Over the river and through the woods the duo stripped through the darkness. Side by side with equal bounds that could well and true clear half a football field’s length before trees would get in the way and force a course correction. Aside from minor formation changes that surrounded them, the forest itself had hardly changed at all. The same old repeating dark, the same old bog of woods and the occasional river or clearing.
His brown jacket and her blue coat, her dirty blond hair and his brown hair, her sheathed sword and his weapons. All were grabbed and all were released with each bound and landing. Their stern, serious expressions mounted firm, shifted only by the sudden crackle of metal on metal. Both eyes darted way ahead and off to the right where another spark arose, followed by a literal sparking glimmer of something.
Their heads turned, now eye to eye. One shifting nod from each to the other, their pace quickening as they returned to looking in that direction.
Three figures launched at one another, two to one side and one on the other. BANG!!
“WAAAAAAAAAAAAH-” a man wailed
CRASH- the roar of an avalanche of wood and debris falling to the ground with a very audible crackle.
“Gah- fucking BITCH!”
SHWING- out flew the double ended halberd through the air like a boomerang. As it drew near the solo figure ducked and bolted, rocking to the right right around the weapon- it slamming into the ground just behind as an aquamarine glow erupted around the target figure. The figure’s hand flew forward and out sparked twin bolts of pure energy, almost like zaps of visible lightning, sent plunging straight into the halberd thrower.
“GYUUUUH!!!” she screamed as she was flung unto the ground, kicking and rolling.
The armors of the two clanked and groaned along with their echoed voice, both coming to rest at nearly the same time. It was as both came to a rest that yet another figure appeared, the ground behind the glowing girl splitting open. Out popped yet another in armor swinging a sword. The shing-schwing of the blade slicing through the air echoed, the target barrel rolling through the air with a single bound.
The attacker stepped from the hole out onto the even ground, coming into focus. Fen Rao flung his arm out, tossing the sword forth and straight into a tree. As he did so both of his subordinates, Shree and Yeager, began to push themselves up off of the ground.
“Hmph, little brat,” Fen grumbled.
Standing across from the wrinkled old vampire with her glow fading, a young girl no doubt in her teens judging by appearance. Somewhat of a faded blond or duller dirty blond hair, rolling back down her neck with a little bun over the back of her head, long bangs curved around the sides of her face, greenish blue eyes that favored the lighter blue. Little else stood out, black combat boots that went up her lower legs, cargo jeans, fingerless black gloves, a baggy black shirt with a gray stripe running across her chest, and a large cargo jacket with a fur collar- the only exceptional thing being the red stripe bands on the coat just beneath the shoulders.
Several trees had fallen by this point into their fight, however long it had been. A few cracked and toppled at the lower trunks, smoke still bellowing out of some stumps. It was by one of these that about three Sarzentan Guards stood with another young girl- wavy blond hair almost golden, a faded red dress torn in several spots, high socks but no shoes. Her green eyes shimmered, shaking ever so slightly, obvious exhaustion creeping over her face.
The girl in the cargo shirt widened her stance, stomping her right foot out and then her left, bracing her upper half. Once more and with a crackle almost that of thunder, the light appeared yet again.
“Ugh, again with this shit? Yeaget lets gut this damn tramp already!” Shree spat.
“I’m with you girl, I’m tired of the way she’s thrashing us,” Yeager chuckled, “How about you Rao?!”
“The brat has technique, I’ll give her that,” Fen Rao muttered.
“You creeps are never going to beat Illiya, just give it up already!” the girl in the dressed yelled out.
“Highness- please don’t agitate them further,” one of the guards spoke quickly.
“HRGH!” Fen Rao grunted, dropping to the ground and immediately slamming both hands onto the ground- fingers flexed, palms flat.
Around Illiya, the cargo girl, the ground began to swell upwards. Sands fell way as human shapes took form.
“Hmph…”
STRZZZZ- the swelling ground around her burst like balloons, a surge of aquamarine electricity dancing around her all at once like a blizzard of lightning. Both young vampires stumbled ahead with mouths hanging. Fen on the other hand grew only a larger scowl.
“Since when does lightning beat earth?!” Shree spat.
“This is getting nowhere. First those schmucks back at the town and those damn zombie guys and now this shit? I mean honestly- I thought being a Vampire would make us all powerful but really, we’re just a bunch of cannon fodder right about now!” Yeager barked out.
“Will you two shut up?! It’s not helping the situation!” Fen spat.
“He’s right,” Illiya murmured, correcting her stance and then beginning a stroll forward.
“This isn’t going to go our way Fen, we need to get out of here!” Yeager roared.
“Our situation was set in stone the minute these guys jumped us, the girl is faster, we can’t outrun her you idiot,” Shree yelled back.
“I’m not allowing a Vampire to escape me, let alone one with powers. This will be it for you three,” Illiya concluded, her hands balling into fists as the crackle of energy grew more potent.
“I’m afraid that we have to object to that decision,” a voice called out.
Blink- all eyes set gaze upon the sudden appearance of both Elise and Dante, stepping down on the ground in the middle of both the knights and Illiya, completely blindsiding the fight.
All stopped with only their reactions in motion- Illiya with an eye raised, Fen Rao with a scowl, Yeager letting his jaw hang open, a look of shook shock shaking over Shree, a cocked curious head tilt from the girl in the dress, and guards who were stiff as statues.
“Hey it’s those schmucks from that shithole town!” Yeager spat.
“Huuuaaaaah???” Shree groaned loudly with a very evident confused undertone.
