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Wriothesley emitted a grunt as he rolled onto the ground, hiding behind a tree as a whizzing sound buzzed by him, eerily close. Half of the upper trunk of the tree started to slide off its base, having been slashed through as if it were butter. A shrieking cackle was heard in the distance, hidden in the blanket of darkness that surrounded the forested area, the enemy clearly mocking him. The hunter, in response, merely cemented himself in his current position, crouched down, still hiding behind the newly created stump. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, calming himself down to increase his senses. To anyone walking by, one would think the man had fallen asleep.
The entity hiding in the dark, growled, clearly frustrated by his lack of response, and rushed towards Wriothesley’s position. Claws extended with a swishing noise, aimed at his position, intent clearly to rip him to shreds. However, this was exactly what the veteran hunter was hoping for, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips.
As if this were a rehearsed act, Wriothesley jutted himself forward, dodging the grapple attack with ease. Before the creature could make sense of what was going on, it felt a heavy boot being kicked right into its snout, a crackling noise indicating that bones were broken. The creature howled in pain, but not before a bright light was emitted, and another blow was dealt as an icy force was jarred into its face, causing the creature to fly into the ground. The impact was so great that the creature now lay in a self-created crater in the ground, body twitching, trying to regain some sense of control back.
The hunter didn’t even give the night creature a chance to recover as he continued to repeatedly punch the being into submission, his fists growing a bright blue, his ice spell weaving itself into magically enhanced gauntlets, dealing ice damage as well as the physical that he was incurring to the beast. The man aimed at the jugular of the creature, yelling with rage as he continued his onslaught, until the neck of the beast was severed from the main body, blood spewing everywhere and body going limp in defeat.
Once Wriothesley was satisfied, taking his time to observe the creature a little longer to ensure that the beast was not going to suddenly resurrect for any odd reason, he stood up, dispelling his ice gauntlets which vanished into thin air. Catching his breath, he leaned up against one of the undamaged trees nearby, taking the time to rest. This had been his fifth fight of the night, and as much as he would have liked to have the stamina of when he was a teenager, he understood his stamina wasn’t what it used to be in his finer stages of youth. He could take no chances at not being able to perform at his best, because one slip-up and it could mean the loss of an entire village, which was precisely the situation here.
Though the man was only passing by, he couldn’t help but assist the crazed villagers that were fleeing from their homes in terror. A few night creatures had found their way into the small village of Yvoire, causing chaos in their wake. Starting with slaughtering the tiny amounts of livestock the villagers had, they pressed forward and started slaying the human inhabitants, feasting on their flesh in the middle of the streets and continuing with their rampage. It was when an older woman approached him, explaining that her whole family had been terminated, begging him for his assistance. Wriothesley did not hesitate as he rushed into the village, his soul flaring with vengeance as he aimed to target any night creature that stood in his way. The streets were littered with the bodies of the dead, but he knew there were still some survivors that were in hiding or had managed to flee, and that was enough for him to start attacking and defending them with all his might.
As he made his way back to the village proper, the true level of devastation that was dealt to Yvoire finally sunk in for him. Blood coated the cobblestone and dirt paths, people finding their family members slain in one way or another, and some sitting or standing in complete shock, not even able to move or process what happened. Some were functioning more than others, the spark of life lost in their eye as they mindlessly started gathering the bodies to the back of wooden carts to burn and others trying to go about their night as if nothing had happened. It was a bizarre sight to behold, but one that Wriothesley was all too familiar with. This was the current view of humanity, barely holding it together as their lives were consistently torn apart, one settlement or life at a time.
It crushed Wriothesley to see that people had become reduced to such a sad existence. The looks on their faces held such a level of defeat that even he had a sudden drop in morale. Their faces portrayed a level of post traumatic stress that was like one that he wore constantly, with his adoptive brothers and sisters, in the pathetic excuse for a family and home that he had grown up in. His foster parents only saw their worth in how much they could personally gain from them, just as vampires and night creatures only saw humans as a source of nourishment and slavery. Only ever for their worth, and never truly about them as beings worth protecting and treasuring. He balled his fists as his anger started to seep out, hating that this was the best that life could offer anyone these days. A day that humans could survive these creatures and live to see the rising sun that welcomed the new day was a rare treat indeed, and that was hardly a form of existence.
It wasn’t until he felt a hand fall onto his shoulder did he finally break free of his thoughts. He knew the weight of the hand was familiar, choosing to let it linger on his shoulder a little longer. Wriothesley merely sighed, eventually brushing the hand off as he continued walking towards the village.
“Took you a little while to get here, didn’t it, Clorinde? Just where exactly were you? I had to take care of five of those bastards by myself, which puts me ahead of you in our count, by the way, so your loss.” He grumbled to his battle partner, who seemed to sit still in silence for a short time, before he heard her boots hit the ground behind him, following him.
“I sensed something was off, long before the woman came. I took off to see if I could get a feel of what was going on in Yvoire, but I see you ran right on ahead and tried to take care of it like the rash fool that you are. I held no doubt you could handle it, but you should value your safety more.” Clorinde replied, taking in the sights around her that Wriothesley had already observed.
“Fuck you.”
“You’re not my type, fortunate for you.”
Wriothesley rolled his eyes, but a rare smile returned to his face as he glanced back at her. He noticed the familiar gear that she wore, brown leather light armor, like his. Though many within their organization preferred to wear heavy armor to help prevent them from the savage attacks of the beasts and vampires, these two preferred to wear light weight gear, optimizing their dexterity and was easier to transport. Her long blue-black hair was tied up in a ponytail, loose strands still hugging her face. Her eyes held a trace of her arcane power she was known to wield, a slight purple with a sense of electric energy behind them. Many fell for her due to her stoic and mysterious behavior, along with her strength and finesse. Wriothesley forever respected her, but he could agree with her statement, she wasn’t his type as well. He had more of a masculine taste, but he could freely admit that she was a rather sinister beauty.
The Vitae Linea were a rather secretive group, funded by the Church in hopes of defeating all manners of creatures of the night. Wriothesley had been in the organization for so long, he couldn’t even remember how he had come about to join it. He just knew that they gave him directions and commands, and he obeyed. If it meant saving at least one human life, he didn’t care about the other details. What else did humanity have going for it? At least by doing something, he could find some sort of way to sleep at night and feel like he fulfilled something.
He and Clorinde were at the top of their ranks and were usually paired with each other for slaying missions or scouting for intel, and they learned quickly that though they had different personalities, their humor was similar, and they both coped with all their shared trauma with a sort of dark humor. It was odd, but they found they helped each other remain sane. Many had thought that the two of them would become a couple, but that was never how they viewed each other. They were more like brother and sister in arms, equally getting into their own form of trouble that one would inevitably have to rescue the other from.
Wriothesley’s attention centered back towards what was in front of him, as he heard Clorinde unsheathe her sword in warning, his eyes narrowing in scrutinization. A young man was running up to them, covered in blood, but not wielding any sort of weapon. Once Chloride saw this, she eased her blade back into its sheath, but he was sure one of her hands was still resting on her gun, ready to strike if need be.
“Monsieur! Mademoiselle!” the man wheezed out as he ran up to the two of them, hands on his knees as he started to catch his breathe. Wriothesley and Clorinde remained silent as they let the young man gather himself.
“P-please, you didn’t have to do anything for us like what you did. You put your lives on the line for us and saved us! Listen, you are more than welcome to stay at my inn for however long you need. There’s a tavern connected to it as well, so you can get food and drink. I may not have as much to offer as most places you’ve visited, I’m sure, but I want to express my thanks and to keep you two well rested…”
Upon hearing this, Wriothesley looked back at Clorinde for her input, in which she merely shrugged, letting him make the decision.
