Amanda wove a handful of illusions and sent them ahead, but her opponents didn’t take the bait. A small smile crossed her lips. It had been a while since she’d faced worthy opponents. Perhaps these two would be up to the challenge. As the illusions faded, the pair attacked. Amanda leapt back, and the area she’d been standing in dissolved into a cloud of shattered stone and shredded air. Their magic was impressive – a form of telekinesis not unlike that wielded by her descendant, James. It was more limited, at least at first glance, but still quite potent. James could manipulate small objects with incredible precision, create protective barriers, or use his magic like a sledgehammer. His magic felt like a finely honed dagger, razor-keen and ready to strike at a moment’s notice. The pair attacking her either lacked the ability to be subtle or had abandoned it entirely. Instead, they projected force in what appeared to be straight lines. However, the amount of force they could exert was tremendous. If Amanda had been hit, she would definitely have felt it. A glancing blow would have pulped the body of a normal person.
More attacks hurtled her way, and she was hard-pressed to keep clear of them, even with her inhuman speed and agility. On the few occasions that she used the blood she’d collected to block their attacks, she was only partially successful. Her blood shields could stop ballista bolts, but some of the damage from their attacks was still getting through. Whoever these people were, they must have spent years honing the offensive potential of their magic. Another shred of her clothing drifted to the ground, and Amanda sighed. Why was her clothing always getting damaged on missions? At this rate, people were going to start wondering if she was secretly a nudist. Not all vampires cared about exposing themselves, but she would rather not go around fighting her opponents naked all the time.
The pair pressed their advantage. They were trying to herd her into a corner, so they could guarantee something more than a glancing hit. They managed to hit her left arm, and the flesh on the limb was stripped bare before the bones shattered. Impressive. As an ancient vampire, she was incredibly durable. It had been a while since a single attack had damaged one of her limbs that badly, but she barely noticed. With the blood she’d drunk, the injury healed in a matter of seconds. However, taking a direct hit to her chest or head would be troublesome. She flung a hail of blood into the shadows around her. She didn’t know exactly where they were, but their attacks moved in straight lines. She could guess roughly where they were. They paused in their attacks to blast some of the incoming blood aside before once again targeting her. Impressive. The attack she’d used would have riddled a thick steel door with holes. No longer content to remain on the defensive, she upped her speed and leapt onto the ceiling.
She could feel their surprise as she ran toward them – few vampires were as comfortable running upside down as ancients – but they reacted with admirable speed. Rather than relying on narrow, tightly focused attacks that she could dodge, they switched to wider, area-of-effect attacks. They wouldn’t do as much damage if they hit, but they would be a lot more difficult to evade. However, they had underestimated how fast she could go if she put her mind to it. She dodged their attacks and finally managed to pinpoint one of her attackers. His secondary magic was still concealing him, but he hadn’t noticed the small speck of blood he’d stepped on after her previous attack. It wasn’t much, but it told her where he was. Fangs bared, she leapt at where he should be.
A foolish man might have tried to ward off the attack. It wouldn’t have worked. She was close enough to rip through any defence he might have been able to throw up in the split-second before she reached him. But he was not a foolish man. Instead, he sacrificed one arm, using it to slow her down just long enough to gather as much magic as he could and hit her with an attack even she wouldn’t be able to dodge at such close range. Her eyes widened as she ripped his arm into pieces. Not bad. She sailed back into the far wall with punishing force. There was a big hole in her chest, and her clothing was all but ruined.
Now she knew why Avraniel hadn’t run into anyone powerful in the courtyard. The elites had been held back to cover Reginald’s retreat. It was a wise choice. If the elites had attacked while all of them were together, it would not have gone well for them. Instead, they had chosen to mount an ambush once she and Chomp had left the others. Her lips curled. It was a pity she’d ruined her clothes. She’d quite liked them. Oh well. She’d have to get more. It was honestly incredible how many she went through on these missions. Of course, she wasn’t dying. She hadn’t chosen such an aggressive approach on a whim. She’d chosen it because she knew she could take a lot of big hits whereas her opponents couldn’t. As the hole in her chest began to knit shut – being an ancient vampire came with so many benefits – she lunged forward again. He was still clutching at the stump of his arm, but he was somehow able to react in time to avoid being killed outright although he lost a foot for his trouble. She smiled. He was truly skilled. Unfortunately for him, she couldn’t afford to waste any more time.
