The Monster's Apprentice: Chapter 83 - The Raven of Reghin | Part 1

May 14, 2026

“When a vampire drinks, it does more than quench its thirst—it sharpens every sense. The scent of fear, the flutter of a heartbeat, even the brush of air against skin become heightened, making the vampire a predator without equal.”

— Reverend Isaac Grimsby, “Bloodworth: A Study of Vampiric Predators,” page 108

Mina stood before her ornate mirror as she finished getting dressed.

A cigarette jutted from the corner of her mouth, the smoke curling into the air as she brushed her fingers over her valley of scars. It was so easy to remember how she acquired each and every one. What tool was used, the time of day, how she was held down, and in what position. They were memories impossible to forget. Memories burned so deep into her subconscious that even if her mind were to be wiped, they would still be there. They were a permanent reminder of everything she had tried and failed to escape from. She didn’t know if she could bear any more. She couldn’t—she wouldn’t—let herself be captured again. Death would be a kinder fate than enduring another lifetime on that forsaken island. But it wasn’t just her life at stake. If she failed today, Emily would be doomed to the same hell, to suffer the same horrors that had twisted every conduit before her beyond recognition.

She was not about to let that happen.

Today, not a single vampire would walk out of that hospital aside from her.

In her hands was the medallion that she had kept hidden beneath her bed, locked away in her chest of things she never wanted to forget about. The raven at its center gleamed in the dim light. For years, she had kept this part of herself buried. It was a piece of her she never wanted to see again, yet a piece she held on to as a way to remind herself of the monster she once was. The monster she still is, deep down. In the early years of her freedom, she fought with the ferocity of a vampire, used her curse to her advantage, and though she still did today, she had been holding back.

But no longer.

Today, she needed every ounce of strength she had to win this fight. Never in her life had the stakes been so high, and if that meant a return to her old ways to ensure victory, then so be it.

Mina fastened the medallion around her neck. It rested in the valley between her breasts, where the cold steel pressed against her skin and shocked her senses. Goosebumps riddled her arms as she took a long, deep breath. Her gunbelt was loaded with as many bullets as she could carry. Added were three vials of holy water and knives sheathed in her boots.

She had everything she needed.

Mina met Henrik at Karaline’s forge. His silver armor, freshly polished, caught the sunlight and blazed so bright it blinded Mina. She had to tilt her fedora down to shield her eyes. Even standing a few feet away, she could feel the aura of the silver radiating off him, a burning sensation that made her muscles tense. It was a discomfort she had learned to tolerate, silver being both her greatest weapon and her greatest weakness. Her swords, too, were silver, but their aura was faint and more manageable. Henrik’s armor was something else; it radiated power, a holy burn that would sear any vampire that touched him.

“Have you finished your preparations?” Henrik asked, standing with his halberd at the ready and a shortsword strapped to his hip.

Mina nodded, forcing her hands to steady. “I’m ready…”

“Not yet you ain’t,” Karaline called from the forge. She walked over with a freshly smithed shortsword in hand. “Two-handed grip, silver, just the way you like it.”

Mina nodded in thanks. She slid the sword into the mechanical sheath on her back. It clicked shut with a loud snap.

Henrik looked down at her chest, where the medallion swung against her leather breastplate. “A charm for good luck?”

She sighed quietly. “I was a different person once. The man who helped me be the hunter I am today taught me to use my curse to my advantage. I was stronger than the other hunters, faster, keener. I had a lot of anger, and looking back on that life, I’m ashamed. I was the monster they feared me to be. It wasn’t until I met Nathan that I finally embraced my humanity, which I thought I had lost. It is a part of my history I wish to forget sometimes, but reminders like this medallion help ground me.”

“There’s a little monster in all of us, an anger we can’t quench. It feeds off our pain and comes out at the worst of times. It leads you to do things you may regret. I understand it well. I may not know what you were like, but I see who you are now. You’re evidence that not every monster is a monster, that they can have humanity. You will always have my respect. That all being said, I also understand what we are up against and what is at stake. If we must fight fire with fire, then let us bring an inferno.” Henrik outstretched his hand to reveal a vial of blood in his palm. “But do keep yourself under control. Stay strong, and do not let that darkness consume you once again.”