“Well, doesn’t look like there’s any other village close by that we’d be able to make it to here soon, so, I suppose we’ll have to take you up on that.” Replied Wriothesley, arms crossed over his chest as he continued to observe the young man.
“R-R-Right this way then, please!” the young man stuttered as he started to skitter off towards the inn. It was then that a shadow passed over the two of them, which caused the young man and a few others surrounding them to yell and hide, in fear of yet another attack.
Clorinde lifted her hand into the air as a black crow perched itself on it, glowing with a bright teal aura, ancient tomes scattered over its feathers. This was a common method that members of the Vitae Linea would use to communicate with each other over long distances. Usually, a message was attached to the foot of the bird, like the common carrier pigeon. However, these birds never needed to rest and almost always reached their destination, able to flee from battle and fight to some degree.
As expected, a small piece of parchment was tied to the crow, that Clorinde carefully plucked off, with her other free hand, unrolled and began to read its contents.
“Headquarters again or something? The hell is going on now?” Wriothesley asked, a hint of unease polluting his tone.
“Hmm…” was all that Clorinde replied with, as she nodded at the bird, meaning that she accepted the information within and would heed whatever instructions were told. The bird nodded back, as it spread its wings, taking back off into the night sky as Clorinde helped to push the bird back into the air with her raised hand.
“It looks like leadership wants us to stay here for the night. Word has leaked to our informants that a pack of night creatures, twice as large as this one, is on their way here to overthrow the village. We’re ordered to take out the group, if the information was indeed correct, and to report back once they are slain, for further instructions.”
The young man from earlier suddenly reappeared by them, eyes wide and now shaking in fear after hearing her relay of the information.
“Y-Y-You m-m-mean…there’s going to be, m-m-m-ore?” The man inquired, fear gripping him so tightly that his skin started to glisten in a light sheen of anxiety-caused sweat.
Wriothesley glared back at Clorinde for offering up such important information so casually, which once more, she replied by merely shrugging, looking off into the distance, clearly not wanting to deal with the young man. The seasoned hunter sighed, turning back to the fear-stricken man.
“That’s why we’ll be staying, to make sure what happened tonight won’t happen again. Headquarters must really think this place is worth protecting if they’re keeping us both here. Trust me, you’re in good hands, we won’t be on the scene late this time, and now your village has the foresight as well, you can all prepare.”
The man wasn’t quite comforted by his words, but he did seem to calm down just slightly. A nervous whine was heard from him as he continued to direct them back to his inn. Wriothesley and Clorinde followed behind him in earnest.
Wriothesley could only hope that he could live up to the words he had uttered to the innkeeper.
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The lake looked like a magical landscape, the moonlight shimmering down to reflect upon the surface of the water, in a pure white light. The stars that were spread throughout the sky above like grains of sand, also reflected upon the face of the lake. None of it looked real, as different shades of black, purple, and teal danced across the sky above to the surface below, Wriothesley could hardly believe his eyes. As unreal as this all looked, he felt as though he had visited this place a million times, but also knowing that was impossible. There was no way his mind could imagine something so beautiful, when all he had to view in real life was ugly sights of death, decay, and destruction.
His eyes widened as he noticed a sort of rippling and bubbling of the water that was deeper into the lake, and he knew something was hiding beneath the waters. The hunter gathered his hands in front of him, attempting to ignite his arcane energy, but nothing happened. He gasped, looking down at his fists in confusion as he tried again, and nothing happened. Wriothesley could not even sense magic within himself, as if he had never possessed any traces of it to begin with. His attention was brought back to the lake as a long, serpentine body rose from the depths of the lake, breaking the surface of the lake, causing giant ebbs in the flow of water, distorting the mesmerizing image from before, now replacing it with another.
Bioluminescent scales of teal and different shades of light to dark blue, coated the long creature, tufts of white fur surrounding the giant face of the scaled beast, continuing to run all the way down the length of its body, which he assumed even more of its body was still being hidden underneath the deep waters of the lake. There were giant humps on the side of the entity, which, his mind had concluded, were probably some forms of wings, this creature having to be some sort of water dragon. The mouth of the large serpentine being opened, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth, as it let out a mighty roar with a slight hiss, that shook his very core.
Wriothesley could only sit in horror at the shore of the lake, now utterly unable to move his body. It was like he was in some sort of trance and couldn’t break free, no matter how hard he tried. It made no sense to him, and for the first time in his life, he felt completely powerless. Then he did one thing he thought he would never do in his life. The man whimpered in terror, something he had only ever done one other time in his life.
In response to hearing the pathetic sound, the creature turned its large head to look directly at him, sharp, violet, slit eyes looking right into his very soul, he felt like. This caused his heart to race even faster if it was possible. He could literally feel his heart beating against his chest, pumping adrenaline into his body that it could not even used as it was still paralyzed.
‘Hahaha, I like that sound coming from you, I can never hear it enough. Why must everything you do be so perfect to me?’
Wriothesley could only take in what the creature said to him, a voice purring inside of his mind, as the only sound being expressed by the water dragon was a slight growl here and there and hissing. He tried to respond back, physically, but still his body refused to cooperate. He then attempted to reply through his own thoughts, which proved to be more fruitful in its efforts.
‘What…. what the fuck?!’
A mixture of a chuffing and growling was heard from the water dragon in a rhematic pattern, as if it were…laughing at him?
‘You amuse me so, though I wish you’d remember. I cannot wait to get past the same conversation repeatedly. Just a little more time, dear, please be patient for me.’
‘What the…who the fuck are you calling ‘dear’? The hell is this?’
His eyes widened further as the water dragon slithered out of the lake, more of its body being exposed, but still a decent amount still being enshrouded by the dark depths of the lake. Large, muscular scaled arms helped to drag its form to the shore of the lake, sharp blue claws digging into the ground to help stabilize itself. Wriothesley knew that if he even suffered a single slash from one of the claws, it would mean the end of his existence, they were that large and clearly that sharp, though it made no move to harm him. Instead, the creature lowered its head, to be on the same level as Wriothesley’s face. The dragon then opened its mouth, exposing a long and slender tongue, as it reached out and slid over his cheeks, lapping at his skin repeatedly. If it weren’t such an odd situation, Wriothesley swore that this was some display of affection, akin to a cat or dog licking its owner. Wriothesley shuddered in response, shocked at the action and surprised that his body was allowed a little more freedom.
‘If you’re going to kill me, fucking do it now!’
‘Now, now…”
The dragon lapped its tongue on his cheek again, now rubbing its snout gently onto his skin, the scales feeling oddly cool and soothing to Wriothesley. This caused his heart to race further, his vision now blackening as he felt the familiar feeling of losing consciousness.
“In due time, Wriothesley, in due time…”
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The hunter awoke, jumping up in the rather uncomfortable bed he had been apparently laying in, and screamed at the top of his lungs, heart still racing. Immediately, a shuffling of boots was heard as the door slammed open, revealing Clorinde, who had appeared to have most of her light armor off and down in her more basic night clothing, aiming her small gun in his direction. After taking a moment to examine the room and seeing no visible threat, she put her gun down and stared straight at Wriothesley before she walked over to his bed, inspecting him and looking over him for any sort of wound or signs of illness.
