy tendrils that had sprouted from the ground, wrapping themselves around it’s limbs. Though they appeared whispery and fragile, the refused to budge or break. Having been allowed some time to recover, Fenriz gingerly lifted himself to a seated position. After regaining a sense of where he was and what was going on, he caught sight of his attacker ensnared in this trap. Seemingly acting purely on instinct, the boy lifted himself to his feet as hastily as he could manage, and took the opportunity to plunge his dagger into the alghoul’s skull, driving it as deep as his small muscles would allow. A wail of pain echoed through the air, as Fenriz tumbled backwards, falling back into a seated position. The vampire’s dagger still firmly planted in it’s head, it began to grow more frenzied, its attempts to free itself from its holdings growing more violent. Not keen to figure out how long these bindings would last, Fenriz pushed himself backwards as far as he could manage.

“Mister, I think your trap worked. The big one is stuck over here!” Fenriz called out to Sylvain unaware that this ensnarement was of his own doing. He tried to be as loud as he could manage, though his injuries made it a bit difficult. He had to trust that his acquaintance was even still alive, as he dared not take his eyes off of the immediately threatening alghoul.

The alghoul's hideous visage and thick hide did well against resisting the dagger now embedded in its head. But it was no more than a cactus spine in the skin of an elephant. Firmly stuck, but not deep in enough to inflict sufficient damage beneath. Hissing, growling, and making all forms of unholy cacophony the corpse-eater pack leader was angered that it could not reach its prey. The howl of pain from the leader had caused the lesser ghouls to turn their attention, and Sylvain took the chance to cut them down as brutally and quickly as he could. His mind was so engrossed in making sure not a single one was left, when the boy's voice reached him in part. "The big one is stuck over here!"

Tearing his claymore from the body of a dead ghoul, he saw the alghoul. Something was holding it back, but it was beginning to break itself free. He would ask his questions later–now it was time to end it. With a battle cry, the vampire lord rushed to charge at it, holding the sword so its point would pierce its vitals. He must be quick, before it rallied the remaining ghouls once again. There would be no second chance after that. With great force, Sylvain sundered the head from its body sending the ghastly visage rolling upon the dank ground. The foul stench of corpse-eater bodily fluids rapidly spread through the air as the man had his armor splattered with it. With sword painted in a sickly shade of brown, he towered over the corpse.

Once the alghoul's life was wrenched from its fetid body, a hush fell over the area. The remainder of the surviving ghouls snapped out of their stupor, and fled separately back into the moors. With the alghoul's influence gone, whatever semblance of organization they had as a pack fell apart. A faint glow of light came from a ring he wore on his finger, then faded as the last twitches of the dismembered corpse-eater stopped. The deed was done. 

"Cowards." Sylvain muttered with disdain as he watched the last of the ghouls disappear out of sight. They were no better than carrion eaters, following the strongest of their ilk. But perhaps that was a good thing. Hunting an intelligent predator was far more dangerous than a feral animal. He began cleaning off the residue from his blade and himself at once to rid them of the alghoul's wretched stench. For now, his house would no longer need to worry about being waylaid by groups of grave-dwellers. There were scratches in his armor from where the frenzied ghouls had raked their claws, but he had carefully avoided any flesh wounds. All the better, as ghouls were likely riddled with all sorts of pathogens.

Walking over to Fenriz, he stood at a distance and watched the younger vampire. "Now we all have one less thing that will tear out our throats." Sheathing his blade, he prepared to leave when he remembered the questions he had. Most were unimportant, but there was one he had been meaning to ask the boy from the beginning. "You've seen but a taste of what Koschei has to offer. Are you still intent on going to Kurayo?"