N/A: Full disclosure, I have no idea how to use this site, so if the layout or anything like that seems a bit weird, that'll be why. This is also my first novel, but I like to think that I'm not completely awful at writing.
Part one:
The Vampire and the Elf.
War was on the horizon.
It had been for months, years even, even if no one could see it.
It was coming.
Humans continued to pillage and burn, destroying everything around them.
Personally, I couldn't care less.
I was only out for revenge.
The moon hung low in the sky, casting a pale light on the track that snaked through the dense forest. My boots crunched on the well-trodden path, and my dark trench coat swayed with each step I took. Behind me, Keira Ashfield was staring. Her tangled mess of ginger hair bobbed with each clip-clop of Acorn's hooves, her pointed ears catching every whisper of the night. I could feel her green eyes piercing my skull. She was staring again. She was always staring.
I'd been traveling with Keira for about a month now. I'm still unsure as to why I'd let her accompany me, but I did. At least she was tolerable for the most part.
Unfortunately, my journey was a long one, and I had to deal with her for a while.
I had a continent to cross.
Behind me, she let out an indignant huff.
I twisted my ring uncomfortably. God, elves are annoying.
"Quit staring."
I snapped, my voice disrupting the night's stillness. I didn't need to look behind me to know she was rolling her eyes. I stopped abruptly and turned, fixing her with an awkward stare. "What?"
She gently tugged on Acorn's reins, bringing him to a stop. I was tall, but I still had to look up at her while she was on her saddle, which irked me. I preferred staring down at the top of her head while she was on the ground.
She raised an eyebrow at my annoyed tone. "What's wrong now?" She teased. "Step on a prickle?"
I glared at her. "You're staring," I murmured sullenly. I shifted slightly, uncomfortable under her gaze.
"It's not my fault you're in front." She pointed out. "Or that there's nothing better to look at. Or that you wear that jacket so tightly." She added with a slight grin.
I hated how teasing she could be.
I quickly folded my arms, the rolled-up sleeves of my red trench coat contrasting with my pale forearms. "Get moving," I muttered. "You're in front."
Keira rolled her eyes. "C'mon, Acorn," she cooed softly. "Elara's being grumpy again." She gave him a pat as he set off on a slow walk, allowing me to keep up beside her at walking pace.
I didn't need Keira to take it slow. If needed, I could both outrun and outpace Acorn easily.
I should just ditch her.
No. She'd probably get lost.
But why should I care?
I don't.
Perhaps I had gotten lonely.
I scoffed to myself. Of course not. Keira was just an acquaintance who could better handle our social interactions. She was useful, but when the time came, I'd leave her behind and continue on my own. Besides, where I was going was far too dangerous for someone like Keira.
We continued in silence for a while. I took some small enjoyment from Keira's squirming as she was denied any conversation. Keira was quite chatty, something I'd discovered quickly after we started traveling together.
She finally broke. "Soooooo…" she drawled, "why are you heading from Eldermarch?"
Eldermarch was one of the larger cities in this kingdom. It was one of the main trading capitals.
"Continue north," I said, disinterested.
The silence stretched on. "Where are you going?" Keira asked.
"North."
I focused on the road ahead. It was getting dark.
"What do you think of the prince, now that King Eldrin is gone?"
To be honest, I didn't really care. I doubted that poor Prince Phineas of Eldermarch had any idea about half the things that went on in his kingdom. Chances are, the council would be puppeting him, ensuring he continued the dirty deeds of his father. I didn't reply to Keira; the silence was enough to state my opinion of the new King.
"Well, you're even chattier than usual," Keira muttered, finally giving up.
We still had about two weeks before we reached Eldermarch. Based on the last month of traveling with Keira, it was going to be a miracle if I hadn't gotten so frustrated that I'd sucked her veins dry in a fit of anger.
And we still had a good few hours before we made it to the next village. Hopefully, my quarry wouldn't have made it by then.
I cast my senses down the track. They wouldn't.
I, of course, had my reasons for choosing this particular path to Eldermarch. For one, it was quiet and relatively unused. Not many people used this road, aside from smugglers and bandits. And two, it was the same road that Selene Veylore and her guards were taking to Eldermarch.
I scowled at the thought of Selene. That backstabbing bitch. I had a few questions for her about one of her latest creations.