“Ah, you must have had a nightmare. A bad one, I don’t think I’ve ever heard you scream like that, other than the time that a spider jumped at your- “
“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! I wasn’t expecting it, okay?! Otherwise, I wouldn’t have given two shits about some dumb spider!” Wriothesley pouted, his mind now being distracted by his prior embarrassment than whatever had caused him to wake up. He couldn’t even remember getting to the inn, and he wasn’t dreaming, to his knowledge. It was all blank, which he found frustrating.
“Right…” Clorinde dismissed, as she shook her head at him.
“Maybe yesterday got the better of you. You know, eventually this all does catch up to us in certain ways. Take it easy for today, the skies are dark and grey, rainy. Not much we can do today, unfortunately.”
Wriothesley let this information sink into his mind as he continued to settle himself down. His frustration continued to grow as he tried to remember anything that could have happened to have caused him to awaken like this. The only thing that he found odd was his cheek felt rather damp and he could taste blood in his mouth, which he assumed was from him biting his tongue in his sleep, which oddly enough, happened often when his dreams were plagued with nightmares.
“Hey, Clorinde, what happened? I remember following the innkeeper to…wherever here is, and I don’t even remember getting a room or anything. Especially not getting dressed for bed and all.” He said as he motioned over to his gear which was sitting on a small table towards the window on the other side of the room.
“The Exotic Flagon, that’s the name of the establishment. You passed out almost immediately. I assume you haven’t gotten much rest in a while, and those back-to-back fights yesterday must have taken a higher toll on your body than you observed. I picked you up and brought you to this room. You’re not exactly the lightest weight I’ve lifted, but you were a good workout, I suppose.” She explained, heading towards the door leading out of the room.
“Get as much rest as you need, I’ll be in the tavern portion of the inn, and keeping watch. I don’t suspect the night creatures or their master’s would be active during the day, but I’m not putting anything past them, especially when the sun is barely present.” Clorinde stated as she walked out, closing the door behind her, giving her battle partner some privacy.
Wriothesley stared at the door briefly, mind completely blank as he tried to settle into everything that had happened recently, in his mind. He sighed, knowing damn well that if he was already awake there was no hope in falling back asleep. At this acceptance, he finally got up and off the bed, and started to take off the cloth wrappings that he had on his hands, in exchange for some new ones. He did this to help cover his bare skin from impacting hard surfaces, especially if they are tough-skinned night creatures or vampires. Usually upon unwrapping his hands, he would find them littered with bruises and slight cuts, but to his shocked surprise, he noticed his hands didn’t have any wounds or damage on them at all, just the occasional scar here and there. He turned his hands around, checking his palms for anything as well, and it was the same situation. No wounds or damage appeared at all, and he had certainly used and abused his hands all last night during his battles.
Nervously and cautiously, he whipped out some new bandages from his supplies and started to wrap them once more, trying to figure out some sort of logical reason as to why there was no evidence of use on or under his skin. He eventually convinced himself that maybe his health was in better status or maybe he had taken some sort of salve and had it applied on his skin before he wrapped them before and that must have done the trick. Once he was satisfied with his wraps, he continued to put on the rest of his outfit, which was basic brown leather armor with a black studded jacket with fur that he liked to use as a sort of cape.
Once he was satisfied with his outfit as he looked at his reflection in the long mirror in his inn room, he exited the room and headed towards where Clorinde claimed she would be. Time to get some intel and see what they could do for the commonfolk, he supposed.
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Upon entering the livelier parts of the inn, Wriothesley took notice of the tavern and the atmosphere it provided. The lights were dimmed but warm with lanterns and a roaring fireplace towards the back of the room provided a welcome source of warmth. Long and round tables were placed sporadically through the tavern, though they had an odd sense of pattern to them. He assumed it was sometime midday, as there were a decent number of patrons already there, some sitting at the bar and chattering amongst themselves, the others sitting at their respective tables. A few sniffles and murmured voices were heard, he assumed, that they were all attempting to help each other cope and find some sort of solace from last night. The women who were tending the bar held smiles on their faces, but it was easy to tell that they were masking their feelings, as when patrons would take a moment to look away, their eyes immediately dimmed with sadness and woe.
Wriothesley walked further into the room, until he was bumped into by one of the tavern workers. She gasped in surprise, profusely apologizing to him and bowing, before continuing with her work. He noticed that she failed to make any sort of direct eye contact with him, which set off an alarm in his head. He observed her as a few other workers joined her in cleaning and organizing the dining and lounging area, hushed whispers being spread between them, but nothing that Wriothesley could hear from all the commotion around him. The hunter was about to approach one of the maidens before a voice broke his concentration.
“Leave them be. I suppose they’re doing just about everything they can think of, to keep their minds from pondering on about what incurred last night. If they were any sort of danger to us, I would have sensed it by now.” He heard Clorinde state from his side, as she was sitting at a small round table, a mug full of unknown liquid in front of her, eyes looking out of the nearest window, watching the rain with slight fascination.
He would have agreed with her, too, if it weren’t for the sudden side glances some of the tavern workers were sending his way. The moment that they saw he made eye contact with them, their eyes would widen, and they would continue their work, doing their best to ignore him, or rush off to block any further interactions with him. This sent a wave of unease through Wriothesley, but when he turned back to look at the dismissive attitude of Clorinde as she continued her distant gaze out of one of the windows, he convinced himself it was just him overreacting. If it were truly something to be worried about, she would have made it known to him by now.
“So, what’s the plan? Are we just going to sit here and relax until all hell breaks loose?” He asked her, taking a seat beside her at the long table.
“There’s not much more else to do other than assist with the cleanup, which they handled rather swiftly last night. It’s wise to burn the bodies before they have a chance to turn into something regrettable. The only other thing I could think of you doing now is to patrol the perimeter, but even then, we would have sensed if something was within the vicinity or not. We must bide our time for our confirmed threats, that is one thing for certain.”
“Well, I guess it’s better than nothing. I rather hate standing idly by while there are things to do. I’m half tempted to go out and bring the fight to them, it would mean less chances of civilian casualties and if we can find where they are nesting, we would have the advantage against them. The sun might not be at its brightest, but it’ll do well to have some sort of aid in battle if it manages to break free from the cloudy weather, wouldn’t you agree?” He said playfully, nudging her with his elbow, trying to push his words onto her. He knew that if it meant getting into something they were advised against or caused any amount of deviation from the plan, she would hold just as much interest as him.
Clorinde crossed her arms, giving him a side glare before she closed her eyes in deep contemplation. Wriothesley continued to nudge her, continuing his frequency when he was only rewarded with silence. Finally, she pushed him off her, and if looks could kill, he would have been six feet under in no time. But he knew how to convince her, and just kept his trademark smile aimed at her, waiting for a verbal response.
“You’re not going to give me any sense of peace until you get what you want, are you?”
“You wound me.”
“Am I wrong?”
“Not in the slightest.”
“Then if you get slaughtered, don’t say I didn’t try to hold you back and warn you.” Clorinde said, defeatedly, as she began to rise from her position, taking a final swig of her drink before she started gathering her gear. She heard Wriothesley tapping the wooden table in excitement like it was drum roll as he started to get amped up, eager for some combat.
He just wasn’t the type to sit around and do nothing, and with most of the world against humanity, they always had something to do.
“Now, that’s what I’m talking about! Remember, you’re behind me in score. You might have a chance to catch up, depending on how big this pack is. If not, no worries, you’ll be enjoying the month of cleanup crew at the hideout, and I’ll be enjoying my fat coin purse.” He teased, quickly grabbing his gear.
“Continue to rush into these sorts of situations, Wriothesley, and you’ll pay the price.” She warned, retying her ponytail as she made her way to the exit.
