Vanadium Comics Presents

Arkadium Under Siege: The Night Belongs to Predators—But Not for Long

By Tina Hayward, Staff Writer

ARKADIUM—The city streets have become a hunting ground. Not just for the usual gangs looking to expand their grip, but for something far worse—something inhuman.

The Sons of Crete, the city’s most brutal street gang, have found themselves in an unholy alliance with the Renfields—ghoul-like creatures that serve the ancient Empusas, the legendary blood-drinkers of the underworld. Together, they’ve turned Arkadium’s alleys and tenement buildings into a feeding frenzy, where human lives are nothing more than currency in a war for dominance.

People are vanishing in record numbers. Homeless shelters report entire encampments disappearing overnight. The morgue is filled with drained bodies, riddled with claw marks and strange incisions. Some victims are found alive, but they are never the same—muttering, vacant-eyed, their minds shattered.

The police are overwhelmed. Commissioner Rowland has been fighting a war on two fronts—against the rising crime rate and against City Hall, which refuses to acknowledge what’s really happening in Arkadium. Officially, the mayor’s office is dismissing the reports as “sensationalism.” Off the record? The fear is real.

But Arkadium isn’t defenseless.

A fragile truce has been forged among the city’s most notorious vigilantes. The Retri-Butcher, a relentless force of nature with a taste for poetic justice, has taken to the streets with Silent Adder, the city’s most enigmatic assassin. The Street Avenger, Arkadium’s own urban legend, stalks the night, while the formidable Ben Ferguson—known for cracking Renfield skulls with his spiked bat—clears out nest after nest of these grotesque creatures. Detective Hiroshi Miike, one of the last honest cops in a corrupt system, has joined forces with Rowland to strategize against the coming storm.

Sources tell the Arkadi-Lamppost that a war is brewing beneath the neon glow of Arkadium’s skyline. The Sons of Crete are expanding their territory, emboldened by their supernatural allies. But the hunters are being hunted. The Retri-Butcher has already made his mark—leaving behind bodies of Renfields and gang members alike, strung up as a warning. Silent Adder moves like a ghost, cutting off supply chains and eliminating key players in the underworld. The Street Avenger is carving a path through the city, sending a clear message: Arkadium does not belong to the monsters.

The real question remains—who is pulling the strings? The Empusas are ancient, but their hunger is controlled. They don’t move without purpose. If they are here, it’s because something far worse is stirring in the shadows.

This city has survived crime waves before. It has endured corruption, violence, and chaos. But this is something new. Something darker.

Stay vigilant.

No story is too dark to tell.

—Tina Hayward, Arkadi-Lamppost