The sun finally set, and Keira was getting sleepy.
"Keira."
I stopped abruptly.
"Keira."
She turned and looked at me, halfway through a yawn. "Hm?"
"We'll sleep here for the night."
"Huh? Usually, you don't let me stop till I'm already asleep."
I ignored the comment. "Your yawns are annoying me," I said bluntly. "Get off your sorry excuse for a horse so you can sleep."
Keira shook her head stubbornly. "We've only got a few hours until Hollowridge," she argued. I can just sleep on Acorn. He'll keep you company."
Acorn and I eyed each other. I didn't like Acorn, and Acorn didn't like me. Most animals tend to get skittish around me.
"Acorn doesn't like me," I grumbled. "You'll sleep here."
Keira finally relented and dismounted her horse. Now I could easily see the top of her bright ginger hair.
Eventually, Keira dug her rucksack out of her bag and laid it on the ground, finding a comfortable place to sleep. She cast a bleary eye at me. "You gonna sleep or not?"
"I'll sleep later," I muttered. She huffed.
"Right," she muttered. "Just don't be grumpy in the morning."
She turned away from me, lying on the ground. Acorn was curled up beside her, glaring at me.
I stood, perfectly still, waiting until Keira's breathing had softened and her heartbeat had slowed. Acorns stared at me the entire time.
"What?" I hissed at him. "Eyes to yourself, horse."
Acorn snorted, resting his head beside Keira's. Sometimes I swear that the horse can understand me.
When I was satisfied Keira was asleep, I turned and continued down the road.
The sky was pitch black, the clouds smothering out the pale light of the stars and moon.
Despite that, I could see perfectly fine as I stepped out into the narrow track, directly in the path of the oncoming horse-drawn carriage. There was a shout as a crossbow bolt sliced through the air.
I batted the bolt aside, my wrists splitting open as I formed a spear of blood, hurling it at the cowering driver. It struck him square in the chest, nailing him to the wooden cabin behind him.
The horses went wild, bucking and neighing in panic as they desperately tried to break free of their restraints, barreling towards me.
The carriage ran through the red silhouette of where I had been before teleporting on top of the carriage, now surrounded by four guards.
My heavy combat boot slammed between the first guard's legs. Even through his armor, he let out a choked gasp, trying not to scream as he curled up in the fetal position.
The guard beside me lunged with his knife. I caught his wrist, giving it a violent twist. He howled as an audible crack ran out, and I flipped him over my knee, sending him sprawling onto his back.
I kicked the guard behind me in the stomach, sending him reeling in the cramped space as he dropped his sword, trying not to topple over the side of the carriage.
The fourth guard's sword bit into the wooden floor as I stepped to the side, my nails lengthening into claws as I plunged them into his neck, ripping his throat out.
Blood spewed through his neck, splattering my face and chest. The blood reanimated into a sword, which I plunged into the chest of the guard I'd kicked in the stomach behind me. The blade pierced his armor like butter, puncturing his ribcage and cleaving his heart in two. He toppled over the edge with a startled cry, quickly left behind by the panicking horse.
The second guard got back up, bone protruding from his armor as his wrist hung at an unnatural angle, he drew his sword with his other hand, lunging towards me. I sidestepped his awkward sword thrust and used his momentum to rip the sword from his grip and send him to the floor, his head hanging over the edge of the carriage. He rolled onto his back as he tried to scramble to his feet, but I slammed his sword through a gap in his armor, nailing him to the carriage roof, his head still hanging over the side. My boot was the last thing he saw before his neck broke, the light dying from his eyes.
The guard I'd kicked in the balls got to his hands and knees, clutching his sword. I kicked it out of his hand. He cried out in pain as several fingers broke, and as I grabbed him by the throat, tearing away his armor to expose bare skin. My gums broke, fangs protruding from my mouth as I sank them into his neck. He screamed as I quickly drained his veins, his skin quickly turning paper white as I released his limp body, which toppled off the still-moving cart.
I jumped off the carriage roof into the driver's seat, cutting away the horse's reins. No longer being dragged by the panicking horses, the carriage quickly came to a stop.
I jumped off the carriage roof, landing beside it. The door burst open, and I caught a glimpse of Selene's petite face before a guard burst out.