Wriothesley walked up to the main door of the inn, opening it and gesturing for Clorinde to walk through first, that cocky smile still on his face. As she walked over to meet him, she told a gold piece from her belongings and flipped the coin onto one of the wooden tables, making sure one of the servants saw it. The gold currency was worth more than the inn would see in a months’ worth of revenue, and Wriothesley was shocked that she offered it up.
“Keep the change, and make sure you do a good job keeping everything nice and neat. You never know what kind of patronage you may receive these days.” Clorinde offered them a stern warning as she left the building, Wriothesley following her soon after.
If he had spent just a tad bit longer, he would have noticed a few more citizens entering the tavern, with decorations, food, and drink. It was as if they were about to begin a celebration of sorts, even after having experienced such a devastating tragedy the night before.
What an odd little village.
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As the rain continued to pour, the skies darkened as a storm began to brew. The two had managed to walk only about a mile away from the village, and it was shocking how fast the storm seemed to appear. What was once a drizzle of rain becoming heavy rainfall, encumbering their sights when trying to observe their surroundings. The two were absolutely drenched, their leather hoods up trying to protect them from the weather but providing little protection.
They were currently surrounded by foliage; evidence of camps being made by unknown sources all around them. Old firepits dug into the ground existed, tossed bedrolls and some traces of eaten food scattered the place, but no traces of survivors were seen. Not even a speck of blood was left behind. If the previous inhabitants simply didn’t run for their lives and left everything behind, they were most certainly taken, and by whom they couldn’t even begin to imagine what horrors may have spirited them away. The place they decided to investigate seemed to have provided proof that odd things were happening, but it did not provide them with any leads. Clorinde was growing frustrated.
“You’re ridiculous for dragging us out here. We could have been warm in the tavern, and my clothes wouldn’t have gotten drenched. For the darling of the Vitae Linea, you can be an absolute idiot.” Clorinde growled out, trying to justify them being there to herself by looking around. Her hand lit up in a purple haze, the energy taking hold of the outline of her body, forming a small, protective shield to keep the rain and wind off her. It was a minor shield, one smack from an enemy and it would crumble and give way to the second of impact, but she found that in instances like this, the spell was a lifesaver.
“Yeah, well, you didn’t have to give in and heed my words, did you? Nope, you could have just sat back at the inn and stayed in the nice warm room. You know, while I stay out here and continue to make sure that you keep below me in slaying numbers. You know, I’ve been imagining what I’ll buy first with your gold, I think some tea from each traveled region would be wonderful- “
“You’re insufferable at best, you know this, correct? I’m requesting solo missions from now on after this.”
“I’d like to say I just have creative methods that not everyone approves of, but still gets the job done. Just call me unique, flavored, seasoned, well met, exciting…” Wriothesley purred out, holding his face with a smile, clearly proud of himself and taking a moment to truly express it. Mainly to piss her off, but also to rile her up so he could have more of a challenge with her.
He felt a smack to the back of his head in response, a purple aura shattering like shards of glass and fading with the impact.
“You know, that was rather idiotic of yourself to do that and lose that shield. Now you really must suffer out here with me!”
Their little feud ended abruptly as a heavy roar was discharged from a great distance away, but the ferocity of it did not fade at all. Wriothesley gasped as his heart skipped a beat. He didn’t know why, but this roar felt way too familiar for his liking, and he didn’t appreciate how his body was responding to it, or lack thereof. His goosebumps from the rain only intensified as the roar settled, the hairs standing on end in pure fright. His breathing increased, and his eyes widened. Though his hands were shaking, he did his best to concentrate his energy to having his ice gauntlets appear on his fists once more, though the concentration at first was wanning, being evident as his conjuration of them almost diminished at first, flickering and not fully forming until he shook his head and demanded that his body listen to him. He only hoped that Clorinde didn’t take notice, he didn’t need her to feel as much fear as him right now, they needed at least one of them to be at the top of their game right now.
Their worries intensified as another series of roars, howls and wailing swept through the area. The sounds felt like they were straight from the pits of hell, and though the rain was still pouring down and muting many things around them, it did nothing to hide the knowledge that they were perceiving the sounds of wings flapping, hooves trotting and rumbling of all sorts heading their way. They were being ambushed by the pack they were warned about, only something far stronger decided to tag along for the fight as well.
Wriothesley saw the purple hue of Clorinde’s magic being summoned as she unsheathed her blade, imbuing it with her electrical energy she was famous for. He winced to himself, however, as he braced for whatever was going to appear through the torrential downpour. The man knew that she would have expressed more of her magic, if possible, but since there was water all around them, and her strongest attacks were made from pure electric currents, it would end up causing more harm to the two of them than what these beasts could possibly incur.
It was an unfortunate situation.
The sounds suddenly died down, as if they had merely imagined what was heading towards them. The silence would have been deafening if the rain had not continued to persist. Both Wriothesley and Clorinde didn’t let down their guard, but instead prepared themselves, getting into their battle stances, eyes focused directly in front of them. They had no idea what was coming, but they were damned determined to make sure that they would be the ones to survive, not these fiendish creatures.
Clorinde ducked as talons appeared to come from behind her, to sneak attack and slash her. However, her senses were just as good as Wriothesley’s, and she had managed to hear the slightest flap of its wings before it was able to land a successful hit. As the creature flew past her, she grabbed her gun and shot at it, landing a direct and critical hit, hitting the base of its wing and spinal column, as it fell to the ground, shaking and convulsing. The bullets were few, but landed a heavy blow to its intended target, especially if it was a creature of the night. The ammunition had small symbols of ancient magic engraved in them that were passed down through the Vitae Linea, only the highest-ranking Church members knowing its true meaning. However, all Clorinde cared about them was that they get the job done and done quickly.
She didn’t have much time to celebrate her victory, however, as two more night creatures surrounded her, in odd forms. Most night creatures were animalistic, having been formed from animals and livestock, but these were different. These were more humanoid, some even angelic looking if it weren’t for the hellish detailing. These were new night creatures, fresh, created from recent killings and kidnappings, she assumed. These were highly dangerous as well, being more directly tied to the hells that recently created them and had no true holdings on their limits of strength and skill. She had no idea what to expect from them, but she did not hesitate any longer. Brandishing her sword, she meticulously dodged their attacks, stabbing and slashing them when their defenses were lowered, wearing them down bit by bit.
Wriothesley could only stare, his emotions all over the place. The roar had faded in the distance long ago, but its effects were still weighing heavily on his body and mentality. For some odd reason, his body felt compelled to find the source of the sound, even as Clorinde was fighting off these demons. It was then that he took note that none of the creatures seemed to be aiming their attacks, or even their attention at him. It was as if he didn’t even exist to them.
Shaking his head, the hunter gained the remaining lost control of his body and took up his famous boxing stance as he was about to surprise attack one of the night creatures that currently had Clorinde surrounded.
“Stop, Wriothesley! I have their full attention and I’ll keep them busy! Find out what that damned noise was and head back to the inn as soon as you can! I got this!” She yelled out as her attacks continued, getting nicked herself, here and there, but it was nothing compared to the damage that she was doing to the enemies around her.
Hesitation flooded through him, but he knew she wouldn’t tell him something like that if she wasn’t certain she could handle the situation. He growled to himself, but nodded to her as she had a split second to look over at him before continuing to land repeated attacks on the monsters. Releasing the breath, he had held for a moment, he then continued onwards through the forested area, keeping his eyes out for any sort of sign that he was about to be someone’s target. Luckily enough, however, he continued his search with ease, until the forested area provided a wide opening, revealing a gorgeous lake with an empty beach. The rain had suddenly stopped falling, though it was clear that the storm that surrounded the land was still carrying on. It was as if a bubble had been placed around the circumference, preventing any rain or wind from seeping through. No, the air here was just fine, still, way too peaceful.