The sharp eyes of Illiya latched onto both new arrivals instantaneously, “Backup for the knights?”
“No, not quite,” Dante murmured, looking over to her, pointing a finger back at the trio, “We need these schmucks to get ourselves outta this bloody forest.”
“Who are you?” Illiya asked.
“Just a couple of mercenaries hired to escort some people through here. These goons attacked our convoy; however, we need them to reinforce us to escape,” Elise spoke.
“Help you? HA! Under whose authority?” Yeager smacked back.
“Have you dickheads not figured it out yet?” Dante spoke, “This bloody forest is a god damn Eternal Hollow, and according to the townsfolk the only way out is to beat the owners of those walking corpses you ran from earlier.”
“Corpses?” Illiya murmured, “So you guys-”
“Hey, d-do you know what’s going on with those things??” the girl in the red dress spoke out, slowly walking forward.
Elise turned herself, looking over now to the girl and the guards now behind her. Illiya’s aura sparked as Elise turned; though as it did, Dante turned himself to face Illiya.
“You… are you Adalaine by chance?”
“Huh?” the girl murmured.
The sparks around Illiya shot up immediately, crackling like firecrackers, her stance narrowing and almost taking on a sprinters stance. To this effect, Dante reached into his coat and pulled out a dagger immediately, twirling it in hand until in reverse grip after a few twirls. Elise’s eyes moved over to Illiya for a brief moment, then back to the girl.
“We met Captain Mercer and his squad while searching for the knights. We are not with the cultists, nor are we with whoever you are running from,” Elise announced, now turning over towards Fen and his students, “Look, from what we have figured out- this forest is an Eternal Hollow. The way out is locked by the people raising those undead, and those people intend to capture every last one of us and turn us into more of their walking dancing Infernal Beasts. They’ve captured three of our own, so the only way to get out of here alive is to work together.”
“Hmph. Bold of you,” Fen began, “We are enemies of the people you are protecting, and now you wish to work together?”
“From what we can tell, it is the better way ta do it. Somethin in it for all of us now,” Dante replied.
“The cultists know of Sarzento and whatever is happening within its borders, they know of the Vampire Kingdom and want to conquer it down the road. And like I said, the only way out is to take the key from them to reopen these woods.”
“Why should we listen to you?” Shree asked.
“Yeah cuz the minute we help you lot, I bet you’ll just off us. Fen the way I see it is that we’re screwed either way if she’s telling the truth. Either we help ‘em and die, their stupid escortees get backers and run us out- or these cultists hunt us down eventually and conquer our homeland.”
“I can’t speak for the people of Glastol, or whoever they find to help them. Our job is just to escort them out of the forest. What I do know is that if you don’t help us, we’re all going to get picked off by their overwhelming numbers, then your people will certainly be killed and turned into more of those things… perhaps we can make an accord though.”
“Heuh? Well, speak up!” Yeager barked.
“Help us open the forest, I can guarantee that we won’t kill you- and perhaps against my better judgment we can even let you flee back to Galahan.”
“What’s that now?” Yeager questioned.
“Elise?” Dante murmured.
Elise stepped forward towards Fen and his team, unarmed, her arms spread, “I was raised within a Drachen Clan, I grew up dealing with what you people now are on a regular basis.”
Adalaine’s tired eyes perked up, looking upon Elise. As hers did, so too did the eyes of Illiya. In Illiya’s case, her sharp gaze had softened, her stance lighting up and the lightning dying back. Even Dante’s position had shifted by such point.
“Do I like the whole blood suckers killing things thing? No- but that’s no different from people. Do I like the prospect of your kingdom possibly preparing something to keep Glastol under your control? No- that’s speculation only. If there’s one thing that I have learned, it’s that not all of your kind are the evil they are often framed up to be. Vampires are no different from any other race, and in your case you used to be of a powerless race until you were converted. So lets just cut the hostilities for now and agree to reach an agreement when this is all said and done.”
Yeager’s gaze died back from a painstaking scowl into more of a… gentle, concerned, confused one, looking now to his mentor. For Shree it was the same. All eyes fell to the elder Vampire Knight, whose expression remained rock solid, never faltering.
“Hrmm… agreed,” Fen Rao spoke.
“Fenn? What are you-” Yeager murmured.
“Be silent Yeager, this is over your head at this point. None of this has gone the way we wished it. True, our kingdom has enslaved Glastol, sucked it dry of its wealth to sustain our own people; however we are not war mongers, we are not going to fight a war to keep Glastol at the risk of our own kingdom.”
All eyes now were to Fen Rao, as he went on.
“Galahan has faced this reality before and survived, we will do so again if we can’t stop that convoy. Our odds of working out a deal are better than hoping that these corpse raisers don’t go after our own. This is the better option, as long as the girl upholds her end of the bargain.”
Elise nodded.
“Hrmph… besides… if this forest is what it seems to be, it could be of… easier value to us. So long as you uphold this girl.”
“I swear it. I will do the best that I can to see this through,” Elise spoke.
“Hey Illiya,” Adalaine spoke out, looking to the guardian.
“Yeah. I know,” Illiya replied plainly, catching the attention of Dante in that moment.
“Well then, now that we’re all bloody friendly, how about we plan our next move ‘ere? We should head back for Nox Town, ready up and take this fight to those cultists bastards. I’m sure that that Mercer fellow would appreciate us bringin’ the girl back to ‘em.”
“Yeah. So what do you say? Shall we?”
