Sims 2 Tales

“We have every reason to suspect that the vampires responsible for the killings are Julian, Constance and Augustus Maxwell,” Hilde began. “For many centuries they have been travelling the world, feeding and killing indiscriminately. Their parents were respected throughout Rome, and both Julian and Augustus were following in their father’s footsteps by serving as centurions before entering the Senate. One spring, not long after Julian and Augustus were sent overseas, cholera swept the city and claimed their parents’ lives. Constance was left alone, and became afraid that her brothers would be next to die as they were involved in a long and bloody campaign.”

“Constance’s fear drove her spend much of each day in the family’s private temple, where she prayed to the goddess Nerio. The goddess was the wife of Mars, god of war, and her name means strength. Constance prayed for her brothers to remain strong so that they returned safely, and for her own strength to see her through the long months ahead of her.”

“After many weeks of praying and attempting to invoke the goddess’ spirit, Constance’s prayers were answered. Nerio appeared in the temple and promised to do as Constance asked on one condition – she must sell her soul, and would gain immortality as well as the safe return of her brothers.”

“Unfortunately for Constance, Nerio didn’t tell her everything regarding her ‘gift’ of immortality. The goddess vanished as soon as Constance showed the immediate signs of her transformation: a terrible fever and aching limbs, gradually replaced by her skin feeling ice cold to the touch and a heightened awareness of everything around her. It took three weeks for Constance’s transformation to be complete, her overwhelming thirst for blood, fangs and the change of her eye colour to red being the most obvious indications of what she had become. She hadn’t really strayed from the temple since her parents’ deaths, so nobody thought it strange that she was never seen during the daytime.

Her brothers returned from their campaign, safe as Nerio had promised, but Constance was still afraid of being alone so she turned them. After that it was no longer possible for them to continue their military and political ambitions, so they decided to leave Rome. They feasted on their servants’ blood before setting fire to the home they had grown up in, and no-one could tell that the three bodies found inside once the flames had been extinguished were not those of Constance, Julian and Augustus."

Throughout Hilde’s story, Loki and Rebecca had remained silent. Neither detective was sure of what to say, but Rebecca was the first to speak.

“If the story is true, how do you know so much about the Maxwells?” she asked.

“We have been hunting them for over nine centuries, Detective Collins,” Hilde answered quietly. “Obviously you have seen that we also have fangs, but unlike the others we can walk during the day and don’t have red eyes or the need to drink blood. Matthias will explain how we became vampires.”

Matthias looked questioningly at his sister and sighed before turning his attention back to Loki and Rebecca.

“Our story begins in the winter of 1042, the year we were killed during a raid on our home town. We lived in Varberg, near the Swedish coast, and were attacked by invaders from across the sea in Denmark. Half of the town’s inhabitants were slaughtered, and many of the male survivors were taken alive and forced to serve in one of the many fleets that terrorised the European coasts. Our bodies were found by an elderly man, an apparent stranger to our region, and taken away. We were told that six months had passed before we awoke, our lives fully restored and our scars healing.”

“Throughout our unconsciousness we’d heard two men discussing us, the elderly man and another who sounded younger. We couldn’t discern all of what they were saying, but we eventually found out who they were as soon as we had recovered enough to meet them properly. The elderly man who’d found us was named Valfodr, and the younger man was Heimdallr.”

Matthias paused for a moment, studying Loki’s face which wore a look of startled recognition.

“As I thought Detective Beaker, you know much of the ancient mythology of your Norse heritage. You are named after the trickster god Loki after all. However for Detective Collins I will give a very brief explanation. Valfodr was one of the other names used by our chief god Odin, god of war and the dead among other things. Valfodr means ‘father of the slain.’ Heimdallr, the younger man, was the lone sentinel of heaven who guarded the bridge to the home of the gods, Asgard. Of the people from our town who had been killed in the raid, our bodies were the least spoiled. The gods had not looked favourably on the behaviour of the Vikings as we know them today, and were keen to ensure that those who were undeserving did not try to force their way into heaven. They decided to recruit us as sentinels back in the mortal world, and our job was also to destroy vampires.”

“Although we were granted immortality and the protection of the gods, we could only have the strength to do our duty if we were returned as vampires ourselves. Because we don’t have to sleep during the day we have the advantage over the other kind of vampires, the nightwalkers, and it is therefore easier to hunt and destroy them. Ever since the day we left Asgard we have been carrying out the gods’ wishes.”