Continuing to keep his guard up, Wriothesley walked around to inspect the region, trying to make sense out of this all. His mind held a level of nervousness that he wasn’t quite understanding either. That sense of familiarity was driving him wild, but with no real idea or reason as to why.
“So, you did answer my call. Good, a magnificent sign, indeed.” An all too familiar voice said as a figure approached and walked up beside him, looking at the lake with him.
Wriothesley could immediately tell that this man was something inhuman and unworldly. His long white hair, tied at the bottom in royal blue and silver ribbons seemed to gracefully float behind the newcomer, as if he were underwater. His suit possessed the same qualities, different shades of blue mixing through the intricate design of the cloth, a dark blue vest clinging tightly to his chest. White lace decorated his neck in an extravagantly designed jabot, with encrusted jewels decorating the middle of it. There was also an intricately designed jeweled headpiece that only covered a brief side of his hair, covering the small streaks of blue that seemed to decorate both sides of his head. He couldn’t quite make sure if the blue streaks were more ribbons or a part of the man, but he didn’t have time to debate that with himself right now.
The part that had his heart slamming against his chest right now was a familiar bioluminescent glow that the mystery man had about him, his robes glowing like celestial waters, adding to his majestic flare. But what really struck Wriothesley to the core was those piercing, sharp lavender eyes that were decorated with slits that reminded him of a cat observing its prey, narrow at first but widening slightly the more he focused on him. He also noted the pointed ears, a dead giveaway that this man was in fact, not human at all. He could even tell that there were slight fangs underneath his succulent lips, a sure sign that this man was probably the source of all that was happening around him right now. The man exuded ancient energy, and he was certain he didn’t stand a chance against him. Not that he wouldn’t die trying to do so, anyway.
“So, you’re the source of that roar, huh? A man of such slim stature, one would almost begin to doubt it. Just…what exactly are you?” Wriothesley asked, trying to turn his body to address the man better, but realized that his body was once again frozen, but not by fear or anything he could somewhat control. No, this felt like this was a force holding him in place, ensuring he wouldn’t move an inch. The man just chuckled to himself as he walked to now stand in front of Wriothesley, his thigh-high boots showing off his rather graceful legs. Wriothesley found it hard to ignore, as this man was the perfect example of his type, even if he were the enemy. The man just held this beauty about him he had never observed in anyone else before.
“I see your memories of our previous encounters never returned. Shame, I do hate having to repeat myself. But at least your body remembers…” the man cooed, coming awfully close to Wriothesley, and giving him a sinister smile, taking delight in seeing the confusion in Wriothesley’s eyes.
“What the fuck are you talking about? I’ve never seen you before! I think I would have remembered a white-haired vampire glowing as bright as the moon doing anything to me!” he shouted, still being held in place by something odd. He couldn’t sense any touch of magic; it was like his body just wasn’t his own anymore.
“Ah, my heart, that is all lies, but not lies that were your fault. Your precious little group did its best to try to ward me away from you after all these years. They succeeded for a while, and I couldn’t find you for so long. But when I did, I made sure to never have you out of my sight again. I planted little cells in your silly group, but I didn’t want to take you away just yet. I wanted to see your potential swell, mature, so that they could be enhanced even further when the time finally came.” The vampire said, sincerity leaking out of his words, as an ungloved hand was raised to caress Wriothesley’s cheek, sharp dark blue claws with an ombre of a lighter blue. Wriothesley winced at the sudden coldness, but oddly found comfort in the caress as the claw slid down his cheek until it reached his chin, cradling it.
“Listen, I’m not falling for your lame attempts at manipulation. Let’s just fight this out already, and I can deliver justice to you and your miserable existence, you fucking monster!” Wriothesley growled out, eyes glaring as he could feel the claw starting to press against his skin, not deep enough to break through, but certainly enough to feel the ominous power behind the pressure.
“If that is what you wish, I will grant it to you. I can never deny a request from you unless it prevents our mutual existence together.” The vampire let go of his face, and with a wave of his hand, the force that was holding Wriothesley in place broke loose, letting him move freely once more. Wriothesley stumbled for a moment, as he wasn’t expecting such an immediate release. He jumped away, his gauntlets glowing brightly with all his power flowing through them, ready to strike.
“A quick word before we begin, would you please indulge me, Wriothesley?” The gentleman asked, with poise and utmost manners towards his enemy. This was getting to be a bit awkward.
“As long as you’re aware that they’re going to be your last, I guess I’ll grant it….”
“Splendid.” The vampire seemed to ignore his direct threat.
“I knew you’d appreciate a challenge, especially if the payout is worth it. I present these conditions to you, if you can disarm me, that will constitute a win for you. Upon that being met, I will let you go. I will not chase after you this night, and the night creatures and all other minions of mine will retreat, giving you solace for an extended period.”
“But you’re not going to give up in the end, if I do win, are you? You’ll just be back to chasing me down, one way or another.” Wriothesley asked, giving the man a cold, stern glare.
“That is correct. I’m afraid I simply cannot resist you, in any way, in all ways. At least with the extra time, you’d be able to prepare yourself and know your enemy well. You’ll have higher odds, after every fight.”
Wriothesley didn’t like this at all, but there was nothing he could do now other than continuing to hear out the man and his terms. So, he did not respond at all, tilting his head, nonverbally signaling to the man that he understood, and for him to continue.
“However, should you be disarmed by me, meaning, since you have expertise in arcane weapons, they would need to be completely dispelled, you will come with me, willingly, and accept the gift I have for you.” The vampire’s eyes narrowed, showing the hunter he was serious, and not allowing for any sort of misinterpretation.
Furious was a word that was far too weak to describe what Wriothesley was feeling right now, his arcane gauntlets flaring with ice-like magic. He didn’t care to accept any ‘gift’ this man was going to present to him, and if he was correct, it probably meant turning him into a spawn or a night creature to join his army. As much as the man hated this situation, he knew that there was nothing he could do. He had to take this demon on, even if there was a sliver of a chance that he could defeat him. A sliver was better than nothing.
“Do you accept these terms, Wriothesley? I’m afraid it’s the only way I’m going to allow you a chance at escape.”
Wriothesley continued to glare, but then swiftly got into his battle stance, fists centered close to his chest and face, ready to strike at any sudden movement with every bit of strength that he had.
“Before I accept, I want to know one thing about you, so I know how to spread the word of your demise once I’m done with you.” Wriothesley growled out, tension still very high between the two of them.
“Inquire away, I have no interest in withholding anymore information from you from this moment on.”
“What’s your name, bloodsucker?” The hunter spit out, hoping to upset the gentleman. Once more, it seemed like his comment was ignored.
“Neuvillette. Please, dear, do remember it this time. Though, I do have some interesting ideas to make you remember it in the future, if it does happen to slip your mind once more.”
“Shut the fuck up, you fucking abomination! Let’s fucking do this!” Wriothesley yelled at the top of his lungs, punching the air in front of him as he jumped back a bit, his gauntlets glowed brightly as they produced a beam of pure energy bound by the element of ice, directly at Neuvillette.
Neuvillette merely smiled softly at the man before dissipating in a cloud of fine mist. Wriothesley cursed under his breath, spreading his arms out and concentrating his energy to form a pure white circle underneath him. Long shards of ice morphed quickly out of the energy, developing sharp tips. The sharp shards then rotated, making a circle around Wriothesley. He was aware that this would fix him in one spot, but any attack that would head his way would have to be met by sharp spikes first.
