Goldsmiths' guide to proper vampirism

by smutny_technik

Summary:

It's been over six centuries since Scott Goldsmith decided to go into hiding.
After returning to the place he once called home, he quickly finds that everything and everyone he knew is long gone.
The only thing left is a bunch of humans who want to make Oakhurst their home, and a slowly hatching community of his fellow vampires.
He will show them what vampirism is all about. And the process, he might learn quite a lot himself.

Notes:

I thought I could go one day without writing a Vampires SMP fic, but no! This is my 4th! God I'm so pathetic /silly

This one might actually get a continuation! It was a lot of fun to write and I might have some ideas for next chapters! Not 100% sure though, I guess we'll see how well it performs and if you guys like it

Chapter 1: The first blood

Summary:

It's been an age since Scott had to teach someone the proper ways of vampirism.

It's been almost an hour since a lone vampire began roaming the forest outside of Oakhurst. Meek sunlight seeped through the cloudy skies and between sparse leaves - not enough to burn his delicate skin. His footsteps carried soundlessly on the dry, ashy grass. The brown, dark eyes darted around nervously, looking for something... A source of nutrition. Some sort of poor, wild animal that he could catch and drain its blood. At this point, he was starving - the last thing that resembled a meal was whatever he took from a man who got turned into a vampire soon after. But that was almost an entire day ago. Since then, the taste of the thick, metallic, sweet drink filling his mouth was nothing more than a memory.

At this point, his hunger was slowly starting to drive Owen crazy. He could swear that the trees had eyes, and all were directed at him. At some point, he heard what sounded like the growling of an angry wolf - turned out it was just his own stomach. He stopped in the middle of a path, taking a few deep breaths to recollect himself.

"Come on... Anything, please..." He whispered. "Why don't my powers include something like, sensing where animals are?-"

He went silent the moment distant clucking reached him. Immediately, Owen dashed into a nearby bush, to avoid being spotted, and peeked out. A wild hen... Right when he needed it. Slowly, he scrambled out of the bush, which grabbed the bird's attention. It stayed in place, however, watching him curiously.

"Here, here..." He called out, his voice calm, but a little shaky from exhaustion. Even as he closed in, the hen did not escape... Did it feel bad for him? Well, probably wouldn't lay its own life willingly, but if he played his cards correctly... "Ha! Gotcha!"

Owen managed to grab the hen, tucking its wings so that it couldn't fly out of his hands. Immediately, the bird began clucking and screeching, struggling to free itself. Clearly, it was unused to human touch. Or, well, vampire touch.

"Shhh, it's okay... It'll be over soon, I promise..."

Then, Owen's fangs dug into the hen's chest. Immediately, the bitter, watery taste of animal blood filled his mouth. He began choking, a lot of the precious drink dripped down his chin and on his clothes. His grip on the bird lessened, allowing it to smack him in the face and run before the wound could become fatal. The terrified animal dashed into the bushes, leaving bloody marks on the grass.

"Wait! Crap..." Owen continued to cough, he fell to his knees. He didn't care about doing this whole blood drinking properly, because of his hunger - and now he was paying the price for it. He spilled half of the blood he managed to draw and looked like a total mess, his face, cloak and hands smeared with it. Not to mention, choking on blood did not feel particularly pleasant. His throat was burning, even air seemed to damage it at this moment. He curled up on the ground, waiting for the pain to go away. 

"Woooow... That was pretty pathetic!" All of a sudden, someone's surprisingly upbeat tone reached him. Unable to get up from the ground, Owen turned on his back and looked up at the sky. Soon, Scott approached him with a big, cocky grin on his face. "Two hundred years of experience? How have you not starved yet?"

"I spent most of that time sleeping," Owen explained himself, before slowly sitting up. "Where did you even come from...?"

"I was heading back home, actually. To my castle, I mean." Scott leaned against a tree, nonchalantly looking over his nails. "Didn't expect to find you here... I just heard someone choking, and I thought I'd come and finish the job."

"Well, I don't think it will work on me..." Owen sighed. His body was still shaking with hunger. Somehow, his fumble actually made the pain worse; he got just the littlest bit of sustenance, only to have the rest of his meal run away from him. "So? Are you just gonna leave me here, or what?"

"I should... But," Scott's red eyes shined dangerously. They've been like this ever since his vampiric bite turned another Oakhurst dweller, Pyro, into one of their kind. " I kinda feel bad for you, you know? If you keep messing up like this, someone is gonna find you out..."

"Yeah, they definitely will," Owen scoffed. "None of them believe in vampires. And the one that does, everyone thinks he's crazy."

"I mean, he might be either way..." Scott shrugged. "Besides, you're now living in my domain. And by Goldsmiths' customs, I should take care of you, and make sure you live up to your full potential..."

"Great. You pity me."

"More or less!" Scott grinned. Owen really wished this guy wasn't an elder vampire, because he really wanted to slap him. "Consider it an investment, if it makes you feel better. So that your incompetence doesn't rat us out."

"Wait, hold on," Owen pulled himself off the ground. The shaking in his legs had not yet stopped. "What about Pyro? Shouldn't you teach him first?"

"He needs to finish transforming first. Don't worry, I'll get to him soon enough..." Finally, Scott approached the younger vampire and wrapped his arm around Owen's shoulder. "First lesson: animals are a last resort. You only turn to them if you can't find a human to eat. Their blood is just so... Dirty, and fatty, and blegh..." He gagged in a quite exaggerated manner. 

"Well, I don't know if I'm gonna survive until I have a chance to feed on someone..." Owen chuckled bitterly. 

A thought crossed his mind at that moment. Gosh, how pathetic he was... He hated this. His life of eternal hunger and struggle. He wanted it to end as soon as possible. But when faced with the prospect of starvation, he was ready to do anything to survive... A hypocrite, is what he was.

"Fair enough... We have to keep a low profile, at least until Pyro gets better." Scott admitted, before leading Owen onwards through the forest. "Anyways... Chickens are not worth your time. They're small, their blood tastes like mud. If you have to feed on animals... Cows are not bad. Or pigs. Even wolves or dogs would do, but they are harder to catch." He smiled when he noticed Owen shiver at the idea of drinking a dog's blood. "I'll be honest, back in my hay day, I tried so many exotic animals I could really recommend... Lobster, octopus..."

"Gosh, stop... You're making it worse..." Owen whimpered, wrapping his arms around his stomach. Scott couldn't help but giggle. 

"But then again, nothing beats a tasty human. Especially when they're young. Not like, a child... Their blood is a little too sweet. But like, late teens, early twenties..." He smacked his lips. "Perfection."

"Stop... I'm gonna throw up..."

"Good luck! We vampires don't have a gag reflex."

"Wait, we don't...?"

All of a sudden, Scott's voice went silent in Owen's ears. He felt something- No, he could smell something. Something big, beefy, tasty... He turned his head, only to spot a wild cow roaming a meadow nearby. He would've dashed right at it, if Scott didn't grab him by the shoulder to stop him.

"Hold it! You're gonna waste this one, too?"

"I'm not!"

"Let me show you how to do it properly," Scott proposed, slowly approaching the cattle. The animal continued eating grass, but kept an eye on the two of them. "Without getting your hands dirty, without spilling all over yourself... As if you were a Goldsmith, too."

"Was Lewis such a posh prick too...?" Owen mumbled, slowly following behind the elder vampire. Scott's pointy ears twitched at the words. That name... It rang a bell. But not all of his memories from centuries ago had returned just yet. Maybe it meant something, but for now, he couldn't be sure.

The cow was surprisingly calm about the two strangers approaching it. Slowly, Scott pulled his hand over the animal's neck and shoulderblades, to get it to relax and calm down. Owen stayed a few feet behind, reluctantly watching. Sure, he could learn something important about hunting and sustaining himself... But it would stick with him much better if he wasn't so viciously hungry, that's for sure.

"Some vampires prefer their blood with some adrenaline... But it's not worth it, I think." Scott began explaining, continuing to stroke the cow. "It tastes a little bit different from animal to animal... And it can get you drunk, even. So if you really want to go for it, you have to be prepared for the before and the after."

"Yeah, yeah..." Owen sighed. Please, just get over it already, he thought.

"You wanna go for the neck, whenever you can. Ideally, you wanna aim for the artery, but sometimes you miss it..." Scott put two fingers on the cow's neck, then dragged them around its skin, trying to feel for the right spot. "If you're in a rush, just aim and hope you hit anything. It's not worth it to pull out, and then try again. You have to be one and done."

"Are you done?"

"Not yet!" Scott smiled at him once again. "You wanna keep your lips firmly planted, and take in quick sips, swallowing often. Don't hold it all in your mouth. If you get attacked, you risk spewing everything out. And your hard work goes to waste."

"Can I try already?"

"Let me demonstrate first... Here!"

Not even a second later, Scott's fangs struck the cattle right in the neck artery. The cow let out a terrified cry, but the vampire was way too fast. The animal's legs started shaking, and within several seconds, it collapsed to the ground. But the man wasn't finished just yet. He knelt over it to finish his meal - but he was clearly taking his sweet time. He didn't have to rush it. Even when he heard some rustling in the nearby bushes, his mind was at ease. He was older than this forest itself. He was in power here. Nobody could threaten him. Especially when he was feeding.

"Aaah... See?" Scott rose from his spot, then turned to Owen. The younger vampire looked quite devastated that his meal was taken from him so quickly. "You can always keep the corpse for snacking purposes... But if you do, you wanna keep some blood left. Otherwise, the meat gets dry."

"You aren't scared that you're gonna turn it into a vampire?" He asked, to which Scott answered with a chuckle.

"I don't think that's possible, actually... Although, a vampire cow would be quite an amusing sight..."

"What about humans, though? Where is the line between feeding, and turning them into one of us?"

"Oh, right..." Scott licked his lips, to finish his meal off properly. He wouldn't want to return to Oakhurst looking like a slob, of course... Something rustled in the bushes again. His ear twitched, but he ignored the sound for now. "It depends on the size. You just have to get a feel for it... Might give you a few tries, though. Too little, and they remain human... Too much, and they die."

"Gosh," Owen shivered. Good thing Lewis had experience... He could only imagine what would happen if his old friend overestimated how much blood he needed to take from him. Actually, the thought of Lewis actually drinking blood to survive... It never popped into his brain, until that moment. He shivered. He was such a nice, caring person... Who was a vampire. The fact that he could actually kill people to sustain himself did not add up in his head...

The rustling repeated once more, and this time, Owen heard it as well. Immediately, he turned in the direction of the sound. Was it another prey, waiting for him to catch it and feast? Or was it... Someone who came here from Oakhurst, and listened in on their conversation?

"Scott? You hear that, right...?"

"Huh?" The elder vampire turned to him. At that moment, he was too busy feasting on the dead cow, ripping its stomach apart with his bare teeth. "Oh, yeah, it came from these bushes..."

"Why didn't you say anything?!"

"It's probably not a big deal... Probably a hare."

Slowly, Owen approached the bushes. He could smell them, actually. Something pretty big, sweet, full of adrenaline... His hunger gnawed at him. He had to catch it as soon as he could, and he would drain the last of its juices-

"Aha!" All of a sudden, a human popped out of the bushes. Tall, with ashy hair, and holding a loaded crossbow in his hands. Owen took a second to connect the name of Avid to this face. "I knew it! I was right! I knew you guys were vampires!"

"Wooow, how perceptive..." Scott giggled, but seemed rather unbothered by the sudden arrival of the vampire hunter. "Owen, you wanna take care of him? You can have all the blood you want..."

"Oh, gladly," Owen growled in response.

"What? No, no no no!" Avid leaped out of the bushes and aimed his weapon at Owen. "Stay back! You're not getting any of my blood, you unholy fiend!"

"Listen, man" Owen sighed, taking a step in Avid's direction "I'm literally starving. We can do it the easy way, or the hard way."

"Stay back!"

The second the vampire hunter's crossbow fired, Owen's instincts kicked in. In the blink of an eye, his body morphed into that of a bat. He swiftly avoided the arrow, which otherwise would've pierced through his chest. He dashed right at the human, then turned back to punch him straight in the head. Avid tumbled to the ground with a scream. He reached to a stake attached to his chest, but Owen was faster. He fell on top of the hunter, his fangs cutting through the bandages on his neck, and digging into his soft skin. With his lips firmly planted (per Scott's instructions) he began taking quick sips, swallowing the blood often to not keep it in his mouth for too long. Avid continued to wail, but with time, his voice got weaker and quieter. Eventually, he fell limply on the ground. Owen grabbed him by the shoulders, tilting his head slightly forward so that his fangs would not leave the spot. A bit of the warm fluid dripped down his chin, but far from the amounts he lost last time. Finally, after what felt like eternity, but was probably not even a minute, the vampire pulled back and wiped his face with a satisfied grin. He couldn't recall if he had ever felt this full and satiated. And it felt so much more incredible than he expected.

"Not bad! Pretty smooth for a novice." Scott patted his apprentice on the back with a satisfied smile. "That transformation could use some practice, but other than that, you did well..."

"Is he dead?" Owen huffed. Scott's sight dropped to Avid, who was laying limply on the ground. He nudged him with his foot.

"I don't think so... I think you just barely missed it. You wanna finish the job?"

"Nah..." The young vampire couldn't stop smiling. "A vampire hunter, turning into a vampire... The irony is just too good."

"It is!"

Owen took a deep breath, then put his hand on his full stomach. He really did feel incredible... Powerful. Unbeatable. Maybe a little bit tipsy. Apparently, Scott was right with what he said about adrenaline. Even if it wasn't for everyone, he was probably going to grow to like it.

"You were right. Adrenaline does taste good."

"See? I told you! I'm always right!"

He then looked down at Avid, who started shaking and twitching, struggling to catch his breath. The vampire hunter tried speaking, but his voice stuck in his throat. Owen crouched down next to him, watching proudly the fruits of his labor - two small puncture wounds on his neck, which were now seeping blood all over his bandaids. They would have to take them off to hide evidence, and cover it up... Screw it. It was worth it, even if it was gonna tip someone off.

"Come on, man. Get up. We gotta drag you back to Oakhurst." Owen said with a cheeky grin.

"You..." Avid wheezed, his whole body convulsing as his transformation started slowly taking place. Eventually, Owen lifted him and supported him on his shoulder. "How... Could you..."

"Not gonna lie, you kinda asked for it." Scott admitted. He stood on the other side of Avid, but did not support him, letting Owen do the heavy lifting. "Eavesdropping is not nice, you know?"

"You... You're monsters..."

"And you're one of us now," Owen smirked. He then looked over Avid's head, to Scott "What did you mean about that transformation, though?"

"I'm just saying, this could’ve been a little smoother... You have the speed, but you lack the grace. But I can teach you..." This time, Scott's smile looked satisfied. Almost proud. "We have time. I'm gonna get you acting and looking like a proper vampire in no time."

"'Looking'? What do you mean? You're gonna get me a fancy, posh coat?" Owen chuckled. He started dragging Avid back in the direction of Oakhurst. Scott followed right after.

"That, too... But a true vampire wouldn't look so... Scrawny. You look downright starved, man... We gotta do something about it."

"Well, I mean, being a lumberjack paid fine, but food was always scarce..."

"It's fine. You're under my protection now. You'll never have to walk hungry again."

"I guess I can't say no to that..."

Avid tried listening in on their conversation, but the lack of blood made his head spin, and filled his ears with static. What a tragic irony... A vampire hunter, among the first to fall victims to actual vampires. He never had a chance against them, a chance to avenge his lost partner...

And now, he was going to become one of them.

Chapter 2: Growing pains

Summary:

There are now two developing vampires in Oakhurst. Owen is left to take care of them, while Scott puts up appearances.

Notes:

I'll be honest, the reception to this fic blew my expectations out of the water completely. I'm so so happy you guys are enjoying this one so far! I have a ton of ideas for this one (some of them you can spoil yourself by looking at the tags lol), and I hope you stay with me and continue reading!

It's not an easy task to drag a half-dead person through the gates of a slowly developing town without raising any suspicions. It was a hell of a lot easier the previous day, when Scott and Owen had to sneak in freshly turned Pyro. As an experienced vampire, Scott knew exactly how much of his blood to take to keep him up for a while, just enough that he could get back to Oakhurst with mostly his own strength. Then, they hid the slowly transforming, sick scholar in one of the houses of the outskirts of the settlement. To get rid of any suspicion, they even allowed Leg, their local doctor, to take a look at him. Of course he wasn't going to find anything. He had no idea what vampirism did to a human body; how would he? He just declared that Pyro got a bad fever and should stay in bed for a few days. Owen and Scott promised right away to take care of him.

But Avid was not in such a good position. He lost his consciousness a few times when Owen dragged him back to Oakhurst. Sneaking what could easily be mistaken for a corpse into the town would probably not go unnoticed. For a while, the two vampires and the one in the making stayed at the edge of the forest, pondering their next course of action.

"I can hear a lot of them inside..." Scott sighed. "Great... It just so happened that everyone has to be back at Oakhurst when we least need them."

"You go ahead and try to distract them," Owen suggested. The elder vampire side eyed him.

"Why should I do it?"

"You won't drag Avid back to the house. Besides, you're very distracting."

"Oh, I guess you're right... Fine." Scott smiled, then stepped forward towards the town. Owen waited until there was a considerable distance between them, then followed behind slowly.

The moment the blue-haired vampire entered the town, he spotted most of the settlers around the ruins of the church in the centre. Most likely, they gathered to... What was the word? Consecrate around the strange beacon, one that seemingly gathered them protection. What did it protect them from, though? Definitely not Scott... Sure, his appearance disrupted the magic infused in the beacon, but the most it did to him after activating was giving him a mild shiver. Whoever created it, clearly didn't know much about vampires. Or they didn't know much about the Goldsmiths.

Shubble was the first to spot Scott's arrival. She got up from her spot, then ran up to her unlikely roommate. Scott could almost admire the excitement with which she greeted him... Oh, sweet, naive Shubble...

"Scott! You'll never guess what happened!" She called out. "Cleo and M found some strange books in the nearby ruins, and they granted them powers!"

"Oh, they did?" Scott raised an eyebrow, feigning curiosity. Well, the matter did seem interesting to look into... Especially the origin of said books. He had some suspicions, but he probably couldn't confirm them just yet. "What powers?"

"Look!"

She grabbed him by the wrist, then dragged him towards the town square. Quickly and nonchalantly, Scott took a quick peek over his shoulder. He spotted Owen, dragging Avid's unconscious body straight to the designated building. So their plan worked perfectly... At least for now. If someone got suspicious from this point on, they could just say they found the loud vampire hunter already in bed, recovering from what was probably some nonthreatening illness. Scott then decided to actually pay attention to what Shubble wanted to show him. 

Cleo, the poor farmer, and M, a strange, but kind writer, were sitting among the field of wheat planted by the former. What was surprising, was that the grains have already risen high, as if they spent months in the ground. The two settlers were chatting about something, but went quiet as soon as Scott and Shubble approached them. The farmer glanced at Scott with reserve and suspicion, while M's face lit up.

"Scott! Look what I can do!" He planted his hands firmly on the ground. Immediately, even more wheat spread from the ground. "Isn't that incredible? And all it took was opening a strange book I found in the ruins?"

Even with his millennia of experience, that actually did surprise the elder vampire. He knew of such abilities being in possession of members of his own family... But a mere human, being able to control such powers? That was quite remarkable. And, at least so far, M did not seem to suffer any negative consequences from doing this.

"Huh... Impressive." He commented, then turned to Cleo. "And what can you do?"

"I can sense rare metals in the ground," The farmer answered in a quiet, stoic tone. Great, first Avid was on him, and now this poor commoner was not going to trust him... Or maybe it was just a matter of hating him for his riches. Which, in this situation, he probably preferred. "Not very impressive, but might come in useful if we need more silver..."

"Oh, I wish you got my power and I got yours!" M sighed dramatically. "But the moment I opened that book, it was too late to reverse it..."

"It's fine," Cleo turned to him, her voice warming up. "At least now I won't be alone on the farming duty."

"Oh, absolutely! I'll help!"

"Good, good..." Scott murmured, before turning around and stepping away from the conversation.

The door to the house of the slowly developing vampires seemed close. Scott spotted Owen in the window, peeking outside and making sure nobody was coming. Their eyes met for a second. For a second, the elder vampire actually wanted to go straight there, to make sure Pyro and Avid were not causing any trouble... But then, he turned in the direction of the house he shared with Shubbly. Nah, Owen would be fine. He needed some experience after all. Scott had already spent so much time in his life taking care of new vampires... He could leave these two to his subordinate. He'd be fine.

However, as soon as he wanted to enter his home, something bounced him off, like a forcefield.

"The hell...?" He muttered, extending his arms and pushing on the invisible wall. It didn't budge. Instead, a cold shiver went down his spine, and a feeling of numbness paralyzed his fingers for a second. He pulled back, increasingly annoyed with his situation. It took him a moment to realize what was happening. "Oh, right... Someone must've left silver somewhere in there..."

Back in his prime, silver was no longer a problem for Scott. Sure, touching it was far from pleasant, but with the sheer power Scott was in possession of, it barely hurt him anymore. However, his six centuries long nap left him severely weakened, almost to the point of matching the strength of a novice vampire. And that was incredibly frustrating... He, Scott Goldsmith, struggling with a mere piece of silver? If only his family had seen him... No, they wouldn't make fun of him. None of them would dare to do so, even in this situation.

"Hey, Scott?" All of a sudden, Shubble's voice rang right behind him. "Is everything alright?"

The vampire flinched and turned around. Usually, his instincts warned him of incoming danger... Must've been that he focused on his problem too hard.

"Oh, hey... Well..." He took a deep breath, stalling for an explanation. "Did someone leave some silver in the house?"

"Well, Avid buried some under the door... Why?"

Avid. Of course it had to be him. Well, he got what was coming from it?

"Could you be a dear and get rid of it? I have a, uh... Horrible allergy to silver. Like, really bad," He smiled awkwardly. "The second I touch it, my skin gets all itchy."

"Oh! Yeah, no problem!" The girl approached the door, then began looking for the buried piece of metal. "Avid is so weird... He just came here, mumbling something about vampires, and said to bury this ingot under the door... Apparently, it repels vampires."

"Well, it definitely repels me," Scott chuckled. "But for other reasons."

"Here you go!" They rose from the ground, holding a bar of pure silver in their hands. Scott frowned a little when she showed it off to him. "Would putting it in a chest be alright with you? Or do you want me to throw it away?"

"No, no, you can keep it. I just have to watch where I put my hands." The vampire chuckled, before entering the house at last. 

Immediately, he fell on his bed with a pleasant sigh. He could use a nap after the long afternoon of teaching Owen... Sure, he just ended a centuries old power nap a few days ago. Unfortunately for him, he was the type of person that really valued his sleep. Since he already spent over half a millennium sleeping, an hour or two more wouldn't hurt, right? That is, if his insomnia allowed him to fall asleep in this time...

"Have you explored the ruins nearby, Scott?" Shubble suddenly asked. Some sort of shuffling sound accompanied her, she was probably cleaning up their chests.

"Mhm..." He hummed in response. Then, as a surge of energy filled him, he decided to actually take his coat off and cover himself with it. The thick, wooly fabric smelled of something long gone.

"Well, me, Pearl and Drift found this place not too far from here... We want to take everyone here to explore, it's huge. It looks like the ruins of some sort of castle, or something...?"

Scott immediately opened his eyes. Did these three pathetic mortals find and explore his castle? Did they go through his things? Did they find his chambers? Immediately, a feeling of dread and discomfort filled him, souring his upcoming nap. And why did Shubble call the place ruins? Sure, when Scott left his crypt, he didn't pay much attention to the surroundings, as he was too sleepy to do that. But it clearly hasn't fallen into this much of a disarray, right? Maybe some dust covering the floors, some spiderwebs covering the old paintings or, at the very worst, some damage done by wild animals... But ruins seemed like a bit of a stretch.

"A castle? Interesting..." He hummed.

"Have you been there yet?"

"No, I don't think so..." Scott yawned, his fangs retracting in case Shubble was looking his way. He then turned his head in the direction of his roommate. "Are you sure you wanna go there, though? Might be dangerous... You might find monsters there... Like, vampires, or such..."

"Oh Scott, silly, we all know vampires aren't real!" The woman chuckled. She was sitting on her bed with a book in her hands. "Did Avid get into his head this much?"

"I'm just saying... There might be monsters there, in general."

"Well, true..." They gasped, all of a sudden. "Maybe this is where Bigfoot lives?"

"Maybe..." Scott chuckled. Then, his smile faded when he noticed just how hard Shubble was staring at him. "What's wrong?"

"Were your eyes always red? I swear they used to be blue..."

Scott flinched. Crap, he forgot about that... Turning Pyro the previous day gave him one hell of a power boost, one that started affecting his actual appearance. He thought it'd wear off if he just stopped himself from drinking any more blood for a day or so... But then he gorged himself on a cow, just to prove a point. Now, it was not going to go off for a while. He tucked his hands under his coat, in case Shubble noticed his claws as well. 

"Must be the red moon," he muttered. "It's doing weird things to all of us..."

"Maybe you got pinkeye? Want me to ask Leg for help?"

"What? No, no, I'm fine..."

The fact that Shubble actually cared about his health (not knowing he couldn't really get sick as a vampire) made him feel strange. He couldn't recall the last time someone actually asked him whether something was wrong with him... He was usually the one, making sure to keep everyone in the family in check. But it was never really reciprocated. He never even noticed that... Until now. And it made him feel weird.

"If you say so... But, if we go to that castle again, you wanna go with us?"

Scott thought about it for a second. It wasn't a bad idea... But he would have to go there first, just to make sure they wouldn't find anything too important.

"I'll... Think about it."

Soon, their conversation dissolved when Shubble began reading her book. Scott turned his back to her, facing the wall to finally take his nap. Of course, it was going to take him a while to fall asleep... But this time, it didn't feel like his insomnia was actually to blame. His mind was racing, faster than it had in the past millennium or so. Who would've thought that his decision to take a break from everything and take some well deserved rest would end up with him ending up among a bunch of humans and baby vampires. They didn't even fear him... That was definitely a first for Scott. He couldn't recall the last time he had a relationship that wasn't build on fear... Quickly, he shook off that feeling. Just give me a few weeks, he thought to himself, finally drifting off to sleep. I just need to get my strength back... And then, all of you are gonna learn what fear truly is.

---

"Where is this guy going?" Owen groaned, watching as Scott turned away from the house where the vampires were, and instead headed to his own place. Sure, he expected him to not help with dragging Avid back to Oakhurst, but he wasn't even going to help with taking care of them?

Quickly, he shook off the thought. He also didn't get any help when transforming. Lewis helped him get to a safe place, and then left him... Maybe if he stayed with Owen, he wouldn't be found by the angry mob of Oakhurst. And he would still be around. The vampire flinched, then looked back at his unlikely companions. Both of them were in deep sleep, one only disturbed by cold shivers and incoherent mumbling. Avid was especially disturbed, while Pyro was handling his transformation quite well. If someone found them here, and clocked what was happening... 

History could potentially repeat. This time with Owen at the pyre, and these two bringing on yet another massacre upon the quiet town.

"It's fine, it's gonna be fine..." He whispered to himself, approaching Pyro's bed and putting a hand on his forehead. It was warm, but not to a point that it seemed dangerous to him. 

Another reason why he wished Scott joined him... He had so much more experience. As a Goldsmith, and an elder vampire. He would know whether their symptoms were dangerous, and what they could do... But instead, he decided to leave everything to Owen, and just watch from a distance. And that infuriated Owen. Was that on account of him being an elder, a rich nobleman, or just an asshole? He only met two Goldsmiths in his life, and they couldn't be further apart.

Pyro shifted under the touch, pulling his blanket more tightly over himself. Owen had no idea how long it would take him to finish transforming. It took him three days, but he had no other benchmark. Did he finish quickly, or did he actually take his time? Then, he turned to Avid. From how much he was flailing and grunting, he could tell the vampire 'hunter' regained his consciousness. Upon inspecting his forehead, he found it to be scorching hot.

"Oh, great..." Owen muttered. "How are you, Avid...?"

"Owen... Why...?" He sounded as if he didn't even hear the question. "Why... Did Scott... Did this to you...?"

"Huh? No, no. I've been like this for a while." The young vampire sat down at the edge of the bed. "You want a cold towel? You're burning up..."

"But... But... You said you... You didn't believe me..."

"Well, duh! I wouldn't just sell myself out like this, you know?" Owen chuckled, making sure the soon-to-be vampire was comfortable by tucking him in. "You're gonna like it, I promise. You'll have me and Scott, and Pyro, to keep you company. We won't leave you behind."

"Pyro...?" Still a bit shakily and clumsily, Avid turned on his back and sighed. "Great... So I saved no one..."

"No," Owen confirmed, his voice suddenly quieter and colder. "You didn't."

Soon enough, Avid was out again, his body struggling against the transformation. Was he fighting back...? If so, Owen wondered whether he could actually succeed. If not for the fact that he was a vampire hunter, and that he now knew the identities of all local vampires, he'd cheer on him. But if that really happened, it would be up to Owen to finish the job, to save Scott and Pyro. Even though he just met them not long ago... He felt strangely attached to them. Or maybe 'attached' was the wrong word. There was this sense of kinship they shared, ties bound with blood. 

Once upon a time, Owen knew a vampire. He lost him, but made everyone in Oakhurst pay the ultimate price.

And now, in place of the one, three more appeared. And one was actually of his own making.

Were they going to make up for the tragic loss of Lewis? No, definitely not. That wound was like a stake to the heart, it was never going to heal. But maybe, just maybe, he could find solace in building a new community, focused on making sure a tragedy like this would never happen again. So, despite Avid's lack of answer, Owen got up from the bed, then left the house. A wet, cold tower was going to do wonders for his fever.

Chapter 3: Family ruins

Summary:

Scott goes back to where he emerged from. But the sight makes even someone like him feel lost and insecure.

Notes:

Oh my gosh it's actually a little overwhelming how much you guys enjoy this fic TwT thank you so much!

Also, a quick disclaimer in case you haven't see me mention it before: between next Monday and Friday, this fic will be either paused or chapters will be coming out a lot slower, the reason being I'll be on vacation with my mom. I'll try to have at least one chapter pre-written but no promises

Shubble's off-handed comment kept gnawing at Scott for the rest of the day. Even when he did fall asleep, he found himself briefly waking up, swearing he could hear or see something that wasn't really there. Almost as he had a dream - but his dreams, albeit rare, have never been this... Fleeting, and vague. Someone his age could manipulate them freely - for example, if he lost something, he could influence his dreams to guide him. But this time... It was different. It lurked at the edge of his consciousness, not letting him put his head to rest for all too long. He spent the rest of the afternoon, and a serious chunk of the night tossing and turning, struggling to stay asleep for more than several minutes at a time. And every time he woke up, falling back asleep seemed more and more impossible. Eventually, he just found himself laying aimlessly in bed, staring at the ceiling and waiting for this torture to end. The only sounds that surrounded him were the quiet rustle of the wind outside, and Shubble's peaceful breathing.

If only his head was just as quiet... That was another new thing for him, one he couldn't exactly recall ever being a problem. He was always the tidy one, the one who had everything sorted out and figured. He had to, considering his position within the family... But all of a sudden, this sense of control of his own mind was gone. Was it because he was also far from in control of his life at that moment? Surrounded by so many humans who didn't respect him, didn't fear him... And it was driving him insane.

Still, he knew one place where his thoughts should quiet down.

Just before the sun rose over the horizon, Scott lifted himself from the bed and put on his long coat. In total, he slept for two and a half, maybe three hours. It would usually be enough for him... But despite that, he was strangely exhausted. Maybe he was just hungry... He definitely had to stop on his way to grab himself breakfast. Hopefully, some poor, unassuming cow or wild sheep would bump into him... Otherwise, he would have to reconsider making his roommate his meal.

It would've been a lot faster for Scott to transform into a bat and fly straight to his old castle. Despite that, he found himself actually walking most of the way there. He remembered the way hazily - he crossed this path so many times, even before Oakhurst got its name... And yet, as he looked around, he couldn't stop thinking just how much this place changed since he was active. The vast majority of the trees grew after he decided to sleep into his centuries long slumber. Even the types of greenery changed, now a lot meekier, a lot more ashy... Ironically, the paths through the forest remained mostly unchanged. They were considerably more overgrown, but apparently people living in these parts of the world used the same roads for hundreds of years. Every time he noticed some sort of change, it made Scott feel a bit unsettled. Six hundred years of sleep was quite long, sure, but it couldn't have been that long... He had affairs that lasted longer than that.

Why did he feel so out of his element then? What was he missing?

---

Finally, Scott arrived at his destination. The castle of the Goldsmith family.

Or what remained of it.

Shubble wasn't exactly wrong when she called it ruins. Heck, that was probably even a stretch. Out of the whole, giant, stone castle covering a serious part of a mountainside, remained a few broken down walls, fallen pillars and a bridge, spliced in two. Scott stopped for a while after making his way across the chasm that opened. All of a sudden, his mouth felt completely dry, as he took in the sight of his castle. When he woke up from his nap, he was still quite sleepy and his hazy mind did not exactly clocked the state of the castle. 

But now, Scott felt more awake than ever.

He pulled his hand over the hollowed out, mossy arch that was once the main gate. The stone was cold to touch, sending shivers down his spine. Just past this gate, there should've been a foyer... But now, all that remained of it was a pile of rocks, and a half-excavated floor. Where the dining hall used to be, all that remained was a bottom part of a giant doorframe. The stairs leading to upper floors were gone, with only a few pillars remaining - none of them even half their original size. Where Scott expected to see the wing of the castle where children lived, he only witnessed weeds poking through the last remaining floor tiles. All that was left of the master library were a few random, scattered pages, rotting on the slightly moist grass. The usually overwhelming scent of blood and warmth was nowhere to be found. Scott inhaled deeply, but the cold air itched in his lungs. After holding his breath for a little too long, he started coughing, to the point where his eyes got teary.

"How...?" He whispered, hugging his arms in a self-soothing manner. "No, no no no... It can't be, it's just..."

His hands fell to his sides, and he rose his head up high. With a deep breath, all of the emotions that threatened to overflow, were tucked nicely back into place. It must've been some sort of misunderstanding... The Goldsmiths probably migrated from this place, in search of prosperity and power. The castle could've gotten damaged by the elements, but they took their valuables and were now living their lavish lives somewhere far, far away.

But... They left him behind. They left behind their grand duke... 

No, no no no no no, it wasn't true. Another deep breath. The bitterness and betrayal got squashed into a small, sickly cube, which then landed in the farthest corner of Scott's mind. There was probably an explanation. Maybe someone came here every now and then, to check whether Scott had already woken up? And once they found him, he could leave with them? All he had to do was wait. Sure, this place wasn't perfect for waiting, and he would've appreciated having at least a bit of a roof over his head. But if that's what it took...

They won't come back.

The thought made Scott flinch, almost as if someone whispered it straight into his ear. He even turned around, to make sure that wasn't the case. But no, he was all alone... 

All alone.

From a lack of any better ideas, Scott went back to the entrance to his crypt. Moist, sickly scent permeated the air closest to the stairs down. He remembered the catacombs themselves very sparsely, as he never liked going in there. The only time he did, was when any of his family members needed burial. And that was not a common occurrence among a family of vampires. So, when he made his decision to leave everyone for a while, take a nap, let everything settle without his influence...

That doomed you, and everyone else.

"Quiet!" Scott yelled out loud, punching himself straight in the temple. Now it made sense... Someone was close. Some other vampire, who connected with him telepathically, was telling him things that weren't true. But why? What was their reasoning? And why did they target Scott, out of everyone?-

All of a sudden, a high-pitched screech reached the vampire. Something small, fluffy and brown circled around his head, then transformed into a human before striking a landing. A pretty hard, clumsy landing. Despite his earlier insecurities and worries, seeing Owen struggle always put a smile on his face. Was that him who connected with Scott? No, that seemed unlikely... That was a pretty high-level technique, definitely out of Owen's league. Unless he didn't know something...

"Told you we need to work on your flying," Scott commented dryly.

"Shubble told me you left before she woke up... I've been looking for you! Why didn't you come help me yesterday?"

Scott snickered, amused by Owen's frustration. The negative thoughts vanished in an instant, replaced with his usual persona of the cocky nobleman that everyone else saw him as. And this time, it felt even better than usual.

"You know I don't do manual labor, Owen. Besides, you did just fine, didn't you?"

"Well, uh, yeah... Avid had a pretty bad fever, but I think I got it under control..."

"See? You didn't need my help," Scott answered with a smirk.

"Still, it would've been nice if you helped... You have a lot more experience than me. You could've at least, I don't know... Watch over me, make sure I'm doing everything right..."

"Awww..." Scott smirked, suddenly grabbing Owen's chin and pulling it closer. "Does the little baby vampire need the validation of an elder?"

"Ugh, stop it!" The lumberjack pulled his face away, clearly bothered by Scott's behavior. He was either cold and distant, or uncomfortably touchy, and no in between. "I'm just saying that if you helped, you would have no reason to complain afterwards! It wouldn't kill you to not be a prick for once, you know?"

Scott squinted. Oh, this one had some nerve... A surprising amount, considering that he recalled the Goldsmiths' last name. He should know better than to speak out against any of them, let alone the grand duke...

But if he was going to be feisty, Scott would teach him to behave. In a way he wouldn't wish upon anyone.

"Why were you even seeking me in the first place?" He scoffed. "Just to complain? And where did you leave these two little vampires?"

"Pyro and Avid are still where they were. I just asked Leg to check on Avid."

"You what?" Scott's eyebrow twitched.

"Oh, calm down... We already had him check up on Pyro, and he was none the wiser. This one won't be any different."

"I hope so. If not... You'll be handling it, if someone goes wrong."

"I guess I will..." Owen rolled his eyes. "I was looking for you to... Ask for advice. How long will it take for them to transform? Are there any chances they could not make it? And if so, can we prevent this? You know so much more than me, I'd really appreciate help..."

Owen truly was a strange one, at least in Scott's eyes. The way he was willing to put his own pride aside to ask for help and advice... And the way he didn't just leave the little ones to fend for themselves... Losing someone due to their transformation not going well was not rare in Scott's circles. Nor was it seen as something negative. If someone didn't make it, it meant they weren't strong enough to be one of the Goldsmiths after all. But Owen actually cared, and wanted these two to make it... It was actually quite remarkable. And amusing.

"Sure, the fever is not the best sign..." He finally gave in, deciding to share his knowledge with someone a lot less experienced. "The worst that can happen to him is tetanus, probably. Or his body fighting off so much, it just destroys itself from inside."

Owen shivered at the idea. The idea of his body rejecting vampirism, to the point that it shut itself off... It was just a bit too much to think about.

"How long did it take you to transform?"

"Three days."

"Oh!" Scott laughed, even though a strange sting hurt him somewhere in his heart. "Three days? Woah! That's impressive!"

"Well, how long did it take for you?"

"It's rarely under four days... And never over seven. Depends on a lot of biological stuff I don't really care about," He admitted with a grin which showed off his teeth. "So, if you want to keep playing nurse, you're gonna have a blast for the next week or so..."

"And I can't count on you for help, can I?"

"I wouldn't advise it."

Owen wanted to add something, but he eventually went quiet. There was no arguing with Scott... As an elder, any rational arguments flew over his head if they were said by someone lesser than him. And Owen was, unfortunately, just that. Lower than him. Not the first time he was seen as lesser, weaker... He could only wonder whether Lewis would've treated him with this amount of superiority. Well, at least when Pyro and Avid are done, he wouldn't treat them the way Scott treated him, that's for sure.

"What is this place?" The younger vampire suddenly asked. "I don't remember ever seeing it back when I lived in Oakhurst..."

Scott flinched, but not enough that Owen would notice. 

"I used to live here... Many, many, many years ago. With my family."

"The Goldsmiths?"

The elder vampire agreed. He still wasn't sure how Owen knew that name... But he would get that out of him soon enough.

"Where are they now?"

"Respectfully, it's none of your business."

"But it's yours, isn't it? Why do you hang out around a bunch of humans, instead of being with your family?"

Scott slid his hands deep into his pockets, where his claws started scratching at his own skin. Truly, this little one was too nosy for his own good... No one in their right mind would barge into a Goldsmith's personal matters. This one clearly wasn't taught well... Whoever was that turned him, the burning pyre was probably what he deserved.

"The less you know, the better you sleep at night, little one." Scott smirked, his finger poking Owen in his forehead. The man scoffed, unamused by how Scott was playing off the situation. 

"We don't sleep, Scott. We're vampires."

"Well, if you took time to get your beauty sleep, maybe you would stop being so grumpy all the time!" The elder vampire smirked, then repeated the poking. He could tell that his subordinate was lacking sleep. The circles under his eyes were darker than before, and overall, he looked like a mess. It almost made Scott appreciate his well deserved nap even more. 

"You still haven't answered me-"

"Let's head back," Scott decided. "Since you were so smart to leave two developing vampires alone, let's see if they'll make it. And if not... Well, I'm already pretty hungry..."

Owen shivered when the true meaning of the other vampire's words hit him. Of course, someone as detached as Scott would have no issues consuming a human he talked to just a day or two earlier. For a second, he wondered whether he was going to become like this one day... One day, when his humanity is nothing more than a vague memory.

Because if so, he had to cling to it even harder than he thought he did.

Scott appreciated that Owen followed after him without a word more. Finally, some authority... He missed it. He missed the times when all he had to do was raise his voice, and the peasants of local towns knelt in front of him, offering sacrifices at his feet. Well, that wasn't the same, but at least it was heading in the right direction.

If only the annoying thoughts and insecurities pestering him just went quiet... Instead of getting louder each time Scott tried to squash them and hide them deep, where he would never find them again.

Chapter 4: Close call

Summary:

While the two vampires are outside Oakhurst, an accident happens. While Owen does damage control, Scott has to punish an unruly vampire.

Notes:

I've been having way too much fun writing this thing :3
Also, new episodes come out today! I'll probably take some inspiration from them, but I've figured out a lot of the plot for this already. So we'll see where this goes

During their entire trip back to Oakhurst, Owen could not stop watching Scott, who walked in front of him. There was just something so... Strange about him. Well, strange was a tame word considering their circumstances. Both of them were vampires, but Scott was just so... Different from him. Of course, he was older, ancient even, but that came off as him being incredibly distant. Detached from reality, as if he wasn't actually participating in the world around him. And the way he danced around each of Owen's questions... It made him less and less willing to ask him about anything more. But he had to, if he wanted to learn something about his own predicament. If Lewis was still around, he would probably be much more eager to explain all the ins and outs of vampirism to him. But he wasn't around. And now, the only source of knowledge for Owen was this old, detached, unsettling man who clearly liked toying with him.

The moment they approached the gates of Oakhurst, Scott stopped and gestured to Owen to do the same. He sniffled the air, as a scent he didn't expect reached him. A very, very faint scent of blood. Even he could barely feel it, with the amount of blood that was likely spilled. But it still caught his attention. Something wasn't right...

"What's wrong?" Owen asked.

"Something happened," Scott whispered. "Something... Bad."

"For us?"

"For them." The vampire stalled his answer, taking in the scent once more. He even stuck his tongue out in a not very seriously looking manner, as if to feel it better. "You go investigate what happened. I'll check on our... Friends."

"Why do I have to investigate?" Owen immediately protested.

"You attract less attention... Just a poor, sickly lumberjack, a societal outcast. Much less distracting than someone like me." Scott smirked, before pushing Owen in front of himself. "Besides, you wanted me to help, right? Well, I'm doing that."

"You're the worst..." Owen sighed, but finally entered the Oakhurst first.

A few of the settlers were sitting in front of one of the houses. It took the lumberjack a moment to make them out. There was Martyn, Cleo, Apo and Legundo. And as he closed on, he noticed the last one wrapping a bandage around his forearm. Immediately, Owen felt his stomach turning with dread. He didn't know what happened yet, but Scott was right. Something did happen. Bad for them.

"What's going on here?" He asked, approaching the small gathering.

"You! Don't go near that house!" Martyn frantically rose from the ground and pointed at the edge of the town. Owen raised his eyebrows, noticing he was gesturing right at the building where Pyro and Avid were... The pieces of the puzzle were clicking into place, and he dreaded seeing the full picture.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"You told me to check on Avid, and I did..." Legs confessed, tightening his bandage. "He does have a high fever, and I tried giving him medication... When all of a sudden, he woke up, leapt out of the bed and bit me." The surgeon raised his arm. A bit of blood already seeped through the clean gauze.

"Shit..." Owen hissed quietly, his pupils contracted. He turned to look the doctor in the face, to try and make out any signs of upcoming transformation. He didn't look much different than he usually did - not that Owen paid much attention before. He was maybe a little bit paler, but that could be blamed on the shock of what happened. "I'm sorry 'bout what happened, I-"

"You think he has rabies?" Apo suddenly suggested, drawing everyone's eyes to her. "I mean, the fever, biting..."

"I hope not, rabies' a bitch..." Cleo muttered, crossing their arms and shuddering. 

"It is a nasty disease..." Legs agreed, putting his hand on the covered wound. "I didn't see any signs of where he could get infected, but the symptoms seem about right..."

Immediately Apo, Cleo and Martyn moved back a little bit. Owen stayed in place. He was almost impressed with how calmly the surgeon talked about this possibly fatal disease, that now he also risked... Or at least he thought he did. 

"Ugh, don't even tell me this stuff..." Martyn retched. "What if we cut your arm off? Would that help?" This time, all of the stares travelled to him. "Hey! You wanted to cut off my foot! Apparently you're cool with amputations, when it's on someone else!"

"Ignore him," Cleo rolled their eyes. "He has something worse than rabies. The stupid nobleman disease."

"Hey! And you have the, the... Poor disease, ha!"

"Legs, I..." Owen weighed his words for a second. For some reason, he really, really wanted to tell the doctor that it wasn't actually rabies... But the truth was considerably much worse. And that would eventually rat out him, Avid, and Pyro as well, most likely. He had to keep a low profile, at least for now. "Can we do something for you, man?"

"I'll keep an eye out on the symptoms. But try staying away from Avid for now. If it's rabies, you won't be able to help us either way."

"Yeah, right..." Owen slowly nodded, before turning back in the direction of the aforementioned house. He wished the other bystanders could just go away, that he could ask Legs more details, figure out the situation... 

All of a sudden, he felt horrible for leaving the two developing vampires alone. If he was there, he could've stopped this... And negate the possibility of their secret getting out. But alas, Avid seemingly doomed them all. He didn't feel bad for Legs, no, not at all. But the more their numbers would grow, the harder it would be to protect the ones he actually wanted to protect.

---

Scott observed the conversation from the window. He couldn't hear anything, but the second he saw the bandage on Legundo's arm, it became clear to him. Someone had bitten him... It's a good thing developing vampires are not strong enough to turn someone just yet. Still, the audacity to go against his word, and try to turn someone... 

"Who did it?" He asked, standing over the two beds. His voice weighed heavily in the air, his red eyes lit up with fury. 

Pyro was sitting up on his bed, his body trembling as his transformation continued to rock his body. He couldn't keep eye contact with Scott, clearly shaken and terrified by the fury of a powerful, elder vampire. Avid was still laying down, wincing from pain and clutching his blanket tightly. His hair was sticky from sweat, the fever had not let him go just yet. But only then, Scott noticed something.

A small stain of blood on his chin.

He approached the young vampire and pulled his finger over his chin, to smear the blood off. The touch made Avid's eyes shoot up and look straight at Scott. There was panic and terror in his stare. As if the emotions that accompanied the moment when he was bitten had not let him go yet. Scott pulled his finger up to his lips, then licked the blood.

"Did you bite Legundo?" He asked. His voice remained surprisingly calm, despite the blood red shine in his eyes. 

"He did," Pyro confirmed quietly. "Legs came to check up on us... And Avid bit him..."

"Let me ask again," Scott leaned over the bedridden vampire hunter. His tone changed; it was oozing hostility, as if a wrong answer could cost Avid his already fleeting life. "Did you bite Legundo without my permission?"

"I..." Avid gasped, struggling to catch his breath. A stinging pain in his chest and in his stomach made it hard for him to focus. 

He did, he panicked and lunged at Legs... He didn't even know why he did it. The hunger was just so hard to quell... And it's not like he hurt him bad, right? It was just a small bite, he barely drank any blood... It was fine, right? Oh, the irony of his situation... At this point, Avid was praying he would just succumb to his fever. That at some point, he would close his eyes, and never open them again.

"Get up."

The vampire hunter didn't move. He could barely feel his legs, and if he tried to stand up, he'd probably collapse right away. And Scott did not look like he would help him get up. Why did he even want that, anyway...?

"Get. Up."

Scott's eyes lit up a dangerous, flashing red. In an instant, Avid's body obeyed. His muscles began moving, forcing him into a standing position. They contorted, convulsing in agonizing pain. His legs and arms felt as if they were on the brink of snapping. Pyro shivered and covered his eyes, but Avid's pained whining still reached him.

"Did you bite Legundo without my permission?" Scott repeated the question once Avid stood in front of him.

"Y-y-yes..."

A sharp, throbbing pain shot through Avid's cheek. A powerful slap left deep, dark claw marks on his skin. He collapsed to the ground, clutching the sore spot, gasping for air and trying to drag himself away from the vampire. He had no weapons on him, he was defenseless, he had to run, to get help, to-

"Where do you think you're going? I'm not done with you."

A strong kick was delivered to his chest. And then, to his stomach. The vampire hunter curled up, shielding his head. But the kicks continued. Each had the potential to break his bones, but just barely missed the mark. He wanted to cry, to scream for help, to beg for forgiveness. He didn't. He could barely breathe, let alone cry for mercy.

"How dare you go against me?!" Scott raised his voice. His eyes were still burning with the most primal fury, with desire for revenge in something that was not even about him. "I am your elder! You are to obey me! You're nothing without me! A pathetic worm, squirming in the ground, only driven by its hunger! How pathetic..."

Finally, the kicking stopped. But Scott wasn't done just yet. He grabbed Avid by the hair and pulled him up. Their faces were inches apart, Scott's bright eyes glued to his terrified, teary, purple eyes.

"I will say it once, and it better get through your thick skull." 

Avid wished he could look away. But he was unable to. Completely helpless. Small and meek, in the light of the powerful vampire that held him in his grasp. If he wanted to, he could crush him in his hand like the worm he was.

"You only feed when I tell you to. If you go against me again, I will pull your insides apart, and consume them before your eyes. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes..."

"Great." 

Scott let go of him, making Avid fall to the ground once more. The haze that came over his mind vanished. His eyes were still glued to Scott, as if he was looking up at a god. Someone so much greater than he could ever hope to be. If only his body listened to him, he would probably fall to his knees, begging for forgiveness. But his legs felt numb, his chest was tight, his cheek burned with unbearable pain.

"And how are you, Pyro?" Scott turned to the other developing vampire. In the blink of an eye, all the anger and bitterness vanished from his face. His features softened once more, his red eyes no longer glowing with such raw strength. Still, after what he just witnessed, Pyro did not feel any sort of reassurance by his much calmer demeanor.

"I- I'm... I'm fine," He whispered. "Just... Tired."

"Well, transforming does take some time to finish... But by the end of this week, you both should be done!" The elder vampire sat down on a chest between the two beds. All of a sudden, his nonchalance returned. His voice was once again calm, maybe even a little peppy. Well, of course it was, since he was turned in a way that he didn't even look at Avid who tried to get back to his bed. "You're gonna love it! You just have to listen to me, mmm, okay? I know a bit more about this stuff than you two, like it or not. You'll be safe with me! As long as you don't cross me," He added, giving Avid a side eye. The vampire hunter shivered at the gesture. The trauma of what just happened, together with Scott's voice and glowing red eyes getting imprinted in his brain, made him cower with fear. "I'll teach you everything! How to act, how to suck blood, how to transform into a bat..."

"A bat?" Suddenly, Pyro's eyes lit up with excitement. "We can do that?"

"Sure thing! It's not easy, but it's pretty useful for moving around. You just have to be careful, not to-"

"Scott?" 

The doors swung open, Owen standing in the entrance. He looked genuinely concerned.

"I figured out what happened..."

"Oh, so did I," Scott shrugged it off. "Don't worry, I took care of everything."

"You... Did?"

Owen's eyes travelled to Avid, who only now managed to climb back to his bed. His cheek was badly cut, the wound darkening slightly around the edges. Fresh bruises covered his arms. He struggled to breathe, his eyes still glued to Scott, as if seeking his attention.

"What happened, Avid...?" He asked quietly.

"Oh, we just had a little chat! It's all good now, right?" Scott turned back to the vampire hunter. Just one dangerous flash of his eyes was enough for Avid to nod his head. "We just had to sort things out!"

"Did you beat him up...?"

"I just taught him some respect, is all!" Scott shrugged again and stuck out his tongue in a playful manner. "Someone had to, right?"

Owen flinched, terrified at the confession. But he stayed silent. He couldn't fight Scott on this. Not yet. He would never listen to him. He just had to hope he could help Avid when Scott would inevitably turn his back on them. He just gave Avid a sorrowful look, one that said 'I'm sorry for him'. As far as he could tell, he didn't notice that.

"Well, anyway..." Scott got up from the chest, then stretched his arms with a big yawn. "I really need a nap now... I forgot that executing authority over others took this much energy, you know?" He smirked, before heading towards the door. His shoulder bumped into Owen's. "You can let them rest... I'm sure they'll be nice from now on."

"I... I'd rather stay with them."

"Suit yourself..." The elder vampire snickered, before stepping outside of the house. Owen watched after him for a minute, before turning back to Avid.

"Hey, Avid? Are you alright?" He whispered.

For some reason, he couldn't help but feel guilty. If he didn't turn Avid, he wouldn't have to suffer right now... But then again, if he didn't, he'd never let them go. Owen couldn't exactly explain it, but the fact that his decision pulled this man into this new life made him feel responsible for his safety. Did Scott feel the same way about Pyro? Did Lewis feel the same way about him? He shook his head, not letting the memories seep in again. He was here now. And he had to make the best of what he had here. Or at least try.

"I'm... I'm fine." Avid eventually answered, his voice quiet, almost pained. He kept his eyes open - every time he closed them, two terrifying, red lights flashed in his mind. "Why do... Why do you care?"

"Because I..." Owen went silent for a minute, raising his eyes. They met with Pyro's, as if he was also waiting for it. The vampire grimaced for a second. "Because I just do."

Owen stayed there for a while, sitting at the edge of Avid's bed, making sure that he could finally calm down. Even if he couldn't stop Scott, he wished he would at least try... 

Once upon a time, someone reached out their hand to him. And now, it was his duty to reach out his own hand. Even if, deep down, he knew that both of these were, in fact, his own fault.

Notes:

Just watched Owen's episode 2 and uhhhh yep. This fic will be heading in a completely different direction than the canon series. Strap in :3

Chapter 5: Lesson zero

Summary:

Owen takes it upon himself to teach Pyro about vampirism. However, the two of them just can't stay alone.

Notes:

Before the chapter starts, I'd like to thank you all for the absolutely incredible support you've shown for this fic. I was supposed to thank you for 1k hits, yet it's already at over 1,6k rn. And we're only on chapter 5! I can't wait to see where this goes :3

Also, good news! I have two more chapters pre-written, so the drought won't last long ^^

A loud thud against a cold, stone floor.

A thump accompanying a strong kick. Quickly followed by the sound of cracking bones.

The sound of dry heaving, not followed by actual vomiting.

Another kick.

A pained cry, followed by a shaking voice.

"Stop, s-stop... I yield..."

"You yield?" The responding voice is sharp, full of anger and pride. "Not only do you challenge me, but now you yield? What sort of Goldsmith are you?"

Silence. The darkness is so overwhelmingly thick, one could fill buckets with it. Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide.

"You know how this should end."

"Yes, father."

"You should die."

"Yes, I should."

"But you're choosing to yield... Like a coward..." Another kick, followed by even more broken bones. "You never stood a chance. Is this how your parents raised you? If so, none of you are true Goldsmiths."

"...yes."

There's no point in arguing. All of these words are true. If this fight continues, he'll die either way. This is the only way to save his skin. Even if the label of a wimp and a coward will follow him for the next centuries. All he wanted at this point was to survive. To live.

"I will spare you. But let this be a lesson for you. And to make sure you don't forget..."

Another thud. Something grabs him by his wrists, something pins his legs, preventing him from flailing and running. A heavy, warm breath touches his neck. Close, too close... Then, a pair of glowing, red eyes light up the unbreakable darkness.

And then, a wave of agonizing pain hits his chest. Two rows of razor sharp teeth grab his skin, pulling and tearing as if aiming to rip his heart out. He screams, and cries, but nobody hears. Nobody hears. Nobody's listening, nobody will come to save him-

Scott shot up from his bed, barely covering his mouth before his scream became so loud that it’d wake up Shubble. His shirt was completely wet from sweat, his body shaking from the horror of his own making. The vampire's hand slowly travelled to his heart. It was just a dream, he thought, it was just a dream, calm down...

But then why was the pain still so real?

Immediately, Scott pulled his hand back. Even millennia after that fateful night, the wound burned him anew every time he remembered about it. They say a vampire's healing abilities are unmatched, as they're able to heal almost any damage done to their bodies. What many don't know, due to lack of experience, is that damage done by another vampire is permanent. A burning reminder to not rise above one's station, unless they're absolutely sure of their advantage. And Scott made a mistake by overestimating his abilities... Or rather, overestimating just how much his opponent would want to crush him.

But he survived. Like a coward, he did. His hand travelled up once more, but he slapped it away. No point in reminiscing about it. He was long gone. Everyone was gone. Maybe he could establish himself anew, and make sure no one would cross him.

Slowly, and still shaking, Scott sat up on his bed. All of a sudden, sleeping no longer felt so appealing. The moon was high in the sky, still... Maybe a walk was in order to clear his mind.

---

While on his way to Avid and Pyro, Owen sighed with relief seeing the latter shakily stumble outside. Clearly, the transformation took a toll on him... But it was finished, at least. His fangs stuck out of his mouth - clearly, he didn't know yet how to retract them. His skin got a little paler, his frame thinner. Owen even noticed a grey streak appearing in his dark brown hair. For a second, he wondered whether he had a similar one, but couldn't check for obvious reasons.

"Hey, careful!" He approached the young vampire and supported him. "How are you feeling, man?"

"Hungry..." Pyro muttered, to which Owen chuckled. 

"Yeah, I can imagine... For a while, you're gonna always feel hungry. Get used to it."

"What do you mean by, a while?"

"Like, fifty or so years..." Seeing Pyro's face go white, he added with a smirk "I'm joking! Well, I'm not really sure how long... I missed out on that part. I just know it happens. But it will pass."

"Oh, great..." Pyro supported himself against the wall and sighed. He winced, his tongue sticking out to touch the tips of his fangs. "How do you guys live with these? I feel like I'm gonna bite myself all the time..."

"Oh, they're retractable," Owen explained. 

For some reason, as much as he hated his own vampirism, helping other people with it made him feel... Better. More secure with himself. He had to figure out everything by himself, mostly through spontaneous bloodshed... So it felt nice to be able to introduce someone to all the ins and outs of their condition. Even if he didn't even know everything himself... He now had a reason to learn. If not for himself, then for someone else.

"Like this!" He opened his mouth, showing Pyro how his own fangs retracted. When hidden, they looked like normal human canines; maybe a little longer, but not enough to draw attention.

"Uhhh... Yeah, I don't know how to do that. Some help? Ouch!" He winced when his right fang accidentally pierced through his lip.

"Oh, right, let me think..." Owen pondered their situation for a second. Pyro wiped his hurt lip, but shivered when noticing no blood coming out of the wound. "It's hard to explain... Here, this is how I do it. You put your tongue against the back of your front teeth, like this... And then you slide it back. Sorta like snapping your fingers."

"Oh... Wait. Like this?"

Owen could barely hold back a chuckle as he watched just as hard Pyro tried to repeat that. His fangs kept retracting and extending again, and his face was incredibly serious, like a kid who was trying really hard to hold a fork by themselves. Did he also look this pathetic when he first learned it? Well, he had to figure it out himself, and that worked for him... But, if Scott noticed how they do it, he'd probably scold them for not doing it 'properly'. But if it worked, it worked.

"Careful... You don't wanna hurt your jaw. It happens if you keep flicking them up and down like that."

"I'll be fine, I just..."

Then, a loud, low growl interrupted him. Owen knew exactly what it meant. Still, he wanted to toy with the baby vampire a little.

"Would you look like that, the wolves really are migrating east at this time of year..."

"I'm pretty sure wolves don't migrate," Pyro winced, wrapping his arms around his stomach. "That was me... I told you, I'm starving."

"Oh, right, of course you do..." Owen smiled. "Come on, we gotta do something about it. Someone has to teach you how to hunt..."

---

A sounder of wild pigs roamed a hillside, digging in the ground in search of something to eat. Most of them were quite young and small, their parents surrounding the meadow to watch out for predators. Little did they know, two of them were hiding in nearby bushes, one of them explaining the process to the other.

"...if you don't strike the artery first try, don't redo it, just roll with whatever you get. Then, you put your lips against the skin, and start sucking. Small sips, and swallow often." Owen paused, seeing the horror in Pyro's eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know, it just... It didn't sound so gross in the books," He explained with an embarrassed smile. "I guess I never imagined doing it myself..."

"Well, there's gotta be a first time for everything, right? You'll do great!"

"Wait, you want me to do this right now?"

"Um, yeah?"

"I- I thought you'd catch them for us!"

"What? If I do that, you're not gonna learn! You need to be sustainable, man," Owen put his hands on Pyro's shoulders. "Believe me, you still have an easier time being taught this stuff then I did."

"I imagine Scott is a bad teacher, huh...?"

"He is... I mean, I knew some things before I met you, but he-"

"Wait," Pyro interrupted him, finally sitting on the ground instead of crouching. He was hungry, sure, but his hunger for knowledge was apparently stronger. "Scott didn't turn you into... This?"

"What? No!" Owen chuckled, but his laughter quickly faltered. "I had... A friend, who did this. But he's... No longer here. It's been two hundred years..."

"Two hundred?!" Pyro gasped.

"I spent most of that time sleeping," Owen admitted with a silly smile, also sitting down. "It's not even that long, especially compared to Scott... That dude is, like, properly ancient. Told me he just woke up from a nap that lasted six hundred years."

"Geez... No wonder he's such a freak," Pyro shivered at the memory of what the elder vampire did to Avid. That was more than enough to make him learn - do not cross him under any circumstances.

"He is... But I think he's just-"

Once again, Owen was interrupted. This time, by the terrified cry of a wild pig, and the thud of steps on grass. Then, it was followed by the sound of frantic sucking and slurping. Soon, they also heard an accompanying crack of breaking bones. Both of the young vampires shivered at the sound. What was that? A predator? A bear? A migrating wolf?

"I can smell you, by the way... What are you two yapping about?"

Worse. That was Scott.

Owen emerged from the bush first. The elder vampire was sitting on the ground in a not very nobleman-like position, his coat tossed aside on the grass. He already finished drinking the blood of a large boar, and was now ripping the meat from its bones. Blood was smeared all over his face, but he seemed unbothered by it. 

"Great job, your prey is gone," He pointed out nonchalantly.

"Yeah, because you scared it away! Ugh, sorry, Pyro..."

"It's fine..." The baby vampire emerged from the bush. "Oh, um, hi, Scott..."

"What are you two doing here, by the way?" Scott chuckled, before frowning. "You did not teach him to hunt, did you, Owen?"

"Well, someone had to, he's hungry..."

"You don't know how to teach," Scott argued, ripping a boar's leg off and taking a big bite. He was already past breakfast, so taking a whole pig was a bit gluttonous of him... But having a full stomach always made him more comfortable, more secure about himself. "Didn't you say yourself that I have more experience?"

"You do..." Owen rolled his eyes. "But you also taught me. And I can pass that knowledge down. So that you can save your stupid sassy remarks."

"Oh, but you love my stupid sassy remarks! But, if you think you're such a great teacher..." Scott wiped the blood off his face. Pyro winced, as the sight of the other vampire gorging himself made his hunger even worse. "Fine. We can test how well you taught Pyro. We'll check how well he does with hunting."

"What- Me? I didn't even try yet!" The youngest vampire immediately argued back, but went quiet at once sharp glance from Scott.

"You'll be fine... Owen is such a great teacher after all, isn't he?" Scott asked, shooting the lumberjack a sassy, prideful smile.

Just several minutes later, after Scott finished his second breakfast, they managed to track down and find the rest of the sounder. The pigs had seemingly calmed down and returned to searching for food. The two older vampires sat down on a big, flat rock nearby, while Pyro stood right under it. His exhaustion after the finished transformation definitely didn't help his hunger, and he could only imagine how much of an idiot he could make himself into.

"Good luck!" Scott waved at him in an overly friendly gesture (which, of course, was meant to mock him). Then, he turned to Owen. "What about you? Aren't you hungry?"

"Huh? No, not really..." The vampire shook his head. "I'm used to not eating much."

"Well, you shouldn't!" Scott smirked. "You gotta eat more to get big and strong, you know?" He put his hand on his own stomach, as if to emphasize his point. Only then, Owen made a strange observation. He hasn't met all too many vampires, but all that he did meet were very skinny, almost sickly. But not Scott. Not to mention his strangely colored hair... No wonder this guy was so detached. He barely even looked like a person from their own times. "Besides, even if we run out of animals, Oakhurst will soon be populated again..."

"Ugh, stop it..." Owen flinched and turned away from him. He also abstained from looking at Pyro, as if to not jinx his attempt at hunting. "You're such a creep..."

"Clearly, you haven't met many people in your little life" Scott pointed out, nonchalantly looking at his claws. The tips of his fingers got slightly darker, with a red tint, and smoothly transformed into small, but incredibly sharp talons. "And no Goldsmiths, aside from yours truly."

"I did," Owen retorted, making a pause before continuing "The guy who turned me... Lewis. He was a Goldsmith."

Scott sat a bit straighter. That name again, Lewis... He could swear he recalled it. It's been over two weeks since he woke up from his slumber, but it was still hard for him to recall most details. And the ones he did recall, were not pretty. The burning in his chest returned.

"He used a different last name as a mayor, but told me that-"

"Oh, look!" Scott suddenly changed the topic by pointing at Pyro. He managed to catch one of the smaller pigs, which now wriggled in his arms. "Well, that's almost half of the job behind him..."

"Scott?"

"Yes?"

"Why did you beat up Avid? That... That scratch on his cheek will not heal, you know that, right?"

The burning continued. Scott squinted, his eyes now glued to the baby vampire who struggled to get his fangs to click open. If that was also something Owen taught him, he'd probably have to reteach him the technique...

"It will make him remember. Pain is a powerful teacher." He tilted his head back and turned it, so that his glowing, red eyes turned to Owen. "Did your parents not beat you up over small mistakes?"

"No... No, they didn't," Owen muttered. Well, it wasn't exactly a lie... They couldn't really beat him, if they died before he could even remember them. "Did yours...?"

"He will remember now," Scott repeated. The other vampire noticed in surprise that this time, he did not dodge the topic as gracefully. "You gotta teach them young, you know? If you don't, they're gonna disobey. And then, you have a problem for life."

"But Avid's not a child, he's a-"

"Is he?"

Owen rolled his eyes. He knew what Scott meant... But he felt like his point still stood.

"He's an adult. You can just talk to him."

"You spent too much time among humans," Scott snapped back. "That's your problem. They try to talk things out, but by the end, they still end up killing each other. We just skip the pleasantries and get straight to business."

"I just..." Owen sighed heavily. "Okay, listen. I know you think I'm an idiot who doesn't know anything about anything. But... At least cut them some slack. You don't have to be such a detached asshole all the time, you know?"

Scott wanted to argue, but instead, he went silent. He just watched as Pyro finally dug his fangs deep into the pig's neck and began sucking its blood out. A little bit of the scarlet liquid dripped down the dying animal's skin. The baby vampire looked completely still and focused, immersed in his first bloody meal in his life. And from what it looked like, he was enjoying himself. Even despite what he told Owen earlier.

"You're in no position to command me, fledgling," Scott commented coldly. "But... I'll think about it."

"That's already a lot..."

"So? How does it feel?" The elder vampire slipped down the boulder and approached Pyro. The vampire pulled away from the dead pig, then looked up at Scott. He did not seem angry, or resentful, he looked... Amused.

"It wasn't that bad..." He admitted with an embarrassed smile. "I mean, I'm still hungry, but-"

"You can always eat that pig too, you know? You should never waste your food. Not in our circumstances, at least."

"Oh, um..." Pyro looked at the body in his hands and flinched. "Maybe next time... You want it?"

"Oh, gladly."

Pyro fell on his back, resting after his meal and looking up at the sky. It felt a lot better than he expected... He felt a little bit bad admitting it to himself, but maybe getting turned by Scott was not all bad. Back home, he had no idea for his future - just a degree in making, a family that already wrote him off as an incompetent idiot, no savings and no hopes... And as weird as it was, this was a fresh start for him. Sure, it wasn't all sunshines and rainbows, but... Maybe it wouldn't actually be all bad...?

Scott watched the baby vampire for a moment, before digging into his third breakfast. He was already full halfway through the previously hunter boar, but the warm, safe feeling of stuffing his face was just too good to pass up on. Maybe he should've shared it with Owen... Nah, he'll be fine. Clearly, he knew how to take care of himself. And, he knew how to pass his knowledge down.

Owen watched the two of them from up at the large boulder. He didn't expect to see them like this - in the middle of a forest, in a pretty picture-perfect situation (minus the blood dripping down Scott's chin). For once, no arguing, no violence, no anger... A strange thought crossed his mind at that moment.

Is this what having a family feels like...?

Notes:

Just a reminder that if you wanna share this fic on social media, like on Tumblr or Twitter, to recommend it to people or to discuss it, please do! (that includes sharing any fanart although it doesn't happen often, but I love it a lot!) And feel free to tag me! I love interacting with you guys, even if it doesn't happen often ^^

Chapter 6: Your brand new life

Summary:

Avid finishes his transformation. However, his mind will not bend as easily as his body.

Notes:

Once again, I'd like to thank you all for the frankly insane support for this fic! You guys are absolutely amazing and I love all of you! I hope you enjoy this wild ride :>

Avid welcomed the first day when his fever didn't wreck him with open arms. Finally, the haze that set over his mind seemingly vanished, to the point where getting up from bed no longer felt like a task beyond his capabilities. For a while, he just laid there in his bed, basking in a freeing lack of pain. He was completely alone - Pyro finished his transformation a few days earlier, while Owen and Scott were probably busy with some other business. The latter did not appear since the faithful day where Avid lost control over himself - but his influence still loomed over the young vampire hunter. Whenever he closed his eyes for a little too long, his bright, red eyes flashed in his mind. He was never going to forget what happened that afternoon... And even if he did, a faint, stinging pain in his cheek was going to be a permanent reminder of what he went through.

Slowly, he reached out his hand to touch the scar. Owen had bandaged it a few days earlier, not letting an infection get in. That's funny... He was right about the identities of the vampires, he found them out, and paid the highest price possible for his failure. One of them clearly hated Avid for what he's done, and then some. Scott was not going to let that go, probably ever. While Owen... He seemed pretty chill. Maybe even friendly. He was there for Avid when he was through his worst, and while he was no beacon of positive reinforcement, he clearly tried to help. Maybe if he sided with him, Scott would eventually leave him alone...

Avid lifted himself from the bed, still a bit strained by the action. Finally, his legs did not shake like two thin sticks, and he could walk almost normally. The air was cold this morning, a light breeze blew through the open window. Slowly, he pulled himself to the door, then pushed them open. The sun did not feel bad on his skin... Maybe he was fine after all...? Maybe his body fought it off, and his worst nightmare did not come to fruition...?

But then, he felt it. Unbearable hunger, gnawing at his gut and almost knocking him off his feet. Sure, in the past week he couldn't eat anything due to his state, but... This was different. Unnatural. And as he frantically licked his lips, his tongue almost got pierced on a sharp, long fang, sticking out of his mouth.

So it wasn't just a dream. It was a nightmare, that now became his reality.

"Avid! You're up!" The young vampire shivered when he heard someone addressing him. Quickly, he was approached by Drift, his roommate. Well, he spent more time in this little hut than he did actually living with her, but that still counted, right? "It's so good to see you!"

"It... It is...?"

"What do you mean? We all thought you got rabies, and that you were gonna die!" For how grim that possibility seemed, Drift was surprisingly happy. Probably just because she saw him for the first time in a week... "That means the doctor is not gonna die either!"

"The- Oh, right, Leg..." Avid shivered at the memory, and the everpresent sight of red eyes staring into his soul. Does that mean he turned Leg into a vampire, too? He didn't see him in their little hut, at least not since the incident... "I- I guess I have to apologize to him, huh...?"

"Well, it seems appropriate... Are you alright?"

"Wh- What do you mean?"

"You're so pale... That illness did a number on you, huh? What happened?"

"I- Um... I think it was just the flu..." Avid shrugged it off. 

Another ironic side of his situation... Now he had- no, he was a living proof of the existence of vampires among Oakhurst's settlers. He could just come out on the town square and rat out Scott, Owen and Pyro, or any combination of them. But, if he did that... He'd have to admit to getting turned as well. He’d either play with the team that he wanted dead for so long, or sacrifice his own life to save all these people he just met from a threat he was a part of. On a second thought, he didn't want to think about it just yet. That sort of existential dread could wait a few days.

"Did I, did I miss anything...?" The vampire hunter asked quietly. Maybe getting up from bed right away was a mistake... He barely got outside, yet he was already exhausted. And the unimaginable hunger... But every time he thought of finding something to eat, the red eyes returned, and his wound stung harder. He couldn't. Not without Scott's permission. 

"Well, you weren't there for the house judging contest... And since you were out, Cleo handled it with Pearl."

"Did we win...?"

"Not really... Even having a bathroom didn't help." Drift chuckled, but couldn't stop staring up at Avid. He was usually skittish and nervous, but this time, there was something different about him. The exhaustion on his face could be explained by his illness, as well as how pale his skin was... But his eyes were unusually dim. Sad. Defeated, almost. As if he just lost a battle against someone, or something. But he was healthy again, right...? "And, um, just so you know... Since you were out, Scott had not, in fact, revealed himself as a vampire. So you don't have to worry about that anymore!"

Oh, the bitter irony... Avid almost let out a wail. On the other hand... If he revealed himself, and told everyone what happened... He wouldn't have to live like this anymore. As this disgusting, cursed creature of the night. He just had to show his bite mark, he just had to speak-

"There you are!" The sudden voice in his ear, as well as a hand that landed on his shoulder, made Avid jump with a scream. He recognized that immediately - how could he not? That was the same voice he heard in all his fever-induced nightmares. "Look who's up again! How are we feeling, huh?"

"Oh, h-hi, Scott..." Avid stuttered through his greeting. Drift took a step back, watching the two of them. Something was off... Avid was always weird around Scott. But not this weird. He usually accused him of being a vampire at least five times a day, and did all of this nonsense with garlic and silver to apparently keep him at bay. But this time, he seemed... Terrified. Paralyzed with fear. The detective squinted, unsure what to make of this change in their dynamic. "I'm fine, just... Hungry."

"Ahhh, I see... I expected that, you know? Poor little morsel..." Scott whispered straight into Avid's ear, then turned to Drift once more. "Would you mind if I steal him from you for a few hours?"

"Uh... No, not at all, but... Avid?" Drift reached over to her bag, then pulled out a piece of fresh bread. "You want some? Since you're hungry..."

For a second, Avid looked back at Scott, who was now hanging over his shoulder. What should he do? Could he take it? Could he even eat normal food, or was he doomed to drink blood for the rest of his long, miserable existence? He took a deep breath. For now, he had to keep up appearances. He could make his big reveal one day. But not yet. If he tried something in front of Scott... The vampire hunter shivered, then snatched the piece of bread from his roommate.

"Thanks, Drift." He just muttered, before turning away from Drift. "Okay, Scott, let's... Let's go."

"Perfect! We'll find you something real to eat." He added after they were far enough that the detective wouldn't hear them. 

"What would happen if I tried to eat this...?" Avid asked carefully. 

"Good luck. Best case scenario, you're gonna throw up. Worst, you might get poisoned."

Avid shivered. The second they crossed the gates of Oakhurst, he tossed the piece of bread in the tall, unruly grass. Sure, it tasted absolutely divine, especially with just how hungry he was... But after he spent so long transforming, food poisoning was the last thing he wanted. 

"Where are we going...?" He eventually asked Scott.

"Well, you said you're hungry, right?" The elder vampire's voice was unsettlingly peppy. Almost as if he had already forgotten what he put Avid through... But the vampire was not going to forget that. Not anytime soon. "We gotta teach you how to hunt at last..."

