Gabriel held her Gaze for a moment longer.
The air stopped humming.
The wind fell silent except for the occasional gust brought in from the ocean currents.
Tess had regained control of her breathing.
Her hands still trembled. Not from fear but from the weight of what he had just said.
Gabriel stood, his expression returning to that dead stillness he wore whenever what was lurking inside retreated. The illuminating light from his eyes faded, leaving behind two red stones.
He turned away first.
Closing his eyes and letting the ocean wind slam against his face. He stood for a second. Absorbing the silence of the world around him.
He opened his eyes, staring north towards the path that would lead them to the old village, to the nest, and to whatever else was waiting for him.
"We're wasting time." Gabriel muttered, "The sun's rising."
Tess wiped her face with the back of her hand. She stood up and took a step towards him, placing her sword back in its sheath.
"You can't just drop what you said and walk off like nothing happened," Tess said, voice still shaking.
He glanced over his shoulder, two red streaks swirling as the sunrise finally broke the horizon.
"You can wait here."
Tess straightened up, her shoulders broad and her chest puffed out. "No, this is my bounty as well." She walked forward some more, standing next to him, facing North.
Gabriel began adjusting the straps on his tiny leather breastplate. His face flashed a grimace as he pulled it tight. Barely noticeable, but Tess caught it.
"You're still hurt," she said quietly.
Gabriel's hands dropped from the strap.
"I'm fine."
"You won't be if you collapse mid-fight."
Gabriel didn't reply to her concerns. He began walking north, bag placed over his shoulders next to the sheathed swords on his back.
Tess retrieved the bag and the robe she had bundled on the floor and followed suit.
The village shrank in the distance as they followed the coastline before finding the path that led to the village.
The icy grass crunched beneath their boots. As they traversed the harsh coastline hills.
A couple of hours passed before the old village came into view.
It reminded Gabriel of the bowl at the goat's path. A small village surrounded by hills and all sides, except for the opening leading to the ocean.
Fishing nets, visible just off the bank, resting in the waters waiting for someone to come and empty them. Exactly like the tavern owner mentioned.
"Gabriel, can you see the houses?" Tess mumbled as they reached the peak of the hill.
"Yes, they're brick."
"Why would a small village like this not have wooden ones, especially near the ocean?" She replied.
"They're not run down."
Tess blinked. "Yes, it doesn't look abandoned!"
He took a few steps forward, staring down into the bowl-shaped village. The morning light scraped the rooftops at a slight angle, never fully illuminating it.
The buildings here numbered in the fifties, none of them had yet to carry any erosion he'd seen touch northern settlements.
Even ones that were fully populated.
"Look at the church!" Tess raised her voice, "It's built into the hill."
The hillside behind the church had been dug out, and the main structure placed in the opening. The front of the church had a large tower, the only part of any of the buildings that was fully blanketed by the sun.
"When was the village abandoned?" Tess quizzed
"He didn't say". Gabriel replied
The two began their descent, Gabriel in front, Tess following a few steps behind. The path down the hill led to the opening by the ocean. The path itself was man-made by the residents of Black-Haven to be able to collect the daily fish that were snatched up by the nets.
Gabriel and Tess continued. The northern chill seemed to increase the further down the path they descended.
Gabriel stopped just before they crossed the threshold into the village. He placed his bag on the ground, rummaging through it and pulling out the Redamere essence and placing it in a pocket stitched inside his robe.
He unsheathed the swords from his back.
Tess mimicked. Placing her bag on the ground and unsheathing her sword.
"Stay close to me, we're heading to the church," He glanced at Tess.
"They will try and immobilise you before an ambush. Be vigilant."
She nodded and followed every step.
They began approaching the buildings. The village itself was small, the same size as Blackhaven, but the brick structures made it seem bigger.
A low growl started ringing around the village, warning them from entering.
They ignored it and proceeded forward to church at a slow pace.
The growl intensified, turning into a hiss.
Gabriel remembered this, the same tactic used against him by the Vampire before.
He covered both of his ears and pushed hard.
His swords pointing to the sky.
Tess stopped for a moment, confused, before copying the action.
A roar bellowed through the village. Shaking its very foundations.
The vibrations reverberated inside Gabriel's body, sending a pain to his ears, not as disorientating as the last time, this time he was prepared.
A grey blur appeared from behind the building in front of the pair and lunged forward.
Gabriel spotted the beast and charged forward.
The Vampire leapt, arm pulled back, ready to strike the moment he came into range.
Gabriel dove first, dropping to his knees. The momentum from the sprint carried him straight beneath the beast.
He raised his sword as he slid, the metal meeting the beast's neck, the forward force of both cleaved the Vampire clean in two.
Gabriel came to a halt. Hearing footsteps walking along the roof of the building. He looked up.
Another beast was already mid-air, hurling towards him.
He took a step back, planted his feet and thrust his blade forward, piercing the monster's chest. He removed the blade quickly.
The beast shrieked in pain, stumbling backwards. Gabriel didn't give it a second to recover. Swinging his sword violently towards its body, slicing through.
The vampire fell backwards, faint noises escaping its mouth. The demon-eyed adventurer walked over to it, raising his blade and slamming it down into the creature with enough force that it penetrated the ground.
He looked over at Tess. With his hand still firmly gripped to his hilt.
Her heavy panting was forcing mist to appear from her mouth. She stood there, sword dripping in black goo, A vampire at her feet. Its arm cleanly sliced off a distance away from its body. Its head still rolling next to her.
Their eyes met.
Gabriel nodded his head slightly in approval and forced his blade out of the ground.
They continued walking towards the church entrance at a slow, steady pace, their heads constantly turning, as they investigated every sound they didn't generate.
Gabriel raised his hand, signalling for Tess to stop.
He approached the oak church door and placed his ear to it.
Low snarls passed through the door. He began placing a finger up.
One finger, two fingers, three, four, five. He continued to listen. His left hand held five outstretched fingers, whilst his right had both swords resting in it.
He walked back to Tess silently and whispered, "There are at least seven in the main hall."
Her eyes widened as her jaw dropped.
"How are we going to take on seven? I can barely take down one," her voice quiet but panicked.
"We will have to draw them out. Seven in a tight space is too much."
The door began to creak open, they turned to look at it.
Gabriel's eyes began glowing.