I slammed my boot into his chest, smashing him against the opposing carriage wall. I heard Selene swear as he nearly hit her. Blood flew as a blood spear burst through his chest.
I stepped into the carriage. Selene jumped onto me from behind, wrapping her arms around me and slicing my throat open with a dagger. I grunted, gurgling slightly, ripping blood from my own throat and ramming a sword of blood through her stomach behind me. Selene screamed and relinquished her grip, and I turned, grabbing her by the hair and hurling her out of the carriage.
Selene scrambled away from me, yanking the sword out of her stomach and clutching her hand to it, trying to stop the bleeding. I stepped out of the carriage, my face coated with blood, towering over her as my throat knitted itself back together.
"Fuck you, Ela-" Selene growled before I stomped on her ankle, breaking it with a satisfying snap. Selene tensed up, letting out a small whimper, trying not to scream.
"Shut up." I grabbed her by her blonde hair, bringing her face close to mine. "You have some explaining to do."
"I don't have shit to explain." She spat. "Much less to you."
"I think you do." I slid a knife through her hand into her already open wound, twisting it. "Tell me about your little zombie project."
Selene howled in pain before breathing heavily, trying not to whimper through the pain. "Fuck you." She spat.
I twisted the knife further, frustrated. "Tell me before I rupture every blood vessel in your body."
Selene groaned in pain as I twisted the knife. "Fu-" She took a shaky breath, trying to calm herself. "It's called a 'Bloodless'," she panted. "First of its kind. Former soldier risen from the dead, mutated to kill vermin like you." She spat.
Her heart was beating rapidly. She was on the verge of panic. "And how do I kill it?"
"You can't," she gasped. "It's already dead."
I twisted the knife even further. "Bullshit."
"Your brother chose the wrong species to fuck with." Selene panted. "We'll kill every last one of you parasites."
The knife dug a little deeper. "Oh, trust me, Selene, you bring me my brother and I'll kill him myself. But his actions don't give you the right to slaughter the rest of my kind." I leaned in closer. "Now tell me, how do I kill this 'Bloodless'?"
Selene groaned. "Find out for yourself… bitch."
Strong arms wrapped around my torso, yanking me off Selene. I struggled, but whatever had a hold of me was strong. Stronger than a vampire.
Selene stood on shaky legs. "There's a war coming, Elara," she sneered. "One you won't be around to see. Everyone of your kind will be cleansed from this land-"
Selene stiffened as her blood stopped moving. Slowly, her skin turned deep shades of purple, her pressure building up in her chest as her heart kept trying to pump the unmoving blood. Arteries and veins burst. The capillaries in her eyes ruptured, causing blood to leak from her eyelids like tears. She let out a choked cry.
"Shut up, Selene," I muttered. "You don't get a speech."
Then all at once, the blood exited her body, bursting through her skin and spearing through my body, carving through my flesh and slicing my captor behind me to ribbons.
I stood, the blood absorbing into my body and wounds quickly healing as I waited for them to fall limp behind me.
Instead, two massive, marble white hands wrapped themselves around my head, one holding the top of my neck, the other grabbing my chin.
"What the fu-"
I was cut off as there was a sickening crack as my head was twisted at an unnatural angle. I fell to the ground, temporarily paralyzed as my neck repaired itself. "Mothering fucking cock sucking-"
The figure put a foot on my back, and just as I regained control of my body, grabbed my left arm nd yanked.
The sound of ripping flesh and tissue filled the air as blood spewed from the ruined socket, accompanied by screams as the arm was flung into the woods.
The weight on my back decreased slightly, and I took the opportunity, rolling out from under its foot and reanimating my blood into a battleaxe, swinging it into the thing's side to cleave it in two.
Only for it to lodge firmly into its torso.
"Uh…" I muttered, taking a look at my attacker for the first time. "Sorry?"
A massive hand wrapped around my throat, crushing my windpipe and lifting me off the ground.
My attacker might've been human, once.
It looked male–but I could've been wrong. Its skin was bone-white, completely hairless. Black veins covered its body. It had no mouth, just a small slit where its nose should have been. Aside from its humanoid form, it possessed no other human qualities. Its eyes were like voids, reflecting no light, showing no soul. It was naked from the waist up, its bottom half covered in black steel armor. It must have been at least 6'4.
