Spars with Vancha

Vancha spent the next couple of nights roaming with Larten, letting him
tell his sorry story. The General made no comment, just listened quietly.
When Larten finally ran out of words to express his miserable state, Vancha
said that the younger vampire could travel with him if he wished.
“I’m going through a bit of an aimless period myself,” he said.

***

The pair wandered purposelessly but pleasantly for the next year. They
hunted and told each other stories. They regularly sparred to pass the time
and Larten unwittingly found himself completing many of the tasks he
would have had to pass to become a General. Vancha would always swear
over the decades to come that he hadn’t meant to play the part of a mentor,
but Larten had his doubts. Like Seba, Vancha could be a sly operator when
slyness was called for.

***

The Saga of Larten Crepsley: Ocean of Blood, Chapter 15