Mina hesitated before taking it. She grasped it firmly, feeling the warmth of the liquid inside. It was potent, strong, enticing. She wanted to drink it now, but held off, slipping it into the final slot in her belt loop.

Karaline looked between them. “This is it then, aye? Ye’re off to face that bastard Draven once and for all, and I’m left prayin’ ye don’t get yerselves killed. Here’s hopin’ ye come back, the pair o’ ye, with Emily safe and that monster’s head on a spike!”

Henrik nodded. “By my honor, we shall return. Emily will be freed, and Draven’s tyranny shall end.”

Karaline’s gaze softened as she turned to Mina. She pulled her into a fierce hug. “Ye better come back,” she murmured. “Dinner at my place to celebrate, aye? I’ll have the stew bubblin’ and the ale poured.”

Mina hugged her back, staring off at Cresthill behind them. Her home. She had never been one to get involved with its people, with the lives of those Nathan associated with. She was just their protector, someone they could rely on when things got tough. It was good enough for her, but the thought of what might happen to them if she were never to return flooded her thoughts. There was more on the line than she had anticipated, and the longer she took to leave, the larger that list grew.

Then, to her surprise, she saw something she had not expected.

Violet was approaching from the road, dressed in the same equipment she had worn the night they battled the sandman. Behind her, a dozen mannequins from The Tailor’s shop floated inches above the ground.

Karaline noticed Mina’s expression and turned to see what she was looking at. “What in the blazin’ hell are ye doin’, lass?” she snapped.

‘I am preparing an army to help,’ Violet signed. ‘We rescue Emily together.’

“Like hell ye are!” Karaline shot back, her face reddening. “Ye think ye can just waltz in, even after I told ya no?”

‘I am not having this conversation again. We are helping rescue Emily. No ifs, ands, or buts, we are helping.’

“Who the hell do you think you are callin’ the shots all of a sudden?”

‘A friend, your daughter, and your master.’

Karaline glared at her, her mouth gaping open. “Can you believe this fuckin’ kid?” she said to Mina.

“I can,” Henrik said definitively. “In times like these, help is not often rejected. While I agree Violet is too young and inexperienced for such a battle, perhaps her abilities may prove useful.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be the voice of reason here?”

“Times are desperate, Karaline. To have someone with her unique talents on our side may turn the tide in our favor.”

“What the fuck are mannequins gonna do?”

Violet crossed her arms, and for the first time since Mina could remember, she saw something in Violet’s eyes. It was determination. Hot and burning. “What if you protected her?” she suggested. “Keep her just out of the fray. She sends in the mannequins, you guard her if any vampire men get close.”

“Ya think I can handle a vampire on my own?”

“Not if they can’t find you,” Mina said. “Hide in a nearby building, control the mannequins from afar.

Karaline’s eyes darted between them, stuttering on her words before giving up on formulating a full sentence. She glared back at Mina, disgruntled. But then, after a beat, her expression softened. “A’ight. Fine. Give me yer rifle.”

Mina waited by her front door.

Karaline and Violet only needed a short while to prepare. When the pair was ready, they marched up the hill to her house with the mannequins in tow.

“Before we depart, I ask that we all kneel.” Henrik dropped to one knee, and everyone followed suit. “I pray to you, Kasia, with death breathing down my neck. I ask for your protection, your guidance, and your strength as we embark on this quest. You have always been my rock, my support, my guiding light. Though you may no longer be with me in the flesh, I know your spirit has been beside me all along. Please watch over me and my allies, and keep us safe from harm.” Henrik drew his sword, holding it out as if presenting it to someone. “I will honor your memory with every blow I deal. No vampire will escape my blade in your name. Those who took you from me will fall on their knees. May their deaths bring you peace.” He was quiet for a moment, then rose, sheathing the sword. “Now, I am ready,” he said.