I guessed that this was Selene's 'Bloodless.'
"Aren't you an ugly mother fucker." I muttered.
Its touch was freezing, the chill seeping into my bones and blistering my skin. The grip tightened as I struggled, raking my talons across its forearms to no avail. I gurrgled slightly, accidentally biting down and severing my tongue.
I spat it out, splashing the bone-white skin red as it quickly regenerated.
I don't think it liked that.
It drew its second fist back to turn my face into a crater. The punch slammed against my remaining forearm, cracking the bone. It released me from its grip, sending me flying back. I rolled to my feet, growling, the bone of my forearm mending itself.
Blood burst from the ruined stump of my left arm, creating a temporary liquified limb. At the end, a sword was formed, which I slammed as deep into the stomach of the Bloodless as I could make it. With my other hand, I slammed a spear into its chest, slipping it between the ribs.
I lifted the creature above my head, trying to rip it in half. God, it was heavy.
Black liquid dripped from its wounds. The moment it made contact with my skin, it sizzled and bubbled, the smell of burning flesh filling the air. I hissed, struggling to keep it above my head.
Frustrated, I slammed it to the ground before throwing it through the carriage, wood splintering.
It got back up and retaliated with surprising speed, covering the distance between us and slamming its fist into my face, sending me reeling back, and leaving a fist-sized crater in my skull.
Its second fist slammed into my chest, carving through my ribcage and crushing my unbeating heart.
It raised its fist again, but before it could strike, my body dissolved into a torrent of blood.
The blood pooled around its feet before bursting up and spearing it on multiple angles, bursting through its chest and immobilizing its arms and legs.
I reappeared behind it, slamming a battle axe between its neck and shoulders. It ripped free of the blood spear restraints, but more blood pooled around it, lashing up and chaining its arms, holding it in a kneeling position as I raised the battleaxe again, carving into its neck again and again, before its head finally fell to the ground.
The head rolled back to its shoulders, trying to reattach itself. I booted it into the air, nailing it to a tree midflight with a blood spear, pinning it to the wood through where its mouth should have been.
The body finally broke free of its chains, blindly lunging towards me. I ducked its flailing arms and slammed a spear through its chest, lifting it slightly and backing it off the track, through some bushes, and into a tree, the spear nailing it there.
Fueled by rage, I wedged a sword through the joint of its arm and, using it as leverage, ripped its arm clean off, sending it flying into the woods.
I hissed as black acid sprayed my face. After giving the second arm the same treatment, its kicking legs finally fell limp, acid pooling from its stumps.
Fucking bitch.
I spat on its body.
Without looking, I threw a blood spear towards one of its severed arms as it tried to crawl its way blindly back to its body, pinning it to the ground.
…
I picked up my severed limb, prying the ring of its cold fingers, before placing it on my remaining hand.
After burying the body parts and disposing of the evidence, I made my way back down the track to Keira, who thankfully, was still sleeping peacefully.
I inspected my regenerating left arm. Bones slowly pushed themselves out of the stumps of my new fingers, thankfully, nearly fully healed. The blood had been washed off my face in a nearby stream.
…
Morning rolled around. Keira finally woke up, rolling over to see me staring down at her.
She rubbed her bleary eyes. "Morning sunshine." She teased. "Sleep well?"
I glowered at her. "Get up. We're leaving."
"Uh huh…" She yawned, stretching her arms over her head. "Gimme a minute…"
Keira was not a morning person.
I waited impatiently as Keira packed up her gear, stowing it away on Acorn's saddle. She swung onto her perch, stretching her legs. "Hmm…" She glanced at me. "I'm hungry."
Ignoring her, I set off on a brisk walk. "You've got food in your bags."
"Yeah, but…" She sighed. "It's not good food."
"You can restock at Hollowridge. Now, hurry up."
Keira grumbled, gently tapped Acorn's sides, setting him off on a trot behind me. "But that's hours away. I told you we should've just kept going last night."
"You would've fallen asleep and off your horse. Quit whining."
"Y'know, this would go a lot faster if you had your own horse."
This would go a lot faster if I didn't have to deal with you lagging behind. "Horses don't like me."
"I can tell." She muttered. Acorn shook his head. "Elara's just a big' ol meanie, isn't she?"
I ignored the comment, continuing down the path.