"Hunt?" Avid shivered. Well, he was a hunter, in one sense of the word... But he never expected it to be twisted in such a way. "I- I didn't take my crossbow, I-"

"You don't need it! You're all the weapon you need. Especially when you fill up your tummy enough to get these..." Scott put his chin on Avid's head and reached his hands out. The young vampire shivered at the sight of his claws. All of a sudden, the wound on his cheek burned up with another wave of pain. Scott's nonchalance about his situation was making him sick to his stomach. Did the pain he put him through not matter? Was he going to just treat it like a non-issue, or worse, a joke? And the worst part was, Avid could not fight back. Not anymore. He was trapped. He actually wished that Owen had just finished him off back then, in the woods.

Scott gave him a basic rundown of how to hunt as they travelled through the forest. However, in his panicked state, all that Avid heard came through one ear and out the other. Something about animals, about arteries, about meat... And with each word, his horrible situation was becoming more and more clean. A mental image of him, slouching over some sort of corpse and drinking its blood like a monster, popped up in his head. His thoughts immediately ran back to the one vampire he successfully killed in his life - and the only one he didn't want to kill. What she would've thought if she saw him...? He was so pathetic it was almost disgusting...

He needed to find a wooden stake. Quickly.

Finally, the two of them came upon a herd of wild cattle, roaming the forest. At first, Scott approached one of the cows and presented to Avid exactly what he had to do. At this point, his fear of the elder vampire prevented him from averting his eyes. He watched the whole time as the cow got attacked by him, only to eventually collapse on the ground, devoid of life. And Scott seemed so calm about what he was doing... He looked terrifying, with blood smeared over his blood and chin. The thought that Avid could become like this one day made him want to cry.

"Your turn!" Scott called out to him.

His command over Avid was lifted, if only for a brief moment. He approached one of the cows, which enjoyed its breakfast of grass and small flowers. If only he could also feed himself with grass, instead of what he was about to do... He put his hand on the cow's neck, as if to calm it down. It's fine, he had to do it to survive, it's fine, it's-

"I can't do it."

"What do you mean?" Scott raised an eyebrow. He was sitting on the ground, consuming the meat straight from his prey's neck.

"I just... I just can't," He whispered. "This is not me... This is not who I am."

"Oh, but it is!" Scott chuckled, amused by Avid's denial. "Like it or not, this is your life now! Enjoy some eternal torment, neverending hunger and great skin!"

"I don't want this!" Avid finally snapped, his voice breaking in the middle. "You might enjoy it, Owen might enjoy it, even Pyro seems fine with it, but- But I don't want to live like this!" He fell to his knees, his head low, almost touching the grass. He was helpless. Beyond helpless, probably. And it was all his own fault. The only way to put an end to this was to put an end to him. "Please... I know how much you hate me. So just, please... Finish the job."

Scott scrunched his nose. He should've expected that... Although, he wished Avid would turn out to have a little bit more of a spine. Begging for mercy like this... It put some very negative memories in Scott's head. His chest began burning up with stinging pain. He was having absolutely none of that. The vampire rose up from his spot, a piece of fresh meat still in his hand. A bit of leftover blood dripped on the grass.

"Get up."

His body obeyed. Thanks to his recovery, it no longer hurt as much. It still filled his heart with dread, however. Not again... The wound on his cheek began itching.

"I see what you want me to do, hmmm..." Scott grabbed his chin, his claws grazing against Avid's skin. He flinched. "You want to have an easy way out of this... You want me to kill you. But that's now gonna happen."

"Why not?" He almost cried.

"You made a choice to insert yourself in a world that you didn't understand... Now, you have to live with your choices. And not beg for mercy like a coward." A low growl escaped his lips. "No one is coming to save you. So either save yourself, or succumb."

Scott lifted his hand, the lump of meat getting closer to Avid's face. He winced and stepped back, but the smell... It was a lot more enticing than he dared to admit. The hunger was unbearable, his stomach was almost eating itself at this point. Death from starvation would be a long, painful one... But wouldn't it be one he deserved...?

"Come on, Avid," Scott's voice softened all of a sudden, despite his eyes flashing red. "Enjoy your meal..."

The piece of meat eventually went down his throat. Soon, two more cows from the herd dropped dead. Scott enjoyed another meal, while watching as the former vampire hunter greedily sipped on blood flowing out the cattle's puncture wounds. His technique could use a bit of work, sure... But his first meal was already behind him. That was a milestone in Scott's eyes, at the very least. Hopefully, the next one would not go as dreadfully hard.

---

Thank god, Drift let him continue staying with her. And thank god Scott did not oppose the idea.

Avid was sitting on his bed on the top floor of their little hut. A short, wooden stake weighed heavily in his hand. He's been staring at it for longer than he cared to admit. He needed to finally do this, to push himself... To save himself, as per Scott's words. But he couldn't. His hands were shaking, he even dropped the stake once when he got it from his chest. It would probably hurt as hell, sure... Maybe he could ask someone for help? Scott was a no-go, but Owen, or Pyro...?

"Avid? You home?"

The vampire shivered as he heard the door open, and then Drift's voice carry up the stairs. She was coming... But he was paralyzed with fear and indecision. When she walked in, he was still there, clutching on the wooden stake.

"There you are! Did you have fun with Scott?" The detective asked, standing at the top of the stairs and looking at her roommate. 

"Oh, uh... Yes. I guess I did."

"You sure? He seemed terrified when he came... Did he... Did he hurt you?"

Oh, did he hurt Avid... In ways he could never explain, which made the pain so much worse. He pulled his fingers over his bandaged cheek.

"It's fine."

"Avid, I can tell it's not fine..." Drift approached him, and only then noticed the stake in his hand. "You still... You still think it's him, right...?"

It took him a moment to understand. So Drift misunderstood his intention with the stake... Good. She was better not knowing what could've happened, had she not entered the house just now. 

"Hey, listen... I'll keep an eye on him. If he really is dangerous, we'll find a way to... I dunno. Get rid of him." She put on a brave face, but her worry seeped through. Should she tell him the truth? That she saw that piece of bread she gave him, tossed away in the grass...? Not yet. She grabbed the stake and pulled it out of Avid's hands. "You don't need this right now, okay? We'll figure things out."

The moment the wooden stake left his hand, Avid took a deep breath - as if it prevented him from breathing beforehand. He should tell her everything, have her finish the job... But as soon as he opened his mouth, a new wave of fear washed over him. Curse him and his survival instincts, pushing him to live through hell and beyond...

"Yeah. We will," He repeated, but his words lacked conviction.

"Great!" Drift smiled, then hid the stake in her bag. Good. It would stop distracting Avid, at least for now. "I'm heading with Cleo to find some more seeds for our crops... You wanna come with us?"

"Yeah. I'll go with you."

He didn't even have to think about the answer. Even with what he went through, with what he saw, with what he did that day... He had to go on. Maybe he could still make something out of it.

Chapter 7: Home wreckers

Summary:

Scott returns to his castle again. His own home no longer offers him safety.

Notes:

Thanks to all of you for 300 kudos (+ all the extra kudos you add in the comments, I love them a lot :3) you guys are wonderful ❤️

When returning to his castle, Scott secretly hoped that its state would be not quite as poor as he saw last time. Of course, the place wouldn't just magically rebuild itself overnight, or even a few weeks, but maybe he was remembering wrong? Maybe he did not, in fact, find only ruins in a place of his old home? Maybe he just found a wrong spot? Or his mind was playing tricks on him, not letting him see what was actually there?

But as soon as he saw the first gaping hole in the bridge leading up to the island, it all became clear. He did, in fact, see right from the very beginning.

Scott roamed the area, silently contemplating the ruins of the place he called home not too long ago. It was like, what, six hundred years? It couldn't have been that long... He just took a nap to rest from the stress and exhaustion of his life back then, from his responsibilities as the grand duke. How could this much change while he was away? And could he have prevented it if he was still active back then?

At some point, Scott found a secret stash that he hid once upon a time under the floor. The stored wine bottles were emptied, no trace of alcohol left. His old, golden watch was cracked, stuck at just past 3. One of his favorite books had rotted due to moisture, the ink almost completely smeared off, the cover overgrown with colorful mold. The vampire winced at the sight and tossed the book aside. He could barely even remember what it was about... He did, however, grab his watch, and hid it in his pocket. Maybe he could find a way to repair it, and get it to work again...

Then, after a bit of pondering, Scott approached the entry to the crypt once more. Last time, he chickened out- He skipped out on entering. He could barely remember what the inside was like, since he left in such a haze... But he couldn't stall any longer. Maybe he would find something, or someone inside? Something that would connect him back to his family, perhaps? Something that would help him get out of here?

The long, spiral staircase carried him down into the dark crypt. Of course, his vampiric eyes saw clearly through darkness, but he could feel it, sticking to his skin like wet cobwebs. Or maybe they were actually just cobwebs. The air hung heavy, it smelled of rot and long dried blood. Water dripped down from the high, stone ceiling, making little puddles on the ground. Moss grew over pillars and walls, especially luscious in places where sun never reached. 

And then, Scott bumped into something.

A crunch, right under his foot. He knew that sound a lot better than he wanted to admit. Something like snapping a dry twig, but also not exactly... Slowly, his stare went down. A dry, cleanly picked off bone, that he accidentally kicked off to the side. It was pretty large and long, possibly a tibia, although anatomy was never his strong side. The vampire shivered, a cloud of vapor left his mouth into the cold air.

"Bones...? Outside of tombs...?" He whispered, before bracing himself to take a look around.

Even more bones littered the ground, a lot of them broken or marked with signs of heavy damage. Each nook in the walls had at least one human skull- No, not only human skulls. Many of them had clearly elongated fangs, while some had them completely pulled out. Scott immediately took a step back. No, no no no, it shouldn't be like this... Every Goldsmith, aside from the ones that proved failures to the family, earned proper burial in tombs. Nobody would just leave them out to rot, or toss their bones across the halls of the crypt. Did someone come here, to scour through the graves of vampires long gone? Or were they more fresh than Scott thought?-

Without thinking too much, the vampire turned around. No, he couldn't take this right now. He barely made it halfway through the hall, but he's already seen enough. It was probably a misunderstanding, or something he just didn't remember... Maybe they were always there, but they slipped his mind? Yes, that was probably it. Or maybe it was another trick of light. Yes, that had to be it. That was a lot more probable, than having this corridor be the resting place for so many Goldsmiths.

After approaching the stairs once more, Scott immediately transformed into a bat and shot up into the sky. He had to leave as quickly as possible. This place left a bitter taste in his mouth. His hands felt cold, his stomach squirmed with dread. Maybe it was time to turn back to Oakhurst... But when he emerged from the hole in the ground, the sun just happened to peek out from between the clouds. Scott hissed and dropped back to the ground, before turning back and hiding in the shadow of the remaining walls. No, flying back was too risky. Since his strength was coming back, some of his drawbacks became more pronounced as well. That included the sun, his biggest enemy. And coming back to Oakhurst with severe burns would be too obvious... Curse the weather. It was only ever nice when he didn't want it to be.

Then, all of a sudden, Scott picked up on something that he never noticed before. A smell... A fresh one, which was weird considering how dead the place looked. And it smelled like freshly spilled blood... Was it some sort of animal that injured itself while crossing the ruins? His vampiric stomach growled. His breakfast consisting of a wild fox had long worn off on him. It smelled too good to be true... But for once, his instincts took over his common sense, and the vampire followed after the scent. It came from somewhere behind the back wall, where his garden used to be... And it was getting stronger with each step. Maybe it really was his lucky day after all...?

And then, something rustled loudly in the grass. That was followed by a sound of metallic clang, and then Scott's surprised yelp.

Just after he left the ruins and approached the source of the smell, he must've stepped into something. In the blink of an eye, a hidden mechanism snapped open. A heavy net sprang out from the bushes, immediately wrapping around the vampire. Scott tumbled to the ground, before a second part of the trap activated. Heavy, metal rings attached to the net snapped shut around his mouth and wrists. He let out a drowned out scream when the shining metal began burning through his skin.

Silver. Someone set a trap on him. And clearly, it worked.

Scott squirmed and fought back, trying to free himself. He got tangled in the net, accidentally tying up his legs to the point where he couldn't get up. Not only that, the pain of silver burning through his bare skin was overwhelming, dulling his senses. He had to find a way out, to free himself... Transforming into a bat would've worked, but the metal - probably blessed - seemed to stop him from morphing. The vampire wriggled around on the grass, screaming helplessly into his metallic muzzle.

Curse him, for not telling anyone where he was heading... Now, nobody would come to save him.

---

"Whoa! Look at this, guys!"

The group of travellers from Oakhurst, consisting of Owen, Avid, Martyn, Shubble and Legundo stopped at the edge of an old, decrepit bridge. The other end drowned in fog, they could barely make out the shape of some sort of ruins looming on the other side. Shubble immediately stepped on the bridge, eager to explore what was waiting for them on the other side.

"Oh geez, this doesn't look safe..." Martyn shuddered, taking one hesitant step. "What if it falls apart? With us on it? That's, like, a fifty foot drop at the end..."

"You're right, it might not be able to hold you." Owen commented with a smirk, which caused him an upset look from Martyn.

"Hey!"

Owen snickered at the response. He then pulled his shawl more tightly over his head. The sun was especially strong that day, to the point where it was actually beginning to hurt his skin. Luckily, Avid seemed unaffected just yet. Must've been a power level thing. At least he didn't have another reason to stress out; he looked like one more mishap would give him a heart attack.

"Uh, doc?" Martyn called out to Legs "If I fell from up there into the water down, would I die?"

"Let me think..." The surgeon approached one of the holes in the bridge, then nodded. "Yeah, most definitely, you would."

"Oh man... This is not- HEY!" He let out a whimper when Owen suddenly pushed him. The young nobleman flailed his hand to regain his balance, even though he was standing nowhere near a chasm. Not only that, the vampire grabbed him by his coat, to make sure he wouldn't fall for real. Just how Scott taught him - they tasted better if consumed while alive. "You! My father will hear about this, you know?!"

"If he ever comes back..." Even Avid managed to muster a meek smile, even with how exhausted and pale he looked. Martyn scoffed, before following Shubble through the bridge. Owen joined Avid on their way across, with Legs closing the group.

"Hey, Avid? Are you alright?" Owen whispered. "You don't look good..."

"I'm so hungry..." The former vampire hunter whispered. 

"Oh... Wait, what if we split up and find something for ya? I think I saw a group of hares near-"

"No, no, you don't get it... I can't. Scott didn't tell me to feed."

"What? That's bullshit! He can't tell you where to eat and when to..." Their eyes suddenly met. Even what Avid said sounded like a stupid excuse, the fear in his eyes was genuine. And there was something else. Something that Owen couldn't quite decipher. He wasn't sure why, but just by that one look, he suddenly believed that Avid wasn't just exaggerating. "Okay, fine... I don't know what he did, but if you say so, I... I believe you. When we find him, I'll talk to him."

"What? No, no, don't! He's gonna get upset if you stand up to him..."

"He's always upset," Owen pointed out. "I'll be fine. I'll figure it out for you. Okay?"

"I... Thanks, Owen."

"Always, man."

"Dang... What is this place?" Shubble whispered the second he stepped foot on solid ground once more. They were standing under an overgrown stone arch, which could once be a grand gate to a giant castle. The deeper they went, the more strangeness they saw. Remnants of old walls, floors, pillars and stairs leading nowhere. Pieces of glass, metal and broken arrows littered the ground in a few places. The scent of moisture and sickness permeated the air. The place did not look just abandoned - it looked actually dead.

"Whoa..." Martyn gasped quietly. "It looks like some old manor, or a castle... Maybe there is some loot left?"

"Don't you have enough loot back at home?" Legs smiled. Clearly, the vampires were not the only ones taking their shots at Martyn that day.

"I- I mean, definitely not something like this! Look!" The young nobleman pointed to the best preserved stained glass window, poking out from one of the walls. 'Best preserved' actually meant that most of the metal skeleton was saved, with less than a handful of pieces of colorful glass still in place. Most of them littered the ground around the wall. "Am I tripping, or does the guy on this kinda look like that rich guy? What was his... Scott?"

"Scott?" Owen repeated quietly, before turning to where Martyn pointed. At first, he didn't see it at all, especially since most of the color was shattered. But on a second glance... The slightly round face, the specific haircut, with its blue color signified by a singular piece of glass... As well as claws, fangs and slightly pointy ears. He gulped, put off by the similarity, and the fact that Martyn picked up on that. "Nah, I think you're tripping. That looks nothing like Scott."

"Really? I think it's-"

"Hold on," Legs suddenly interrupted their banter. "You hear that, too?"

Everyone went quiet. At first, they only heard the wind, rustling among the dry grass and leaves. But then... They did, in fact, hear something. Thuds, and muffled cries. And it came from just behind the castle. Owen and Avid exchanged concerned glances.

"What was that?" Shubble shivered. 

"Sounds like a trapped animal..." Legs scrunched his nose, before following the sound. The rest of the group stepped right after him. And only then, a very particular smell hit them. Something bloody, and fresh. "It's probably in pain..."

Avid wrapped his arms around himself when his stomach growled with unbearable pain. That did smell good... No, it didn't. It smelled like blood, and he would not drink it ever again... Even if it kills him. He was not an actual vampire. He could fight back...

"Scott!" Shubble gasped.

The nobleman laid in the grass, struggling against a thick net that he was wrapped up in. His mouth was covered with a thick, metal ring, and his hands were chained as well. The second he noticed the group, his eyes darted straight to Owen. He looked... Scared. Almost pleading. Almost. The skin around his mouth was reddened. Smell of burning flesh came off him.

"Oh man..." Legs approached the trapped man and knelt in front of him. "Quickly, does anyone have a knife or something?"

Avid took a step back. That sight almost put a smile on his face. Almost. The same guy who mistreated him time and time again was now getting his justice served... Not only that, he understood exactly what happened. He didn't just get caught in some snares, meant for wild animals. This was a specifically designed trap for vampires. The blessed ropes, the silver ring he couldn't bite through... And the smell must've been the bait. Whoever put it here clearly knew what they were doing... At some point, Avid learned how to set up a trap like this. But he never had a chance to actually use his skills...

The whole group began looking for something to free Scott. The elder vampire squirmed, the pain causing his eyes to water. It was so humiliating... The grand duke of Goldsmiths, caught into a simple trap like a fool. He almost wished that they would just leave him to rot here.

Almost.

"I have a sword, will that help?" Martyn asked, pulling out his weapon.

"If there's nothing better... But I might accidentally cut him..." Legs winced.

"I have nothing..." Shubble confessed.

"Really? We all ventured out to explore, and none of us brought a knife?" Martyn scoffed.

"You don't have one either!"

"I have something, at least! Besides, papa doesn't let me touch knives!"

"That checks out..."

"I have a knife," Avid suddenly said, taking out a pocket knife from behind his belt.

"Great," Legs sighed with relief, "give it here, I'll cut him free-"

"No, I'll free him. I know what to do with this."

"You do...?"

"Yes..." As Avid approached the tied up Scott, a meek smile lit up on his face. For once, he was in control... And it felt good. He could rat Scott out, or kill him while he was vulnerable. It was almost too easy...

But he didn't do that. And even days later, he frequently asked himself why.

"I know you guys don't believe my stories about vampires, but... Some people do." He said, kneeling next to the captured vampire. He began carefully cutting through the ropes, trying not to cut Scott. "Someone set up a trap to capture a vampire. That smell is just bait. Then, it activates, and traps them with these silver rings. They block a vampire's powers... The net is a bit overkill, but it does the job, too."

"Did you set it up?" Shubble asked curiously.

"No... But I wish I did." He added quietly, but just loudly enough that Scott heard him. The elder vampire let out a quiet, muffled hiss, also in a manner that only Avid would hear. 

Once the net fell apart, Avid grabbed the silver muzzle and pulled his fingers over it. It felt hot, as if he stuck his hand in a cup of tea. The pain must've been unbearable to Scott... He could leave him like that. But he already showed that he could be merciful, while Scott lacked that skill. So instead, he navigated to the hidden unlocking mechanism. A second later, the ring split in two and fell off Scott's face. The vampire immediately took a deep, shaky breath. His fangs snapped closed, just before anyone could notice them.

"Don't move..." Avid murmured as he unlocked the two metal shackles on Scott's wrists. The elder vampire shivered, his pointy ears pinned down.

"Why are you doing this...?" He whispered.

Only then, the former vampire hunter understood his choice.

"Because I'm not like you."

"Scott!" Shubble knelt next to her roommate. "Oh gosh, are you alright? Your silver allergy..."

"Yeah, it's... Not pretty..." Scott winced. With his lips and cheeks burned, speaking became quite painful. He could only hope the damage wasn't permanent... Otherwise, he would lose one of his best aspects, that being his pretty face. "But... I'll be good..."

"Let me see..." Legs approached him as well, putting his fingers next to the burns. Scott flinched. "They've not very deep... They might leave some light scarring, but it should heal over in a few weeks.

"Silver allergy...?" Martyn commented quietly. He, as well as Owen, stayed behind and watched the other help the nobleman get up.

"Apparently..." Owen answered, trying to play it cool. "It's not that weird. Some people are allergic to milk."

"Oh, I know something about that..." The young man rolled his eyes. It made him drop the topic. Good.

"What are you even... Doing here?" Scott huffed. Each word felt as if he had a thousand needles pierce through his cheeks.

"We were on a mission for science and discovery!" Shubble responded, her voice excited and peppy once more. "And we found this place... Wait, but what were you doing here?"

"I used to live here- My family, I mean. Ancestors. A long time ago." Scott muttered a half-assed excuse. It had to work, at least for now. He had no strength to explain himself any longer.

"Well, I'm taking you back to Oakhurst," Legs helped him get up, and supported him on his shoulder.

"Need me to come, too?" Shubble asked.

"No, I'll be fine... You guys can stay. Just, please, be careful... There might be more traps around here," The doctor warned them, before leading Scott towards the bridge.

The vampire looked over his shoulder, making eye contact with Owen for a brief while. No, no no no, they couldn't stay... That was his home. He didn't want them there. They should go back, and forget this place ever existed...

But he was too exhausted to fight back. Instead, he slumped over Legs, letting him carry him back to Oakhurst like a fool he was.

Notes:

Just a quick note: tomorrow (September 26th) there will be no new chapter, because ao3 is scheduled for maintenance and will be down for almost the entire day. But the chapters will return on Saturday ^^

Chapter 8: Signs from the past

Summary:

A group of humans and vampires explore the ruins of an old castle. At the same time, Scott gets directions on where his life should be headed next.

Notes:

Oh lord this fic is at +3k hits already
And it's almost at 150 subscibers! Thank you so much, this is all still so insane to me I can't believe you're enjoying this thing this much TwT (update: reached 150 literally a minute before this chapter went live. Holy shit)

Getting caught and rescued was the best worst thing that could've happened to Scott. Sure, being found tied up and helpless, completely on the whims of some humans and his subordinates was painfully humiliating. Not to mention, the burns on his mouth and wrists still hurt like all hell. However, that was all worth it when Avid decided to actually save him. The same guy who was apparently a vampire hunter, and was on his tail the entire time... Freed him willingly. If that wasn't a proof to the humans that Scott was actually clean, then what was? Scott was actually quite impressed with himself. He was quite good at intimidation, sure, but to the point that Avid immediately jumped to save him? That was something even he didn't expect. He probably feared what would happen if Scott did, in fact, free himself, and wanted to exact revenge... Clearly, his plan of building up hierarchy and standing atop it was working.

The much more frustrating part was that the sweet smelling bait only strengthened the hunger already gnawing at him. There were not that many things that Scott outright hated (aside from the poor, humans, vampire hunters, garlic, silver... Okay, the list was actually quite sizable), but atop that list definitely stood hunger. He despised the feeling, and what it did to him physically and mentally. He needed it to stop as soon as he possibly could... At this point, even being near a human made his stomach growl. And Legs was so nice to help him walk through the forest, supporting his weight on himself... His neck was exposed, and so biteable... Scott weighed the decision in his head. They were all alone... Who would find him out? Well, aside from the fact that they were just seen by Martyn and Shubble. That would probably include having to turn them too, later down the line. And he'd rather not turn more people than absolutely necessary. It could get messy.

"How are you feeling?" Legs eventually asked, as if to break the silence.

"Hungry..." Scott whimpered, but as soon as he realized how pathetic he sounded, he added "I- I mean... I'm fine."

Even talking was hard, due to his injuries. He had to murmur every single word, to not strain his burned cheeks. How would he even be able to hunt like this? Sure, with his healing capabilities, he would be fine by next evening... But he couldn't wait that long. By then, his hunger would drive him to consume every single human left in Oakhurst.

"You sure? You mentioned being hungry... You don't have to play it off, you know," Legs continued. Scott stared down an exposed spot on his neck, his fangs opening on their own. The only problem was, would he outstrength the doctor in his weakened state? The guy actually looked quite strong... "I have some bread on me, I can share-"

"Uh, no, thanks." Scott made a gagging noise. He quickly regretted it as his burns began stinging again. Legs seemed quite amused by just how disgusted Scott seemed by the idea of eating some commoner's bread.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot you don't eat things like these, sir..." He snickered. "What would you have accepted, then?"

"Meat. Any kind of meat, really." That surely didn't sound suspicious. Or at least, Scott convinced himself that it didn't. Legs already saw him as a posh, prickly nobleman... He would probably just take him as being quirky from just how stinking rich he was. Which, honestly, wasn't wrong either. "And some wine. After what I had to go through can..."

"Ah, and this is why so many noblemen come down with heart diseases, and such..." The vampire rolled his eyes as the doctor started his lecture. Of course he was gonna complain. Not like Scott had a choice on his diet... Not like he wanted to. "Sure, it's full of protein, but in big quantities, it can lead to heart and liver diseases... And the mixup of humors, not to mention-"

Scott's brain quickly turned off to what sounded to him like senseless blabber. Legs could talk to him like that for hours, if he wanted, but that still wouldn't change a thing about what he ate. The smell of his blood, however... It was simply too wonderful to ignore. He licked his lips, closing in on the doctor a little closer. He wasn't going to take a lot... Just a little nib. A little slurp of his delicious blood. And maybe a little snack, too... Like a finger... Or the whole arm... Maybe an eye? It's been so long since he had a chance to snack on human eyes and tongues... And if he snapped right now, he wouldn't even have to share, or worry about the consequences... He'd just take him whole, like the good old times...

"Hey! Careful!"

Scott was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts. Without noticing earlier, he tripped over a thick root poking out of the ground. Immediately, the vampire tumbled to the ground. Instead of delicious, warm blood, he managed to get some dirt in his mouth. His fangs banged against the rocks paving their way, the vibration making his whole skull ache. For a second, the nobleman just laid there, unmoving. Maybe Legs would just leave him be... Maybe he would forget that he was there, or that this happened.

"Scott?"

"FUCK!" Scott finally let out a frustrated hiss, as if to take it out on his horrible, no good, very bad day. He then turned Legs, his fangs snapping closed again. "You saw nothing."

"We can count this as a case of medical confidentiality," the doctor suggested, before offering Scott a hand. It would be so easy to bite it... 

Eventually, Scott got up on his own. His hunger was all he could think about, and even that was not enough to make him touch a commoner. Once he was back at Oakhurst, he would find Pyro and make him go hunting for him...

Is this what Avid is feeling right now?

That thought felt foreign in Scott's head. Why did he suddenly wonder how Avid felt? He deserved his fate, he deserved to suffer, to starve. He's been a major pain in Scott's ass for so long... That would teach him to behave.

Just like it taught Scott once upon a time.

---

"Did you live in a castle like this, Martyn?" Shubble suddenly asked, as the leftover group of explorers roamed the ruins on an island. Owen and Avid stayed close to one another, following Martyn around, while Shubble ran off to look for something interesting.

"Oh- Um, well... No, papa's mansion is a bit smaller... And definitely in a better state," The nobleman scoffed. "Although, living in a place like this... If Scott's family's from here, that means they really are rich, huh?"

"I wonder where they live now... And what happened to this place... Oh, look!" She stopped running just a few feet before a large, stone-laid hole, gaping in the ground. "This place even goes down into the ground! Maybe it's better preserved there?"

"What?" Martyn stepped up to the hole, but then quickly took a step back. "I wouldn't go there if I were you... If there were traps up here, the basement is probably crawling with them."

"It's not just a basement," Avid whispered. "It's the catacombs..."

"Whoa..." Shubble whispered. "It must be crawling with monsters..."

"It probably is. And-" The former vampire hunter gulped. His hunger made him awfully weak, even talking was straining at this point. "If there really are vampires around here, we'd probably find them right here..."

He had to at least keep up a facade. Everyone here knew him as the paranoid vampire hunter. The latter part was gone now, as if he tried killing any of his fellow vampires, Scott would for sure get him and make him suffer... But if he dropped the topic completely, it would be suspicious to the humans. He came to Oakhurst to hunt vampires, and all of a sudden, he completely forgot about them? Yes, he failed, sure. But now that the vampires no longer targeted him, he couldn't allow the humans to turn on him instead.

"If?" Martyn reiterated. "I thought you came here to hunt vampires, huh? You were so sure that they are real, and that they're here... What happened, hm?"

"Hey, get off his back," Owen let go of Avid's shoulder and walked up to Martyn. "This place is freaking out all of us. We gotta be careful, or- Shubble?" But by that time, Shubble was already walking down the stairs, into the catacombs. "Hey- Shubble, wait up!"

"If I die down there, bury me here!" The girl giggled, before vanishing in the darkness of the catacombs.

"Oh, great..." Martyn groaned, but followed behind without too much fuss.

Soon, all four of them were down in the crypt under the castle ruins. Martyn lit up a torch and held it up. His hand was steadier than one would expect of such a sheltered kid. Avid shivered at the sight of bones littering the floor and skulls decorating the walls. He seemed to know this place... Or at least, know some deeper truth about it.

"Why do they have their fangs pulled out...?" Owen squinted as he picked up one of the many skulls.

"They're considered a trophy among vampire hunters," Avis whispered, his voice deeply disturbed. "Most of them pull out their fangs, to then carry them around. It's a sign of their experience."

"A tooth necklace?" Shubble's eyes lit up in the dark. "Do you have one, too...?"

"I... Yes." The former vampire hunter begrudgingly agreed.

And then, before anyone could ask, he pulled out a leather strap he usually carried under his shirt.

Completely empty.

Martyn couldn't hold back laughter at the sight.

"You're talking big game for a guy who has never killed a vampire!" He snickered. "Are you sure you didn't get into some cult, and they're all making fun of you for believing it?!"

"I- I did kill a vampire! I just... I didn't take her teeth. I couldn't." By the time Avid was done talking, Martyn and Shubble had already ventured deeper into the catacombs. Only Owen stayed behind, but he could tell it was not a good moment to ask any questions. Avid was in a very vulnerable state, and if he snapped... Well, there's no telling what would happen. Maybe he would break down for good. Or maybe he'd attack one of the humans accompanying him. He definitely had to ask Avid what that meant... But not now.

The catacombs were multi-layered, some of the deeper levels going down under the surface of the river - signified by the hum of water above their heads. Most of the rooms were sealed, marked with stone tablets. The letters painted on them faded over time, very few of them actually legible. Some of the crypts were open, as if awaiting the burials that never came to be. The air was stale, it smelled of mold and moisture. Moss, fungus and cobwebs covered the walls. Deeper down, the random bones were no longer as common, but they still littered the ground in some places. It really did look as if nobody has been there in hundreds of years...

And only Owen knew that it wasn't the case.

Eventually, the catacombs opened up into what looked like a giant, stone staircase. It carried down, with even grander, gold-adorned stone tablets marking three of the four walls. It was probably the final resting place of the most important people of the castle. Living over so many centuries, but put together after their death... There was something poetic about it.

Martyn and Shubble omitted the fourth wall of the staircase. It didn't look all that interesting, it was just a giant painting of what looked like a tree... Until, all of a sudden, Avid pulled Owen by the shoulder.

"Look..." He whispered to him, pointing at the wall. The lumberjack furrowed his brows.

"What...?"

"You know what it is?"

"Uh... Not really...?"

"It's a family tree!" He half-shouted, then continued, after making sure Martyn and Shubble were too far to hear "It shows the familiar connections of all the members of this family."

"Of all the Goldsmiths..." Owen gasped. "Do you think Scott is somewhere in there...?"

And Lewis?, he thought.

Avid gulped once more. Even hearing the name made him feel uneasy.

"If you wanna check it out... I'll make sure they're not looking."

"Thanks, man."

The former vampire hunter quickly followed behind their companions. He managed to catch them quickly, as something at the bottom caught their attention.

Another grave. But this one had its lid slid open. The coffin was open, and empty.

"Woah... Someone left this grave!" Shubble gasped with excitement. "It was probably a zombie!"

"Blegh, don't even say it!" Martyn winced and jumped away. Something jingled in his pockets. "Are they really zombies here? Please tell me there are none..."

"What do you think, Avid?" Shubble turned to her friend. The vampire approached them, his legs still shaking a little. If he got one of them here... And he convinced Owen to take the other...

No. He couldn't. Scott would know. He always knows...

"Well, let's see..." Avid carefully peeked inside the grave. "There are no signs of anyone ever being here... I think it was meant for someone, but it was just never filled."

"What about this, then?" Martyn put his hand inside and pulled out a stone sign placed inside. It was mostly covered in mold and moss, but one could make out the words Live, laugh, loathe on the cracked surface.

"That doesn't mean anything. Someone just left it here."

"I'm taking it, then." The nobleman smirked.

"I don't think robbing a grave is good, regardless of whether someone was in here or not..."

While the three of them bantered, Owen transformed into a bat and began flying around the family tree. It was quite risky, sure, as he could get spotted... But if that happened, he'd just run, and try to play it off back in his human form. And that made it so much easier to navigate. There were hundreds of names on this tree... Some of them sounded actually ancient, especially ones on the top. Many spots at the bottom were empty, or lacked some information - most spots had the name, date of birth and date of death plus some sort of marking, but not all of them. And if the numbers were to be believed, some of these people actually were incredibly old... Were they all vampires...?

And then, Owen spotted him.

Louis Goldsmith.

He did not remember ever seeing his name spelled like that. His date of birth was there - and he was well over five hundred years old by the time Owen met him. His date of death was missing, however. When it happened, this castle was probably already in disrepair, and there was no one who would update the tree. He was also lacking any other special marking next to his name. Owen shivered at the memory of his old friend. To think he once roamed these halls, lived with so many vampires just like him... And to think that Owen almost became a part of this...

Soon, the vampire found the other name he was looking for. Scott Goldsmith. It took a bit of searching, as he was placed a few generations over Louis. His date of birth seemed almost impossible, and trying to calculate his age made Owen's head spin. He was this ancient? And the little symbol of a golden crown next to his name... He only saw it next to maybe three or four other names, all above him. No one under Scott had a similar icon attached to them. What could that mean, exactly?-

"Eeek! A bat!" Martyn suddenly whimpered "Avid, kill it!"

"Calm down, it probably lives here..."

"Maybe it is a vampire?" Shubble squealed with excitement.

Owen immediately dashed up and transformed back into a human. All this flying and morphing took a lot out of him... Great, now three out of the four Oakhurst vampires were starving. He could only hope Pyro was okay, or otherwise, another massacre was already brewing.

"Don't worry, it's gone now!" The lumberjack yelled from above. "Come on, we gotta leave before you guys actually attract some monsters!"

"About time..." Martyn shivered, turning back to the stairs. He was still holding the moldy sign in his arms. Owen did not even want to ask why the hell he was taking it. 

He saved his face... At least for now. But the more time would pass, the harder it'd be to keep their secret, that's for sure...

---

Asking Pyro for help turned out quite well, in fact. By the time Scott was back home, he was left a freshly killed owl just behind his house. After arriving in Oakhurst, Legs took him to his place to patch up his wounds - but the vampire couldn't wait to leave and finally feast in peace. And the second Scott found his gifted morsel, it was gone in the blink of an eye.

It wasn't quite a full meal, but it was enough for now. Scott went right back into his house and dropped on his bed, ready to rest after such a stressful day. His hunger was not quite gone, but it was almost satiated for now. He put his hand on his stomach, enjoying the pleasant warmth. There was something wrong though, he could feel it... Did he drop some weight since he started living here, in Oakhurst? That was bad... He needed to go back to how he used to be. Fast.

Back in his prime, back when his castle was still whole, and his family was by his side, eating and drinking was his infallible safe space. There was nothing he loved more than the feeling of power and security granted by having a full stomach. Even if some other members of his family saw him as gluttonous or disgusting; he couldn't care less. They knew better than to speak out against him. If he wanted things to go back to normal, to how they used to be, he needed to regain control again. And that meant regaining full control over when and what he was eating. Sure, maybe Legs' remarks about his diet would make sense if he was a human... But he wasn't. And for ones like him, the meaning of overindulgence was completely different. 

Finally, the safe warmth inside helped Scott sink into deep sleep. This time, it was a nap with a purpose... He needed guidance, a sign for how to get his life back to how it used to be. Back to full security, comfort and power...

And a sign, he was granted.

The vampire was back in his castle. Laying in a big, comfy chaise lounge, with soft pillows supporting him from every side. Instead of his old, elegant, but frankly quite dirty coat, he had a long, silky dressing gown in a bloody scarlet color. It did little to hide his rich shape, the same he carried for centuries during his prime time. But even if he didn't want someone to see him at that moment, his resting spot was obscured by a long, thin veil. He could barely make out the shapes of people that came to him, but he didn't have to look at their faces or care who they were. At the same time, they knew exactly who they were talking to. Scott could tell, by how they cowered with fear.

He sighed with relief, then reached out for his goblet of pure gold. Finally, that's better... Sure, it was just a dream. But he was going to enjoy it for as long as he possibly could. Even by that moment, Scott didn't even notice someone pulling their smooth, long fingers over his hip, gently rubbing his forever young skin.

"Sire...?" Someone approached Scott, but didn't dare to peek over the veil. The grand duke didn't even turn his way, instead taking a little sip of the fresh blood. He already felt full, but he could never say no to a drink. "Th- The peasants of Oakhurst say they don't have enough goats for this month's sacrifice. They say a plague killed off their biggest herd..."

"And why should I care?" Scott snickered, amused by the worries of the common folk.

"They're scared that if they don't deliver enough sacrifices, you're gonna punish them."

"Well, they're right..." The vampire murmured, clearly paying more attention to his intricately adorned goblet than to the visitor.

"But they say that if they give you as much as you ask for, they won't have enough to grow the herd again."

The grand duke sighed. He needed to make it clear the decision was difficult for him.

"Tell them to give me... Six fully grown goats. And a little lamb. If they prove sufficient, I'll spare them this time."

"I will relay that, sire..."

"Mhm, yeah. Make sure they're thankful. Now, shoo."

"How merciful and great you are, sire..." Soft whispers seeped straight into his ear. Only then it occurred to Scott that he was not, in fact, the only one laying there. Oh, right... He could never take audiences without at least one of his mates accompanying him. He got bored quickly, and he needed someone to occupy his mind and body sometimes. Vampire, human, it mattered little to him.

They were all the same to him.

"I am, aren't I?" 

They were all his little morsels.

"How lucky we all are to have you as our grand duke..." His mate's hand slid over his thigh. Scott nonchalantly looked back at it. Tall, slim, its pale skin bare, spread just behind Scott. The dreamy vision blurred its face beyond recognition, the only identifying parts being its short, blond hair, and a little feather slid behind its ear. The mate pulled the vampire a little closer. "You do so much for us... May the ancestors look over you kindly..."

"I'm pretty sure they do..." 

Scott's claws dug into his mate's chest, just over his collarbone. He dragged the human closer, pulling him into a deep, thirsty kiss. This felt just as good as he remembered... Having someone be completely his own, on his every whim. Being praised and loved was almost as amazing as being feared... Praise was a lot more intimate than fear, however. The common folk that trembled at the sound of his name made him feel powerful. But this little morsel... 

It made him feel hungry. Absolutely starving.

Scott could barely hold himself back as their kisses deepened, as their bodies flushed close against each other. That hunger that gnawed at him, even with his stomach stuffed full, was simply too much to bear. He needed to take his mate right here and then...

In an instant, their lips parted. And then, Scott's fangs pierced straight through the little human's neck.

His little morsel took out one last weary sigh, before collapsing in Scott's arms. The vampire greedily slurped on its blood, it dripped down his silky robes and his exposed skin. He just never had enough, did he? Even when he felt like he would pop, he needed to take... Take this little morsel, gorge himself, rip out its heart and eat it in front of its glassy, dead eyes... He could only hope that one day, one of them would finally satisfy his hunger...

And then, Scott suddenly snapped awake.

It was the middle of the night. Shubble was back, sleeping soundly in her bed. Scott sighed as soon as the gnawing hunger returned. He felt too sleepy to get up, however. He'd go hunting tomorrow... Maybe a moose or a bear would be enough to satisfy him after such a difficult day.

At least his nap actually helped... Just as he wanted, it guided him.

He was already feared. What he needed now, was to be wanted.

Notes:

I'll be honest, the dream sequence is one of my favorite scenes so far
I hid some details in it so if you feel like pulling it apart, be my guest :3

Chapter 9: Harbinger of change

Summary:

A fight breaks out between the vampires. Soon after, Scott finds what who he thinks is the person his dream directed him to.

Notes:

Wdym this thing is at over 4k hits
And at over 400 kudos
Who are you people /pos

"It's such a shame you had to leave with Legs early, Scott! Those castle ruins were amazing!"

"Mhm, yeah, I know..." The vampire only half-listened to his roommate talk about her adventure from the previous day. The two of them sat together for breakfast (which Scott didn't eat for pretty obvious reasons), but this whole time, he seemed absent-minded. His thoughts were far, far away, back at the pleasant dream that came to him last night. The idea of finding a mate, someone who would admire and worship him unconditionally... Why didn't he think of this before? This is exactly what he needed to get his life back on track.

"We found some more of those weird vampire traps on the surface..." Shubble pushed her glasses further on her nose. They stared at Scott, even when he didn't make any eye contact. "That thing that smelled like blood was actually some weird, stinky cloth... Avid almost threw up when we got close to one of them."

"Oh..." Scott almost snickered at that. If he found the smell enticing after less than a day of eating... The former vampire hunter was probably going insane already. Good. He still needed to pay off for what he's done.

But then, what he did the previous day... He saved Scott. Unprompted. He just walked up to him and cut him free. He could've very easily revealed that Scott was, in fact, a vampire, and not just a human that got trapped by accident... But he didn't. Why? Scott desperately wanted to believe it was just thanks to his influence, but this thought just couldn't slip his mind. Avid's words couldn't leave his head.

Because I'm not like you.

What was that supposed to mean? Did he really think he was on the high horse in this situation? Well, he definitely lost that advantage when he freed Scott... Maybe he thought that meant Scott would just forgive him for all that he did, and let him go.

But he wasn't feeling particularly merciful. Not to this guy.

"Have you been in the castle catacombs, Scott?"

Only then, the vampire remembered that he was, in fact, still in the middle of a conversation. Even with how one-sided it was. The catacombs... Did she mean the crypt underneath the castle? No, they didn't actually go down there, right? 

"Um... No, no, I haven't..." He played it off.

"I can take you there one day! It was awesome!"

Scott's claws involuntarily dug into the underside of the table. They went down, into the gigantic tomb of all of his ancestors... Two of his subordinates, and two humans. He couldn't even tell which was worse.

"And, uh... What did you find there...?"

"Oh, there were so many graves in there! Or, at least I think those were graves. The paint fell off, we could barely read the signs... And some of the dates written on them seemed... Odd." Scott shivered at the observation. "Oh, and Martyn got scared by a bat!"

The vampire snickered. Maybe he didn't have to worry after all...?

"Oh, and one of the graves was open!"

His stomach dropped once more.

"Really...?"

"Yes! I think that a zombie left it... But we didn't find any in there."

"Yep, it's probably that..."

"I knew it! You believe in them!"

Scott sighed with relief. Sure, Shubble's knowledge about the supernatural was quite scary, but her obliviousness was a blessing to him. She didn't have enough dots to connect him to the empty grave. And it should stay like that.

"Yeah, let's say I do..."

"And what did Legs say about your burns?" Shubble's tone got a lot calmer, and more worried.

"Oh, well..." Scott put a hand on his bandaged cheek. Truth be told, the wound had almost completely healed off over the night. Still, he had to keep up appearances for just a little longer. "He said it's not a big deal. That it should get better within a week, or so."

He didn't mention all the other things, like the doctor's comments about his diet. Why would he? Not like that mattered to him, or that he could actually make some actual change. That thought was still present in the back of his mind, however, and he wasn't quite sure why. It's not like he could fall ill, or get a heart attack... If he did, he would've gotten like three consecutive cardiac arrests due to this conversation alone.

"Oh, great!" Energy returned to Shubble's voice. "Oh, by the way, I'll be going to the mines, together with Abolish and Pearl! Wanna go with us?"

The butler and the weird girl... No thanks. That did not seem like a great company. And Scott did not feel like getting his hands dirty. Unless that was with blood.

"No, thank you... Enjoy your trip, though."

Shubble continued talking, but Scott quickly stopped listening to her again. That dream returned to him again... The pleasant feeling of fullness, present in his vision, already vanished - and the vampire really needed to get it back, no matter the cost. And the idea of getting a mate... Did the appearance of the one in his dream mattered? Blond, with a little feather by his ear... It did not make Scott think about anyone in particular. Well, in his situation, he couldn't really be picky... Worst case scenario, he'd get disappointed and move on.

While the best case scenario... He'd get to feed. In more ways than one.

---

Despite the fairly strong sun that day, Scott still decided to drag his fledglings into the forest for some more proper vampirism training. None of them fought back much - Pyro was eager to learn, Avid was too panicked to fight back, while Owen didn't want to leave Scott alone with the two baby vampires. When they arrived at an empty spot near a cliffside, Scott decided to show them the right (the Goldsmiths') way to transform into a bat. Immediately, Owen seemed quite disappointed by that day's lesson topic.

"Scott, I can already transform... You've seen me do that multiple times." He said, before swiftly turning into a small, brown bat. Pyro's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Wait, it's that easy?"

"I mean, if you do it the plebian way..." Scott rolled his eyes. "But, if you want to do it the proper way, stop listening to Owen and start listening to me. Here's how you really do it..."

In the matter of seconds, Scott completed a whole transformation. His bat form was slightly larger than Owen's, and considerably fluffier. His bright, almost white fur also stood out among the grey tree trunks, and strange growths spread out of his ears and nose. He definitely appeared more extravagant than Owen, who looked like a common, rust-colored bat, with a slightly elongated snout. But his transformation... As far as Avid and Pyro could tell, there was not much of a difference.

"Woah..." Pyro put his hands together, a big smile lighting up his face. "And you guys even look different!"

"Well-" Scott transformed back and landed on the ground, although not as gracefully as he would've wanted to. "Each bat form is slightly different... Some of us want to blend in more easily. While some of us don't care." He smirked in Owen's direction, watching as he also turned back into his human form.

"Yes, yes, we get it, Scott... You never care. You're above all of us. You made it perfectly clear," Owen scoffed.

"See? What a smart boy you are! And now, have fun, I gotta catch me some breakfast-" The elder vampire winked in their direction, before dashing into the forest.

"So, uh... He actually didn't explain much," Pyro pointed out once his excitement faded a little. He then turned to Owen "How do you do it again...?"

"Oh, well... Usually, I just... It's hard to explain." The lumberjack chuckled, staring down at his hands and struggling to come up with a coherent explanation. "I just... Imagine myself taking off. Off the ground, I mean. I'm pretty sure jumping also helps... At least that's what Lewis used to do."

"Lewis?" Avid tilted his head to the side. His dim, sad eyes suddenly lit up with curiosity.

"Yep, that's... That's the name of the guy that turned me," Owen explained quietly. "He didn't have the time to teach me much... But-"

"Wait, I wanna try!" Pyro interrupted him in quite a rude manner, that could be explained by his excitement. Then, to the others' surprise, it took him one try to transform into a tiny bat with dark, thick fur. It flapped its wings hard, flailing in the air, unused to the strange process of flying. Owen couldn't stop a smile that appeared on his face.

"Wow! There you go, man!" He clapped his hands. "Careful, don't stay like this for too long! And don't fall off the cliff!"

"Well, would you look at that..."

The vampires immediately turned around. Scott had returned from his quick hunt, pulling a deer carcass behind himself. With how its body contorted, it was likely already drained off blood, but the elder clearly intended to consume the rest of his prey. He sat under one of the trees, to shield himself from the sun. Even with his sarcastic smile, he seemed almost impressed with Pyro.

"Looks like some of you really are quick learners..." He muttered, before ripping out a giant piece of the animal's stomach. "How about you, Avid? Got anything to show the class?"

"I- Uh... I mean..." The former vampire hunter shivered. The sight of the elder vampire gorging himself on the deer did horrible things to his starving brain. He wanted to run up to him, rip the corpse from his arms and quell his hunger right this instant... But his fear of Scott, and of possible consequences, were the only things keeping him firmly in place. He could barely remember the last time he ate something. He already forgot the last time he ate without feeling disgusted with himself. "I- I can try..."

"Go on..." Scott smirked, licking the leftover blood off his fingers. He knew exactly how Avid was feeling, and he was enjoying seeing him suffer. He could at least hunt something, and bring that wonderful feeling of fullness and control... And he couldn't.

Avid shut his eyes tight, his body tensing in a useless attempt to transform. He had no idea what he was doing. And even if he did, at this point he was so hungry, he could barely keep himself up - let alone force his body to turn into a bat. His hands were shaking, sweat dripped down his back. If he actually did succeed, he'd probably pass out from exhaustion... But if he didn't, Scott would probably get angry... Or he'd mock him, at the very least. Though, Avid really hoped the latter would be true. Getting mocked was so much better than having a taste of Scott's wrath... 

"Oh, Avid..." Scott rolled his eyes, after he finished consuming the deer's pancreas. That finally hit the spot... But he was not one to waste any food, and so, he continued eating. "You almost make me regret turning you, instead of killing you on the spot..."

"Uh, it was me who turned Avid, in case you forgot," Owen pointed out. Scott's sassy remarks, and just the sheer amount of them, was beginning to get on his nerves. Sure, Avid was not one to learn quickly, but he was trying... And not to mention, Scott's attitude was far from helpful. 

"Oh, right, right... But you also said that I have more experience, and all that..." Scott smirked. His claws dug into his prey's skull, intending to pop out the eye. "You keep changing the story so that it works better for you, hm?"

"I'm not changing the story! I'm just saying that you could actually be helpful for once, instead of making fun of us the whole time!"

"You're so uptight, Owen, geez..." The elder vampire sighed. He pushed the deer corpse off his lap, before slowly approaching Avid. He already reeked of blood, which did not make the former vampire hunter feel any better. In fact, his urge to jump at Scott, even despite his fear, was getting stronger and stronger. "So? You can't do it?"

"I... I can't... I'm so hungry, I just can't take it anymore..." The man whimpered, his head dropping low. He could almost feel Scott's mocking stare all over him. He was not buying that, not even one bit.

"Aww... You poor, poor thing..." 

Scott grabbed the former vampire hunter by the chin, forcing his head up to make eye contact. Owen stepped up, ready to defend the vampire, while Pyro backed off a little. All of them already knew each other, more or less. They knew what was going to happen. It was always gonna end up like this-

And then, Scott slapped Avid in the face. The bandages over his healing older, still healing wound ripped off. At least the old scratch did not open anew... But the hit sent the young vampire tumbling to the ground.

"Scott!" Owen growled.

"You need to try harder," He hissed at Avid. "You know how ones like you ended in my family?"

"Scott, quit it!"

"Their siblings tore them to pieces." Scott's eyes lit up red, and a wide, chilling grin appeared on his face. "Shared them with their elders, and erased their names off our records."

"Scott, stop!" The second the elder vampire raised his hand again, Owen caught him by the wrist. "I don't care what your family used to do! I'm not letting you do that to any of us here! We should be equals, and not enemies!"

"Equals...?"

Scott immediately burst out into laughter. With little to no effort, he pulled his hand from Owen's grasp. Oh, he had some nerve to talk about being equals... To some degree, Scott regretted he didn't kill him the second they figured out each other's identities. At least he was hilarious... But his ego was impossibly big, even bigger than Scott's.

"You can't be serious..." The elder snickered. "You really want to consider these two fledglings equal to yourself? Someone who's been around for over two hundred years?"

"...I guess I do."

The laughter immediately died down. Oh, so he was serious about that... Did he really see Avid and Pyro as so much more than they actually were? Or would he rather lower himself to their level? All of a sudden, he began feeling sick to his stomach. The idea of removing any sort of hierarchy and order... It was completely ridiculous. He needed to keep Owen in check, and not let his weird way of thinking seep into the others.

"Fine! Keep teaching them your way, then." Scott shrugged, before turning on his heel. "See where that gets you... Avid?"

"Y-yes...?"

"I'm feeling merciful... You can finish that deer. Or get yourself a snack. Just don't get a tummyache, alright?" The elder smirked, before vanishing between the trees.

Avid still sat on the grass, too weak to get up after the slap. His brain was slowly processing what just happened. First, Scott berated and hit him... And now, he was showing him mercy. But that didn't feel earned... He failed his training. And that deer carcass... There was barely anything left on it. It was far from enough for him.

"Hey, Avid..." Owen grabbed him by the hand and helped the baby vampire get up. "Are you alright?"

"I... I..." His voice broke in half, as tears flooded his eyes.

"I'll go catch you something," Pyro offered. "Owen, stay with him, alright?"

"Will do... Come on, Avid." He supported his fledgling on his shoulder. Then, Owen then took him deeper into the forest, where they could rest, away from any prying eyes.

---

"Equals... Yeah, equals... Is this guy crazy?" Scott scoffed, talking to himself on his way back to Oakhurst. He wiped the blood off his lips, just in case he bumped into someone on the road. "He clearly wasn't taught right... What an idiot... He just wants to watch the world burn, huh...?"

All of a sudden, the vampire went quiet. He could swear he heard someone close... He finished wiping his face, licking the last traces of blood. The delicious taste warmed his tastebuds one more time. Then, as he focused, he finally heard it. It sounded like someone chopping down a tree... And talking. So it could be more than two people. Slowly, he peeked over the nearby bushes, finally noticing the unsuspecting humans.

It took him a while to remember their names. The first one, the one cutting down a tree, was Renhardt, the old man whose strange accent topped even Scott's. Next to him, laying on the grass, was Martyn - the young nobleman that he saw the previous day in the ruins of his castle. And he was the source of all the speaking.

"And so I told my papa, I said: 'Papa! We gotta help this poor man with his wrecked carriage!'. And he said 'Son, let this be a lesson to you: you got to reap what you sow. If he replaced that broken wheel, none of this would've happened'. Like, come on!"

"Yer father seems like a wise lad, don'tcha know?" Scott shivered at Ren's accent. And he was told that his speech patterns were bizzare... "Helpin' a complete strang'r could land ye a world of treuble. Happened to me one too many times."

"Ugh, you guys are all such buzzkills..." Martyn rolled his eyes, which somehow caused him to spot Scott between the trees. "Oh, hi!"

"Hello to you two..." Scott approached the two humans. Ren put down his axe for a moment, eyeing the nobleman with a sour expression. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Not really..." Martyn crossed his legs, pulling out a stray piece of wild grass and beginning to chew on it. He looked a lot more cosy than Scott would expect from a stranded nobleman... Maybe he was getting used to this place. "And what are you doing here, huh? Going back to that freaky castle?"

"Oh, I was just taking a morning stroll..." Scott murmured, but eventually decided to sit down next to Martyn. 

For some reason, he couldn't keep his eyes off this man. How old was he? Maybe twenty, or a bit under... His fresh, young skin seemed incredibly tasty and biteable, even from a foot or so away. His slightly messy, golden hair reminded Scott of his dream. Was this the mate he was looking for? Well, he couldn't deny, the young man was quite a fine specimen indeed... And looked absolutely delicious, in case he'd have to turn into one of Scott's morsels one day...

"Well, ye gotta be caerful, don'tcha know?" Ren pointed out, before picking up his axe once more. "Strange happenings are takin' place in this here forest."

"Oh, the blabber of that weird vampire hunter got into your head..." Martyn sighed, before sitting up and moving closer to Scott. "But there's nothing to fear, right?"

The elder vampire grinned. Oh, the irony... It was making him hungry, even despite the large breakfast he had just consumed. But when he stared deep into this little morsel's big, blue eyes... He just couldn't say no. Especially when Martyn's hand landed on his thigh.

"No... You have nothing to fear," He whispered, his eyes lighting up red for a second. "I've gotchu, little one..."

---

"How are you feeling man?" Owen asked, standing over Avid and gently stroking his back. Pyro had just returned from hunting, bringing his friend a dead dove he caught.

"Here, it's... It's not a lot, but I can look for something bigger..."

"It's fine." Avid felt as if he repeated that phrase one too many times already. Especially since it was a lie every single time. This time, his hunger quickly won against his disgust, and he plunged his fangs straight into the dove's chest. "That's better... Thanks..."

"I need to talk to Scott," Owen sighed. "I don't know why he's such a dick... Whether it's just because he's this old, or what... But he needs to stop! He's freaking you out, man!"

"But he's right..." The former vampire hunter whispered, once he finished drinking the dove's blood. Its meat smelled absolutely delicious, but his stomach tightened with guilt and fear. Even with how starved he was, that was not enough to make him actually commit. "I'm a failure."

"You're not!" Pyro fought back "You're just having a hard time, and that's fine! You didn't ask for this, but you've been doing so well..."

"Owen...?"

The lumberjack tensed. For some reason, he didn't like the tone that Avid used. It sounded... Defeated. Helpless. Almost hollow. His hands travelled to his heart, to a leather belt across his shoulder.

"Yes, Avid...?"

"Since you turned me, I... I need a favor from you."

Carefully, Avid set the dead dove aside. He then pulled out the same weapon he carried around this whole time - a wooden stake, shaped like a cross and sharpened at one end. It was the same one Drift took from him, but he snatched it from her things when she was out. The former vampire knelt to the ground, putting the stake into Owen's hands.

"I asked Scott to do it, and he refused, so... Please." His voice broke once more, hot tears streaked down his cheeks. "I need you to finish this, to finish... Me. I can't keep going like this, I... You can eat what's left of me, just... Please... Have mercy on me."

If Owen's heart was still beating, it would've stopped at that moment. He tensed his hand on the stake, his eyes darting to Pyro. The baby vampire had the exact same expression - deeply disturbed and horrified by the request. Not thinking much, Owen tossed the stake off as far as he could and felt to his knees, pulling Avid into a tight hug.

"No, no no no no no," He whispered, "I'm not gonna do this. You hear me? You're not gonna die! I won't let you!"

"Owen, please... I can't do this anymore-"

"Avid, listen to me," Owen squeezed his friend's cheeks in his hands. The request actually made him feel sick. And, to the best of his abilities, he tried pushing away the thought that he felt bad only because Avid's position was completely his fault. "I'm not gonna let you die, okay? I won't let you suffer, I promise! I'll talk to Scott, I'll do whatever it takes, and- We'll figure something out, I promise!" He was lacking the words to make his situation better. Avid was clearly suffering, and he knew that he could do very little to help... But he needed to at least be there for him. To make him feel seen, and heard.

Pyro quickly joined in on the hug, wrapping both of them with his arms.

"Avid... I know it feels scary, but... We've got you, I promise!" He whispered "We won't let Scott terrorize you anymore, okay? He can go fuck himself! It can just be the three of us, and that's fine! We won't let you starve!"

"But... If he learns that you're taking my side... Oh man, he's gonna be furious..." Avid chuckled bitterly, his cheeks still wet from the tears. Even if his situation still felt hopeless... At least he wasn't alone. This whole time, he thought that Owen and Pyro only ever stood by, watching as Scott took everything out on him and him alone... But they actually got his back. And that meant so much more than he could utter.

"So what?" Owen smirked. "Listen, I'm sure that the three of us could take on his old, fat ass and give him a good beating. About the time someone does it..."

"You guys are crazy..." Avid whispered, but leaned deeper into the group hug. "But... You're the best..." 

"It's fine, man... We've gotchu, I promise..."

Owen pulled the two young vampires closer, his chest warming up with a weird, unfamiliar feeling. Strange, all of a sudden, his hunger did not seem as bad anymore... As if it was replaced with something else. A sense of comradery and responsibility to protect these two fledglings. He already knew it - the next time when Scott does anything bad, raises his voice on Avid, let alone hits him...

He's got it coming. And Owen was gonna deliver his due justice.

Notes:

Okay you know your Majorwoods people, you know how this is gonna end
Or at least I hope you do

Chapter 10: Blue eyes that lie

Summary:

Scott meets up with his newly found mate. Unfornately, it knows more than Scott would want it to.

Notes:

I didn't plan to post a chapter today, but I said on my Discord server (go check it out if you want to!) that if the fic reaches 5k hits before my usual upload time, I would post today. And it did. Holy shit. Anyways I hope you enjoy it :3

(I'd say that you'll also get a chapter tomorrow if it reaches 6k until then but I'm afraid it could actually happen, so no. Next chapter on Thursday I promise)

Scott could barely believe that the idea of finding a mate had not occurred to him earlier. What a wonderful way to take his anger, frustration and worries that this cruel world decided to put on him! After all, it worked for him in the past. Usually, he went through his playthings quite quickly, and they rarely ever served him more than a month - usually, he ended up consuming them before they had time to leave them by themselves. Sometimes, they finished themselves off, leaving Scott to pick apart the remaining bodies. He had to be a little more careful with his current circumstances - if any of the humans picked up on this very unlikely relationship and its darker implications, they could find him out pretty quickly. Not to mention that if he tried replacing Martyn with someone else so quickly, people would pick up on his disappearance.

At first, he felt like the perfect choice for Scott to prey upon. So young, vulnerable and tasty... Sometimes he showed his claws, but never to a point that would actually endanger Scott. If anything, it made him even more endearing and amusing. Like a little kitten, who thought that his little pathetic hissing would scare a tiger... Maybe he knew it, to some degree. He seemed to subconsciously pick up on the fact that in this relationship, Scott was the one that dictated all the conditions. In return, Martyn was not straight up submissive, but he also did not seem to mind accommodating Scott's needs. What a perfect symbiosis...

I almost wish I didn't have to eat you one day, Scott caught himself thinking while watching Martyn. He talked with Ren and Cleo, as they worked on a new pen for the pigs. Quickly, he shook the sentiment off. Well, he didn't have to do it, but he would, eventually... That's just how it goes. He never gets attached to anyone for more than a few weeks. So, sooner or later, he would have to say goodbye to this young little nobleman... And try for himself whether his blue blood tastes as good as they say it does.

Maybe turning him was an option...? Scott found himself drifting off into his head once more. That was certainly a possibility... The issue was, there was a chance someone would come looking for Martyn. And then, he would have to part with him either way. And if so, it would be easier to make it seem like he died, or even was murdered by one of the deadly creatures of the night, lurking in the forest... Than letting a stray vampire roam the world. No, that was not happening. Scott felt pretty strongly about his subordinates or his family leaving. He'd rather have them right here. Close, where he could keep an eye on them, and control them whenever he needed. 

"Scott?"

"Huh?" The elder vampire flinched, finally getting out of his head again. Cleo, the poor farmer that took it upon herself to provide the people with food, was staring at him intently. At the same time, Ren and Martyn were chatting about something unrelated. "What do you need?"

"Did you zone out again?"

"Me? Zoning out? Pffff..." Scott rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry your commoner topics don't engage me as much as you'd like..."

"Yeah, you tell 'er!" Martyn smirked and turned back to the vampire with a grin. Cleo rolled their eyes with a frown. 

"Quit it, Martyn. I thought you came here to help us with the pig pen...?"

"I only came to watch, I'll have you know," Martyn got up from his spot and immediately approached Scott. Without even asking, he took a seat on the vampire's lap, falling straight into Scott's arms. The elder was a bit surprised by his boldness, but did not comment on that with anything more than a satisfied smirk. 

Renhardt squinted, watching the two noblemen clearly mocking their hard work. He already wrote off Scott as being a douche that would never change, but Martyn... He was just fine when it was just the two of them. Even with Cleo, he was bearable. But the second someone else came into the picture, he suddenly turned back into a spoiled prick that took everyone in Oakhurst as his servant. 

"If all ye wanna do is boost our morale, lad," The man said, "Yer's doing a poor job at that."

But at that point, Martyn no longer even listened to him. He turned around, so that he was facing Scott, and wrapped his arms around the vampire's shoulders. The elder smirked, pulling the young man a bit closer. It will be so difficult to part with him one day... What if he consumed him right away, to cut the pain short already?

"You're so much more fun than these poor folk..." Martyn purred straight into the vampire's ear. He then pulled back, their foreheads touching. "Wish we wouldn't need them, but, alas... I dun' wanna get my hands dirty..."

"I know, right?" Scott smiled. Then, all of a sudden, his gleeful expression soured the second a strong, disgusting smile hit him. He pushed Martyn away a bit and began coughing, gasping for air. His whole throat began burning, as if he ate the disgusting thing that he just felt from Martyn's mouth...

"Oh, sorry! Had a bit too much garlic for breakfast," The young nobleman giggled. "The doctor said it's good for you, you know? Helps to keep the vampires away..."

"I bet it does..." Scott wheezed, still struggling to properly breathe. Well, he could technically go a while without breathing, but it was certainly far from a pleasant experience. Especially when as little as the faint smell of garlic made his lungs go ablaze. 

"Speaking of vampires... Is it just me, or did Avid kind of... Shut up about vampires lately?" Cleo pointed out, dropping their hammer for a moment. "I can't remember the last time he ran around the town screaming about them like a lunatic..."

"True..." Martyn hummed, tapping his cheek with his finger. "Well, I mean, he talked about it when we last went to these creepy castle ruins with him, and Scott, and some other folk..."

The vampire tensed. That was a few days ago... But it seemed quite fresh on Martyn's mind. This once, he hoped that was the case because of how embarrassing Scott's role in that was. It was awful, but much better than having him figure out the truth...

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah! Turns out some sicko put up a trap for vampires!" Martyn snickered, before turning around on Scott's lap again, to face Cleo. "Poor Scott got trapped in it, and Avid had to cut him free!"

"Yeah, it was... It was pretty awful," The elder vampire agreed quietly. With how Martyn was positioned, he couldn't properly see his expression... He couldn't see just how much confidence and malice was behind those bright, blue eyes. 

"I guess that means Scott is not a vampire after all, true?" Martyn smirked and fell into his lover's arms once more. "If he was, Avid wouldn't just free him, right?" He directed the last word straight into Scott's ear. The man shivered, but nodded in agreement.

"I told you guys, he was just paranoid," Scott chuckled and rolled his eyes. He tried to appear relaxed, but Martyn's strange behavior got him to tense a bit. "And we are chill now... There's no reason to worry."

First, Avid's strange behavior, and the sheer willingness to free Scott from the trap. Now Martyn, who seemed equal part clueless, and suspicious... Scott hated being left in the dark about others' intentions towards him. Unfortunately, it didn't feel as if his ability to read minds had returned just yet, after his centuries long slumber. If it had, he could get straight into Martyn's head and figure out just how much he knew... Now, the best he could do was brainwash him. But he still wanted to wait with that a little bit. If not upkept well, brainwashing could get messy, and rat him out more than Martyn ever would. And since he was still recovering, he'd rather not have more than one person brainwashed at a time. Avid was just enough.

"Good, good..." Martyn whispered, tilting his head back so that his eyes would meet Scott's. "How about you come over to my place tonight...? Have some real fun, rich folk style..."

"Oh, gladly..." Scott leaned down, leaving a soft, but greedy kiss on Martyn's lips. Another quality that many of his previous mates lacked - he was showing a lot more initiative. Sure, Scott was the dominant one, and he was not going to pass the reins to anyone else, but for once, his little morsels actually challenged him. He was going to enjoy that one immensely.

"Ugh... Get a room, you two..." Cleo winced, before turning away to continue building the pen. Ren and Martyn made eye contact for a second. 

So they heard it. Good. Everything was falling into place.

---

Scott arrived at Martyn's place not long after the sun set over the horizon. His plaything was already waiting on the doorstep, his black coat gone. The thin, silky fabric of his shirt did little to hide his smooth, young body underneath. He was a lot leaner than Scott thought, even with some muscle mass showing under his pale, juicy skin... That was not a body shape he saw around noblemen often. Still, he enjoyed it immensely.

"Good evening to you, sir..." Scott smirked, leaning over the doorframe. A big, dreamy smile lit up his face. "May I come in...?"

"I don't know... Should I let you in?"

Well that was awkward. That was another of Scott's vampiric limitations, possibly the most annoying - he couldn't come into someone's house without an invitation. And Martyn's little foreplay did not help him pass this limitation. That could take a while.

"What if you bring some sort of... Dark presence with yourself, mister?" Martyn smirked, pulling Scott by his cravat. The vampire huffed in surprise. The urge to put the little morsel back in his place... It was making him even more excited for what was about to come.

"What? No, no no no... You're safe with me, I promise... I don't bite..." Scott smirked, playfully raising his upper lip to show his fangs. They were retracted to not give him away, but he could see himself putting them to good use this evening.

"Oh don't you? So you're not a vampire after all?" Martyn sighed, pulling on the cravat once more. "Fine... I guess I can let you in..."

Finally. Scott entered the house, a small surge of electricity crossing his body. Immediately, he pushed the door close behind himself. By the time he turned around, Martyn was already sitting on his bed, waiting for him. His blue eyes, full of desire, lit up brightly in the dark.

"Glad you decided to accept my invitation... Instead of just, you know, wandering the forest for another night in a row..." The young nobleman smirked.

"How do you know what I do at night?" Scott closed in on him, putting his hands on his hips. 

"I have my sources..." Martyn nonchalantly played with his long sleeve, but did not break eye contact for even a second. "I think I understand why Avid suspected you... You're not doing yourself a service by sneaking out so often..."

"You talk too much, little one," Scott suddenly grabbed Martyn by his chin, forcing his head upwards. The blond man huffed in surprise, but his grin quickly returned. "How about you put that mouth to a better use, hm?"

"Mmmm... Gladly..."

Quickly, their banter turned into long, passionate kisses. Scott controlled the situation and was on the receiving end more often than not, silently enjoying when Martyn's hand began roaming around his body. Soon, the vampire also landed on his mate's bed, with his back to the wall, allowing him to see the entirety of his little house. They were fortunate he lived alone... Having someone come in such a moment would be pretty awkward.

"I gotta ask..." Martyn eventually whispered, his lips almost touching Scott's ear "How old are you? I assume that you're older than me, but you have the body of a young guy..."

"Well, I have my own ways to preserve my youth," Scott smirked. "Maybe I could share them with you..."

"Oh, please..." The blond man giggled. "I'm not looking forward to getting old and wrinkly... Does it involve bathing in the blood of virgins, or something?"

"Fortunately, not..." The vampire giggled. That would be such a waste, he thought, before adding "I have a lot more... Permanent solution..."

"Oh, do you really?"

While still enjoying all the affection that Martyn showed him, Scott's eyes began roaming the inside of the house. If he did end up turning Martyn, he could see himself moving in... Would make it easier to hide his vampiric traits from humans, as much as he enjoyed being Shubble's roommate. Hiding certain things from her was getting a bit tiring. But this place wasn't that bad... It was a bit bare, though. A big chest for all of Martyn's stuff, a small furnace, a flimsy table with two chairs...

And a sign, hanging above his door. Scott squinted, trying to read the contents from afar.

Live, laugh, loathe.

The vampire immediately tensed. He remembered it... Well, he didn't exactly remember where he got it, but he certainly found it in his grave when he woke up from his slumber. It could've been put in by someone from his family, or maybe he left it in there... Either way, it was no longer there. Somehow, it was in Martyn's house now. Hanging above his door, as if that was its rightful place.

"Huh?" The blond man hummed, before following Scott's eyes. "What's up, little bat?"

"Wha-? Nothing, I just... I noticed that... Sign above your door."

"Oh, it's nice, hm?" Martyn immediately got off Scott's laps, as if he wasn't just making his way kissing his chest like a second ago. "I found it in the ruins of that creepy old castle..."

"Hm, did you...?" Scott muttered through gritted teeth. He had to hold himself back from reacting too strongly, and that was a challenge. If he paid too much attention, he could accidentally give himself away...

"Yeah! Wanna see something else I found there?"

"Um... Yeah, sure..."

Scott began buttoning up his shirt again. Something was wrong... Martyn seemed too eager to suddenly stop their little rendezvous and move on to talking about things he stole from the crypt. The vampire moved back a little, ready to dash straight for the door in case something happened. He could also try transforming and leaving through the window, as a last resort... But after how much blood he consumed earlier that day, squeezing through the grated windows could prove a challenge.

"I found a few of these, too..." 

Martyn pulled up his coat, which was crumpled on the top of the table. Only then, Scott realized why - as soon as Martyn picked it up, a few dozen golden trinkets dropped out from inside. His pupils dilated, as he recognized them immediately. All of them made of pure gold, all in different shapes, were used to mark graves in the Goldsmiths' crypt. A family member's status, age, experience, achievements... It was all marked by these little golden elements, put on the corners of each grave. And Martyn just... Took them, as if he owned the place. Scott couldn't hold back a small growl, his eyes lighting up red. He knew he had to calm down, to keep up his facade. But what he did was equivalent to desecrating the graves, at least in his eyes.

"Oh, what's that, little bat?" Martyn smirked, putting his foot on one of the low chairs. Only then, the nickname he used again clicked in Scott's head.

He knows.

"I think I should go," He whispered, getting up from the bed and heading straight for the door. "Thank you for the invitation, but, uh, I just remembered I asked Shubble to-"

The second Scott grabbed the doorknob, a loud, pained hiss escaped his lips. His whole hand began burning with unbearable pain, he almost jumped away. Only then, he caught onto another important detail. The dooknob was made out of silver... So he couldn't open the door without burning himself.

He was trapped. With someone who knew about his identity.

"Oh, I'm so sorry... I forgot about your allergy..." Martyn chuckled, before sitting down on the table. "And about how much you hate garlic... And that you wouldn't enjoy having your grave robbed, huh...?"

"How... How do you know?" Scott growled. There was no point in hiding it anymore... He pulled his hands out of his pockets, his claws tensing.

"Let's be honest, you didn't do much to hide it..." Martyn winked. "You think you're the first vampire I have to deal with?"

Does he know about the others?, a thought crossed Scott's mind.

"Let me guess... You're a vampire hunter. Like Avid." Scott said carefully. Maybe if he sounded as if he didn't know about the other vampires, Martyn wouldn't catch onto them.

"Close..." The blond man reached underneath his black coat. Scott's eyes were glued to his hand, to make sure he wasn't planning anything dangerous. Or at least, that he could fight back in time. "These guys limit themselves too much, just sticking with vampires... I go after anything, if the price is right."

"A bounty hunter."

"Correct!" Martyn chuckled. "You're not that stupid, for a pest..."

"What's up with this persona, huh? A poor, lost nobleman, waiting for his dad to take him home?" Scott raised an eyebrow.

"I just wanted to blend in... And finding a disguise wasn't all that hard. I didn't even get any blood on it when I took it from that guy!"

"You robbed a guy, took his clothes... And left him to die."

"Oh, no no no! He was already dead. So that he wouldn't rat me out, if he ever came here." Martyn smiled, then stepped up to Scott. "Listen... We can finish what we had going on here. That would make killing you a lot more painful, but... I can deal with that. At least I'll still get paid."

He was still keeping his hand behind his back. He had to have a weapon in there... Scott hissed once more in a cautionary manner, his fangs opening. How could he have fallen into such a pathetic trap? As the grand duke of Goldsmiths, he should've known better... At least he would not grieve his little morsel, as soon as he's done with him.

The second Martyn's hand moved, Scott's instincts kicked in. His claws clashed against a silver shortsword that Martyn pulled out from behind his back. The brief contact hurt like hell, but it managed to leave scratch marks in the blade. Even Martyn seemed surprised by it. He took a step back, but deflected another flail of Scott's claws. And then another. Eventually, the bounty hunter began feeling bolder once more. He lunged forward, his sword going straight for the vampire's face. It was too close, his claws would not be able to deflect it... Instead, he caught the flat of the blade with his bare fangs. Immediately, his mouth began burning with unimaginable pain. He needed to let it go... But that would allow Martyn to cut straight through his head. Instead, he clenched his fangs on the blade, shattering it with the sheer force of his jaws. The shards shot out of the broken blade, a few of them landing inside of his mouth. Scott began coughing, spewing them out quickly. As far as he could tell, he didn't swallow any of them... But his whole face burned with pain.

