Having narrowly escaped being blown to pieces, Count Vlad squares off against the mercenaries known as Grace and Gramps. However, what began as a battle to the death takes an unexpected turn when the pair end up joining the band of travelers. Count Vlad soon stumbles across none other than the Justiciar, the man who had him executed in the distant past. The Justiciar then recounts the tragic story of his imprisonment and his son's death. Yet he may not have been entirely forthcoming, as Count Vlad and friends soon learn when they cross paths with a young assassin...