My hand is shaking as I write this, half in fear and half in anticipation. We have a new goal – to destroy these vampires before they can spread word of our presence.
The night before, the priest, with the help of the Infiltrator and the Empty Hand, had purchased a magic wand that could detect the presence of undead creatures. We spent the day searching around town, using the wand to look for the vampire, but to no avail. Neither the temples, nor the graveyard, nor any of the buildings we tested (would could not check them all) showed any sign of it. At night, the priest and the woman went off on their own business, while the three of us returned to the temple.
Later, the priest and the woman entered the temple with the foreign guardsman behind them. The guardsman approached me, and said he knew something about the island. My suspicions arose, since I had not told him anything about my interest in the island, and when I asked him how he knew, the looked nervous. Still, my eagerness to learn anything that might be connected to our mission blinded me, and I went with him into a side room, leading the way. I have spent too many pages of this journal documenting the course of my own foolishness. One of the purposes of recounting events in this way is so that I may learn from my mistakes. Fortunately, the Infiltrator was more perceptive than I. He waited for me to disappear into the room, and then tried to follow after. The priest, he told me later, grabbed his arm and held him with a force far beyond his natural strength. I heard the Infiltrator yell “they're false!” and I turned around to face the guardsman, in time to catch see his fist striking me across the face. A strange weakness overcame me – not like that caused by the spiders' poison – something unnatural. I felt a dark, magical energy spread from the place the guardsman had struck throughout my body. I tried to speak the words to a spell in defense, but found that the incantations escaped me. I could not remember even the first word of the spell. Shocked, I reached for my belt, grabbed the first object I found clasped to it, and threw it at the guardsman. He staggered back in agony, as the liquid burned his flesh. Then I realized it was the vial of magical water the priest had given me weeks before.
The Infiltrator and the Empty Hand were engaged in similar battles in the main sanctuary. Noticing that I was trapped, they made their way into the side-room, thus immensely improving our strategic position. The Infiltrator shined a mirror at the three disguised vampires, and I again felt foolish. Anticipating this battle, we all should have armed ourselves with mirrors, for his held all three vampires at bay – none could approach him, and he blocked the door. He also blocked me into a corner, which, although it protected me, it made it difficult to return the favor.
One of the vampires attempted to control the mind of the Infiltrator, but failed. Then, through the expenditure of nearly all my spells and all of our collective magic water, we killed the guardsman, who dissipated into a fine mist and slipped out of a crack in the wall. Another tried to control my own mind. He mentioned our mission, and our enemy, and called me Arcanist (a description only used by a very few in this world). He said we would never leave the town alive. Fortunately he failed, and the two remaining vampires, at a disadvantage with the Infiltrator blocking the door, left the temple.
It was some time before I could overcome my fear and think logically about the situation. Suddenly the town's problem had become our own. These vampires are servants of our enemy – or may be; I should not be overly speculative – and this is further confirmation that he knows of our presence, remembers our monastery, and wants to be sure that we do not destroy him. We must destroy these vampires; we can not afford to leave enemies behind. But the longer we remain here, the greater a force our enemy can send against us.
Then, there is the chance that they used some magic to read our thoughts. No doubt, all the information they provided could have been acquired that way, and on that chance, there is hope that our enemy still does not know our exact location. If this is the case, we still must destroy them, before they can spread word of our presence.
The priest returned with the woman an hour later, and the Infiltrator's mirror revealed that they were not vampires. The priest explained the draining touch they had used against myself and the Infiltrator. These vampires have the ability to steal the essential life force of a man. Sometimes, the life force returns on its own, but more often, it can only be regained through days, weeks or even years of struggle. I still feel the weakness, but it is already dissipating. I hope this is a good sign.
The Infiltrator wisely suggested that, while we remain in this town, we do not leave each other's sight. So together, we visited the sheriff and told him of the vampires. The foreign guardsman was nearby, but our mirrors had no effect. After we left, we all bought more of the magic water, and mirrors for everyone.
I learned many important lessons this day, but the most crucial is this: There are only two others in this World of Man, or perhaps six, if the other four have left the monastery, whom I can identify with certainty. These are the only ones I can ever fully trust, for any others can be disguised. Our master tells us to find those we can trust, and bring them to our cause. I do not know how this can be done.
I will return to my watch now. Although the Infiltrator has allowed me a few moments to write the last couple paragraphs during my watch, I should not impose more than necessary. My post tonight will be in the middle of this room, as a barrier between my fellows and the others.