"Shit..." Martyn growled, before jumping back for his coat. The vampire leaped after him, landing on top of Martyn and pinning him to the ground. The bounty hunter reached out, in hope of grabbing another weapon he probably had on him. It was out of his reach... He had to play the long game, then. "And what are you gonna do now, hm? Eat me? Cleo and Ren know we're here... If something happens to me, they'll know who did it."

"Shut up..." Scott growled, pushing Martyn's face to the ground. He was right... And turning him was not an option, either. He would not be as easily scared into submission, like Avid. That wouldn't stop Martyn from ratting him out... He had to come up with something else. And do something he really didn't want to do yet. The vampire grabbed him by the hair and forced his head up, his eyes lighting up red. "You will not tell the people of Oakhurst about who I really am. Or about any other vampire that might live here-" He winced with pain and let go of Martyn's hair. His power level at this point was quite embarassing... Having two people brainwashed at once made his head hurt like hell. 

"So there are more vampires here..." Martyn chuckled. "Good to know... I only knew about the bounty on your head, but... That makes things more fun..."

Scott shivered. A bounty...? So the stakes just got higher. He needed to keep Martyn hypnotized, at all costs.

"Brainwashing, huh...?" The bounty hunter continued talking. He didn't seem all that concerned with the position he was in, somehow... Even though Scott could dig his fangs into his neck at any moment. But he wouldn't. That would immediately give him away. "You're good... Been a while since I had to deal with that..."

"Shut up," Scott repeated. "Don't make me actually kill you."

"You won't... The stakes are too high. Ren and Cleo would know." Martyn snickered. "Tell me, though... Why did Avid free you? Is he a vampire too?"

Scott bit his lip. He could easily give his least favorite fledgling away, and be done with him for good... 

"No. He's just an idiot, who's terrified of me."

"Fine, fine..." The bounty hunter huffed. "Fine, your brainwashing is working, get off me already... You're heavy for a vampire, geez..."

Slowly, Scott got up from his back. Before Martyn could get up, he grabbed his coat and pulled out one more silver dagger, hidden within the layers of the fabric. When he held it by the leather-bound handle, the burning pain was at a manageable level. 

"I'll take that," Scott smirked, watching as Martyn slowly got up. He then kicked one of the golden trinkets, laying on the ground. "And why did you take these, huh?"

"To make some extra cash on the side," The man grinned, still not taking his situation too seriously.

"A bounty hunter, a murderer, and a thief?" Scott scoffed. "What if everyone learned who you truly are, hm?"

"Good try... No one will believe you," Martyn growled, getting a bit more defensive. "And if you start explaining how you learned about it... People will realize what happened here. And will find out about you as well."

Scott was almost amused with just how feisty and confident Martyn was. The vampire could've easily killed him, and found a way to deal with the consequences... And yet, he acted as if he was in control here. That was, to some degree, actually quite hot. 

"Maybe it's a good thing I didn't kill you... This little game of cat and mouse might be interesting." Scott smirked, to hide just upset and nervous the whole situation made him. "But the next time you try something, I'll kill you, you know that...?"

"Not if I kill you first..."

Scott approached the door. With his earlier experience of burning his hand, he kicked them open, then left the house without another word. Only when he disappeared around the corner, a wave of anxiety and panic finally washed over him. 

That was way too close... He got played, as if he was just a baby vampire. Martyn didn't know about the others... But he knew about him. And from what he could tell, he could be on his tail the whole time now. Immediately, his mouth got dry, his stomach squirming and twisting with fear. He was on the brink of vomiting from stress. How could he get himself caught off guard so easily? He almost died in there... His mouth still hurt after getting up close and personal with Martyn's sword. His eyes stung as tears flooded into them, blurring his vision. He almost died... How could he have been so stupid...? He was such an idiot... And he dared to call himself the grand duke of Goldsmiths?-

Scott took a sharp inhale. All of his negative emotions were pushed deep, deep inside of his chest, squeezed and compressed as much as possible. He couldn't worry about that right now. All he could do was wish he didn't mess with his food... And now, he has lost the chance to eat it for the foreseeable future. One more breath, and Scott headed in the direction of his house.

Although, it was clear he wouldn't sleep that night.

Chapter 11: Bitter aftertaste

Summary:

Owen challenges Scott in defense of his friends. At the same time, Scott finds another potential mate candidate.

Notes:

I feel like I'm saying this a lot, but I also might not say it enough - but I'd like to thank all of you for the absolutely incredible support you've shown for this fic. Not only did it cross the 6k hits mark last night, it's also my second most viewed fic I published here thus far, as well as (at least currently) the most viewed Vampires SMP fic on ao3. And that is almost impossible for me to believe in. Especially since we're barely a third of the way through... But it's true. To celebrate that, you're getting a chapter today, tomorrow and on Saturday - but from then on, the upload schedule will go back to once every two days, since I'm back at college and need to actually lock tf in every now and then.
But still, thank you all and I hope you continue to enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it :3

The events of the previous night left Scott deeply shaken. Even after returning to his house, he couldn't close his eyes for even a moment. Sure, he disarmed Martyn, and hypnotized him so that he wouldn't be able to speak about what happened... But that didn't mean he couldn't go after Scott again. And, unlike the vampire, he could barge anywhere without asking. Scott had a sneaking suspicion that the bounty hunter would toy with him, however, instead of killing him right away. If that wasn't the case, why would he engage in their little relationship for the past few days? For the first time in centuries, Scott no longer felt like the predator in this dynamic. This time, he was the prey. And that was already driving him crazy.

He needed to find a way to calm down, to cope down with his newly found position. Unfortunately, he only knew of one way that worked on him.

---

"Dang it..." Cleo groaned, leaning over the fence of the newly built pig pen. Her farming partner, M, approached her with concern etched on his face.

"What's wrong, Cleo?"

"I just finished making this fence with Ren yesterday... And some of them still ran out..." The farmer rolled their eyes and turned to their friend. "I counted them twice already, I'm pretty sure three are missing..."

"Maybe they haven't wandered off that far?" M hummed, scratching the side of his short beard. "They may be just outside the gates..."

"Yeah, or the wolves already claimed them..." Cleo sighed.

"I'll go look for them, either way!" The writer gave his friend a reassuring smile, before turning towards the nearest gate outside of Oakhurst walls.

It just occurred to him that he did, in fact, hear something in the middle of the night. It was quite hazy, and could be easily mistaken for a dream. It was something akin to loudly oinking pigs, but they sounded... Terrified. As if something came during the night to take them... But the fence seemed untouched. If it really was a wolf, or even some sort of supernatural being, would it not leave any traces? Immediately, M was reminded of all the crime stories he read throughout his life. He should look for any traces of the missing pigs, and they should lead him back to where they went... If they were still alive, that is.

The problem is, there were no traces. No hoofprints on the ground around the pen, or footprints for that matter... Only a bit of splattered blood. But it didn't have to be pig blood, right? Only after taking another look, he discovered that the faint trail of blood did, in fact, lead him away from the pen. Finally, some sort of clue... Maybe he should ask Drift for help? She was the detective, after all... And M's experience laid more among the books about supernatural occurrences and monsters. Maybe this would be the inspiration he's been looking for?

The trail abruptly ended just behind the gates of Oakhurst. He was out of clues again... Would it be wise to assume the pigs went towards the forest? Maybe calling out to them would work? But how does one call out to a pig?

Just as he was about to start roaming the nearby meadows, M spotted someone sitting next to the walls of Oakhurst. The person's light blue hair left him quite unmistakable. The writer was actually curious how he got them to turn this color... Maybe that was his chance to ask.

"Hello, sir!" He called out to Scott, who immediately flinched and turned around. He looked... Nervous. That was quite a change. With how confident, calm and collected he always seemed, seeing him scared was almost... Unsettling. "Have you seen some stray pigs around?"

"Huh? Oh, hello, M..." The writer smiled when he realized that the nobleman remembered his name. Or at least as much of it as he was willing to give out. "No, uh, I have... I have not seen any pigs around here. Why?"

"Well, the-" M paused for a second. Scott was standing on what seemed like a patch of freshly moved dirt. Was he just digging something? But he had no shovel with himself... No, it was probably just M's brain adding the details to make the case more interesting than it actually was. "The pigs escaped from Cleo's pen... I offered to look for them."

"Oh, well... They probably wandered off into the forest. So the wolves probably took care of them already."

Scott couldn't believe that this little lie of his actually worked. He probably seemed so suspicious, just hanging around the outer wall of Oakhurst, just after he finished burying the remains of the consumed pigs... But M believed him, his face made it clear. Good. The less he knew, the better.

The vampire found it completely impossible to fall asleep last night. As a way to treat his anxiety, he ventured out to get a midnight snack. What was supposed to be a quick sip of blood, turned into completely devouring one of the swines. And then, he returned for one more. And then one more. He only quit when the sun rose over the horizon once more, and he was already feeling disgusted with himself. But at least his feeling of being in control returned. If Martyn, or anyone else, tried to attack him, he'd have the strength to fight them off. If only his little meal didn't make him so sleepy...

"Ah, great..." M sighed. He turned towards the forest, pondering whether heading there was a worthy idea. The wolves would probably still be hungry, though, and he was not going to volunteer his own flesh to them savage beasts. "Well, thanks for your help anyway! How was your night, hm? Did you sleep well?"

"I, uh... No, not really," Scott muttered. His eyes followed M's towards the forest. Usually, he'd just lie and say that he slept fabulously as always... But he was too tired to even think about lying. He'd rather tell the truth, but play it off as nothing important.

"Oh, really? Did something happen?" The writer turned to him. Scott winced. That was the exact opposite of what he wanted.

"No, no, just... Had a little argument with one of the townsfolk..." Suddenly, an idea popped into the vampire's head. He should probably just forget about the events of the previous night, of how his lust almost cost him his head... But he also had a way to solidify his chances against Martyn. "I think Avid's influence is spreading, and people are going crazy... Martyn almost assaulted me last night, thinking I'm a vampire"

"Oh my..." M shuddered. "I'm so sorry about that... Do you- Do you believe in vampires, sir?"

"No," Scott sharply answered. "Humans are the only true monsters in this world."

"Ah, I couldn't agree more..."

"Really?"

The vampire turned to him right away. He didn't know much about M, true, but the enthusiasm with which he agreed... It seemed almost strange. Was he also some sort of supernatural...? No, if he was, Scott would've caught onto him ages ago... Then why did he...?

"Oh, really, really! You see, sir, one has to understand people well to write about them... So, when writing about monsters, I base them on what I know about humans. Their darkest desires, their deepest instincts... I admit, I somehow scare myself with my own ideas," M admitted with a sheepish smile. For some reason, Scott also smiled at that. "Like, vampires... I think they're just an exaggerated expression of human lust and greed, and the desire of power over others. What else can blood drinking symbolize, if not a primal, sensual connection between two unlikely people?"

"I- Yeah... I guess you're right..." Scott wrapped his arms around his sides and nodded begrudgingly. Well, that was definitely better than if M just straight up believed in vampires... Although, to some degree, Scott really wanted to see his reaction, if he realized that what he thought of as a fictional creation turned out to be completely real. But not now. Maybe at some point... Because, as much as he hated to admit, he did not loathe talking to that one. "Do you think... Do you think vampires aren't monsters...?"

"Well, they're not real to begin with, right? Most pieces of fiction make them into monsters, but... I believe there is more nuance to that."

"Yeah... Yeah, maybe there is..."

The two of them just stood there for a minute or so longer, staring out into the dark, ashy forest. The silence that loomed over them was soothing, comfortable. For just a moment, the anxiety that brewed up in Scott's head vanished without a trace. He could just be here, sharing this brief moment with someone... Someone who, quite naively, believed that people like him did not have to be monsters.

If only he knew... If only he knew that sometimes reality was, in fact, black and white.

---

Seeing his fledglings getting a better grasp at their abilities did put some pride in Scott's heart. He was a much better teacher than Owen claimed he was... Pyro was quite comfortably turning back and forth between his human and bat form, and even his flying capabilities improved. Avid, however... He had not yet transformed even once, even when Scott took them out into the forest for a round two of their training. And as the elder vampire sat there, consuming a freshly caught fox (his midnight snack was nothing more than a memory at that point), he found himself more and more frustrated with the former vampire hunter's incompetence.

"Come on, Avid! Or I'll really start believing you don't actually wanna do this!"

"I do, I do!" The man sighed after yet another failed attempt. No matter how much he practiced and what he tried, transforming just didn't come to him naturally. At first, he thought it was solely due to his hunger and fear of Scott. In the past week or so, however, the elder got a bit more liberal with letting him eat, and he was no longer starving for days on end... But that didn't solve his issue. Was it some sort of psychological block that he just had to work through? The man flinched, then chuckled when he felt the bat version of Owen land on his shoulder. And then, Pyro-bat took a seat on the top of his head. "Maybe I just... Maybe I just can't do it...?"

"What do you mean, you can't?" Scott hissed quietly, crushing his prey's skull in his bare hands. He then began slurping the brain matters from inside. 

"I- I don't know! Maybe there are some things that certain vampires just can't do...?" Avid chuckled nervously. The second he saw Scott's death glare, he took a step back. "I- I mean... You don't know every vampire, I bet some of them can't do certain... Things..." His backing off got faster then the elder vampire got up from his spot. With his eyes glowing red, and his mouth covered in blood, he looked horrifying. Avid could only hope his own fear wouldn't anger him further. 

"I've known a lot of vampires, I have you know," Scott growled, his fangs opening. Owen and Pyro took off from Avid's body and landed behind him, transforming back into people. "But I have never met such a pathetic excuse of a vampire like you..." The elder vampire snatched the man's wrist, his claws digging deep into his skin. "And now you're making excuses for yourself? How dare you-"

"Scott, stop it!"

In a fit of protective anger, Owen slapped Scott's hand away, freeing Avid. The former vampire hunter backed off, Pyro immediately swooping in to shield him with his arms. The lumberjack stepped forward, staring straight into Scott's eyes. He was done standing by and watching Scott abuse his fledgling. He promised to stand up to him, after all.

"What are you doing, Owen?" Scott shook off his hand, then put it in his pocket. It almost stopped stinging after he burned it the previous night, but Owen's hit flared the pain anew.

"You will not hurt him anymore, you hear?" Owen growled. His hands curled into fists, claws digging deep into his own skin. "Yelling at him and beating him up won't help!"

"Oh really? Well, your approach to teaching clearly doesn't help, since he still can't do it..."

"It's fine! I don't care. I will give him the time he needs. But berating Avid won't help!"

"Even if it doesn't," Scott smirked cheekily, "It makes me feel better..."

"Guys, guys, it's fine..." Avid meekly fought back. He already got used to being Scott's punching bag. That was easier than fighting back and causing even more arguments. And as much as it felt good to have his friends stand up to him... Causing another rift was not something he intended.

"No, it's not fine, Avid... Listen," Owen turned to Scott, his voice full of accusation and bitterness. "I get that you used to be some sort of nobleman in a big castle, commanding an army of vampires or some shit. But you're not that anymore. Can't you just be... You know, nice to us? Not treat us like garbage? Vampires or not, we could afford to act like actual people!"

Scott raised an eyebrow.

"Are you asking me to act like a human?" He chuckled, clearly amused by the request.

"I'm not asking you to act like a human, I'm asking you to act like a person!" Owen growled. "Stop being so high and mighty and act like you're above us! You're not!"

Scott's claws tore through the lining in his pockets. Oh, the nerve this guy had... If he was among the Goldsmiths during Scott's prime, he'd get torn to pieces for a statement like this. To talk to the grand duke like this... Clearly, he did not value his feeble, dirty life.

"So you see yourselves and me as equals, hm?" Scott grinned, his fangs poking out. A bit of blood dripped down from them in quite a theatrical manner. "Care to prove it...?"

"I can! I bet I can fight you and- And beat you, no sweat!" Owen chuckled boldly. In his head, he already knew he went a little too far... But it was too late. He had to protect Avid. If he backed off now, Scott's abuse would only get worse.

The elder vampire grinned. This is what he was waiting for.

"Are you challenging me, Owen?" He smirked. "Are you challenging the grand duke of the Goldsmiths to a vampiric duel?"

"I guess I- Wait, vampiric duel? That sounds... Official." The vampire backed off a little. "What is it, exactly...?"

"I will tell you... Only if you do challenge me."

Owen shivered. He didn't like how that sounded... It sounded official, and binding. But he couldn't back off anymore... He had to protect Avid, no matter the cost. And beating Scott was his chance to stop him from acting like such a self-righteous prick all the time.

"Fine. I challenge you, then."

Scott grinned, reaching out his hand to Owen. The lumberjack shook his hand, and winced when Scott's claws dug into his skin.

"It will be done," He hissed, a big, confident, but sinister smile lighting up his face. "A vampiric duel is the ultimate way to decide hierarchy among our kind. The victor claims superiority over the loser, as well as his life."

Oh. So it was a fight to the death. Wonderful. Owen's hands began sweating, he could only hope Scott wouldn't pick up on that.

"Th- That's fine," He scoffed, feigning confidence. "If I win, you'll get off Avid's ass. And mine and Pyro's too, for that matter."

"Bold of you to assume you'll win..." Scott chuckled. "But, fine... If I win, I'll eat out your heart. And his," He gestured to Pyro. Then, his eyes averted to Avid "And you... I'll play with you for a little longer."

The former vampire hunter squealed. Owen had no idea what he was doing, did he...?

"You can eat me if you want to, whatever. But leave them out of this," Owen fought back.

"I don't think you'll have much to say on the matter..." Scott finally let go of his hand, then wiped it against his coat. "Midnight of the nearest full moon, right here. No weapons, no dirty tricks. Just your fangs and claws against mine. Got it?"

Owen looked down at his hands. His own fangs were quite short, underdeveloped compared to Scott's. It could be due to his long nap that he took right after transforming... Not to mention, he had little to no experience actually fighting. The one time he did, he caused a massacre, but he would probably not repeat that anytime soon. Could he stand a chance against someone like Scott...?

He had to. If not for himself, then to protect his friends.

"Got it."

"Perfect!" Scott smirked, before turning back to his half-finished meal. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have something I have to finish..."

"Whatever. Come on, guys, let's get out of here," Owen muttered, before turning around to leave the meadow. Pyro and Avid exchanged one more glance, then silently followed behind him. 

Scott watched them leave for a moment. Finally, a moment of peace and quiet, all for himself... And he was going to enjoy it immensely. A moment of calm before the storm, before he would rip his fellow vampires to pieces.

---

On his way back to Oakhurst, doubts and worries returned to Scott like a boomerang. His meal had worn off on him a lot faster than he expected, and the crippling insecurity began gnawing on his stomach once more. There's no way Owen would beat him, right? Almost every time he was challenged to a vampiric duel, he pulverized his opponents. The father, and all the children that challenged him later on... He was ruthless, when it came to defending his position as the grand duke of Goldsmiths. But it's been over six hundred years since the last time he was challenged... Did he still have it in him? Was he still as sharp and deadly as he was when he won his first true duel and ripped his predecessor to pieces? Scott glanced down at himself, at his claws. They started growing out again, but they were nowhere near the sharpness he once possessed... What if his instincts dulled during his slumber in the underbelly of the castle? What if he was no longer as strong, or as fast? What if he forgot how to fight, how to defend himself?

His chest began burning with pain he could never forget. No, he couldn't let that happen again. He wouldn't survive another humiliation like that.

He needed blood. Lots of blood. He needed to get stronger, and he needed that quickly. If he found someone to prey on and take their blood, that could speed up the process... Then, he would stand a chance. A chance to not only defeat Owen, but also to shred him to pieces, make him beg for mercy, turn him into an example for those who wanted to challenge him... Scott's hand began trembling, his breathing grew quicker and more shallow. He just needed to find some unsuspecting prey, someone who he could feast upon and become strong and powerful once more. And he needed that as soon as possible-

"Uh, sir? Are you alright?" 

The vampire flinched and immediately straightened. He didn't even notice when he had already arrived in Oakhurst... And when he got approached by M. The writer looked down at him, his big, blue eyes full of concern. Scott took a deep breath in, crushing his deeply rooted insecurities once more and hiding them as deep as he could. A bit similar to holding back tears, a feeling of slowly choking.

"Yes, yes, I was just... Thinking. Thank you, M," He answered coldly.

"Are you sure? Your hands are shaking..."

Scott cursed under his breath. That was so incredibly humiliating... Usually, he was better than this, better than letting his emotions take him over. He took one more breath, to push them down deeper. And then, one more. And one more. But as much as he tried, they returned, bubbling under his itching skin. He needed to rip it out, to stop this horrible feeling... That was not who he was, he was never this... Weak...

"Yes, I'm just... I'm just cold, I guess." Scott muttered, hiding his hands into his pockets.

"Oh! Would you like to come over to my place, then? I set up a lovely fireplace there, you'll warm up right away!"

The vampire shivered. After what happened last night, he had reasons to be wary. What if there were other bounty hunters around? What if M was one of them, and he was out to get him? What if everyone was out to get him? First Avid, Martyn, now Owen... Would M join them? What if he finds Scott out- What if he already knows?

"Scott? Hey, Scott..." The writer waved his hands in front of the nobleman's eyes. "Are you sure you're okay? You don't look good..."

"Yes, yes, I just- Shit..." His voice cracked in the middle of the sentence. He couldn't recall the last time it had happened. What was happening to him? Was he... Scared...? "Uh, that fireplace you mentioned, it... It sounds nice... I guess I could visit you, then..." He slowly pulled his hands out of his pockets. M wasted no time to grab them. In comparison to Scott, his hands were big, slightly rough, but also incredibly warm.

"Great! Oh, your hands really are cold... Come on, then! I'll get you some tea, it'll warm you right up, okay?"

Scott's mind went blank when he followed behind M. Their hands were still touching, something Scott found out quickly that he didn't particularly hate. This was the kind of touch he usually associated with his mates, but this guy... Was he just naturally touchy like that? The warmth was fine, that's for sure. The vampire even felt it spreading to his face. He hung his head a bit lower, as if to not look at his companion, to not internalize what was happening at that moment. That didn't mean anything... He was going to enjoy some tea (if he could even actually drink it, that is. He couldn't exactly recall whether it was safe to him), and then the two of them would part ways as if nothing ever happened. He would miss these warm hands, though...

Then, an idea popped into Scott's head. If this guy was being genuine...

Maybe he would make for a good mate, after all...?

Chapter 12: Greed and wrath

Summary:

Scott and Owen prepare for their upcoming duel. Both of them take on different strategies.

Notes:

Funfact, this is the longest chapter thus far. And I really enjoyed writing this one, and I hope you'll like it as well :3

"I have something for you, Shubble."

The girl perked up her head the second her roommate began talking to her. Scott was not one to start conversations on his own... Let alone in such a manner. Immediately, her golden eyes lit up with excitement and expectation.

"Really?"

"Well, yeah, but, um..." The vampire sighed, turning his eyes away. Did Shubble's enthusiasm scare him off? He was holding something behind his back. She really wanted to peek, but that would probably be pretty rude. "Just... Don't take it as anything weird, okay? I just... Found this, and thought it could come in use to you. In case something happens."

"In case what happens...?"

Not wanting to prolong the awkwardness any longer, Scott pulled the supposed gift from behind his back, then handed it to his roommate. It was wrapped in jute, and pretty heavy. Silently and with reverence, she began unwrapping the present. Scott was usually pretty closed off, she was one of the only people he talked to without showing disgust... What could he possibly gift her?

A dagger. Not too long, but heavy, with a slightly curved blade. The silver blade reflected sunlight seeping from outside. The handle was bound with dark colored leather, which improved the grip. There was a small insignia etched at the very bottom, one Shubble did not recognize.

"Woah... It's so... Nice..." She gasped, struggling to find a better word. This could be her first time wielding a weapon like that... Back at home, she never had to defend herself - there was nothing that could hurt her, as far as she could tell. But with this area being so dangerous, and possibly full of monsters... Scott's gift was incredibly thoughtful. "Wait, wouldn't you make better use of it?"

"I have other means of defending myself," Scott sighed, rubbing the corner of his lips. Hopefully, she didn't notice any leftover blood staining his face... It's hard to clean oneself when looking in a mirror is not a possibility. "Besides, with how you keep talking about Bigfoot, and werewolves, and all that... It will come in useful, if you ever bump into any of them."

"Oh, it will! Thank you so much!" Shubble immediately got off her bed and hugged her roommate tightly. Scott tensed, struggling to not push her away. At least she dropped the weapon... Being in close proximity to it for just a moment longer would probably get him to break into hives. "I mean, I hope I don't have to use it on anyone or anything... Where did you even get it?"

"I have my sources," Scott only answered once Shubble let go of him. His chest still felt a little too tight and uncomfortable. "It's pure silver. Should work on any monsters you find out there. Werewolves, vampires, Bigfoot..."

"Wait. I thought you didn't believe in all these things?" Shubble asked, before letting out a soft chuckle. "Did Avid get into your head, too?"

"...Maybe a little," he agreed reluctantly. "Maybe they are real, who knows... And if they ain't, you can always use it to defend yourself against wild animals. Or even people."

"Would you protect me if I got attacked, Scott?"

The vampire shivered at the question. No, no no no, that was a step too far. He accepted Shubble as his roommate and he was fine with her antics. He gifted her the dagger mostly to get rid of it himself. Not that she knew how to use it on any of his fledglings, or him for that matter... But he didn't want her to get any weird ideas. After all, he was still a predator. And she could become his little morsel at any moment, if his hunger pushed him that far. And he would definitely not protect her from any sort of harm. This is as far as his care extended, and not an inch further.

"Sorry, I... Forget I said anything." The girl chuckled nervously, before sitting down on her bed. "I can protect myself, after all... Did it all the time back at school, when the other kids would pick on me."

Scott just silently nodded, before turning back to the door. In any other circumstances, he'd probably let her speak. Maybe even pretend that he's listening. But he crossed a dangerous line with that. He couldn't risk her getting attached to him...

Or worse, him getting attached to her.

"Oh, Shubble?"

"Yeah?"

"During the next full moon... Stay away from the forest. Trust me. You don't wanna be there."

There. That was the last sort of protection he could offer. From this point on, she was on her own.

He needed a distraction. As soon as he left the house, the memory of his argument with Owen returned. With each night that passed, the blood moon got larger and larger. Their duel was approaching. Scott couldn't tell if he was ready. Sure, it wouldn't be his first vampiric duel, and almost all of the previous ones went exactly as he planned - with his opponents turning into nothing but bloody, torn up shreds. Defeating Owen would not be a problem, and he could serve as an example to the others to not cross him... But even with that knowledge, some sort of deep rooted insecurity couldn't stop gnawing at him. Scott stopped in the middle of the town, his eyes glued to a pen full of sheep next to someone's house. The vampiric hunger never truly leaves... It's always somewhere in the back of his head. He needed to consume, to grow stronger. To prove to everyone, and to himself, that he was still the rightful grand duke of Goldsmiths. And a few sheep was just what he needed at that moment.

---

"You know you don't have to do this, right, Owen...?" Avid carefully asked. The other two vampires turned to him, taken aback by the sentiment. "Maybe we can still fix things, and apologize..."

"Apologize for what? For the fact that he's a senseless prick?" Owen groaned, then punched the piece of tree bark held up by Pyro. He winced when the punch sent jolts of electricity through his nervous system. "Besides, that whole thing sounded too official to be something you can just call off."

Owen knew that he only had himself to blame for getting into this. Scott did not seem like a person who would back off from such a challenge, and he would definitely not go easy on him. He seemed to revel in the threat of what he was going to Owen and the fledglings, following his possible loss. The only thing he could do at this point was to find a way to get stronger, to a point where he could actually defeat Scott... And then what?

"You sure you don't want me to replace you?" Pyro asked, his head poking over the piece of bark. "I can throw hands, believe it or not..."

"No, thank you. I challenged him, he won't accept a duel from any of you. Besides... I want to put him in his place." 

The lumberjack looked down at his fists. The bandages that he's been wearing for far too long were beginning to tear from the repeated striking. Underneath, his skin appeared slightly scratched and bruised. When he opened his hands, he found small cuts where his claws dug into his skin.

I don't know what I'm doing, do I?, a thought occurred to him.

"Be honest, Owen..." Avid got up from the ground and approached his two companions. "Do you know how to fight...?"

"Is the massacre two hundred years ago not enough proof to you?" The vampire huffed "Two thousand, seven hundred and ninety-nine people, slaughtered by my own hands. I think that counts."

"Well, yeah, but it's not the same as fistfighting someone," Pyro nodded at Avid, clearly agreeing with him. "Especially fistfighting a vampire. If you were able to do this much barely after hatching... Imagine what Scott could do in that scenario. You said it yourself, this guy is ancient..."

"I... Fine," Owen sighed reluctantly. "Aside from this one massacre, I've never properly fought someone. Never had a reason to, since nobody wanted to get too close to me for most of my life."

Maybe if I tuned into my instincts, and channeled my anger, the same way as I did all these years ago...

The lumberjack shook his head and lowered his fists. He could turn to this strategy if everything else failed. But if he did, he risked putting Avid and Pyro in danger. The memory of the massacre of his own making was blurry and frantic in his head, he barely remembered details. Back then, he was like a natural disaster that rained upon the town, drenching the roads with blood of people who wronged him. He knew he could do it again, if he really wanted to. But what if he lost himself again, and hurt people he actually cared about...?

At this point, he had to admit it to himself, even if he didn't want to admit it to them yet. He cared about them. He cared about Avid and Pyro. He couldn't tell yet whether it was the same type of care he had for Lewis. Probably not. But if he could hold in himself even a slither of the devotion he had for the late mayor... He would drag Scott to hell and back for what he did.

"Ah, so you need a crash course on how to kick someone's ass?" Pyro smirked confidently, before handing the cracked bark to Avid. "Let me help you, then."

"What, you can actually fight?" Owen chuckled.

"Of course I can! Listen, just because my family was fairly wealthy, doesn't mean I never got myself into trouble. How else would I get myself written out of the will?" He smiled, before standing in front of Owen. "Come on, show us how you're gonna look once Scott comes to beat you up."

Taken aback by the request, the vampire put up his fists and bent his knees a little. In his head, this position felt right... But judging by Pyro and Avid's expressions, they seemed unconvinced. The two of them exchanged concerned glances.

"Oh he's so gonna die," Pyro sighed.

"Well, it was nice to meet you two," Avid chuckled nervously.

"Hey! I'm not gonna die!" Owen immediately argued "You want to help me, or not?"

"Fine, fine... First, you gotta change your grip. Thumbs on the outside. Otherwise, you risk breaking them when you hit a little too hard." Pyro took a stance right next to Owen, showing him exactly what he should do. "Don't lift your shoulders too high. You need to have them a bit more relaxed, or else, you'll block your own movement."

"Oh, and the stance," Avid chimed in, "If you're right-handed, you put your left foot forward."

"I'm left-handed, thank you very much... Wait. So both of you know how to do this stuff better than I do, huh?" Owen sighed fondly. Of course, out of the three of them, he had to be the one who got himself into such a mess with almost no fighting experience. 

"Well, the vampire hunter corps have their issue, but they did put me through some intense training..." Avid admitted with a tinge of shame in his tone.

"Pyro?"

"Let's say I was a bit bored as a teen," Pyro smirked, "and beating people up was a way to make money. Not that I needed it, but-"

"You guys really think just throwing some punches could help me defeat an elder vampire?" Owen chuckled. This whole situation was ridiculous, and the revelation was only now hitting him... But to some degree, he was grateful that his friends did not leave him hanging, and actually wanted to help. If he was to deal with this on his own, he would be losing his mind at this point.

Avid and Pyro exchanged glances again.

"Well, he did mention causing massacres back in his times..." Avid spoke up.

"Look at him," Pyro immediately argued. "Let's be honest, this guy looks like he never threw a punch in his life. I bet the heaviest thing he ever lifted is a goblet of wine."

Owen snickered at the idea.

"I mean, he is an ancient vampire..."

"And so are you, man! Two hundred years is quite a bit of time, innit?" Pyro nudged Owen's shoulder. The lumberjack immediately returned to the corrected stance. 

"I spent most of it sleeping, to be frank..." He muttered, his eyes dropping down to his hands once more. "You... You think I can take these off now?" He asked, rubbing his finger over the severely damaged bandages. 

"Why not?" Avid shrugged. "You're no longer sick, are you?"

"No... Not anymore," Owen nodded, before taking a more relaxed stance and beginning to unwrap the bandages. He winced when the dried blood and pus kept the fabric stuck to his skin. "This is why I ended up like this... It was a gift. From a man that cared about... Helping me. He did so much for him, but... I never had a chance to repay my debt."

Avid looked at Pyro, concern clear on his face. The two of them just watched in silence as Owen finished taking off the bandages off one of his hands. He then lifted it up, to look at it through the meek sunlight. His skin would forever be marked with scars and blemishes, a reminder of the suffering he went through back when he was still a human. But the illness itself... It was gone. Owen took a deep breath, what felt like the first time in two hundred years. The pain, the numbness, it was all gone. The price was high, sure, and he could still be shunned from society for what he was... But now, he had people who looked out for him. Who wouldn't abandon him for that part of him. Or at least, he hoped they wouldn't.

"So, do we have a plan on how to take down Scott?" Avid eventually asked, to not prolong the silence that was becoming uncomfortable. "I mean, if just fighting him doesn't help. What if you sneak in a weapon?"

"He said it's an unarmed fight," Owen muttered, and then shivered. "I wouldn't wanna know what sort of tricks he will pull out if I cheat."

"And what if he cheats regardless of you?" Pyro said.

"I don't think he's gonna cheat. Sure, he's a jackass, and a prick, but his pride wouldn't let him. He keeps talking about this family of his... I feel like cheating would be an insult to this legacy."

"Well, let's hope you're right..." The vampire hunter sighed "But in case you're not, I'll try to sneak in your axe. Just as a backup."

"Thanks," Owen smiled at him. "I'm not planning on losing, though. I will win this, even if it kills me."

"If you kill him, and that kills you, wouldn't that be a draw?" 

"Then we'll have a draw. That's better than losing."

There was one part he didn't want to tell them just yet. As much as satisfying killing Scott would be, he didn't actually want to finish him off. Beat him up, humiliate him, humble him, sure - but not kill him. Ironic, for a guy who killed almost three thousand people for burning his only friend at the pyre... But if he killed Scott, he would be just like them. At least in his own eyes. Not to mention, humiliating him in front of his fledglings would probably be worse than death to someone as prideful as him.

"Well, if you manage to turn this" Pyro vaguely gestured over Owen's body "into a draw, this will already be a success."

"Don't forget that your life is also on the line, Pyro," The vampire chuckled. "Scott said that if he wins, he's gonna eat both me and you."

"Oh yeah, what was that about? I didn't even do anything!" 

"He was probably just hangry. When isn't he?" Avid suddenly said. The two other vampires turned to him, before starting to laugh.

"Oh, so you're not afraid of him anymore? What if he's watching us?" Owen smirked, his eyes darkening a little in an attempt to scare Avid.

"I- I wouldn't go that far! But, uh... You guys make me feel better." The former vampire hunter whispered, his cheeks reddening slightly. "Even if this doesn't work out, and he'll torment me for the rest of eternity... I just hope he doesn't actually eat you. I'll pull through, as long as I have you guys."

"Awww... Owen chuckled, crossing his arms on his chest. "Would you look at that? Just a few weeks ago, you wanted to kill every vampire you'd find... And now you have a soft spot for us?"

"Do I have a choice?" 

The lumberjack smiled. No, not really. None of them had a choice on the matter, to be honest. But at least, they had each other. Even if their lives were destined for endless torment and hunger, at least they wouldn't go through that alone. And that almost made it worth the effort.

---

"And then I told her: 'Girl, you gotta publish this! People will love this!' To be honest, at first I wasn't convinced... The story of a guy who makes a monster and brings it to life, only to be tormented by his creation? It sounded nuts! But she actually made it work!"

"Yeah, can't wait to read it once it's out..." Scott muttered, his eyes more so glued to his glass than to M.

His duel with Owen was coming quicker than Scott anticipated, and local livestock began vanishing faster and faster. Scott actually suspected that not all of the disappearances were due to his actions. But what else was he supposed to do? He needed to secure his victory, to be absolutely certain he'd win. Maybe he needed to rethink his approach to the upcoming fight, though... By this time, even he was getting sick of the amount of blood and meat he consumed within the past few days. It was beginning to impact his sleep, which was inexcusable. Hungry or not, he needed his beauty sleep to look gorgeous while turning Owen into a bloody pulp. Fortunately, when M invited him for a chat and a glass of wine, Scott immediately accepted the invitation. That was a well needed distraction for him, even if not the healthiest.

Since their first encounter, when the writer was looking for the missing pigs, they've seen each other almost daily. Scott couldn't admit that he enjoyed the company of this guy. He was a bit eccentric and strange, sure... But at the same time, he was incredibly warm, caring and funny. Not to mention, handsome. Many a time, Scott found himself staring at him, pondering what his blood would taste like. Still, he wanted to wait a little before taking what he believed was his. M did not yet know that he essentially became Scott's mate. The vampire was curious to see his reaction to that.

"Are you alright, Scott?" The writer looked up at him across his living room. "Do you not like the wine?"

"No, not at all... It's great," Scott responded, before taking another sip. That was true, it was really good - but with how full he felt, it was getting harder and harder to enjoy the taste. "I wish I could meet these penpals of yours, they sound like fascinating people..."

"They are! And successful, too... I hope to live up to their success, one day..." M admitted, before taking a sip of his own wine. "I used to be renowned once, true, but... That's been quite some time ago. I came here in search of inspiration... The tales the townsfolk of Oakhurst used to tell one another sound like a good source of that. Their stories about vampires were so consistent, almost as if they actually roamed the area once..."

"That really is curious..." Scott admitted. He lifted himself heavily from his armchair, before approaching the writer and nonchalantly taking a seat on his lap. M chuckled, taken aback by his forwardness. 

"Oh- Well, heh..." He chuckled, pulling on his collar a little as a sudden wave of heat hit him. "I bet you also have some interesting stories to share, hm, sir?"

"I sure do... Plenty of stories..." Scott finished drinking his wine, then set his glass back on the table. Slowly, he turned to M, his legs wrapping around the writer's hips. Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was some deep need of his for closure. Especially after his last hookup almost ended in a disaster. "I could tell you all of them, and you'd have enough material for tens of books..."

"Oh, I'd love to hear them! Hold on, let me-" M reached out towards his notebook, but instead, Scott grabbed him by the wrist and pulled his hand closer. "H-huh? Scott...?"

"You don't need that... You just need to listen to me." He squeezed the writer's wrist, then pulled it across his own cheek. Yes, the alcohol was definitely getting into his head. And the feeling of fullness in his stomach definitely didn't help. "Mmmmm... You smell so good... Like a sausage... A nice, bloody, meaty sausage... Can I call you that?"

"What?" M chuckled nervously. "I- I mean, sure, but, um... I think you've had enough alcohol for tonight, sir..."

"Oh, I never have enough..." Scott sighed, his retracted fangs nibbling on Sausage's wrist. He really did taste good... Holding back was going to be incredibly hard. "That's my curse... I just always need more, and more, and more..." Without breaking eye contact, he took the glass from the writer's other hand, and drank it all at once. "But I think you will be just enough for now..."

"Enough for... What...?"

A flurry of emotions coursed through M's head at that moment. On one hand, he was curious, maybe even a bit excited by Scott's eagerness... But he was also a bit intimidated by it. And the alcohol did not help him either. Sure, it wouldn't be his first time getting so up close and personal with someone, but he's never done it... Like this. Should he stop it right now? No, he wanted to see where this would go. Worst case scenario, he'd have some fresh inspiration for another erotic horror story. Those always sold well.

"You know, you got me thinking..." Scott continued speaking, his teeth not leaving Sausage's skin. "What you said about the symbolism of vampires... Something about them being an exaggeration of human lust and greed..."

"Oh, right, yes!" M nodded energetically. "It's fascinating, isn't it? That such a topic, that's both very personal and widely spread, can resonate with so many people through such allegories..."

"Mhm, yeah... I don't think it's just symbolic, though."

"Wh- What do you mean?"

"You know... You're a smart little morsel, my Sausage. And a pretty one at that." Their eyes met again. A cold shiver crossed M's spine. Were Scott's eyes always this bright red? "I could show you so much more than your little books will tell you... Show you the true meaning of a vampiric kiss. And if you ever publish that... Wouldn't that sell just amazingly...?"

"I... I bet it would..." The writer shivered. Just a second ago, he was eager to explore where this little relationship of theirs would go... But now, as the realization began slowly settling in, he fought the urge to shove Scott away and run. But he couldn't. He felt paralyzed. His legs no longer listened to him. The only thing he felt was Scott's touch on his wrist, and his weight on top of his lap. He couldn't avert his eyes from the nobleman. "So, uh... How would you like to... Show me that...?"

"What a good boy you are... Just stay still. It won't hurt, I promise."

A quiet sound of clicking crossed the air. All of a sudden, Scott's fangs appeared a lot longer than Sausage remembered. His eyes lit up a bloody, excited red. And then, before the writer could utter a sound, the long, sharp fangs sunk deep into the radial artery on his wrist. M opened his mouth to scream, but his voice stuck in his throat. A throbbing pain surged through his body. It felt as if together with his blood, the vampire was sucking out his very life. His vision got blurry and dark, his breathing picked up speed, only to slow down and almost cease. And the whole time, he couldn't take his eyes off Scott. The way he glued himself to his wrist, slurping greedily on his blood, licking off any drops that dared to escape him and drip down M's arm. Eventually, what was supposed to be a cry for help, escaped Sausage's lips in the form of a soft whimper. A second later, he dropped limp in his armchair.

Scott continued his feast for a while longer, before even his greedy brain told him that he's had enough. This little morsel's blood tasted incredible, especially when mixed with alcohol... But at this point, the vampire felt like nothing more than a disgustingly stuffed mosquito. Not that he regretted what he's done, that is.

"Oh, man... That's gonna be enough for now..." He huffed, wiping his face with his sleeve. "Maybe even a bit more than enough... There's gorging yourself, and there's... Whatever happened here." Scott chuckled, then looked down at the unconscious man he occupied the lap of. Slowly, he pulled his fingers over his sharp jaw, gently scratching his beard. "There, there... You'll feel better once you wake up, I promise..." He whispered. After a moment of consideration, he leaned down and planted a soft kiss on M's lips. "And once you do wake up... I'll show you a whole world of possibilities. I promise you, my little morsel..."

Slowly, and clearly with strain, Scott got himself off Sausage. He pulled his sleeve higher up his hand, to hide the bite mark, then turned towards the door. The last time he turned back to look at the fruits of his labour, a soft smile lit up his face.

"Sleep well, little one..." He said, before quietly closing the door behind himself.

Chapter 13: Rite of passage

Summary:

Owen and Scott fight to prove their superiority over one another. It doesn't ago along the rules of proper vampirism, however.

Notes:

I was waiting for this one chapter for sooooo long, so I hope you guys will enjoy it :3

Btw, it happened. This thing is officially my #1 fic on ao3. I have no idea how that happened, considering the previous #1 is almost 4 times the length of this, and I finished it months ago. Yippie :3

"Well, it's technically past midnight..." Pyro slid his pocket watch under his coat, then looked around. "Don't tell me Scott actually quit on you..."

"Maybe he forgot?" Avid muttered, also watching for any signs of the elder vampire approaching them.

"He wouldn't. Not if he has a chance to humiliate someone." Owen was ready for Scott to emerge from the shadows and attack him without a warning. Sounds like something he would do, and then try to excuse it, calling it some sort of special vampiric duel rules. "Let's wait a while longer."

"Wow, you really want to beat him up," Pyro pointed out with an amused smile.

"It's not just about beating him up... If we want to be on good terms, he has to stop mistreating you... Us, I guess." He added after a moment. He was probably treated the best by Scott, but even that did not mean much. "Just, you know... If this doesn't go according to plan... Run. Don't let him get you. We don't know what he will do if-"

"You make me sound like some sort of heartless monster, Owen..." Scott's voice suddenly reverberated between the trees. The three vampires turned around and tensed. 

"Oh... So you came."

"Excuse me, I just had to get my brand new mate to a... Usable state."

"Mate...?" The word tasted bitter on Owen's tongue. Only then he noticed two pairs of glowing, red eyes emerging from between the trees. Scott appeared first, and behind him, one of the new settlers of Oakhurst. The vampire gasped quietly. "That writer guy..."

"M?" Avid turned around, then backed off a little.

M was walking a bit shakily, he clearly wasn't feeling great. His transformation probably wasn't finished yet... So just the fact that he was up and going places was impressive. His stare was hazy, but focused once he spotted the other vampires.

"Oh! So, uh... You were the guys Scott was talking about...?" M asked with a dumb smile plastered on his face. His speech was slightly slurred, likely from his growing fangs, and the pain that accompanied the process. Most developing vampires slept through the process... Clearly, Scott did not let him do that. "Wait, Pyro? Owen? Avid...?"

"This is awkward..." Pyro muttered through gritted teeth. "I thought we didn't want anyone new to join us...?"

"Oh, yeah, but I just couldn't help myself... Sausage is such a sweet guy, I wanted to have a little fun with him..." Scott smirked, lifting his hand that was tightly gripping M's.

"Sausage...?" Avid barely held back nervous laughter. Pyro looked unconvinced, while Owen appeared actually disgusted.

"Well, yes... Ignore them, they're just jealous." Scott directed his words to his mate, before taking off his coat. "So, Owen... I thought you'd chicken out. You really want to die this badly?"

"Not tonight, believe it or not," The lumberjack snapped back. After a moment of consideration, he took off his shawl and handed it to Avid. "I promised to beat you up, and I can't wait to do that."

"You know, I'll miss you when you're dead..." Scott sighed, then put his coat in Sausage's hands. "You're the only guy with any experience here, besides me of course... I thought you'd help me raise these little fledglings..."

"They'd be better off without you," Owen muttered. "We'd all be."

"Mmm! Bitey... Finally, not such a depressed little wimp... Wish you could always be this fun..."

The two vampires stood in the middle of the clearing, slowly bracing themselves for the fight. Avid, Pyro and Sausage sat on the grass just in front of the first line of trees. They watched their superiors in silence for a moment, before the newest vampire spoke up:

"Uh... What are they doing, exactly...? Scott didn't want to tell me any details..."

"Oh, they're fighting to the death," Pyro answered nonchalantly, leaning back a bit into a half-seated position.

"What?!"

"Ready?" Scott asked, his voice choke full of confidence and eagerness to turn the other vampire into bloody mush. Owen stretched his arms in a last-ditched attempt to warm his muscles. He spent a lot of time preparing for this. Before leaving Oakhurst that evening, he even stole some of the livestock, to strengthen himself. But this was it. He would either beat Scott, or die trying. No, he wasn't ready. But there was no going back now.

"Ready."

"Come on, Owen!" Pyro yelled with excitement "Beat his ass!"

"Go Scott!" Sausage yelled.

Avid stayed silent. This mess was his fault, after all. He shouldn't be taking sides... But deep down, he really hoped Owen would emerge victorious.

And then, without another word, Scott charged straight at his opponent.

Owen narrowly avoided his claws digging through his face, then delivered a punch right under Scott's ribs. Thumbs on the outside, Pyro's words rang in his head. The elder vampire grunted, before turning and kicking Owen to the side. He tumbled to the ground, but pulled himself up before Scott could pin him down.

"Is this your strategy?" Scott huffed, his eyes glowing brightly in the dark. "You're just gonna run?"

"Well, if it's working..." Owen smiled weakly, before bending over to avoid another slash.

That could work. He could try and make Scott tired, to the point where he would create a perfect opening for Owen. But stalling the fight put him at risk of making a mistake, and having his own strategy used against him. There was no time for intricate plans, however. The next time Scott flung his claws in his direction, Owen deflected with his own. A slightly metallic sound crossed the air. Owen winced in pain. His own talons were a lot shorter, and clearly not as good as blocking punches. Scott's claws left non-bleeding wounds on his palms.

"Oh, Owen..." Scott smirked, before uppercutting Owen with a punch to the jaw. His extended fangs bit into his lips, sending a wave of pain through his face. "What a shame that after turning and wiping out Oakhurst, you then just took a nap... You're no better than a fledgling, you know?"

"Would a fledgling do this?" Owen huffed, before swiftly transforming into a bat and dashing straight to Scott's face, attempting to scratch him. Before the elder vampire could catch him however, he turned back and punched him in the face.

"Yeah! Good job, Owen!" Pyro called out, waving his arms excitedly.

"You little..." Scott huffed, tumbling back before he managed to regain his balance. A bit of blood came up to his throat from his stomach, and a nasty taste entered his mouth. "Is that all you got?!"

Owen could continue attacking, instead of waiting for Scott to regain his footing. Instead, he took a second to regain his composure and stabilize his breathing. Openings, openings... There were none, and the ones he saw were risky. For someone used to a lavish, downright lazy lifestyle, Scott knew what he was doing... But he was far from invincible. He was out of breath. So was Owen, to be frank, but it was a lot more visible with him. The second the lumberjack spotted a perfect chance to attack, Scott turned around and caught his fist in the air.

"Couldn't you be like this... From the start?" The nobleman chuckled. His usually well put together hair was a total mess already, his face was full of sweat. But Owen probably wasn't looking a lot better. "Maybe I'd have a bit more... Respect for you... If you showed your claws right away..."

The lumberjack stayed quiet. Instead, to free himself from Scott's crushing grip, he transformed once more. Scott immediately followed after him, both of them flying into the air. Their claws cut through the air, the two animals trying to hit each other in any vital organs, force the other to fall. Scott's bat form was larger, and his thick fur provided protection, but Owen was a lot more nimble and faster. It sounded as if their banter continued even up in the sky - but as they couldn't talk, loud squeals and screeching filled the air. The two small, dark shapes of the bats almost vanished against the night sky.

"M...? Or, Sausage, however we're supposed to call you now..." Avid turned to the newly turned vampire. The writer turned to him.

"Yeah...?"

"When... How did you end up... Like this...?" He asked carefully.

"I, uh, can't exactly remember how..." M chuckled, before stopping when a wave of pain shook his body. This whole transforming thing was rough, very rough... He could feel his body slowly changing, morphing into something different. Especially his jaw ached like hell. It was so much worse than what Scott told him would happen... "We were just hanging out, enjoying some wine, and... All of a sudden, he was on my lap, and... This happened." He lifted his hand and pulled down his sleeve, to show his slowly healing bite mark. Pyro and Avid exchanged concerned glances. "It's been... Two, three days... It's been a bit of a blur... What about you...?"

"I ventured out with Scott and Owen into the dead forest... Apparently they didn't know about each other before that," Pyro mentioned gloomily.

"I found them hunting, and, uh... Owen got me." Avid explained. All three of them turned back to the fight, as they heard one of the vampires let out an ear piercing screech. "Oh gosh... If one of them dies, it's my fault..."

"No, Avid, it's not," Pyro sighed. "This would've happened eventually, let's be honest."

"But Owen is doing that because Scott... Well, because he was awful to me, let's be honest." He chuckled. Sausage shuddered, looking down at the other vampire. "I should be the one fighting Scott, not him..."

"He'd beat you into a pulp."

"But I'm a vampire hunter-"

"Are you, Avid? Are you still one?" Pyro asked, raising his voice a little bit. His eyes lit up dangerously in the night. Avid went quiet, but his head perked up once a loud thud reached them.

Owen found his opening.

It's quite hard to focus when your consciousness is confined to the body of a small bat. He was, however, able to spot something out of the ordinary. Scott's fur was thick and hard to cut through, but there was one spot where it was a lot thinner. Right around his heart, there was what looked like a weak spot. Pulling his claws across the spot a few times was enough for Scott to lose his balance and begin falling from the sky. He transformed moments before hitting the ground, but didn't manage to land softly. And before he could collect himself and get up, Owen landed on top of him, piercing him to the ground. He locked the elder vampire's legs with his knees, one hand placed right next to his head, the other holding Scott by the neck and forcing his head to tilt back. Owen let out a loud, dominating hiss, that did not stop Scott from flailing his claws in an attempt to scratch him. He already managed to do that while in the air - Owen's neck, chin and cheeks were covered in a web of thin scratches.

" 'S that all you got...?" Scott panted, but his prideful smirk did not disappear for even a second. Both of them struggled to breath, both were covered in cuts and were on the verge of collapsing.

"What else do you want me to do?-" Owen half-yelled, his voice breaking from the exhaustion.

"You know what," the elder vampire grunted. "Come on. Finish this."

What is he doing?, Owen thought to himself. Does he want to die? Is this a trap? Sure, Scott said himself it's a fight to the death... But it didn't have to be the way it ends, right? It's not that Owen didn't know how to kill, or didn't want to. Out of everyone, Scott definitely deserved that. And yet, at the same time... He just couldn't do it. He couldn't kill one of his own species, no matter how much he absolutely hated him. Violence only brought on more violence, and he was the perfect example of that. If he killed Scott, it would leave him feeling the same way he felt after wiping out Oakhurst. 

Hollow.

Could he be better than this, even if only once...?

"...I won't."

"What...?" Scott hissed.

"I won't kill you," Owen growled. His fangs were extended, but he didn't seem keen on using them. "But I still won. You will stop harassing Avid. You will respect us, and stop treating us like garbage. We will be equals from now on, all of us."

"Coward... And a fool!" Scott yelled straight into his face. "This is not how vampiric duels go!"

"Well, this is how this one went." The lumberjack's voice got a lot quieter, but no less serious and focused. "If I kill you, you will never have to change. And now, I'm making you. I don't care about your family's stupid customs, you hear?"

"Hah..." The elder vampire chuckled, still struggling to catch his breath. "Maybe it's... For the better, that Louis died... If he brought someone like you into the family-"

Scott paused the second Owen's claws slashed up his throat. That barely left a scratch, sure, but hurt a lot more than the vampire expected. He froze in place for a second, as if not expecting to be able to breathe or speak after that. But that wasn't a take at his life. That was a warning.

"Don't... Don't you dare talk about him." 

Only then, the lumberjack slowly pulled himself up from the ground. His legs were shaking, and taking another step would likely cause him to collapse. His skin and hair were sticky from sweat, his lungs burned. The fight and multiple transformations took everything out of him, leaving him completely starved. Before he could fall to the ground, however, Pyro and Avid ran up to him and caught him.

"This is what I'm talking about, man!" Pyro laughed, patting his friend's back. "You were insane! Not gonna lie, I really thought you're gonna die out there..."

"I might just as well," Owen chuckled weakly, then turned back to look at Scott. The elder vampire was still laying on the ground, his eyes wide in disbelief and panic. "It's over. If you don't want to count it as me winning, let's call it a draw."

"This is... Not over..." Scott wheezed, struggling to get up from the ground. 

That was the last thing he wanted to happen. Even if Owen ended up killing him, he would've preferred this over the humiliation of being spared. His head was spinning as the realization slowly set. No, no, it couldn't be true... He was spared. Again. He was too weak to win, but also not worthy of dying in an honorable duel... He wanted to scream, to cry, to beg Owen to finish him off. But he couldn't. He didn't deserve death. He didn't deserve to go down in glory.

"It is, Scott. Get over it, and-"

"Hold on," Sausage suddenly spoke up, lifting himself from the ground. "Did you guys hear it...?"

"What was it?" Owen asked, trying to stand up a bit straighter to hide just how exhausted he was.

"It sounded like... Someone gasping... But like they were scared-"

"Someone's here," Scott interrupted him. Immediately, the mental image of Martyn looming over him with a silver sword popped up into his head. He probably found them, and was out to get them, all of them- "Find him. Now."

"Him...?" Owen whispered.

"I see them!" Sausage pointed to some blurry shape, which just emerged from the bushes. He immediately ran after them, with Pyro and Avid joining him. "Come on, guys!"

"Wait up!" The lumberjack followed right after, but after such an intense fight, his legs were barely listening to him. He cursed at his own weakness, before transforming into a bat. Hopefully, this would make it easier to catch up with them.

Scott wanted to stay behind and rest. Hopefully bury himself in the ground and never come out again. His breathing slowly stabilized. Great, not only did he lose like a complete fool, they were also found out... He should've known that Martyn would be on his tail, trying to find him out...

Until suddenly, a loud scream reached him from the direction of the chase.

It didn't sound like Martyn. But the voice was familiar. Scott's eyes opened wider.

"Shubble...?"

---

Shubble knew she shouldn't have come into the forest that night. Scott himself told her to stay at home. But of course, she couldn't listen to him... She never listened, and this is what brought trouble upon her so many times. With how aloof and disinterested Scott was, the warning he gave her was a breath of fresh air... Some sort of danger that she wanted to explore, and possibly learn something new. Why exactly would her roommate tell her to stay home, while he himself went to the forest?

Well, now she knew. She knew everything. And truth be told, maybe it would've been better if they listened and stayed home after all.

The gasp that gave her away slipped her lips when she witnessed Owen get up from beaten up Scott. Shubble wasn't exactly sure why they were fighting, but the way in which they did it... Flailing claws and fangs, transforming back and forth between bat and human forms, the hissing and animalistic growling... 

There were vampires in Oakhurst. Her supposed roommate was one of them. And now, all of them were chasing her through the forest.

Shubble cried for help, hoping that someone would hear and jump into action, to save her. But who would? The only person who seemed equipped for the fight, Avid, was apparently one of them... It's not that she wasn't armed, too. The dagger that Scott gifted her was attached to her skirt, and they could pull it out at any moment. But would they be able to face off against five vampires, all on their own? Surely not. They had long claws, sharp fangs, and so much more strength than she could imagine. And she... She was on her own.

At some point, Shubble tripped over a tree root and tumbled to the ground. Loud rustling reverberated over her head. In just a second, two vampires appeared over her, their red eyes shining in the dark. Then, two more joined, transforming from their bat forms back into human shape. She could barely tell them apart in the dark. The tallest was definitely M. Right next to him, slightly shorter, Pyro. Owen was the one that looked as if he had trouble keeping himself upright. And then Avid, a bit to the back, as if he didn't want to join in on the feast they would make of her.

"Oh... It's you." Owen commented coldly. His voice still slightly trembled after the strain of his barely finished fight. "What are you doing here, Shubble?"

"Don't get closer!" They pulled out their dagger and pointed it at the vampires. Pyro took a step back, while Owen and Sausage didn't move. The former probably wasn't aware of the danger yet - the latter didn't care.

Maybe she could run... No, when she fell, her ankle began burning in pain. If she had sprained it, she was done for... She couldn't escape, she couldn't hide. All she could do was fight. Even if she didn't know what she was doing, Shubble would not give up their blood easily.

"Listen, Shubble," The lumberjack took a step forward. "I'm sorry to say this, but... We can't let you go now. You've seen too much... And, unfortunately, I'm really hungry..." His eyes shined dangerously.

"No, no no no... Please..." Their voice shook, but they lifted their weapon higher. "Stay away from me...!"

"Apologies, Shubble, but-"

All of a sudden, a high-pitched screech crossed the air. Suddenly, Scott appeared between the vampires and his roommate, freshly turned from a bat back into a human. He was breathing heavily, as he had not recovered after the fight yet. He shielded Shubble with his body, his fangs extended in an angry scowl.

"Don't touch her," he growled.

"Scott...?" Shubble whispered. Was he there to protect her...? No, that couldn't be it... Surely, he wanted to be the one to eat her. Her roommate, her friend... Trusting him was a mistake, wasn't it...?

"What are you doing?" Owen squinted. "You want to take her for yourself, or what?"

"Don't touch her."

Scott turned his head to look at Shubble. He felt absolutely rotten for what he was doing. That went against all of his instincts and common sense... He should claim her, drain her blood and feast on her flesh to replenish his strength. But, at the same time... He couldn't do it. Not to her. Even if that made him a horrible hypocrite... 

"Well, this is awkward... Wait, I feel like I said it before." Pyro muttered.

"She's gonna tell them, Scott," Owen said. Slowly, his senses were coming back to him. His immediate idea to eat Shubble probably came from just how starved he was after the fight... But as he began to calm down, he felt bad about that being his first thought. Hunger really is a horrible advisor...

"No, she won't." The elder vampire turned around, then knelt in front of Shubble. The girl pulled back a little. "Wait, Shubble- I won't hurt you. Just... Stay still, please..."

"Scott, what are you doing...?"

His eyes lit up a bright red. She could no longer look away.

"You will not tell any of the other humans about what happened here."

The words were immediately burned into their brain. All they could do was watch in silence, even as Scott pulled back and winced in pain. All of a sudden, something clicked in the back of Avid's brain. He looked down at the elder vampire.

"You... You no longer control me..." He whispered, looking down at his hands. The hypnosis that made him unable to feed unless Scott permitted him... It was gone, and he felt it vanish in real time.

"Consider yourself lucky..." That I can't have three people hypnotized at once, Scott added in his head. Maybe back in his heyday. But that was long past him. He was no longer this powerful, terrifying force of nature... He was weak. Pathetic. Not even worthy of a spectacular death.

But at least he saved the one person who was nice to him this whole time.

"You're... Not going to eat me...?" Shubble asked carefully.

"No. And if any of them tries..." Scott let out a warning hiss, before slowly getting up from the ground. He was feeling even weaker than he did after the fight concluded. Sausage attempted to support him, but he stepped away.

"So... You guys are... All vampires." The girl whispered, then breathed out heavily when they all nodded in confirmation. "Wow... I was right, but... I didn't expect to find out like... This..."

"Welcome to the club," Avid chuckled nervously and reached his hand out to her. Still a bit wary, Shubble eventually accepted the help. However, she almost had to catch Avid himself when he squirmed in pain. "Oh, man... I don't think I felt it before, but... Ugh..."

"Hungry?" Pyro chuckled, "Come on, let's get these losers back to Oakhurst. And we can go hunting afterwards."

"Who do you call a loser?" Scott hissed angrily, but quickly went silent. Truth be told, Pyro wasn't exactly wrong. He did lose. To Owen, and now to his common sense. Could he still even consider himself a true vampire...?

"Owen, can you walk by yourself?"

"I'll be fine, don't worry about me." Owen muttered, avoiding any eye contact, especially with Shubble. He was just about to eat her moments ago... Talking to her for the foreseeable future was going to be quite awkward.

"Great. Come on, let's head back." Pyro supported Scott on one side, and Sausage joined him on the other. The elder let out another warning hiss, but was ultimately too tired to fight back. Avid supported Shubble despite his own gnawing hunger, and Owen followed behind them.

Truth be told, he couldn't count it as a win. But he preferred that over slaying Scott, no matter how much he hated the guy. Maybe that was the proof that they were more than just wild animals, only interested in feeding and fighting... 

Even if they were no longer humans. Maybe they could still at least be people.

Chapter 14: Wound licking

Summary:

In the aftermath of their duel, Scott and Owen seek rest and comfort. One of them succeeds, the other - not so much.

Notes:

Sorry this chapter is a bit later than usual! I was sitting at a lecture and listening :3 (jk I was drawing lol)

"Oughhh, Sausage... How could Owen have done this to me?" The vampire's moaning and whining went on for at least the past hour. He laid across the big, comfy couch, while his mate occupied the armchair. He didn't even look at his grand duke, as he was too preoccupied with writing something down in his notebook. "He must've cheated... But how?"

"Mhm, probably..." M muttered in response, not raising his head above his notes. 

All that he saw last night gave him a ton of inspiration... As well as a lot of things to think about. His transformation was still taking a toll on him, making his whole body exhausted and aching. His thoughts drifted off more often than usual, as he was rewriting the same sentence for what felt like the tenth time. Worst of all, the throbbing pain of the bite on his wrist has not vanished yet, making it a lot harder for him to hold down a pen. Here's hoping it won't be permanent... But even with that, the reality of what Scott did to him finally settled. He took in the guy when he was in a low mood, offered him company and kindness... And in return, Scott forced him into a role M never even thought possible. His thoughts traveled to the friend he left behind, his house, his writing contracts. Would he be able to reclaim that old life even now, when he was no longer human? Or was all that gone, without a way for him to ever explain what happened?

"Let's be honest, if he didn't cheat, I would've crushed him..." Scott whimpered, dramatically stretching on the couch. "He has barely any experience... I had to teach him how to properly hunt like, a few weeks ago! And all of a sudden, he's this strong? And has the audacity to spare me? What a joke..."

"Yeah, sure..."

A moment later, M noticed Scott's hand landing on his notes. He slid them down, out of his line of sight, so that the newly turning vampire would look at him instead.

"Uh, hello? I'm despairing over here!" He hissed, clearly upset over the lack of attention from his mate. "You're supposed to make me feel better?"

Sausage pulled his notebook aside, then slammed it close.

"I'm sorry that happened to you," he said in the most dead-panned voice he could muster.

"You don't sound like you are..."

"Scott? Why did you... Why did you do this to me?" The writer asked, then raised his hand to show the bite marks. Somehow, Scott's expression immediately brightened when he saw the fruits of his labor.

"Oh, it's fine, darling... You're so much to be around, I just wanted to keep you for a bit longer-"

"I have a life outside of Oakhurst, Scott," M's voice deepened a little with bitterness. "Some of these people want to stay here, sure... But not me."

"I don't care about them... I care about you..." The vampire smirked, making his way on Sausage's lap. If he wasn't going to get out of his way to give him attention, Scott would make him. "You're so fun, Sausage... It would be a shame to lose such a tasty morsel, you know...?" He paused for a moment when he saw just how somber and serious his expression got. "What's with the long face?"

"Did you also turn... Them without asking...?"

"Well, I turned Pyro... Avid was Owen's doing. Though, I did kinda tell him to do it. And Owen, well... That was one of my kin, a long time ago. Why?" He asked sweetly.

"We can't really... We can't really leave now, can we? Living as vampires, among humans... It's not really an option?"

"Where would you even want to leave to, my Sausage?" Scott put his hand on his mate's hand, his fingers sliding towards the buttons. "You have me here, and I'm all you need..."

All of a sudden, the writer pushed him off himself. Scott barely regained his balance before he fell on the coffee table. The vampire let out a hiss, although his throat was strained after the fight. As his mate got up from his armchair, he got up again, and began berating him:

"What do you think you're doing? I'm your grand duke, Sausage. Who do you think you are, shoving me like-"

"I think it'll be better for us both if you leave, Scott," M answered sharply. The elder vampire couldn't deny, seeing his mate so upset and serious was... Intriguing. If only his negative emotions weren't targeted at him... "We're both tired after what happened tonight. And you treating me like your property doesn't help."

"Why wouldn't I?" Scott smirked, his fangs extending to playfully poke out of his mouth. "You're just that... Why else do you think I would've turned you...? Come on, Sausage..." He reached out his hand, but the writer stepped away.

"Do you treat them like that, too...?"

"What?" Scott scoffed, taken aback by the question.

"Cause if you do... Well, maybe Owen was right, whatever reason he had to fight you."

"He- You're taking his side?!" The vampire blew up at him, his eyes shining a bright red. "Don't you dare talk to me like that, morsel! One more word, and I'll eat out every last part of you before the sun rises-"

"Will you?"

Scott paused. Why wasn't Sausage terrified of him...? Usually, flashing his eyes and showing his fangs worked, even on his fellow Goldsmiths... They trembled in fear even before he had to say a word. But Sausage... He didn't even look away. He looked like he could actually fight Scott, if it wasn't for their mutual soreness, and whatever could've still been between them. It was probably Owen's idea, too... If a poor, dirty fledgling like him could stand up to Scott and not lose his life, now all of them were going to rebel... That's bad. Horrible, even. He had to get them back in line, before a disaster would strike... Maybe if Owen at least killed him, he would no longer have to witness his fledglings rotting in front of him.

"Whatever... You're not even worthy of being my feast." Scott scoffed, before heading towards the door. "Do you have any idea how much I gave you? Eternal life, immense power, perfect skin... And this is how you repay me? Disgraceful..."

Moments later, the vampire shut the door closed behind him. Instead of walking away however, he stood there for a moment. Surely, Sausage would realize what he just did, and would run after him, begging for forgiveness... Right?

He didn't. Scott even turned around, awaiting him with his arms crossed and a stern expression painted on his face. But there was no response. So he didn't care after all... After what Scott did for him, he chose to be an ungrateful little brat...

"Whatever," he grumbled to himself, before stepping away from the door. "They will learn to fear me. And if not... Heh, more food for me, then..."

---

After getting Scott and Sausage back to Oakhurst, the remaining vampires decided to stay outside of town for the rest of the night. Even Shubble joined them, despite what would've transpired between her and them if it wasn't for Scott's intervention. They found a quiet spot to rest at the edge of one of the hills, shielded from the rising sun by the trees. Immediately upon settling for their resting place, Owen collapsed on the soft moss with a pained groan.

"Wake me up in, like, three hundred years..." He muttered with his place against the grass.

"Hey, you did really well!" Avid said, attempting to cheer him up. "I thought he was going to rip you to shreds, to be honest..."

"And so did I..." Owen slowly turned on his back, his stare glued to the greyish sky above him. "Did he go easy on me...?"

"I don't think so..." The former vampire hunter scratched his neck nervously. "That doesn't sound like him... Besides, I don't think he would've let you win."

"I didn't win. It was a draw at best. Still better than I expected, though... For a second, when he punched me in the jaw, I actually thought: 'Well, I'll see you soon, Lewis...' "

"Who's Lewis?" Shubble suddenly asked.

Immediately, Owen rose into a sitting position. He said too much already. That was pretty embarassing... He hated the way Shubble and Avid stared at him with anticipation. They really wanted to know, huh...? No, he would never tell pretty much strangers about something as personal as this-

"Who's hungry?" Pyro suddenly emerged from between the trees. He was holding two freshly caught hares, each in one hand. The other vampires immediately turned to him with excitement. Even Owen couldn't help but smile.

"You're the best, man..." He said, immediately taking the meal. Before he dug his fangs in, however, he looked at Shubble "Oh, um, by the way... You might want to look away. It doesn't look as pretty as it does in those books of yours."

"Oh, it's fine! Don't mind me, heh... As long as you're not eating me..." She chuckled nervously, but squirmed when Owen's fangs pierced the animal's skull with a quiet crunch. Avid was a bit more hesitant towards eating, but eventually, he also dug into the prey. He was lacking the grace Owen and Pyro worked out through the weeks, but he was doing better and better with each meal.

"Oh, um, by the way, sorry for... Almost eating you last night." The lumberjack suddenly said, pulling his head up. His face was covered in blood, a scrap of muscle hanging out from his mouth. The girl shivered, although she was a bit impressed by just how chill the vampires were. Maybe they weren't that dangerous after all? They could've eaten her, and they didn't... "It happened so fast after the fight, I was... I was still seeing red, I guess."

"It's fine... Glad you didn't actually go through with it," They admitted with a slightly embarrassed smile. 

"Well, speaking of that... Scott protected you," Pyro stated, then added after a second "That's... Very unlike him."

"Why? We're... Friends..." Shubble immediately jumped to defend her roommate, but stopped mid-sentence. Were they, really...? He hid such an important fact about himself from her... The fact that he was a literal vampire. Did he not trust her enough, thinking she would rat him out immediately? Or did he want to take advantage of her, and bite her one unsuspecting night...? No, that couldn't be it... If that was the case, he wouldn't have defended her now. Unless he still had plans for her... She shivered. Looks like she will have to look for a new roommate now. 

"I mean, let's be honest," Owen cut into the conversation. "This guy does whatever he wants all of the time. He complained about us having to be mindful about who to turn, to not have to fight for food later on... And then, he suddenly just turned that writer guy, without telling any of us."

"Did he turn all of you, too...?" Shubble asked quietly. In response, Pyro raised his hand.

"Only me, really..."

"Avid was my job," Owen added, shooting a quick glance at the former vampire hunter. He was enjoying his meal too much to join the conversation.

"And what about you, Owen?"

"That's... A long story." The lumberjack muttered, his eyes averting them again. He then returned to consuming his prey. 

For a minute, silence settled between them. All of them were slowly processing the events of last night. Pyro and Avid were relieved that Scott will, hopefully, get off their backs. Owen was just glad that it was behind him, and he didn't die. While the idea of vampires being actually real was sinking into Shubble's head. There were so many other questions she had though, too many to ask right away... Did they only drink blood, or could they eat something else, too? Did they need to sleep? Scott did, but would he be fine without it? Did it hurt to turn into a vampire? What other abilities they had, aside from transforming, and whatever Scott did to her? How old were Scott and Owen, really? What were their weaknesses? Was there something the books never told her about? Instead, unable to settle on any of the questions that bubbled in her head, she settled for one:

"Could I hang out with you guys from now on?"

All three vampires raised their heads and turned to her. Their eyes lit up red for just a second, frightening her ever so slightly. They hated the idea, didn't they...? But then, Owen chuckled.

"Sure... If you're not scared that we might eat you."

"I bet I wouldn't taste great," They replied with a silly smile.

"Actually, speaking of..." Avid finally spoke up. He almost finished consuming the whole hare, his reservation about stripping it off its meat apparently gone. "Scott call himself this whole grand duke thing, right...? And since you beat him... Does that mean it's your title now, Owen?"

"I told you already, I didn't beat him," Owen muttered. "That was a draw. And even if I did... I don't want that stupid title. Screw him, and all the Goldsmiths."

Except one, he added in his head.

"Oh, who are the Goldsmiths?" Shubble asked with an excited squeal. She was past fearing the vampires, and now, she was curious to learn as much about them as possible.

All eyes turned to Owen. He seemed the most knowledgeable on this topic, somehow... The vampire took a deep breath.

"As far as I know, and I don't know that much," he said, "The Goldsmiths are some sort of very old, very powerful lineage. I heard about them, even when I was still a human... But didn't know they had vampires among them. Although..." He chuckled bitterly "I've only ever met two Goldsmiths, and both of them were vampires... So maybe there is a pattern after all...?"

"Two of them...?" Avid asked quietly.

"Yes. Scott, and..." Pause. Should he? "And the man that turned me."

"Lewis...?" Shubble whispered, but shivered once Owen looked at her with a hostile expression. "S-sorry!"

The lumberjack shook his head. He couldn't keep up this facade forever... And, as much as he hated to admit it, he was warming up to these people. Very, very slowly. But he did. 

"Yes. Lewis." The lumberjack finally confirmed. "He was... A good man, despite being a vampire. He healed my illness, gave me this gift, he..." Owen paused when noticing the way in which the others stared at him, starry-eyed. Especially Shubble, who looked like she was about to squeal. "Okay, that's the end of the story. You guys ruined it."

"I wanna hear more!" The girl gasped, but calmed down the moment Owen hissed at her.

"Hey, chill out... You don't wanna piss off the new grand duke of Goldsmiths," Pyro smirked and put his elbow on Owen's shoulder. "Should I call you sire from now on?"

"Try it, and I'll bite off your hand," Owen growled, although there was no real bite behind his words. As long as the others would get off his back, he was going to stay calm. It's not like he had strength to fight them after his fight last night. The scratches that Scott granted him still hurt, and even despite his meal, he was still starving. A moment later, he looked up at Shubble. "Well, even Scott seems to be chill with you, so... Hanging out with a human might make it easier for us to blend in, I think..."

"Wow, I feel so loved by you guys," The girl chuckled, although she was clearly excited to be accepted into the group.

"Just... Keep your mouth shut. Please."

"I will, no worries... I will," She confirmed. Truth be told, she probably couldn't lie at that moment, even if she wanted to... Whatever Scott did to her that evening made her mouth sting when attempting to talk about the events. It would probably get even worse when talking with the humans...

Not that she wanted to rat them out. She had a sneaking suspicion she was going to like this bunch.

---

"It's not that I don't want you here, Scott, but you could actually grab a hoe and help us. Instead of... Whatever it is you're doing." Cleo groaned, standing in the middle of their small wheat field and turning to the nobleman. He was sitting on the fence, dramatically whining as if trying to get their attention.

"Excuse me? Why would I need to help you?" The vampire scoffed, almost offended by the idea.

"Well, it wouldn't kill you..." The farmer pointed the weapon at him. "Something's wrong with Sausage's crop growing power, so we'll have to do it manually from now on."

"Oh, the horror..." Scott exaggerated his whine. Of course, that would not affect him... But it was quite fun to see the peasants struggling. Even after hundreds of years, he still took immense satisfaction from that.

"Ignore him, Cleo," Pearl advised with a smile. She didn't stop hoeing the ground for even a moment. "People like him just love getting attention. Trust me, I know. I had brothers."

"I guess you're right..." Cleo sighed, then returned to her work.

Scott scrunched his nose. Who else was he supposed to bother for them to hear out his woes? He had enough of his vampires for a while, Shubble was gone, the others seemed too boring... Cleo was pretty much the only person he felt like bothering. And they were not giving him the satisfaction he was so looking forward to.