Wriothesley tensed as he saw the fine mist starting to condense to his side, heading straight towards him. The spikes immediately centered on the now semi-formed body of the vampire and showered him in their onslaught. Many of the spikes went straight through the mist, hitting the trees and ground behind the mighty vampire, but there was one that managed to slash the side of Neuvillette’s cheek, his eyes widening in surprise in his half-solid form. A fine line of blood appeared as the wound started to leak. This caused the vampire to smile wickedly again at his target, the mist appearing a few yards away as he took solid form once more. Wriothesley watched as the man lifted one of his hands, feeling his damaged cheek and looking down to observe the fresh blood.
The vampire laughed to himself, not in a mocking tone, but rather in a proud, happy manner.
“Excellent, Wriothesley, extraordinary! Be proud of this, you’re one of the very few who have managed to land a single hit on me, let alone to draw blood.”
“I’ll do more than that, you pale bastard…!” Wriothesley yelled again as he started running towards Neuvillette, fists aimed right at him.
The vampire didn’t seem phased at all, and in response he lifted one of his hands, causing water to form from the very air, hurling a decent sized collection of it at Wriothesley, with great velocity. It was a stunning attack, and a tricky one at that. Wriothesley responded by punching the water with his gauntlets, solidifying it by freezing it, stopping its speed completely. More waves of water appeared around him, mimicking the same attack, and he continued to respond in the same manner. Punch, freeze, shatter with a kick.
As much as Wriothesley wished to keep doing this forever if it meant stalling until the inclement weather could pass and the sun could shine through and assist him, this turned out to not be the case. His stamina was wearing thin at all the vicious movements and reactions, the brightness of his gauntlets starting to fade, gradually. He winced, cursing to himself, understanding the strategy now. Neuvillette was doing this to wear him down and win with that silly condition he made. If Wriothesley lost concentration on his gauntlets for even a moment and they managed to disappear, he would lose.
With one more punch, freezing yet another small wave of water that was aimed at him, Wriothesley shuffled his body swiftly, and barely dodged the wave this time instead of having a responsive attack with his magic. He started breathing heavily, attempting to catch his breath as he turned back to his battle stance, eyes dead set on the vampire. He was about to step forward to begin another series of punches before he heard a horribly familiar voice in the distance.
“Monsieur Neuvillette! Preparations have concluded, they await your arrival with his Grace!” shouted a familiar, feminine voice.
No, it couldn’t be…
“C-Clorinde? What did you just say…?!” He turned to look at her figure in the distance, and truly, it was her. Her eyes were glowing an electric purple that matched her energy, but something about her matched some unearthly aura as the man he was fighting. She didn’t reply at all to him, but merely lowered her gaze and head, as if in a silent apology.
“Ah! Miss Clorinde, I thank you for delivering that exciting news to us. Now, Wriothesley, this has been a fun little spar, shall we cut to the chase? I’m afraid after all these years, I’ve become a rather impatient and jealous man.”
Wriothesley heard his words, but they didn’t sink in at all to his understanding. He was still gazing at Clorinde, a dreadful sense of betrayal running through him. He shook his head, gauntlets flaring back up as he swung his body around to attack the vampire, but it was already far too late. In front of him now was a giant water dragon, fin-like wings spread out and a whole snout full of sharp teeth, open to attack him. The hunter tried to punch at the dragon to freeze it, but the seemingly endless magical force of the dragon pushed back, fiercely, sending the man flying backwards, into the sand of the shore. Before he could even get up, the giant dragon had him pinned down, morphing back into the shape of Neuvillette.
Neuvillette’s hands held Wriothesley’s wrists down, and that familiar force came back as it caused Wriothesley’s body to freeze and refuse to put up a fight. The grip on Wriothesley’s wrists continued to hold him in place, easily breaking through the gauntlets, and shattering them completely. Wriothesley’s eyes were widened in anger and shock, though he supposed that Neuvillette never made any specifications that he couldn’t use any tricks up his sleeve.
“Ah, looks like you lost, my soul. I am so very sorry to rush this, but I cannot wait any longer, I pray that you forgive me for my lack of manners.” Neuvillette said with the softest of tones, taking one of his hands and rubbing it against his cheek, as if he were the most precious of items, even if they had been sparring and attacking each other just moments ago.
“You’re gonna fucking turn me, aren’t you”? accused Wriothesley.
“Yes, though I was going to say it more finely and less crude. You were always the one to be straight to the point, and I will forever admire that about you.”
Neuvillette began to lean over Wriothesley more, his hair falling over to the side, creating a mocking illusion of pure light bearing down over the two of them. Life was certainly fucking cruel, and it didn’t have any mercy on him or anyone around him.
Would death prove to fare any better?
His heart raced as Neuvillette continued to pet his cheek, smiling down at him with such a loving gaze. Wriothesley could genuinely tell that this vampire had such intense feelings for him, even if he couldn’t fully understand the situation at hand. He tried one last time to push against the invisible force, but he didn’t budge at all.
“Shh, Wriothesley. My blood is already coursing through your veins, and that’s what has helped me establish this power over you. I despise using it, I want you to be willing to be underneath me like this, arms welcoming me and the pleasure I’ll give to you until the end of time.” The man literally cooed to Wriothesley, with no shame at all in his words.
If Wriothesley wasn’t utterly horrified that this was marking the end of his human life, and if this were under different circumstances entirely, he might have even blushed at such an honest and forward profession.
“Now, I’ll be as gentle as possible, my sweet. I will not lie to you, the pain will be excruciating, worse than anything imaginable. I deeply regret you having to feel even a tiny fraction of that, but I will be here to help you. You will not be alone, ever again. This, I swear to you with every fiber of my being.” He continued to say, with the softest and sweetest voice for the person that he loved and obsessed over.
Wriothesley was on the verge of tears hearing this. Why did it have to be under these circumstances that he heard the words he so craved to hear from another human his entire life? Though he was coveted by the organization, there was no softness in anything they did. He was molded to be a slayer, a hunter, there was no time for such sweet thoughts or wishes for any sort of love, only determination to get stronger and a harsh sense of survival.
Distracted with his thoughts, he didn’t even notice that the vampire had bent his head over, licking at his neck before biting down, gently. At this point he barely felt any pain, just a lot of pressure on his neck, but he knew what was happening. He could hear the light sucking noise that Neuvillette was expressing as he continued to drink from his being of obsession, and he could feel his energy fading. Soon, even forming thoughts was becoming a labored task, and his vision was starting to tunnel. He felt the most tired he’d ever been in all his journeys now, as he closed his eyes. He felt himself drifting way, to where he had no idea if it wasn’t part of this wretched world anymore. Maybe it would be a field of flowers, or a thick forest he could build a log cabin in and live out his days. He didn’t know, didn’t care to know, as darkness started to embrace him with loving arms.
Right when he was about to lose himself completely in the dark void, he felt his mouth being forced open as thick, coppery tasting liquid started raining into his mouth. At first, he tried to reject it, coughing it up, gasping for air with what little energy he had. However, as he took those desperate gasps, this allowed the liquid to continue seeping down his throat, and he automatically started to swallow. At first the taste was repulsive, almost causing him to gag. For some reason, the taste started to change rapidly to the sweetest flavor imaginable. He could only compare it to a sort of brown candy that he had been given once on his travels, the name escaped him in this moment.