Staying too close to him for his partner to get a clear shot with his magic, she conjured three illusions while throwing a tide of blood in his direction. He saw through the first two, but the third was subtler. It was an illusion designed to throw off his perception of distance ever so slightly. He misjudged the position of her right hand by two inches – and lost his head.
As his concealment magic came to an abrupt end, his headless body reappeared and toppled back. Her remaining opponent wasted no time in hitting her with the full force of his magic. It would have crushed her to a pulp if she hadn’t fought back with her own power. A dome of blood expanded above her to blunt the force of the attack, and she waited patiently for the power behind it to dwindle before she hurled herself through the air. Blood flew ahead of her and sprayed in all directions. There! Blood had coated the walls except around her opponent. A blast threatened to tear off her left arm, but her right hand closed around his throat. Her hand tightened and crushed his throat, but he managed to maintain his focus enough to continue his attack. However, his aim was off, and instead of severing her hand and freeing himself, the attack skimmed her hip and blasted a chunk of flesh out of her side. Before he could attack again, she latched onto his ruined throat and drank. Power flowed into her, and her wounds healed. She reached out for the blood around her and flung it outward. As she dropped her opponent’s body to the ground and licked her lips, more bodies fell to the ground as well. Chomp’s three heads gave low rumbles of annoyance. He’d been in the middle of dealing with his share of their enemies when she’d unleashed her attack.
“My apologies, but we need to hurry.” Amanda scratched Chomp behind the ears and yanked a cloak off one of the dead guards. It wasn’t ideal, but it was in better condition than her clothes. “Those two were very, very good. They slowed us down quite a bit.”
They stormed into a large chamber, and Amanda couldn’t help the snarl that burst from her lips. It was empty. Behind it, Chomp found the entrance to a tunnel, but it was sealed with enough magic and other defences that even she wouldn’t be able to break through before Reginald escaped. However, Chomp didn’t seem disheartened. Instead, he gestured for her to follow him.
As an ancient vampire, Amanda had access to telepathy of a sort, so understanding the dog was not a problem. “What? You can find the tunnel he’s using?” It didn’t hurt that she’d spent years alongside Fire-Fang and his master, who had been one of the other members of the First Council. Chomp’s body language and mannerisms were very similar to Fire-Fang’s. “Then let’s get back above ground. If you can locate the midpoint of the tunnel, we might be able to get ahead of him and break into it. Due to how long it probably is, it’s unlikely the entire thing will be as heavily defended as the entrance.”
They returned above ground, and Amanda stared as Old Man and Gerald approached with a large group of bureaucrats. Even more striking were the remains of a giant, dead tree that were sticking out of a badly damaged building behind them. Avraniel was there too, and she wa
s holding a weapon that Amanda hadn’t seen in a very, very long time. What was the Bow of the Sun doing in a place like this? It was supposed to have been lost long ago in one of the many, many conflicts between the Elves of the Forever Wood and the foul beasts of the Dread Abyss. For it to end up here of all places was utterly bizarre, and for it to end up in Avraniel’s hands… it was terrifying to think of how much property damage the elf could inflict with it. However, there was likely no one alive whose magic was better suited to the bow than the fiery elf, and it was better in her hands than Lord Tarrick’s.
“What happened to your clothes, people eater?” Avraniel drawled with an obnoxious smirk. “Just had to strip off, didn’t you?”
“Oh, be quiet.” Amanda scowled. “I ran into some talented opponents.”