…
I still don't understand Elara.
Or humans, for that matter. Or much of anything. Outside my village was strange to me. It was different from everything I'd been told.
I watched Elara's figure as she moved, the sway of her hips, the gentle swinging of her arms, the way her body was tensed, like a taunt bowstring.
Do all humans find it rude to stare? Elara definitely didn't like it.
I sat in my saddle, itching to ask questions. I was so lost in the world around me. I knew a king had died recently. I'd overheard it being talked about at a bar not too long ago. Elara didn't seem to care.
But I refrained from speaking, knowing Elara would only snap at me.
…
We arrived at Hollowridge by noon. It was a relatively small town. The only inn there was small and dingy, with locals crowding around the bar.
I booked a room for two and retired for the day, having already used up my daily word count. Keira headed off to the local market, probably to spend the last of our remaining coins. I simply lay in bed, shutting my mind off as I waited for her return, trying to ignore the drunks in the bar below.
…
I had two pillows over my head, and yet I could still hear the racket from downstairs.
I groaned, rolling onto my stomach. Sometimes, having super hearing isn't a good thing.
Keira still hadn't returned. Not that I was complaining, but it was starting to get late. How long do those damn markets go for?
Frutrusted, I kicked the door to the hallway open and headed downstairs. If I were going to have to deal with this noise all night, I'd at least join in the drinking. Maybe start a fight or two.
I barged the door to the bar open, seriously considering slinking off to the woods to sulk for the night.
Unfortunately, that was out of the question.
"Hey, Elara!"
God fucking damnmit, stupid piece of-
Keira giggled, completely red-faced. She wobbled over to me, spilling whiskey all over the floor. "You gotta try this, it's great, it's uh… uh…" She looked confused. "What's it called?
"You've never had whiskey before?" I deadpanned.
"Nope!" She giggled. "Try it, Elara, it's goood…"
"I'm ok." Disadvantages of being a vampire. You can't get drunk.
Keira pouted, thrusting the wooden flagon at me. "Please."
I rolled my eyes, snatching it out of her hand and downing the whole lot. Ugh. That was some cheap whiskey.
"Not the whole lot!" She protested. "That was mine!"
"You've had enough."
"Nooo…" She whined. "I want more."
"No," I snapped. "You're shitfaced."
"Am not," she huffed. "I don't even know what that means."
"Have you been living under a rock?"
"Nooo… I was trapped in this el-" She stopped, her face going even redder. She hiccuped.
I sighed. "Y'know what? I don't care. It's your bedtime."
Keira shook her head adamantly. "No."
I reached out to grab her, but she stumbled away, into someone else. "Sorry," she muttered, before tripping over her own feet and into me.
I grimaced as she clung to my body for support, her face buried between my breasts. She drunkenly wrapped her arms around me, one hand grabbing onto my ass.
"Hmmm, you smell good…" Keira slurred, drool soaking into my shirt.
I slapped her hand away and shoved her off me. "Don't touch me," I hissed. The only form of physical touch I enjoy is punching people.
"You're no fun…" she whined.
"And you're drunk." I snapped. "Time to go to bed."
"Hmpf," Keira grumbled. "Don't wanna. I'll just go back to my friends."
I raised an eyebrow. "Friends?"
"They brought me drinks." Keira turned and half-hazardly waved to the corner of the room, where a group of men sat, watching our exchange with beady eyes, grins on their faces as they eyed up a new potential prey.
"Keira, are you insane?" I hissed, grabbing her by the shoulders so she was facing me. "How many?"
"I dunno… a few."
"Bullshit." I snapped.
Keira looked startled by my tone. "Elara-"
I grabbed her firmly by the wrist and dragged her along behind me as I kicked open the door to the narrow stairwell.
Ignoring Keira's protests, I yanked her up the stairs and into the room, shoving her onto the bed. She collapsed on top, barely able to sit upright. "Did they touch you?"
"Huh?" she grumbled, peering at me through the dim candlelight. "I dunno…"
I seethed in frustration. How in the hell is anyone this naive?
I opened my mouth to give a scathing remark-
only to be interrupted by a soft snore.