"Fine..." He eventually sighed, sounding as if he just revealed a long awaited secret. "I had a little... Argument with Owen..."

"Really? He seems like a chill guy," Pearl admitted.

"Well he's not... He's awful..." Scott sighed, then leaned over to lie down atop the fence. "Ugh, I think I threw out my back..."

"You threw out your back? Over an argument?"

"Be nice to him, Pearl," Cleo snickered, "He's unused to real life..."

"Hey!" Scott growled, holding back an animalistic hiss.

"Be honest. Have you ever lifted anything heavier than a goblet?"

"I'll have you know, I'm actually-" Scott's argument was cut short when he lifted himself from the fence, and immediately lost his balance. A second later, he was already on the ground, his face buried in dirt. Pearl and Cleo giggled at the sight, and at Scott's attempt to get back up with grace. He was usually better than this, but the fight really took everything out of him... "Ugh... Some nerve you got..."

"Listen, Scott," Cleo approached the disgruntled nobleman and crouched in front of him. "You may be some sort of lord of a big mansion, sure... But this place isn't your property, and we aren't your peasants. If you want people to respect you, you gotta put in the work. You don't just get sympathy out of thin air."

"Don't tell me to wo-" Scott grumbled, interrupting the word with a retching noise. Pearl actually chuckled at what she thought was a joke. "I'm not going to lower myself to your level."

"Well, then you're not gonna eat, or get any attention from anyone." Cleo shrugged and turned around, then went back to working as if nothing happened.

For a moment, Scott just sat there, watching the two of them preparing the ground for another round of planting. They playfully chatted between one another, and seemed to pay no attention to him. So Cleo was serious, wasn't she...? But Scott wasn't made for this. He was made for drinking blood out of a goblet, looking great and terrorizing people...

Well, none of these were really accurate for his current state, though. After gorging himself for the past few days and still losing like a fool, he didn't want to even think about food. He probably looked like a mess, as he didn't have any time to properly wash himself - and being unable to see his reflection didn't help. And people didn't fear him. They were either annoyed with him, or didn't care about him.

Oh, how low he had stooped... And it was all Owen's fault-

No, it's not.

Reluctantly, Scott slowly rose from the ground and sighed, very heavily and very audibly.

"Fine..." He muttered. "If you really need my help this much, I guess I can aid you..."

"Great," Cleo rolled their eyes. "Go fill up that bucket over there. You're gonna water the plants once we're done planting."

"You think you can handle that, sir?" Pearl smirked.

"A bucket? Pfff... That's nothing." The vampire approached the lone bucket, left right outside the fence. He winced, seeing just how dirty it was after a few weeks of usage "Now, uh, where is the tap...?"

"There," Cleo snickered, pointing at the well at the other end of the town. Scott smacked his lips in dissatisfaction.

"Right. Got it."

He heard them talking about something as he stepped away, and Scott could only hope they weren't making fun of him. Well, if this is what he had to do to get someone to pay attention, then sure... He went through so much worse, they had no idea. A simple task of watering the field would not defeat him, right...?

He could play this game for a little longer. Once he feels better and stronger, he will be able to make his stance, and make all of these peasants pay for underestimating them. And until then... He could play along. As long as he wouldn't grow attached.

Chapter 15: Message in a bottle

Summary:

While Scott struggles to get along with the humans, Avid finds a chance for salvation for himself.

Scott couldn't recall the last time he had watched a sunrise. Not counting his six hundred years old slumber, that is. Ever since waking up, he usually slept through the brief periods where day and night switched their position on the sky. And even when he didn't, the frustrations of having to put up with so many humans and fledglings distracted him enough to not pay much attention. But this one time, he watched. He sat on the fence surrounding Cleo's small field, watching as the bleak, cold sunlight seeped through the haze and clouds. Soon, it would begin to hurt too much for him to just stay outside. He would have to go back into hiding, probably take another nap, hoping this one would heal his wounded pride... But at least for now, he could just watch. The sun was not an enemy just yet. He was safe for now.

"Enjoying the view, your majesty?" Cleo suddenly asked, standing a few feet behind him. The vampire grinned, enjoying the title - until he realized it was used in a sarcastic manner.

"Very much so," He answered coldly before turning around. "Why are you asking?"

"Well, we could use some help gathering the crops..." The farmer glanced down at the ground. The wheat was pretty much ready for harvest. But why should Scott bother? He was not some sort of poor commoner that had to live off wheat and potatoes. He was only there to watch, and to...

He couldn't admit that he enjoyed Cleo and Pearl's company - even if he actually did. One of them was a sassy plebian who didn't know how to keep her mouth shut. Pearl came from a rich family, sure, but she surely didn't act like it, with how she wielded the tools Cleo handed her to help with the harvest. At least they sometimes paid attention to him... And in his current circumstances, Scott couldn't be very picky. His vampires began avoiding him ever since the fateful duel in the middle of the night, Shubble moved out to live with Avid and Drift. And the only other noble Scott could possibly talk to... No, he dreaded seeing him ever again. Even if he had a hold over him, rendering him unable to reveal the secret... Just his presence made the vampire's skin crawl. As if, at any moment, he could end up back in that blasted hut, trapped like a wild animal. He despised the feeling that it awoke in him. The idea of not being in charge, of being at someone's mercy - and even worse, his oppressor toying with him...

"You guys will be fine! We'll cheer you on!"

Scott froze in place when someone's strong, rough hand patted his back. The voice was familiar - too familiar. Merely a second later, he spotted Martyn standing right next to him, close to the fence. The vampire shut his jaws tight, to not let his fangs open out of anger. 

"Oh great, just what we needed! More watchers..." Cleo sighed.

"Hi, Martyn!" Pearl waved to the supposed nobleman.

"Ayup!" The man smirked, before straightening his back and leaning a bit closer to Scott "Nice to see you, sir..."

"Quit it," Scott growled quietly. 

"Hanging out in the open before the sun hurries you back inside, hm?" Martyn grinned, his blue eyes shining dangerously. He spoke quietly, so that Cleo and Pearl couldn't hear them.

"I said, shut your mouth." Scott got off the fence and stepped away from him. He hated how this guy looked at him, spoke to him, touched him - all of it made him feel unsafe, even dirty. Damned bounty hunter... He would not get off his back anytime soon, huh? The vampire could only hope that the duel a few nights back went unnoticed by him. "Get lost, before I make you."

"What are you gonna do? Bite me?" Martyn snickered. "If you do, you won't get me off you back... And if you kill me, people will find out."

"What do you even want from me?" Scott finally turned to him, but averted eye contact. Intimidating Martyn wouldn't work. Besides, he didn't want to look at him. The negative feelings would only get worse. "Do you have any idea who I am, and what I could do to you?"

"Oh, I have every idea..." Martyn smacked his lips. He took a quick glance to the field, to make sure the others wouldn't hear him, then continued speaking "Scott M. Goldsmith... The last surviving member of the Goldsmiths lineage. And a monster with a gigantic bounty on its head."

Last surviving member...?

No, Martyn was lying. Or maybe he was mistaken. There was no chance that while Scott was gone, every single one of the Goldsmiths was eradicated. How would one even take out a whole lineage of ancient vampires? No, no no no, he was just trying to get into Scott's head, to make him feel weak and alone.

Then why was it working...?

"You know, I don't have to kill you..." Martyn reached out, his hand gently tracing the shape of Scott's jaw. The vampire hissed at him, but his body froze once more. Why couldn't he just fight back...? "Maybe the Capital would pay more for you alive... They haven't specified, actually...?"

"Why are you even saying this to me...?"

"Hey, you two! Can you stop flirting for once?" Cleo groaned with frustration.

"You sure you want the help of two nobles, Cleo?" Martyn smirked, looking towards the farmer over Scott's shoulder.

"Unfortunately, yes... Go into our house and get us a chest. We need to store this stuff somewhere, before we have the time to turn it into flour."

"On it!" The bounty hunter smirked, before grabbing Scott by the wrist and dragging him towards the nearby house. 

The vampire immediately tensed and pulled his hand back. Martyn's grip was annoyingly strong... Why couldn't he just free himself? Why was he feeling so... Weak, all of a sudden? And a strange, burning sensation on his skin... He winced when looking down, he spotted a few small, silver rings on Martyn's fingers, digging into his own skin. He pulled his hand once more.

"Don't touch me," he growled.

"Oh, why? You don't like a little bit of touch? I thought you craved it when I invited you to my place..." Martyn smirked.

"What are they doing...?" Cleo squinted, watching the two noblemen bickering. Scott looked downright... Uncomfortable. While Martyn was his normal, forceful and bratty self. She could write him off as being a jackass, but Scott... There was something odd about him. 

"Should I stop them?" Pearl asked.

"Can you...?"

"No problem." The girl put down her sickle, then approached the two nobles. Immediately, her expression got serious. "Martyn, let go of him. I'll go with you, I know which chest we can take."

"We can handle it ourselves!" Martyn replied with a cheeky grin, but seeing just how stern Pearl looked, he slowly let go of Scott's wrist. "Fine, fine... I wouldn't want to carry this thing by myself, either way..."

"I could probably lift it by myself," Pearl thought, rolling her eyes before stepping away from the field. Martyn shot one more confident glance towards Scott, before following after her.

For a second, the vampire just stood there, struggling to catch his breath. He didn't even notice when he began to hold it. Well, that was pathetic... He was in no real danger, after all. Martyn would not hurt him out in the open, where people would see him... And yet, Scott felt like he couldn't fight back. Like he was just his prey, caught in snares, unable to run or hide. He hasn't felt like this since... A long, long time.

His hunger panged at him, for the first time in a few days. He needed to feed, to get more powerful. To have the strength to fight back. Devour him, maybe? Yes, that would do. Hide the evidence, and hide any weakness that could remain even after the bounty hunter is gone. But how long would it take him to return to his most powerful state? A decade? A century? Two? No, he needed to be strong now. He needed to fight him off right now-

"Scott?" The nobleman flinched when Cleo's hand landed on his shoulder. However, their touch was a lot less forceful and aggressive, and more... Reassuring? "What was he doing to you?"

"Not your business, farmer girl," Scott scoffed in response, his usual ego flooding back to his head in an instant. Cleo squinted, their hand on their sickle tensing.

"Don't talk to me like that," She snapped back. "If that guy is harassing you, I'm not gonna let him. But you could get off your high horse for once and talk like a normal person."

There it is again, all this bullshit about acting like a person... Did she get it from Owen, or did Owen get it from her? Doesn't matter... They had no idea what they were talking about, especially Cleo. What would she say if she learned that she was not talking to just some entitled nobleman, but to a millennia old vampire? 

"We... We tried to have a... Thing," he reluctantly answered after a moment of consideration. "It didn't take off... And I think he's bitter about it."

"I know something about that..." Cleo rolled their eyes. "Next time, just punch him. Makes them learn quicker."

"...I will."

He felt like a complete idiot at that moment. Why was he listening to some commoner's advice? He knew how to handle himself, and how to handle unruly morsels. True, back in the day, he could treat them however he wanted, and no one would bat an eye... But that was no longer his reality. Here, his actions had consequences. And that was probably the worst thing he had ever experienced. Oh, how he yearned for the safety of his chambers, where he could do whatever he wanted forever...

"Besides," Cleo suddenly added, their voice a bit more playful "You literally have so many better guys to try your chances with than him. Like... M, that writer guy?"

Scott shivered. 

"Also tried. I don't want to talk to him right now."

"Wow, you're really bad at this stuff..." Before Scott could get offended, Cleo began laughing. She wasn't belittling him, or making him seem like a bad person... She was just trying to cheer him up. Eventually, the vampire let out a small chuckle.

"I am..." He sighed "Even my experience doesn't help me here, I guess..."

"Experience? How old are you then, huh?" Cleo crossed their arms.

"Oh, you don't wanna know..."

"You don't look old. And I doubt an old guy would color his hair like this." Cleo smirked. "Unless it's just an eccentric noble thing?"

Scott smiled at the comment. Why was he smiling while talking to a commoner? Shouldn't he be disgruntled at the idea of being around them...?

"Yeah... Yeah, might be. Just an eccentric noble thing."

---

In the meantime, a group of vampires crossed the nearby forest. They were led by Owen, who kept his head up, in search for something to hunt on. It's been a few days since his duel with Scott, yet he was still feeling off-balance and more starved than ever... But now that Scott began avoiding them, he had to teach their newest fledgling how to hunt. Sausage (he actually didn't mind others calling him that) was pretty much done transforming, but was only now beginning to experience the hunger pangs, typical for young, developing vampires. And with the grand duke missing in action, Owen took it upon himself to protect the fledglings.

"You're gonna love it, man!" Pyro tried reassuring the newest member of the brood "It takes a bit getting used to, but we'll help you!"

"It's nice that you didn't abandon me, like a certain someone." The writer chuckled bitterly. "But, uh... Blood drinking isn't optional, right...?"

"I mean, you can also eat meat... But it comes down to one and the same," Pyro replied, before suddenly stopping when Owen raised his hand. "What?"

"There is some prey here..." He whispered, before getting off the trotted path and peeking between the trees. Quickly, all of the vampires spotted a small group of deer, peacefully feeding. The largest of them was standing guard, the huge antlers serving a challenge for any predator that dared to get too close. "I'm taking the big one."

"Why are you taking the biggest one?" Pyro scoffed.

"Because I'm hungry. Is that enough for you?"

"You're acting like Scott..."

"I'm not!" Owen hissed, a bit too loudly. The animals immediately perked up their heads, ready to run from any predators. "Don't even say that."

"Okay, okay, chill, geez..." Pyro sighed and rolled his eyes, before looking back at the other fledglings. Sausage looked quite unconvinced by the idea of hunting wild animals and consuming them with his bare teeth. While Avid... He was staring at their future meal, but wasn't looking at the deer directly. Rather, at what lied around.

Upon the grass, Avid spotted what could be the remnants of some sort of camp. Well, even remnants was a generous word - more like a few scattered items someone abandoned while leaving in a hurry. A piece of light blue fabric, trampled into the ground. An arrow, broken in half. Residue of a very small campfire - a fistful of ash scattered around the ground, and a few pieces of wood that didn't end up in the fire. He took a step forward, immediately attracting the attention of the wild animals. The prey fled instantly, dashing into the woods.

"Dang it!" Owen hissed and turned to Avid. "What are you doing?"

"Sorry, sorry, I just... Got distracted," The former vampire hunter muttered. He turned his eyes to Owen, but the scattered items remained fresh in his mind. "You know what... Go on without me. It'll be easier to hunt when there's three of you, not four."

"You sure?" Owen's tone got a little softer. Was he too hard on Avid? Was he really acting like Scott...? No, no, that couldn't be it. The lumberjack shook his head. "Sure. Are you heading back...?"

"I'll go catch something on my own. And then I'll head back. Promise." He smiled, really hoping Owen wouldn't notice the bluff. But he didn't seem to pay enough attention. Eventually, the lumberjack nodded, before gesturing to the other vampires to follow behind him.

Once the group disappeared within the woods, Avid turned back to the campsite. There was something so familiar about it... Immediately, he was hit with the memories of his vampire hunting training. Even if he never served his true purpose, all of that stuck with him for a long, long time. Someone who didn't know vampire hunting corps would probably skip out on traces like that, but not him.

The campsite wasn't abandoned. He was left behind on purpose.

"There is a squad, roaming the area..." Avid whispered, approaching the spot. All the knowledge he gathered from his training returned to him. The remnants of the campfire were rather recent. There was a clump of grass on top of it, which someone plucked out and threw away. It was still pretty fresh, and hadn't dried yet... They could've been here a day or two ago. The arrow they left behind could point to where they were headed, but Avid didn't trust it - any of the animals living out here in the forest could've kicked it and turn it around. The vampire crouched down, then picked up the fabric. Upon unfolding it, he found exactly what he expected to see. Not only was the fabric adorned with a vampire hunting corps symbol - it was wrapped around a small piece of carved wood. A calling whistle. He's seen so many of these during his training, they were unmistakable for anything else. Small, easy to carve, easy to leave behind...

The discovery told him two things. One - there was a group of vampire hunters roaming the area. Two - they expected that someone was around, who would know how to get in contact with them.

Avid stood there for a second, moving the calling whistle from one hand to the other. If he contacted them... There was a chance they would've taken him in. Maybe they would've healed him... And this whole nightmare would be over once and for good. Sure, maybe Owen, Pyro and Sausage were not much of a threat to the people of Oakhurst, at least yet... Scott was, however. Not to mention, there was no saying the vampires wouldn't eventually get together again and hunt the people that attempted to settle down here. And even if Avid himself failed to save them, he could still get help... He could still be the hero.

Should he commit while he still has clarity of mind, before the vampiric bloodthirst takes him over? Was clinging to his humanity still an option? Or should he give up on the life he had outside of this place, and give himself up to the life of endless hunger and struggle...?

The decision was simple in his head.

Avid took a quick glance around, to make sure he wasn't watched. Then, he snapped the string that was attached to the calling whistle, and began tying knots on it. He prayed that he remembered how to do it correctly, as he put down seven small knots, before tying the string up to the broken arrow. Good thing he always paid attention when they were taught signals... He grabbed the whistle, covering one of the holes on the side to make it work properly.

And then, he blew into it.

A sound similar to a chirping bird crossed the air. A long one, then a shorter one, then a longer one again. For a second, Avid stared at the trinket, wondering whether he should keep it for the future... But eventually, he tossed it on the ground and crushed it with his foot. No, keeping any proof could be dangerous, if he was found out by the vampires before salvation came.

And it was coming. He could only hope that they would be here sooner than later. And that it wasn't too late for him to come back to the light.

Notes:

This fic is continuing to blow my expectations out of the water. I hope I don't eat my words but it genuinely stands the chance to reach 10k hits before the end of the day, or sometime during the night. Thanks to all of you so much, both commenters and lurkers! How about I ask you to comment your favorite moment/scene/interaction so far? I'd love to see what you guys think :3

Chapter 16: Sealed in amber

Summary:

Owen looks for comfort in the ruins of the Goldsmiths castle. What he finds instead is a sign of upcoming danger.

Notes:

I cannot believe I'm saying this, but this fic surpassed 10k hits shortly after last chapter (it's actually getting close to 11k now). It's actually unbelievable to me and I feel so overwhelmed with the amount of support from you guys TwT Thank you all so so much! We're almost at the halfway point of the story and let me tell you, it's only gonna get more insane from here :>

"And... Yeah, I did beat Scott, I guess, but... That doesn't mean anything, right...? That doesn't mean I'm like him. I'm not. You get it, right...?"

Owen's voice echoed across the dark, deep crypt of the Goldsmiths. It's been a few hours since he arrived early in the morning, and he hasn't moved from this spot since he took it. Sitting at the edge of the stairs leading deep into the ground, but turned to the giant painting of a family tree, covering an entire wall. His eyes were glued to one of the only two names he recognized from the whole lineage. Deep down, he wished the tree was also adorned with portraits of the family members... The mental image of Lewis' face began slowly vanishing from his mind. And the first time he realized that it was, his throat got uncomfortably tight and his eyes watered.

"You would've done the same thing, right? Hah, it's... It's actually hard to believe, that you two were even related..." Owen looked up a little bit. He spotted Scott's name the first time he was there. From what he could understand, the elder vampire had quite a few siblings, and Lewis was a direct descendant to one of them. And considering his date of birth, as well as what Scott said, the two of them had a chance to meet... "He's everything you're not... Cruel, cold, bitter, prideful. And you..."

The tight feeling in his throat returned. Owen leaned against one of the pillars supporting the staircase. His eyes felt watery and unfocused. He hasn't gotten any sleep since his duel with Scott. Even if he was closer to being considered victorious (even if he didn't believe that he actually won), the encounter left a bitter taste in his mouth, and a sense of restlessness that scratched at the edges of his chest. Sure, he did what he had to, to protect Avid and Pyro. And he couldn't deny that Scott had it coming. Still, there was one question that never left his head, always looming over his consciousness.

What would Lewis do...?

"I..." Owen took a quick glance around, to be absolutely sure no one was listening. "I think about you. I promise. I think about you every day, and..." His voice broke. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry I didn't protect you... I should've, I should've done something, should've stopped them, but I didn't, I didn't, and you-"

The vampire held his breath and covered his mouth with his hand. No, no, he told himself he wouldn't cry. He wouldn't act pathetic. He wouldn't break down. Lewis wouldn't do it, right...? He was strong, the strongest man Owen had ever known. And he lost everything for someone like him. Why should he cry, if all that happened was his fault? No, he wouldn't. He would be strong, and continue to carry Lewis' legacy. That's what he would've wanted. He wouldn't want Owen to be weak, so he was not going to be. He couldn't be. Not when...

Slowly, Owen pulled his fingers through his long, curly hair. There's been a change recently, one he hoped none of the other vampires have picked up on. It's hard to notice such changes when one cannot see their reflection, and yet... He saw it. A bright, white streak of hair, tangled between his dark brown locks. It wasn't here before, and he couldn't recall when it appeared. Maybe during his duel with Scott? And if so... Did that mean something? 

What would Lewis do, if he was at his place...?

"I wanted to join you..." He whispered, his voice shaking. "But, uh, it's hard to kill yourself, if you're already dead... And..." The lumberjack paused for a moment. Should he say it...? It didn't matter, really. If Lewis really was, somehow, watching over him, he already knew. And if he didn't... Well, then trying to talk to him at all was stupid. "I... I can't die right now. I'm sorry. Can you believe it? I have... I have vampires I have to take care of... And... I think they don't hate me...?" Owen sighed and crossed his arms. That did little to soothe his broken heart, or to warm his thin, cold frame. "You would've liked them..."

He knew he would get no answer from talking to his only friend. This probably wasn't even the right place for his prayer - Lewis has never received proper burial here. Owen did bury him on the outskirts of Oakhurst after he was done taking his revenge... The only denizen that deserved that. But it's been two hundred years. He couldn't recall the exact spot, and even if he did, his savior was probably nothing more than a pile of charred bones. He shouldn't have ended like that... Anyone, but not him...

"I wish you could hear me right now..." Owen whispered. Two stray tears fell down his face. The scratches he received during the recent duel began itching. "Or give me some sort of sign... If I'm doing the right thing, or-"

"Oh wait, I think he is here!" 

Immediately, Owen rose from his spot and looked up, to the upper floor of the crypt. Someone just arrived, but the echo distorted their voice to the point where he couldn't tell who that was. He took one last glance at the name plate, which somehow felt so special among hundreds of other name plates - and he turned around to join whoever found him here.

"See? I told you I heard someone! Hi, Owen!" 

The vampire tried smiling at the sight of his brood, but the itching on his face prevented him. M, Avid and Pyro for some reason decided to venture all the way down here - did they see Owen leaving towards the castle? Did they follow him? How much have they heard?

"Oh... Hi, guys..."

"We were looking for Scott," Pyro explained "Is he here?"

"No, I haven't seen him since... Well, it's been a while. Why were you looking for him...?"

"Well, to be honest, Shubble was looking for him. We just wanted to help."

"Right..." Owen clenched his teeth. Guessing by the vampires' faces, they picked up on just how tense he was. The lumberjack hid his hands behind his back, to not show how much he was picking on his scars in the past hours. "Well, if he isn't here, and he isn't in Oakhurst, that's... Worrying. Have you searched the whole island?"

"Almost," Sausage confirmed. "Hey, Owen, are you alright? Were you... Crying?"

"What? No, of course not, what do you mean?" The vampire nervously chuckled before wiping his face with his wrist. "Let's just go and find this jackass, come on..."

Owen shivered when the noon sun fell upon his skin, burning it in a painful manner. He wrapped his shawl around his head to hide his face and stuffed his hands in his pockets. Why did it hurt so much all of a sudden...? Sure, the past few days were rather cloudy, but before that... Before the duel, it never hurt him quite as much. The vampire sighed, silently envying the others for being able to handle the sun without much of a problem.

"Why was Shubble even looking for him?" He asked, following Avid as they began searching through the island. "Aren't they roommates?"

"Not anymore... She moved in with Drift and me." The former vampire turned around to look at Owen, but averted eye contact when he noticed just how upset he seemed.

"She hasn't told Drift anything, right?"

"No, no... I don't think she can, really. What Scott did to her... Hypnosis. He did it to me, too." Avid explained, his voice getting a bit quieter. "When I couldn't eat, unless he told me too... It's really strong stuff."

"Well, at least we're safe for now..." Owen muttered. "Although, I'm still surprised he didn't immediately turn her... I thought they were friends."

"Scott? Being friends with anyone?"

"Yeah, fair point..."

All of a sudden, both of them heard a rustle just next to them. Owen immediately paused, pulling out his claws in case danger arrived. He winced when the sun hit his scarred hands. He couldn't see anyone close... They were just behind what used to be the back wall of the castle. If someone was watching them, they had to be sitting on one of the not many trees, as there was no other spot to hide.

"Pyro? Was that you?" Owen asked, before taking a step forward.

And then, the rustle turned into a loud metallic bang.

Something shot up from the ground and a thick, metallic net wrapped around both Avid and Owen, then picked them off the ground. The two vampires bumped into each other as the trap hoisted them a few feet into the air. It began swinging from side to side, making it harder for either of them to sit up inside. Owen let out a painful groan when Avid landed on top of him, pushing him against the net. It painfully burned to touch.

"Agh! What is this?!" The vampire hissed, struggling to turn around and stop the burning sensation. "Why are there more traps here?!"

"Oh crap..." Avid shivered, trying to get off Owen, which proved difficult with such limited space. "Was it here last time...?"

"I don't know... If I did, we probably wouldn't have gotten into it..." Owen finally pulled his face away from the net. The burning sensation did not stop just yet, and it was by far the worse around his scratches. "How are we meant to get out of this thing...?" He muttered, then attempted to slash through the net with his claws. No damage was done to the net, however, and instead, it continued to burn through Owen's skin.

"Careful! It's silver..." Avid shivered, hiding his hands and positioning himself so that he wouldn't touch the net with his bare skin. "Some vampire hunters must've set it up here... They probably saw that the last one fired, and placed another one to-"

"Vampire hunters? Do you work with them?!"

"No! Not now, I mean!" Avid quickly clarified, but that clearly did not put Owen at ease. His amber eyes carried an angry, red shine within them. "I... I haven't been in contact with them since I arrived here. And they wouldn't know that I'm here. As far as I can tell."

"As far as you can tell..." Owen growled, crossing his arms to keep them away from the net. "You know how it works? Can you free us?"

"Not from inside... It's attached to that tree," Avid pointed to the branch the net was hanging from "And if I got to the mechanism, I probably could."

"And that's not happening..."

"Wait, I know!" The former vampire hunter's face lit up. "You can turn into a bat and fly out! I'll guide you on how to free us!"

"Uhh, I don't think I can squeeze through these gaps." Owen winced, turning his head to look at the net. He could maybe stick his hand outside, however painful that might be... But his bat form would struggle to squeeze through. Not to mention, he'd probably severely burn himself on the way out. Curse the extra sheep he took while preparing for the duel... Maybe without it, he would just manage to fit through it. 

"Ugh, great..." Avid sighed. He turned his face towards the net, careful to not touch it. "Sausage! Pyro! Help! Guys, you gotta help us!"

"Would you fit through these if you transformed?" Owen asked quietly. The fledgling turned to him. 

"I- I still haven't turned... I don't think I can do it..." Avid admitted nervously. Even after Scott's hypnosis ceased, he found himself unable to conjure his bat form... At this point, he was almost convinced it was just impossible, for whatever reason. "And even then, I don't know if-"

"Great," Owen scoffed. "Why did I even turn you? Maybe we wouldn't be here if I just..."

The vampire suddenly paused. Did he really mean it? He looked up at Avid's face. The former vampire hunter went pale, averting Owen's eyes. That wasn't nice, was it? Owen couldn't shake off the feeling that this was something Scott would say. And he hated himself for that.

After a moment, Avid continued to call out to their companions. Owen settled at the bottom of the trap, every now and then attempting to slash through the silver ropes. Of course it didn't work... But the waves of pain that shook his body kept his brain from wandering. He shouldn't have taken it out on Avid... It was his fault, he triggered the trap. Avid just happened to stand too close. He probably hated Owen for that... And for much more. Not only did Owen ruin his life by turning him, possibly did something that harmed his development as a vampire, but also got them in danger. At least with his current power level, Avid was not at real risk, aside from the silver burning his skin... While Owen could feel the sun scratch at his skin, and it was driving him crazy. He began pulling his claws through his hair, the white streak shining in the corner of his eye. Did the others notice it? Avid seemed clueless, maybe he thought it was normal... Was it?

Lewis would've known what to do... He always did. But when Owen tried to repeat after him, to be just like him...

"Avid...?"

"Yes?" His fledgling turned to him reluctantly. His voice got raspy from yelling for so long. 

"Do you... Do you hate me for what I did to you...?"

The former vampire hunter shivered, before sitting down to face Owen. The answer seemed obvious at first, but as he opened his mouth, it just didn't come to him. Was it just a simple dichotomy of hating or not hating him...?

"Well... I hate what you did to me," He answered quietly, looking down at his hands. His nails began transforming into claws over the past few days. Avid tried picking on them to stunt the growth, but it only seemed to get faster. "But... I don't hate you."

"For me, vampirism was a gift," Owen whispered, looking away again. He pressed his cheek against the net. His body shook with pain, but he remained in place, letting the shiny metal burn through his skin. "But you... You had a life outside of this place, didn't you...?"

"Not... Not exactly," Avid whispered. "True, I was a vampire hunter, but... I was bad at it. Which, I guess, you can tell" He chuckled bitterly. "Maybe once upon a time, I'd have someone waiting for me, but... Not anymore. I lost them. And it was my fault it happened..."

"I know something about that..."

"Lewis...?" Avid asked carefully, then shivered when met by Owen's stern glance. "No, no, it's fine, you don't have to say it, I'm sorry-"

"Yes. He... He was my friend. An unlikely friend, but... He was the only person who cared about me. And I only cared about him in the world." Owen couldn't exactly tell why he decided to speak up. And to Avid, out of everyone... But he needed to let it out. He needed this tightness in his throat to finally disappear... Even if it was going to make him seem like a fool. "I was sick, very sick..." He slowly pulled up the sleeve of his shirt. His fledgling winced at the sight of malformed, marbled skin, covered in deep scars. "And he healed me. But... He paid the price for that. And the least I could do was... Avenge him."

"That's why you killed everyone...?"

"You think I wanted to do that?" The vampire shivered at the sound of his breaking voice. Great, he probably sounded like an idiot... "I would've taken a simple, quiet life with him over having to kill every single man, woman and child in Oakhurst! But they never let me choose, they just- They just took him away! And I... And I lived. Even though I shouldn't have. If he didn't give me this gift... He would probably still be out there. And we wouldn't be here, in this stupid trap."

"But then... But then you wouldn't be here."

"And wouldn't that be better...?"

Owen curled up at the bottom of the net, pulling at his hair. There, he said it. He wished he knew what was going through Avid's head at that moment. The monster that ruined his life was actually just a terribly lonely guy... But that did not erase all that he's done. He really was just as bad as Scott, wasn't he...?

"I... I know how it is, to lose someone you care about," Avid whispered. "I had a friend... We were inseparable. We went through vampire hunters training together... But I couldn't save her. She got turned, I don't even know when, or how... And I failed her. I failed to save her. I came to Oakhurst right after that, hoping there would be some monster here I could slay to avenge her... Or, that something would slay me. And I would see her again."

"So... You also wish I killed you, instead of turning you." Owen didn't really ask, rather just stated the fact. Avid paused, weighing the words in his head.

"At first, yes, but... Then, I met you. And Pyro. And Shubble, and M, and Drift, and Ren, and- And I started thinking... Maybe there is something for me, even if I lost what mattered to me...?"

Another moment of silence. The uncomfortable ache in Owen's chest did not vanish - it actually felt even worse than before. Why did he even try to open up? Not only did it not help, now Avid knew about the most vulnerable part of him... And somehow, on some level, he could relate to him. Of course, their circumstances were so much different, but... He got it. At least somewhat.

"I didn't want you to turn me, but... You helped me," Avid added after a moment. "You defended me from Scott."

"That's a low bar to cross."

"Well, you could've done nothing... Do you regret turning me...?"

"...I don't know," Owen answered after a minute of silence. "Can I say something... Something selfish...?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, I-" The vampire groaned when just a small movement sent him sliding down the net. He reached out to catch himself, burning his hand on the ropes. "Shit... And the sun doesn't help..."

"Really? It's not that bad-"

"For you. But it gets worse with time, trust me," Owen chuckled bitterly, shielding his face with his forearm. At least now, Avid would no longer be able to read his emotions. "I swear, if that duel actually did something to me physically, I might as well-"

"Avid! Owen! There you are!"

The two vampires immediately shifted to look outside the trap, causing it to swing. Sausage was standing right under it, his head perked upwards, squinting from the sunlight.

"Sausage! We called out for you! Well, I did- You gotta help us!" Avid called out to him. "Where's Pyro?"

"He left towards Oakhurst, to look for Scott there again... Okay, how do I free you guys?" The newest vampire asked, clearly concerned for his friends.

"See the tree this thing is hanging from? There should be a release mechanism somewhere on the trunk. You have to switch it off, and it should let us out!"

"Got it!" Sausage showed them a thumbs up, before walking off towards the tree.

"What I wanted to say is..." Owen whispered once the other vampire was too far to hear "Is that I... I wanted to join Lewis. When I went to slumber, I thought I just wouldn't wake up... But I did. Turning you was an instinct, but... Now, I feel like I have someone to stay for. For you, for Pyro and Sausage..."

Avid held his breath for a moment. He expected a lot from Owen, but this... Clearly, he went through a lot. And Avid would not wish that on anyone, even someone he used to see as a monster. But Owen was trying... For him. Did he challenge Scott, hoping the elder would put him out of his misery...? Well, he did win, so maybe that was not his intention... Maybe he really did want to keep going. 

"Owen?"

"Yes...?"

"Just don't... Don't get upset at me, okay...?"

The vampire raised an eyebrow.

"Sure..."

"I... I never met this Lewis guy, but... I think he'd want you to keep going. To be... Happy. Even if without him. Well, I can only assume, but... If he really did love you, he probably wouldn't want you to suffer."

"If he..." Owen paused. That was one thought he always kept at arm's length, not allowing it to fester on his already fragile heart. Did Lewis offer him this gift out of love...? No, no, that couldn't be it. Owen was just a poor, sickly lumberjack. And Lewis was... So much more than that. Whatever his reasoning was, it was noble, but could it actually be...?

Owen's train of thought was cut short when the rope keeping the net in the air went loose. Instantly, the whole trap collapsed, sending the two vampires tumbling to the ground. The lumberjack groaned, struggling to untangle himself when it fell on top of him. Immediately, Avid picked up the ropes, trying to help his friend.

"Finally..." The former vampire hunter sighed with relief. "Thanks, Sausage!"

"No problem!" The newly turned vampire emerged from behind the tree. He was holding a loose brick in his hand, one of the many scattered around the ruins. Clearly, he opted for brute force instead of figuring out how the mechanism works. "Are you guys okay? What happened?"

"There might be vampire hunters in the area," Owen huffed, trying to get up from the ground. The burning sensation still rocked his body, making it hard to stay upright. Avid immediately supported him from the side, and he didn't fight back. "This trap wasn't there the last time we were here... We have to be careful."

"Vampire hunters?" Sausage shivered. "Like Avid?"

"Yeah... But ones that actually do their job, instead of siding with the enemy." Owen smiled and nudged his fledgling's side with his elbow. Avid couldn't hold back a chuckle. "Can we go into some shadow, please? This sun is not feeling good..."

"Right, right!" M supported the vampire on the other side, before helping him get to the remnants of the Goldsmiths' castle. "You do look a little messed up, if I can be honest... Do all vampires eventually go grey?"

Owen flinched and pulled his shawl more tightly over himself. So they noticed... At least Sausage did. Great. 

Luckily, the newly turned vampire quickly realized just how much discomfort he caused him. So instead, he decided to change the topic.

"So, uh, we didn't find Scott anywhere here... But, uh, going around this place got me thinking. Oakhurst is great and all, as much as a ghost town can be, but... What if we tried settling down here?"

"In these ruins?" Avid smirked.

"We can try and make something out of them! Oakhurst was also a ruin when we arrived, right?"

"Scott would probably be furious if we started messing up the place..."

"Who cares?" Owen suddenly said. "He doesn't care about us, but if we can repurpose this place and make it a safe spot for us... I'm down."

"Well... I guess I'm down too, then..." Avid admitted quietly.

Something stung in the bottom of his heart. He shouldn't agree to this... Not after what he's done. Not when all of them could potentially be in danger.

If only he didn't leave the message for the vampire hunters...

Notes:

A quick info about the upload schedule for the upcoming week: as you know, I usually post one chapter of this every two days. However, I won't upload the next chapter on Sunday, because it's a Vampries upload day, so I'd rather have all of us watch it and not distract ourselves with one or the other. That means the next chapter is coming out on Monday. After that, the next chapters will be out Wednesday and Friday, and then, next week, you will be getting a chapter on Sunday - because we're not getting a new episode on October 19th (if you didn't know, so sorry to inform you). Hopefully I'll be able to at least somewhat soothe your pain of having to wait an extra week for the chapter ^^

Also, a little off topic question - if I was to ever publish anything of my original writing here, would you guys read it? I'm asking mostly because I do some original writing in Polish, so for you guys to read it, I'd have to take time to translate it, and I want to see whether it'd be worth it to spend a lot of time doing that.

Chapter 17: No one leaves unchanged

Summary:

Trying to get his mind off things, Scott ventures out with Pearl, Cleo and Martyn. Shenanigans ensue.

Notes:

I swear, writing these chapters early, and only then seeing what actually happens in canon makes everything so much wilder. This fic is already going in a vastly different direction, so I hope you don't mind yet anoher divergence :3

Loneliness was never a feeling that Scott really struggled with. During his centuries long life as a vampire, he was always surrounded by people - by his family and mates, his fledglings and the castle service. There was rarely a time which he spent alone, and even more rarely - time he spent alone without actually wanting it. With time, obviously, it became quite draining - even someone with as much life experience eventually gets tired of the world around them. At first, his little nap was supposed to last just a few years, so that everyone would get off his back and let him rest...

Until Scott woke up to a world completely changed, that left him behind.

Building up a new vampiric community sounded like a perfect opportunity to get his life back. Sure, it would never be the same as having all of the Goldsmiths back, but maybe with time, he would replace them in his head... The plan was perfect, all up until his ego took over his common sense, and he taunted Owen into challenging him to a duel. The elder vampire would've never imagined himself actually losing the duel, considering all that he's been through, all the previous challengers he beat and broke into pieces... But that was over six hundred years ago. And with each passing day, Scott was closer and closer to begrudgingly admitting that he was no longer the same powerful, capable revenant that led the Goldsmiths lineage for millennia. Or at least he didn't feel like he was. 

What could he do to regain his feeling of control, then?

Apparently, hanging out with the humans was not such a horrible idea. It's true, in his head, they were so much lower than him, his old self would probably scoff at him with disgust. But while Scott struggled to find his footing in a world that changed so drastically, using the unsuspecting mortals to fix his self-esteem was quite a sensible option. Not to mention, he preferred to avoid the other vampires for the foreseeable future. The amount of their respect he lost by having a novice like Owen beat him... He could already tell the lumberjack would get so much more cocky and annoying around him. Avid would no longer fear him, Pyro would lose his devotion, Sausage would quit giving him the benefit of the doubt... And above all, he couldn't look Shubble in the eyes. He told her he would never protect her from any monsters, that she was on her own... And he broke his word. She saw him as a weakling, didn't she...? No, it was better to avoid them for a while. Maybe they would eventually forget. Or a chance would arise for Scott to regain the respect he rightfully deserved. He could swallow his pride for just a few weeks and lower his expectations by meeting with the humans. 

There was another problem, however. He didn't expect to actually enjoy his time with the humans.

For a poor farmer, Cleo turned out surprisingly sensible, even knocking some sense into Scott's head on more than one occasion. She did not fear to state her opinion or even butt heads with Scott. His status meant little to them, and that was quite refreshing. To his own shock, Scott found himself thinking about possibly turning her in the future. He would definitely enjoy having something like that with him... Maybe not as a mate. An advisor, perhaps...? Having a commoner as an advisor was far from ideal... But if he succeeded in turning them, it would no longer matter. They would stay right here, with him, as their new fledgling.

The idea plagued his mind so often, that one time Cleo asked him about something, his immediate response was:

"Yes, sure, why not!"

Only two days later did he find out that the question was, in fact, a joint trip into the caves to get more silver.

Scott agreed to hold the torch and equipment, but not much more. His pristine, dainty hands were unused to holding a heavy pickaxe and mining out ores. Raw silver did not burn him quite as much as after it was smelted, but he still preferred to avoid it. Other than that, all he could offer was his impeccable skills in holding up a conversation. 

"And so, then we find out that it was one of the cooks who stole my favorite goblet..." He sighed, sitting on top of a large, flat stone to rest. "So we burned him."

"You mean fired?" Pearl asked in an attempt to correct him.

"No... I asked my people to burn down his house." Scott responded in the most innocent, playful tone. He then quickly added, already feeling Cleo's eyes on him "I'm joking, I'm joking!"

He wasn't. 

"Wow, my family was never this strict with our staff..." Pearl chuckled. "Maybe this is why all of that happened...?"

"You... You don't know who did it to them, do you...?" Scott whispered, but before the young woman could respond, Martyn butted into the conversation.

"Oh, you're so right, Pearl... Peasants, am I right?" He made an exaggerated gagging noise, then glanced at Cleo, awaiting a reaction. The farmer's face told it all - she was on the verge of plunging her pickaxe into the man's skull.

"Why did we even bring you with us?"

"I'm asking the same thing..." Scott sighed.

"Hey, more people means more things we'll find!" Pearl responded, trying to keep the mood upbeat. "Especially since our team is essentially three people and a glorified torch holder."

"Glorified? That's ni- Hey!" The vampire growled, but went silent once Pearl and Cleo started laughing at him.

"Hey, that's pretty much what you're doing. Want to take my pickaxe and help out?"

"No, thank you."

It's not that Scott even needed the torch, as his eyes easily pierced through the thick darkness of the caves. And yet, somehow, this simple act of lighting the way for the humans made him feel important. After all, they had to trust him to not put out the fire, or otherwise, getting back to the surface would be hell... What they didn't know, is that if Scott really wanted, he could just turn the lights off and slaughter all of them. Especially Martyn. He was fine when around other people, but when on his own with Scott, he immediately turned weird and threatening. Scott would spare Cleo, only to then turn her... But Pearl was a grey area for him. He enjoyed her company, sure, but he wasn't sure whether he'd turn her. She was a little too cheerful and silly for his liking. Well, so was Shubble... But that was different. Scott felt like he should be able to connect to Pearl better, since she came from a rich background. He had never met a noble quite like her before... Times really have changed, haven't they?

"Hey, Scott!" The vampire was pulled out of his head by Pearl, who waved to him from one end of the corridor. "Come on! You want us to leave you for the bats to eat ya?"

"I'd rather not," Scott chuckled, before getting up and following after the humans.

The bats... An idea suddenly popped into Scott's head. Maybe not all of the Goldsmiths were gone? Maybe some of them went into hiding, utilizing their vampire forms? That was a pretty safe option, but with one major drawback. Staying in such a form for too long dulled one's mind, threatening the instincts to take over. He heard many tales of vampires who stayed bats for too long, becoming unable to turn back... And as he heard the flapping of fleshy wings over his head, he wondered whether any of his relatives had suffered the same fate.

The group proceeded down a narrow, dark passage. They let Scott go at the front, to light the way. Martyn followed right behind him, then Pearl, then Cleo closed off at the end. As they squeezed between the hard, rough surfaces, the nobleman leaned over to Scott and began whispering in his ear:

"You got us down here cuz you're hungry, aren'tcha, little bat?-"

"Shut your mouth," Scott hissed. He was glad that the echo of the cave rendered Martyn's words incoherent to their companions. Maybe he should've worded his hypnosis better... Apparently, it didn't stop Martyn from making sassy remarks at his expense. "The only reason I haven't eaten you right now is because you'd taste rotten."

"Oh, I'm so glad you spared me..." The bounty hunter grinned. "So merciful, aren't you, mister v-"

Finally, the hypnosis activated, as Martyn's hand snapped close on top of his mouth. He rolled his eyes with annoyance, especially when Scott giggled at the sight.

"You poor thing..." He smirked, then stopped for a second. There was one last tight squeeze in the passage, but then it opened into what looked like a large cave. The vampire sighed, before sucking in his breath to squeeze through. He hated the feeling of the rough stones scratching against his clothes. He would definitely have to wash them after he was out... To be frank, he was himself long overdue for a bath. "This is better- Woah..."

Indeed, the cave opened into a huge chamber. Scott found himself on a small stone shelf, barely fifteen feet across - but when he approached the edge, it immediately dropped down into a steep slope that vanished into the deep darkness of the cave. There were a few more shelves like that around, some of them leading into other passages, but getting there would be quite a challenge.

"I never even knew you could see such places around- Hey!" He suddenly gasped when he felt a pat on his back. Usually, that would be nothing to him, but when standing on the edge, it made his anxiety spike. Sure, falling down would not kill him, but it would be incredibly unpleasant. "Martyn!"

The nobleman giggled. Scott somehow didn't even have to turn around to recognize him. 

"Why so scared? You don't like the heights?"

"I don't like tumbling to my death, thank you very much."

"Death? Would something like that really kill you?-"

"Martyn! God damnit, get off Scott's back and come here." Cleo groaned, gesturing at the blond man to join them. The noblemen shot Scott one last glance, before walking off. The vampire shivered, before joining Pearl, who was mining out a newly found silver ore from the wall. She looked a bit silly in her pristine, dark dress, severely dirtied by her work in the field and the mines. Scott shivered at the idea of actually lowering himself to such a level. Maybe she was not exactly well in the head...?

"What did Cleo do to get you to work like this?" He asked eventually, sitting down close to the young woman.

"Whu- Nothing! I just wanted to help, you know?" Pearl chuckled. "It's a nice change, compared to what I had at home..."

"Really...?"

"Yeah! Back there, all I could really do was sit in my room and wait to get married off..." She sighed, although there was a tinge of fondness to her tone. "But I didn't want to just get married off to some rich guy and spend my life having kids, you know? I wanted to see what the world is really about!"

"And then your family died," Scott snickered.

"Well, it's not that I wanted that to happen... I still don't know why I survived, out of everyone..." The noblewoman admitted quietly, but then added "But, you know... I didn't want to just stay behind, sulking over something I couldn't change... The world moved on, and I had to do the same. It's not like I forgot them, or something..." Then, Pearl giggled. "You actually remind me of my older brother..."

"I do...?"

"Yeah! He was also this high and mighty guy, most of the time... But had a heart of gold. Maybe you are actually like that, too...?"

The vampire shivered at the comparison. There was something he very much didn't like about the idea, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"No, no no no. I'm not."

"If you say so..."

For a second, the only sound that filled the air was the metronome of ringing pickaxes. Scott sat there in silence, watching as Pearl excavated ore from the walls and put it on the ground. She didn't mind getting her hands dirty, did she? Scott wasn't sure whether he found that impressive, or insulting. The fact that she not only lowered her standards to such a degree, but also did it out of her own free will? But, on the other hand... She seemed happy. There were people that had her back, just as she had theirs. She moved on, but she didn't need to forget... Scott looked down at himself, at his regal, yet clearly dirty clothes. It was one of the last remnants of his old life as the grand duke of the Goldsmiths lineage. As much as he hated that role somehow, he couldn't imagine himself as anything but that at this point. But if she could find herself in such circumstances and navigate around them just fine, maybe so would he...?

"Pearl?"

"Yes?"

"I... I also lost some of my family," Scott finally confessed. He was on the edge of whispering, hoping Martyn wouldn't hear anything. Even if he did, he would omit all the most defining details. "But, to be honest, I didn't even really think that just moving on was... A possibility."

Pearl snickered at that.

"Really?"

"Hey, don't laugh at me!" Scott groaned, rolling his eyes. Gosh, trying to open up was so humiliating... He already regretted this attempt. "You just- When you spend ages with the same group of people, you get used to them, you know?"

"I do, I do... Change is scary. But if you keep pushing it away, it won't get easier, you know...?"

The vampire opened his mouth to respond, but stayed quiet. There was this weird, stinging feeling in his heart that he heavily suspected to be connected to their little chat. It was far from pleasant... Just like the weird heaviness in his chest that he couldn't quite explain. He could only hope it was some sort of weird manifestation of hunger, and not anything more serious.

Eventually, Scott got up from the ground and approached the edge of the stone shelf again. The chasm that opened below was so deep, even his eyes couldn't see the very bottom. He could, however, see all the stalagmites that covered the steep drop down. He winced when he imagined himself falling down there. Sure, his bat form would probably save him in a pinch, even if that would mean revealing himself to the others... But it would hurt as hell, that's for sure.

All of a sudden, the pat on his back repeated. This time, a bit more forceful, pushing Scott a bit closer to the edge. He gasped, but Martyn grabbed him by the coat, not letting him actually fall.

"You think we should go down there? Maybe we'll find some diamonds so deep underground..." He asked calmly, turning to Cleo and Pearl.

"Yeah, no, not a chance," The farmer replied. "Maybe we could find a way to get down safely. But getting back up? Good luck with that."

"I'm sure you could get down there safely, huh?" Martyn directed his next words straight into Scott's ear, making him shiver. He pulled on his coat a little more forcefully, not letting the vampire actually walk away. "On your little bat wings..."

"What do you even want from me?" Scott asked, purposefully making his voice loud enough so that Cleo and Pearl clearly heard him. Maybe that was his chance to get Martyn off his back... Of course, he couldn't tell either of them exactly why he was being picked on. That would reveal too much, and one or the other would probably catch on to his true identity. But if he made it just a case of Martyn being an asshole for no apparent reason... Maybe they would help. As embarrassing as it was to get help from humans.

"I'm just playing with ya, relax!" Martyn giggled. His hand clutched more tightly on Scott's coat. "You're such a scaredy cat for your age..."

"Are you calling me old?"

"I'm calling you a coward," Martyn hissed playfully. "And a liar."

"Martyn, let go of him," Cleo groaned. "Let's get out of here, we have more than enough silver to last us a while."

"Well, if we mine out some more, we won't have to return for a lot longer, right?" Martyn pointed out. He pushed Scott forward, before pulling him back again. Scott grabbed him by the wrist, letting out a quiet, guttural growl.

"Martyn, let go of me."

"You're fine, I'm holding you!" Martyn smirked.

"Guys, can you please not fight as you stand over a really big hole?" Pearl chuckled nervously, walking up to them and taking Scott by the wrist. "Let's first head out and then you can argue, okay?"

"Exactly, Martyn," Scott grumbled, drawing out the nobleman's name. There was nothing he hated more than that stupid smirk of his. Somehow, he knew exactly how to push his buttons... Scott was actually glad he didn't turn him. Spending an eternity with this guy seemed like a nightmare. "Back off."

"Oh please, you're being such a buzzkill... Don't tell me all of you silly things are like that..."

"You- Shut up!" 

Scott pulled his arm out of Pearl's grasp and grabbed Martyn by his cravat. The young woman held him by the shoulder, trying to stop the two of them for fighting. All of a sudden, Martyn took a step forward and pushed Scott, making one of his feet slip off the edge. With his eyes wide open from shock, Scott tightened his grip on him. A startled scream slipped the blond man's mouth, before both he and the vampire tumbled down into chasm.

"Scott!" Instinctively, Pearl reached out to grab Martyn by his coat, only to get dragged behind them.

"Pearl!" Cleo reached out their arms, but pulled back at the last second. No, she wouldn't have enough strength to hold all three of them... She stood there in horror as three of her friends began falling down the steep slope.

The three nobles slipped down, struggling to find any grip on the stones around them. Sharp stalagmites tore through their skin, leaving open, bleeding wounds. Their screams echoed throughout the cavern. Eventually, Martyn managed to grab a ledge with one hand, then somehow caught Scott by the wrist. Pearl tumbled down right past them, and the vampire grabbed her hand at the last second, before she vanished in the darkness below. All of them stopped moving for a second, struggling to catch their breath.

Martyn looked down at the two people he was holding. He was far from a weak person, but holding them while also trying to keep himself on the ledge was a challenge. Not to mention, the freshly opened wounds stung as hell, and he badly hit his leg on the way down. If only he didn't have to hold on to them...

Then, an idea popped into his head. He didn't have to.

Sure, the idea of losing the bounty on Scott's hand was not pleasant... And so was letting Pearl fall to her death, obviously. But the idea of getting rid of this annoying, snobby vampire... 

Sorry, Pearl, he thought to himself.

"Ugh... I can't hold you guys for much longer..." He groaned, at the same time loosening his grip on Scott's wrist. The vampire immediately caught onto what was happening.

"No, wait, Martyn, don't you-"

And then, Martyn let go.

Scott and Pearl plunged into the darkness. The young woman let out a terrified yell, cut short by a thud of her body hitting the hard, stone ground. Scott attempted to turn into a bat, but before he could regain his height, he hit limply on some rock poking out of the wall. It forced him out of his transformation, then sent him falling down after Pearl. He let out a muffled groan once he dropped on the wet floor. A piercing pain shot through his chest. That fall costed him at least two broken ribs... Luckily, his vampiric regeneration would take care of that soon enough. Other than that, his body felt sore, but not too badly wounded.

And Pearl...

It took Scott a few seconds of laying in complete silence, dazed from the shock, to remember that he didn't fall alone. With visible strain, he crawled over to the young woman. She was laying on her side, blood dripping out her mouth, her eyes glassy. She was breathing, but only barely. Her injuries were so much worse than Scott's... Especially when he noticed a stalagmite piercing out of her side. The vampire gasped in shock.

"Pearl... No, no no no no no..."

"Scott...?" She whispered, clearly confused and drained after the fall. She was barely holding herself conscious - and once she slipped... Scott shook his head. Sure, he could survive such a fall, even getting impaled. But a human...

And then, an idea popped into his head.

Scott sat up next to Pearl. Every movement sent surges of pain through his body. He leaned over, still struggling to breathe. He put his finger on her neck, trying to feel for a pulse. It was getting weaker, he could tell... And even if Cleo and Martyn would come back for them, she didn't have enough time. The man grabbed her hand and leaned over her.

"Pearl, Pearl, look at me... I'm going to help you, okay? Just... Don't freak out, please, and... Don't tell anyone..."

"What...?"

Scott bent over, his fangs opening with a quiet clicking noise. Pearl couldn't exactly tell what that was, as the darkness enveloped her like a thick blanket. She could only hear him huffing over her ear...

And then, something sharp pierced through her neck.

Pearl let out a soft gasp, before falling silent. A brief surge of warmth coursed through her body, before it got sucked out together with her blood. No longer able to fight off the exhaustion and pain, she closed her eyes, succumbing to her fate, whatever that would end up being.

The vampire stopped himself right after reaching the necessary threshold. Warm blood in his stomach always felt good, and yet this time, it felt... Almost wrong. He felt no satisfaction from what he did. It had to be done, as much as he wanted to avoid it. Scott looked up at the cave over his head, silently praying for someone to come get them out of here... Before succumbing to his own wounds, and falling limp to the ground.

Chapter 18: All those cracking masks

Summary:

Scott faces the consequences of his actions.

Notes:

I'm officially out of pre-written chapters, meaning I'll have to write more asap. Which sucks cuz I've been sick for the past 2-3 days TwT
But it's fine! Your comments and support mean the world to me and make it so much easier to make this happen <3

"Doctor, I don't... I don't understand. Did they make it?"

"That's a... Harder question than I expected."

"What do you mean? Are they alive or not?"

Legundo stayed quiet, standing in the middle of his examination room and watching over the two injured people occupying the beds. Just a few hours earlier, Cleo ran into Oakhurst, calling for help with a mining expedition gone horribly wrong. Legs and a few other people managed to follow behind them and rescue the three residents, who apparently fell down a chasm during an argument. Martyn was, by far, in the best condition. He insisted on leaving the doctor's office immediately and taking care of his own bruises and cuts. The doctor let him go, despite noticing just how much he was limping on one leg. Scott was fairly beaten up and struggled to breathe, but turned out a lot better than one would expect from such a high drop. Pearl, however... Legs was expecting her to not make it. Cracked bones, broken ribs, and a stalagmite that pierced through her side... The impact of the fall would be enough to kill her. But if the sharp stone pierced through any vital organs, she would quickly succumb to internal bleeding. But the whole case seemed much stranger than what Legs learned throughout his time working as a surgeon...

"I cannot spot any signs of life from Pearl," the doctor finally confessed. Seeing Cleo's face go pale, he immediately added "But, at the same time... She seems to be going through a fever. Which would be impossible if she actually died."

"What...?" The farmer scrunched her nose. "Wait, how is that possible?"

"Well, she doesn't seem to be breathing, nor can I feel her heartbeat, and yet..." 

"Wh- What about Scott...?"

"He's breathing, but barely... Actually, a lot less than I would expect from someone even in his state..." Legs sighed, approaching his desk and looking down at all the notes he took about the patients' condition. "It just doesn't make sense... I must be missing something. What exactly happened there, Cleo?"

She flinched at the question. She already retold the story once, while they were on their way to the cave... But maybe they really did miss something crucial? The farmer took a deep breath, before finally beginning to speak.

"We went mining for silver. We found this opening to a bigger cavern, and Scott stood on the edge of that stone shelf that I found you... Suddenly, Martyn approached him and started joking around, pretending to push him off the edge. They started fighting, Pearl tried to grab them, and-" Cleo paused for a moment, her expression darkening even more. "I- I'm not sure who actually caused them to fall, but... From what I saw, Martyn caught himself on a ledge, but couldn't hold Scott and Pearl, and they slipped out of his grasp, and... And I don't know what happened to them from then on."

"Well, they are both incredibly lucky they didn't die on impact... And Scott doesn't even seem to have any broken bones. I've never seen a case like this, so maybe-"

All of a sudden, both of them were interrupted by a strange sound of... Yawning. Immediately, both of the humans turned to Scott's bed. The nobleman was in the middle of stretching, as if he just woke up from a pleasant nap. They watched with concern as he rubbed his eyes, trying to wake himself up. His movement did not seem to suggest any injury, or even any pain he was in.

"Scott...?" Cleo squinted.

"Hm? Oh, Cleo, hi! And, uh... Hello, doc..." 

Only then, the memories of their mining trip finally hit him. The argument with Martyn, and the long drop to the bottom of the cavern. How long was he out? Long enough for most of his injuries to heal, that's for sure. Even the pain was almost gone... But guessing by Cleo and Legs' faces, they did not seem exactly enthusiastic.

Oh, right. Humans don't heal that fast.

Immediately, Scott dropped back on his bed with a pained whine. That was quite embarrassing, but maybe he still had a chance to play it off...?

"Ouh, oh, Cleo... Thank you for dragging me out of there..." He whimpered, dramatically putting his hands over his eyes. "I think I broke my arms..."

"You didn't break your arms, Scott," Cleo responded in the most deadpanned voice she could manage. "You're literally using them right now."

"Hey, you're not a medic, you don't know what might be wrong with me! Doc?"

"No, Scott. You did not break your arms. To be honest," Legs glanced back at his notes again, "You seem surprisingly fine for someone who dropped from over a hundred feet down on hard stone."

"Oh." The nobleman hummed, before slowly sitting up on the bed. Okay, so pretending to be actually injured was a bad idea. But maybe he could still get out of this situation without revealing his true nature... Lying to an unschooled plebeian like Cleo was simple enough, even with all regards for her that Scott had. But Legs? No, he wouldn't be fooled that easily. Why didn't they just leave him there, allowing him to fly out with his own strength...? "Well, I, um, well..."

His stumble through his words was interrupted when all of a sudden, Pearl turned on her bed. She let out a quiet whimper, her hands clutching on the blanket she was covered with. She was sweaty and clearly in pain, but she was alive... How? Scott could take that fall no problem, but would a human actually stand a chance? Unless...

And then, the rest of the memories flooded back.

Scott's mouth filled with the familiar, metallic taste entered his mouth. Quite sweet, thin... But definitely not something Scott wanted to happen. He didn't even remember biting her; did it happen after they fell? He could barely recall that happening... But otherwise, he wouldn't feel the taste. He wouldn't feel the connection that formed between them. He probably bit her, then was immediately knocked out... But why did he do that in the first place? Did he want to save her? Or was that just his instinct kicking in, telling him to not waste food?

Either way, it happened. And for the first time in Scott's life, it seemed completely out of his control. Something in his chest began to stung. He didn't intend to do that... Not Pearl. He didn't want to turn her, out of everyone...

But it happened. And that was all his fault.

"Pearl? How are you?" Cleo immediately approached her wounded roommate, putting her warm hand on Pearl's shoulder.

"Mmm... Scott...?" The young woman whispered, still dazed by the injuries.

The farmer immediately turned around to face the nobleman.

"What did you do to her...?"

"Cleo, stay calm," Legs said immediately after sensing the hostility in her voice. The last thing he needed at that moment was Cleo attacking one of his patients. Even if he himself had some suspicions regarding Scott... But that came second. First, he needed to make sure he would be okay. "There has to be a logical explanation to this."

"Logical explanation?" Cleo scoffed. "Listen, doc, I know that you believe in science and common sense, but... There is something wrong with this place. And if something happened to Pearl because of that, I-"

"Doctor," Scott asked quietly, sitting straighter and turning to Legs. "Could you leave us alone for a moment...?"

Legundo squinted, unconvinced by Scott.

"I shouldn't leave Pearl right now. If her fever gets worse, her state might deteriorate quickly."

"She'll be fine. I promise." The vampire responded. Then, seeing that it didn't convince Legs, he added "If something happens to her, we'll call you back. I just need to... Talk to Cleo."

"Cleo...?"

The farmer gritted her teeth, unsure what to say. It's true, she was relieved that her friends did not die from their injuries, but at the same time... She could tell something was wrong. And that something was clearly connected to Scott... And to Pearl, it seemed like. She had to get to the bottom of this.

"Give us five minutes, doc. Please."

"Sure... I'll be close if you need me," Legundo said, before slowly leaving the office and closing the door behind himself.

Scott sat in silence for a minute, unsure how to start. So the jig was up... But he could still keep the secret confined to a small group of people. Hypnotizing Cleo was always a possibility... But the accident weakened him a lot, and lifting his mind control over Martyn or Shubble seemed too risky. Not to mention, Legs probably was still suspicious of Scott... He could stall off explanations to him, but Cleo was right there, clearly angry at him. He had to act. Fast. The vampire opened his mouth, but before he could speak, his friend began talking.

"Scott, I... I can tell there's something wrong with this place. The red moon, everyone acting weird, whatever happened to you and Pearl... And you said you're from around here. You know what's up, don't you?"

"I do."

"Then what is it, Scott? What is it that we don't know?" Cleo's voice was sharp, but at the same time, almost... Pleading. She needed to know what was happening. If not for her sake, then for the sake of people she met her and grew to care about. That included Scott, but... Would his answer change that?

"I..." Scott took a deep breath, waiting for the explanation to just roll off his tongue. Just how much should he tell her? And how? What should he omit, to protect himself and the other vampires of the area? Oh, if only he let Pearl bleed out, none of this mess would've happened-

No. He shook his head. He couldn't explain it, but he could feel that he did the right thing. Even if that was the first right thing he's done in the past millennium. 

"I... I saved her. I think."

"How...?"

"I- I don't even remember it, Cleo, I just... When we fell, I could feel her fading, so I just... Bit her... In hopes of saving her."

"Bit... Her...?" An expression of disgust appeared on Cleo's face. She reached towards her corset, a silver knife tied to the back in case of an emergency.

"You're smart, Cleo... I bet you knew from the start that something was off. But I don't blame you... Oakhurst was always a strange place, even back in my day."

A clicking sound crossed the air. All of a sudden, Scott's canines turned into two pairs of sharp, long fangs. His eyes lit up a dangerous, flashy red. Immediately, the farmer pulled out the knife and pointed it at the newly revealed vampire. Her breathing was fast and shallow. But, she didn't scream. She didn't attack him. They were waiting, to see what happens. They were giving Scott a chance. But for what?

"Avid was right about you..." Cleo whispered, backing off a little. Still, she shielded Pearl with her body, not letting Scott get close to her. Not that he wanted to, it seemed... He was still seated, watching the farmer with a big, relaxed grin.

"He was... If only he wasn't so obnoxious about it, maybe you guys would've listened to him..."

"This whole time..."

Scott nodded in confirmation.

"Yes, this whole time, Cleo... What are you gonna do now, hm? Plunge that little blade through my heart? They'll call you a hero..."

"Wait, hold on," The farmer interrupted him. "You could've killed her down there... But you didn't. You just turned her into a vampire, too. Why...?"

Scott smirked, if only to hide his own concern. Even if he didn't know the question, he was not going to show that to Cleo. Not yet.

"I could turn you too, Cleo... It doesn't hurt as much as you think it does..."

"No, no no no, stop it," Cleo clenched her hands on the blade. "Stop talking like that. It's not... You're not like that."

"Pardon?"

"I've seen you, Scott. And I can tell that you care. If you didn't, you would've just... I dunno, drank Pearl's blood, eat her, whatever you vampires do. But you didn't. You're..." Slowly, the farmer lowered her knife. "You're not just a monster, are you...?"

"Oh, Cleo..." Scott rose from his spot, slowly approaching the farmer. Somehow, after revealing his true nature, he seemed to carry himself with even more pride and elegance. This aura of power and authority surrounded him, and even a skeptic like Cleo could feel it on her skin. And yet, she could tell... He wouldn't hurt her. Not sure why, but they could tell he wouldn't. "Don't get your hopes up, please... I had that happen far too many times. This is just what I am... And this is what Pearl is, as well."

"But you saved her. You didn't have to do that, did you...?" Suddenly, her eyes widened. "Does Martyn know...?"

"What?" Scott's smile faded for just a second, but it was enough for Cleo to catch onto him. Immediately, the whole picture seemed so much clearer. "Oh, don't bother with him, Cleo... He's just a fool that doesn't know to not stick his nose in someone else's business."

"He tried to warn us..." The farmer shivered, before looking back at Pearl again. Her fever was still going strong, but she seemed to be at peace for now... Whatever Scott did to her, maybe it was better than letting her die, and then feasting on her lifeless body...? Maybe he had his own reasoning for doing what he's done. But whatever it was, it couldn't have been just his selfishness. Right...? "Well, to be honest, he did choose a pretty bad way to go about it."

"He's not the smartest, true..." Scott sighed, before all of a sudden, pain shot through his ribs. They haven't healed fully, have they? He began coughing, bending over as he struggled to catch his breath. Great, just as he tried to be scary and intimidating... But his coughing fit stopped right as Cleo patted him on the back.

"Better?"

"What are you doing?" The vampire hissed, taking a step back. The last traces of fear vanished from her features. Now, she looked more concerned, serious, a little... Angry? Disappointed? "Don't touch me!"

"I know you, Scott. If you were really a monster, you would've killed her. But you didn't."

"Stupid child..." The nobleman growled. "What do you know of me? I've been around before the ancestors of your ancestors were even born, and-"

"I can imagine. But I think I know just enough, Scott. If you really were a monster, you'd attack me and doctor Legs right now, to get rid of the evidence. Wouldn't you...?"

"What...? I- Do you know what you're talking about, fool?"

"I think I do." Cleo confirmed, her tone stern, almost tired. She finally lowered her blade. "I won't tell anyone, if only for the sake of what we had. But you will take care of Pearl. If you don't..."

Scott's fangs retracted, as the maniacal grin faded from his face. Why did Cleo trust him so much? He could just attack her at any second... No, this was what she expected. Now, he could no longer do that. Not just because the element of surprise was lost, but also because...

Because he didn't want to.

"Good choice," Scott growled quietly, before approaching Pearl's bed. Cleo stayed close, making sure he wouldn't try anything suspicious. The vampire pulled down the edge of Pearl's collar, taking a peek at her bite mark. "It's healing over nicely... If the doctor allows it, she can stay at your place for now."

"Won't she attack me?"

"She shouldn't. If she does... I'll send any of my fledglings to keep her in check."

"Fledglings?" Cleo scoffed. "So there are more of you here?"

Scott stayed silent. Still, Cleo understood what he meant by that. It was safer to leave it at that, for both their sakes.

"Like I said, Cleo, you're smart," Scott said, approaching the door. "If you want to keep your silly mortal life... Stay out of my way. The others won't touch you. But you should stay away from things you don't understand."

"We'll see about that," Cleo muttered, watching as the vampire pushed the door open, almost bumping into Legundo.

"Scott? Where are you going?"

"I'm feeling fine, doc," The nobleman explained calmly. "Pearl will be okay... I think she should be moved to Cleo's place, for safety."

"I don't think she's in the right condition to go anywhere right now," Legs retorted. He wanted to keep talking, but Scott already walked away, intending to leave the building. He didn't really care that much about her, did he? The surgeon sighed, before turning back to his office. Cleo was still kneeling next to Pearl's bed, holding her cold, weak hand. "Cleo...? Do you want to talk about something...?"

"Not now, doc," The farmer whispered. "Can you help her...?"

"...yes. I think I can help her now."

"Sire! Wait!" Scott stopped in the middle of Oakhurst, cringing at the way Pyro called him. He could only hope no one here heard it... Sure, being shown respect was great, but doing that in front of the humans was... Risky. "We were looking for you! Where were you?"

"Oh, Pyro..." The elder vampire turned around, his aura of cockiness immediately returning. "Didn't your parents teach you to not pry into someone else's business?"

The fledgling scrunched his nose.

"We were just worried about you! Are you avoiding us...?"

"Me? Avoiding you? Pfff... I'm merely taking a little vacation from having to deal with you." Scott pinched his nose, before turning around. "Besides, Owen is doing just fine herding you bunch, isn't he?"

"Well, to be honest... He is. He's great at it. Nevermind, then."

Scott immediately stopped, his heart dropping. No, that wasn't supposed to go like this. Why didn't Pyro, his own fledgling, beg him to come back? Did he lose all his respect for his sire? And what about the others, were they also better off without him? The vampire scoffed under his breath. If they liked it more without him...

"Fine by me. Go have fun with that dirty commoner..." He groaned, before turning around to grace Pyro with one last gaze.

But by that time, his fledgling was already gone.

---

"Ouh... Are you okay, Martyn?" Avid asked as soon as he bumped into Martyn, in the gate leading to Oakhurst. He was just returning from the castle, while the nobleman seemed to be leaving. He was clearly limping, using his cane for support. "What happened...?"

"A little accident..." The man groaned, before straightening his back and turning to Avid. He also did not look good, as burns covered his hands and wrists. "And you...?"

"Uh... Also an accident, I guess..."

"Hunting vampires gone wrong, huh?" 

"More or less..." The former vampire hunter shivered, crossing his arms and hiding his hands.

Martyn squinted at the gesture. Avid was a weirdo and a freak, that's for sure, but... Their goals aligned, more or less. Even more than that, Martyn felt as if he was doing better at his job lately than Avid was. His paranoid yelling about vampires being in Oakhurst had died down significantly in the past weeks. He became a lot more withdrawn and was rarely seen in Oakhurst. What was he hiding? Maybe he was attempting to set up some sort of trap? Or maybe he was following Scott around, trying to expose him?- Wait, did he even know...?

"Have you, uh, have you talked to Scott lately?"

"Huh?" Avid squinted. "Um... No, not exactly..."

"What? I thought you suspected him of being a-" Martyn dropped his cane and covered his mouth with his hands. He groaned with frustration as a wave of pain shot through his injured leg.

"Are you alright?" He asked, reaching down to pick up the cane and hand it back to Martyn. His behavior was... Off-putting, to say the least. "Did you hit yourself in the head, or something...?"

"I..." Martyn sighed, finally pulling his hands off his face and taking the cane. Immediately, he slumped over it. If that stunt cost him his unmatched agility... Killing Scott would not be enough. He'd rip him to shreds. "Believe it or not, I did."

"Oh! Maybe you should go lie down...?"

"No, thanks." Martyn rolled his eyes, before crossing the gate to leave Oakhurst.

Was Avid this stupid? He was right on Scott's trail, not that it was hard, and now... He sounded as if he just gave up on trying to expose him. Did Scott scare him this easily? He was a pompous asshole, nothing more... Martyn actually hoped that he could imploy Avid' help. He was used to working alone, but getting some help wouldn't hurt... Besides, with how naive and clueless he seemed, he would make for great bait. Martyn wouldn't even feel bad for him by the end.

"Hey, Avid?"

"Yeah?"

The vampire turned around, looking at Martyn who was already several feet away. He didn't clock his behavior as anything suspicious, did he? Sure, Avid was still shaken by the events of today, getting trapped in a trap left behind by the hunters... It was a very strange feeling, to almost become a victim of the very thing he helped put together so many times before. All of a sudden, it felt a lot more cruel than he expected.

"You might just be the worst vampire hunter I've ever met," Martyn scoffed, before walking off towards the forest.

Avid stood there for a second, letting the words sink in for longer than he probably should. So Martyn didn't know... And he didn't even have to pretend. His whole plan suddenly seemed like one big mistake. But he was too deep to back off now.

"Thanks, Martyn. I... I know that."

Chapter 19: Home away from home

Summary:

The vampires are planning a new place to call home. At the same time, Scott is trying to take care of his newest fledgling.

Notes:

How is this fic at almost 14k hits already. Oh my gosh how-
Also I forgot to say it last time but, we're officially in the second half of the story! It's only gonna get more and more wild so be ready :3
Also also, tomorrow is one month anniversary of this fic releasing! I can't believe it started out as a silly little one shot and turned into.... This

The surroundings of the old Goldsmiths' castle were much busier that day than usual. Owen, Pyro, Avid, Sausage and Shubble hung around the ruins, discussing the newly hatched idea of turning the place into their new home. Some of them seemed a lot more optimistic about the concept than others. Shubble sat in the middle of the circle of vampires, sketching out their ideas for a plan. Everyone besides Owen joined in on the conversation, throwing around suggestions. Only the lumberjack sat under one of the half-ruined walls, watching the fledglings with disinterest. It was nice that they found a common topic that clearly united them, but despite his effort, Owen was hesitant about joining them. The idea of actually settling down, making a permanent place here, living with these people... It scared him, even if he wasn't sure why. It felt... Wrong. As if that's not something he should do. Not something he deserved. His home shouldn't be here. It should be in the old Oakhurst, with Lewis... But none of these existed anymore. The people of Oakhurst took Lewis away from him, so the vampire burned the place to the ground with everyone in it. Sometimes, when he closed his eyes, he still saw the fire, heard the terrified screams. Did he feel bad about it? He did feel bad that it had to happen... Owen pulled his arms closer to himself, wincing as the not fully healed silver burns began itching again. At least this pain would pass eventually. But the pain of losing his only friend, the man he loved the most in the whole world...

"Hey, Owen!"

The lumberjack perked up his head and turned around, his pupils dilating in surprise. Shubble waved their hand at him, calling him over.

"Come on, you gotta tell us what you think!"

"You sure you want my opinion?" The vampire chuckled, before lifting himself off the ground and approaching the group. "I don't know that much about building, especially something this big..."

"Apo is an architect, isn't she?" Sausage asked. "How about we ask her for help?"

"Yeah, cuz that wouldn't be suspicious at all..." Pyro snickered. "We'll just walk up to her and say 'Hey Apo! We want to rebuild this giant, ancient castle for no reason whatsoever! Wanna help us?' Not at all suspicious..."

Owen sat down between Avid and Sausage and leaned down over the map. It had everything planned out already, even down to a giant ballroom and a place where they could store meat and blood for later. Every vampire also had a designated bedroom, even Scott... Owen scrunched his nose and looked up at his friends.

"Do you think Scott will want to live here with us? He hasn't really talked to us since... Well, since the duel..." He shivered at the memory. The cuts that covered his necks still itched when he moved his head too much. 

"Well, it used to be his castle, right?" Sausage pointed out. "And we're his coven now, or however it's called... He's gonna come around, right?"

"And if he doesn't..." Avid murmured.

At that moment, everyone's stares turned to Owen. It took him a moment to realize that, and when he did, the lumberjack moved away a little bit, overwhelmed by the sudden attention.

"Wh- What?"

"Pyro?"

"Huh? Or, right, well..." Pyro sighed and pulled his hand through his hair, a bit nervous about having to repeat again what he heard. "Well, I saw Scott in Oakhurst, and um... He said that he's not talking to any of us, because he's having a little 'vacation' from us. And that you're doing a better job taking care of us than he does. And, uh, I couldn't really disagree..." 

