"I'd leave that stake where it is if I were you," the red-haired Cyrus called back to the jailer as he and his giant little brother walked off. "You can remove it after you find a suitable dungeon to keep him in."
"My thanks to ye two!" the jailer called back.
For the past couple of weeks, Cyrus and Tobias have been staying in the village of Hyoite to focus their jobs on a newer region. Being complete strangers to this region, the two of them (Tobias, especially), thought they would be regarded as suspicious. But after catching a vampire running amok in the village, they quickly became accepted as efficient bounty hunters. During their stay, they captured two more vampires that have been bothering the village for awhile, rewarding them with praise and money.
Their encounters with vampires were extremely rare, but during those few encounters, they learned that not all vampires were particularly evil; they were simply misunderstood. Tobias, especially, could sympathize with some of them since he was also turned into a creature of darkness. The ones they caught, however, were intentional criminals that needed to be brought to justice.
Now it was almost time for them to leave this village and head for a journey elsewhere. One more night's stay at the local tavern and inn and they will depart from this village and travel south back into warmer climate.
Yes, it did tend to get very cold this far up north, which was why they they had brought some suitable clothing. Cyrus wore a layer of bear fur and wool over his usual attire. Due to Tobias's huge size, he had to get a cloak made out of skinned yeti fur, which was expensive and hard to come by. But these were necessities for settling into the cold, so the money they earned from the hunts came into great use for these and other needs for the journeys ahead of them.
They soon arrived at the Sleeping Yeti Pub and Inn, a two-story cottage with rooms big enough for a nine-foot-tall giant like Tobias to sleep in.
"Finally, back to warmth!" Cyrus exclaimed as he reached for the brass knob.
"Not too soon, either," Tobias said as his masked face peered to the late night sky, its full moon being obscured by heavy clouds. "Looks like there's a snowstorm coming this way."
"Well, let's get inside, then," Cyrus urged, opening the door to the warm, ambient lights glowing inside.
"SHUT THAT DOOR! YOU'RE LETTING THE WARMTH OUT!" came a disgruntled growl from inside.
"Quickly!" Cyrus hissed as he darted inside. Tobias did his best to fit his giant frame and giant sword through the small door as quickly as possible. As soon as he was through, the door slammed shut, leaving the two brothers exposed to the warmth coming from the fireplace and the lanterns hanging from the ceiling. The place was relatively empty, save for the burly middle-aged barkeep, who was busy cleaning up.
"Oh, hey you two," he said after seeing who it was. "Anything I can get for ye before you hit the hay tonight?"
"Yes, a keg of hot cider, please," Tobias requested, wishing to get some more warmth in his body.
"A mug for me, as well," Cyrus added. "Oh, and you can take down that wanted poster there." He gestured to the sign hanging on one of the walls. "We just caught that guy."
The barkeeper went off to get their orders, but took the sign down first. After about five minutes, he returned with a keg plus a mug of piping hot cider. "Now you two don't stay up too long. I have to close up soon."
What are you, my mother? was what Cyrus wanted to say, but instead, he said, "We won't, barkeep."
Tobias effortlessly picked up the full keg with his black, clawed hand, then proceeded to walk over to the glowing fireplace. Cyrus followed, and the two sat down in front of its warm flames, the cider warming their bodies.
The door once again opened minutes later, letting in another burst of cold air, then quickly shut itself.