This stupid, idiotic, clueless elf-
…
Keira was sound asleep upstairs, locked in our room. I was sitting in the corner of the bar, as far away from the other inhabitants as possible. A flagon of whiskey sat in front of me, untouched. I just watched the rest of the establishment, judging everyone for their actions. I cast an eye on the men in the corner. They'd probably already forgotten about Keira and were plotting their next victim.
Fed up with the noise, I pushed my chair back, the scraping of the legs drowned out by the din, left my drink, and headed for the door.
I shoved past everyone in the crowded room, not bothering to apologize.
"Hey, I know you, lass." A man slurred. "You're that elf friend. Got any company tonight?"
"Not interested." I pushed past him. His friend stopped me. "C'mon, darling, don't be like that," he crooned. He reached out, attempting to caress my cheek. "We're not that bad." He eyed my ring. "Got someone waiting at home?"
I slapped his hand away, uncomfortable. "No. Now fuck off."
His face darkened. "You ruined our fun with the elf, you have to make up for it, c'mere, you little-"
He grabbed my arm, yanking me towards him. His breath smelled of alcohol and rotten meat. "Loosen up a little, darling…"
I recoiled, my face a mask of disgust. "Let me go," I growled.
He ignored me, leaning closer. "C'mon, just a little ki-"
Blood spurted as his nose shattered, my forehead crunching into his face, snapping his head back. He howled, staggering back as he clutched his shattered nose, blood spurting between his fingers.
An arm wrapped around my neck, his friend trying to restrain me. "You're getting it now, you little bi-"
I flipped him over my shoulder, slamming his back into the ground. He cried out as the floorboards cracked beneath the impact.
He looked up just in time to see the heel of my boot meet his face. There was a satisfying crack as his jaw dislocated. He choked on his own teeth as they fell into his throat. Blood stained his lips as he writhed on the floor.
The first man, his nose now flattened, lunged for me, his arms outstretched. I easily ducked his clumsy attempt at a takedown, grabbing his arm on his way past and twisting it at an unnatural angle.
Someone else lunged for me drunkenly as he clutched his arm, howling in pain on the ground. I dodged the drunken lunge, grabbing them by the collar and slamming them through a table.
Wood splintered and glass shattered, alcohol staining the wood. One of the inhabitants lunged at me in a rage and was thrown across the room onto the bartops, knocking over several drinks.
I stomped on the first man's broken arm and kicked the second in the mouth again, making sure that they wouldn't be getting up.
There was a shout as another man from the table lunged at me with a knife. I backhanded the knife out of his hand and threw a straight punch to his jaw.
He fell to the floor, unconscious.
A crowd had gathered around me, cheering and hollering. I shrank back slightly under all the drunken and lustful stares.
"Move," I snapped at the crowd, trying to shove past them.
I shoved past the crowd and kicked open the door to the outside, gratefully sucking in lungfuls of the crisp night air.
The sky was clear, a blanket of twinkling stars illuminating the land below. The full moon was out. Maybe there would be some werewolves around.
Unfortunately, werewolves were rare. Hunters had driven them to the brink of extinction, and it was unlikely that they'd survive long in a populated area like this.
The sounds of the Tavern and the surrounding area grew quieter as I headed towards the village outskirts.
Woods surrounded Hollowridge, the same woods that we had been traveling through on our way here. Rumors shrouded them, stories of Dark Elves and Witches, fairytales to scare children and to prevent them from wandering too far. In reality, the woods were perfectly safe. Aside from the wild animals, of course, most of them would be too scared to interact with humans. Certainly no Dark Elves. They went extinct centuries ago.
No witches either.
Or at least, not in these parts.
I walked past the treeline, heading deeper into the woods. The dense canopy blocked out the stars and the moon. My eyes easily peered through the pitch black, my other senses picking up any movement around me.
It had been years since I had explored these woods. I took my time, enjoying the quiet atmosphere, away from everyone else. Leaves crunched softly beneath my feet, a stark contrast to the overwhelming environment I had just been in.
The dense trees opened up to a soft shorebank, a lazy river snaking through the center of the woods.
I shrugged off my red overcoat, folding it over a low-hanging branch, followed by a faded green shirt. My boots, socks, and jeans.
After removing my undergarments, I finally slipped into the water.
Soft ripples extended down the river, disturbing the still water.
I floated on my back, pale skin reflecting the moonlight. The stars stared back.
Hopefully, Keira was still asleep.