Owen squinted. Then, he got up from his spot and stepped away from the group. No, no no no, that was too much for him. Sure, he could take over Scott's responsibilities while he was away, but he would never replace him. He was terrible at it, clearly... Especially in recent times. He lashed out at the fledgling, but himself and Avid in danger... As terrible as Scott was, he knew how to be a leader. Owen was alone most of his life. Only one person ever took care of him. How could he take care of others then, especially multiple people?

"Owen?"

The vampire swiftly transformed into his bat form, taking off and landing on top of the wall, before turning back. The strong sunlight burned his face, but it wasn't quite enough to get him off. He sat with his back to the group, curling up and pretending not to hear them when he approached them. No, they were not his responsibility... Maybe Avid, the only vampire he did sire. Even if it was Scott's idea to do so... Sausage and Pyro were Scott's fledglings. And Shubble? She wasn't even a vampire. For some reason, she didn't seem afraid to hang out with the most dangerous of monsters. But she wasn't truly a part of the coven? Even though the plan included even a room for her-

No, Owen shook his head. We're not a coven. We're just a group of random people, joined by circumstances. They only care about me, because Scott turned on us. And I don't care about them, he insisted on convincing himself. It didn't really work. He did like these people... But did he like them enough to stay with them like this...?

"Owen? Hey, what happened?"

The lumberjack shivered as the voices of his fellow vampires reached him.

"Owen? Did I say something wrong?"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing..." Owen pulled his knees close to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. No, this was all wrong... He lost the only person he cared about. If he now turned to other people... Wouldn't that be essentially replacing Lewis...? The vampire shivered as a bat landed right next to him, then transformed into Pyro. "What do you want from me...?"

"Hey, man, listen..." The vampire sat on the wall, and cringed at the strong sunlight. "Ugh, it's so awful today... How can you take it...?"

"I'm used to being in pain," Owen explained silently, tapping his scarred fingers on his knees to emphasize his point. "Listen, you guys don't want me as your leader, your sire, whatever we call it..."

"Why not? You're the oldest of us all, not counting Scott..."

"My whole experience as a vampire was wiping out Oakhurst, Pyro! I don't know anything about this whole siring thing, about coven... Even about being a... A family, I guess..." The lumberjack tightened his self-soothing embrace. "I never had a family... The one time I almost did, he was taken away from me..."

"Why don't you try again, then...?"

Owen scoffed.

"Lewis lost his life in hopes of saving me, Pyro. Moving on from this would be like wasting his gift..."

"Would it?" Pyro tilted his head. "Do you think Lewis would want you to spend the rest of eternity mourning him and never feeling happy?"

"I-"

Owen paused at the realization. Would he...? Lewis was always so kind and thoughtful, he was the only person ever who made the lumberjack feel safe and seen... And he definitely never wanted Owen to feel alone, or miserable. He made that clear many times, with his actions and his words. What would he think if he saw Owen now...? Getting a chance at a family and rejecting it, just to sulk and mourn him for the rest of time?

"I don't think I can just... Move on, and forget about him..." Owen muttered. "He meant so much to me... So much more than anyone in Oakhurst- Than anyone in the world..."

"You don't have to forget about him... I won't blame you if you don't," Pyro said. He already took off his coat, putting it up to shield himself from the sun. The elder vampire couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. "But moving on is not so bad. Sometimes you just... Have to. Just because he lost his life, doesn't mean you have to give up on your own."

Owen smirked, rolling his eyes at the comment.

"I didn't expect you to say stuff like this... What the hell did you study back home? Psychology? Philosophy?"

"Sociology," he answered with a dumb smile.

"I don't even know what that is..."

"It's pretty boring, to be honest." Pyro admitted, before getting up. "So? You're coming back down?"

"Hah.. Fine."

Soon, the two vampires jumped down the wall and joined the rest of the group. The fledglings and Shubble kept their distance from Owen, not wanting to tip him off the edge. Eventually, the discussions about the castle plan returned, as they all settled under the walls. Only after a while, the lumberjack began Shubble's eyes all over him. He shivered, then turned to her with an amused, slightly concerned smile.

"What is it...?"

"Has anyone ever told you that you have nice hair?"

His face immediately covered in a blush.

"Uh... One man did, yeah... But that was ages ago..." He chuckled nervously, curling up one stray lock on his finger. Another white streak… There were more and more of them appearing each day. But Shubble didn’t seem to mind… And, true, it was getting a bit too long, and it was long overdue for washing. Cutting it felt wrong, though. He still remembered how much Lewis liked playing with it...

"Would you mind if I braided it for you? I wanted to braid Cleo's hair, but she said no..."

The vampire shivered at the question. The idea of letting someone else, someone other than Lewis, touch his hair... Was it wrong...?

No, no it wasn't. He was allowed to let others treat him with kindness. That's what Lewis would've wanted... That's what he wanted.

"Sure..."

"Awesome!" The girl immediately moved behind him and untied his ponytail. "Woah, it's so soft... What do you use for it?"

"Uh... Usually, I just wash it in the river..." Owen admitted with a silly smile. "I don't really use anything specific to-"

All of a sudden, he went completely silent, and closed his eyes with a sigh. All it took was a simple touch from Shubble for him to relax, for the tension in his body to vanish. It was not like with Lewis, it wasn't a romantic gesture... It was a sign of trust, maybe even friendship. And yet, it felt... Just as good. Owen leaned back a little, to give Shubble better access to his skin. Anything she, or anyone else said from that point on flew over his head. All he could do was bask in this feeling of being wanted and taken care of. Even if it wasn't the same... It was still great.

Maybe he did deserve a bit of kindness, after all...?

---

"Careful now, don't choke... The last thing you wanna do is throw up blood..." Scott directed Pearl, putting up a bottle of scarlet blood up to her lips. The young woman took little sips, despite wincing and clearly not finding it enjoyable. Still, both of them knew how much she needed that, especially while still developing her vampirism. "How does it feel...?"

"How do you even take it? It tastes awful..." She chuckled, wiping a bit of blood from her lips. Her stare landed on Cleo, who stood next to the door, making sure no one would come close to finding out the truth. The farmer smiled fondly, but averted her gaze a second later. 

"You'll have to get used to it... Human blood tastes better, believe me," Scott said and rolled his eyes at Cleo's annoyed grumble. "Can I see your fangs, please...?"

"Uh... Here...?" Pearl opened her mouth and pulled her tongue over her developing fangs. "Ouch! Oh, I'm so gonna bite myself with them..."

Scott giggled at her worry.

"They're retractable... But you should wait with that until they're fully out. Or else, they might underdevelop." The elder vampire put his finger under Pearl's chin, guiding it up to take a better look. "They look good so far, I don't see any problems... And how are your... Uh, your wounds...?"

"This one still hurts as hell..." Pearl put her hand on the almost fatal wound on her side, but quickly pulled away from it. "But it's better, I think... How did it all even happen? I don't remember anything..."

"I argued with Martyn, and we fell over the edge... You tried grabbing me, for whatever reason, and you felt with us... I caught you, Martyn caught me, but... He let us go."

"What?" Cleo turned in their direction, finally joining their conversation. "He dropped you on purpose...? I mean, you said he knew about you, but-" The farmer's face went pale as the realization finally struck. He looked at Pearl, her poor, weakened, freshly turned friend. It would make sense why Martyn would drop Scott, if he knew of his true nature, but wanted Pearl to go down with him... "But... But Pearl wasn't...?"

"Martyn is not really a noble," Scott finally confessed. "He's... He's a bounty hunter. These guys will do anything if the prize is high enough. But... That has to stay between us. No one can know that we know."

"Why?"

"How do you think we'll explain that we know?" The vampire scoffed. "I only learned that when he almost got me..." He winced at the memory of the terrifying night at Martyn's house. "I made sure he won't rat me out. Me, or any other vampire. But explaining how I know without telling anyone what happened..."

"What did happen, though?"

"I... I'd rather not talk about it," Scott muttered, avoiding Cleo's piercing gaze. "Just... Just trust me."

"Wait," Pearl interrupted them, her face lighting up "There are other vampires here...?"

Scott couldn't hold back a chuckle, seeing her sudden wave of enthusiasm. He gently took her hands in his.

"Yes! You'll meet them once you feel better..."

"Why don't you tell us who they are, Scott?"

The vampire tensed, his back still turned to Cleo.

"You shouldn't know. It's safer for everyone, trust me."

The farmer groaned and crossed her arms.

"Listen, since you already got me into this whole mess, I could at least know-"

"It's not that simple, Cleo. Believe me. There's... A lot you're safer not knowing."

Cleo clenched her teeth, but stayed quiet. Maybe he was right... She was still split on whether she should trust Scott, based on their previous interactions, or give up on him, based on the very fact that he's a revenant, a creature of the night. He didn't act dangerous. He did save Pearl's life, even if at a steep price... And he took care of her now. But he could be unpredictable. He could lash out at any point. And the fact that there were other vampires around... Were any of them also turned by him? Cleo wanted to trust him. Unfortunately, what he knew about him as a person contrasted sharply with what she was told about vampires.

"Fine," they eventually agreed. "But you will make sure none of them hurt Pearl."

"Don't worry. They wouldn't dare."

Scott turned back to Pearl, who had already laid back down, ready to rest some more. The transformation was taking a lot of energy, but she was taking it a lot better than Pyro, Avid and Sausage. Even on top of her injuries... She was a real fighter, wasn't she? He was almost glad that he turned her...

No. No, he wasn't.

He didn't plan on turning her. It was a complete accident that he did. He didn't even really remember doing it, and he still didn't know what caused him to do so. Having to feed to recover after such a horrible fall? Or a genuine, deep rooted need to save her? One of them was a natural, vampiric desire for survival and strength. The other was... Dangerous. And a sign of change he didn't know if he wanted to see in himself. It's bad enough that the three people he did turn after his centuries long slumber were not related to him, but random people that fell victim to him... Even worse, he was beginning to feel some sort of weird attachment to them. Pyro only started somewhat mattering to him after getting bitten, but Sausage and Pearl? Did he really care about them even when they were still humans? That was a horrible sign. He really was going soft, wasn't he...? 

Scott eventually pulled his hands away from Pearl's and got up from his bed.

"I gotta go."

"Will you be back anytime soon?" Cleo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know. Maybe."

The farmer sighed, but stepped away from the door, allowing him to leave. Maybe she would be fine staying with Pearl for a few hours, especially now that she dozed off... But Scott's behavior, and flip-flopping between kind and cold, was a bit concerning.

But maybe he was just weird like that.

The vampire took a peek outside, to make sure no one was looking, then stepped outside the home. Taking Pearl for the past few days took everything out of him... And only then, he realized that he hadn't eaten anything since the day he turned her. He probably forgot with how busy he was, taking care of her... But finally, his hunger struck him with double the strength. He winced, wrapping his hands around his stomach and bending over. He was far too weak to go hunting just yet... And asking his fledglings to go hunting for him would be a bit embarrassing. He has been avoiding them for a while now... And that would make him sound as if he needed them. Of course, he didn't. And he wouldn't make a fool of himself by acting like he did. 

For now, he needed some sort of pick me up, to regain a bit of his strength. Later, he would figure out what to do next.

Luckily, in the past few days, a new building emerged in Oakhurst. Renhardt, the strange commoner with apparently a cursed tongue, opened a tavern that became a common meeting spot for the settlers. Scott had not yet had a chance to check out the place, but he really hoped that the man could get him some strong drink to get his mind off things. He pushed the door open, and without looking around, he took an empty spot at the bar. His head dropped on the countertop, too heavy for him to keep it up.

"Ah, mister Scott... What can I do fer ya?" Ren's voice rang over his head.

"Get me the strongest drink you have... Twice."

"As yee wish... I have just finished the first batch of me special bleuberry ale, don'tcha know..."

"Wonderful..." Scott sighed. He would've much preferred wine, or champagne, or even just vodka... But if that was the strongest thing Ren had, he would have to take it.

Moments before the first glass landed in front of his eyes, Scott felt someone tapping on his shoulder. Sluggish from hunger and exhaustion, the vampire straightened his back and turned around.

"Yes...?"

"Uh... Scott, was it? Can we talk?"

It took Scott a moment to connect the face to the name. That was Drift, the detective that came here to investigate the mystery of Oakhurst... The vampire smirked at the thought that if she only knew, she could literally interrogate the man standing behind the last massacre.

"What is it?"

Drift took a seat right next to him. Scott grabbed one of the glasses and emptied it immediately. He should know better than drinking on an empty stomach, but in his current state, it felt like the only thing that would make him feel better. And, frankly, the ale did taste really good. Ren clearly knew what he was doing.

"Well, you see... We both know that Avid and his obsession with vampires is... Well, a lot. Especially with how he accused you of being one right away..."

"Oh, yeah, right..." Scott chuckled. "This man is... Not in his right mind, that's for sure."

"True, but... I wanted to ask, maybe you know what's up with him lately...? We live together, and- Well, I thought we did, but... He stopped coming home, he doesn't talk to me... I feel like he's avoiding me, and..."

"Why would I know?"

"He was obsessed with following you around for a while... You do know about that, right?"

"I do," Scott winced, then took the second drink. A second empty glass hit the countertop, and he turned to Ren. "Give me another."

"As ye wish, sir."

"I was scared that something happened to him... You're not the first person I asked, to be honest. I just hoped you'd know something."

"Avid is..." Scott grabbed the third glass from Ren's hand, but didn't drink it right away. His head already felt a little fuzzy. Impossible, that the alcohol got into his head so quickly... Must've been due to his hunger, surely. "He's not a bad man. Just very misguided. I hope he finds peace. For his sake, but mostly for everyone else's."

"Wow, I..." Drift chuckled. "I didn't expect you to say that, I thought you hated him... I mean, I wouldn't blame you, but-"

Scott blanked at that statement. She was right, he should hate him... But what he said probably sounded downright nice. He frowned at the sentiment, before downing the last glass. He almost asked for another one, but his common sense advised him to quit for now. He felt like he already said too much.

"Well, either way... I don't know where he is. But he'll be fine. I think. Not that I care." Scott rolled his eyes, before getting off the bar chair and heading towards the door. He needed to get out of here, the sooner, the better. Before the alcohol made him say even more stupid shit...

Or even worse, if it turned out that it wasn't just the alcohol. Because if he really did mean all of that, deep down... That was a horrible sign for things to come.

Notes:

Reminder that since there's no new Vampires episode this Sunday (TwT) there will be a new chapter instead! :3

Chapter 20: The one common factor

Summary:

The fledglings begin the reconstruction of Goldsmiths' manor. It also gives them a chance to bond.

Notes:

By the time I'm posting this chapter, this fic is on the brink of reaching 15k hits. This is actually insane. I've never had any of my work perform so well, never had anywhere close to this amount of people actively comment that they enjoy what I do. Thank you all so much, I love you all TwT

It took the newly formed coven a few days to refine their plans of restoring the Goldsmiths' castle. Once they did, however, they wasted no time with preparation for the construction. Scott had clearly not stopped being upset with them, rendering him absent from any work done on his old home. Not that he would be much of a help, truth be told... And the vampires didn't really need it. All of them knew that the construction was gonna take a long time, but with immortal lives, they had all the time in the world. Even Shubble, who was at this point their token human mascot, joined in the effort of removing rubble that remained of the once pristine walls of the manor.

"I've been meaning to ask, M..." The girl eventually asked, approaching the man after she finished dismantling the remnants of a wall. "How exactly did you end up here, in Oakhurst...?"

"Oh! It's, well, a funny story, really..." Sausage chuckled. "I was looking for inspiration, for my next big breakthrough with another book... And one night, I got a message from an old friend, also an author... He told me about this place, and that there was something about it that could be my next big thing. So what else was I supposed to do?"

"A guy sent you a letter about a random place in the middle of nowhere, and you just decided to go for it?" Pyro rephrased it with an amused smirk. "Geez, no wonder you ended up here, and got turned into a vampire..."

The writer scrunched his nose and raised his head. Pyro - who in Scott's absence, and with Owen busy in the woods, was now the most experienced of the vampires (somehow) - was standing on the edge of another half-preserved wall, watching all the efforts from above. With his back to the sun and his coat making him look larger and grander than he actually was, he almost did seem like an actual revenant. They could only hope that Owen would be back before this newfound 'authority' would get into his head.

"At some point, you're so starved for inspiration, you just take anything you can get, okay?" Sausage argued, but there was no real bite behind his words. "Besides, you make it sound as if that exact thing didn't happen to you."

"Well, I-" Pyro paused and put his hands straight into his pockets. Well, sure, M did have a point. None of them really had this moral high ground over the others, to bicker about their vampirism... Maybe other than Shubble, who remained the only human among them. For a second, Pyro even wondered whether she would ever join them... And if so, then would it be willingly? "Okay, yeah, sure..."

"If I was that friend of yours," Shubble added after a moment, "I just wouldn't have told you about this place. I would've just come here to find out all the secrets for myself.

"To be honest, I expected to find him here... Maybe it's better that I didn't." Sausage muttered, before taking a glance at the bite mark on his wrist. It finally healed over, leaving only two small circles on his skin. So, his transformation was sealed now, and there was no going back... At some point, he would have to think about what to do with the life he left behind, in the capital. He couldn't exactly come back and just live as the creature of the night among humans, could he? Still, maybe he could find a publisher willing to work with his new findings... Under the pretense of all of this being just literary fiction, of course. "Although, I bet he'd love being a vampire."

"Well, to be honest, it is nice once you get used to it..." Pyro admitted, before jumping down the wall and swiftly transforming into a bat. A smooth landing on the grass finished with him turning back to his human form again. "Flying, inhuman strength, seeing in the dark, having claws... I could do with some of these back in university."

"What did you even study that landed you here?" Shubble turned her direction to the scholar.

"Well, I studied sociology... I wanted to write my thesis paper on mass hysteria. And with the stories of Oakhurst being repeatedly wiped out every few hundred years..." He shrugged. "It sounded like a perfect, if niche example."

"But it wasn't mass hysteria after all, was it?" Sausage said, sitting down on the edge of a lower wall. "And I don't think you'd get your paper approved if you said that it was actually vampires..."

"Nah... I don't think I can even finish this paper, to be honest. Returning to society is not really an option now, is it...?"

Sausage and Pyro's stares connected for a second, as a familiar sense of finality clicked between them. They couldn't really go back to their normal lives anymore, could they? Sausage's peers would never see his friend again, and Pyro could never return to his family. Whether they wanted to or not, didn't really matter anymore. That was just their new reality. They had to make the most of it... They didn't really have any other choice. Then, at the same time, both of them slowly turned to Shubble, their faces blank, with a dangerous red shine in them.

"Guys...?" The girl took a step back. "What's with the long faces...?"

"Nothing, it's just..." Pyro shook his head, the unsettling glow vanishing as he came back to his senses. "It's not that I wanted to come back to a family that disowned me, but... You will be going back to your family at some point, won't you, Shelb...?"

"Oh, I probably will! But I can't just yet," She explained, fixing the glasses that slid down her nose. "I came here to find proof that monsters are real... And, well, yes, now I know vampires are real, but if I prove that, you guys might be in danger... So, I'm looking for something else to prove!"

"That's... Commendeable." Sausage chuckled at her sentiment. "But why exactly...?"

"Well, that's what my dad tried to do! He was sure that werewolves are a thing, but... When he left to find proof, he never came back." Shubble leaned against the wall between Pyro and Sausage. Somehow, her voice was still peppy and energetic, despite what she just implied. "I'm trying to continue his work! And, uh, prove wrong all these people who said that he left for... Other reasons."

"Oh." Pyro shivered, his fingers nervously fidgeting in his pockets. "You think a werewolf got him...?"

"Probably! What else could've happened?"

Once again, the two vampires exchanged glances, this time a lot more concerned. Previously, they took Shubble's interest in vampirism as just her being young and curious, but... There was a deeper meaning to it. And a much darker one at that. All of a sudden, both of them felt the strange need to want to help her reach her goal. If only to make her feel at peace.

"Besides, I'm sure there are more monsters around than just vampires and werewolves! Like, these mountains over there?" She pointed in the direction of the mainland "I'm sure that Bigfoot lives there! Wanna go with me one day, to look for him?"

"Yeah!"

"For sure."

"Great!- Oh, look! Owen's coming back!"

All three of them turned in the direction of the bridge that led to the mainland. The lumberjack just finished dragging over a sizable pile of freshly cut wood, which would work perfectly as the skeleton of the newly built manor. He was breathing heavily from the strain, but straightened his back when he noticed the fledgling looking his way. After swiftly transforming into a bat, he flew over to them and landed in the entrance to the ruins.

"This should last us for a while..." He groaned, stretching his sore back.

"Thanks, man! Are you okay?" Sausage asked.

"Yeah, just... It's been a while," Owen admitted, a bit embarrassed about his moment of weakness. "Haven't done this in over two hundred years... But I'll be fine. Besides," He added, his voice a bit more upbeat now "I spotted a flock of sheep not far from here. About time we work on your hunting, huh, Sausage?"

"Hey, last time you told me I was doing fine!" The writer snapped back with an awkward smile.

"I mean, for my standards, you're doing fine... But if Scott saw your technique, oh, man..." The elder vampire chuckled. A relieved sigh left his mouth as something popped in his back, finally quelling the pain. "Ugh, there we go... Wait, where's Avid?"

"I told him to scour the area for any hidden entrances, but, uh..." Pyro looked around, a bit lost for words. "Yeah, you have a point, I guess."

"I'll look for him. You guys wait here for a moment, okay?" Owen asked, and not waiting for an answer, he transformed into a bat and took off into the air. 

Scouring the island as a bat was a lot easier than it would've been on foot. But even like this, Owen had trouble spotting Avid among the greenery that covered all sides of the hill. What if he left...? As much as Owen tried to be understanding towards him, he still had a sneaking suspicion that there was something the former vampire hunter wasn't telling them. Not that he could blame him... Not everyone knew how to truly appreciate the gift that was vampirism. Owen would be forever grateful for it. But it made some angry, or terrified, or desperate... And desperation led to the worst of places. He himself knew that best. He could only hope that Avid would either come to his senses before a tragedy strikes... Or that Owen will be able to neutralize him before then.

Clearly, the ache in his back was not completely gone yet, as his wings began aching a lot quicker than they usually did. The lumberjack pushed himself to his limit, but eventually, he had to turn back and continue searching on foot. That was a bit embarrassing, as someone with his experience should probably have a better hang of his abilities at this point... Being unable to do something brought back the darkest of memories from his time as a mortal human. Weak, helpless, alone... He told himself he'd never be like this again, especially when he had to take care of all these fledglings. Although, the idea of letting his guard down around them every now and then... It was nice. Owen pulled his hand through his hair, which Shubble braided a few days earlier. Would he have the guts to ask her to do that again at some point...?

Finally, Owen stumbled upon Avid as he emerged from a cavern, gaping from the side of the hill. The fledgling looked around nervously, as if to make sure he was alone. The elder vampire slowed down and bent over a little, to obscure his presence within the nearby bushes. He watched tensely as Avid looked at something in his hands, then hid it in his pockets and proceeded down towards the shore.

"What is he doing...?" Owen whispered, slowly following behind.

Another message... Another message left by Avid's people, that he just barely managed to find and decipher. This spot, tomorrow. Time was unclear, but from what he understood, it was supposed to be sometime around sunset. Their methods of communication had to be obscure and cryptic, to avoid being found out by anyone. Avid still wasn't entirely convinced whether he was doing the right thing. Maybe they would be satisfied with just taking Scott, and they would leave, allowing the others to live in peace...? Pyro didn't deserve to be hunted down. Sausage didn't deserve to be hunted down. Owen... No, he also didn't deserve that. Even with how rough around the edges he was, he could still be kind and thoughtful when he wanted to be. But Scott... No, he really was a monster. And maybe this was the way for Avid to pay for what he's done, to redeem himself and his sin, to make up for everything...

The former vampire hunter froze in place once he heard a snapping branch right behind him. Immediately, he turned around, his underdeveloped claws ready to protect him. Was he mistaken about the date of the meeting, did they come early?-

No, it was just Owen. Standing several feet back, and on a few feet elevation from his fledgling. His long hair and dark shawl blew on the wind. He could've easily blended in with the nearby trees, if it wasn't for his slightly glowing, red eyes, and white streaks among his dark curls.

"Owen!" Avid sighed with relief. "Oh gosh, I thought it was-"

"Who did you think it was?"

"Uh... I- I don't know... Any of the humans, probably..." The fledgling took a step back. "We still don't have a good excuse for them as to why we're rebuilding the castle, do we...?"

"Not really." Owen confirmed, his voice calm, but cold. Finally, he took a few steps towards Avid, his stare still glued to the younger vampire. "Are you planning something, Avid...?"

"Planning...? What would I be planning?" The man chuckled nervously.

"You tell me..." Owen nonchalantly looked down at his claws. Thanks to his improved diet in the recent weeks, they finally developed fully. Each only a bit longer than an inch, but incredibly sharp at the same time. "I know you have to keep up your vampire hunter facade for the townsfolk, but it feels like you also keep it up around us... Or is it a facade...?"

"I..."

"There's no going back, Avid. There's no cure. And even if there was..." The lumberjack picked up a random piece of driftwood, scattered on the shore. He pulled his claws through it, leaving deep, rigid marks. "I wouldn't let any of you get it."

"Why not?"

"It's not worth it. Look, just because you act like you can't turn into a bat, doesn't mean turning back into a human would be better for you, would it?" Owen smirked. "This is your home now, Avid. And these people are your family. And if you try to ruin that..." His face immediately darkened, the red in his eyes glowing stronger. "I will destroy you."

Avid gulped.

"I know."

"Good." Owen's face lit up with a small, but disturbing smile. Oh, he wasn't kidding. That was the one part of him that terrified Avid a lot more than any of Scott's actions. The eldest of the vampires was at least consistent with his hate for them, especially for Avid... While Owen could be both caring, and threatening. Just after opening up to him during their brief imprisonment, now he was threatening his fledgling's life... Although, truth be told, he did have a good reason. "We were just about to go hunting, wanna go with us?"

"Uh... Sure, yeah, just-"

Both of them immediately turned around, the second they heard someone's angry, raised voice coming from the castle. The two vampires looked at one another, and for just a second, Owen's expression softened a little.

"Oh, look... Looks like sir Goldsmith is back."

"Oh gosh..." Avid chuckled nervously. "Took him long enough..."

"Who gave you permission to wreck what's left of my home?!" 

Scott was, in fact, back, and furious at the fledglings. His eyes were glowing a bright, fierce red. Especially when he noticed that neither Pyro, nor Shubble, nor even Sausage seemed phased by his anger. Is this how low he had stooped? They no longer respected him, sure, but not fearing him? What did he do to deserve such treatment?

"You have all of Oakhurst and all of the forest to make it into your stupid little nest! And you come here and mess up my mansion?! Did Owen tell you to do that? Let me get my hands on this-"

"Pearl!" Shubble suddenly gasped, only now noticing the presence of the newest vampire. Previously, they were so focused at Scott's display, they didn't even notice her standing behind him. "Wait, are you...?"

"Yeah!" The young woman chuckled, before opening her mouth to show off her newly developed fangs. Shubble's eyes lit up with excitement. "Wasn't exactly my choice, but... It was either that, or I would've been dead somewhere in a cave..."

"What happened to controlling our numbers, huh?" Scott turned around when he heard Owen's voice from the top of a ruined wall. "First Sausage, now her... I thought we wanted to keep a low profile? And here you are, just turning whoever you like?"

"You have no word on that," The elder vampire growled.

"He didn't turn me just because he wanted to," Pearl argued, stepping forward to defend her friend. "We had an accident, I would've died... He saved me."

"Scott saved you?" Pyro repeated.

Everyone exchanged surprised expressions. Scott was a bit strange and eccentric, sure, but the idea of him saving someone... The closest thing to that was probably when he defended Shubble from the vampires, especially from Owen. But it was different... He turned her, getting her into the coven by extension. What sort of bond between the two of them would push him to do something like this? Just what happened when he was taking his 'vacation' from the fledglings?

"Oh gosh, I gotta include a room for you too now!" Shubble gasped and pulled out her notebook. "Can we have rooms close to each other?"

"Uh... Sure, why not?" Pearl chuckled, then approached Shubble to take a look.

"Hold on... Let me look." Scott reached out his hand. Reluctantly, the girl handed him her notebook, opened at the page with the final version of their plan. It looked actually pretty well thought out, with a ballroom, large storage, safe spots for hiding in case an intruder stumbled upon the place, and- "Wait... You included a bedroom... For me...?"

"Yeah! We can't exactly kick you out since it's still your home, is it?" She replied with a silly smile.

"Well, if you don't want it..." Pyro tried to argue, but the elder vampire interrupted him:

"Shut up. I do want it."

"Great! Owen just got us wood for the skeleton, and we'll start working on it this evening!" Shubble took the notebook from Scott and began noting something down on it. "Wait, Pearl, can we be roommates instead...?"

The rest of the conversation completely escaped Scott. He stood there in silence, pondering what he just heard. He all but abandoned his fledglings for weeks, thinking that they would forget about him, and leave him alone... Leave him behind. But they didn't. They even included him in their plans for the future. They wanted him to be a part of their future... A strange sort of warmth filled his chest, and Scott barely held back from placing his hand there. He didn't know what sort of feeling that was, he couldn't explain it or name it. But maybe... Maybe it actually did feel good.

Maybe this time, he wouldn't be left behind...?

Chapter 21: Familiar link

Summary:

Scott's return to the coven prompts him and Owen to have a long conversation. At the same time, Avid makes a choice to do the 'right thing'.

Notes:

Just a quick info: due to some very last minute irl happenings, the updates for the next week or so might be a bit more irregular. A few things happened all at once and I have to tend to them, and I'm already exhausted even thinking about them. I'll try to keep you guys updated though and I'll try to keep my upload schedule as regular as possible (I have one more pre-written chapter so the next upload is secured) but in case I miss something, sorry!

Even if Scott approved of his fledglings rebuilding his old castle, that didn't mean he was going to actually help. Most of the time, he just sat on the bridge leading up to the island, watching from afar. Sometimes he flew closer to throw around comments, but in general, he stood a lot more hands-off than the coven initially expected. That had its perks, though. They didn't have to deal with his sarcasm all that often, and could mostly ignore whatever comments he did make. He was always in close proximity, however, as if ready to stop them at any moment. But he didn't. For the rest of the first day, and a majority of the second, he just observed. 

Even his comments did not feel as sharp and venomous as usual. He even managed to crack a smile once or twice, especially around Pearl. That was definitely new to all the vampires who grew to know him as gloomy, prideful and full of himself... None of them really knew where that change originated from - they just knew that it would pass eventually.

They could still make use of it. Or at least, one of them wanted to do so.

After making sure everyone knew what to do, Owen disconnected from the group and slowly walked up to Scott. The elder vampire was deep in thought, staring somewhere off in the distance, so he didn't even notice him at first. When so close to him, Owen finally could take a good, long look at him. He already felt there was something... Off about him. When he sat on the railing, he slouched more than usual. His hair was messy and not as well put together as usual. There was a sense of longing and wonder in his dim, red eyes. However, as soon as Scott picked up on Owen's presence, his pointy ear twitched, and he turned to the lumberjack with his usual cocky grin.

"What is it?" He asked. "You need my help after all?"

"No, we don't." Owen shook his head and leaned over the railing. "M was taught to be a carpenter, so he's handling the technical side... I'm just doing the one thing I'm good at."

"Like what? Being sad, miserable and whiny?"

"Isn't that what you're doing right now?"

"Excuse me?" Scott scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Come on, Scott. Drop the mask already." Owen looked up at him, his brows furrowing. "There's no way that all there is to you, is it? Just this... This pompous, rich asshole that doesn't care about anyone..."

Scott squinted.

"Why do you care?"

"Well, whether you like it or not," Owen said, before jumping on top of the railing and standing over Scott "These people look up to you. If not for comfort, or kindness, then at least for experience and knowledge."

"They have you-"

"My whole experience of being a vampire is massacring two thousand seven hundred and ninety-nine people. Not very useful when you're trying to build a safe community... Not to mention, you got most of them into this situation."

"I didn't get Avid into this..."

Owen rolled his eyes with a frustrated groan. He probably wouldn't have minded it as much if he knew that Scott had a point, and was just arguing against him. But they both knew that he was in the wrong. He was just grasping at straws, trying to push the responsibility as far away as he could.

"Fine, you don't have to care about him. Or me, for that matter. I can take care of both of us. But you turned Pyro, you turned Sausage, you turned Pearl and... Well, Shubble is a weird case. But she trusts you, for whatever reason." Owen sighed and leaned over Scott. "It's like you don't want these people to respect you..."

"You're right. I don't." Scott looked up at him, his eyes lighting up an angry red. "I never wanted to have anything to do with you, any of you."

"Well you do! Whatever happened to your family, to your old coven; you have people that need support right here! And you either act like they don't exist, or you treat them like garbage!"

The elder vampire snickered at the sentiment. Impossible, that during his absence, Owen actually grew to care for these fledglings... Maybe he just got used to them, courtesy of being the only person capable of protecting them. And now, he was going to make that Scott's problem?

"That's rich coming from you... What happened to you missing your friend, and being so depressed about it?"

Owen took a sharp breath, barely holding back from blowing up at Scott. He knew exactly what to say to hurt him most... The vampire wiped his face, to get rid of any tears that came up to his eyes. Maybe arguing with him was pointless. Maybe truly, all he wanted to do was to cause as much pain and suffering as possible.

"I'm trying, Scott," The lumberjack eventually said, ignoring how his voice broke. "It still hurts as hell. I will never stop missing him, but... Now I have other people that need me, right here and now." He paused for a second, recollecting himself. "I met one Goldsmith before you. Maybe I was foolish, for thinking that since he was a good person, then you could be as well. I'm glad he didn't turn out like you..."

Owen turned around, ready to leave Scott be and resume his work on the castle. Before he could leave however, he felt the elder vampire grab the edge of his shawl and pull on it. He let out a quiet, startled hiss. What did he want this time? To rub even more salt into the wound?

"Stay."

"Why?"

"If you answer me a few more questions, I'll tell you all I know of... Him."

Owen shivered at the proposition. He was talking of Lewis, wasn't he...? He had to, since he just brought him up a minute ago... But how would he know whether Scott was saying the truth? Would he even say anything important, anything that mattered? He looked in the direction of the castle. He could see Sausage, Pyro and Pearl, setting up the wooden skeleton of the front wall. Maybe they would be fine for a moment longer... Finally, he turned around and sat down on the railing, a few feet away from Scott.

"What is it?"

"How... How were they doing, when I wasn't around?"

Owen scoffed. 

"We were doing great... I taught Sausage how to hunt."

"In your plebeian ways?"

"In a way that works for him," The lumberjack snapped back. "He even managed to turn into a bat once... But hasn't been able to replicate it since."

"And Avid...?"

"Still can't transform. I'm pretty sure it's just a mental blockade, though."

"What about Shubble? Did you keep her safe?"

Owen turned to Scott for a second. He really could care every now and then, couldn't he...? He saved her from being devoured. And now, he was making sure she was fine. It almost felt as if he wanted to care, but something prevented him... A similar thing to what prevented Avid from reaching his full vampiric potential. And what prevented Owen from moving on from Louis. 

"I did... She can be a handful, but... She was really enthusiastic to learn more about the creatures of the night," the lumberjack chuckled. "She asked for you, when you stopped coming to your house."

"Well, I'm sorry I have other places where I can sleep undisturbed," Scott rolled his eyes. Although, guessing from how dim his eyes got, he hasn't got much sleep in the past few weeks. His eyebags almost rivaled Owen's. 

"Like I said... Like it or not, these people want you in their lives. And acting like an asshole won't free you, it will just make everything harder for everyone."

"Wow, what an expert at relationships you are..."

"I'm not. And I'm not trying to be. I'm just telling you what I see." The younger vampire turned to him, then began to pick at the edge of his shawl. "Maybe we can make this work... I mean, it'd be nice if we could. But I don't think you're interested in that, are you...?"

Scott went silent. The idea of being a part of a new coven was so strange and unfamiliar to him... His whole life, everything he did was because of the Goldsmiths and for the Goldsmiths. He sired so many of them, sacrificed so many busy nights and sleepless days for them... Only for them to leave him here, during his nap that was supposed to be a brief break from them. And yet, when he tried doing the same to these fledglings, this time hoping for the same outcome... They stayed. He just didn't wait long enough, did he? For some reason, they still cared, cared enough to include him in their plans for the future... A strange sense of unfamiliarity pooled in his stomach like a lake of warm tar. Like a sense of comfort that he wasn't sure if he actually wanted.

"You know this is not how covens are usually made, do you?"

"No, I don't." Owen rolled his eyes "I've never been in one. You're the only one that's ever been in one, among us."

"It wasn't just a coven," Scott hissed quietly. "The Goldsmiths were- are my family. Related by blood. Those kinds of bonds are unbreakable. But what would you know about that?"

The lumberjack gritted his teeth. If he wanted his answers, he would still have to put up with Scott's being an asshole, wouldn't he? He probably wanted to push him away, so that he wouldn't have to actually keep his word and tell Owen anything... Unfortunately, the longing he had for Lewis was stronger than any disdain for Scott.

"I guess I wouldn't. But they're not here, not anymore. I don't know why you're so against trying to make something new, but-" Owen paused at that moment. Only then, it finally clicked in his head, to the point where he breathed out a bit more heavily than he would otherwise. "Because you miss them. And you don't wanna move on."

Scott flinched, but otherwise stayed silent. Oh, great... Was Owen just gonna hover over him now, telling him all the things he never wanted to internalize? He wasn't supposed to know. None of them were. He really has gone soft since waking up, hasn't he...? He was no longer able to bottle things up as well as he used to. The metaphorical bottle was now full of cracks, and everything slowly leaked from inside out. Oh, how embarassing... He raised his hand to his chest, to scratch the old scar that began to bother him again. There was only one way to get out of this conversation with a face. Even if he wanted to play it off in a way that would allow him to avoid it.

"Louis Goldsmith..." He eventually whispered, noticing in the corner of his eye as Owen straightened. The way his pupils dilated, like he was a lovesick puppy... Adorable. And gross. "I sired so many fledglings in my life, but maybe I can remember something about him..."

"You have to. I saw the family tree, he was around before you went into hiding." Scott shivered at the way Owen phrased it. "You had to have met, right...?" His voice was almost pleading. He really needed any information there was out there, didn't he...? And Scott was the only person who could provide them. He held that power over his unruly companion. He could use it against him, do whatever he wanted with him in exchange for even a slither of news...

But he didn't want to. Not this time.

"Oh, Louis... I remember him now." Scott tilted his head back with a slimy smile. Owen suddenly felt a wave of heat crossing his chest. Finally... "What an embarrassment he was... The prodigal son..."

"He wasn't directly your son, was he...?"

Scott shook his head.

"Just a courtesy thing, among Goldsmiths. As the grand duke, I sired all the fledglings born into the family, and then some... I was considered their sire, and their father. But I didn't have my own kids. Too much work. He was..." He paused for a moment. "Oh, right. He was the son of one of my sisters."

"But... He wasn't an embarrassment."

"I had everything planned for him, just like for every other fledgling... All he had to do was listen, and not resist. But he didn't want that... He didn't want to live in luxury and safety, among his fellow Goldsmiths. He'd rather mingle with the mortals. Like..." He eyed Owen for a second. The lumberjack slouched a bit at that, his slowly building confidence dropping. He was one of the reasons why Lewis was seen as an embarrassment... But he wasn't the only one. And he wasn't sure which part was worse. "He ran away from home shortly before I... Decided to take a little break from it all." Scott yawned nonchalantly and closed his eyes. "Said he had some friends in a town nearby, and he was going to live there... I wished him good luck, and to go to hell. And would you look at that, I was right..."

Owen's hands tightened on the railing, his knuckles turning white.

"And he did fine... He became the mayor of Oakhurst. He helped me..."

"And burned at stake for that."

"He was a good person."

"And that's what killed him!"

"That's how you're so ancient, huh?"

Scott chuckled and cracked one eye open, to look at Owen. To think what would've been, if this silly little commoner got into the family... Maybe Scott would've just torn him to shreds, first thing after meeting him. 

"You know that since Louis sired you, you're technically a Goldsmith...?"

"I'm not," Owen gruffed and turned his face away. "I never wanted to be a part of any sort of stupid family of rich nobles. I just wanted him. And the humans took him away from me. But you don't seem phased by it..."

"Well, it is a shame..."

"Would you have stopped it, given a chance...?"

Scott paused for a moment, looking straight at Owen again. Their eyes met. The lumberjack was so focused, so serious... He wanted to know. And Scott only really knew one way to answer.

"I would. Because he was my family."

"Well then!" Owen got up from his spot and turned around once more "Now apply that thinking to all of them," He gestured towards the island. "Because they're also your family now. They're not some pompous nobles, but... They're here. And they care about you. The least you can do is care about them."

And without another word, Owen left in the direction of the island.

Scott turned after him, watching the lumberjack leave. He was a far cry from the scrawny, lost, quiet man he met when he first woke up and stumbled into Oakhurst... He carried himself with so much more certainty, and defiance. Not to mention the physical changes. His long, loosely braided hair was now riddled with white streaks. He was no longer so slender and sickly, and his eyes carried this air of strength in them. He really did remind Scott of Louis... No wonder he grabbed the young Goldsmiths' attention. Maybe he would've made for a fine addition to the family, back in the day.

But, whether he liked it or not, Scott had to agree with him. The Goldsmiths were no longer here, and there were no signs of them coming back anytime soon. Maybe they would. But, in the meantime... He had to find something else to put his mind into. Maybe taking care of the fledglings wasn't the worst thing to occupy his head with...

Until his real family was back, at least.

---

The sun was almost gone under the horizon, when Avid approached a cavern he discovered the previous day. He looked around carefully, making sure that no one would be able to spot him, then carefully entered. Gravel crunched under his shoes as he shuffled into the darkness. His vampiric eyes quickly began seeing in the dark, but he still reached out his hand, looking for some support. 

Then, a voice echoed in the cavern.

"Avid, from battalion M."

"Yes, sir."

The voice was slightly distorted by the echo, but Avid could immediately tell he didn't recognize it from his training. It was a bit raspy, definitely belonging to a guy older than him. He could even spot where he was sitting, in the very corner of the grotto. Most of his face was obscured with a mask. He could only see his piercing dark eyes, and a colored streak in his hair.

"Where's your companion?"

"Elle is, uh... Patrolling around Oakhurst."

His throat went dry at the lie. He really, really wished that was the truth. That was supposed to be the truth... But it wasn't. But he was fixing this now. He was making up for that.

"Didn't expect there would be company... Are there vampires among these?" 

"No," Avid shook his head, praying that this wasn't a tricky question. He saw the most probable way through which the hunter got here - there was a narrow tunnel at the end of the grotto, which opened to a much bigger cave. There was a chance he never got a chance to actually see all the vampires here... "They're just trying to rebuild the place. For safety purposes."

"Our records talk about one, possibly two vampires around. One of these blummin' Goldsmiths... And a fiend that wiped out Oakhurst two hundred years ago. Do you know of any others...?"

Avid paused for just a second. A second too long of hesitation could doom him... But despite that, he quickly added:

"I have only spotted the Goldsmith. I think the other one perished soon after the massacre. Or he still lies dormant. If you remove the Goldsmith, I can find him and... Neutralize him."

The hunter nodded with a bloodlusty grin he obviously didn't expect Avid to see. Oh, the painful irony... But Avid was doing the right thing. He had to. He was only helping them go after Scott... He deserved that. Then, thinking that their job is done, they'd leave, and let the others be. Yes, he was in the right this time. He had to be.

"Great... Since you seem so eager... We can let you finish off the Goldsmith."

"What...?"

"We have a new weapon to test. We can unleash it on this place tomorrow afternoon... Just make sure he's there. It will either finish him off, or you can pick up the scraps and kill that parasite."

Avid gulped.

"Thank you for this honor. What am I meant to do, to, uh... To ensure our victory...?"

"Like I said, just get him here. And any other vampires, if you manage to find someone out. And then... Enjoy the show."

"I will."

The hunter slid something small across the ground, in Avid's direction. Then, without another word, he headed in the direction of the narrow tunnel, and disappeared inside. The former vampire hunter took a step forward, wanting to follow him, but ultimately stood in place. No, he shouldn't... He had his own responsibilities to tend to. He leaned down and picked up the trinket from the ground. Another calling whistle... Probably to alert them, when the job was done. When the Goldsmith was finished... Avid took a deep breath, then slid the whistle into his pocket and headed outside.

He was doing the right thing, he had to... But all of a sudden, this supposed 'right thing' left a bitter taste in his mouth. A taste that was strangely reminiscent of blood.

Chapter 22: Bait and snitch

Summary:

Scott wants to properly teach his fledglings about vampirism. However, their lecture gets interrupted.

Notes:

Ooooh I've been waiting for this one for SO long...... Enjoy :3

By the way, today is my one year ao3versary! (aka one year since I started uploading on ao3) it's been a while, huh? :>

The next day, the castle rebuilding efforts were put on hold, as per Scott's request. Given an idea by Avid, he decided to put it into fruition immediately. So, just past noon, all of the vampires (plus Shubble) took spots in the ruins of the once grand ballroom, staring at the eldest of them with anticipation. Scott had just enough time to prepare, and for the first time ever, he didn't seem to absolutely hate what he was doing. As soon as he finished writing something on the half-preserved stone wall, using a broken piece of brick, he turned to the fledglings, waiting for them to stop whispering.

"So," he began speaking, "Welcome to 'Goldsmiths' guide to proper vampirism', where I'm finally going to teach you lot how to act like proper vampires. I'm not having you act like a group of peasants that was given supernatural powers and is embarrassing the whole vampiric community." He gave Owen a meaningful look. The lumberjack tensed a little, but calmed down when Shubble put a hand on his shoulder. "Believe it or not, even though we're all seen as bloodthirsty monsters, we are so much more than that. And you're all in luck, as yours truly" He did a little prideful bow "knows everything there is to be known about vampires."

"This is gonna be interesting..." Owen sighed, leaning back a bit into a half-seated position. Despite no longer being considered a fledgling in a traditional sense, he decided to participate either way, to make sure Scott wouldn't say anything wrong or damaging. Of course, the elder vampire's experience far surpassed his own, but he was also the only person in a position to really argue with him. "Was that your idea?"

"Partially, yes... But it started with Avid, who wanted me to tell him a bit more about our customs and traditions." Scott gestured to the former vampire hunter, sitting in the front with a nervous smile.

Yes, he did ask that. But this was the opposite of what he wanted... His plan was for the others to leave for the day, while Scott spent the whole time yapping about vampirism and his family. Then, the plan he set up with the vampire hunters would work perfectly... And now, he had to be on the lookout, making sure that once this weapon of theirs appeared, no one else would get hurt. He wasn't even sure what sort of weapon they meant... During his time in training, he got to learn just how cruel and ruthless the hunters could be. He expected a lot from them... Hopefully, no one but their actual target would get hurt.

"That's such a great idea, though!" Shubble added, her pen clicking open as she began scribbling in her notebook. "Can you do another lecture like this about other monsters? What do you know about Bigfoot?"

"Oh, these are long extinct in these parts... Wait, we're getting off topic." Scott shook his head, then turned back to his writing on the wall. "Lesson one: feeding. Sounds simple, since it's something we do every day... But there are a lot of things you need to know to do it the proper way."

"The Goldsmith way?" Owen rolled his eyes.

"Correct!" Scott nodded with a sly smile. The lumberjack sighed. There was a slither of a chance he would learn something interesting... If he could only get past the layers of Scott's pride and coaxing his long gone family. The vampire picked up one of the branches littering the ground, then began pointing to the wall. For the time being, it listed out different ways of vampiric feeding. "There are many ways in which a vampire can feed. Blood is the most common one, and the simplest. You can try animal blood and you'll be fine with that, but human blood is a lot more nutritious... Of course, it depends from person to person."

Shubble and Sausage were taking notes with equal excitement. Pearl was staring off into the distance, watching the birds flying over their heads, but seemed to be listening. Owen slumped over Pyro's shoulder, which made the scholar flinch, but he didn't push him off. Only Avid seemed too distracted to actually take something away from this lecture. He kept staring in the direction of the bridge, waiting. But for what? Maybe the vampire hunters would see that there are more seemingly innocent people around, and would just leave them be? No, no, it wasn't in their style... But he was still doing the right thing, right?

"Avid?" The fledgling jumped as Scott called out his name. "Why are you not paying attention? Out of everyone, your abilities could use some work..."

"S- Sorry! I just got... Distracted. But I'm listening!" Avid immediately turned back, at the same time pulling his knees closer to his chest. Scott hummed in hesitation, but ultimately continued to talk. Quickly, the former vampire hunter realized that he did, in fact, miss a bunch of what he was saying. "You don't have to turn someone to feed from them... But courtesy requires you to ask first. Just like with entering someone's house."

"So we have to get permission to feed from someone," Pyro clarified. Scott chuckled at that.

"No, no no no... I said you have to ask. If they say no, you can just, you know... Use a little bit more force. Maybe turn them, as a punishment."

"Oh." Pyro shuddered a little at the suggestion. 

"Although, the rules of proper turning are a whole other topic that I don't know if I wanna start today..." Scott pulled out a torn off piece of paper from his pocket and looked down at it. "But maybe I should move it up... So that none of you start going around, turning people..."

"It should be a group decision, don'tcha think?" Pyro suggested. "We should discuss it. Maybe make a list."

"A kill list?" Pearl asked with a cheeky smile, which was met with laughter. "Hey, I'm just sayin'! So that we don't have any accidental new vampires that will tell everyone in town about us..."

The words 'accidental new vampires' made Owen pull away from Pyro and look in Avid's direction. He's been acting really suspicious lately... As if he was talking to someone, or waiting for something. Just now, when the coven was finally all together, when they were almost fine... Owen clenched his fists, but remained silent. For the first time in two hundred years, he finally had something resembling a family... No, he wouldn't ruin this moment. But he also wouldn't let Avid ruin it. If he had to choose between them and him, even if he was his own fledgling...

"Owen? Can you come here for a second?" He was suddenly pulled out of his head once he heard Scott call his name.

"Huh? Why?" The lumberjack asked, but obediently got up from the ground.

"Come on, you're gonna serve as an example. I don't trust the rest of these fools just yet."

"Hooray..." Owen sighed, walking between Pyro and Pearl and walking up to Scott. Immediately, the elder vampire grabbed him by the hand and tilted it to the side, exposing the vampire's neck. He let out a quiet hiss "What the hell?"

"Calm down, you'll be fine... You wanna aim for the neck whenever you can. Ideally, you wanna hit the artery... But in case you miss, don't redo it. Just roll with whatever you get." Scott's fangs clicked open and he leaned down, before whispering into Owen's ear "This is for humiliating me during our duel..."

"What?"

Immediately, Scott's fangs dug into Owen's neck. The vampire tensed and let out a low growl. He was ready to fight back, but... Scott didn't go any further than that. He didn't attempt to drink the remaining rotten blood from his veins. He didn't rip his flesh apart. Instead, he began speaking again, while still keeping his fangs in Owen's skin.

"After that, it's pretty simple. You put your lips firmly on the skin and start taking small sips, swallowing often. You don't want to hold too much in your mouth at once. Especially if you're in a hurry... An elbow to the stomach and you're gonna choke. Trust me, it's not pleasant."

"Can you get off me already?" Owen grumbled, which was met with the fledgling giggling.

"A second, silly... It's hard to tell the difference between just feeding, turning someone, and killing them," Scott continued to speak. Talking like that was far from easy for him as well... But he'd rather be inconvenienced a bit, if that meant making Owen pay for what he did. An eye for an eye, humiliation for humiliation. "It might be hard to tell at first... Generally, if the person you're feeding off faints, you should stop. There's a bigger chance you entered the turning territory, and we don't want that."

"We don't?" Pyro asked, but went quiet seeing Scott's serious expression.

"You don't. Which brings me to the second lesson... Oh, you can go now, Owen." Scott pulled his fangs out of the lumberjack's neck. He stumbled back a little, before returning to the group. That was far from a pleasant experience... But maybe that was enough revenge for Scott. At least for now. The vampire began wiping the wall clean, and then writing something new.

"Hey, Shub? Wanna compare notes later?" Sausage leaned towards the girl, whispering over her shoulder.

"Sure! But you don't wanna practice on me, right...?"

"Oh, goodness no! Besides, Owen said I'm doing just fine with drinking blood... And I wouldn't even dream of drinking from you!"

Shubble sighed with relief. The night when they learned the truth was still fresh on their mind, and yet... This felt good. Hanging out with a group of supernatural beings, but being accepted by them as a human. At first, she wasn't sure whether they tolerated her only because of Scott's protection over her... But now, she was slowly beginning to believe that they actually liked her for her. Unlike all these people back at home, that saw her as a freak, a weirdo... Even if she was, here, she was surrounded by other freaks. And this made them feel at home. Maybe they would allow her to stay with them for a while longer...?

"Lesson two: hierarchy and titles." Scott finally said after he was done talking. He tapped the wall with the stick, where it said 'SIRE' in cursive. "This is the title used towards the person who turned you, regardless of their hierarchy. So, I'm all of yours' sire... Well, except Owen. And he is Avid's sire."

"Wait, really?" Pearl turned to the lumberjack, who shrugged.

"Yeah... An accident at work."

Avid shivered, but stayed quiet. The minutes were getting dragged into infinity, when even he didn't know what he was waiting for.

"Question, do we have to call you guys that...?" Pyro raised his hand. "I mean, I already tried doing that, but do I have to keep going...?"

"That would be appreciated, if you wanna stay on my good side." Scott grinned, before continuing, tapping the next word on the wall. "The next term you wanna know is 'fledgling'. It's the word for young vampires, especially those that were turned recently. Usually, you stop using it once a fledgling turns someone, but not always... Which means technically, neither me nor Owen are fledglings. Although, if it was based on experience..." He shot Owen another glance.

"Well, I do have experience taking care of your fledglings and kicking your ass, so I don't know what you're talking about..." Owen responded more snappily than previously. That was met with chuckles from the vampires. Scott took a deep breath, to hold back from scolding the commoner, then continued talking as if nothing happened.

"The hierarchy among Goldsmiths adds a few more layers... At the top of the hierarchy, there is the grand sire." He moved over to another drawing, showing a pyramid of hierarchy in his lineage. He tapped the very top, before continuing "Which, coincidentally, at this moment... That's me! The grand sire is somewhat like the king, the ruler of the family. He makes all of the most important decisions, he's in charge of turning the young into vampires... Which is why, aside from being the sire, he's also often called the father. Not to be confused with... Shubble?" He paused when noticing the only human raising their hand.

"How does one become the grand sire?"

"Well, I can speak from personal experience on that..." The vampire smirked pridefully. "Usually, it requires challenging the reigning grand duke to a vampiric duel."

"Vampiric duel?" Pyro repeated.

Everyone's eyes, aside from Scott and Avid's, turned to Owen. The lumberjack clenched his teeth, his body language getting a bit more withdrawn. 

"What?"

"You won a vampiric duel with Scott, doesn't that make you the new grand sire?" 

"What? No, no no no! It doesn't! Right, Scott?"

"Well..." The elder vampire tried keeping a straight face, but the continued reminders of their fight was annoying him to no end. They just wouldn't let it go, would they? Luckily, he did have one ace up his sleeve. "It doesn't. A true vampiric duel ends with one vampire killing the other, and preferably consuming them. The ultimate sign of superiority..."

"Have you done that when you challenged the previous duke?" Shubble asked, her eyes wide with excitement. They gasped when Scott confirmed with a nod. "Wow..."

"I also had many challengers after that... I didn't let a single one live. So, Owen... Consider yourself lucky."

"Lucky? I beat you up! What else did you want me to-"

Owen paused, the second some sort of distant sound reached them. It was close to... Roaring. Whatever let it out, probably had some serious lung capacity, but also seemed far away... Everyone turned in the direction of the bridge, but saw nothing there. Owen squinted. Avid was looking that way the whole time...

"Avid?"

"Y-yeah?"

"You know what that was?"

"Me? I have no idea..." He wasn't lying, exactly. Was that sound connected to the vampire hunters' weapon? "Does anything even live in these woods that could make that sound...?"

"Well, maybe a werewolf... But they wouldn't be active at this time of the day..." Scott muttered, then let out a chuckle when noticing the excitement in Shubble's eyes. "Where was I... Oh, right! It's difficult to become the grand duke, but it's also hard to be one... It's an extremely demanding role."

"What do you even do as a grand duke, huh? Aside from taking everyone's food?" Owen chuckled.

"The grand duke is in charge of the family. They protect the family from any danger that might come upon them. They decide the fate of every fledgling under them. They choose their path, their mate, their calling... Unless, of course, they decide to leave the family and frolic with the commoners," He added in a dry, slightly spiteful tone, bending the stick in his hands.

"Wait, you choose everything?" Pyro shuddered. "Why...?"

"Because the grand duke knows best, silly!" Scott smirked, his eyes flashing a bright red. "If I thought it was best for you to become Sausage's mate, that would happen."

The two fledglings looked at one another for a second, before sliding away a little bit. They were friends, sure, but... That would be going a bit far.

"Which is where another rule comes into the picture... You always listen to the grand duke." Scott's voice suddenly got a bit louder, more full of conviction and confidence. "If the grand duke wants something from you, you give it to them. If they want your mate, or your meal, or anything else... You give it up for them."

"That's a stupid rule..." Pearl suddenly said. "We're supposed to be a family, right? And not your... I dunno, playthings?"

"Yeah! Can't we make it work differently, since we're starting from scratch?" Sausage suggested.

"Oh yeah, we should!" Shubble chimed in. "We can make our own rules! I can share my stuff with you guys, but you gotta ask first, okay? And no going into my room! Except you, Pearl, we will be roommates after all."

"That's fine!" Pearl snickered, before adding "Oh, we should have board games night as a rule!"

"I can teach you guys how to play poker!" Pyro suggested, before turning to the other fledglings. "We don't have chips, but we can bet with something else..."

"I can make us chips! I can carve them out of leftover wood!" Sausage added.

"What about hunting rules, huh?" Owen chuckled, moving closer to them. "Is it all for themselves, or...?"

"We should try to help each other!" Shubble exclaimed. She wasn't exactly included when it came to hunting and feeding, but at that moment, she felt immersed in this wacky, but ultimately caring vampire family. "Oh, speaking of! Owen, we can make you the grand duke, if you want!"

"Huh? No, no, there's no need, I'd rather-" He paused, then a sudden snapping sound reached him. 

All of the fledglings turned back to face Scott. He was still standing in place, but the stick in his hands turned into two shorter sticks. His face was red, as he held back from yelling at them. He put so much effort into turning them, caring for them, educating them... Only for them to go back on what he told them, and make up their own rules? But why? He grew up like this, and he turned out fine... Why wouldn't they listen to him?

"Scott...?" Shubble asked, clearly concerned. "Are you okay?"

"I..." The vampire opened his mouth, but closed it when tears came up to his eyes. He immediately turned away and began frantically wiping them. No, no no no, not now, that would be way too embarassing... He took a deep breath, trying to calm down. It's fine, they'll learn eventually that he was right...

And then, another snapping sound reached them. A much, much louder one.

Immediately, all the vampires jumped up and turned in the direction of the mainland. A flock of birds picked up from the trees, escaping something that crossed the forest in their direction. Avid, who was standing the closest, took a few steps back. The snapping repeated, this time it was much closer. Something was coming for them.

"What the hell...?" Scott whispered, tossing the stick aside and walking to the front of the group. He squinted, barely making out a human... No, a humanoid shape between the trees. It was far too tall to be a human... And a human wouldn't move like that. It looked more like some sort of monster, at least ten feet tall...

"Scott...?" Owen walked up to him, shielding the fledglings with his arms.

"Get them somewhere safe, Owen. I'll deal with that."

"What is that, Scott?-"

And then, it emerged.

A giant, bipedal creature, covered in thick, black fur, stumbled out from the woods. It left deep, giant footprints in the ground, and snapped branches when walking into them. Its face was barely visible under the fur, but they could see its eyes from afar - bloodshot, already seeing red. Seeing the group of vampires, the beast roared once more, then began running at them across the bridge.

"Bigfoot! He's real!" Shubble gasped.

"Everyone, scatter!" Scott yelled. His fangs opened. "Stay far away from the bridge!"

"Wait, Scott, I can help!" Owen called out after him. But, by that time, the grand duke of Goldsmiths was already charging head-first at the bigfoot.

The monster roared and slashed its claws, which the vampire narrowly avoided. He hissed as a warning, taking a step back to regain his footing. That was new... It's been an age since he'd seen a bigfoot in these areas. Even during his time, they were rare. And they were never aggressive, while this one seemed to be going straight for the kill... Its fur was covered in something sticky that smelled disgusting. Scott immediately began feeling nauseous.

"Stay away from my fledglings," The vampire growled, before slashing his own claws. He pulled them through the beast's arms, but the fur was too thick to draw blood. Still, the monster roared, and this time landed a hit; it sent Scott flying several feet back.

"Scott!" Owen yelled in his direction. He rushed the fledglings towards the crypt in the ground, but was ready to join his elder after he was sure everyone was safe. "Wait, where's Avid?"

"Avid! Come on!" Pearl poked out of the crypt and waved to the former vampire hunter. He was still standing in place, too terrified to move. Was that their weapon...? A living, breathing bigfoot, probably augmented to fit the hunters' needs...? He wanted to be impressed. But, at that moment, he was frozen with fear.

"Avid! Damn it..." Owen dashed towards his fledgling and pulled him back. "Avid, come on! You gotta hide!" 

"Owen... I..."

The lumberjack paused.

"Avid...?"

The fledgling shivered, avoiding eye contact. No, no, it had to be unrelated, right? There was no way the vampire hunters would catch another monster and send it after them... It was impossible, wasn't it? And even if they did... He didn't want that, he just wanted to aid them, he wanted to help...

He was snapped out of his head the second he heard a scream. The Bigfoot caught Scott by the ankle, flailing him upwards, before tossing him off the bridge.

"Scott!"

Owen immediately let go of Avid and ran straight at the monster. He narrowly avoided another slash of its strong claws, but was struggling to find an opening. The thick fur proved to be great protection, and he didn't want to get anywhere near its strong claws and arms... He hissed, just like Scott once did, his eyes lighting up red. But that did not phase the monster, not one bit.

"Owen! Get out of there!" He heard Sausage yelling after him. Soon, the other voices reached him.

"Owen! Run!"

"Don't fight it!"

"Owen!"

The screaming unfortunately made him lose focus, and after a few more dodges, the bigfoot finally landed a hit. It slashed Owen across his chest, sending him tumbling back and falling to the ground. The lumberjack struggled to catch his breath, his chest was burning with unbearable pain. Still, he attempted to pull himself up and get his head back into the fight.

"Owen! We're coming!" 

"No... Don't..." He wheezed, before beginning to cough.

But before the fledgling could come with aid, a small, fluffy shape emerged from under the bridge, and hit the monster in the back of its head.

"I said, stay away from my fledglings!" Scott yelled upon transforming back into his human form. He landed on the bigfoot's back, his arms wrapped around its neck. The beast roared, flailing and struggling to get him off. The vampire was sopping wet, he probably fell into the river after he was thrown away like a discarded toy. He was also struggling to keep himself up, but at least now, the monster couldn't reach him... Still, his claws were not enough to put an end to it. He had to do something he dreaded doing.

Scott's fangs opened once more, then cut straight into the cryptid's neck. It let out another deafening roar, stumbling back and struggling to keep balance. The vampire began greedily drinking its blood, hoping it would be enough to knock it unconscious. At first, he almost retched. That was the most disgusting, rancid tasting blood he had ever tasted... Did all bigfoot taste like that? If so, no wonder they were not a popular meal among vampires... Still, he kept drinking, not minding too much when some of the blood dripped out of his mouth. That was the only way he knew how to take it out. And he would rather suffer the gross taste than let any of his fledglings get hurt.

With time, the bigfoot began struggling less and less. Scott directed it away from the fledglings, until finally, he sucked out enough of its blood for the monster to collapse. Its face smashed against a ruined wall, cracking open and killing the monster. Scott stayed glued to it for a moment longer, just to make absolute sure that the monster would not get up, and then finally pulled his fangs away. He took a big breath, gasping for air in hopes of alleviating the disgusting taste.

"Scott!"

Shubble, Pearl and Pyro immediately ran up to their sire. Avid and Sausage stayed with Owen, helping him get up from the ground. The grand sire of Goldsmiths gestured for them to stop for a moment, as he rose from the monster.

"Is everyone okay?"

He wasn't, that's for sure. He was drenched and exhausted. His hands and legs tingled from the strain. The blood he just drank weighed heavy on him, and his lungs struggled in search of more air. 

"We'll be fine, sire... What about you, though?" Pyro attempted to support Scott from one side, but the elder refused.

"I'm okay... That was nothing..." He chuckled, which quickly turned into coughing.

He was far from okay, and with each second, that was becoming more and more apparent. His whole body began shaking, as if he just got a strong fever. Disgusting taste of the blood stuck to the inside of his mouth like ash-flavored film. The consumed blood gave him a strong stomachache, that almost knocked him off his feet. He groaned and bent over, struggling to stay upright. At the same time, his vision began to spin, with black speckles flying across his eyes. He couldn't close his fangs, he couldn't feel his hands. 

That had to be just exhaustion, right? He wasn't going to regret doing this, regret saving them, right...?

"Scott...?" Avid whispered.

"Owen... Are you alright...?" Scott asked, his voice barely coherent. His tongue was painfully swollen.

"It hurts, but I should be fine..." The lumberjack answered, still clutching the wound on his chest.

"Good... Good."

Scott looked up at the sky. There were so many speckles dancing in front of his eyes, vision almost completely obscured. His whole body was beginning to feel numb, aside from his stomach, throat and mouth. He took one more strained breath, one more shaky step, before collapsing straight to the ground.

Chapter 23: Shattered reflections

Summary:

Scott is, in fact, not feeling fine.

The first thought that occurred to Scott after waking up, was that he wished he didn't wake up. His memory of his lecture to the other vampires, and the encounter with the bigfoot was hazy, and if it wasn't for the pain and exhaustion coursing through his veins, he would've passed it off as some strange nightmare. But it wasn't. When he did finally wake up, he quickly realized that his fledglings moved him to the crypt. He laid on the hard, stone ground, on top of his own coat and covered by Pyro's jacket. The elder vampire rubbed his eyes, hoping to get rid of the last traces of sleep - but groaned in pain as the smallest movement shot waves of pain through his arms.

"Fuck..." He huffed, before falling back to the ground. Any sort of movement seemed borderline impossible. He had to consciously pause his breathing, so that his chest wouldn't ache even more than it already did. He's never felt anything like that before... So much worse than a hangover, or overeating, or even both combined. The closest thing was the pain he felt when he failed his first vampiric duel, but even that seemed tame compared to the hell that he was going through at that moment. "Owen? Pyro? Shubble? Pearl...?"

"Sire, you're awake!" Pyro's footsteps echoed through the crypt, sending jolts of pain through Scott's brain. He curled up, wishing he could cut his ears off to not hear it. "How are you feeling...?"

"Rough... But it's fine..." Scott whispered. This whole time, speaking felt a little weird - and finally, he understood why. His fangs were popped open, and no matter how much he tried, they wouldn't retract. Every word posed a risk of him biting himself, increasing his pain even more. 

"You sure?" Owen also stood right over him, crossing his arms. For some reason, Scott's brain immediately interpreted it as a threat. He turned over to his back, then slowly attempted to sit up. 

"I'm always sure, Owen..."

His spine felt as if it could fall out at any moment, followed by all his bones tumbling to the ground and turning into dust. His skin itched painfully, as if something was biting into it with tens of tiny maws. Even the littlest bit of sunlight poking through the entrance to the catacombs made his sensitive eyes hurt. And above all, he was painfully hungry. Reluctantly, Scott attempted aid from both younger vampires, who helped him get up on his feet. If he didn't catch himself on Pyro's shoulder, he would've fallen right back down, and probably wouldn't be able to get up again.

"Thanks for bringing me here... Did that fiend hurt anyone else?" Scott asked quietly.

"No, we're all fine," Owen answered, then frowned when Pyro turned to him with a worried expression. That wasn't exactly true. During the fight with the bigfoot, its claws marked the lumberjack's chest. The wound ached, especially whenever he moved around too much, but he was still in a much better state than Scott. It did, however, burn with pain anew when he helped Scott stand up. "I didn't even know that this area is inhabited by bigfoots... Bigfeet? However you call them..."

"They were rare even during my time, almost extinct... I thought they'd be gone by now, but here we go..." Scott mumbled, carefully walking towards the stairs up. Every step felt as if needles stabbed through his skin, all the way down to the bone. "I might be one of the first Goldsmiths to ever drink from a bigfoot..."

"And how did it taste?" Pyro chuckled nervously, offering assistance to his sire.

"I've never tasted anything more disgusting in my life," The vampire winced. "Don't try it. Ever."

"Understood..." The fledgling muttered. "But, uh... Thank you for saving us, sire."

Scott stayed silent. Defending his fledglings, his coven, was pretty much an instinct. Since they were supposed to be his family now, he had to do it... But he didn't expect it to go this badly. Maybe it would've been better if he ran, and saved his own skin...? Then he wouldn't be in so much pain right now. But all of them... What would've happened to them?

Scott hissed and covered his eyes when approaching the entrance to the crypt. The sun assaulted his eyes and burned his skin more intensely than usual, causing it to make actual sizzling sounds. Quickly, Pyro grabbed his coat and covered Scott's shoulders with it, but it still did little to actually help.

"What's going on...?" Scott whispered, looking down at his hands. They trembled, and felt even more cold than usual... But above everything, something else bothered him. He intended to turn into his bat form, to fly outside... He couldn't. Full-body chills shook him, but that was it. That, and the fact that his fangs didn't listen to him... As if something disabled his vampiric abilities... The nobleman shook his head. No, he was probably just tired, just really, really tired... He couldn't have just lost his powers, right...?

"Scott...?" Owen asked quietly.

The elder vampire proceeded towards the stairs. Even lifting his legs from one step to the other proved quite a challenge. Together with the painful, burning expression on his skin, and unimaginable pain gnawing at his stomach... He could only hope that it was due to exhaustion. Truth be told, he feared it could've been something so much worse.

It felt as if hours passed before he finally left the crypt, and almost collapsed to the ground. Immediately, he attracted the attention of the other fledglings, who were sitting on the ruins of a wall nearby and chatting. Among them, only Avid was missing. Immediately, all of them approached their elder with worried expressions.

"Scott! How are you?" Shubble asked, taking his hands into hers. "You look so pale... More so than usual, I mean..."

"Are you sick?" Pearl asked. 

"No, no, I'm just tired..." Scott explained, stretching his back and letting out a groan as something in it popped loudly. "I've never seen a bigfoot this strong... Or aggressive..."

"Are they usually not like that?" Shubble immediately took out her notebook, ready to write down any info she could get on the cryptid. Scott chuckled, then carefully approached the wall and leaned over it. It shielded him from the sun, but the pain barely lessened.

"No, not really... Bigfoot are actually quite docile... I don't know why this one got so angry..."

The fledglings surrounded their sire, listening to him intently. Only Pearl stayed back, a bit closer to Owen. Eventually, seeing just how much pain her friend was in, she began speaking.

"He's not fine, is he?"

"There's no way... But he won't tell us that," Owen muttered. His hand traveled to his chest, as he started scratching his own wound. It itched pretty badly, but it was far from the worst pain he's ever been in. More so annoying than actually threatening. "How the hell did a bigfoot even get here...?"

"Yeah, Shubble said something about how they live in the mountains... And that's quite a few miles from here..." Pearl muttered, rubbing her chin. "Listen, I... I think someone should check him out."

"But who? We don't exactly have, like, a doctor, who-" He cut himself off, shutting his lips into a tight, upset line. "Oh. Right."

"Doctor Legundo helped us when we fell down that cave... He might know what's up with him."

"It's too risky, Pearl. If he learns about vampires being real, he will tell the rest of Oakhurst."

"What if he doesn't find out?" Pearl proposed with an awkward smile. Then, she added when seeing Owen's unpleased expression "Listen, we can pass it off as just him being sick. Maybe he won't figure out that something is wrong..."

"I'm pretty sure he is an actual doctor, Pearl. If he doesn't figure it out, he's probably pretty bad at his job-"

Owen paused and turned to Scott once more. One of the fledgling brought him a freshly slain rabbit to feast on, so that he could regain his strength. However, all it took was one bite for him to start spitting out the blood, almost retching. He tossed the prey aside and wiped his mouth.

"Ugh... I think this one might be sick..." He winced, spitting on the ground to get rid of the disgusting, ashy taste that filled his mouth. It was almost as bad as the taste of the bigfoot's blood... The two were actually quite close. Strong, bitter, burning the edges of his mouth.

"It doesn't taste sick..." Sausage admitted after taking a bite of the animal. He didn't have any negative reaction to the apparently gross taste. Once more, everyone's eyes turned to Scott. He frowned, then snatched the prey from his fledgling and took another bite. Again, the taste reminiscent of ash and charred wood crossed his mouth. It was making his tongue burn with pain and his fangs tingle. He forced himself to swallow the piece of meat, but immediately came right back up his throat, and he spat it out on the ground. "What's going on? Scott...?"

"Don't eat it," He asked weakly, struggling to get up from the ground again. "I think it is diseased."

"Where is Avid?" Owen asked, turning back to Pearl.

"Uh... He helped us get rid of the body of that thing... But I don't know where he went after that."

"And where did you leave the body?"

"On the back shore of the island. The one opposite to the bridge, I mean."

"Thanks."

The lumberjack transformed, before dashing towards the place he was directed. Flying somehow felt more straining than usual - his body felt heavy, sluggish, he almost couldn't keep himself in the air. Not to mention, the pain in his chest seemed to be getting worse after transforming. He sighed with relief once he spotted Avid, and was able to turn back. The vampire hunter was sitting on the shore, right next to the corpse of the bigfoot, watching it intently as if looking for something. He was so focused he didn't even notice Owen at first. Only once the vampire landed on the ground, did he finally flinch away from the bigfoot's mangled body.

"Avid."

"H-hi, Owen... How is Scott doing...?" He asked nervously, immediately getting up and hiding his hands behind his back.

"Not good. He looks like he's in a lot of pain. And now, he can't even eat properly." Owen stated the symptoms in a deadpanned manner, watching over Avid closely.

"Oh! Oh, dear..." The vampire hunter bit his lip. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Is there?" Owen hissed, his pointy ears pinning down. "Admit it, Avid. You have something to do with this, don't you?"

"Me?" Avid immediately shook his head. "What do you mean? I was literally right there, with you! How could I have done anything?"

"I don't know, but... I know you did something," Owen growled. His hand subconsciously traveled to his chest once the wound began aching anew. "You're a vampire hunter, of course you-"

"Am I, Owen? Am I still one?" The vampire suddenly got defensive. His old conversation with Pyro, back during the vampiric duel, resurfaced in his head. Was he still a vampire hunter? Maybe he could no longer call himself that, due to no longer being human... All that he knew was that he was doing the right thing. Even if it no longer felt right.

"Then how the hell did we get attacked by a literal bigfoot? And how did it-" The pain caused him to start coughing. Owen paused, struggling to catch his breath and get the pain to quell. "How did it hurt us this much...?"

"Us...?"

Owen winced, his hand still close to his aching chest. Finally, the realization began sinking in Avid's head. He also got hurt... He was in a far better condition than Scott, admittedly. But he was still hurt, in pain... But he was pushing through it, to figure out the truth and possibly help Scott. A bitter taste filled Avid's mouth and he averted his eyes from Owen.

"Listen," Owen growled. "We need to find help for Scott. If you don't want to help, fine. But if you have something to do with it, and you can help us, but you won't..." He let out a warning hiss, before turning away. 

The vampire hunter stood there for a moment, weighing the words in his head. There was nothing he could say that could make his situation better, of course. He risked everyone's lives, and now Scott was in pain... And he hasn't even played his part. To do that, he'd have to wait for him and Scott to be alone. To not have any witnesses... 

But what if it wasn't the right thing to do after all...?

"Why do you wanna help him?" Avid asked before Owen dragged himself away. The lumberjack stopped. "He's been awful to you, to all of us... You know that if you lost that duel, he would've killed you...?"

Owen gritted his teeth. He knew that, of course. But in the time that passed since the duel... He wanted to believe that something changed. Something about Scott, about all of them. Maybe not about himself. He didn't know if he would be able to take that. But if this duel happened now... He was pretty confident it would go a lot differently. If it would've happened at all.

"I know," He just answered, before leaving Avid behind. 