With that, Mina twisted the dial on her front door and threw it open. The air was suddenly tainted by the repulsive, smelting heat from Peccatum’s factory district.

Henrik grunted beside her as they all stepped out, gazing out at the scenery.’ It was bustling, with crowds of people and horse-drawn carriages. “I cannot think of a single reason any sane person would live in such a foul place,” he said.

“Most can’t afford to leave,” Mina said.

“I remember hearing people speak of Peccatum as grandeur. Then they had to go and build all this, for what?”

“Money,” Karaline said as she followed them out. “Need factories to keep makin’ it, but don’t want their streets polluted either.”

“All that glammar and grace locked away except for those with bulging pockets is beyond ridiculous.”

“Don’t you keep people out of your village?” Mina asked.

“For security, not capitalism. Serenity Gardens is a place for these people to find comfort and safety. If the homeless found their way to our doorstep, we would let them in with open arms.”

Mina raised an eyebrow and stared at him. “Open arms?”

“We’d interrogate them first before letting them in. As I said, we don’t want any more monsters wandering into our home.”

“And none of ‘em fuckers across the river wants any vermin wanderin’ into theirs. Better to keep ‘em all here.”

Soon, they found themselves across the street from Saint Black Hospital and Asylum.

The building seemed impossibly large from the outside, and though Mina knew of the asylum within beneath the structure, she had not known about the blood-sucking monsters that inhabited it.

“It is a sickening thought that vampires of all sentient lowlifes hide under the guise of healers,” Henrik said as he stared on at the building.

“It’s genius on their part,” Mina said. “An easy way to siphon blood without anyone being the wiser. They disguise themselves as people and help others. Who would suspect them of being anything different?” She scanned the road, and though it didn’t appear as though any vampires were lurking outside, she knew there would be plenty inside. It was the innocent bystanders she was worried about getting caught in the crossfire. A few of them walked by, eyeing the group as they stood beside the row of naked mannequins.

“What is our strategy then?” Henrik asked. “There are innocent people inside, no doubt.”

“Save them if we can, but Emily is the priority. If we find her, we get out. If we find Draven first, we kill him.”

Karaline rubbed at her chin as she leaned against the faded brick building behind them. “Think there’s anythin’ else in there?”

“Other monsters, you suggest?” Henrik looked back at her.

“Succubi, maybe,” Mina said.

“My kind of monster,” Karaline said. “But I ain’t lookin’ to get my tits bitten off today.”

Mina nodded. “Get as high as you can into any one of these buildings. Make sure you have a vantage point, but keep out of sight. Vampires don’t train to fight like I do. They believe strength and speed are the keys to victory. Outsmart them and you should have nothing to worry about. ”

“And what about Vi’s mannequins?”

Mina pursed her lips, then turned to the young necromancer. “What kind of spirits did you put into them?”

‘Vengeful,’ she signed.

“Then surround the exits as best you can,” Henrik said. “I suspect some will try to flee.”

Karaline nodded and took Violet into the building.

Mina waited a moment for them to get into position, taking the time to polish her weapons with holy water, making sure to give Henrik some of it as well. Finally, she took the vial of Henrik’s blood and rolled it in her palm.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

Without skipping a beat, Mina uncorked the vial and downed the blood.

The taste was succulent, something she hadn’t felt in ages. Almost immediately, it filled her body with adrenaline, and her heart started pumping faster. Mina took a long, slow breath, her knuckles cracking as she flexed her fingers. Her hands had stopped trembling. It was like her instincts went into overdrive. “Yeah,” she finally said, and marched across the street and into the lobby. It was mostly crowded, with a few sickly people slouching in the old, worn-out chairs.

The nurse behind the front desk glanced up from a pile of paperwork with a sultry grin. She looked Mina over. “Hello, how may I help—”

BANG!

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED TODAY’S CHAPTER!

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