But the taste was divine, and he suddenly built up a violent appetite for it. Eyes opening wide and full of vigor, he wrapped his muscled arms around the man, lapping at the open wound on his breast like a starving animal. Wriothesley growled, gripping the man even tighter, instincts telling him to bite and latch on, which he did, sucking his chest hard, taking in as much of the blood as possible. Wriothesley moaned, almost crudely, as he felt the liquid settling into his stomach, giving him more energy, and bringing him back. Neuvillette let the man continue to sup from him, holding him just as tightly, one hand running through his obsession’s hair, encouraging him to continue. A shudder ran through his body as he heard Wriothesley’s lewd moans, his pants growing tighter as his erections grew, even with the continuous loss of blood.
Suddenly, Wriothesley stopped as he felt his heartbeat starting to slow, an ache developing in his chest that stretched all the way up his neck and to his head. Pressure continued as his heart finally gave its last beat, and he began yelling and writhing in agony. It felt like his blood was on fire, every vein a source of pain and innumerable in measure. His chest continued to pound, but not because of a heartbeat. It felt like his very soul was being ripped apart and built back together again, piece by piece, bit by bit. Neuvillette held him close, trying to lessen his convulsions, humming to him as Wriothesley continued to scream in agony.
In the distance, Clorinde had turned her body away from the sight, holding a hand over her mouth to not utter a sound to disturb the two. Her eyes released tears as she continued to hear Wriothesley’s screams, hearing the jarring rustle of his light armor as he continued to seize, violently.
Eventually the cries died down, and Wriothesley went completely limp in Neuvillette’s arms. The vampire sighed in relief as he brought one of his hands to the man’s lips, moving them to observe the sharp new set of fangs the man now possessed. The transformation was over, Wriothesley had completed it with utmost success. The vampire bent his head down and placed a light kiss over his obsession’s lips, making sure to use his tongue to lightly caress over the newly developed fangs. He held the main tightly in his arms once more, burying his face into the crook of his neck. He had finally done it, after all these years of constantly having to track the man down, getting past and diminishing the numbers of the orgnanziation, and finally having enough of a connection to invade his dreams and gradually feed him droplets of his blood over time, all his labor had now bore fruit. The man was all his to cherish into eternity and cherish he would do. The man would want for nothing and would never be used to pursue anyone else’s means. Wriothesley could choose for himself what he wanted out of his eternal life, and Neuvillette would hardly be the one to deny him anything.
The vampire gathered his love into his arms, holding him bridal style. He approached Clorinde, bowing his head respectfully to her.
“Thank you for keeping him safe and under your wings all these years. You have been a most faithful servant, and I wish you and Navia a most welcomed reunion. I know she’s been eagerly awaiting your return for decades and has consistently annoyed Sigewinne with her worries about your well-being.” He whispered to her, as if in fear he would wake Wriothesley prematurely, his priorities always being his precious man.
Clorinde wiped her face, ridding herself of the tears shed for her former battle companion, hoping her master would not notice. “Yes, I am very excited to see my wife once more. I doubt she will let me out of her sight for the next century or two after this, but it was worth it. You deserve happiness, Monsieur. I only wish I could have stopped their tampering with his memories, or he would remember every dream the two of you shared together for many moons now. I’m still surprised that Lyney couldn’t figure out a method sooner.”
“Shall we return to the inn? I believe there’s a celebration to be had once our new member awakens.”
“Yes, I believe it’s about time for some good news for our family, for once.”
.
.
.
Wriothesley dreams were chaotic that night, images flashing in his mind that made no sense, familiar voices saying things he didn’t know the references to, but in these flashbacks, he felt safe, welcomed, hell, even loved.
‘You’re going to be my second dad, I’m so excited! Do you like drawings? I did this one with the tooth of a bad wolf! Lyney says if I concentrate hard enough, I can stick these drawings on surfaces! Can I put one on your nose?’
‘Lynette, you can take a moment or two to get to know him, he’ll be joining us one day. Don’t be so shy, dear sister!’
‘Lyney, I swear! If you steal anymore wallets this month and don’t return them…’
‘You better make sure my wife doesn’t overdo it! You and she are seriously two peas in a pod, I swear! Both drive me crazy, but I can’t help but adore the two of you. It’s kind of frightening how well you fit in…guess I should call you brother, soon!’
‘I’ve been waiting for someone like you for centuries upon centuries. My heart, though still, is forever yours. I’ll find a way to get you back into my arms, this I promise. Please take care until then, my love. I refuse to lose you.’
‘Forget them. The connections you had were born from Satan himself. Purge yourself, beg for forgiveness, give your life over to the Lord our God, devote yourself to Him and His will. Go out, slay anything that does not worship His might, help us save humanity and build the world as God intended. You need nothing else, but us and the God-approved magics we can teach you…’
Wriothesley jolted up, screaming as he held his head in pain. There were so many confusing memories rushing back into his mind, none of them making sense yet. Immediately, he felt firm arms wrapped around him, a shushing noise being hissed out as he was rocked back and forth. Oddly enough, this seemed to sooth him and settle him down, the flashbacks fading away as his mind started to rest. He didn’t even need to turn around to know this was Neuvillette, his mere presence feeling so familiar, created calling out to creator.
As more time passed and he continued to calm down, he could hear an odd pounding from multiple different sources far off in the distance. An ache started in his mouth as his fangs elongated, a hunger erupting throughout his body. He started to struggle against Neuvillette now, snarling and hissing, black claws developing on his hands as he tried to free himself, cutting through the sheets on the bed with ease.
“Wriothesley, honey, calm down. You’re hungry from your change still, and me being the jealous man that I am, I simply cannot allow you to drink from anyone other than myself. Here, my love…”
Wriothesley sniffed the air as he caught wind of that sweet scent of Neuvillette’s blood, turning around and ripping the man’s shirt open to access the open, leaking wound. Like he did before, he eagerly lapped up the divine red liquid, then using his sharp fangs, he bit down on the man’s breast, latching on securely as he once again continued to suck from his creator. His eyes rolled to the back of his head in pure ecstasy, lewd moans being emitted from him once more as he continued to feed. Neuvillette grunted, the tightness of his pants becoming painful as his two dicks started to harden, painfully, desperate for release.
“Wriothesley, if you don’t cease making those delightful noises, I might just have to act on them…”
The newly created vampire unlatched himself from the open wound, having gotten his fill as he started to lick at it, the wound already starting to close. He then raised his head to look up at Neuvillette, causing the older vampire to gasp in shock.
The man was looking at him with bright, entrancing blue-steel-colored eyes, the unnatural glow only adding to their beauty. Neuvillette noticed the man smirking, blood dripping off his lips (he was certainly going to be a messy eater) one of his fangs poking out over his lip.
“Well, maybe I want you to act on them, Neuvillette…”
Wriothesley was even shocked with his own level of bravery to be that forward with his master, but he didn’t regret it at all. Since the moment he laid eyes on the majestic man, he wanted him so badly, and now it seemed that for the first time in his life, he could indulge himself in something he desperately desired.
“Please, master…”
Hearing those words from the only man he’s ever cherished in his life sent a fire running through his body with an intensity he never knew before. Neuvillette snarled as he forced Wriothesley face-first down onto the bed, using his claws to rip apart his top and bottoms with ease, being careful to avoid hurting his man. His own fangs erupted in his mouth as he looked down and saw the bare skin of the muscular man beneath him, not at all resisting the urge to run his hands across the skin of his obsession, using his claws to cause shivers to go down Wriothesley’s spine at the sensation. Neuvillette enjoyed letting Wriothesley experience all these feelings of pleasure, and he had no intention of ever stopping with him.