The vampire hunter sighed, then sat back down on the sand. Finally, he could pull his hands from behind his back. Luckily, Owen did not notice anything out of the ordinary... Like the fact that he was holding a tiny vial of the bigfoot's blood, that he sampled for research purposes. That couldn't have just been a normal bigfoot, it was nothing like the ones he read about during his training... But he did see ones that acted like that. Back in the vampire hunter corps camps. Caged, enslaved, drugged, made aggressive and sick against their will. This was the first time he saw one in action, and he was incredibly impressed... But also worried.

Maybe he would be able to inspect what happened to that one? Even if not for Scott's case... Then for his own, at least.

---

Scott expected the pain to lessen throughout the day, if he just took it easy and ate something. There was no relief from his pain, however. It only seemed to be getting worse with time. Any attempts at feeding himself ended with the vampire spitting out everything, or throwing up. The itching of his skin never stopped, especially when sunlight touched his skin. His head was painfully loud, filled with static and tinnitus, to the point he sometimes couldn't hear what people were telling him. He attempted to sleep through the worst of it, but the whole time, he stayed wide awake and exhausted at the same time. As if his mind couldn't just drift off to sleep, despite desperately wanting to.

In the evening, he stayed with Shubble, as Pyro, Sausage and Avid continued the efforts to rebuild the castle. Owen and Pearl left a bit earlier, without telling anyone where they were headed. The vampire had a little space made in one of the alcoves, preserved from the ruined walls. He was covered with his, Pyro and Sausage's coats, but he still shook from how cold he was. At that point, he was getting worried that if he truly got sick, he could accidentally infect the human... But they seemed just fine, just worried sick of him.

"Have anything like this ever happened to you...?" She asked, attempting to stroke Scott's hair in a comforting manner. The elder vampire wanted to pull away, to not appear so weak and helpless - but a wave of pain in his neck and spine prevented him from doing so.

"Not really..." He muttered. "It's a bit like when I first turned... I was out for almost two weeks..." He chuckled bitterly.

"You can't be turning again, can you...?"

"No... What would I even turn into?" Scott looked up at her. "Back into a human, maybe..."

"Wait, is that possible?"

Scott shrugged. 

"I don't think it is. And even if it was... I've been a vampire for longer than the oldest countries have existed. I don't think I would survive it." His voice was slowly getting quieter, more subdued. Finally, his sleepiness was getting the better of him. Maybe he would finally be able to doze off, even if just for a moment... "But it's fine... I would never want to go back to being a human."

"Why not...?"

Scott bit his lip.

"Why would I?"

The girl nodded. She wasn't sure just how old Scott was, but... The amount of time he spent as a human was probably like the blink of an eye, compared to his vampiric lifespan. And she couldn't deny the benefits, too. Turning into a bat, increased strength, hypnotism, having claws and fangs... That sounded incredibly fun. Minus the burning in sun and only being able to eat raw meat, that is. Would she do well as a vampire? There was probably only one way to find out, and she's been weighing that question in her head ever since she learned the truth about Scott and the others. Maybe asking wouldn't hurt...

"Scott...? Would you t-"

They paused, the second they noticed that Scott had finally fallen asleep. He snored quietly, his face hidden under his coat, aside from his eyes. He looked so incredibly peaceful like that... Maybe that was just what he needed. A nice, long nap to regain his strength. Shubble pulled their hand over his hair one last time, before quietly leaving him be.

---

But Scott's nap was anything but peaceful.

In his head, he was in the middle of his castle. The whole building was engulfed in flames, the heat scorching his skin. There was nowhere to run for him. He saw shadows dancing on walls, some of them with glowing, red eyes. But the ones that did have were captured by other shadows, attacked and stabbed. Their screams filled the room. The smoke in the air smelled of their blood. Scott wanted to back off, but the flames licked his back, making him wince in pain.

"W-what'd going on...?" He gasped, then began coughing once the smoke reached his lungs. He dropped to his knees, struggling to catch his breath. 

The screams got even louder, even more intense, piercing through his head. He saw the shadows he somehow recognized getting dismembered, torn to shreds, killed before they had a chance to defend themselves. And he was in the middle of all of that, unable to move, unable to run, unable to save himself or anyone else. And it got so much worse, when among the agonizing screams, he began hearing his name.

"Scott!"

"Sire!"

"Scott! Help!"

"Father!"

"Sire! Save us!"

"No, no no no no no... Don't-" He wanted to yell, but the taste of bitter blood filled his mouth. Scott bent over and retched the contents of his mouth right on the ground. He threw up quite a lot of dark, rotting blood... And a few of his own teeth. His jaw began burning with unbearable pain.

The screams were eventually overshadowed by another sound - the flap of leathery wings. Still shaking from fear, Scott looked up. The roof above his head ceased to exist, instead the castle opened up to a pitch black, starless sky. Tens of silhouettes of bats flocked around him, but stayed too high up for him to reach them. Some of them seemed to taunt him, diving down, then picking up flight again when he tried to get up. And with each moment, the pain was only getting worse and worse.

"Don't... Don't leave me here... Don't..." He wailed.

Another retching. Even more of his teeth fell out, including his prized fangs. The disgusting taste got even worse, the flames began burning through his skin, but somehow left his clothing untouched. As if the fire itself intended on destroying him, and leaving nothing behind... Scott spat out the last of his teeth, before finally noticing someone approaching him. A group of shadowy figures, all of them wielding weapons. Torches, pitchforks, sword, stakes. All pointed right at him. And he was powerless to stop them. He opened his toothless mouth, attempting to hiss at them, to maybe scare them off, maybe save his life, even if for just a few seconds. No sound came out, though. And even if it did, the flurry of wings silenced it completely. A piercing, terrified cry left his lungs, crossing the air in an attempt to call for help-

And then, Scott finally woke up.

He got up so abruptly, he ended up falling out of the alcove. A bitter, bloody taste filled his mouth, just like in the dream - and just like there, he immediately spat it out. The vampire winced, his vision blurred, his breathing quick and shaky.

"What... What was that...?"

"Scott! What happened?" His fledglings were staying nearby, constructing one of the outer walls of the soon-to-be castle. Shubble ran up to him first, worry etched on her face.

"It's fine, I just had a n-" He paused once the girl let out a terrified gasp. "What...?"

"Scott... Your fang..."

"What's with it...?"

Seeing the other fledglings go pale in fear and worry, Scott pulled his tongue over his teeth to check what's wrong. They tingled painfully, but they seemed fine... That is, until he reached his upper left fang.

Or rather, the empty space that was left of it.

The vampire felt his stomach drop with fear. Slowly, he looked down at the pool of blood he just threw up. Right there, among the bloodied remains of his last failed meat, laid his own fang. His hands shaking, he put them on his mouth, hoping it was just another part of his nightmare. No, no no no, it wasn't happening, right? He didn't just start losing his teeth, right...?

"Scott...?"

"Vampires do grow their teeth back, right...?" Sausage asked nervously. "Right, Scott...?"

Scott didn't answer. He sat there in disbelief, his eyes blued to the fang that should be in his mouth, not in front of his eyes... It was just like in his nightmare. But he was no longer dreaming. His jaw hung open, as he let out a piercing, frightened cry.

Maybe he truly was the last Goldsmith alive. But if he was... He was going to join his family soon enough.

Chapter 24: Venom of the living

Summary:

The vampires search for help for their sire. At the same time, their secret is closer and closer to getting revealed.

Notes:

Oh lord this thing is almost at 300 subscribers. And almost at 20k hits. I'm scared. Who are you people /pos

Legundo was already used to hearing knocking on his door. Usually, someone came to him when they got injured during the efforts to rebuild Oakhurst. More rarely it was due to some sort of rescue effort, like with what happened to Martyn, Scott and Pearl in the cave. After all, he was the only medical professional in the area, and the people here put their trust in his abilities. So, he was not surprised when that early afternoon, someone knocked at the door. What took him by surprise, was the people that greeted him. Owen and Pearl. One of them, a silent loner who stayed outside of Oakhurst most of the time. The other, who made a miraculous recovery from usually lethal injuries she sustained just weeks earlier. They both seemed urgent, so without explaining much, the doctor grabbed the bag with his more essential medical supplies and followed them into the forest.

Now came the hard part. Explaining what happened to Scott, without actually betraying his true nature. Or the true nature of essentially everyone at the castle, for that matter.

"So, from what I understand..." Legundo eyed his two companions, not sure what to make of them speaking over one another, the information sometimes contradicting one another. "Some sort of creature attacked you guys when you were at the ruins of the old castle. And it got Scott sick. But you can't tell me what that was... Can you tell me what's wrong with Scott, at least?"

"Well, he's got a fever, and can barely walk..." Owen began listing off. He weighed every word, to make sure none of them would actually make Legs realize the truth. Sure, it would make his work a lot harder, but that was safer than just telling him the truth. Owen would never trust a doctor with important matters like these. Too much experience with them failing him. "And, uh..."

"And sun hurts him," Pearl added, to which Owen barely held back a hiss.

"Photosensitivity?"

"Yes," The young woman quickly nodded, then gestured to Owen to calm down already.

"Have you tried giving him something to eat, or drink?"

"Yes, and he can't keep anything down," The lumberjack explained. Just don't ask what we gave him, he begged in his head.

"Why is it that anytime something happens to someone here, it sounds like rabies?" The doctor chuckled bitterly. "And what attacked him? A wolf, or a fox? Something else?"

Pearl and Owen immediately went quiet. If they said the truth, that would reveal the truth about the existence of supernatural beings around Oakhurst. And if one thing led to another, Legundo could eventually figure out that vampires were also real, and roaming the area. And that at this point in time, he was literally walking through the forest with two of them.

"So... You don't know. How...?"

"It was, uh... Big." Pearl began explaining, gesturing a bit too much for it to seem natural. "And... Hairy."

"Wolf?"

"Bigger. And with black fur. And claws."

"Bear?"

"Bigger."

"What lives in these forests that's bigger than a bear?" The doctor quickly glanced around himself. He then paused, realizing that their group just lost a member. "Owen?"

The lumberjack stayed back, clutching the wound on his chest and struggling to catch his breath. It already hurt when he turned into a bat to get to Oakhurst, and the walk back took everything out of him. It was such a humiliating feeling... Way too similar to how he felt back as a poor, sickly human. Weak. The feeling he despised more than anything else in the world. He couldn't go back to that, he needed to stay strong. If not for himself, then for the other vampires. Lewis made him strong, so he had to keep being strong...

"Owen? What's wrong?"

Owen let out a hiss when he felt Legundo's warm hand fall on his shoulder. He straightened up, awaking a new wave of pain in his chest. Ugh, that was just the worst... But once they figured out how to help Scott, maybe he could go take a nap. Maybe that would make things better.

"It's fine... I'm just tired."

But the doctor wasn't so easily convinced.

"Did that... Thing also hurt you?"

"I..." Owen took a deep breath. "Fine... Yes, it did. But Scott has it a lot worse... I can still eat, and- And all the other stuff," He added a bit more quietly. After pushing Legs' hand off himself, he joined Pearl and the three of them soon ended on the bridge leading to the castle island. Right away, they noticed Pyro running in their direction, clearly panicking.

"Owen, Pearl!" He yelled "You gotta help! Si- I mean, uh, Scott" he corrected himself when noticing Legundo "just, uh... You gotta see it."

"What happened?" Legs raised an eyebrow. So Pyro was there, too... Was this the place where all the missing inhabitants of Oakhurst went?

"Uh..." The scholar paused, but continued moving once Owen nodded to him. "Scott just woke up, and, well... He lost one of his fangs. Like, it fell out."

"WHAT?!" Owen gasped. Not only was that horrible news, he also began fearing that the same fate would fall upon him soon. His hand traveled to his chest once more. "Where is he?"

"Inside the castle. He's pretty, uh... Freaked out."

"Understandably..." Legundo sighed, before rushing towards the ruins of the castle.

He's only been close to this place once. It was an ancient build that now fell into ruin, just a shell of its former glory. And yet... It has changed now. Some of the walls were rebuilt, someone was sitting on the roof and fixing it. It didn't look like a safe place to live in just yet, and yet... They clearly put a lot of work into this place. But why they chose this over staying in Oakhurst, Legundo couldn't possibly tell.

Soon, they found Scott with Shubble and Sausage, sitting in an alcove in one of the walls. He was tightly covered in his coat, his eyes puffy and red from crying. That sight actually took Owen by surprise. He never imagined that he'd see Scott crying... Not only that, he looked absolutely terrified. He was clutching something in his fist, and the second he saw the doctor approach, he hid his mouth in the collar of his coat. Owen found himself actually feeling bad for him for once...

"Hello, Scott... I heard from Owen and Pearl that some sort of animal attacked you. I'm here to help." Legs began explaining, his voice warm and calm. "Can you tell me what happened?"

Scott looked up at his fledglings. He hated the look of pity in their eyes... He should be the one taking care of them, not the other way around. He never in his life felt this humiliated... And now, they got a human to help him. A human that could figure out his secret, use it against him, and kill him... 

But if he didn't work with Legundo, there would be no chance for him to save his own life. He had to be careful, but also mindful of his own state.

"Can you leave us alone?" He asked the fledglings, his words slightly slurred from the dental damage he sustained.

"Are you sure, Scott?" Shubble asked carefully, putting her hand on the grand duke's shoulder.

"I am. Please, go. I've got this."

All of the other vampires stepped away from the alcove. All, but Owen. He didn't trust the doctor enough to leave him with Scott. What if he figured out the truth? What if he carried a stake in that big bag of his? Scott straightened a little, despite the pain that shook his body.

"That also means you, Owen."

"Don't mind me. I'm just making sure he doesn't do anything shady," The lumberjack muttered.

"Owen," Scott repeated, his voice a bit more forceful. Even when sick and freshly done crying, he knew how to look imposing and demanding. Owen snarled quietly, then turned to Legundo.

"How do I know you don't do anything bad to him?" He asked. The doctor turned to the lumberjack.

"I won't," He said in a calm, matter of fact tone. "Do no harm. That's my one and only rule, and I'll always stick by it."

Owen grumbled something quietly, but ultimately walked away. Scott slumped against the wall of the alcove. This little show of authority took everything out of him, and he wanted nothing more than to fall back asleep. Although, if another nightmare awaited him under his closed eyelids... Then that could wait a little.

"Doctor," He began speaking, his voice clearly tired. "I need you to promise me something. That no matter what I tell you, you will not tell anyone at Oakhurst about what happened to me."

Legundo wanted to ask why, but he bit his tongue. Medical confidentiality. The well-being of his patients was so much more important than feeding his own curiosity.

"I will try. But if it's something that puts us all at risk, I might have to tell others. Just for safety reasons."

"Nothing will put you at risk, as long as you listen to me," Scott let out a quiet hiss.

It would've been so much easier to just hypnotize him... But with his powers all out of whack, it wouldn't work. He had to depend on his own charm and confidence, which in his current state were far from their peak. Another thing he could depend on were the voices he heard about Legundo being a kind, caring man that wouldn't put his patients at risk. But did that only apply to his human patients?

Slowly, Scott lowered the collar of his coat. Scott barely resisted flinching when noticing three long, pointy fangs sticking out of his mouth - two from his bottom jaw and one from the top. His upper left fang was, in fact, missing. But there was another thing... They did not look like human fangs. Immediately, a cold shiver went down his spine. But he remained still and focused. No matter what Scott was, he needed help.

"I have the last fang here," The vampire whispered, unclenching his fist. Inside, he was carrying a long, bloodied fang. Legundo took a glance at it, then opened his bag.

"Owen and Pearl briefed me about your symptoms..." He tried really hard to keep his voice from shaking. He'd seen many scary things in his life... But they were always explainable with science. This... Scott wasn't. At least not yet. "A fever, difficulty walking, photosensitivity, inability to eat or drink... What bit you?"

"Bigfoot." Scott said it with a completely straight face. Before Legundo could reply, he added, "And, to be frank, I bit it."

"I..." The doctor paused, too many questions forcing themselves on his tongue for him to decide. What did he mean by bigfoot? That cryptid Shubble was so crazy about? How did it end up here? And why in the hell would Scott bite it?

"This is why I asked you for confidentiality, doctor." Scott began coughing, and added after a moment "Believe it or not, there are things you can't explain with science."

"Then explain them in a way in which they should be explained."

"Will you tell the people of Oakhurst?"

"...no."

"Better keep the word, doctor." Scott squinted. Then, he began slowly explaining "I'm not... Human, doctor. All the stories you heard about vampires living around here... They're true. I'm the only one of them left here."

"Do all the people here know?"

Scott weighed his words for a second. Legs raised his hand in a yielding gesture.

"I will not tell anyone."

"Does that matter?"

The doctor nodded. No, it probably didn't. Although, Owen... If he also got hurt by this creature, he would also have to take care of him. But maybe he could figure that out later.

"The less you know, the better you sleep, doctor. For now, don't think about any vampires other than me." Scott whispered, his voice a bit more alluring, even despite his current state. The doctor gulped and nodded.

"Understood." He nodded, before adding "Well, as you probably expect, my experience working with vampires is... Lacking, to say the least. But I will do whatever I can to help you, as long as you work with me."

"That I can do," Scott agreed reluctantly. Oh, how long he had to steep, to save his own life... Hopefully, he wouldn't have to do anything more humiliating than working with a human. 

"So, is there anything that Owen and Pearl didn't tell me about, that you can?" Legundo asked. 

The fact that they were so secretive and reluctant to share the details also casted a lot of suspicions on them. The doctor could expect them to be vampires as well, especially Owen. This man probably had a lot of secrets that he never really shared. As for Pearl... That would explain why she survived falling down from such height, and recovering so quickly. What about the others? He spotted Pyro, Sausage and Shubble; he couldn't tell who was up there, at the roof. Were all of them vampires? Only some of them? If not all of them, were they aware of the others being vampires?-

Legundo paused and took a long, deep breath. It didn't matter now. What mattered now, was helping Scott. And he would do that, no matter if he was a human, or not.

---

"Come on, come on... There has to be something here..." Avid muttered to himself, flipping through his notes. 

He held the vial of bigfoot blood in one hand, while tossing the pages around with the other. About an hour earlier, he climbed the roof under a fake pretense of continuing construction. What he really did was take his old alchemic notebook, the same he took notes in during his vampire hunting training, and began looking for answers. What exactly did the vampire hunters use to taint the bigfoot's blood, and the rest of its body for that matter? He could swear he attended a lecture about just that... Different types of toxins and poisons that they used against vampires, and other supernaturals for that matter. He never really focused on that part of his studies, so the exact ingredients were slipping him, but he definitely noted it down...

But why was he even looking, for that matter? He didn't want to help Scott, right? That was not his part to play, as a vampire hunter. The toxin was not meant to outright kill him. Not many things could kill vampires, and concocting something that could would be incredibly expensive... Rather, the usual tactic was to weaken the revenant as much as possible. Disabling its powers, making it unable to ingest food, having it lose its fangs... To the point where hunting became impossible, and the monster could no longer sustain itself. And then, it would be finished off - either by a vampire hunter, or by other predators. And since Avid was there, the hunters expected him to finish the job...

But once he saw the extent of damage done to Scott by the toxin, he suddenly wasn’t looking forward to finishing the job.

The elder vampire treated him horribly, him and the other fledglings. He still couldn't forget the horrible hunger that he was forced into, which withered his already skinny frame. And yet, at the same time... Seeing him in so much pain made Avid feel horrible about himself. Is this what he was supposed to do all along? Answer to Scott's abuse with his own violence? Was that the way forward?

"So, doctor? Can you help him?"

Avid's ears perked up as he heard faint voices from down below. He carefully moved towards the edge of the roof and looked down, his head briefly spinning from the sheer height. He could barely make out Legundo and Owen standing next to the entrance, talking.

"I wish I had more knowledge about vampiric anatomy..." The doctor sighed. "But from what I could gather, his condition is poor. Looks like this whole bigfoot thing poisoned him with something..."

"He did drink its blood, yes..." Owen admitted begrudgingly. Since Scott already shared that he was a vampire, he might as well help... But deep inside, he hoped he didn't reveal the identities of his fledglings. "Could he get poisoned from drinking its blood?"

"Absolutely, there are so many illnesses caused by intake of blood... But, you see, there are no scientific records of anything like 'bigfoot'. Though, I can't be sure what exactly hurts him, and how to prevent it from... From killing him."

"He won't die..." Owen muttered quietly. "That's the point of being a vampire, we- He is already dead. But he might get to a point where he won't survive on his own."

"That's true... Do you have the body of this beast somewhere? I could run some tests..."

"I'm pretty sure the others already disposed of it... Sorry."

"I understand..." Legundo took a deep breath. He then looked down at Owen again. "Can you be honest with me about something...?"

The lumberjack tensed.

"What is it?"

"You're also a vampire, aren't you?" Legundo asked. Then, he added, before Owen could lash out at him "I will not share that with anyone you aren't comfortable with knowing. I'm asking because I'm worried that you got hurt as well..."

Owen chuckled nervously and averted his gaze. The doctor was clever, wasn't he? He saw through him right away... His hand traveled to the wound on his chest, which he rubbed in hopes of soothing the pain. 

"And what are you gonna do about it? Attack me? Or try to cure me?-"

"I just want to help, Owen. If you got hurt by that monster, too... I have to help you as well."

"Focus on helping Scott first," Owen growled, his hand tensing on the wound. He then pulled it away, to not betray the pain he was in. "I'm used to pain. I can deal with that."

"When I figure out how to help him, I'll make sure to aid you, too. But... I don't have high hopes at this moment."

Avid pulled away from the conversation, his hand tightening on the vial. So Scott was in a really bad state... Does that mean he has to intervene and put him out of his misery? Or should he actually use his knowledge to help...?

The vampire flipped through his notebook one last time, then gasped. By some strange coincidence (or maybe divine intervention) he just landed on the page he was thinking about... The lecture about weaponizing other supernatural creatures to aid their hunt. His hands shaking, he picked up the notebook and began reading. This is exactly what he needed... And what if he was the only person who could save Scott at this point? And Owen, as well? He was doing fine now, but the toxins would get to him eventually...

Avid sat a bit straighter, then began reading.

---

"Y'had a hard day, docter?" Ren asked as soon as Legundo slumped against the bar. A glass of blueberry ale immediately slid in his direction across the table.

"I couldn't possibly say," Legs responded, before taking the glass. Truth be told, he probably needed a lot more than just that... But he couldn't slip back into his old habits. Not now, when there was someone who depended on him.

"Where were you, doctor?" Soon, Martyn joined the doctor at the bar. Immediately, he was also handed a glass, which he downed right away.

"I had to treat a patient. You don't need to know anything more."

"Hmm, curious..." Martyn smirked. "Well, I'll be honest, it's been a while since I've seen some of the people who live here..."

"We all have our lives, Martyn. Some of us just don't want to stay in Oakhurst all the time."

"I know, I know! But, tell me, when was the last time you saw... I dunno, Scott?"

Legundo did his best to not let his body language betray his actual knowledge. Martyn was already a bit suspicious in his eyes. He probably knew more than he should, for his own sake... But in contrast to Legs, who kept his cards close to his chest, he was pretty open about accusing Scott of something. Vampirism, perhaps?

"Scott is a grown man. His whereabouts are not my concern, as long as he doesn't put himself in danger."

"And what about Owen, huh? Or Pyro? Or Shubble? Haven't seen them in a while, either... Avid is probably busy hunting vampires," he added with a chuckle, "But what about Sausage? He hasn't come to any of the militia meetings in a while... And I haven't seen Pearl since our... Incident."

Legundo finished his glass of alcohol, then set it on the bar again.

"I assure you, they're in safe hands. And so are you, as long as you don't pry into other people's business. For the safety of all of us."

The doctor then got off his spot, and headed towards the door. Martyn probably knew quite a bit... But he made a promise. Do no harm. Telling him about what he learned would go against that. Even if the other humans would take him for a traitor... So be it. As long as his patients were safe. No matter if they were human, or not.

Chapter 25: Hope for the wicked

Summary:

Scott is given one last change by his fledglings, and by Avid.

Notes:

Oh lord. This thing just reached 1k kudos yesterday. And will probably reach 20k hits either this evening, or tomorrow. Thank you all so much for this incredible support TwT

The next three days were pure torture for Scott. He quickly gave up on trying to get out of his little alcove, instead confining himself to it and trying to catch some sleep on any occasion he had. Those naps were few and far between, and usually ended with him waking up in cold sweats, even more exhausted than usual. His fledglings worked hard on the construction of the castle, but there was always someone sitting next to him and checking on him. Depending on who that was, Scott was more or less chatty, trying to talk his way out of the pain he was in. After all, he was still their grand duke, he should still be in charge... And as much as he hated to admit it, he enjoyed their company. Shubble chattered about her new discoveries (most of which Scott has been aware of for centuries at this point) or about her newest literary work, not hiding her inspiration in the form of their little coven. Sausage offered physical comfort and cuddles, which Scott eventually stopped denying himself. Pyro was pretty withdrawn, but even he was able to find words to comfort his sire. Pearl talked about her ideas for the future, of course including Scott in them - as if she still had faith that he could recover from his condition and continue living with them here. Owen was the most quiet, constantly looking out for any danger - and it was Scott, out of everyone, who had to tell him to calm down and stop being so nervous all the time. And Avid... Whenever it was his duty to keep an eye on Scott, he sat on the ground, averting eye contact. He rarely ever answered any questions, and fidgeted a lot. Even with his mind being as hazy as it was, the elder vampire could tell that there was something wrong. That he was feeling... Guilty. But he had no energy to actually lash out at him, or demand answers. So, instead, he accepted his silence as a sign of truce between them.

Legundo also came every day to check on Scott. In his spare time - which he didn't have much - he concocted remedies that aimed to alleviate Scott's pain. Possibly even heal him... But nothing worked, and even if Scott could keep something down, it only made him feel worse. The disgusting, ashy taste in his mouth made it even harder to swallow the medicine. The only progress they made was discovering that he could drink water and he didn't immediately throw it up. That did nothing to actually help his condition, but it lessened his suffering for some time. And that was a lot at this point.

That afternoon, it was Shubble's turn to sit with Scott. She was sitting next to his little alcove, doodling in her notebook and chattering. The vampire actually moved a bit closer to her, listening to her voice while struggling to fall asleep. Even if that would result in him having another nightmare - if that temporarily got rid of his pain, he was going to accept that.

"And I was thinking, what if we tried inviting other creatures here?" Shubble turned to her friend, lowering her volume when noticing his closed eyes. "I mean, definitely not bigfoot, but... Do you think the local werewolves are friendly?"

"I think local werewolves hate vampires," Scott chuckled weakly. His chest rose and fell slowly. Even if it caused aching in his lungs, the fresh air lessened the boiling pain in his stomach. 

"Wait, is that actually a thing? Why do werewolves hate vampires?"

"Mostly territorial struggles..." He paused for a moment. "Oh, and sixty seventy-two, too... Can't forget that year, hah..."

"What happened in sixty seventy-two?" Shubble asked, but Scott just waved his hand.

"You don't wanna know. You'd hate me even more."

"Hate you? But I don't hate you?"

The grand duke slowly lifted his eyelids.

"Huh...?"

"Yeah, who told you I hate you? I thought we were friends...?"

"Hah... After what I've done to you...?" He smiled weakly.

"You defended me when the others wanted to eat me... Well, mostly Owen. Even though you said you wouldn't..."

Scott winced at the reminder. Right, he did do that... He wanted to avoid that conversation for as long as he possibly could. But now, he had nowhere to run. Even if he tried, his body was too weak to carry him far. There was only one way he knew how to get out of this conversation...

"Scott?" Shubble eventually asked, when she didn't get a response from Scott. They barely held back a chuckle when seeing how the vampire hid his face under his coat, pretending he wasn't actually there. Slowly pulling the collar off him was met with a weak, non-threatening hiss. "Scott, come on... What's up with you?"

"Are you upset that I saved you...?"

"No, of course I'm not! I'm just a bit... Confused," She admitted. "You said you wouldn't defend me, but then you did... Your actions and your words are different. It makes it hard to trust you, but also... Makes me feel like you actually care. About me, about us..."

"I have to. You're my coven. I'm your grand duke. I have to care about you."

"You care about us as the grand duke. Do you care about us as... As Scott Goldsmith?"

The vampire winced again. Oh, the horrors of self-reflection... But Shubble was right. That was a pattern with him, wasn't it? 

He told Shubble he wouldn't defend her. He did.

He told Owen he would beat him up, and kill him. He didn't.

He told his fledglings that he will protect him as their grand sire. And now, he was stuck in bed (although calling it a bed was a stretch), powerless, helpless to save them if danger arrives.

What that made him? A liar? A hypocrite? A bad grand duke? He was all of that, and probably so much more...

"I..." Scott closed his eyes, weighing his words carefully. It was just Shubble listening, it didn't matter what he said... For once, he could try connecting his heart straight to his mouth, and just spewing whatever felt right. Even if it didn't make much sense. Shubble also rarely ever made sense... And out of everyone, she wouldn't judge him. "I'll be honest, after all these years... I don't see a difference. If I'm not the grand duke, then... Then who am I...? Just some dumb vampire, who's... Probably not much better than any other vampire. I mean, sure, I have my experience, which puts me above all of you, but... I wish I never gained some of this experience," He chuckled bitterly. "It's stupid, isn't it? I know so much, I've been through so much, and now I'm just... Here. Powerless. Alone. Even my own family ditched me, and I can't blame them..."

"Alone? Then what the heck are we all doing here?"

Scott flinched and opened his eyes. That wasn't Shubble's voice... It was Pearl's. She was standing over him. And so was Pyro. And Sausage. And even Avid... Immediately, blush crept up his cheeks, and he hid under his coat again.

"When did you guys come...? How much did you hear?" He tried sounding angry, upset. His slurred speech and weak voice betrayed his true feelings.

"We had a signal, in case you start actually being honest." Pearl crossed her arms over her chest. "We thought it won't come before you die, and here you go..."

"Hah... Right..." Scott sighed, then slumped deeper into his little nest in the alcove. "Stupid me... Loose lips sink ships, huh?"

"I dunno, sire... I think this ship is going pretty strong," Pyro answered, looking at the whole coven. "It won't be the same without you, though..."

"Which is why we've been trying to help the doctor come up with something!" Sausage added. "The next thing will be the one, I just know it!"

"Considering how the first few went, it probably won't be the one," Pearl sighed. "But... We'll figure it out. We won't leave you ha- Oh, come on, you can stop doing that..."

Scott hid under his coat once more. This time, to not let them see the tears that filled his eyes. They didn't hate him... Even more so, they wanted to help him. To cure him of this illness that ruined his life, and his perfect face. But why? What did he do to deserve such mercy? He was so awful to all of them? Was it a trick? Maybe they awaited something in return? His hands began shaking, a sign of his weakness they actually could see. Their kindness, so undeserved, was so overwhelming... Scott needed them to leave, fast. So that he could get all of these nasty feelings out. But, at the same time... He didn't want them to ever leave. Couldn't they just stay like this forever...? Even with the pain, and everything else...? Somehow, miraculously, they made it just barely bearable...

"Scott? Come on, Scott, stop hiding..." Pearl's hand landed on Scott's. Immediately, the elder vampire tossed his coat away and hissed at her, which caused the young woman to flinch away. His tense, angry expression quickly broke, turning into a sad, confused face of a man at a complete loss. "Scott...?"

"What is wrong with you?!" He growled, his voice breaking at every word. "Why don't you hate me?! You should! Pyro, I tricked you and turned you, before anyone even knew that vampires are real! Avid, I made Owen turn you just for fun! You, Shubble, I lied to you, and went against my word! I turned you, Sausage, just because I needed someone to adore me! I put you in danger, Pearl, and turned you despite not even wanting to! And you just- And you just act like it's no big deal?! Why?!"

All the vampires (and Shubble) exchanged concerned glances. Scott was spiraling, clearly, and that definitely didn't help his condition... He looked so incredibly hurt, not even trying to stop the tears that streaked down his face. He reached out for his coat to hide once more, away from everyone's prying eyes - but the pain in his spine flared up, preventing him from making any bigger movements. Eventually, it was Avid who stepped up and handed him the coat back.

"Yeah, you hurt us. All of us." He finally said. His voice was colorless, as if it wasn't really him speaking. But he meant every single word, especially the ones that followed. "You lied, and hurt us, and did things we didn't want you to do, and a lot of other bad things, but..." The words almost stuck in his throat. This time, he wasn't talking to Scott. He was still speaking, yes, but he directed those words inwards. "But if we respond with the same thing... Where does this cycle end? Why can't we just... Try to be... Fine...?"

Everyone's eyes traveled from Avid to Scott. The vampire curled up a little, as if threatened by the idea of someone reaching out to him. They did expect something in return... Reciprocation of their sentiment. Funny... Do they even know who they're talking to? The grand duke of Goldsmiths, the man who crushed anyone who opposed him, and planted fear in the hearts of everyone else. Him, Scott Goldsmith, The One Who Reaped, the Setting Sun, the Monster of the North, the-

"Can we... Can we be fine...?"

"We can try..."

Scott's sight dropped down, on his eyes that gripped his coat. One of the last things left of the Goldsmiths. His coat, his clothes, the ruins of this castle... Him. He could very well be the last of the Goldsmiths. He never wanted to be anything more than that, he didn't need to be. But maybe he could at least...? Even with all that he's been through, all he's seen... Maybe he could be fine, after all. Even if it wouldn't come easily. Even if it hurt, before it wouldn't anymore. Even if he didn't deserve such mercy.

"We can... We can try." Scott repeated. Soon after, he began coughing. He covered his mouth, silently praying that he wouldn't lose another one of his teeth... But as much they itched and ached, none of them fell out. When Shubble handed him a bottle of water, he accepted it and began drinking, trying to limit himself to taking small sips. Choking wouldn't kill him, but considering all the pain he was already in, he'd rather save himself any more. "Sorry, it's just... Ugh, you're gonna hang it over me now, aren'tcha...?"

"Hang what?" Sausage raised an eyebrow.

"This... Moment of weakness," He euphemized, finally wiping his tears off his face. The fledglings exchanged glances once more.

"Hm... We'll consider not doing that," Pearl said. "But if you stop being such a jerk to everyone..."

"You think I can? After thousands of years of being... This?" Scott chuckled bitterly.

"Well, it won't kill you to try, will it?"

"No... But it will hurt as if it could..."

"Sometimes it needs to hurt, before it gets better."

Scott sighed and slumped deeper into his alcove. Despite all the pain he was still in, somehow, his chest felt lighter. His mind felt ever so slightly clearer. His hands still shook, sure, but not from the fear of what he's been running away from for all these years. He didn't even comment when Shubble sat down on the edge of his little nest.

"And when it gets better," She said, "We're gonna have so much fun here! We should get matching outfits!"

"Matching outfits? Oh yeah, that would be great!" Sausage chimed in. "I can message my tailor back in the capital!"

"I wouldn't mind getting a new haircut, I guess..." Scott giggled, pulling his hand over his hair. He ignored the feeling that he just pulled out a clump of it. "Changing the color is not an option, but maybe a fade, or something...?"

"Not an option? Why?" 

"The hair color you turn with, is the one that stays with you forever... Well, it can also change into white, under certain circumstances. But other than that... I'm stuck with this stupid blue..."

"I think it suits you!" Shubble grinned. "Wait, is that why Owen's going grey?- Hold on! It's not your natural color...?"

"Uh... No?" The elder vampire chuckled. "I used to be a red head, believe it or not..."

The girl gasped.

"We match!- Well, we matched! Maybe we can figure out how to get it back?"

"Why did you even dye it blue, sire?" Pyro asked.

"Oh, I didn't do that!" Scott chuckled fondly.

"What do you mean...?"

"My father did, before turning me! The previous grand duke, I mean!" He snickered, even as everyone's faces began fading. "There are things grand dukes did to unruly fledglings before turning them, to mark them forever... Like leaving specific scars on them. Or dying their hair. He even bit off the finger of one of my brothers, before turning him after it was already healed! So that it wouldn't grow back!" His giggling turned into laughter, although there was something... Sad to his voice. Maybe even a little forced. "I still had it pretty good! None of my scars even carried over! Well, besides one- But it's fine, I earned that one!" He put his hand on his chest, but frowned and pulled back when the old scar began burning with pain. Only when he heard no response, he finally opened his eyes. Only to witness his fledglings staring at him with horror on their faces. "What? Wait, I didn't just lose another fang, did I...?"

"That... Explains a bit," Pearl whispered, clearly taken aback. She looked back at the others "None of you know how to deal with this stuff, right? Pyro?"

"Don't look at me! I studied sociology, not psychology. And even so..." He shuddered. 

"M? You know someone in the capital who knows how to deal with that?"

"I know a few people, but I dunno if they'd want to come here..."

"What... what are you talking about...?" Scott muttered, curling up a bit more.

"Scott, you... You know it's not something parents do to their children, right?" Pearl asked carefully.

"They don't? Well, I mean- They did it to me, and I turned out fine... Right...?"

The fledglings exchanged understanding glances, then all nodded in unison. That explained so much... Not everything, obviously. They couldn't blame Scott's rough childhood on everything he did. But that revelation gave so much sense to what they've seen, what they've heard...

Some of them even began feeling bad for Scott. Somehow.

---

Eventually, the concern dissolved in the air, at least to a point where all the discussion turned into playful chatter among the fledgling. Scott drifted in and out of sleep, listening in to them. Even if he missed parts of their conversations, he just enjoyed hearing their voices, feeling them close. It reminded him of home... Well, he technically was in his old house. But in a metaphorical sense... Could it also be his home...?

Eventually, his coven left him to let him get some sleep. Before all of them went back to work, however, Scott reached out his hand to one of them.

"Avid...?"

"Yes, si- Yes, Scott?" The vampire hunter responded, before biting his tongue. Scott was not his sire... And neither was Owen, nor anyone else. He wasn't really a part of this, was he? Or was it just his wishful thinking?

"Come here... I need to talk to you."

Slowly, the fledgling walked up to him. He kept his hands behind his back, fidgeting nervously. Did Scott know about what he did? Was he going to punish him, even if that was the last thing he'd do before dying? Or before...

"Here. I think you should have it."

Scott reached out his shaking hand, to which Avid carefully extended his. The vampire pressed something small, cold and sharp into his palm. Once he saw what it truly was, Avid froze. Scott's lost fang. And he just... Gave it to the man who accused him, and wanted him dead from day one. But, why...?

"Vampire hunters prize these, don't they?" He chuckled. "I've met some in the past... Not very pleasant people. But you're... You're okay. You had so many chances to finish me off..."

"Scott, listen, if only I knew-" His words poured out of his mouth, as the gesture completely caught him off guard. "I didn't- I thought- I really thought- I'm-"

"Wait..." He muttered, before slowly moving into a sitting position. After lifting himself from the alcove, he almost collapsed - but Avid caught him at the last time. He could feel the heat coming off his forehead, due to a fever. And he was so limp, as if all his bones turned into jello... He really was suffering, wasn't he? "I need you to do me a favor. You won't regret it."

"Sure, yeah... Anything, to... To make up for... What is it...?"

Scott looked up at Avid, his unfocused eyes staring straight into Avid's. The stare lingered for a little longer than the vampire hunter would've wanted. Then, finally, Scott pushed himself off him, still struggling to stay upright.

"You don't really think I can be fine, do you?" He chuckled. "Not after all I've done, not after all I've been through, what I did to all of you... Come on, Avid. You're smarter than this. Not to mention, the pain... It hurts, Avid..."

"What... What do you want me to do...?"

"You always carry that stake on you..." Scott chuckled, his voice shaking with the fever. "Be a dear, Avid, and... Put it to good use. Then, you can have the rest of my prized fangs..."

"YOU WANT ME TO KILL YOU?!"

That was his chance. The universe got so tired of him stalling, that it made his target push him to finally play his part. One of his hands traveled to the stake he carried over his chest. No, no no no, he couldn't- He had to... He was a vampire hunter, after all. That was his part to- Scott was trying! He actually was!- What if that was just temporary? If he ever recovered, he'd turn into a monster again, wouldn't he?- But they literally just talked about recovering, about being fine! About breaking this neverending cycle of abuse, of hurting one another until there's no blood left to spill!- But wouldn't it be mercy, at this point? Scott was in so much pain... Legundo didn't know how to help him.

But Avid did.

"Scott!" The fledgling grabbed his friend and shook him by the shoulders. His face suddenly turned upset. "I won't kill you!"

"Some vampire hunter you are..." The grand sire chuckled bitterly.

"I'm not! I- I can't be! This is- This isn't right!" He let go of Scott with one hand, which immediately traveled to his arm. Knowing exactly where to reach, he grabbed the vampire hunter corps patch, then ripped it off his sleeve and stomped it with his boot. "Scott, I'm sorry!"

"About what...?"

"About this! I'm not killing you, and I'm not having you die! We can be fine, I promise!"

"Silly fledgling..." Scott chuckled. "Isn't this what you wanted...?"

"Well, not anymore!" Avid growled, his fangs popping open. "You won't die! No matter what horrible things you did in your life, how you treated us- You can still fix this! And you won't if you die! And- And if you want to die just so that you don't have to deal with all of this... Well, this is not happening! You will live, if only because I'm making you!"

Scott was stunned by the words. He didn't expect to hear that from Avid, out of everyone... After all, killing the grand duke of a coven, especially one like the Goldsmiths, was probably the highest honor that a vampire hunter could brag about... And he was offered that chance on a silver platter, only to deny it. In favor of helping a guy that treated him like trash. And with how apologetic he was... Finally, the truth clicked in Scott's head.

And he couldn't even blame him, really.

"I'll be back! Maybe I can still catch the doctor before he leaves!" Avid exclaimed, before letting go of Scott and dashing towards the door.

The grand duke just stood there, confused, before slumping back into the alcove. He didn't expect that... He didn't expect anything he heard from this little fledgling.

Maybe he underestimated him, after all...?

---

"Doctor! Wait up!"

Legundo and Owen turned around. They were close to the end of the bridge. The vampire agreed to walk him back to Oakhurst, although he didn't seem particularly pleased about that. As if he wasn't the one that suggested it... But seeing Avid running after both of them, screaming at the top of his lungs, took them off guard. Not that him running around and screaming wasn't a common occurrence, but the context made it slightly confusing.

"Avid...?" Legundo squinted.

"Doctor! I know- I know what it is- I know what to do- I just- Hold on..." He stopped right in front of them, barely not crashing into Owen. He put his hands on his knees, struggling to catch his breath. "I know... What happened... I just need help... Figuring out... How to treat it..."

"You know...?" The doctor raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

"I needed to... Check with my notes... But now I know..." He gasped.

"So it was you!" Owen grabbed him by the shoulder and shook him. "I knew it! I knew you had something to do with this! You and you rotten vampire hunters- You wanted this to happen!"

"Owen... Refrain." Legs stated in a calm, but stern tone.

"Doctor, none of this would've happened, if it wasn't for him!" The lumberjack growled, pushing Avid away. "So much for humans being the good guys, huh?!"

"Owen," Legundo raised his voice ever so slightly. "You need to focus on what's important. And that's helping Scott while we still can. And since Avid wants to help..."

The elder vampire inhaled sharply, really struggling to keep his emotions at bay. His rage didn't help... It never did. It didn't help him two hundred years ago. And it wouldn't help him now. He had to keep his cool, at least for now, and focus on what actually mattered. And then, he could take revenge on Avid... His hand traveled to his chest. It's not like Scott was the only one who needed help... Finally, he let out a deep breath. His eyes were still full of primal fire, though.

"What do you need to do?"

"You stay here and make sure everyone is safe. I'll go with the doctor and help him work on the cure. I promise," He added, seeing that Owen was still unconvinced. "And after that... You can beat me up, or whatever you want, to take your revenge."

Owen let out a quiet growl. He looked back at the doctor, as if seeking his approval. Before Legundo could react, however, he turned around, then headed towards the castle.

"Avid...?" The doctor asked carefully.

"Colloidal silver." He just responded coldly. "It's colloidal silver. That's what they- That's what the vampire hunters put in this thing's blood. That's as much as I know, at least... But I saved some of it, if you want to run some tests."

"That... Explains things," Legundo admitted begrudgingly. "How much do you know about making a cure...?"

"Not much. Which is why I need your help, doctor. Please..."

Immediately, the doctor nodded. He walked up to Avid, then put his hand on his shoulder.

"Let's go, Avid. We have a lot of work to do."

Chapter 26: Dinner with the devil

Summary:

There's hope to save Scott. In the meantime, Owen makes a deal to make the grand duke's future a little easier.

Notes:

A few quick info before we start:

1. This fic just hit 20k hits yesterday. I'd like to thank you all for such an insane milestone, it means the world to me and I can't believe you enjoy it this much <3
2. There will be no new chapter on Sunday. Usually I'd upload due to a lack of Vampires this Sunday, but as per this fandom's tradition of making random AUs whenever there's a hiatus, I decided to prepare something special too. The next chapter will be coming out on Tuesday then, so sorry for the long wait. But I still hope you'll check out what comes on Sunday :3
3. Sorry if this chapter is a little weaker, I've been struggling with motivation and overall mental health in the recent time. I'll try to put my head into this more soon, but if it's not too much hassle, leaving comments helps me a lot <3

"Of course it was him... I knew he had something to do with this! Stupid Avid... Why the hell did I even turn him?" Owen grumbled under his breath, his claws digging into the wall he was sitting on. "Offering him our gift, only for him to betray us... And now, he acts as if he's this great savior, who will help us... This stupid idiot who-" The vampire groaned when the sting in his chest got stronger. He let out a low growl, massaging the sore spot to hopefully soothe the pain. "Ugh... Damn it... It's not getting any better, is it...?"

Slowly and carefully, Owen's hand slid under his shirt, and he began feeling around his wound. His fingers began trembling as he felt the tattered edges that didn't want to heal. And the smell reminded him of his old illness... He curled up on the wall, pulling his knees closer to himself and wrapping his arms around them. He didn't want to be sick again... He just wanted to help. And now, he was paying the price. At least he was still doing better than Scott, but that just meant that taking care of the fledglings fell upon him... Seeing them as his family was already a big step for Owen. He wasn't ready to assume any sort of leadership role. This was his most selfish reason why he wanted Scott to get better... But not the only one.

"What's up, man?" Owen flinched when he heard someone's voice right over himself. As he perked his head up, he noticed Pyro looking up at him from another part of the ruined wall. "You feeling okay?"

"I'm fine..." Owen sighed, slumping in his little corner. "Avid... Avid said he knows how to cure Scott."

"He does?"

"I mean... Okay, that's a stretch. He knows what happened to that bigfoot, and what's affecting Scott... He went with Legundo, to work on a cure."

"So there's hope?" Pyro's eyes lit up. "That's amazing!"

"Yeah... Yeah, it is... But, ugh... Pyro, none of this would've happened if it wasn't for him! We were attacked, because he called his vampire hunters friends for help! And now..." His hand traveled to his chest once more, and he sighed heavily.

"We should've expected that, huh...?" Pyro sighed and slid down the wall, then landed next to Owen.

"I wish I never turned him..." The elder vampire curled up even more tightly. "Maybe then, we wouldn't be in this mess..."

Pyro sighed and sat down next to the wall. It was a hard situation, for sure... Scott was suffering, and so was Owen. But, if now they had a chance to make everything right... They should focus on that, shouldn't they? He tilted his head backwards, then began speaking again:

"I had an idea..."

"Yes...?" Owen whispered.

"We need to get Scott to eat, or else, he'll just get worse... But it's harder without his fang, isn't it? So, I was thinking... Maybe making a prosthetic could help him?"

"Like a fake tooth...?"

"Yes! And now, since there's hope for healing him..." Pyro turned to him. "I can't imagine how frustrating it must be, to feed without all your fangs..."

Owen couldn't help but giggle.

"Look at you... You turned just a few months ago, and now you talk like a proper vampire..."

"I'm not sure Scott would approve, but... I want to help!" He added. "And, uh... I have some experience working with metals. A hobby I picked up, don't ask..." The lumberjack smirked when Pyro sounded a little ashamed of this little fact about himself. "I would just need some gold... Silver won't work, of course."

"I can go to Oakhurst and try to bargain for some gold... Will be faster than going into the caves to look for it." Slowly, Owen lifted himself off the wall. "I'll be back before morning, I hope."

"Want me to come with you?"

"No... Like it or not, without me or Scott, you have the most experience here." Owen snickered, to which Pyro went pale.

"You want me to lead all of these people?!"

"No, I don't! Just make sure they don't do anything dumb! You'll be fine!" He chuckled, before patting his friend on the shoulder. Then, not even letting him respond, he turned around and headed back towards town.

---

His injury clearly began affecting his abilities at this point, as at the edge of the forest, Owen was suddenly forced out of his bat form. He didn't expect that, nor did he have time to prepare, so he ended up falling face first into the dirt. His chest burned with pain that began spreading to his arms. Despite consuming a whole pig for breakfast, he was already starving. And the tingling feeling in his teeth... He could only hope it wasn't a sign that they’d fall out soon.

The people of Oakhurst didn't have much gold to spare. He was met with a few surprised stares - after all, it's been a while since he made his presence in the town known. With each denial, his hope was fleeting faster and faster. Did he have to go to the mines after all? He was in no shape to mine for hours, with his condition slowly worsening...

Until, suddenly, he heard someone calling out to him.

"Owen! Hi, man! Where have you been this whole time?"

Slowly, the lumberjack turned around. Martyn was standing in the door to his house, the same cheeky grin adorning his young face. For a second, Owen began feeling hopeful again. He didn't come to ask him, he thought the nobleman wasn't home... And due to his status, maybe he had some golden items to spare? The vampire approached the house, but kept his distance.

"I was, uh... Busy in the forest," He said. "You know, rebuilding my old home, and all that... But I was actually looking for you."

"Were you?" Martyn raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, I..." Owen recounted his excuse in his head, before continuing. "I need some gold. The doctor said needed it to prepare new surgical instruments... He sent me to ask around."

"Mmmmm... Didn't know you were Legundo's little errand boy..." The blond man smirked. "So, you need gold, hm?"

"Yes... Yes, that's what I said."

"I might just be the guy you need... But," He added, his voice a bit sharper "I need a favor from you, too."

"Oh, gosh... What is it?" 

Martyn chuckled, seeing his reaction.

"Don't worry, I'm not sending you anywhere... I just want to eat dinner with you, you know?"

"You... You want to eat dinner together...?" The lumberjack raised an eyebrow. That was... A strange request. One that could go south very soon, but at the same time... He didn't know the truth, right? How would he? Maybe that would be just fine... Owen could just sit with him, and pretend that he's not really hungry. Even if at this point, he was starving. "I mean... Sure, I can sit with you, I guess... And then, you'll give me the gold."

"Sure, sure!" Martyn grinned, before opening the door wider and doing a little bow. "Come on inside, you're officially invited..."

A thrill crossed Owen's body when he entered. Immediately, the strong, rancid smell of garlic hit his nose. The walls were covered in wooden stakes, and more weapons than one would expect from a young, lost nobleman. The table was already set, as if Martyn expected company... Immediately, the blond man led him to the table, before heading towards his little kitchen area.

"Huh, you... You were waiting for someone...?" Owen asked, his voice a bit weak as the smell of garlic overwhelmed his senses.

"Well, I wanted to eat with Specs, but, uh... Pretty sure he's busy at the bar. Such a workaholic he is..." Martyn snickered, preparing two plates for them. "I hope you like it! I'm not a great cook, but I'm trying..."

"Oh, actually, I'm not really hungry, I could just-"

Owen paused and barely held back from covering his mouth, once Martyn set a plate in front of him. There was a sizable portion of salad, together with a few slices of garlic bread. The stench was making his head spin. But if he let that show, he could've caught onto him... 

"Come on, Owen... Someone with your job needs nourishment, don'tcha?" Martyn sat on the opposite side of the table, sliding a candlestick a little to the side so that he could watch him. His eyes shined in a strange, dangerous way. "It's not like you can't eat this, right? You don't have some sort of silly allergy like Scott, do you...?" He asked, before taking a big bite of his garlic bread.

"No... No, I don't."

He knows, the thought crossed Owen's head. Or at the very least, he suspects me. Owen glanced down at his plate. For any normal human, it would just be a typical dinner... But not for him. Eating this amount of garlic would probably make him seriously ill. But if he avoided eating it, he would become even more suspicious in Martyn's eyes... Finally, he began the meal by trying some of the salad. It tasted like ash, and hit his stomach like a rock. Oh, this was going to be painful... Scott will have such a debt to pay back to him...

"You like it? I worked really hard on it..." Martyn smiled innocently, finishing his first slice of garlic bread.

"Yeah, it's... Really good..." Owen huffed, forcing another bite into himself. It's fine, he repeated in his head, I just have to get through the evening. And then, I can just leave, and throw it all up... "You're not such a bad cook, you know...?"

"Thank you!" Martyn smiled, before beginning to consume his salad. "You should come here more often, you know? I'd love to have someone to share conversations and meals with..."

"Mhm... Thanks, you're... So kind..." The vampire whimpered, wrapping one arm around his stomach.

"You know, I was thinking... You spend a lot of time outside of Oakhurst, don'tcha?" Martyn tapped his fork against the plate, producing a sound that made Owen's skin crawl. "And there are some people that've been coming home less often... Do you know where they are going, maybe?"

"Well, it's not my job to watch over them... I'm a lumberjack, not a babysitter," He grumbled, taking a slice of garlic bread and weighing his decision for a second. Martyn was watching him so intently... There's no way in the world he didn't suspect him. Maybe he could just take one, and skip out the rest... Maybe that'd be enough to satisfy him. Finally, very carefully, he took the tiniest bite he could...

Owen had to cover his mouth to not throw up. It felt as if someone threw a stink bomb straight into his mouth. Against his better judgement, he swallowed, the texture scratching against the back of his throat in a very painful manner. He took a deep breath. He could keep going, if that meant saving Scott, and keeping his family together...

"Hmmm..." Martyn hummed, sounding almost surprised at the sight. Then, another sly smirk made its way to his face. "Well, I was just worried, I noticed a few people missing often... Namely Scott, and Avid, and Shubble, and Sausage and Pyro... And Pearl, lately... Although she might just be mad at me," he shrugged.

"Why would- Why would she be mad at you?" Owen asked, taking deep breaths to not throw up. 

"Well, we had a little... Incident lately." Martyn snickered. "But she turned out just fine... Somehow."

"What incident...?" Owen asked, before forcing another forkfull of salad down his throat. His stomach stung, his hands were beginning to tremble. But he couldn't let himself get found out... He already got this far. He couldn't just back off, that'd be too suspicious...

"Oh, we were just caving, me, her, Cleo and Scott... And me and Scott had a little argument... And we got a few scratches and bruises out of it." Martyn chuckled.

Owen knew this story. He heard it from Scott's point of view already. It wasn't exactly how it went... Apparently, Martyn pushed him off, and then allowed him to fall to what he thought would be his death. Why he did that - he never learned. But maybe now he could... And maybe that would keep his head off the disgusting taste that filled his mouth.

"What did you guys... Argue about...?"

"Well, it's mostly between me and Scott, I... I don't like him, I'll be honest," Martyn said. "You know, a few weeks back, he came here, into my own house, and... He was acting really weird. He asked me whether I believe in vampires... I said yes, as a joke, and he suddenly got all... Touchy, and handsy, and... And tried biting me...? It was so weird, man..."

Owen shivered. He waited for Martyn to look away for a moment, to hopefully hide the garlic bread somewhere and not have to finish it, but his eyes were glued to him in quite an uncomfortable manner. But what he said... No, it couldn't have been true. Did he try to turn Martyn, out of everyone? Well, he always did what he wanted, especially when it came to turning people, and yet... He never told them about this. Why, though...?

"But... He didn't turn you, did he...?"

"No, no, he didn't..." Martyn snickered. "You don't sound surprised... Do you know something about him, too...?"

The vampire tensed, his fingers gripping the utensils a bit too tightly. The awful feeling in his stomach was making it harder to think, and so much easier to betray himself... He needed to get a grip. Quickly, before he says something catastrophic by accident.

"Scott is a rich, weird noble. If he wants to act like a vampire, he probably will, and none of us can say anything about that..." Owen sighed.

"True... You don't like him either, do you...?"

"Why does it matter...?"

"I was trying to get him out of Oakhurst... And, well, I think he left. But he's not completely gone, is he...?"

"He's also not my responsibility," Owen muttered. After forcing another bite of garlic bread, he began rubbing the skin on his stomach, hoping to quell the pain. "Scott just... Does whatever he wants. If he wants to leave, he will."

Martyn chuckled. By this time, he was already done eating, so he could put all of his attention on his companion. He put his hands together, tapping his fingers, as he glanced up and down at the lumberjack. 

From all that he saw and heard, Owen was another person he suspected of vampirism... But in contrast to Scott, he couldn't care less about capturing, or killing him. This cute little face of his was not worth much on the black market, so he could walk free, for all Martyn cared. And, yet... He could still be useful, by providing information. And entertainment. Although, the fact that he was actually able to consume garlic... He was either a very sensitive human, or a vampire with an iron stomach. 

"Fair, fair... I guess this town will never stop being rotten, huh...?" He chuckled. Then, he reached over the table and took one slice of garlic bread from Owen. A sign of mercy... Or a way for him to say 'I already know'. "Still, if you know something that I don't... I could pay you even more gold for it..."

"I agreed to stay over for dinner, in return for whatever you can give me. I don't think I need any more... And I don't have anything to tell you."

Finally, to cut his suffering short, Owen decided to stuff the rest of the garlic bread slice into his mouth. It would be over faster, even if it hurt five time as much... Immediately, he almost began choking as the disgusting taste burned his mouth and tongue. After swallowing, he felt as if a brick traveled down his throat. The lumberjack wiped his face. The salad was gone, half of his garlic bread was done... But he needed to get out of there. Fast. Before he would do something that would betray him. 

"I gotta go, Sc- Legundo really needs this gold..." He huffed. "Sorry I didn't finish, I- I really... Really enjoyed it..."

"Mhm... I know you will... Here, let's see what I can do for you."

Martyn got up from his spot and approached one of his chest. Owen's brain was fried at this point, but he still noticed that Martyn was visibly limping. That fall did a number on him, didn't it...? Finally, the bounty hunter approached him, holding something in his hands.

"Is that enough for your doctor?"

A few tiny, golden trinkets dropped into his hand. Owen took a glance at them, calculating in his head how much Pyro would need. That had to be enough... If he had to stay here any longer, he'd probably just go insane.

"Yes, that's... That's plenty. Thank you."

"Come again soon, will ya?" Martyn smirked, watching as Owen wobbled towards the door.

"Yeah, yeah... Will do..."

Immediately upon putting his hand on the doorknob, a loud hiss left Owen's mouth. The doorknob was pure silver... His palm immediately began burning. Still, he managed to push the door open and dashed outside, gasping for fresh air. That was easily the worst thing he had to put himself through, period... He probably deserved a nap, after he got back to the castle...

---

With garlic blocking most of his abilities, Owen was forced to walk all the way back. As soon as he stumbled upon Pyro, who was helping put together the front door, he pressed the golden trinkets in his hand and walked off without an explanation.

"Oh, thanks!- Wait, Owen, are you alright...?" The vampire called after him, to which the lumberjack just raised his thumb.

Soon after, he collapsed on the ground next to Scott's little alcove. The pain in his chest only increased from the long walk. His stomach twisted in pain, struggling with the garlic he was pushed to ingest. Owen's head was spinning, and at that moment, he wanted nothing more than to just fall asleep, and not wake up for at least two hundred years.

"Where were you?" Scott's weak voice reached him.

"Oakhurst... At Martyn's..."

"Why?" The grand duke's voice got a little sharper.

"He invited me for dinner..." Owen chuckled bitterly, tossing and turning in search of a comfortable position. Finally, he somewhat found it, when he curled on his right side and hid his head in his arms. The ground was far from soft and comfortable, but that would have to do, just until he feels better... "Scott...?"

"Yes?"

"Vampires don't have a gag reflex, right...?"

"No, we don't... Why?"

"Hah... I should've known..."

And then, something warm landed on him.

Owen opened his eyes. Scott's coat, the same he usually covered himself with, landed on him to shield him from the sun. The elder vampire covered himself with Pyro's coat instead, then turned away from Owen, to go straight back into sleep. He didn't have to share... But he did. The lumberjack immediately curled up under the coat, his breathing finally stabilizing. With his stomach still aching, and his head full of worries, he eventually managed to drift off into sleep.

Chapter 27: Deathbed confessions

Summary:

Feeling as if their time is coming to an end, Owen and Scott have a heart to heart.

Since the moment they arrived at Legundo's house, Avid did not rest for even a moment. He bustled around, comparing their notes while murmuring senselessly and trying to come up with a solution. At first, the doctor attempted to keep up with him - but eventually, his newfound obsession made Legs sit down for a moment and observe him. This upset shine of red in his eyes did not look particularly healthy... Not to mention, Avid didn't seem to even notice the doctor a lot of the time. He was focused on solving everything himself, even if his knowledge was lacking. Sure, he knew what poisoned Scott, and he knew how the vampire's body reacted to it - but he still lacked the medical knowledge to concoct a cure. 

"Avid," Legundo eventually stated in a calm, but stern tone, trying to get his attention.

"If we brewed it from pale root, it would have to work, right? If we can even find any- but what about the damage that was already done? Can vampires even heal from that? Ugh, think, Avid..." The vampire hunter groaned, hitting his temple with his open palm. "What did they teach you about the properties of silver...?"

"Avid." Legs raised his voice a little. The younger man whimpered and turned around, as if he only now noticed the presence of the doctor behind him. "I think we need to talk."

"About what?" Avid chuckled nervously.

"About you, and... All of this. Was Owen right? Did you... Did you cause Scott to get sick?"

Avid almost dropped the vial he was holding. He straightened his back and took a deep, long breath, as if stalling for time. With each hour, the true consequences of his actions solidified in his brain. He was so focused on fulfilling his job... If he was no longer human, he could at least still be a hunter. But now, when reflecting on Scott's condition, he wished he never contacted his people in the first place.

"I did," Avid finally responded, hanging his head low. "I was mad at him, and I needed to take him down, and take revenge, and... And I wish I didn't."

"Take revenge... For making you a vampire?"

Avid immediately turned around. "How did you know?" He asked nervously, but Legundo's face told him all that he needed to know. It wasn't hard to guess, probably... As far as he knew, the doctor knew about two of the vampires - well, three, counting him. And the fact that Avid hanged around them so freely had to immediately rat him out... But did that mean he suspected everyone who was at the castle that day? Even Shubble? No, but she was innocent... Avid took another deep breath, then continued talking. "He didn't turn me. But... I wouldn't have gotten turned, if it wasn't for him."

"Who did?"

"Owen." He finally revealed, before adding "He's been nice to me... He defended me- Defended us from Scott..." A pathetic chuckle escaped him. "It's stupid, isn't it? Scott ruined my life, made everything so much worse... But I still want to help him."

"It's never stupid to try to atone for your mistakes," Legundo finally got up and approached his desk.

"It's dumb, but... Somehow, I feel like if I fix what I did to him... Maybe we can start anew, and not fight again... Since, I probably can't leave this place now..." He sighed, picking up the vial with bigfoot blood again. He put it up to the sunlight, observing the slightly murky liquid inside. "Besides, I... I want to stay here for the others. I think we could be friends, we could be... Fine."

Legundo paused for a moment. The way Avid was so desperate to fix what he did wrong... It reminded him of himself from several years earlier. Of course, Avid's sins were nothing compared to his own... But if he could help this young man be at peace again, he would do anything it takes.

"You're... You're not gonna reveal us, right...?"

"No, Avid. My duty is only to help. And I can tell you're not looking for trouble, neither you, not Owen, or..." He paused, as if waiting for Avid to finish. Maybe if he got the vampire hunter to reveal the identities of the other vampires... He knew he shouldn't pry into their personal business, as long as they weren't a danger to others. But knowing who was a vampire and who wasn't would make it so much easier to protect them from the humans - or the other way around.

"Or Pyro," Avid decided to pick up where Legs left off. "And M, and Pearl."

"What about Shubble...?"

"She's... A friend. She almost got turned, but Scott defended her... So now she just kind of... Hangs out with us," He chuckled nervously.

"I wouldn't expect that from him..." Legundo admitted, before changing the topic "So, what did you work out so far?"

"I think we can find a lot of the things we need around Oakhurst... But not everything. Penicillin would be amazing, but getting it here sounds impossible-"

"I have some on me," Legs said. "When I came here, I expected to find people who need help. But I didn't expect to find... Non-humans who need help."

"They can still be like people, doc... They- We don't want to fight. We just want to be safe."

"That's understandable." He watched in silence as Avid ripped out a page from his notebook and began frantically noting something down. His hands were beginning to shake from all the emotions that rocked him at that moment. "Avid...?"

"This is all we need," He said, handing Legundo the note. "Do you think we can make it?"

The doctor looked down at the list. It was quite long, but many of the things he already had on him. Eventually, he nodded.

"We can. It would be useful if besides my medical knowledge, and your knowledge about vampires, we had someone who's more proficient in herbology..."

"We'll figure it out on the way," The vampire hunter moved towards the door. "Come on... We're running out of time. This poison, it... It can't kill Scott. But it could get him to a point where death would leave him better off..."

But as soon as the door swung open, Avid immediately bumped into Cleo.

"O-oh! Cleo!" He chuckled nervously, taking a few steps back. "What... What are you doing here...?"

"I was looking for you, doctor," The farmer almost didn't seem to notice Avid. "Do you have time?"

"Not really... I need to go now. We're working on... Something." Legundo said, immediately averting eye contact. Cleo picked up on that right away. They were hiding something. Their eyes darted between Legs and Avid.

"Cleo," Avid suddenly spoke up again. "You know a lot about herbs, right? We need your help."

Cleo crossed their arms, looking down at the fledgling.

"What are you planning, Avid?"

Whatever he wanted to do, it couldn't have been good. He wasn't a good vampire hunter, but he was a vampire hunter nonetheless... And Cleo had the identities of two of the local vampires looming over their head. What if whatever Avid was planning, would hurt them? But then again, Legundo seemed to be in on the secret... And despite trying to have their conversation with Scott in secret, they still suspected that the doctor knew what was going on. He was too smart to not catch onto this. But what did Avid know...?

"Cleo," Legundo finally said, "We need to help Scott. He's in danger."

The farmer tensed a little. 

"So you know..."

"I do know, Cleo. And so does Avid. But-" He added before Cleo could argue "He also wants to help. He..." He paused once more, to give Avid a chance to speak. The vampire hunter was just about to do that, but then the realization hit him.

"Wait, how do you know?!"

"I was there when Scott and Pearl fell," Cleo explained reluctantly, "And when they woke up. Scott told me. But he didn't tell me about..."

Avid took a deep breath.

"It's... It's gonna take a lot to explain. What matters now, is that Scott is sick... And we need to help him. Can you go with us...?"

Cleo sighed, trying to mentally sort through all that they knew. Scott was a vampire, Pearl was a vampire- Legs knew about Scott, possibly someone else to- Avid also knew, and from what Legundo said, it suggested he was also one...? It was getting more and more complicated with each day that passed. But at that moment, it didn't matter. Scott promised to protect Pearl. So, in return, Cleo needed to help him.

"I can," she finally agreed. "Come on. We gotta leave before anyone notices something's wrong..."

---

Owen's nap was very short-lived. Soon after he managed to fall asleep, he began feeling something itching and biting into his skin. At first, he just started scratching himself in sleep, hoping the strange feeling would just leave. Eventually, the sensation got too bad he woke up with a pained groan, and turned on his back. He didn't feel much better than when he laid down - the disgusting, rotten taste still filled his mouth, and like he swallowed a huge, heavy rock. It took him way too much strength to sit up and focus his eyes on the coat he was covered with. Only then, he noticed something tiny and black, moving around the fabric. And the itching... With how hazy and heavy his mind felt, it took him a while to finally connect the dots.

"Are those fleas...?" He grumbled. Scott must've gotten them when he attacked the bigfoot. But how the hell did he not feel them up until now? Was he just in this much pain, that he didn't feel all the biting? "Shit... Scott, wake up..." He pulled on the elder vampire's wrist.

Owen couldn't even tell how much time had passed since his poisonous dinner with Martyn. The garlic made him weak, sluggish, even thinking came hard to him in this state. He could tell that what he was doing was probably stupid... But he didn't care. He needed to get rid of this awful feeling. And since Scott was now his responsibility, he needed to take care of him as well. The circumstances didn't matter anymore.

"What...? Ough! What the hell?" Scott groaned when Owen pulled him out of his comfy little alcove. The vampire fell to the ground, his aching bones burning up in pain on impact. "Owen, let go of me!"

"Can't you feel the fleas?" The lumberjack grumbled.

"The what...?" The vampire slowly unbuttoned the cuff of his sleeve and pulled it up. He did feel some sort of strange itching lately, but he just summed it up to the poison wrecking his body... But when his eyes finally focused, he finally noticed tiny black dots covering his skin, and leaving red, itchy spots on his pale skin. "Oh..."

"Come on. We gotta wash these off." Owen muttered, dragging Scott by the wrist. Both of them struggled to stay up. Both of them were poisoned, exhausted and in pain. The difference was, Owen was a lot more upset, and would make sure the elder vampire listened to him. Even if his reasoning made little sense.

"What? Where are we going?" Scott hissed. He was too weak to break out of the lumberjack's grasp, so instead, he just followed behind, hoping he would let him go quickly.

"To the river. You need to wash yourself. And so do I," he added after a moment.

Scott wasn't pleased with whatever Owen was doing to him, but at that point, he was in too much pain to protest. His whole body was cold, wet from sweating and itchy. The poison was messing with his head, thinking clearly was starting to be a problem. Not to mention, the unbearable hunger... His last meal, at least the one he was able to keep down, was nothing but a distant memory by this point. If only he could stay back, in his little nest, and just nap this pain away... Even if it didn't help thus far, he had to help eventually, right? And if it didn't help... Maybe at some point, he would finally pass on in his sleep. But did he even deserve such kindness from fate...?

Eventually, the vampire took notice of Owen's state as well. He also seemed to be in pain - just as bad as his, if not worse. But why? What happened to him? The way his whole body trembled, how he kept one arm wrapped around his stomach, how his bloodshot eyes looked so empty and exhausted...

"And what happened to you?" Scott chuckled once they were walking down the hill, towards the river. "Taking care of the fledglings proved too much to you after all...?"

"Shut up," Owen grumbled. He wanted to add something, but he just covered his mouth when another pain of nausea hit him. "Shit..."

"Owen?" The elder vampire's voice sounded a bit more forceful. "What happened to you?"

"It's nothing..."

"Yeah, I can tell..." Scott rolled his eyes. He saw Owen grumpy before, sure, but he was never this much of a mess... 

Eventually, the two of them dragged themselves all the way to the riverbank. Still hazy and struggling to think clearly, Owen pushed the elder vampire straight into the cold, slowly moving water. Scott let out a startled hiss before faceplanting straight into the river. He would've appreciated it much if he got a chance to at least take off his clothes first... The cold water felt awful on his damaged joints and bones, but at the very least, the itching quelled considerably.

"You could've warned me, y'know?" He chuckled bitterly, struggling to find anything to laugh about. "Owen...?"

The lumberjack wanted to join him, but instead, he collapsed straight on the grainy sand. His whole body was shaking, his greying hair was a mess. He looked like he was trying to throw up, but all that came off was dry heaving. Eventually, he fell down on the sand, all light gone from his reddish eyes.

"Stupid Martyn..." He grumbled.

"Why did you talk to him...?" Scott tensed. 

"I needed to get gold... And only he had some..." Owen muttered, shakily getting himself up. He began unwrapping his shawl. "But this bastard wanted me to share a dinner with him... Which was chokeful of garlic..."

He knows, a thought crossed Scott's heavy mind. He knows about Owen...

"Why did you talk to him?!" The vampire raised his voice, despite how tight and scratchy his throat felt. "He's dangerous! He's a-" He stopped. Owen didn't know, right...? Or, well, he didn't know before heading to Martyn's... Because Scott never told them, to not reveal his little mishap with the bounty hunter. He was too embarrassed to do so. And now... Owen was paying the price. If he knew, he wouldn't have gotten into Martyn's grabby claws...

"He told me that you attacked him..." The lumberjack whispered, struggling to breathe from all the pain he was in. "Is that... Is that true...? Did you turn him...?"

"I... I had a thing with him," Scott revealed. He was still sitting in the river, appreciating how the cold water washed away his pain - if only for a short moment. "I wanted to turn him, but... He found me out. He's a bounty hunter, Owen..."

"Well, it would've been useful to know, before I had to eat all this garlic to not reveal myself..." The lumberjack grumbled. That explained why he looked so messed up... For Scott, even smelling garlic made him want to throw up. But the fact that Owen actually ate some and was still walking and talking... That was actually impressive.

"I know. I... I'm sorry."

Owen squinted, not sure whether it was his hazy brain that made up the last part. Did Scott just apologize to him? Scott? The same man who always played off everyone else's struggles or pain as not a big deal? The same guy who would've killed him and eaten him, had he lost their stupid duel? The same rich, pompous asshole that had no regard for anyone besides himself? And he just apologized?

"What...?"

"You're strong... I would've probably just snapped and killed him, if he tried making me do that..." Scott chuckled. "Why did you even need that gold, anyways...?"

"Pyro said he could make you a fake fang. To replace the one you left. But he needed gold..."

"Why didn't you just go to my treasury?"

"You have a treasury?" Owen's voice broke, as the realization dawned upon him. His effort was in vain, wasn't it...?

"Well, unless people have robbed it while I was gone..." Scott chuckled bitterly.

A moment later, the vampire leaned back and disappeared underwater completely. He opened his eyes and let his breath out, letting the cool water envelop him. He was already dead, he didn't need to breathe... But that didn't mean he didn't feel. Pain, and all the other things. And who would've thought that he would finally allow himself to feel, once the pain became inevitable... For a moment, Scott just looked up at the sky. It was just before sunrise. He could stay here, shielded from the painful sunlight, safe from everything... But would he have the guts to run from everything forever...?

Slowly, Scott emerged from the water again. By that point, Owen already took off his shirt, and was carefully washing the wound on his chest with cold water. It looked like slash marks, and the dark, tattered edges betrayed the presence of the same poison that affected Scott - they matched similar dark marks that began appearing in various places on his body. He must've gotten hurt when Scott was tossed off the bridge... But this whole time, he didn't say anything. Probably not to worry Scott. But even without that, he didn't look good... His body was covered in scars, left over from the illness he carried as a human. His skin was thick, marbled, tinted an unhealthy, greyish color. His ribs were poking out from under his skin, but his stomach was unhealthily bloated - probably from all the garlic he had to consume. By this time, most of his hair turned white, with maybe a third of the length still being his natural dark brown. Scott wondered if his hair also returned to white at this point - it was too short to check, however.

"You don't look good..." he admitted quietly, to which Owen just scoffed.

"I was sick most of my life," the lumberjack muttered. "And the one time I had someone I cared about, they were torn away from me... If that makes you feel better, you guys are the last reason why I still haven't put a stake through my own heart."

Slowly, Scott dragged himself out of the river. His wet clothes weighed him down, his step was still shaky. He fell on the sand next to Owen, already struggling to catch his breath. 

"I don't remember Louis well," the grand duke quietly admitted. "But... He would be proud of you."

Owen flinched at that comment.

"What...?"

"He cared about others..." Scott huffed, turning on his back in search of a comfortable position. "I wanted to beat that out of him. He... He reminded me a bit too much of myself, when I was a kid..."

"Is this why you left everyone?" Owen scoffed. He put on a mask of indifference quickly. Any mention of his beloved partner made his heart weak and sore... But that was a stark contrast to when Scott said he was glad that he met his end. 

"No. I..." Scott sighed. He began unbuttoning his shirt, so that the cold, wet fabric wouldn't cling to him. "I ran. I was... I wanted to make this family better. I wanted people to care. But I wasn't ready..."

The lumberjack glanced back at Scott, and his eyes widened. For the first time, he noticed the singular scar on the grand duke's body - a large imprint of teeth, right where his unbeating heart was. It didn't look like just a bite mark, left there by someone who turned him. It looked as if someone attempted to rip out Scott's heart with their bare teeth. Owen flinched. Scott already looked messed up - his skin was pale, but not the natural, vampiric way, rather it took on an unhealthily, deathly tint. While unable to eat, he lost a lot of weight, rendering his posh clothing too large for him all of a sudden. The poison manifested on his body by leaving small, black marks, similar to the darkened skin around Owen's wounds. But this scar... It was older. It told a story.

"I lost... But I didn't die. I was humiliated instead, and marked, to never forget... And by the time I tried again, it didn't matter to me. I just needed to feel strong, and in control..."

