------------- Tales of the Silver Gryphon - Lone Assignment

She thought back on the words of Lord Corthellian as he stared at her with that disapproving frown of his.

"Consider this a test. The first and foremost skill of the Demonhunter is investigation. If you can solve this series of crimes alone and resist your urges along the way, you will have earned my respect, and your place amongst the Demonhunters of The Legacy."

Drammis might have been her commander within the SGL, but Lord Corthellian was her master. She wasn't concerned about his judgment. She was sure she'd solve the crime, bring this fiend to justice, and not harm an innocent along the way. What she hadn't expected was the nature of the crimes. Some monster, and she used the term loosely at this point, had been killing the poor and destitute, bums and prostitutes, anyone foolish enough to be on the streets of Moorgaard in the wee hours of the night. What was left of their bodies had washed up on the banks of the Calmoor River. Frustrated and overwhelmed with other issues, Duke Wardgaard had requested assistance from an old friend. Lord Corthellian had intercepted the message and interceded by asking that Asha be assigned. So here she was, quite probably the last Vampiel on the planet, tracking a killer the papers had already named the Calmoor Butcher. After four days of tramping around a good size town that might have been called a city in her day back in Prussak, she had gained a new respect for Serenity and her irritating beeping box. But a test and a training opportunity it was, and that was how she approached it. Things that might have been easily solved by Serenity's science had to be solved the old fashion way in this case, by intense observation and keen senses.

When she finally tracked the murderer down to his lair, she was thankful she hadn't returned the Bishop's things. Only faith would save her now, from the Butcher of Calmoor, and her own bloodlust.

The stench in the abandoned factory loft was overpowering. She fought to keep her mind on the case and off the smell of death. Unrecognizable slabs of meat hung on chained hooks from the ceiling, and a bucket of rotting guts hung on one wall. Blood covered the center of the floor, fresh blood. The oil lamp sitting near the glassless window was still burning. The fiend had obviously heard her coming. And just as her Vampiel nature began to win out, another feeling struck her, a gut wrenching convulsion and a stabbing pain in the temple at the same time. She struggled against it, but soon realized what it meant. The fiend was indeed just that, she could sense a demon nearby.

------------- Credits

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