Neuvillette bent down, peppering his man’s skin with soft kisses, nibbling here and there as his caresses continued. He heard Wriothesley sigh into a moan, his eyes closed as he began to lose himself in the sensations. The lord smirked, proud of himself for being able to pleasure the man so. Neuvillette then reached down, cupping the ex-hunter’s balls, retracting his claws as he began to massage them. Wriothesley groaned in pleasure and frustration as he started to hump the bed, trying to get any sense of friction onto his hardened cock.
“Now, now, Wriothesley, allow me…”
The vampire lord used his other free hand to grab onto his man’s hardened cock, giving it a tight squeeze as he started to rub his hand up and down the shaft, using his thumb to caress the head when he was playing his way up, and teasing the man’s leaking slit. Wriothesley jerked forward, moaning loudly again as precum started to seep out, only to be rubbed away by his master’s ministrations.
“You’re such a good boy, Wriothesley, such a good boy….”
The pumping continued until Wriothesley was on the verge of release, his body tensing as he was about to explode all over his master and the bed covers. However, Neuvillette suddenly stopped, his hands leaving his cock. Wriothesley whimpered at the loss of the sensation, earning a growl from above from Neuvillette.
“I swear you are such a vixen to me; those whimpers absolutely destroy me, and I never want to stop hearing them!” proclaimed the elder vampire as he began to aggressively remove his garments, placing them in a nice, neat pile by the bed (hey, he might be feral now, but he was still a proper gentleman). He groaned as his two cocks were finally able to be released and given proper room instead of being pushed up against something that wasn’t Wriothesley.
It was in this moment that Wriothesley turned his head to take a good look at his bed partner when he noticed the two monstrous sized cocks that the man possessed, both fully erect and leaking copious amounts of precum that it started to drip onto the floor. The man could only gulp as his clawed hands grabbed onto the blankets, heavy doubt running through his mind that his body could handle taking a pounding from those two pillars.
“Do not fret, my love. Your body has taken these before in the past, with ease. I’ll make you scream now as you did back then, a truly delectable sound.”
“W-w-wait, you and I have…? Before…?”
With a pregnant pause, Neuvillette provided little detail in his response.
“Yes, yet another thing that idiotic group robbed you of, many memories of nights shared together. Don’t fret, in this second life of yours, you will forget you ever had a first with them in it.”
As soon as the man finished that sentence, he could feel one of the vampire lord’s fingers being inserted into his tight hole, stretching him out as much as the digit could allow. He gasped, in shock, not expecting the man to move so fast with him but loving every second of the attention. He spread his legs more, bending his back down onto the bed and arched his ass up into the air, giving the elder easier access and more temptation.
Neuvillette removed the digit and Wriothesley lost himself in the bliss as he then inserted his tongue into the slightly stretched hole, lapping him up and forcing his tongue deep into the man’s taint. Wriothesley was about to lose himself, trying to move to scratch something or grab onto something, but Neuvillette prevented him from doing so by releasing a menacing hiss. Wriothesley then stopped immediately, letting the elder have full reign of the situation as he continued to eat him out, almost in the same ravenous manner that he had when drinking from him earlier. Wriothesley buried his face into the sheets of the bed to try to muffle his moans and groans, tears escaping his eyes in pure enjoyment. No one had ever given him pleasure so freely, his ceased heart filling with so much happiness.
It would be his luck that death provided so much more for him than an existence spent with the living.
As Neuvillette continued devouring the man, Wriothesley made an audible whine, the friction he needed still not being satiated, and now he desperately needed the man in him. As if reading his mind, the vampire lord pulled his face out, giving a few more licks as he felt him repositioning himself, and finally, he shuddered as he felt the head of one of Neuvillette’s cocks being pressed against his small entrance.
“Neuvillette…I….”
“Yes, my heart…?”
“I-I think I love you…”
This broke whatever remnant of restraint that the vampire lord had in this moment.
Not that there was much to begin with.
The head of his cock pushed inside of Wriothesley, causing him to squirm and grunt as his hole adjusted to the monstrous size. Surprisingly, his new body didn’t seem to have as much resistance as the last one, the dick being able to slide in and out after a few slow thrusts. Once one of Neuvillette’s cocks was buried deep inside of him, the other was angled downward, caressing against his lover’s balls and shaft.
God, this was exactly what Wriothesley needed. Waves of pleasure coursed through him as Neuvillette speed up his thrusts, grabbing the man below him by the waist and angling his ass even higher, making his buried cock reach deeper into his ass, now hitting against and milking his prostate. At the same time, the other dick was painfully erect, pumping thrusts against the younger vampire’s cock and balls. Wriothesley was experiencing sensory overload in the best way possible, the man mewing shamelessly, mouth agape, tongue sticking out and saliva escaping his mouth.
He was being fucked stupid.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck….!” Was all Wriothesley could manage to utter, leaving a giant grin on Neuvillette’s’ face. He continued pumping, noticing how stretched Wriothesley was now getting with just a single cock.
It was time for the second.
Neuvillette grabbed his free cock, noticing the tiny whine from Wriothesley, knowing damn well that the man will be screaming his name to the heavens here momentarily. He angled the second head up to Wriothesley’s greedy hole, angling it accordingly and pressing inwards, again with slow, gentle movement at first. As expected, his hole adjusted accordingly, the second cock beginning to slide in, rubbing against the first. Wriothesley’s body shuddered once more, nasty growls escaping his lips.
“Oh god, Neuv, Neuv…Neuvillette, please! Master!”
His man asked so nicely, he couldn’t resist giving him what he wanted. He held tight onto his lover as his thrusts intensified, now two heads rubbing and poking against his prostate. Wriothesley could only continue making the lewdest of sounds, actual speech evading him as his body was sending shockwave after shockwave through his system. He couldn’t hold on for much longer, he was about to explode.
Explode, he did. His stone hard cock shot out cum all over the covers of the bed, in repeated white strings, his body shaking from the release, going through the most intense orgasm he had ever experienced in his life. His lover continued thrusting inside of him, panting, growling, hissing, doing every single feral noise you could imagine to be uttered as he finally released with a load roar, both cocks releasing their seed deep into him at the same time, filling him right up. Neuvillette did not immediately pull out, but let his cocks continue to be lodged deep into his man, until both started to soften. The elder vampire then pulled out, white seed spilling out with them.
Once completely removed from his partner, Neuvillette fell onto the bed, beside Wriothesley, who had passed right the hell out from all the recent excitement, both from his turning and aggressive love making. He could only smile widely as he wrapped his arms around his lover, snuggling his head into the back of his neck, and sighing in complete bliss.
He wanted to stay in this position forever but knew that they needed to attend a certain celebration that his family put together, working with the local villagers and his created family that had convened arrived at the inn, awaiting their newest member. Neuvillette had wanted this reunion between himself and Wriothesley to be one of a special occasion, even if it did mean the slaughtering of a few humans. To be fair, he had tried to ensure that one’s killed were those that supported the awful Vitae Linea, others who didn’t align with them being spared.
He was a Vampire Lord, not a saint. He would destroy the world if need were, if it would make Wriothesley safe and happy in his arms, free to be himself and have the existence he deserved.
The storm that ravaged the region had begun to dissipate, the dark clouds leaving way to the night that was hiding behind them. The moon seemed to glow with a beaming shine, blessing the land with a gorgeous ethereal glow that would make anyone believe they were living a sort of fantasy tale, at least for that night.
All on this very happy and special, Halloween night.