"That's why you tried controlling everything about us," Owen snickered, then also fell on his back, right next to Scott. The dry sand clung to his body. "You're a freak..."

"Yeah... I guess I am."

"But..." Owen paused for a second, weighing his words. "You're trying. I think."

"I am... But it's not going well, is it...?"

"Well... It's going." Owen took a deep breath, trying to ignore the ache in his chest. "But... Why did you just leave everyone in your family behind? Just to take a nap...?"

"It wasn't supposed to last six hundred years... I was just supposed to... Rest for a while... A few months, I think, but... But then, I was afraid of coming back. What if they moved on without me...?" Scott's eyes were glued to the sky. Slowly, the crimson was getting washed out by the grey sunrise. They would have to go back into the shadows soon... But not yet. They could stay like this for a little longer. They'd be fine... At least for now. "And then, when I finally woke up... They were gone."

Owen tilted his head back a little. He could see the tears in Scott's eyes. He shouldn't feel bad for him, Scott was a horrible person... But maybe there was hope for him. For both of them. Hope that even horrible people like them could turn their lives around and do something good every now and then.

"You... You don't know where they went, do you...?"

"I don't know if they're even alive, Owen..." The elder vampire chuckled bitterly. "They were awful, but... They were my family..."

"Well... We're your family now. If you want us to be, that is..." Owen really struggled to keep his voice from shaking, too. "We all kinda suck, in one way or another. But maybe Avid was right? Maybe we can be... Fine...?"

Sluggishly, Scott turned on his side. His hand shakily landed on Owen's hair, petting them with a soft, pained smile.

"Louis would be so proud of you," he just whispered. 

The lumberjack's breathing shook, and tears began falling down his cheeks. When Scott got closer, he allowed him to pull him into a hug. Just two hurt, awful people, looking for comfort and hope that they could still live on and be fine... And they would be. They clung to each other, silently seeking comfort in the other vampire. Soon, the sun would rise again, and their respective poisons would probably claim their lives...

But not yet. Right now, despite all the pain and suffering they went through, they were just fine.

Notes:

The next few uploads of this might be a bit more irregular. I can't believe I'm saying this, but the idea of ending this story makes me really anxious on so many different levels ^^"

Btw, if you ever want to discuss this fic on social media, or even post fanart (I know it doesn't really happen but sometimes?) please do, and tag me! I'd love to see it!

Chapter 28: Deal with the enemy

Summary:

While working on the cure, Avid comes upon people who've been waiting for him.

Notes:

Funfact, I'm working on the next chapter as I'm posting this! I can't wait to see your guys' reactions to that one :3

Two humans and a vampire spent the whole evening, night and a big chunk of the next morning looking for the right ingredients. Not everything went exactly as they wanted - some things that Avid thought were required didn't grow in the cold, moist climate of Oakhurst, so they had to settle for replacements. The creatures of the night did not seem bothered by the small group roaming the area. The whole time, they talked in quiet voices, as if to not attract any attention to themselves. Despite that, all of them shared a feeling they couldn't quite voice just yet. The overwhelming sensation that they were being watched.

"How much of this stupid pale root do we need?" Cleo grumbled as they finished digging. An arm-sized chunk of a pale tree's root was cut off from the plant, the dry, rancid smell filling the air. Avid kneeled next to the root and, using Legundo's scalpel, cut out a small piece of the crunchy matter.

"I think it should be enough," He hummed, avoiding Cleo's upset expression. They didn't need as much as she dug up, but it would be rude to point it out... "What's left on the list...?"

"You wrote down echinacea, but I haven't seen it anywhere around Oakhurst..." Legs squinted, looking down at their list. "We could supply it with garlic, it has similar properties..."

"Oh gosh," Avid winced at the bare sound. "Not that..."

"Oh... Right." Legundo sighed, then folded the list and hid it in his pocket. Once Avid handed him the piece of root, he stored it safely in a tiny glass jar. "It's bad for vampires. But we need something with similar antibacterial properties. Is there any dose that could be safe for a vampire?"

"I... I guess you could test it on me-" The vampire proposed nervously, before the doctor cut him off.

"We won't experiment on humans, Avid."

"I'm- I'm no longer a human!" He chuckled nervously, scratching his neck. There were already red marks on his skin, left by his slowly developing claws. "It's fine, I can take it..."

"Either way, we're not testing something that's intended to hurt you! We can figure out something else-"

"I've seen rosehips growing around these parts," Cleo cut in, "It's safe for vampires. If we use twice the amount we would for garlic, it will work just fine."

Avid and Legundo's eyes turned to Cleo.

"How do you know that?" The doctor asked.

"I... I knew some things about vampires before coming here," she reluctantly admitted. "Just enough to stay out of trouble. But it doesn't matter! Come on, we have to-"

All of a sudden, something interrupted her. The sound of a chirping bird - but also, not quite exactly that. A bit sharper, a bit more forceful. A long whistle, then a short one, then a longer one again. Immediately, Avid started looking around. So it wasn't just his paranoia... Someone was watching this whole time. But they didn't hear them, right...? They couldn't have...

"Avid?" Legundo asked.

"I- Uh... Go without me. I'll be right behind you."

"Avid, what are you playing at...?" Cleo squinted.

"N- Nothing! I just... Please. I'll be right behind you," he repeated, his voice a bit shaky.

"Come on, Cleo," Legs put his hand on the farmer's shoulder, turning them away from Avid. The surgeon shot one last serious glance at Avid, then also walked away. 

Avid took a sharp inhale, then turned back and headed deeper into the dead forest. The signal... They called out to him. Did they want a confirmation that Avid finished his job? His hand traveled to the teeth necklace, bumping on his chest under his shirt. He did put the fang that Scott gave him there... But he'd need to have the full set of four to prove that he was done with him. He had to stall for more time, while also figuring out how to drive the hunters away from his coven... Ever since they succeeded in poisoning Scott, everything changed. If he could only get them away from Oakhurst, maybe go with them... Surely, if he convinced them that he did his job, they would accept him, right? He could hide his traits for long enough, finally work on a cure, and then... Everything would be well again. Everyone would be happy, and satisfied. And Avid would do his part, without actually hurting anyone...

When the feeling of being watched became too unbearable, the vampire stopped. He couldn't tell how he knew it, but this was the spot. He looked around, waiting for some sort of signal from his people. He wasn't mistaken, right...?

And then, he heard a quiet rustle behind his back.

Immediately, Avid turned around, to witness the same man he saw in that cavern, way back when. This time, he took his mask off, making all the scars on his face and neck visible. His dark, hazel eyes were piercing and focused. A small, green-tinted streak of hair covered his forehead. He was almost a foot taller than Avid, and looked like he could break him in half.

"Fangs," he commanded barkily.

At first, out of habit, Avid almost showed him his fangs. How stupid that was of him... Instead, he pulled out his tooth necklace. And so did the man. The string he carries around his neck hung heavy with all the teeth he took from slain vampires. There were different shapes, sizes and colors of fangs, but all of them sharp as swords. The hunter squinted at the sight. For a moment, his eyes diverged to a ripped out spot on Avid's sleeve. And then, back to the necklace.

"Only one? You haven't taken care of the Goldsmith yet, have you?"

"I'm working on it, he's... Blending in with the humans well. I'm waiting for an opening."

"A Goldsmith? Blending in with the humans? How low have these guys fallen..." The hunter snickered, then took a step forward. His heavy boots trampled the dry, ashy grass. "And where's your partner? Gone again?"

"Elle stayed at Oakhurst..." Avid gulped, swallowing the lie like a bitter medicine. "B- But we'll get this under control soon, give me a few days!"

"A day," the hunter snapped back, raising a finger like a warning. "If you want to come back home... Come here tomorrow at sunset, with the full set of Goldsmith's blummin' teeth. If not, you're on your own. Capiche?"

"Yes."

"Joel!" Someone's voice rang from between the branches. No wonder Avid still felt watched... He was. Even if he couldn't see them, there were people all around the little clearing, watching him.

"Coming... And remember, little one," Joel's teeth showed in a bright, devilish grin, as he put a finger under Avid's chin. "You've been given a chance... Don't fuck it up."

Joel grabbed his hand and pressed something cold into it. At first, Avid shivered, thinking it was silver... It wasn't. But whatever it was, it hurt. He just couldn't show it yet...

"In case things get dicey... You know how to use it," the hunter smirked. "Over and out."

"Yes... Over."

A rope dropped from one of the trees. Quickly and with great agility, Joel grabbed it and climbed on top of the tree, only to disappear in the canopy. Slowly, Avid's fingers unclenched, and he looked down at the gift. A small, golden cross... He did know how to use it. He's seen people from the corps using it. But it was usually given to people with much more experience... Joel really did have faith in him, didn't he...?

Avid shivered, then immediately turned back where he came from. He stuffed the cross deep, deep in his pocket; it felt unpleasantly warm. So they didn't hear his conversation with Cleo and Legundo... Good. If they did, Joel would've probably shot him on the spot, for collaborating with the enemy... The vampire took quick, shallow breaths, as he first walked, then ran after the humans he left in the forest. Just one more day... One more day of playing both sides. After that, he would finally go home... And everyone in Oakhurst would be safe.

Safe from them... Safe from him.

---

"Wow, you really did fix the place..." Cleo remarked as soon as they approached the bridge leading to the castle.

"Well, yeah..." Avid chuckled nervously. "You, uh... You sure you wanna go, Cleo...?"

"Yes. I need to see them," The farmer confirmed quietly. "And if any of you freaks jump at me, I know how to defend myself."

"No one will jump at you, I promise! We're no longer humans, but we're still... People." Avid muttered. When Cleo and Legundo stepped on the bridge, he quickly followed behind. His eyes darted to the sky. It was about noon. Concocting the cure would probably take some time, but maybe they'd be done before the end of the day... And after that, it will be all done. Avid will fix his damage, find some sort of way to fool the hunters, and everything will be solved. Yes, that was a perfect, foolproof plan. What could go wrong?

"M?" Cleo made a surprised face as soon as she saw the writer, working on repairing parts of the bridge. "Actually, wait, no... I guess that checks out. You're into this stuff."

"Hello, doc! Hi, Cleo-" Sausage shut his mouth and quickly looked at Avid. Seeing his raised thumbs, he calmed down a little. "Huh... Are you...?"

"No, I'm not..." Cleo sighed. "I just know of... A few of you."

"M, where are Scott and Owen? We need to get them. We can finally work on a cure for them."

"Oh, right, right! They're inside, come on!" Sausage opened the door, then invited them inside. Avid hesitated at first, but eventually, decided to step in. A shiver crossed his body as he went through the doorstep. So he was invited, after all... "Scott, help is here! Scott...?"

The writer approached the alcove where their sire usually resided. Only then, he finally noticed that it was empty... And Owen was also nowhere to be seen. 

"Where are they...?" Avid asked nervously.

"Th- They were supposed to be here! Pyro was supposed to watch after them this time!"

"Hey, don't pin this on me!" As if on command, Pyro poked out of their storage. "Wasn't that Pearl's duty this time?"

"No, I'm pretty sure it was yours!"

"Okay, it doesn't matter now!" Cleo interrupted them. "We gotta find them! They couldn't have wandered far, right? At least Scott, if he's this sick..."

"Owen too," Pyro added. "When he came back, he looked really sick... I don't know if it's the poison, or what..."

"Then we gotta find them now, great..." Legundo sighed.

"Stay here and start working on the cure. We'll go look for them," Cleo proposed. "Come on, guys!"

"What happened to Owen...?" Avid asked, after approaching Pyro. The vampire was just about to head out, but paused when seeing Avid.

"I don't know... I asked him to go get some gold, to make Scott a prosthetic tooth... He came back with the gold, but looked like he was about to throw up..."

"Ouh... Wait, you're making a fake tooth for Scott?"

"Well, I was trying... But it turns out, the gold he brought me is like, super old..." He sighed. "Very brittle, could very easily break if he tried to actually use it..."

Immediately, the vampire hunter grabbed Pyro's hand and pressed something in it. The fledgling let out a startled hiss.

"Ouch! What the hell is this?-"

"Use this. I... I don't need it anymore."

Pyro opened his hand, only to witness a small, golden cross pressed into his palm. It hurt with how cold it was, but not quite as much as silver... He squinted, then looked up in Avid's eyes.

"Where did you get it...?"

"It's uh... Part of a vampire hunter's equipment. But, I guess I won't be needing this anymore..."

"Well, let's hope whatever they put on it, will wear off with enough heat..." Pyro sighed and stuffed the cross in his pocket. "Thanks, Avid... To be honest, I- I'm still surprised you're helping... Considering all that Scott did to you..."

The vampire hunter went silent for a moment. Of course he was... Even Avid was surprised. But maybe it was the right thing, after all...?

"Yeah... So am I," He admitted quietly.

---

Scott hated being woken up. Especially if that consisted of him being dragged away by someone. He felt too weak to fight back, however. His face, arms and chest ached with the burns from the morning sun. His stomach was eating away at itself, devoid of actual nourishment for far too long. His eyes teared up as soon as he tried opening them.

"Owen...?" He just mumbled.

"I got him, no worries!" The vampire heard Pearl's voice in response. He turned his head a little, to see how his fledgling carried Owen tossed over her shoulder, like a bag of flour. He began looking around, a bit uncertain about his own position. He was actually held up by two people - Sausage carried him by the wrists, while Cleo by the ankles. He let out a sigh of relief when they entered the castle and the sun finally let them go.

"Whose idea was it to go out while you two idiots are sick?" Cleo asked in an accusatory tone.

"Owen's..." Scott muttered.

"I thought at least he had something in his head, but here we go..." The farmer sighed. Only then, her real situation finally hit Scott.

"Wait, Cleo... Why are you... Here...?"

"Well, we have a way to heal you... Almost. Doc's working on it."

"Heal... Me...?"

"Yeah! You're not gonna die, sire!" Sausage added with excitement. 

"I'm not... Oh."

He couldn't believe it... They actually did put in so much work, just to keep him alive... Even after how horribly he treated all of them. This whole time, he thought they were bluffing... Well, maybe they still were. If they did, they put a lot of work into keeping up appearances...

Soon, Scott was back in his little alcove. He immediately cuddled into the coats and jackets left for him. They wouldn't do it if they didn't care for him, and yet... That idea just couldn't settle in his head. There had to be a catch, right...? With his eyes still teary, he watched his fledglings approach Legundo, who was setting up everything at their big table. They settled Owen in one of the chairs; he began waking up, still grumpy from his sickness. They were all here... They actually did mean it, didn't they...?

"You... Thank you..." Scott whispered, slowly drifting back into his half-asleep state.

The poison withered his body, completely depleting his strength. At this point, even walking would be a challenge for the grand sire. The burns on his body were itchy, but his arms were too weak to actually move to start scratching himself. His vision was blurry, his teeth ached. Another one would probably fall out soon... His hair already began. Not enough to show clearly, but each time Scott pulled his hands through them, he could feel strands breaking off. It would be a nightmare to be bald forever, he could only hope that someone would finish him off before that would happen...

And then, someone walked up to him.

"Sire..."

"Avid..." Scott turned on his back, staring up at the fledgling with an absent expression. "You... You're not joking about this cure...?"

"What...? No, no, of course I'm not joking!" The vampire hunter grabbed his hand. "We figured it out! We'll help you, I promise... And I'm gonna fix everything. No one is ever gonna go after the vampires of Oakhurst, ever."

"What are you on about...?"

"I promise... And I'm sorry."

The vampire just watched silently as Avid walked off, towards the table. He was a weird one, for sure... But he was trying. And if his trying saved Scott... Then so be it.

---

As the cure brewed, Avid dragged Shubble to the side to talk to her.

"I need a favor from you," he said as soon as he thought they were alone. "I messed up... But I'm working on fixing it. And only you can help me."

"What do you need?" The girl asked, clearly excited at the prospect of an adventure.

"I... I came in contact with other vampire hunters. Long story, but..." He took a deep breath. "They want me to kill Scott. Which I won't do, obviously!" The vampire hunter added when her face shifted from thrilled to scared. "I just have to... Keep appearances. I have to meet with them tomorrow... I want you to come with me, and pretend that you're my vampire hunting partner. We're supposed to always work in pairs, but... I can no longer do that."

"Wait, hold on..." Shubble squinted. "I'm supposed to go and meet vampire hunters with you, and pretend that we killed Scott...? I- I don't know if I can do that..."

"It's fine! I'll prepare everything! You just pretend that you've been working with me. I'll go with them, and then-"

"What are you two scheming about?" All of a sudden, Pyro's voice rang over them. Only then, Avid noticed that he was flying over them, in a bat form. Quickly, they were approached by Pearl and M, and Pyro landed between them and turned back.

"N- Nothing! I'm just..." Avid sighed. "Cleaning up old business. With... Vampire hunters."

"Vampire hunters?!"

Somehow, Owen found the strength to get up and get to his fledglings. The moment he heard Avid's words, his remaining strength seemingly tripled, as he walked up to his fledgling and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

"I knew it! You're still with these guys, aren't you?! What are you playing, Avid?!"

"Owen, calm down!" Pyro interrupted him. He grabbed Owen by one arm, Sausage by the other, and they dragged their elder back a bit. Then, they looked at Avid again.

"I... I messed up, I admit..." The vampire hunter sighed. "But I'm working to fix it. I just need Shub to pretend that she's my hunting partner... I'll go back to the camp with them. They will believe there are no vampires left in Oakhurst, they'll leave you guys alone..."

"And what about you?" Pearl asked. "What if they find out about you?"

"I... That's my problem. I'll deal with it."

"You're insane..." Owen scoffed. "They're not gonna let us go. If they sent a bigfoot after us-"

"They sent the bigfoot after Scott!" Avid snapped back. "I- I already met up with them, I... I only told them about Scott. They..." He weighed his words for a moment, then turned to Owen. "They knew about you. But I can play it off... They don't have to know."

"You really trust that these guys won't go after us after all?" The lumberjack scoffed. 

"No... But this is all that I can do to prevent that."

"You need an escort?" Pyro suddenly suggested.

"Wh- What?"

"You know, to make sure they don't try anything funny with you... If they find you out, we can just swoop in and kill them!"

"You can't be serious..." Owen scoffed. 

Pyro's hand slid into his pocket. If Avid really wanted to hurt them after all this time, he could... But he didn't. As stupid as that was, Pyro wanted to believe him... And since Scott was out of commission, and Owen was not in a right state of mind (to be frank, he would be just as angry if he wasn't sick), he had to step in as technically the eldest vampire. 

"I'll go with you, in case things go bad."

"And so will I!" Sausage added.

"I'll go too," Pearl raised her hand.

"You guys..." Avid wiped his eyes. "A- Are you sure? I don't wanna put you in danger-"

"You already did, with the whole bigfoot thing," Pyro pointed out. "But, hey... If that means we'll get these guys off our backs for good..."

"You're all insane..." Owen grunted. He wanted to add something, but at that moment, another wave of sickness hit him. Sausage effortlessly picked him up. "Leave me be..."

"Come on, you gotta go lay down." He said, carrying Owen off.

"So, what's the plan...?" Pyro turned back to Avid.

"I- I'll prepare everything. Let's meet here tomorrow at noon... I'll tell you guys everything. For real, this time."

Chapter 29: Silver and gold

Summary:

TW: Cannibalism

Avid settles his matters with the vampire hunters, once and for all.

Notes:

Not gonna lie, this might be my favorite chapter of this fic. Definitely up there with the likes of Rite of passage and Bait and snitch
Enjoy :3

"So? How do I look?" Shubble asked, spinning around on one foot to take a look at her new outfit. It took a considerable amount of time to put together, mostly from what Avid brought with himself to Oakhurst. If someone was to not look too hard at her, they probably wouldn't mind she doesn't look much for a vampire hunter. As a precaution, she also took her glasses off - Avid couldn't recall even seeing a hunter with them, so he'd rather not get them found out with such a silly mistake.

"You're looking great..." The vampire tried sounding positive, but with how quiet and subdued he kept his voice, it was hard to notice. The whole time, he was looking around, trying to spot any signs of the vampire hunters' arrival. "Remember what we discussed?"

"Of course! We'll be fine, Avid!" The girl patted her friend on the shoulder, which was met with his nervous squeal. "I'll try to keep quiet, and let you do the talking. You can kick me if I say something wrong..."

"I won't kick you, Shub..." Avid snickered, calming down a little. Maybe they will be fine after all...? His eyes darted up once more. Somewhere between the trees, his friends nestled, after taking the form of bats. He couldn't help but feel a sting of envy at how easily it came to them - especially Sausage and Pearl, who were turned so much later than him. His own mental blockade did not seem gone just yet, no matter how hard he tried. But that didn't matter anymore, did it...? He was going home. Back there, turning into a bat would no longer save him. "Just... Follow my lead. I know what to say. It helps that this guy is not my colonel... He might not notice anything's wrong."

"And after that... You wanna go with them, right...?"

"I..."

His explanation was cut short but the sudden rustling among the leafage. Immediately, Avid saluted and put his second hand on his heart. Shubble repeated the gesture, waiting in anticipation for what's to come.

"Ah, there you are, little ones..."

Joel slithered down the tree to their right. He took off his mask, his dark eyes watching the two hunters carefully. First, Avid. The previous day, he noticed how the vampire hunting corps patch was torn off from his sleeve - now, the spot was covered with a thick layer of bandage. Did he get hurt, or was he hiding something? His deep, violet eyes were nervous, darting around, as if looking for Joel's companions. He seemed a bit suspicious, but nothing too weird, considering what the hunter had to deal with in the past... And then, Elle. Her uniform was a bit mismatched - a bold fashion statement, or scraping to make something that would get her approved in his eyes? She seemed much more relaxed and present than Avid. Although, truth be told, even with all the years he spent in various vampire hunters camps, Joel couldn't recall anyone even close to her. Probably a new recruit. Battalion M really was grasping at straws, wasn't it...?

"Fangs," he commanded.

Immediately, the two 'hunters' pulled out their teeth necklaces. The previous night, the vampires ventured out and caught a whole pack of wolves, to take their teeth as mockup of actual vampiric fangs. (Avid never tried wolf meat before that. He was a bit ashamed to admit he actually really enjoyed the slightly spicy taste.) Avid's carried Scott's lost fang, as well as three extra, to make a full set. Shubble's necklace was richer with more fangs of various sizes and shapes. Unsure how much Joel actually knew about them, Avid opted for remaking the necklace as close as he remembered Elle's being - and since she was the one out in the field most of the time, her collection was a lot bigger than Avid's. Joel glanced at them closely, then nodded.

"So? Who finished off the Goldsmith?"

"I did," Avid admitted.

"And? How did it feel?" Joel smirked, showing off his teeth.

"It felt... Great," Avid chuckled nervously. "I- I... I got him when he was least expecting it, plunged a stake right through his rotten heart and...! And I told everyone in town the truth. They... They called me a hero!" The man looked up at Joel. There was something pained in his eyes. He was not the greatest of liars... The colonel eventually nodded.

"Good... As they should." He smirked. "And what about the other fiend?"

"O-other?" Avid stuttered. He completely forgot... Joel knew about Owen, and Avid did promise to take care of him... "W-well, Ow- Owen..."

As he stumbled through his words, Shubble picked up the topic without missing a beat.

"I got him!" She exclaimed with a bit too much enthusiasm, throwing her fists to the sky. "He didn't even know what's coming! He was sitting in his evil little lair, plotting his evil little schemes- And I got him when he least expected it!" She gestured so much, Avid got afraid Joel would get suspicious. Despite that, the hunter seemed surprisingly calm, even amused. "He begged for mercy, but I told him: 'Never! You will atone for your sins, you... You filthy, sick monster!' And he did!"

Joel snickered under his breath.

"Batalion M..." He commented quietly, before adding "Great! Glad to know that's settled... Although..." His eyes darted to Avid again. "What was it about telling the people in town...?"

"P- Pardon?" Avid smiled nervously.

"Oakhurst is repopulating again, huh?" Joel pulled out a silver cigarette case from his pocket, then took out one. He gestured to his subordinates, but both refused. "That's good news..."

"It is!" Shubble added, a bit more confident after getting Joel's approval. "People are starting to live here again! Two hundred years after they were all killed- But there's hope!"

"Yeah, hope..." The hunter snickered. "Hope for another wipeout sometime soon..."

Avid shivered at the sound of that word. He knew what that meant... Shubble didn't. Why did Joel even go in this direction...? It didn't matter, right? They 'finished' their job. They would head back to camp. And after that... Everyone would be safe. Every vampire, every human...

"Another what...?" Shubble asked with a concerned smile.

"Didn't listen during the lectures on vampire hunting history, huh?" After struggling with his lighter a bit, Joel finally put a lit up cigarette in his mouth. After letting out a puff of suspiciously garlic-scented smoke (which made Avid's stomach turn), he continued "Ah, I wish I could've been there the last time it happened..."

"Yeah... Four hundred years ago..." Avid agreed quietly, shame seeping into his words. "What a sight..."

Shubble's eyes darted nervously between Joel and Avid. That wasn't something she was prepared to hear about- A wipeout? Of what? What were they talking about? Avid would've told her if it was important, right...?

"Oh, so you remember what it was all about?" Joel smirked. He then added, still seeing confusion in Shubble's eyes "You should've been briefed about this, both of you... This area used to be crawling with vampires. Living among people, treating them like cattle... Mostly due to these rotten Goldsmiths..." The hunter winced, then spat on the ground after uttering the wretched name. Avid took a step back, barely avoiding getting spat on his shoes. "So, four hundred years ago, our predecessors organized a little... Raid. To wipe out everyone in Oakhurst."

"Every vampire, right...?" The girl chuckled nervously.

"Everyone," Joel repeated with a grin.

Shubble had to clench her fists tightly to not react too strongly at that. If he meant everyone... That also included humans. Innocent humans, who had their own lives, maybe didn't even know about the existence of vampires. But why...? That sounded so needlessly cruel... How many of them even were vampires, back in the day? The girl turned to Avid, waiting for him to clarify. Joel didn't actually mean that, did he...? But Avid was silent. He averted eye contact. As if he was there, to witness this wipeout happen... He wasn't. But it felt like at some point in the past, he wouldn't be against that happening again.

"Was it really necessary...?" She asked nervously. "Killing so many people... Do you even know how many vampires they took down...?"

Joel just shrugged. He seemed so nonchalant about it, as if she just asked him what was for dinner that evening.

"If they got at least one, their job was done successfully," he commented, then exhaled another puff of smoke. "If you kill a thousand people, but there is one vampire among them... You already potentially saved millions of lives. Isn't that a net positive?"

"But-" Shubble wanted to fight back, but Avid grabbed her by the wrist. One glance was more than enough to stop her. This deep rooted shame in his eyes... He knew this entire time. And he never told her, never told any of them...

"I don't think a wipeout is necessary," he just commented. "We tested the people of Oakhurst, and there are no vampires among them..."

"Let's hope you're right... Although, those blummin' vermin are getting smarter with each generation... Take that pest that massacred everyone here two hundred years ago, for example." Joel spun the cigarette in his fingers, his eyes glued to the horizon. A moment later, he continued "We sent a few groups to look after him in the past decades... None of them found anything. But since we had no record of that wretched thing getting killed-"

"Owen," Shubble suddenly cut him off. "His name is Owen."

Joel squinted, then leaned over the girl.

"Looks like someone was sleeping through more than one lecture, Elle..." He pointed out, prolonging her supposed name a little. The girl took a step back, a bit overwhelmed with how close he was. Joel followed right after her, his deep, brown eyes glued to her. "No vampire is deserving of a name. They're just soulless wretches, and all they deserve is a stake through their rotten hearts. Understood...?"

Shubble barely held back from looking back at Avid. If this guy was this serious about eliminating vampires... Avid wouldn't be safe going anywhere with him. One small misstep, one mistake, and he would be gone. And Joel already acted suspicious of them...

But then, Avid stepped in.

"Yes, yes, we get it... Sorry. The events of the recent days have us both a bit... Shaken," He quickly explained. "Can we head back to camp already...?"

The hunter straightened his back. He slid his right hand into the pocket on his vest. After taking it out, he now had a leather glove on, with suspiciously shiny lining on the seams. He smirked, then reached out his hand to Shubble.

"We can... Welcome back to camp, soldiers."

Shubble shook his hand with a bit of hesitation. She wanted to be nowhere near this man... But if she could pretend for just a bit longer, and then escape, she would be fine. She turned to Avid, watching when Joel reached out his gloved hand to Avid. The young vampire hunter stared his superior straight in the eyes, then shook his hand.

And then, he let out a sharp, inhuman hiss.

The glove had a silver sigil sewn into the middle of the palm. Touching it severely burned Avid's hand. He jumped back, startled... And barely ducked from an arrow that was shot his way by Joel.

"Would you look at that... So I was right."

The smile on the hunter's face was gone, as if it was never there to begin with. He tightly clutched a crossbow in his hands, missing shooting Avid in the head by inches. His eyes were filled with the deepest hatred, disdain and disgust either of the pretend hunters have ever seen.

"Of course a low soldier like you wouldn't be able to kill a Goldsmith... I should've expected that." Joel smirked, prepping his crossbow for another shot. "What's that? Not fighting back, are we?"

"Joel, hold on, I can explain-"

Another arrow hit the ground, but practically touched Avid's shoe as it dug into the dirt. A big, maniacal grin appeared on the hunter's face.

"There's nothing to explain, pest... The only thing left is putting you out of your misery."

"Don't touch him!" Shubble immediately jumped at Joel, knocking the weapon out of his hands. The hunter growled and pushed her aside, sending her tumbling to the ground. He grabbed a stake attached to his chest, and raised it.

"You too, huh? Let's finish you off first, then-"

"Leave her alone!"

At last, Avid tackled Joel to the ground. His fangs opened and dug deep into the hunter's arm. He let out a pained groan, then put his fingers in his mouth to whistle loudly. Immediately, three other hunters jumped down from the trees and dashed right at Avid, weapons in hand. The former vampire hunter bit tighter, shutting his eyes closed and waiting for them to finish him off-

"Watch out, Avid!"

Someone dashed right over his head and jumped right at the closest hunter. It was Pyro, who just got off the tree where he was sitting, and went straight to defend his coven. Sausage and Pearl attacked the other two hunters, their developing fangs and claws ripping through the clothes and skin. The humans fought back, but they were clearly taken by surprise. Reassured by the reappearance of his friends, Avid dug his teeth deeper, almost biting off a chunk of Joel's arm.

"Augh! Get off me, you hellspawn!"

His stake dug through Avid's face, reopening the old wound that Scott gave him. The vampire growled in pain, retaliating by flailing his claws. He had his underdeveloped powers, sure, but Joel was so much stronger than him... The screams of his companions reached the hunter. One of them already laid on the ground, seemingly dead; a young, scrawny vampire was chewing through his neck, making him bleed out. The other two still fought back, but the monsters had the high ground. Oh, how embarrassing... Joel growled, then punched Avid straight in the face, knocking him off himself. 

"Blummin' fiends..." He hissed, backing off from Avid - until, all of a sudden, a sharp pain went right through his arm. "Agh!"

"Ha! Take that!" Shubble was clutching her silver dagger tightly. Its blade dug deep into Joel's shoulder, sending waves of pain through his body. The man flailed back, making the weapon fall out of the girl's hands - and with it still in his wound, he dashed towards deep into the forest.

"Retreat!" He yelled, despite being the only one still able to do so.

"He's going to get help! I'm going after him!" Avid finally got off the ground and dashed right after the colonel.

Joel was his first taste of human blood... It reinvigorated the young vampire more than he cared to admit. His senses were sharp, his legs could carry him to the ends of the world. His fangs itched for more... But not just to satisfy his own wild cravings. He needed to silence this guy, before he could get help... But he was just so damn fast, jumping over any obstacles without any issues...

At some point, the hunter pulled out something out of his pocket. A loud, chirping sound crossed the air. A long one, then a short one, then a long one again. He was calling for help... Avid gasped for breath. He needed to get him, he needed to catch him, to kill him...

And then, something in his head snapped.

The fledgling didn't even remember transforming. Suddenly, he just was a small, grey bat, flying through the forest at breakneck speeds. He avoided branches and foliage with unmatched agility. Once he finally got close to Joel, he transformed back, his momentum allowing him to tackle the man to the ground.

"Ugh! You dirty little..." Joel still fought back, even when severely wounded, scratched, bitten, and with a dagger lodged into his shoulder. Avid grabbed him by the neck, readying his fangs for the final strike. "It's a damn shame... Maybe something would've come out of you..."

"Shut up! You don't really think that!" Avid growled. He couldn't let him get into his head...

"You're right... I don't."

In a last-ditched attempt to defend himself, Joel tensed all his muscles, then ripped the silver dagger out of his shoulder. He plunged it into Avid's chest. The former vampire hunter let out a startled scream, then dropped to the ground. He could only watch helplessly as Joel kneeled over him, his hand still clutching the dagger. The hunter's breathing was heavy, his face and clothes covered in sweat and blood. His eyes were bloodshot, seeing red.

"You sick, pathetic demon..." He chuckled maniacally. "Consider this mercy on my behalf..."

Avid opened his mouth to speak, but was too exhausted and weak to utter a word. He just watched as the hunter began twisting the weapon in his chest...

And then, someone lunged out of the nearby foliage.

A large shape cloaked in shadow tackled Joel to the ground, then immediately plunged his sharp teeth straight into his nape. Joel screamed and flailed, but it was too late for him. The elder vampire pinned him firmly to the ground, with expertise one could only find in a true Goldsmith. Although, the way he slurped his blood was far from proper for such a high-ranked revenant.

"Could you please stop fighting back? Ugh, so rude..." Scott's voice carried in the air. With great struggle, Avid pulled himself up from the ground, and turned in the direction of the voice.

"Scott...?"

"The least you could do is stop screaming... You have no idea how hungry I am, and you’re ruining my appetite..." The grand duke of Goldsmiths sighed with annoyance, his claws clutching on Joel's hair and keeping his face against the wet grass. Drinking his blood came quite hard to him, considering he was still missing one fang. As he ravenously sucked on the open wound, a lot of precious crimson escaped his lips. 

"You... You're the Goldsmith..." Joel wheezed, his tone getting weaker and weaker. "You dirty, sick-"

"Excuse me? I literally washed myself yesterday... And, for your information, I am no longer sick," he confirmed with a big grin. To finally cut the vampire hunter's moans, he plunged a hit straight into the hunter's head. A loud crack of breaking bones could be heard, and then Joel stopped moving. "There we go... Goodnight!"

For a few minutes, nothing existed for Scott but the delicious corpse he began feasting on. It's been so long since he had a proper meal... He devoured every body part his fangs came upon, not caring how it would digest. He never thought he'd appreciate a vampire hunter this much... Although his meat was a bit leaner than Scott would've liked, and it had an underlying aftertaste of garlic. Still, the elder vampire could barely hold himself back. Wild, animalistic growls and whimpers escaped him as he got his first chance to properly feed in what felt like centuries.

But then, he remembered something.

Scott ripped out a chunk of the hunter's arm, then turned to Avid. He was sitting on the grass, his eyes still wide from shock. He didn't even react when the sire got up from the corpse and approached him.

"Deep breath..." Scott commanded, before grabbing the dagger and removing it from the vampire's chest. Avid gasped for air, despite the blade not reaching his lungs. Then, the grand duke took his wrist. He didn't scratch, he didn't pull on it - he just held him. "You'll be okay. Come on, eating something will help you regenerate faster..."

"I... Are you sure...?"

"Listen, I normally hate sharing food... Consider it a privilege."

Soon, Scott returned to the body of the vampire hunter and continued eating away at it. It felt so incredible to fill his stomach after starving for so long... This one measly human would probably not be enough, but it was a good start. All the while, he watched Avid in the corner of his eye. The fledgling just sat still at first, but eventually, he decided to lean over Joel's body and pull out a chunk of meat from his side. He hated to admit how much he liked the taste... Even with the garlic aftertaste.

"So..." Scott sat down a bit more relaxed, licking blood off his fingers, as if it was some sort of delicious sauce. "Vampire hunters. How did they get here, exactly...?"

"Well, I don't know how they got here, but..." Avid took a deep breath. "I... I'm sorry, Scott. I got them on your back..."

"Yeah, I figured," he commented with a surprising amount of calmness in his tone.

"You did...?"

"I mean, who else would? Well, maybe Martyn..." He murmured, but then added "So the bigfoot attack was also your idea...?"

"It wasn't my idea, per se, but... I helped them, yes." Avid sighed, before ripping out another chunk of meat. He took moderate bites; he could imagine just how starved Scott was. He needed it a lot more than he did. "I was just so... Angry at you, for how you treated me. But-"

"That's fair," Scott admitted, glancing over his claws.

He was still far from being in top shape. Legundo finished brewing the cure late in the night, and Scott was the first to try it. When he woke up, the weakness in his body permeated - but it was nowhere near as bad as before. His fangs stopped itching, the ashy film in his mouth finally washed off after drinking enough water... But before he had a chance to feed, he felt something. Something he hasn't felt in over six hundred years... Scott didn't even exactly recall when he got to this place. He just knew to come here. And he was right on time, it seems...

"You're... Not mad at me...?" Avid asked carefully.

"Huh? Oh, no no no, I wouldn't go that far..." Scott laughed bitterly. "Let's be honest... You tried to kill me. Have you seen how I look?" He patted his stomach, far too sunken for his liking. "It's gonna take me ages to get it all back..." The vampire went silent for a moment, but then added "But... It's not like I don't see why you did it. I deserved it."

"No, you didn't, I just-"

"Please don't interrupt your elders, sweetie..." Scott snickered. Avid couldn't hold back a fond chuckle. It made him a little ashamed to admit, but... He liked when Scott was playful in this way. This nice way. Sure, he was probably just waiting to snap at Avid, punish him for everything... But for now, he was surprisingly pleasant to be around. "Where was I... Oh! Yeah, I should've expected one of my fledglings to do something stupid like that..." He took a deep breath. "And don't say I didn't deserve it. We both know I did."

"You..." Avid inhaled deeply. "You did. You hurt me, you hurt Owen, and Pyro, and Sausage, and- Well, you were nice to Pearl and Shubble, I think... Wait. Why are you only mean to guys?"

"Men are a lot more disappointing. I should know." Scott winked at Avid. He turned Joel's corpse over, then ripped out his vest and shirt to dig straight into his stomach. He needed the extra nourishment from his vital organs, especially while they were still warm. "At least the others didn't get hurt..."

"I- I only ratted you out to the hunters," Avid confirmed, a bitter taste filling his mouth. "I didn't tell them about anyone else... Even Owen. My plan was to... To get rid of you, and... And go with them, so that the others would be safe..."

"Dooming everyone to having Owen as their leader? You're more cruel than I am..." Scott snickered. He paused for a moment, taking in the delicious taste of the hunter's liver, then continued. "But things went south, didn't they...?"

"Yeah, I... They found me out. I- I would've died if it wasn't for you..."

"Well, to be honest... I would've died if you didn't move your ass to find a cure," Scott admitted. "I think we can call it a fair trade..."

"Even though I put you in this in the first place...?"

Scott's warm smile faded. 

"I give you a peace offering, and you smack it out of my hand? Rude...."

"I'm sorry, sire! I just-" Avid sighed and pulled his knees closer to his chest. "After all that happened... Can we really be okay...?"

"Well, you told me yourself that we can... It won't hurt to try, right?" Scott hummed. He paused once more, to chew thoughoutly on the hunter's spleen, then said in a softer, quieter voice "I had some time to... Think lately. And... I'm sorry, Avid. You're a good kid. Horribly misguided, and annoying as hell... But a good kid. When you're not trying to get me killed, that is. It's just that... Fighting one another will not get us anywhere, so I think we can just- Avid...?"

The overwhelming flood of emotions made the former vampire hunter tear up. He just couldn't believe it. Scott was still upset at him, sure, but... He apologized? For his own behavior, and mistreatment of Avid? He began wiping his eyes with his bloodied sleeves.

"Sorry, I just-"

"No no, it's fine... Sometimes you just have to let it out. Just don't get your tears on my food, okay? I don't like my meat too salty," Scott asked.

"I won't... I promise."

After just a few more bites, Avid collapsed on the ground with a deep sigh. He should probably go back to the other fledglings, tell them that he's okay... But at that moment, all of his strength left him. All he wanted was a nice, long nap, after he feasted on the last reminder of his old life... So that he can finally move on to the new one after waking up. He tilted his head when Scott finished eating and laid down next to him, his hands resting on his chest.

"Oh, that was really good..." He muttered to himself, licking his lips thoughtfully. "It would've been easier if I had all my fangs, though..."

"Have Pyro told you?"

"About what?"

"He- He's working on a fake fang for you... A golden one."

Scott couldn't help but smile.

"A Goldsmith with a golden fang... A bit on the nose, but if it helps..." He muttered. "Once he gets it done, I'm going hunting straight away... I need to get back to looking properly, you know?"

"I think you should recover before you go hunting... We'll take care of it, I promise."

"How nice... My fledglings, taking care of their horrible grand sire..." Scott snickered, his hand travelling down to his stomach. It felt warm thanks to all the meat he gorged on, but still far from where he wanted it to be. "Once I'm back, I should probably go back to teaching you lot... Gotta get you to finally transform, and-"

"I did!" Avid suddenly exclaimed, as the realization hit him. "When I was chasing Joel... I did transform!"

"Really...?"

Before Scott could finish talking, he suddenly spotted a small, grey bat flying right over his head. He couldn't hold back a fond smile. He did... He fought off that mental blockade, and finally embraced this side of him... Scott reached out his hand, letting the bat land on it. Avid immediately clung to his finger, then hung upside down from it. His bat form had these huge, purple eyes, looking at Scott with so much curiosity and energy... No wonder Avid reminded Scott so much of himself.

"Good job, little one..." He whispered. Once the bat took off and landed on his chest, Scott began stroking him on the head. His fur was a bit stiff, but pleasant to touch nonetheless. They both yawned, the high emotions finally wearing off on them. The grand duke shielded his fledgling with his hands, hiding him from anyone that could harm him. He tilted his head back, looking at the grey sky peeking through between the thick foliage. Soon enough, both of them drifted off into silent, peaceful slumber.

Chapter 30: Bonding by blood

Summary:

Nothing unites people more than a shared meal... And a common enemy.

Notes:

So uh..... Episode 7 yeah? I won't spoil anything but damn, this fic really is the good timeline xd

Also, funfact: I crossed 100k total hits on ao3 today! In a huge part thanks to this fic! Thank you all so much for supporting me and my work, it means the world to me!

It was early in the morning when Scott and Avid returned to the castle. Well, returned is a strong word. After their encounter with the vampire hunters, all of the fledglings spread around the forests to look for Avid and possibly help him fight off Joel. In the end, it was Pyro who found him and Scott, napping in the middle of the forest after gorging themselves on the hunter's corpse. He was the one to drag them back to the castle.

Pyro could barely recognize Scott as he walked him back home. The grand duke was still quite weak and struggled to keep himself upright - but at the same time, he was surprisingly peppy and chatty. He didn't berate neither him, nor Avid, no matter what they said. And that smile on his face, it felt... Genuine? Impossible, considering who he was talking to... So, as soon as they arrived back at the castle, he joined the other fledglings on a joint hunt. He needed to think over all that he saw while walking back with them.

"Owen?" Scott approached the same little alcove where he spent the last days. Now, Owen was sleeping in there, recovering from his own ailment. The lumberjack grumbled in his sleep, his eyes slowly opening. "How are you?"

"Bad..." The vampire whispered. Legundo's cure helped with the toxins spread from the wound on his chest. It didn't, however, aid with his garlic poisoning. He still needed to get through that part. "Where did you even go...?"

"I... I needed to go. Turns out your fledgling alerted his fellow vampire hunters, and met up with them in the forest..."

"Bloody hell..." Owen grumbled, heavily lifting himself from his spot. "Avid, you son of a-"

"Hold it," Scott put his hand on Owen's shoulder to stop him - either from attacking Avid, or from getting up and overexerting himself further. "It's fine now. We dealt with these guys... Well, they did."

"Oh... So our coven is just full of idiots..." The lumberjack sighed and slumped back into his resting spot. "Avid...?"

"Yes?" The former vampire hunter stepped a little closer.

"Remind me to punch you once I feel better..." Owen asked, his voice still annoyed, but a bit less upset. His fledgling couldn't hold back a chuckle.

"I will, I promise."

"And where are the others...?"

"Sausage, Pearl and Pyro went out hunting," Scott explained, settling back on a chair with a heavy sigh. "That's better..."

"Shouldn't I join them...?" Avid asked quietly. "I'm feeling fine, I can help-"

"Didn't you get stabbed with this thing?" The grand sire smirked, pulling out the silver dagger from behind his belt. Avid shuddered at the memory.

"I- I'm fine, though!"

"You got stabbed...? How much did I miss?" Owen sat up a bit straighter, pulling all the leftover coats over himself to keep his warmth. 

"A lot," Scott admitted. He then added after a moment, his tone a bit subdued "We now have matching chest scars..."

"We do?" Avid asked, his hand travelling to the newly formed scar on his chest. It was pretty small, slotted right between his ribs - but no longer posed any threat to his health. "Wait, I know Owen got hurt, but you, sire...?"

"Long story... I'll tell you all one day, maybe." Scott slumped in the chair, letting out a dreamy sigh. He watched with his eyes half-lidded as Avid nervously sat down close to him. "So... You're stuck here now."

"Pardon?"

"I mean... Going back to your vampire hunters isn't really an option now, is it? If they find you out- Well, I guess these guys already have... Too bad they didn't live to tell the tale!"

"No, I... I can't go back. And..." Avid curled up on his chair. "It's not like I even have a place to go back to, aside from there... The only friend I had is... Well, no longer with us, and..." His eyes slowly rose to look at Scott. Something in his eyes changed. He no longer seemed so cold, distant and prideful... He was here, in a way. He wasn't looking at Avid like another inconvenience he had to deal with. He was looking at him like a person. A lot, considering where they started off. "I don't know if I can stay here, but... In case I can..."

"I don't see why not? Your sire is literally right here," Scott gestured to Owen, who just groaned and turned his back to them.

"Don't call me that..." He muttered. 

"You literally are."

"Only because you made me turn him!"

"I didn't make you, I just... Suggested that you do." Scott turned to him, a sly grin on his face. Avid smiled at that. So Scott hasn't gone completely soft while sick... Maybe it's for the better. "But, fine, if you don't feel like taking the responsibility... I guess I can adopt your fledgling..."

"Great..." Owen muttered and curled up in the alcove.

"You're still mad at me...?" Avid asked carefully.

"Give him some time... He got himself a bit sick," Scott explained. He then whispered, but just loudly enough that Owen could 'eavesdrop' on the conversation "He's still taking it well, for a vampire forced to eat garlic..."

"Ouh... Yikes... Wait, why did you-"

"We're back, sire!"

Avid immediately turned around. His fellow fledglings were walking through the door, dragging with them three cows and Legundo. The former already dead and bleeding out, the latter - alive and well, not even really put off by their behavior. Scott let out a quiet growl, but silenced it quickly. The illness made his mind so hazy, he almost forgot that if it wasn't for the doctor, he might've been a goner already.

"Oh, finally... I'm starving... Wait, where's Shubble? Wasn't she with you guys?" Scott asked, getting up from his chair. But before he had a chance to take even a bite, Pyro and Legundo approached him.

"They walked her back to Oakhurst," the doctor explained. "She needed to rest after... Whatever happened back there."

"And why did you come...?"

"I asked the doctor to come," Pyro explained. "We can try and put that fake tooth in, sire," the fledgling proposed. "You ready?"

"If it makes me look stupid, I will eat out your organs," Scott let out a quiet growl. Truth be told, it mostly came out of his anxiety, not due to any real animosity against the idea. Pyro smiled nervously.

"Just mine, or...?"

"I'll think of something to do to you, doc," Scott muttered. Legundo just nodded his head in understanding, before taking Scott away.

"Hungry, Avid?" Pearl asked as soon as they dragged the cows next to the table. It'd be too much effort to pull them up, so the three vampires just sat around one of their freshly caught prey.

"A little... I only took a few bites out of that... That vampire hunter..." He couldn't hold back a nervous chuckle, which then turned into laughter. "Hah... Can you imagine? Me, eating a vampire hunter... That's just... Wow..."

"Did he taste good at least?" Sausage asked. Avid scrunched his nose, pondering his answer for a moment.

"Well... He was a bit bland. And tasted like garlic... Apparently, just lean muscle does not taste as good as some-" The former vampire hunter paused and covered his mouth. "I shouldn't be saying all this, should I...?"

But his concern was met with laughter from his fellow fledglings.

"You're gonna come around eventually," Pearl said, before taking a bite straight from the cow's nape.

"Heh, well... Y- You guys are getting used to it a lot better than I do..."

"Not many things can surprise you once you try werewolf blood," the young woman commented nonchalantly. Immediately, Avid and Sausage's eyes turned to her. It actually took Pearl a moment to catch onto the shock on their faces. "What...?"

"What did it taste like?" Sausage immediately pulled out a notebook and a pen from his pocket. The cover was already sprayed with blood and torn, the result of the writer still tapping into his job while learning about vampirism.

"Hold on, how did you try werewolf blood...?" Avid squinted.

"From my parents, duh!" Pearl shrugged, as if she just stated the most obvious thing in the world. "I thought it would give me their powers, or something... It didn't."

"Oh, so your parents are werewolves... Good to know," Avid huffed. "Is there anything else we should share, while we're here? Sausage...?"

"Well, I..." M chuckled nervously. "I'll be honest, the more I learn about vampires, the more I realize that I may have... Probably... Known a vampire before I came here, to Oakhurst..."

"Oh did you?" Pearl snickered. 

"Yeah... My friend, Oliver, the more I think about him... The more it makes sense. Explains why he'd drink stuff that smelled like blood, and... And asked to bite me on multiple occassions..."

"You knew a vampire this whole time?!" Avid's jaw almost dropped.

"He said it was for his writing research! Sometimes you gotta do weird things to be able to write them accurately! Like this!" After saying it, Sausage took a big bite out of the cow's side. He then added, with his mouth still full "I should probably ask him, if I ever see him again..."

"And what about you, Avid?" Pearl asked, clearly amused by their little circle of honesty. "Should we know something about you...?"

"Well... Aside from the fact that I, uh, that I..." All of the energy immediately evaporated from Avid, and he barely held himself back from collapsing. Static filled his ears, his vision got blurry. He had blood on his hands; was it the cow's blood? Or hers...?

"Avid...?"

"Ugh, finally! I'm never letting you touch me again, doctor..." Scott suddenly emerged from their storage room, clearly not in the best of moods.

"Well, I hope I never have to," Legundo agreed. "Just be careful with it, it might take some getting used to-"

"Oh I'll be fine, don't you worry, doc!" The grand sire sat down on the ground between Sausage and Avid. His stomach growled at the scent of the freshly slain cow. Eating that one human was far from enough... "Glad you left something for me... Avid? What's wrong?"

"H- Huh?" The fledgling flinched and looked around, as if only now remembering where he was. "Oh, uh, I just... It's nothing..."

"Well, if you need to have another cry, that's fine... Just not over your food, okay?" Scott patted his head, which caused Avid to put on a weak smile. Something was clearly not right with him... The grand duke made a mental note to talk with him about that later.

"Yeah, yeah... Thanks, sire..."

"Damn, Scott!" Pearl smiled brightly "You're looking good with that new fang!"

"Do I?" The elder vampire asked, touching his new fang with the tip of his tongue.

Since it was artificial, it couldn't retract like the rest of Scott's fangs. It was purposefully made a little shorter, to prevent him from constantly cutting his lips. Whenever he closed his mouth, it stuck out a little, giving him a charming look. Scott examined the fang a little with his fingers, still unused to how it felt, before taking his first bite of the cow. The golden fang dug through the meat no worse than his actual teeth, which was met with his relief.

"Oh, that's so much better... Pyro!" He shouted to the fledgling who was just walking in their direction. "You're amazing, lad!"

"I- What? Excuse me? Huh?" The scholar stopped, taken aback by the compliment. "Wha- What did I do? What happened? That was sarcasm, right?- What am I saying, of course it-"

"Oh, shut up and come eat with us already," Scott grabbed him by the edge of his shirt and pulled him down to the ground, to join the circle. Only then, he noticed something that lit up his face with a smile. "Well, would you look at that! Someone's finally growing up!"

"H-huh? I feel so lost..." Pyro admitted with a stupid grin. Seeing his confusion, Scott grabbed him by the neck and forced him to bend over a little - just enough to not hurt him. "H-hey!"

"See, consuming humans causes this to happen," the grand sire pointed out, showing off a patch of white hair growing out of Pyro's scalp. And it didn't mean he was going grey - they were properly going white.

"Is that happening to me, too?" Sausage asked, his hand landing in his hair "I bet I'd look great with white streaks!"

"They will probably appear, sooner or later... Since you took care of these vampire hunters so well... Did they hurt you guys?" Scott's tone got a bit sharper.

"Nope! They were pretty easy to deal with, since we surprised them..." Pearl shrugged "And they were pretty tasty, too!"

"I can tell..." Scott chuckled. Only then, he noticed a little white streak that made its way into Pearl's bangs. Sausage would probably start getting some of that soon, too... And Avid? He didn't eat much from Joel... Even though he absolutely earned his share in Scott's eyes.

That was something the grand sire hasn't felt in forever. This strange sort of happiness at seeing his fledglings grow and thrive... He couldn't recall the last time any of the Goldsmith fledglings made him feel something other than frustration, boredom or anger. Was it because of their own shortcomings, though? Or was Scott also to blame? He would probably never find out, though... They were long gone.

But now, he had other people to look after again. At last.

"Well, look who it is!" Pearl exclaimed once she saw Owen stumbling towards them. He was still pale and weak, with his arms wrapped around his stomach. Still, his need for community won over the exhaustion and pain he was in. "Hungry?"

"I am... But I don't think I can stomach anything just yet..." The lumberjack grumbled, almost collapsing as he attempted to sit down. He leaned against Scott, and the grand sire didn't fight back. However, just the smell of raw meat made Owen queasy. "Shit... When does it end...?"

"You're still tough for surviving all that," Scott patted his friend on the back. After a moment, he added "You did a great job taking care of them while I was out..."

"It's nothing..." Owen muttered. He leaned over the cow, but immediately pulled back, when his sickness prevented him from eating. "Ugh, crap..."

"Maybe you should go get some fresh air?" Avid suggested, getting up from the floor and offering a hand to Owen. Reluctantly, his sire accepted the gesture. It took him a considerable amount of strength to get back up, though. "Come on, sire, let's get you outside..."

"Don't call me that," Owen grumbled.

Soon, the two vampires ended up outside. The sun rose over the horizon, but the clouds were too thick that morning to actually hurt them. Owen pushed his back against the wall, taking deep, shaking breaths.

"Owen, I... I'm sorry about... Well, about getting the vampire hunters on our backs..." Avid admitted quietly. "We dealt with them, but... Shall they ever return, I'll deal with them myself. I promise. And, I guess that means I'll... I'll stay here, with you all, if that's- Owen...?"

His elder stopped listening the second Avid started talking; now, he pushed himself off the wall and approached the nearby bushes. Avid watched him with concern, and winced as the sound of vomiting reached him. Quickly, he jumped up to his sire and held his hair, to keep it away from the sickness. Owen gasped for air while wiping his face.

"Ugh... That's so much better..." He muttered. “So much for Scott saying vampires don’t have a gag reflex…”

"You're feeling better...?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, you... You said you're gonna punch me when you do," Avid reminded him with a silly smile. He shut his eyes tight, expecting a strike right then and there... But instead, Owen just sighed.

"Maybe later. I don't... I don't feel like it right now."

"Oh! That's... That's good, I think..."

"I'm still mad at you, don't get me wrong... You could've gotten us all killed..." Owen stepped away from the bush and began stretching his sore back. "But... If you promise to never pull a stunt like this again-"

"I promise!"

"Well... I might forgive you one day," the lumberjack muttered, before slouching again. "I think I need to lay down for a little longer..."

"We'll save some food for you," Avid promised, before helping him back to the castle.

---

"And, I mean, if he needs help in his little tavern, I'm always down to sit at the bar and entertain the crowd! I love helping people! I just wish Specs was a little... Clearer with what he means. You know what I mean, right?"

"Mhm, yeah..." Abolish muttered, clearly disinterested in Martyn's prolonged yapping. 

At first, he thought he liked that more than being constantly ignored by everyone in Oakhurst... But he quickly understood that he actually got himself into an even worse position. He didn't have a chance to even utter a word, as the blond nobleman constantly talked over him about topics that Abolish, frankly, didn't give a flying fuck about. A few times before, he imagined himself smacking Martyn in the head with the lantern he was holding in his hands. Somehow, he restrained himself enough to not do this up to this point. And they haven't even reached their destination yet...

"You should come there more often, you know? You're so quiet, maybe some booze will help you open up!"

"I'm not really interested in-"

Abolish paused the second a squelching sound reached him, as he stepped into something wet. Seconds later, the strong scent of blood hit him, breaking his stone face for just a second. Slowly, the young butler looked down under his feet.

Somehow, he managed to step right into a pool of blood. It flowed out of a mangle corpse, laying across the grass. They were, no doubt, human remains - but with their limbs torn off, it was clear some predators had already gotten to them. Martyn flinched with a disgusted expression, but then crouched next to the body.

"Who is this guy...?" He whispered. "It's not... It's not anyone from the town, right?"

"No, surely not..." Abolish took a step back, then began wiping his shoe against the dry grass. That was far from the weirdest thing he's seen in these woods, and he kept his composure much more easily than he expected. "Maybe they were trying to get to Oakhurst, just like we did...?"

Martyn stalled for a second, looking over the corpse. He definitely didn't recognize this man. From what remained, he looked quite tall and athletic. One of his eyes was ripped out - the other one glassy, deep brown. Guessing by the scent of the blood and no signs of decomposition, he must've been killed not too long ago... The bounty hunter squinted, looking over the torn off remains of the man's clothes. One thing particularly grabbed his attention...

A patch on his sleeve. The mark of the vampire hunters.

"No way..." He whispered, before grabbing the patch and ripping it off the fabric. A chuckle slipped his lips. "No way... Vampire hunters, all the way over here...?"

"How do you know?" Abolish asked, approaching Martyn and lifting his lantern to look at the patch closely.

"Oh, I- I saw them around our mansion once," the hunter quickly slipped his mask back on. "Papa told them to get lost, and luckily, they did."

"Well, whatever they were looking for, they didn't find it..." The butler murmured.

"No... They did."

"What do you mean...?"

Martyn couldn't exactly explain this feeling, but he felt something. Previously, whenever he tried to mention vampires to anyone from town, his tongue would get all twisted, his mind would get sluggish. But now... He still had clarity. He didn't feel weighed down by Scott's hypnosis. Did he lift it...? But when? And why?

A grin appeared on the bounty hunter's face. Who cared why it happened...? The important part was, that it did. Now, nothing could stop Martyn from getting the town to back him up.

"Vampires, Abolish... They are here, in Oakhurst." The words felt downright sweet on his tongue. "I know... I saw them already!"

"You did...? Wait, why didn't you say anything earlier, then?" Abolish scrunched his nose.

"Come on, we gotta get back to Oakhurst and tell everyone!"

Martyn immediately grabbed Abolish by the wrist and dragged him away, in the direction of town. Finally, he had his proof... Now, he just needed to execute it correctly. Take the people of Oakhurst, rally them up against Scott...

And then, he would finally get his long awaited payment.

Chapter 31: Raising the stakes

Summary:

Avid and Shubble briefly return to Oakhurst, only to end up in the middle of an anti-vampire rally.

Notes:

Oml this fic is almost at 25k hits..... Speaking of, in the past few days, I reached 100k total hits on ao3, as well as 100 subscribers! I'd like to thank you all for this incredible goal! I've only been publishing here for a little over a year and it still blows my mind how much support you people are giving me. I promise not to disappoint <3

The tension slowly lessened in the air, clearing the usually dark, cloudy skies. The castle was coming together well, and the excited chatter of fledglings was no longer burdened by the vision of their sires succumbing to their respective poisons. Finally, everything seemed to be clicking into place. They will be fine, safe, and together...

If only.

That morning, Scott and Owen were finally feeling well enough that Legundo decided to leave the castle. He was no longer needed to look over them, and he could return to Oakhurst before any of the other humans got suspicious. Scott offered him some of the riches that survived in the depths of his treasury as payment, but the doctor refused to take anything. Even Owen muttered a quiet 'thank you', despite usually looking like he wanted to rip out Legundo's throat if he got too close. His garlic poisoning was probably going to leave him grumpy and on edge for a while.

Avid and Shubble agreed to walk the doctor back to town, despite his insistence that he would get there on his own. Well, Shubble still belonged in Oakhurst, despite her alliance with the vampires, while Avid... He wanted to return, even if only for a brief moment. It's been so long since he laid in his own bed, since he took a bath in his own bathroom, since he talked to... Drift! The events of the last days made him completely forget that he did, in fact, have someone waiting for him. She won't be mad, right...? Avid could explain everything, surely. He'll say that he got too caught up catching vampires, or something... She'll understand. He just had to be careful with the details... He couldn't be completely sure who knew about the truth about the people living in the castle, and how much they knew. It will require dancing around the topic a lot... But, hopefully, they'll be able to dispel any possible rumors with enough time.

"Doc?" Shubble eventually asked. "Once your duty here is finished, where will you go?"

"I'm not sure... I'll continue traveling and bringing help to people who need it, that's for sure..." Legundo's stare was glued to the horizon. "But before that, I'll stay here however long the people of Oakhurst need me."

"Well, you don't seem to have that much work with them, right?" Avid chuckled nervously. "Since you could spare a few days to spend with sire..."

"That's true. But also..." His eyes slowly traveled to Avid. "I want to be sure you also won't need my help."

The doctor paused for a moment, weighing his words. He then continued speaking.

"While Owen was sick... He asked me whether I wanted to be turned. But I don't see my destiny laying in immortality... I'm here for a given amount of time, and I'll do as much good as I can. And, hopefully, someone will come after me to pick up the pieces."

"You don't want to be turned?" Avid asked. "It's a lot of fun! You get to turn into a bat, and-"

"Didn't you just almost get killed because of that?" Shubble nudged Avid's shoulder, to which he whimpered.

"Well, yes! But there are also the good sides!"

"Either way, I'm glad Owen didn't force me to turn..." Legundo admitted. "This little family of yours seems busy enough as it is..."

"Wait, speaking of! Shub, how long are you still planning to stay with us?" Avid interrupted Legs.

"Well, I..." The girl chuckled. "What if I said... Forever...?"

"What?!" The fledgling's eyes lit up, he jumped up to Shubble and grabbed her hands. "Wait, did Scott turn you already? Or someone else?"

"No, no, not yet! I want to... Stay like this for a little longer. But after that... Maybe one day, I will finally ask one of you to turn me...?"

"Can I do it? Can I?" Avid sounded like an excited puppy, his big, reddish eyes shining brightly.

"N- Not right now! But in general... Maybe...?"

"Quiet, you two," Legundo said in a calm, but stern whisper, as they approached the walls of Oakhurst. 

The town grew quite a bit since Avid was there last. The houses were nicely finished, the tower in the middle rebuilt. It almost looked like an actual, thriving, if a bit tiny town... Almost immediately, someone spotted him and ran up to him.

"Avid!" The former vampire hunter was immediately caught by Drift and pulled into a hug. "Oh my gosh, Avid! I was so worried about you!" She then grabbed him by the shoulders and added in a sharper tone "Where were you?! We were looking for you in the forest! We thought the wolves killed you, or something!"

"I- I'm fine, Drift!" Avid chuckled nervously, a bit flustered with just how concerned his friend seemed. "I just got a bit... Distracted. But it's all good! I'm fine!"

"That's good..." The young woman let out a heavy sigh of relief "Yesterday, Martyn and Abolish went out to look for you... But said they didn't find you. Where were you?"

"It's a, uh, long story..." Avid's eyes darted to Shubble for a moment, as an idea crossed his head. Should he tell her? Surely, Drift would understand... But the second Shubble realized what he was thinking, they shook their head. They had to play it safe for now... Even if that meant lying to friends.

"Maybe you can tell me at the tavern?" Drift suggested. "Shubble, you wanna go with us?"

"Sure!"

"Well, I..." Avid wanted to deny the invitation at first, but ultimately, followed his two friends deeper into Oakhurst. It's gonna be fine... He will just make something up, and blame any inaccuracies on the alcohol. Minus the fact he's never drank alcohol in his life. But if he was with Drift and Shubble, nothing was going to go wrong, right?

Soon enough, all three of them were inside of Ren's tavern, sitting around one of the empty tables. Each of them got a small glass of blueberry ale - at first, Ren didn't want to give any to Avid, not even believing he's of drinking age. Eventually, the tension relieved, and Drift's worry for their friend dissolved in the drink. He was fine, safe and sound... Even if his blabbering about what he did this whole time made no sense. And he didn't even need any alcohol for that. 

"And how's it been in town, Drift?" Avid asked, turning to his friend.

"It's been... Quiet," she admitted, sliding her finger around the rim of her glass. "A few people stopped coming home, and we're a bit worried..."

"Like who?"

"Like, Pearl... And Pyro, and M, and Owen..."

"And Scott?" Shubble asked, before flinching and pulling back a little. Drift named everyone from the coven, and she was only adding more fuel to the fire... But she didn't know the truth, did she?

"Well... I'll be honest, he always felt like he never belonged here... Well, don't get me wrong, if he wanted to stay around, it's fine, but it felt like he didn't particularly like Oakhurst... He probably just returned home."

"You're... Probably right," Avid muttered.

She wasn't, but of course, Avid couldn't confirm it just yet. But if he waited a little... What would Drift say? Would she support him? They were friends, right? And what if... What if he asked to turn her? Would she be okay with that? Well, she had her old life to return to... The stories that they told Avid flooded back to him. Drift was a detective, and a pretty good one at that, apparently... So maybe it's for the better if they never told her the details. She'd probably snuff out all of the vampires immediately. And then what? Would she tell the rest of town? Thinking about their reactions made Avid's stomach ache. There was a chance that, sooner or later, they'll figure them out... And at all costs, Avid could not let it happen. He just messed up so badly, and barely managed to get everyone back together into safety... If someone came and ruined everything, he would-

"Avid! Long time no see, huh?"

Someone's heavy, warm hand landed on Avid's shoulder, making him flinch. He recognized the voice. Martyn... Of course, the guy that called him "the worst vampire hunter he's ever known" during their last encounter. And now, he was standing between him and Shubble with a big grin on his face, as if he got invited.

"Oh, hi, Martyn!" Drift smiled "Look, Avid came back with Shubble and the doctor! And he's fine!"

"I don't doubt that... Can I join?" The blond nobleman smiled.

"Sure! Take a seat!"

Avid took a quick glance around the tavern. Ren was sitting at the bar, clearing the used up glasses. Abolish was sitting next to him, completely silent. Cleo and Apo were at a table in the corner, discussing something. Martyn slotted himself between the two newcomers, looking a bit too excited and peppy for just a normal discussion.

"I was worried for you, man!" He turned to Avid "These woods here are dangerous! Someone could've gotten you!"

"Like what, a wolf? I can defend myself!" The former vampire hunter chuckled. 

"A wolf, a bear... Maybe a vampire...?"

"Oh, yeah, Avid, have you spotted any while you were gone?" Drift asked curiously.

"I- I didn't... I mean, I thought I saw something, but was it a vampire?" He muttered, talking faster and faster as he wanted to quickly get over the topic. "I don't know... You see- They're called creatures of the night for a reason, they're really hard to spot... I was hoping that if I went alone, I'd attract their attention, and I'd be able to take them out..."

"Yeah, don't vampire hunters usually hunt in pairs?" Martyn asked.

"Yeah, I- Wait, how did you know that?"

"I'm just guessing... Seems reasonable, hm?" The bounty hunter smirked, showing off his teeth. "So that you're not alone when something jumps you... And if you get turned, someone is there to..." He pulled his thumb over his neck while making a squelching sound.

"That's true... But- But I work alone. It's... Safer that way."

"Safer for whom...?" Drift raised an eyebrow.

"For me, I guess..."

Martyn just nodded, while sliding his hand into his pocket. Inside, he was carrying a scrap of fabric he's been holding onto since his finding in the forest. Not one, not two, but four corpses of vampire hunters, discarded something in the endless woods... Well, he wasn't alone when he found them. On the other hand, Abolish could vouch for him... And now, so could Avid. He won't turn on his fallen brothers, and will finally pick up a weapon in vengeance, right?

"Well, I was just asking, because... I could swear, I saw some other hunters in the woods..."

"You did?"

Avid tensed a little. He wouldn't be surprised if Joel and his crew spotted Martyn in the woods - but the fact that he saw them... Did they reveal themselves to him? But why? Was he even talking about them, in the first place? Or were there more hunters he didn't know about? Avid slightly curled up on his chair, the possibilities boiling in his head, threatening to overflow. His eyes turned to Shubble once more. She also seemed nervous, her hands slightly trembling.

"Maybe they came to see you, Avid?" Drift asked. "Did you talk to them, Martyn?"

"I wish I did..." The young nobleman sighed dramatically. Now, that was his que... He pulled something out of his pocket. "But it was too late..."

Martyn dropped something small on the table, with everyone immediately leaning over to check it out. A scrap of blue fabric, with a red sigil resembling a cross in the middle. It was sprayed with freshly sprayed blood. Avid barely held back a gasp. No, no, it wasn't happening; they were so far out of town when they met up with the hunters! How did Martyn find them?!

"Wait, is that..." Drift whispered.

"I found them already dead... Only their rotting corpses remained..." Martyn exclaimed dramatically.

"Maybe- Maybe the wolves got them?" Shubble chuckled nervously.

"Vampire hunters would know how to defend themselves against wolves, wouldn't they...?" The detective scrunched her nose.

"That's what I was thinking!" Martyn backed her up. "While vampires can just... Swoop in from the shadows, bite you and then vanish again, right...?"

Martyn slightly raised his voice, to accentuate his emotions. But not only that - he was beginning to grab the attention of others at the bar. Apo turned in his direction while still listening to Cleo, while Ren was looking at the young nobleman with suspicion. Avid glanced around, but when met with Cleo's concerned stare, he quickly turned back.

"Besides, they weren't just slain by vampires... Oh, I wish I had a picture to show you; no, wait you wouldn't want to see that... Their organs were gone! All devoured by those monsters!" Martyn explained in a sharp, still loud whisper. "Not only do they drag our fellow humans into darkness and kill them; they cannibalize them! Isn't that disgusting?"

"And you're completely sure those were vampires...?" Avid asked nervously.

"What else could that be? Out of everyone, you are doubting me, mister vampire hunter?"

"Hey, guys, calm down," Shubble asked, struggling to lower the tensions. "How about you show us where you found those bodies, and we can... Figure out what happened from there? Drift, you think we could figure out what killed these guys?"

"I mean, as long as those corpses aren't in late stages of decay, we could..." The young woman hummed thoughtfully.

"That's gonna take too long! Guys, listen," Martyn rose from his chair and grabbed Avid's half-full glass. "Before we can prove what happened, those monsters can claim any of us! Who's to say they haven't already gotten Pyro, or M, or Pearl?" The names of the fellow residents of Oakhurst attracted even more attention. Now even Cleo was listening, the second they heard Martyn mentioning their dear friend. "And I already know what happened to them! Vampires got them! And, even better than that; I know who these vampires are!"

"Do yee, mister Woodhurst?" Ren suddenly asked, setting aside the glass he was cleaning. "Then why didn'tcha say anythin' earlir?"

"I wish I could, but I couldn't! These demons- They have the power to hypnotize people! But I managed to slip their grasp!"

"Then who is it?" Apo rose from her chair.

"Apo, don't listen to him..." Cleo asked sharply, but it was too late. 

Martyn drank the last of the ale from Avid's glass, before standing up on his chair so that he could be seen more easily.

"I know of two vampires among the people of Oakhurst, and I risked my life, trying to find out their identities!" Martyn exclaimed loudly. He could probably be heard even outside of the tavern. "One of them hypnotized me, to try and save his skin! But it can no longer save them! It's Scott and Owen, people! They're no humans, they're both vampires!"

Avid froze in spot at the revelation. He wished he could feel happy that Martyn didn't know about him - but the fact that he clocked the two most powerful vampires in the coven... That was bad, really bad. If only Avid got this out of him earlier, and found a way to explain them- But it was too late. Martyn knew. Everyone in Oakhurst knew. 

"Avid? Did you know about that?" Drift immediately turned to her friend.

"I... I..." Avid struggled for air. What was he supposed to say? Was he supposed to take the side of the humans, and betray his family again? Should he try to defend them, and risk outing himself in the process? Should he just play dumb, stay silent. "I... I don't-"

"Wait, how do you know it's truly them?" Shubble got up from her chair and approached Martyn. "Maybe it's just a misunderstanding?"

Avid felt like he should grab her and stop her from speaking. She was innocent in all of this, she wasn't even a vampire; if Martyn started targeting her as well, he'd never forgive himself... The nobleman scoffed and looked down at him.

"Well, Scott made it obvious... He came into my home one night, got my guard down... Then almost bit me! He tried to make me one of his kind! Then, he tried to kill me, while we were out looking for silver! You were there, Cleo, you can vouch for me!"

"It didn't look like-" Cleo began talking, but Martyn immediately cut her off.

"Besides, just think about it! He's so proud and vile, and has no regards to anyone but himself... And this outfit?" He scoffed, exaggerating his disdain to not completely lose his spoiled nobleman persona. "Who knows how old he truly is!"

"Maybe we should just test them first...?" Apo suggested. "Garlic hurts vampires, right? What if we ask them to come back to Oakhurst, and test them?"

"No, no no no, that won't work... I tried! I was suspicious of Owen, so I tried making him eat garlic... And he did!"

"If he did, doesn't that mean he's not a vampire...?" Avid chuckled nervously.

"Oh, he should've seen him squirming in pain, and hissing like a cat..." Martyn barely held back his laughter, as the image returned to him. Owen thought he was so clever, eating garlic on purpose to prove himself... Fruitless endeavor. Martyn still got what he wanted out of him. "We need to strike them right where they reside!"

"You know where that is?"

Martyn jumped down from his chair to the ground, then slammed his glass against the table. The impact was a bit stronger than he expected; the glass immediately shattered into pieces, one of which dug into his finger. Martyn let out a quiet, painful groan... But then, he noticed something in the corner of his eye. Avid flinched. In a weird, almost animalistic manner. His pupils dilated ever so slightly, and he nervously licked his lips - before freezing in place again and turning away a bit too obviously. The bounty hunter immediately forgot about his pain. No way... Avid, too...? The nobleman carefully pulled the shard of grass from his finger, before approaching the young man and wrapping his arm around Avid's shoulders.

"I bet Avid will know... After all, he's a true vampire hunter, isn't he?"

While speaking, Martyn exaggerated his gestures a little, his injured hand flailing in front of Avid's face. The way he was squirming... He wasn't just uncomfortable. He seemed... Hungry. 

"I- Well, I..." Avid muttered nervously, once he felt everyone's eyes landing on him. Shubble shook her head, trying to show him to not give in and to stand his ground... But his resolve was slowly breaking. Martyn put him in the spotlight, and he didn't know how to deal with it... "I... Maybe I could... But I... It's not safe..."

"Yee know where thier nasty nest lays, lad?" Ren asked. "Yee shouldn't be keepin' that away from us, if we can fight these fiends..."

"Oh, I have a feeling that Avid knows where that is..." Martyn tightened his grip a little. Avid squirmed, the scent of his blood getting a bit overwhelming. Just this morning, he gave up his own food for Scott, to help him recover... So it was harder for him to keep his own hunger at bay. If only he knew...

"I... I do." Everyone surrounded him. Shubble looked terrified, Cleo seemed disappointed - while everyone else was interested in hearing him out. "But- But it's very dangerous... They're strong, and if we attack them, they could retaliate-"

"Oh, don't you worry about that part," Martyn patted him on the back with a wide grin. "I already have a plan... And all it requires is for you to lead us there. And, of course, back us in an upcoming fight... But you'd love to slay some vampires, wouldn't you?" 

Martyn's finger tapped against the tooth necklace Avid kept hidden under his shirt. The young man's eyes darted to Cleo, then Shubble, then Drift. If he backed off now, it would be too suspicious... He was the guy that wanted all vampires dead, from day one. His cover up story was that he was literally looking for them in the forest... But maybe if he had a chance to warn the coven...

"I... I will lead you there."

"Wonderful!" Martyn let out an amused laugh and pulled the man into a big hug. He then whispered sharply, all the positive emotions gone from his voice in an instant "Come outside with me, we should... Discuss the details."

"Y-yes, o-o-of course..."

"Everyone! Ready your swords and stakes, and meet me here tomorrow at noon!" Martyn called out, throwing his fist into the air. "We're going after these monsters that took our friends away from us!"

---

The second Martyn and Avid left the tavern, the bounty hunter grabbed his younger companion by the shoulder.

"And where do you think you're going, little bat?" He hissed, to which Avid immediately tensed. 

"Wh- What did you- No, I'm not- I just-"

"You're a bad vampire hunter, and an even worse liar..." Martyn smirked, waving his injured finger in front of Avid's eyes. The way his face weakened whenever he smelled blood... Vampires really were weak creatures, weren't they? "What is that? Your instincts getting the better of you? Or maybe you're just hungy, hm?" The bounty hunter licked off the little bit of blood that dripped from his cut, keeping eye contact with Avid the whole time. "Oh, don't worry... I won't tell your little secret to anyone."

"You won't...?"

"Of course! If only you stay with us, and help us slay a few vampires..." Martyn grinned, before grabbing Avid by the hair. "I wouldn't get any money for a no-name like you... But if you manage to get Scott, save the corpse for me... I know someone who will pay a pretty penny for his head..."

"You- You're a bounty hunter?!" Avid gasped, before the blond man covered his mouth.

"Shut up! Geez..." He growled, before his sassy smile reappeared on his face. "It's a great job... Pays well. Only downside, you have to deal with monsters, and idiots. Sometimes both at once."

Avid shivered, shutting his eyes tight as Martyn pulled on his hair again. This whole time... How did he not notice that before? Well, he was never close with Martyn, but he should've spotted some signs... Were there even any signs, even? He hid everything so well... Although, scuffle between him and Scott... He knew even all the way back then, didn't he? Why didn't Scott say anything...?

"So, here's the deal..." Martyn quickly made sure that no one was listening, then pulled his hand away from Avid's mouth. "Tomorrow at noon, you come here. You lead us all to their lair, fight alongside us like the human you hide us... And then, I may not kill you."

The bounty hunter reached out his hand, waiting for the young vampire to shake it. Avid still hesitated. Maybe there was still a chance to warn his coven...? Slowly, he shook his hand, which caused Martyn's grin to widen.

"Wonderful... Hey, Specs!" He called out upon spotting Ren walking out of the tavern. "You wanna take the patrolling duty with me tonight? To make sure that no vampire gets in... Or out."

"Great idea, mister Woodhurst!" The barman agreed, before walking off behind the building.

"See you tomorrow, little bat..." Martyn giggled, before patting Avid on the shoulder and walking away.

For a while, the young vampire just stood there, frozen in fear. Martyn couldn't read his thoughts, that's for sure, but... He suspected that Avid will try to cross him. So if he tried to get out now, he would seem suspicious... If he turned into a bat and tried to fly out; they'd just shoot him on the spot, wouldn't they?

He was trapped. Again. Not by vampires this time, however. The humans got him in their hands, with no easy way out.

Chapter 32: Smoke and mirrors

Summary:

Led by Martyn, the humans attack the castle.

Notes:

Sorry there was no chapter yesterday, I've been struggling with my workload and motivation lately. But hey, at means you're getting the next chapter on Monday! (unless it also gets postponed but I hope it doesn't)
Also, the finale drops tomorrow... To be honest, I didn't expect this fic to finish only after Vampires SMP is finished. If you're reading this right after ep 8 drops, please don't put any heavy spoilers in the comments!

Either way, Avid was not going to fall asleep that night. Maybe it's for the better, then, that he wasn't even given a chance. Martyn kept him up the whole night, making him stay with himself and Ren in the watchtower, apparently looking out for any vampires that could potentially sneak in. Ren didn't know the truth about Avid's nature - which meant that if Avid tried to do something, Martyn could immediately out him. And as much as the fledgling was getting more and more confident with his abilities, he didn't imagine he could take on two older men, armed with silver swords and stakes. He tried gesturing something to Shubble or Cleo, trying to get them to leave Oakhurst and get help - but they were stopped by the other residents, worried for their safety. And if they were to state their true purpose, they'd have to out Avid and the other vampires... One thing the former vampire hunter was concerned about was one of the coven members coming to Oakhurst and getting attacked. After all, the humans knew- Straight from his mouth. Avid wished he had just ripped out his tongue and never said anything. All because of him, Martyn knew about Scott and Owen... Did he know about the others, but kept his cards close to his chest? Or was that something he also wanted Avid to reveal? Although, truth be told, figuring out the identities of the rest of the vampires was a matter of simple math to them... The people that stopped returning to Oakhurst had to be either dead, or undead.

While noon was approaching, Martyn dragged Avid to his house to equip himself. He picked out his weapons - two long, silver swords, a heavy crossbow and a sizable amount of arrows. He also gave a sword to Avid, grinning as his hand burned when touching the silver handle.

"What is it? Can't handle a little silver?"

"Why are you even doing this...?" Avid whimpered. The reveal from last afternoon, that Martyn was actually a bounty hunter... It made him a lot more dangerous than if he was just a vampire hunter. Or even a vampire. He bumped into a few bounty hunters in his life - these people would go after any target if the price was right. But none of the vampires here were established well enough to have bounties put on their heads, right? Unless... Martyn's words rang in his head. He asked to save Scott's corpse for him... He was the one he was going after.

"I'm just getting rid of the evil in the world... And making a living," Martyn smirked, equipping himself with some silver armor. He attached a silver chain and a net to his belt, before dragging the fledgling towards the tavern. "And remember... If you try any funny business, I will put a silver arrow through your skull," a growl escaped him.

"You will...?"

Martyn grinned. "I know where to head, don't you worry... But how would a poor little nobleman know?" His voice got a bit higher and childish, playing on the persona he put on in front of the whole town this whole time. "But a big, strong vampire hunter will know where to go, and he'll lead us to victory... Right, Avid...?"

By the time he asked the final question, they arrived. The rest of Oakhurst was waiting for them in front of Ren's tavern. Apo, Abolish, Ren and Drift were armed with swords and crossbows. Cleo was holding a pitchfork, the same they often used while tending to the livestock of Oakhurst. Their face, however, betrayed that the weapon was not primed for vampires, but for a particular man they were fed up with already. Shelby was only holding her silver dagger, the same that Scott gifted her. Only Legundo seemed to be unarmed, only holding up a shield and a small bag with medical supplies. 

"Everyone ready?" Martyn asked, stepping inside of the crowd. "Alright, listen up, here's the plan!"

---

"Okay, what about Drift?" Sausage asked, noting something down in his notebook.

"Oh yeah, we should totally take her!" Pearl agreed. "Someone who can keep an eye on Avid!"

"Alright, noting her down..." The fledgling muttered.

For the past hour or so Pearl, Sausage and Pyro were sitting around the big table in the centre of the castle, discussing ideas for their future. Scott left the place a bit earlier, claiming he needed to 'clear his head'. Owen was still napping away his sickness in his little alcove, while Shubble and Avid haven't yet returned from Oakhurst. It's hard to discuss plans when only half of the coven was present, but they could always present whatever they brainstormed and hear the others' opinions later. With time, it dissolved into making what they called a 'kill list' - although it hasn't involved any murder just yet. Rather, they discussed which of the residents of Oakhurst they saw fit as joining the coven - with, of course, Scott's permission. He was their leader, after all.

"Next up... Ren."

"Do you think vampirism could cure this weird curse of his?" Pyro asked, while putting his feet up on the table and taking a more comfortable position. 

"Well, it cured Owen, didn't it?" Pearl asked.

"Yeah, but Owen was sick. Ren is cursed. I don't think those count as the same thing..."

"No, they don't." Pyro almost jumped in his seat as Owen's sleepy voice reached him. The elder vampire turned around in his alcove, watching the fledglings with a tired, slightly expression. "Where's Scott...?"

"He went out for a walk... He said he'll be back in a few hours," Sausage explained, before turning back to the list. "What do you think about Ren joining the coven...?"

"Huh...? Hold on..."

The lumberjack lifted himself from the alcove. He was still feeling sluggish and weak, but it was still a vast improvement over the past few days. His stomach stopped hurting as much, and actually allowed him to get some actual sleep. But since Scott was out, he should now be in charge... He slumped into the closest chair, next to Sausage and opposite to Pyro.

"Are you discussing who we should turn?" Owen asked, once he was done waking up.

"Yeah, we're making a kill list! I mean, we're not killing anyone, but it sounds better than a turn-into-a-vampire list," Pearl clarified. "So? Ren?"

"I don't know..." The vampire yawned and slumped deeper into the chair. "This family- I mean this coven is fine as it is, I don't think we need more people..."

"Alright, putting him down as 'uncertain'", Sausage noted. "Next... Martyn?"

Immediately, a loud hiss slipped Owen's lips.

"Never," he growled. "I'm gonna kill this guy the next time I see him."

"Why?" Pyro raised an eyebrow.

"He was the one to force me to eat all this garlic... I'll rip his throat out and make him choke on his own blood..." Owen tensed in his seat, his claws twitching.

"He also pushed me and Scott down a ledge in a cave," Pearl added, her tone sour and a bit disappointed. "Heh... To think that if it wasn't for that, I wouldn't be here with you guys now..."

"Finally, we can make it an actual kill list!" Sausage smirked, before writing KILL next to Martyn's name. "Wait, hold on, he really did all that? I thought he was just a spoiled kid... Hard to believe he'd pull stunts like that..."

"Who's next?" Owen asked sharply, wanting to cut the conversation already.

"Let's see... Abolish."

The vampire squinted.

"Who?"

"Abolish? You know, kinda short, but taller than you, black hair, dressed like a butler..."

"You're just making up people at this point," Owen rolled his eyes. Seeing Pyro and Pearl giggling at his confusion, he added "What? I don't know everyone who lives in Oakhurst now!"

"Owen, that's less than ten people, if you don't count all of us," Pearl snickered.

"I haven't been there since-"

Suddenly, the large door leading inside creaked open. Everyone's heads immediately turned that way. Slowly and carefully, Avid entered, leading someone behind him. Immediately, Owen jumped out of his seat and on top of the table.

"Avid, what is this?"

"It's fine, Owen! I just... I brought a new member of the family...?" The former vampire hunter chuckled nervously.

Martyn's plan involved two people in the form of bait - Avid, as someone Martyn knew the vampire would trust, and Ren, as a potential person to turn. Their job was just to get as many vampires in one place and distracted, while the humans closed in and attacked... And once Martyn saw that the castle was almost finished, he couldn't stop smiling. Last time he saw it, the walls were barely up... And now, with almost the whole roof covered, it would be hard for them to escape easily. They built their own trap... And their own soon-to-be grave.

"Where's Scott?" Avid squinted. 

"He left!" Sausage explained, before getting up. "Wait, Ren, how do you know...?"

"Oh, mister M, let me tell ye, I was talkin' to young Avid o'er here last night, cursin' my own curse, when he told me 'bout a solution..." Ren began explaining without missing a beat. Avid was actually quite impressed with him. Even in the presence of vampires, he seemed calm and collected... Although he was at the most risk in this plan. He had to abandon his weapons with the humans to seem more approachable, so if their timing failed, he could get turned, attacked, or even killed. But he didn't seem phased by that... 

"You told him?" Owen sounded in disbelief.

"I- I'm sorry, Owen, I just wanted to help!" Avid took a step forward. "And since he already knows, we should probably just... Turn him, right? For safety...?"

"Yes, please! You're gonna love it, Ren! It's so much fun!" M approached his friend, but Ren pulled away a little, letting his mask slip ever so slightly. M, the man he saw as a friend since they arrived in Oakhurst... He was a creature of the night, too...? And Pearl, and Pyro...? Everything began finally clicking in his head. If he could turn back time, he would've chosen blissful ignorance, most likely. "We just gotta wait for Scott to return!"

"Unless..." Pearl turned her head to Owen, who made a surprised face.

"What?"

"Couldn't you turn him?"

"What? No, I don't want to turn him! I already turned one person, and that ended up... I'm not doing that!" Owen grumbled, crossing his arms. 

Avid hung his head low. Even after all they've been through, he was still on Owen's bad side... And he couldn't blame him, exactly. He messed up so much, made so many bad decisions, betrayed them again, and again, and... And again. He was doing that again. It was too late to go back now... But if, maybe...

"Guys...?"

"Can I try?" Pyro asked, getting up from his chair "Aren't I like, the third person in this coven?"

"You were turned only a few days before Avid," Owen scoffed, "You're still a pup. Who knows if you're not gonna mess him up further?"

"Further?" Ren frowned at the comment.

"Guys, it's..."

"Let's just wait for Scott to return..." Owen decided.

"And if Scott doesn't let us keep him?" Sausage pouted. The lumberjack almost groaned at that. Grown ass man...

"Then he'll hypnotize him, I guess. Like he did with Shub."

"Guys!" Avid finally gathered the courage to yell out loud. "It's a trap!"

"What?" Pearl tensed.

"I- I'm sorry- They made me- Martyn, he- He found me out- I couldn't-" Avid struggled to catch his breath, constantly getting lost in his words "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I couldn't-"

"Avid, quiet!" Owen yelled sharply.

Immediately, his fledgling went silent. Everyone could hear a sound outside of the door. Footsteps... Many footsteps. There was a group of people, just outside of the castle. Then, it finally hit them. Ren wasn't just willing to turn to heal his curse... He was the bait. And so was Avid.

And all of them fell right in.

"Everyone, stay back!" Owen yelled. He was still a bit weak and tired due to his poisoning, but the anger at the humans and Avid rejuvenated him immediately.

"No way, we're not leaving you!" Pyro hissed, before lunging straight at Ren. "You! What do you have to do with this?!"

"Foolish creachures..." Ren growled, his voice immediately losing its natural softness. "Only death and hell awaits you all!"

"Ren...?" Sausage whispered.

"Fine, if you wanna help, just- Stay safe!" Owen called out, before dashing towards the door. At last, he turned to Avid. "Again?!"

"I... I'm sorry, I-"

"If you're really sorry, you're gonna help us clean this mess," He growled, before pushing the door open and running straight outside.

"There he is! The monster's here!"

Martyn's voice rang through the air, as he shot his crossbow right at the vampire. Owen swiftly transformed into a bat to avoid the arrow, before turning back and attacking the man. He narrowly dodged, with a lot more grace than one would expect from such a heavily armored man. Before Owen could do anything, however, he had to dodge the blade of Abolish' sword.

"There you are..." The young man whispered.

"And who are you?" Owen growled.

At the same time, the rest of the fledglings leaped out of the castle. Before they could even attack, the humans immediately raised their weapons. With how their eyes glowed red, their fangs flashed, hungry for blood... Only Cleo and Legundo had the courage to stay back and put trust in their friends to not actually hurt them. Cleo's conviction slowly melted, however, as she watched Pearl slash her claws in Drift's direction, terrifying the young detective.

"Pearl! Not you..." Drift cried out, barely blocking the strike with her sword. "Stay back!"

"Ren!" Once Ren scrambled out of the castle, Martyn tossed him a sword - and something else, too, smaller. "Burn it down!"

"Oh no, you don't!" Owen growled and turned around to attack Ren, but was then cut down by Abolish. He tumbled to the ground with a groan. "Crap... Pyro! Don't let him!"

The scuffle erupted into a full-on fight. Martyn backed off to fire arrows from the distance, not actually intending to engage in close-quarters combat. The vampires ferociously defended their home, while the humans attacked, with no regards left for the people they once considered friends. Even the two humans that did know the truth eventually had to retaliate, once Avid finally left the walls of the castle and jumped straight at Cleo.

"Avid! What the hell?!" The farmer yelled, blocking his attack with her pitchfork.

"I- I have to! They won't let me go if I don't!" Avid whimpered, but his claws were still cutting through the air, far too close to Cleo. They pushed him away, trying to knock some sense into them. "I'm sorry, Cleo!"

"So this is how it is..." Legundo muttered, looking back at Owen. Just days earlier, he was talking to him like a human with a human... And now, he was more akin to a hurricane, fending off attacks from Abolish and Apo at once. His eyes glowed a bright, furious red, and his hissing was more akin to that of an animal.

Still, the doctor couldn't push himself to join the fight.

There had to be a better way, right...?

---

Scott was already on his way back home, when he felt something was off.

Immediately, he stopped, his pointy ears twitching as he tried listening in to sounds that were too far for him to hear. He felt it before. Back when his fledglings were in trouble, when they got attacked by vampire hunters... They couldn't have returned, right? They did such a good job killing them and disposing of what's left... After a few seconds of consideration, Scott rushed in the direction of the castle.

He left barely an hour prior. His head felt particularly heavy that day, and he needed some peace and quiet to think. Finally, he was feeling almost as well as he did before his illness - minus the foreign feeling of his new, golden fang, that he was still getting used to. He could at last reclaim his spot at the top of the coven's hierarchy... But as soon as he thought of that, doubt crept in. Just weeks earlier, he laughed at the idea of his family not having any hierarchy. But now...? Sure, they needed someone who would teach and protect them. But maybe what Owen said way back then wasn't all that stupid? Maybe they could, after all, get along as equals? The more time he spent with them, the more Scott found himself actually enjoying being in close proximity to his newfound family. They were a group of such charming people...

He couldn't leave them now.

The second Scott emerged from between the trees, he gasped in fear. That's what tipped him off... A fight, at the edge of the castle. His fledglings were fighting the humans to protect their home. All of the humans were there... Even the ones Scott thought were on their side. Cleo, Legundo... Even Shubble... 

"No, no no no no no..." He gasped, immediately transforming into a bat and dashing in their direction. No, why now, why when he wasn't around to protect them? "Owen! Run! I'll chase them o-"

His yelling, which didn't reach anyone anyways, was suddenly cut short the second something wooshed in the air. Then, out of nowhere, a heavy, silver net wrapped around him. Scott tumbled to the ground, his skin burning upon contact with the metal. He forcefully turned back, letting out a piercing cry.

"Owen! Avid!"

"Finally..." Martyn grinned, finally walking up to the trapped vampire at the edge of the bridge. He hovered over him, his eyes shining dangerously. "Such a shame you weren't there to see the whole thing... Your little fledglings put on quite a show..."

His plan worked perfectly. The plan, the bait, the attack - all of it was just a cover up. He didn't care for all these feral fledglings, nor the humans whose life they could claim in the fight. He only cared about taking out Scott. So once he realized Scott wasn't at the castle, he slowly backed off, supporting his fellow humans with arrows... But the second he spotted the grand sire returning to the castle, he took the one shot that mattered. And he aced it.

"Stop wriggling so much..." Martyn chuckled, grabbing a chain that he held attached to his belt. He tied the other end to the net, then began dragging the flailing vampire away. The silver worked too strongly on him, he couldn't transform again to escape... And if he fought back too much, the bounty hunter knew a few tricks to calm him down. "It's not gonna help!"

"Call this off!" Scott hissed. "You only want me, right? You don't care about any of them! I'll go with you willingly... If you call them off."

Martyn raised an eyebrow.

"Will you...?"

"Yes. Just... Please. Spare them." Scott's eyes were still bright with fury. It was a big gamble, and he was aware he shouldn't trust Martyn. But if there was a chance that at least the others would be spared... He had to take it.

"Finally, talking with some sense..."

Swiftly, Martyn cut the net open. Before Scott could attack him, however, he wrapped the heavy silver chain around his body, to prevent him from fighting back. The vampire didn't even fight back. There was a chance, he had to try it...

"They aren't worth anything anyway," Scott kept talking, as if to push Martyn further into their deal. "And if this continues, innocent people are gonna die... Is this what you want?-"

He couldn't quite finish, as Martyn grabbed the rest of the silver net and wrapped it around his mouth to shut him up. A muffled groan escaped Scott, as the pain almost knocked him off his feet. Not giving him even a moment to catch his breath, Martyn began dragging him away from the castle.

"Come on, little bat! I have a cage ready for you! Silver, just as you like it..."

Scott struggled against him, silver severely weakening his strength. He shouted something into his makeshift muzzle. Martyn just snickered at the sight of his pain.

"What is it, batty?"

The grand sire turned his head in the direction of the castle. As much as he could, he pulled on the chains, trying to slow Martyn down - at least until he fulfilled his end of the deal... He saw his fledglings fight off the humans, claws clashing against silver weapons. Did any of them even see him? He let out one more hopeless cry.

"Oh, right... Our deal... Hey, guys! Don't kill all these awful vampires! Death would be too good for them!" Martyn half-shouted, way too quietly for any of the humans to hear. He then smirked and grabbed Scott by the hair, before pushing him down to the ground. "Oops, sorry, looks like they made up their minds..."

Scott grunted in pain, falling face-first on the ground. He tried getting up, but by then, Martyn already began dragging him off. He took one last glance at the castle. It would probably go up in flames soon. Together with all of the vampires and humans, hopefully... So that no one would ever be able to tell what truly happened here. Another massacre was long overdue, either way...

Martyn squinted. He could swear that Cleo was looking in his direction... Not that it mattered.

He got what he came for.

Chapter 33: An age-old feud

Summary:

Some things can be resolved peacefully, it seems. Some things cannot.

Notes:

So sorry you waited so long for this one! Truth be told, I was really busy this past couple of days + the finale of VSMP REALLY fucked me up...... It made me slightly tweak the ending to this story, truth be told. But only a little bit. 90% of it is still how I originally intended. So I hope you enjoy it nonetheless ^^

And also, I can't 100% promise the next chapter will come out on Friday as it should, but I'll try my best to do that. Thanks for sticking with me! And thank you for 27k hits! It's such an insane number, I can't believe you're all enjoying it so much!

The fight under the Goldsmiths' castle raged on for a lot longer than anyone wanted it to. The vampires tried their best to chase the humans away from their nest, while also trying to avoid damaging them as much as possible. At the same time, humans were not holding back - some of them only performatively, while the others seemed to wholeheartedly believe that they were in the right. 

"Why are you doing this?" Cleo growled, narrowly avoiding Owen's claws as they almost cut through their cheek. 

"Why are we doing this?" The vampire snarked back, "We're just defending our home! You came here!"

"We helped you!"

"And that gives you the excuse to try and kill us?!" 

Cleo flailed their pitchfork, trying to chase the bat away. Owen landed on top of the makeshift weapon, transformed back into a human, then effortlessly bounced off and landed at the edge of the bridge. It was hard to fight and at the same time, keep tabs on all of the fledglings. None of them seemed hurt, but the second any of them did, Owen was ready to quit playing it and lunge straight into attack. He already felled thousands of people. This little group would not be enough to stop him. Especially when he wasn't fighting just for himself.

"Mister Woodhurst, we need yer cover! Mister Woodhurst...?" Ren turned around after getting kicked back by Pearl. The instigator of this whole fight, the one man who led to the discovery of the vampires' lair... He was missing. The only trace that he was ever even there, was a trail of arrows that he dropped while heading back the bridge. "Whe- Where is thee?"

"Martyn?" Cleo turned around. That was the perfect moment for Owen to strike, and yet... He paused. Just barely, the farmer made out some sort of shape moving between the trees. The silver armor reflected in the sunlight. No, he didn't... "I'm going after him!"

"Be careful!"

Cleo gripped their weapon tighter, then ran after the leftover traces of Martyn. He didn't just straight up ditch them, did he? There had to be an explanation... 

The second she noticed her friend leaving the fight, Pearl transformed into a bat and flew right after her. It's been a while since she had a chance to talk to Cleo... What changed, that they joined the rally against vampires? Didn't they remember they had a friend on the other side? Or did they just change their mind?

She had to get to the bottom of this... And to why Martyn just suddenly left, as if he had nothing to do with any of this.

---

"Avid! Why didn't you say anything...?"

Drift was not someone who was very experienced in physical combat. Despite her job, she tried to stay away from any physical altercations, in fear of her shortcomings coming back to bite her. Her friend, on the other side, was apparently a well-trained vampire hunter... And apparently a vampire, as well. But as he fought back, it was clear he was holding back, even if he tried to make himself appear as a feral beast that they should be scared of. His eyes were shining a bright, but uncertain red. There was more to this little facade of his than met the eye...

"We could've figured it out! We could've helped you!" Drift called out to him, then let out a painful whine when his claws cut through their arm. "Ouch! Avid!"

"Drift, I-!" Avid flinched and pulled back, his pupils widening. "You- You gotta run, all of you, it's gonna be safe like this!"

"What are you talking about...?"

"We don't want to hurt you!"

"Speak for yourself!" Pyro growled over his head, before jumping straight at Abolish. The butler gracefully dodged the hit. He parried the next attack with nonchalance unexpected of someone of his age, before attempting to cut straight through Pyro's neck. The vampire dashed back.

"Hold on, wait!" Avid let Drift go and jumped towards the two fighting men. "Pyro! Don't hurt him!"

"You're still trying to play both sides?" The fledgling growled. "They made their choice!"

"No, no no no! Pyro!"

The scholar let out a hiss once Abolish's sword pierced through his coat, pinning him to the ground. He fought back, trying to rip the fabric. Abolish pulled something from behind his belt. A bottle, with something that looked just like water... But it smelled different. A strong, acidic scent, that made Avid's skin crawl.

"Let's see if it works..." Abolish hummed, raising the bottle.

"STOP!"

The second the butler poured the contents of the bottle out, Drift dashed between the two. The holy water had no effect on her, aside from drenching her face. Her desperate scream grabbed everyone's attention, making them pause for a moment. That was their chance... Avid ran up to Drift and helped her get up.

"Please, we have to stop this!" He pleaded. "What are we gonna get out of this? Just senselessly fighting and trying to kill each other? And for what?"

"Yee and yer wicked brethren are a danger to us, human!" Ren raised his voice.

"No, they aren't."

Legundo's voice was calm, but serious, as he immediately dropped his shield. Just seconds earlier, Owen's claws were almost on his neck... But with that gesture, the lumberjack backed off a bit. His eyes were still angry, but no longer aggressive, He could wait, to see how this plays out. And if maybe he could help, before things went too far.

"We already helped them before," the doctor revealed to his fellow humans. "Me and Cleo did."

"What? Why didn't you tell us anything?" Apo asked, slowly lowering their sword once Sausage retracted his fangs as a sign of momentary truce. "Wait, hold on- Where's Cleo?"

"And Pearl?" Avid asked, still a bit out of breath due to all the stress.

"They went aft'r Mister Woodhurst..." Ren looked down the bridge, his voice softening a little.

"Hold on, did he lead you all the way out here?" Owen growled. "And then he ditched you?"

"Like a true bounty hunter..." Avid rolled his eyes.

"A what?!" Pyro finally got free, once Abolish pulled his sword out of the ground. Immediately, he went back to Owen. "You knew...?"

"I wish I did before he poisoned me..." He muttered.

"He did what?" This time, it was Drift who seemed confused. Seeing how a lot of people were now looking at her, she added "He told us that you were bloodthirsty monsters, that took out friends away..."

"Well, he wasn't lying about the bloodthirsty part," Owen admitted while licking the little droplets of blood that sprayed on his face. "But... We didn't take anyone. All of your friends are right here. They're... Home."

"Home...?" Drift looked back at Avid again. Their eyes were equal parts lost, angry and relieved. "You should've told us right away!"

"I- I wish it was that simple..." The vampire hunter chuckled nervously, before adding a bit louder "Everyone, listen! Martyn fooled all of you! We don't want to harm you! We just wanted to protect this place!"

"Sire's not gonna be happy when he comes back, and he sees all of this..."

"Then why did yee attack us, heathens?" The edge in Ren's voice returned, but it was no longer as strong or angry.

"We literally didn't! You came here!" Owen fought back.

"Ren, buddy, we wouldn't- We thought you were going to kill us all!" Sausage immediately approached him. He took Ren's hands in his. At first, the man pulled back - but finally, he accepted the gesture, which warmed M's heart. "Can't we settle this without fighting?"

"How do we know it will work, and you won't do anything to us?" Apo argued.

"I can vouch for them," Shubble suddenly spoke up. All this time, she stood back, trying to not take any side in the conflict... But it was too late for that. Now, they had to help the family that accepted them for who they were. "I hung out with them for the past few weeks, and..." She raised her silver dagger. "They didn't hurt me, or turn me... They were nice to me. Even Scott."

"You did...?" Apo squinted, before dropping their sword to the ground. "So... This is just pointless. We all just want to live our lives, and not just kill one another. Is that what you guys mean?"

"More or less..." Owen nodded, then approached Legundo. He had to tilt his head back a little, to look the taller man in the eyes. "I can vouch for my people, if you can vouch for yours."

"I can't say anything in their name," Legs answered, before adding "But I think they can vouch for themselves."

As if on command Abolish, Drift and Ren dropped their weapons on the ground. All of the vampires hid their fangs, as a sign of solidarity.

"Sorry for ruining your coat, Pyro," Abolish commented in the same, deadpanned tone of voice. The vampire flinched, not actually expecting him to say anything even remotely close to that.

"It's, uh... It's fine. I can always take something from the crypt, I guess."

"How about we just..." Avid stood between Legundo and Owen, his eyes darting between the two "Go inside, and just... Talk? We can figure things out from there, right?"

The vampire and the human exchanged focused glances. At that moment, their goals aligned. They just wanted safety for their kind. And if that meant collaborating this one more time... Then so be it.

"We can," they responded in unison. 

Legundo reached his hand out to Owen. He glanced down at it, but did not accept the gesture. No, that was a bit too intimate for his liking... Instead, he just headed towards the castle, gesturing to others to invite them inside.

If this talk could help them... It wouldn't hurt to try.

---

"Wait for me, Cleo!" Pearl called out, before landing in her friend's hair. The little bat took a comfortable position, her tiny claws clutching the farmer's scalp to not fall off. 

"Pearl, why did you- Ugh, one less person trying to kill the humans, I guess..."

"Oh, I didn't want to kill them!" Pearl responded. "We were just defending our castle!"

"I could tell..." Cleo took a deep breath, trying to recollect themselves. "Shit, I should've told everyone right away... I knew Martyn was trouble- He literally got you killed!"

"Wait, he did?" Pearl tilted her head to the side. "But I'm... Wait..."

"I think you did, Pearl... And Scott brought you back. You don't remember?"

"I don't remember dying..." She admitted quietly. "I remember everything else, more or less..."

"This guy needs someone to put him in place." Cleo cracked their knuckles. 

After they passed all the discarded arrows, they picked up on something else that could be of use. Something left a long, wide trail in the ground, trampling the grass and breaking branches and flowers on its way. As if something was dragged through this forest, likely against its will... The farmer had a hunch as to what that could be. And they hated the idea.

"Pearl...?" Cleo suddenly asked, once they left the thick of the woods. They were now heading up the path along the cliff, with the waters of the river opening up down under them. "Does that mean you're going to... Stay here now...?"

"Probably, why?"

"I was..." Cleo sighed. "Well, I was hoping, that... Once I have to return home, that you will go with me... Don't you have anywhere to return...?"

"Not really..." Pearl admitted. "My family will try to kill me, first thing I get back... I came here to have a fresh start. I just didn't expect... This."

"You did?"

"Yeah! Living in the abandoned town did not seem all too pleasant, but... If I can stay with the coven... They're not bad people, Cleo."

"I know that..." The farmer sighed. "If Scott is the worst of you, then maybe vampires aren't monsters after all..." Cleo reached up, before scooping up Pearl's bat form and holding her gently. "When you got turned, I was scared... That this, or that he, would change you... But they didn't. You're... You're still Pearl."

"I am!" The bat smiled, before adding "And if you don't have to return home right away, I... I'd love for you to stay around a bit longer."

"I don't... I don't have to return," Cleo whispered quietly. Were they correct in that assumption, though? Would the coven accept them, knowing the truth about them? Would Pearl...? Well, only time would tell... Maybe there was a way in which they could get along. And then, she wouldn't have to go back into the darkness.

But then, they were pulled out of their head by a sudden, distant scream.

"What was that?" Pearl flinched, before transforming back into a human and landing gracefully on the ground. "Something's falling..."

"You see what?"

"No, just..." Pearl squinted. She could barely make out some sort of dark, distant shape, tumbling down the mountainside straight into the river. "I think it's someone, not something..."

"Martyn..." Cleo gasped. "Come on, we gotta go after him!"

---

"Poor little bat... I wonder if you know how much you're worth..." Martyn snickered under his breath, already fed up with having to drag Scott through the forest. The weight of his armor on him definitely didn't help, but he wasn't going to just abandon it. "Or rather, how much your rotten hide is worth... I might have to up the price a little, though, as getting you back to the carriage is... Such a pain..."

The vampire responded with just an angry growl. It'd be better if Martyn just shut the hell up. His position was bad as it was... And the whole time, Scott could watch his castle, his home, slowly getting smaller and smaller on the horizon. His fledglings were doing such a great job defending it, in his absence... Not knowing that his sire would not return to them. He did all of that for the fleeting chance of saving them... But that proved a failure. And now, he had nothing left, but the burning silver, tightly covering his body and not allowing him to get up. 

"Hey, calm down... You'll be fine! Well, depending on what your next owner does to ya..." Martyn snickered. "Maybe they'll just put you in a nice, gilded cage? Wouldn't you like that? Everyone's attention will be on you, just like you wanted..." The bounty hunter huffed, before stopping to catch his breath. He then added, his voice freezing cold "I'm doing everyone a favor with this, you know? Your little fledgling will be freed of their curse... The one you forced upon them, didn't you? Oh, poor Pearl... I already saved her from you, and you had to swoop in and ruin everything once more..."

Scott struggled to get up from the ground. The silver was making him feel weak and dizzy. If his mouth wasn't wrapped in the thick net, he would've thrown up already from all the stress and pain. And there was nothing he could do... He put himself in this place. He could only deal with the consequences of his actions.

But maybe, just maybe, his fledgling would be okay... Maybe they were sensible enough to escape. Even if the castle fell, or got destroyed, they could at least hide somewhere in the woods, maybe pick the humans off... Owen would lead them, that's for sure. And one day, they would forget about their horrible leader.

"And where do you think you're going?" Martyn grabbed Scott by the hair and pulled him up. The vampire growled, his pointy ears pinning down. "Don't run from me, baby... We're joined for life," He smirked, dangling the chain that kept them tied together. He stared in Scott's eyes for a second, basking in all the hatred the vampire had for him. "Your cute little face is sooooo punchable... Do you think that if you bruised a little, it'd heal before the presentation?"

Scott growled again in a warning manner. Not that he could do anything... Everything that he could use as a weapon was stripped away from him. As much as he hated it, his life was in Martyn's hands... He couldn't even run, as they were joined by a thick, silver chain.

Unless... He could.

"Well, it won't hurt to try, huh?" Martyn smirked, before punching the grand duke straight in the eye. Scott let out a painful scream, flailing back from the impact. The bounty hunter still held him by the hair, so a few locks were pulled out from the force of the punch. "This is for turning all of these humans!" He yelled, before repeating the strike. "This is for what you did to Pearl! And for what you did to Cleo! And to Avid! And this is for everything else!"

Martyn eventually dropped Scott, making him tumble to the ground. He then delivered a few strong kicks straight to his stomach, before picking up the chain once more. The vampire struggled to catch his breath, his vision was blurry. He deserved it, didn't he...? Even if Martyn was the last person who could call him out like this... He probably did.

"How about we make it a bit easier, hm?" Martyn suggested, just several feet after he resumed dragging Scott away. "If you walk nicely, and not make me drag your ass all the way, you won't regret that... Maybe you'll even get a snack, hm? Does the fledgling want a snack?" He grinned, crouching over the wounded vampire. He then grabbed him once more, allowing him to actually stand. Scott was struggling to stay up, too tired, beaten up and burned to think coherently. He didn't want to follow after him, but he couldn't really fight back... But there was something he could do., instead. "Good boy... We're gonna have so much fun together, I promise..."

Martyn pulled on the chains again, but Scott stood in place. Instead, he began backing off, getting closer and closer to the edge of the cliff. The bounty hunter picked up on that, and tightened his grip on the chain. What the hell was this fiend doing...?

"Wrong way, pup!" He chuckled nervously, struggling to keep his feeling of control. "This way, you stupid thing! Come on!"

Scott looked up at him, his eyes glowing a furious red. He would not let Martyn pull him apart like that - not him, not anyone. Even if his fledglings would be alright... He had to make sure this man would pay for what he did. For good.

"Don't you dare!" Martyn growled, pulling back as the chain slipped out of his hand. "Stop this!"

The vampire's foot tensed as he felt the edge of the cliff. He closed his eyes. He could only hope that Owen and the others would pick up the pieces he left behind...

Before he took the last step, plunging down the cliff.

Martyn reached out to free himself from the chains binding them together - but before he could, he was pulled after Scott and down the mountainside. A terrified scream escaped him, only quelling once the two monsters hit the surface of the river below. The bounty hunter struggled to swim up, but the weight of his weapon and the vampire pulled him down. His hands flailed hopelessly, the oxygen in his lungs quickly running out. Scott didn't even have a chance to try and swim up - he was weak enough as it was, and now, the water was swallowing him whole; both of them. Once the sounds of Martyn struggling quieted down, he closed his eyes.

He did what he had to do... And now, the last thing he could do was hope that the legacy of the Goldsmiths would go on without him.

Chapter 34: Worlds apart

Summary:

Scott gets to see his family again.

Notes:

At the time of publishing this chapter, this fic is just shy of 28k hits. This is absolutely insane. Thanks to all of you for this incredible support, and I hope you enjoy this one last wild ride :3

Well, that's the end of the line, Scott thought to himself as soon as his body hit the bottom of the river. Soon after, Martyn's limp body dropped a few feet away, the last burst of bubbles escaping his lips. Was he dead? Even if he wasn't, he would die soon... Being a vampire for so long, Scott wasn't sure how long humans could survive without oxygen. They surely needed it, though. Scott didn't... But that didn't mean he would get out of this.

He did not regret his decision. He regretted a lot of things he's done throughout his life, but this wasn't one of them. Not just to save his fledglings from his rotten man, who could go against his word again and return to capture them. If he only had to do this to spite this stupid face of him... He would. Finally, he made a choice that was truly good. Now, Martyn would no longer be a danger to anyone. And Scott would stay right here, with him, to make sure of it.

Even once Martyn dies, the vampire knew he wouldn't get out of this situation. The silver chains that bound him were thick and strong, and drained his powers and strength. Even if he began flailing and wriggling, trying to swim up towards the surface - the bounty hunter's corpse would weigh him down. That's ironic... This whole mess started, because Scott wanted to find a mate in this innocent looking, sweet blond man. And now, they were truly bound for all eternity. Scott tilted his head back, looking up towards the distant surface of the water. Meek rays of sunlight seeped through the strong current - barely enough for his eyes to pick up on them. The overwhelming chill already nestled in the grand duke's bones. The hum of water, the quieter the deeper he was, was like a constant source of static in his head. The vampire closed his eyes for a moment. It's fine, he asked for this... It's not like he deserved to live for much longer.

Without really wanting that, Scott's thoughts traveled back to all the fledglings he met since he woke up in the ruins of his castle. When he first met Owen, he assumed him to be nothing special - just a quiet, sickly human... Even though he was anything but. Many times, Scott felt threatened by him, and wanted to take him out of the picture for the sake of his own safety... But Owen prevailed, and sacrificed a lot for their little family. Scott could only hope that now, he will be able to lead all of the other fledglings, and be for them what Scott failed to be.

Then, Pyro... Truth be told, Scott barely remembered turning him. He was driven by hunger... The overwhelmed, primal hunger of six hundred years of running from his own problems. Luckily, Pyro could take care of himself just fine... It was quite amusing to Scott, how he naturally picked up the role of the third man in charge - just after him and Owen. Farewell, Pyro... You were the first fledgling I've had in six hundred years. I hope you know just how special you were to me.

Avid... Even though he wasn't Scott's fledgling, he still felt some sort of attachment to it. Sure, he screwed up a lot... But at the end of the day, he was trying. He helped solve the problems he caused. He was just a poor, lost kid... But with time, it really did feel like he found a home among the very creatures he sought to destroy. Oh, how ironic life can be... You started out, wanting to kill me. And I wanted to kill you, too. Now, I just wish I could see you one more time.

Sausage's turning was a bit embarrassing to Scott. It only happened due to his own need to be loved and appreciated... He changed the course of that man's whole life, only to feel like there was someone looking out for him. And by the end, he acted like a monster, driving that very man away. But all in all, Sausage did not seem that upset about becoming a vampire... The memories of sitting with him in his house and listening to his endless talking resurfaced in Scott's head. He would never get a chance now to read any of his works...

Scott never expected to turn Pearl. He was fine with her being just a human that didn't know the truth, and that would leave Oakhurst without ever learning the truth about this place. But that never came to be... Saving her came like second nature to him. To think that she wouldn't be in this place, if it wasn't for Martyn... She would be free to return home to her family. And now, she was stuck here. At least, she was no longer stuck with him. I hope you don't hate me for what I had to do... And you too, Cleo...

The vampire reluctantly returned even to his thoughts about the humans. Shubbly, who found her home among the monsters that once wanted to eat her... Maybe one day, she would be ready to commit, and join their family as a vampire? Scott wasn't going to pressure her into that, but he'd be honored to see her join... Cleo helped them, despite being wary of such monsters. If Scott didn't know better, he'd think that they actually cared about him... Similarly with Legundo. He only helped because that was his job. Although, to be honest, any other doctor, upon finding out the truth, would probably want to kill Scott instantly... But not this one. The memories of the other humans were a bit hazy in his head, but they still circled in the back of his head. And all of that, Scott had to leave behind... Just to bring down the one person who he feared could harm them all. The one person who did harm him, time and time again.

Despite being stuck underwater, Scott felt his eyes feel with tears. Did he make the right decision? Well, objectively, sacrificing himself to kill Martyn was the right thing to do... But he was beginning to have doubts. He would never see his fledglings again... He would never see his family again. He would never see the castle rebuilt, and he would never be able to leave it to see the world. All of that, he abandoned when he took that last step off the cliff... Something he should've done. But looking back... 

No, he didn't want that.

He wanted to live.

But now, it was far too late.

The vampire's chest tightened. At last, he opened his caged mouth, the last long held cry slipping his lungs. The tiny bubbles floated towards the surface, only to pop out in the fresh air. The same fresh air Scott would never be able to feel again... 

But this is what he earned. Now, only eternity awaited him. Cold, wet, lonely eternity.

---

"You sure it was here?" Cleo asked once she finished descending the cliff. It was tough to find a semi-safe way down towards the riverbank, but upon transforming into a bat, Pearl guided her down.

"I think so, yeah! He might've drowned already, though..." The vampire muttered, her eyes glued to the murky surface of the water.

"Even if he did... You really want to take him out?" Cleo winced. "You're giving him more grace than he gave you..."

Pearl sighed. Her fists clenched for a second, and then they relaxed.

"If I can be better than him in this one thing, I will. I know he wouldn't- Wait, look!"

At that moment, a flurry of bubbles broke the surface. It looked like someone's last breath, escaping them somewhere deep underwater... Without thinking, Pearl lunged straight into water, diving deep towards where the bubbles came from.

"Wait, hold on! Pearl! Damnit..." Cleo groaned. They entered the freezing water, almost up to their knees. Then, she put the handle of her pitchfork into the depths, reaching as far as she could. If Pearl did find something, she wouldn't just stand there... She would help her bring it out, whatever it was.

It took Pearl a moment to realize that as a vampire, she didn't actually need to hold her breath. She dived as deep as she could, her vampiric eyes struggling to pierce through such thick darkness. But then, she noticed something... Shining at the bottom of the lake. It looked like some sort of metal... But it had to have fallen in here recently, as it wasn't rusted, or covered in grime.

And then, she noticed them.

The metal turned out to be a thick chain, tying together two bodies. On the right - the presumed corpse of Martyn, with his mouth still open, a disturbed expression on his face. No wonder he sank like a stone - all of the metal he wore on himself pulled him down easily... But before Pearl swam up to her, she looked at the second body. It was Scott - tied up, with his eyes closed, a defeated, almost peaceful expression on his face. The vampire gasped, swallowing a bit of water. How did he end up down here? Tied to Martyn, nonetheless? Did Martyn escape from the fight, and then find Scott? How did he manage to capture the grand duke of Goldsmiths? Did they fall into the river by accident, or did they-

Without thinking much more, Pearl swam up to her sire and grabbed him. The silver burned against her hands and arms, but she pulled through the pain. She wouldn't be able to free him from that just yet, but maybe if she got him up on the surface, Cleo could help... The body of Martyn dragged behind them, as Pearl struggled to swim up. Once she noticed the handle of Cleo's pitchfork poking deep into the water, he grabbed it tightly with one hand, the other hugging unconscious Scott to her chest.

We're almost there, Scott, hang on..., she thought to herself.

Once they felt touch on their weapon, Cleo began pulling with all their might. They stepped back on the riverback. First, they dragged out Pearl, who was tightly holding Scott. Then, behind them on a long chain, was Martyn - his chest wasn't moving, there were no signs of life coming from him. The farmer gasped in shock.

"Scott! Oh gosh-"

"You gotta free him!" Pearl pleaded "It's silver, I can't do anything with it!"

They dragged the grand duke a bit deeper into the land. Cleo unbound the two men, before beginning to unwrap the thick chains from Scott's body. While in the middle of that, the vampire began twitching, then coughing. His eyes were tired, water and unfocused.

"What... Where the... Huh...?" He muttered, still confused at his situation. "Cleo...?"

"Scott! What the hell happened?!" The farmer tried sounding angry, but she couldn't hide that she was truly glad that they found their friend. "How did this happen?"

"Where's Martyn...?"

Pearl gestured to the corpse laying a few feet away. Martyn was drenched in water, his skin already taking on a deathly, greyish tint. Once he was free from his bindings, Scott sat up on the grass, beginning to cough up water. The taste of the river would probably not leave him for the next few weeks... But he would take it any day, over being forced to stay down there, at the bottom of this god forsaken river.

His eyes were stuck to Martyn. Until moments before his death, he believed he was in control... Scott couldn't help but find that grimly admirable. But there was something else, too... He hated how much of himself he saw in Martyn. He already hated that he saw the young him in Avid and Owen. But Martyn's conviction, with which he wanted to take Scott out of the equation...

Maybe it was just the shock of the situation, making the vampire's head spin. Maybe it was a strange, rotten sense of kinship he never wanted to truly admit to. Either way, before he could realize what was happening, Scott was already kneeling over Martyn. His fangs dug deep into the side of his neck. Scott hated to admit just how incredibly tasty his young, healthy blood was. 

"Scott? What are you doing...?" Cleo asked nervously, but didn't pull him back.

Moments later, Martyn took his first, greedy, undead breath of fresh air. Then, it was immediately followed by him coughing and throwing up water. His whole body was shaking, the incision on his neck dropping bits of blood once Scott pulled back. The elder vampire just sat on the grass, watching him, his expression focused, waiting. Pearl held Cleo back as the bounty hunter knelt on the moist grass, struggling to catch more oxygen into his lungs. Not that he needed it now.

"What... How did I..." Martyn's hand travelled to the bite mark on his neck. Immediately, his face went even more deathly pale. His eyes widened, the tiniest tinge of red lighting up in his pupils. "You..."

"Now you know how you made Pearl feel," Scott replied nonchalantly. It wasn't the same nonchalance he usually carried himself with - he was far too shaken and confused for that. Still, if there was anything he learned throughout his centuries of living as a vampire, it's how to put on a mask.

"You!" Martyn jumped to him, grabbing Scott by the shoulders and shaking. "You- You monster! You demon! How could you?!"

"What? I saved your life, didn't I? Even though you had no regards for mine..."

"You... You didn't... You..." Martyn began hyperventilating, his nails digging into the skin around his bite mark, as if he wanted to rip it out. "You... You monster... How could you... Do this to me-"

"Listen," Scott grabbed Martyn by the chin and looked him straight in the eyes. They were a lot different than when Martyn saw them first. They were still prideful and full of mysteries, but there was something so... Deep, and powerful, at the same time. It almost made him whimper in fear. As much as he hated to admit it... Those were the eyes of his sire. Even if that thought made him feel like he wanted to throw up. "I shouldn't be doing this, but... I could give you one last chance to prove yourself. To join my coven. To have a place for yourself."

"Wh- what...? You-"

"But! Not everyone in my family is so... Forgiving." His smile turned into a devilish grin. He knew exactly what he was doing... It didn't even matter whether he meant it, whether he could ever forgive Martyn. "Right, Pearl...?"

"I'm afraid not..." The fledgling smirked, cracking her knuckles while keeping eye contact with Martyn.

"So! I suggest you run... Maybe one day, someone will want you." Scott smirked, before letting go of Martyn's chin. "You wanna have some fun with him, Pearly pop?"

"Gladly!"

Immediately upon realizing what he was doomed into, Martyn clumsily got off the ground and ran deep into the forest, as far from there as he could. His breathing was still heavy and strained, he was severely weakened by the past few hours. Pearl giggled playfully, before turning into a bat and running right after him.

"Come here, Martyn!"

"Why did you do that...?" Cleo knelt next to Scott, scrunching their nose. "Wouldn't it be better if he just died...?"

"It's ironic isn't it...?" Scott leaned back a little, looking up at the clear skies. "He's not just another bounty hunter that perished at work... Now neither humans, nor vampires will ever accept him. Well, or Pearl gets to him first."

The farmer couldn't hold back a giggle.

"You're still a cruel bastard..."

"I may be a little cruel to a man that repeatedly tried to kill me..." The vampire snickered. A moment later, he added "How did you find me...?"

"We saw that Martyn ran away from the battle, and we went to investigate... Pearl saw how you-"

"Wait, the- The battle! Oh no, the humans are still attacking the castle! We gotta help them!" Scott immediately got up, but the silver-induced weakness still lingered in his body. Cleo caught him before he could fall, and supported his weight on themselves.

"Hey, easy now..." They sighed. "You're gonna be fine... I think these people are better than just trying to kill one another."

"I hope so..." Scott huffed. "Ugh, crap... His blood helped, but I still feel like shit..."

Cleo snickered, getting the wet hair off Scott's face.

"Come on, old guy... Let's see if the castle survived without you..."

---

"So..." Owen sighed, finally relaxing a little and resting his legs against the table. "We'll help you get out of here. And in return, you will never speak of us to anyone."

"If that means both sides come out of this safe, we can do that." Legundo agreed. He sat at the opposite side of the table, as a sort of representative of the humans. To his left sat Avid, next to him was Drift, then Apo and Pyro at the end. On Owen's side, he was joined by Abolish, then Ren, Shubble, and at the other end. It was actually Avid's idea, to not have vampires and vampire-adjecent people on one side, and everyone else on the other. They needed to work out a solution together, instead of starting another war. Owen felt a bit strange sitting next to the guy that almost hit Pyro with holy water to his face, but throughout the whole peace talk, Abolish was surprisingly calm and helpful. "But can we be certain that you won't go out there and attack any other humans...?"

"We never attacked humans," Owen argued, keeping his voice calm. "Well, they didn't- We just want to live peacefully, and don't have any bounty hunters coming to take us for a pretty penny."

"Bounty hunters?" Apo raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, so Martyn didn't tell you, before dragging you guys all the way over here?" Owen snickered.

"Bounty hunters are the worst..." Abolish winced. "They always get into others' business, just to make a quick buck."

"So, he just ditched us, huh?" Drift sighed. "None of this would've happened, if it wasn't for-"

"EVERYONE! Stop fighting!"

The door to the castle burst open, and Scott barged inside. His whole body was completely drenched in water, his step was still a bit wobbly. Cleo followed after him, crossing their arms with a slightly amused smirk. The elder vampire approached the table and slammed his fists against the table.

"Don't fight, we can figure this out!" He raised his voice. He was still a bit too woozy to realize that no one was, in fight, fighting - everyone just stared at him, some with concern, some with relief. "It's all that son of a bitch Martyn! We don't want to hurt anyone- But I won't let you humans lay a finger on any of my fledglings!"

For a second, the room was completely silent. Only after a moment, Legundo finished off Scott's words by saying:

"Well, looks like we're all on the same page, then."

"Where's Martyn?" Apo asked, turning back to Cleo.

Before the farmer could answer, Pearl returned to the castle. She swooped in through the door, before turning back into a human and landing graciously. Cleo couldn't hold back a chuckle.

"Speaking of... Pearl, do you know where Martyn is?"

"I think the wolves got him," the fledgling responded, wiping something off her lips. "Just a hunch, though..."

"Hold on... So you... Don't want to kill us...?" Scott huffed, the reality of the situation only how finally reaching him.

"We've been working on a peaceful solution for the last few hours," Abolish commented while picking on his nails. "You missed the best parts..."

"Are you okay, Scott?" Legundo asked.

"I... I'm just glad I didn't become fish bait..." Scott muttered. Pyro raised from his chair, before gesturing to Scott to take a seat.

"Sit down, sire... You look like you need it."

Still feeling a bit lost, Scott slumped on the chair, then began wringing his cravat. The humans and the vampires resumed their discussion. All of them were so... Calm, and eager to work together for a peaceful solution. Even though Scott was only half listening, it tugged at his heartstrings. The humans didn't resort to wiping them out... And his fledglings were civil enough to spare them in return. Maybe he did teach them well, after all...? And even if not, maybe they were just fine teaching each other? Scott turned in the direction of Owen, who seemed to be leading the talk on the vampire side. The same man that he once saw as a dirty, uncivilized commoner, who didn't deserve the gift of vampirism... Now leading his people into peace and safety. Scott's eyes teared up for yet another time that day.

He was truly, truly glad that he could call all these people his family.

---

Days later, the humans were getting ready to leave Oakhurst. The deal was simple - they would clear any suspicions about vampires being present in Oakhurst, to not attract any unwarranted attention. In return, if they ever needed someplace to hide, the coven would welcome them with open arms. Scott and his fledglings returned to the town that afternoon, to say their last goodbyes.

"Drift... You know you can stay with us, right...?" Avid stood in the door to the house he once shared with his friend. "You don't even have to get turned, you can live with us as... Just you."

The detective sighed, her back still turned to Avid.

"I have a life to return to, Avid..." She whispered. Then, she finally approached her friend again, and took his hand. "But... You helped me so much, you know...? I came here, because I was afraid... But you showed me that there's nothing to be scared of. That we can always fix things. Right...?"

Avid's big, purple eyes teared up.

"Come back one day...?"

"I will, I promise. But before that... I'll make sure that this little secret doesn't get out." Drift smiled tearily, before pulling Avid into a hug. "Take care, okay? And write often..."

"I will, I promise!" Avid nodded energetically, tears dripping down his cheeks. "I'll write so often, you'll get sick of it..."

"I don't think I can get sick of it, Avid..." Drift snickered.

"Are you sure you don't want this, doc?" 

Legundo turned around, once he was almost done packing his bag. The lumberjack was sitting on his window, not even looking in his direction. Still, the doctor could tell that he actually did care. If he didn't, he wouldn't come specifically to him, while everyone was saying their goodbyes.

"I don't deserve this gift, Owen... I never did. I don't think I even deserve to come out of this alive, but..." Legundo took a deep breath. "I'm glad that at least I could help. Help the vampires, help Scott... Help you."

Owen went silent. He didn't want to look at Legundo - his eyes were beginning to sting when he looked at him for too long, or even when he thought about him too hard. A horrible sign of weakness... Owen wasn't quite comfortable showing it just yet.

"You... You did help," he admitted. "Which is why I'm asking. "You... You're a good man, doctor."

"I'm not a good man..." Legundo approached him, then opened the door. "You're gonna just sit outside and not even say goodbye...?"

Reluctantly, Owen got inside through the window. So that could be interpreted as an invitation... Good to know. He stood in the middle of the room, still avoiding Legundo's eye contact.

"Will you ever come back...? Not that I care, of course..." Owen muttered.

"I'll try to. If you ever need me, I'll come back. But, if one day, I can't return... Take care of them in my name, okay...?"

Owen gulped. The stinging in his eyes was getting worse.

"I will."

"Thank you, Owen. You're a good man."

"I'm not..."

"Then we're both terrible people," the doc smiled bitterly. "But we're trying."

"Yes, we... We are."

Legundo was just about to turn around and return to packing his bag, before suddenly, Owen tackled him into a hug. He wrapped his arms tightly around the man's chest, taking in one last whiff of his scent. Then, before the doctor could even react, he turned into a bat and dashed outside of the building. That was the most amount of care he dared to show to a human in ages... But maybe they truly weren't all rotten, if someone like Legundo walked among them.

"Cleo..."

The farmer flinched and turned around. Her friend was standing at her doorstep.

"You... You're sure you wanna do this, right? I don't want you to... Change your plans, and..."

Cleo snickered quietly.

"My plans don't matter..." She said, "Come on in. You make it sound like we're never gonna see each other again...?"

"I'm just..." Pearl smiled shyly, finally taking a step inside. "When I came here, it was in search of... A new home. A new family. And... I found you. And I want you to be a part of this."

"Well, then I guess I chose correctly..." The human turned around to her friend, before leaving a soft kiss on her lips. "Just... When I finally decide to get turned... Could you do the honors...?"

"I'm sure Scott won't mind," Pearl smiled and pulled Cleo a bit closer. "You're gonna love it here, I promise..."

"I already do, Pearl... I already do."

"Scott? Can I talk to you for a second?"

Up until then, the grand duke stood at the gates of Oakhurst, watching as his fledglings said their last goodbyes to the people. He didn't expect to be approached by anyone... Especially someone like Abolish. He turned to the young man.

"What is it?" He asked, before Abolish took his hand and pressed something into it. It was a folded piece of paper.

"I know... People who help vampires like you and your coven," Abolish admitted. "I work with them, actually. They sent me here for something, but... I didn't find it. But I found you. I know that you want this place to remain a secret, but... If you guys ever need help, contact them. They will help."

Scott unfolded the piece of paper. On it was a large sigil, unfamiliar to him. Under it was the address that Abolish entrusted him with. The grand duke took a deep breath. Maybe one day, he would work up the courage to ask for help... Hopefully, that would mean he could see this strange little man again.

"Thank you, Abolish. And if you ever need help... The Goldsmiths will always be at your service."

"I appreciate it."

As soon as the young butler left Scott be, the fledglings began returning to their sire. Not only them, though. Pearl came accompanied by Cleo, and Shubble was already chatting with Avid and Owen on their way back. Everyone seemed so happy that this era of secrecy and hiding was over... Scott couldn't hold back the tears that gathered in his eyes at the sight of his family returning to him.

"You wanna stay with us...?" He directed the question to the humans.

"Well, I have someone to stay for..." Cleo smiled, grabbing Pearl's hand. She then added "That applies to you too, you blue-haired idiot..."

"I also wanna stay! You guys are my family!" Shubble added. "Scott! Would you be okay with it, if Avid turned me one day? I know you're the grand duke, but that would mean a lot to me..."

Scott chuckled, wiping a stray tear from his cheek.

"Fine... If he doesn't mess this up..." He added a bit more playfully, glancing at the fledgling.

"I- I'll do everything right this time, I promise!" Avid immediately responded, to which the elder vampire laughed.

"Good... I trust you." He ruffled Avid's hair, before turning his back to Oakhurst. "Come on, everyone... Let's go home already."

Notes:

And what if I tell you that the last chapter will come out tomorrow? :3

Chapter 35: The tale of Oakhurst

Summary:

Oakhurst is a small town, nestled between vast forests and steep mountains. It's a peaceful land for people just looking for a place to belong. Even if those people are not exactly... Human.

COURIER OF THE CAPITAL

22.11.1XXX

The mysteries of Oakhurst uncovered!

After weeks of intense investigations and research, the truth about the mysterious town on the southern coast is finally revealed!

For decades, the pattern of this small town being wiped out every two hundred years caused fear and curiosity in anyone knowledgeable about the matter. The research in this manner was lacking, in worry of attracting some sort of curse upon those who wanted to investigate the real cause why this small town became the target of repeated wipeouts. However, after conducting a long, thorough research backed by scientific evidence, the reality turned out to not be as exciting as some might've hoped.

The long standing theory about vampires being the cause of the repeated deaths of people can be finally put to rest. Research finds that the very soil Oakhurst was built on is tainted with some sort of strange, never before seen illness, that reemerges every few hundred years and kills every citizen in a flash plague. Due to these circumstances, Oakhurst might never be habitable by living people again. Now, knowing that, further harm can be prevented, if only for the price of this piece of land staying empty, while still ravaged by the unseen illness. To anyone who thought of travelling to that small town and conducting their own research, I'm glad to inform you - there's no need. The world can finally put that place to rest, and let it be. It will benefit everyone.

Further information about the conducted research and results can be found on page 7.

~I. Drift

---

"I'm truly sorry for not saying my goodbyes earlier, while I still had a chance to do it face to face. For the undead, especially ones living as long as I have, feelings and their processing doesn't come easily. At the very least, I can wholeheartedly admit that since you and our shared friends left Oakhurst, I've been trying. I hope you get to see the effects once you visit us again.

The castle is flourishing, in no small part thanks to people that Abolish put me in contact with. Thanks to them, we turned the old Goldsmiths hideout into a safe haven for vampires that are willing to follow our rules, and not harm humanity. They look up to me and my fledglings as their leaders, and as flattering as it is, I can't help but feel like their admiration towards me isn't earned. I'm only trying to repair my damage, and be who I should've been this whole time. One thing that fills me with joy is the fact that I can spend my eternity making this world a place I wanted it to be way back when. I'm aware that all the blood I spilled will never be truly cleaned from my hands. Least I can do is prevent any new blood from being sprayed on them. There are still forces out there who want to harm us, but for my family, I'll be glad to put my life on the line once again.

I truly hope that this letter reaches you before your years do. Pardon if this comment is insensitive to your age, Doctor - being surrounded by vampires all my life, I have not experienced certain things. One of them is aging; I have no true scope of how long a human can actually live. All I can wish for is that you still have your health, and your indomitable spirit. And if at some point you feel like your sins have finally been cleansed, and you're ready to take on eternity with us, your friends, by your side - I'll be waiting for you to come here, so that I can bestow that gift upon you.

Thank you, again, for everything that you did for me, and all of us. I will never be truly able to repay for all the kindness you offered me while I was nearing my end. Remember that my castle's doors are always open for you - and that you will always be welcomed within our walls, and treated like the hero you are.

Your forever loyal ally,

Scott M. Goldsmith.

PS

Owen also asked when you're coming to visit us. I don't know whether he actually wanted me to tell you that - he acted all embarrassed once I questioned why he was asking so often. Just so you know, Doc - there are people out here that miss you. Especially since we're talking about a person who was ready to swear off trusting humans altogether.

You've made a bigger impact than you realize, Legundo. I hope you're proud of that."

 

Scott looked over the letter one last time, before folding it neatly and reaching out for a fresh envelope. The longer he lived in the newly restored castle and the more he experienced, the longer his letters got - finally, he could write about all the things that were no longer just stuck in his head, but he could actually voice them. He looked up at the wall his desk was standing against. All of the letters he received from his human friends were safely stored - but the envelopes themselves were taped to the wall, like a self-indulgent trophy that reminded Scott that people do, in fact, care about him. The elder vampire closed the envelope, before taking out a fresh stamp and sticking it to the corner. Pearl was only going to head to the town next week, to deliver all their mail... Maybe Scott should take the trip himself, this time. Just to make sure the letter would arrive as quickly as possible.

Then, someone knocked on the door to Scott's bedroom.

"Come in!" He called out.

"Hi, Scott!"

The vampire turned around on his chair, his face immediately lit up. The last time he saw Shubble was just before she finally decided to commit to her new life, and get turned. Her transformation just finished, and they looked stunning in their new form. Their golden eyes took on a bit of a reddish tint, their newly formed fangs poked out from under their lips. Immediately, Scott lifted himself from his chair and pulled his friend into a strong hug.

"Look at you! You're looking great, Shub!" He smiled brightly, gently lifting her upper lip to glance at her fangs. "Look at these... Avid did a great job, huh?"

"He did! And it didn't even hurt!" She commented. "If it only wasn't for the hunger..."

"We can do something about that," Scott let go of her. "We could just go and grab something from the storage, but... What would you say about a little hunt together...?"

"You mean it?" The woman's eyes lit up brightly. "I'm not interrupting you, right...?" They asked, glancing in the direction of Scott's desk.

"Not at all! We can take the others and go to the forest together!" The grand duke admitted. "Actually, speaking of, I did want to look for Owen, I need to talk to him..."

"Come on, let's go, then!" Shubble grabbed Scott by the wrist and pulled him outside of his bedroom. The vampire snickered, before following after her.

The castle grew quite a lot in recent years. It was mostly inhabited by Scott's closest family, as well as vampires that just arrived at Oakhurst. Those who decided to stay rebuilt the old town and began living there, but were always welcome in the castle when they needed it. The place was quite dark, but cosy and inviting, perfect for a steadily developing coven.

After heading down the stairs, Scott immediately found Avid and Pyro in the great ballroom. They were lecturing a group of vampires about the customs of the coven, to help them feel more at home within the family. Everyone listened to them with wide eyes. The second Pyro spotted Scott and Shubble, he waved at them.

"Hey, Shub! Sire!"

"Shubble!" Avid immediately dropped the topic and ran up to his fledgling. His body was shaking from excitement at the sight of her being safe and sound, and finally awake. "Everyone, look! This is Shubble, my favorite fledgling!"

"Am I not your only fledgling, Avid?" Shubble snickered, but gave him a hug in return. "We're going hunting together! Wanna go with us?"

"Oh, I'd love to..." The hunter sighed. "But I'm in the middle of-"

"Go with them," Pyro interrupted him. "I can handle the rest of this."

"Really?" Avid's eyes lit up even brighter.

"Sure!" The scholar snickered. His dark eyes with red pupils were playful, but it was clear he truly meant his words. "You two need some bonding time, damn it..."

"Okay, okay! Take care, everyone!" Avid waved to all the fledglings occupying the ballroom, before leaving it together with Scott and Shubble. "I can't wait to go hunting with you guys!"

"But before you do... Do you know where your sire is, Avid?" Scott asked. The vampire scrunched his nose.

"I knocked on his door earlier, but it was silent... Maybe he's outside...?"

"Hold on... I think I know where he is," the grand duke suddenly asked. "Wait for me here, okay?"

"We will!" Shubble agreed.

Scott left his two friends behind, before entering the grand dining hall. He was used to seeing lots of different vampires sitting there, enjoying their meals, talking, sometimes even napping - but this time, it was empty. Well, almost empty. Right away, Scott spotted a lean vampire sitting in an alcove in the wall - the same alcove that the two of them once occupied, in the time of their illness. For a second, the grand duke just stood there, observing his right hand man from afar. He still recalled the first time he saw Owen - how weak, sickly and sad he was... His long, curly hair took on a fully white color, and looked more healthy than before. His narrow frame finally filled out a bit, giving him a stronger, cosier look. The scars on his body were not going to fade - but they looked considerably better, healthier, and like they no longer caused him any pain. But there was something deep and troubled in the depth of his dark, maroon eyes. He wasn't quite at home yet. Scott could only hope that what he planned would change that.

"Sulking all by yourself, handsome?" Scott asked. The lumberjack's pointy ears twitched, he didn't turn to face him just yet.

"Who are you calling handsome?" Owen let out a soft chuckle. 

"You'd rather I call you a stupid idiot?" The grand duke smirked, approaching his friend. "To be honest, both are accurate..."

Owen snickered and turned back to Scott. It was nice to see that his body language was no longer so withdrawn and tense. He really was trying, even though it wasn't easy... But Scott really loved the effort he was putting in.

"I guess they are..." The lumberjack sighed. "You were looking for me...?"

"Yes... We're going hunting. And by we, I mean you, your fledgling, your grandfledgling... And you."

"Shubble woke up?" Owen's eyes lit up. "Well, guess I'm going then..." He said, before getting up from the alcove and stretching. For a second, he looked back at his resting place. "Isn't it weird...? This is the place where we finally started getting along for real..."

"Sometimes you need a near death experience to have some clarity of mind," Scott admitted. "But, before you go... I want to show you something."

"Of course... What is it...?"

Without another word, Scott led his friend outside of the grand dining hall and in the direction of the castle backyard. Owen followed him without questions. His heart swelled a little when he realized that the grand duke was leading him towards the entrance to the crypt under the castle. What was it that he wanted to show him so badly...?

"I hope you don't mind that I did this without asking you," Scott said calmly. "I wanted you to have a surprise... And if you feel like there are any changes needed, let me know."

"A surprise? In the crypt?" Owen snickered.

"Well, I don't think there was a better place to put it..."

The lumberjack froze in place, the moment he spotted just what Scott wanted to show him. Among the walls covered with plates commemorating all of the deceased Goldsmiths, Owen immediately saw the one that mattered to him. A brand new, fresh, marble plate. It looked almost exactly like all the others in the crypt, but the inscription made the vampire tear up.

Louis Goldsmith

Beloved son, sire, friend and lover

"You even got the dates of..." Owen's voice stuck in his throat. All the tears he held back for so long began pouring down his cheeks. He approached the wall, then gently touched the plate. Finally, the man who got him to this place would be commemorated... Just like he deserved, this whole time. Owen put his forehead against the cold marble, letting the tears flow freely. "You're home, Lou... You're home..."

"You want me to leave you here...?" Scott asked. He stood back a couple of feet, to give Owen space. He knew that this sight would be a lot for Owen... But that was fine. He knew that his friend still wasn't over his beloved sire. He could only hope that this would bring him some closure.

"No, it's... It's fine." Owen slowly pulled back. "Now I can come back to him at any time... But I also have a family to tend to." The lumberjack looked back at the grand duke. "Thank you, Scott..."

"That's the least I can do," the elder vampire whispered. "He would be so, so proud of you..."

"Stop, you're gonna make me break down..." Owen chuckled, wiping the tears that streaked down his cheeks. "I already look like a mess..."

"Come on, you crybaby..." Scott handed him a handkerchief, before turning around towards the exit from the crypt. "Shubble and Avid are waiting for us..."

"I'm coming!" Owen called after him. He wiped his tears and blew his nose, before glancing back at the plate one more time. "Thank you... Thank you, for giving me this chance. I won't let you down... I promise. I love you." 

The lumberjack approached the plate one last time. He left a small, soft kiss on his lover's name, before turning around and running after Scott.

---

"I got a letter from Drift last week!" Avid said proudly once the four vampires left the castle. "She said that she might come visit us this winter! Though, she's pretty busy now..."

"Oh really? Is the capital really this dangerous, they need a detective on the case all the time?" Scott snickered.

"Not just that! She also started writing her own stories! She calls them 'murder mysteries'... She actually sent me one, and it's really good!"

"You should show them to M," Owen proposed.

"Oh, I did! And he said they're really good!"

"It'd be lovely if she came by... It's been so long..." Shubble admitted with a smile. "When was the last time anyone visited us...?"

"Well..." Everyone's eyes turned to Scott, once he began talking. "A few weeks ago, I bumped into Abolish in town..."

"What?!" Shubble gasped.

"And you didn't tell us?!" Avid yelled. "We were supposed to keep no secrets now! Scott!"

The grand duke barely held back a laugh.

"Hey, it's all good! He only came to check whether we were... 'Behaving', as he called it... But he promised to officially visit us soon," Scott added. "I wanted you guys to have a surprise..."

The grand duke looked around nervously. There was this weird feeling, lingering in the back of his head... As if someone was watching him. It wasn't usually all that weird, as all the vampires loved looking at him, and looking up to him... But this felt different. He didn't recognize this stare. His claws involuntarily tensed.

"Wouldn't it be nice if we all had a little reunion?" Shubble proposed. "We could invite Drift, and Apo, and the doctor, and-"

"I don't wanna sound mean, but... Do we think the doctor is still alive...?" Avid chuckled nervously.

"Of course he is!" Owen scoffed. "He wouldn't just die without telling us, right?"

"Well, he was in his fifties when he came to Oakhurst..." Shubble hummed. "And it's been a while..."

"He's alive," the lumberjack grumbled, immediately getting a little grumpy. "And if he doesn't accept our invitation, I'll find him and I'll drag him here myself-"

All of a sudden, Owen was interrupted by a loud, sharp whistle. Both Scott and Avid froze in place, then exchanged nervous glances. Scott looked in the direction of the forest. Between the trees, he could see a tall, shadowy figure with glowing red eyes. He took a deep breath, bracing himself for what's to come.

"You guys wait here, okay?" He asked.

"You sure..." Avid asked nervously.

"I'm sure... I can handle this. Just give me a minute."

The grand duke of Goldsmiths got off the trodden path, then crossed the first layer of trees. There was something so strangely... Familiar about this sound. Immediately, Scott straightened and put his hands behind his back. Should anything happen, his claws and fangs were ready to defend his family...

"Sire... It's great to see you."

The vampire immediately stopped. He didn't recognize this voice, deep, a bit raspy... But somehow, he knew exactly what it meant, and who that man was. He didn't know his name, but he knew where he came from. And why.

"Would you mind showing yourself, then? I'd like to see who I'm talking to..."

The stranger emerged from between the shadows. He was tall, much taller than Scott. His hair was short, white, combed to the back, and his red eyes were watching Scott with much reverence. Immediately, the vampire fell to his knees, at the sight of the grand duke of Goldsmiths.

"Oh..." Scott raised an eyebrow. "We're related. Aren't we...?"

"Yes, sire... I was sent to check whether you wake up, and whether you're ready to return to your family and reclaim your throne as the grand duke of Goldsmiths..."

Scott bit his lip.

"Return...? You make it sound as if you didn't abandon me in the basement of my own house..." Scott admitted nonchalantly, but with quite the bite behind his words.

"It's not like that, sire-" the vampire raised his eyes. "We had to run, to relocate..."

"And you left me behind? Some family you are..." Scott snickered. He spoke with all the pride and confidence he could recall back from his heyday. At this point, even his fake tooth no longer bothered him while talking - even though, he could tell it grabbed the fledgling's attention. He changed quite a bit since he saw the other Goldsmiths last... But to his own surprise, it wasn't a change he minded too much.

"Forgive us, sire..." The vampire fell to his knees, putting his forehead against the moist grass. "We were panicking... The humans found us out... But now, we're safe, we live up north... And we're waiting for you."

For a moment, Scott just stood there, pondering his situation. This whole time, he believed that his family was completely wiped out... Some of them survived, apparently. They moved north, somewhere they wouldn't be found. But they still left him behind... And sent this guy to come pick him up. Was that the first time he came? Did they just remember about Scott, starting from when the beacon in the castle was activated, to call out to the vampires that needed it? Or did they keep tabs on him the whole time? They abandoned him. But now, they wanted him back... Should he...?

"Scott! Are you alright...?" Shubble's voice reached him.

"A moment!" He called out.

"Who's that, sire...?" The vampire asked carefully.

"Not your business," Scott responded sharply. He crouched in front of the man and guided his chin up. "Listen... You left me behind. Now, I have people I care about here. I have a family. If any of you want to come here and stay in Oakhurst... Fine. Only if you respect my rules, and if you respect my family. Got it?"

"But, sire- Aren't we your family...?"

"They're my family that didn't leave me behind. No matter how much I wanted them to." The vampire whispered, before adding "You will return to the Goldsmiths, and relay them this message. They may come back... But things will no longer be the way they used to be. Understood?"

"Y-yes, sire..."

"Good. You're dismissed."

The Goldsmith got up from the ground, before swiftly turning into an ashy bat and dashing between the trees. Scott took a deep breath, recollecting his thoughts. This whole time, he was wrong... His relatives, or at least some of them, were out there, somewhere. But his family was right here, with him.

He already made his choice.

"Scott!" Shubble emerged from between the trees. "There you are!"

"Were you talking to someone, sire?" Avid asked.

"It was..." Scott paused for a second, his eyes meeting Owen. He had never seen this much trust in the lumberjack's eyes... He was right, all this time ago. They could be fine. "No one important. Trust me."

"Okay!" Shubble nodded excitedly. "Can we go hunting already? I'm so hungry..."

"Of course!" Scott took her hand, squeezing his gently. "Come on. I'm going to teach you how to do this properly..."

Notes:

OH MY GOSH IT'S FINISHED I'M FREE OGMYLORD FINALLY AGHGAHGHHAAAAAAAAA

Writing this was an insane ride, and as much as I loved this story, I'm glad it's finally over. It was easily the most successful story I ever published, and it's all thanks to you and your frankly insane support. I can never be grateful enough for how much you guys supported me and helped me make this possible. This story is a closed chapter now, but I promise, there is a lot, lot more to come! Including a story I'm working on right now... It might take some time to come out, though. But if the title Guard dog duty sounds interesting, make sure to subscribe so that you don't miss it once it's out :3

And as a one last hurrah, I'd love to see your guys' favorite moments, interactions etc. - I love it when you guys pick apart my stories, it always makes it feel so worth it :3 and thank you again, you guys are the best!

Notes:

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Series this work belongs to:

• Part 4 of Excel is completely normal about Vampires SMP