“And ended up losing your clothes again? Hah! You really are a nudist, aren’t you? Come on. Just admit it. I won’t judge.” The elf threw her head back and laughed before gesturing at a trio of men who were heavily restrained and guarded by some kind of rock creature one of the rats had summoned. “And look at this. I even managed to capture three of my opponents. I don’t see any of you guys lugging prisoners around.”
Old Man inclined his head. “Well done. I had to kill one of our opponents, and the other managed to escape.” There was something about the way he said ‘escape’ that made Amanda wonder if Old Man’s opponent had escaped or been let go. She’d have to ask him about it later.
“We can compare stories later, but our target has escaped – for now.” Amanda scowled at Avraniel. The elf smirked back, and the flames around her seethed, shifting from orange to white and back again. “He’s moving through a tunnel. Chomp thinks he can find it.”
“Figures you’d screw this up.” Avraniel snickered and scratched Chomp behind his ears. Her mantle of flames didn’t singe so much as a single hair on the massive dog. “Come on, boy. Let’s go grab this slippery son of a bitch.”
“Indeed.” Old Man turned to Gerald. “Stay here. We will pursue the target. Summon some of Timmy’s zombies if there’s any trouble.”
Gerald stepped to one side, and one of Timmy’s zombies – a colossal specimen that appeared to combine parts from bears, a basilisk, and what was probably a giant badger – appeared. As the towering zombie surveyed its surroundings, the three of them ran off with Chomp leading the way. The huge dog led them past the walls of the compound and into an area beyond the walls of the city. Amanda extended her senses to the fullest. Yes. She could just barely feel vibrations beneath them. Her lips curled into a toothy smile.
She pointed. “You two break into the tunnel there.”
“And what will you be doing?” Old Man asked. The swordsman had kept up with both her and Avraniel, which was no easy feat, especially given his age.
Since her clothes were already ruined, she might as well have some fun. Amanda bared her fangs. “I doubt he’ll want to help us. I plan to… persuade him.”
“By flashing him?” Avraniel asked.
Amanda glared and tossed some blood at the elf. The attack whistled through the air quickly enough to put crossbow bolts to shame, only to evaporate against the flames that surrounded Avraniel.
“Nice try, people eater.” Avraniel gave her a jaunty, mocking salute. “Whatever you’re doing, don’t screw this up. I did my bit, and I refuse to put up with the idiot or the twerp lecturing us if this doesn’t work out.”
“I assure you, there will be no mistakes.”
Amanda turned and ripped through the top of the tunnel. She landed in front of Reginald and his guards. The balding man stared at her in shock and terror. He’d been so close to escaping.
“Who are you?” he screamed.
“You’re going to surrender and tell me everything I want to know about Lord Tarrick and his fortress… or else.”
“Or else what?” Reginald postured. He didn’t have the powerful build of a warrior or the lean frame of an assassin, but his eyes were full of cunning. Nobody rose to the rank of second-in-command of a large criminal organisation without plenty of intelligence and determination. “You must have beaten the twins, which is truly remarkable, but I doubt you got past them unscathed. The guards I have with me should be able to dispose of you easily enough.”
Amanda laughed. It was an utterly beguiling sound – a sound that had enchanted men and women alike over the years – but it soon gave way to something utterly inhuman as she allowed the roiling madness and corruption within her to escape. Vampires had been created through experimentation with eldritch entities, and nowhere was that more obvious than in the true forms ancient vampires could take. As her vast, twisted shape filled the tunnel, Reginald backed away.
“Kill her!” he muttered before his voice rose to a wild, panicked shriek. “Kill her now!”
His guards didn’t move. They couldn’t. Whatever powers Amanda possessed in her humanoid form, they were far, far stronger once she cast aside what little remained of her humanity. “I’m glad you chose ‘or else’, Reginald.” Her voice came from every direction at once, an inhuman, sibilant drone that spoke of anatomy that bore no resemblance whatsoever to that of a human being. “This is going to be fun – but not for you, no, just me.”
A few moments later, she emerged from the tunnel with Reginald slung over her shoulder. His guards were indisposed – or rather, she’d disposed of them, and quite messily too.
“I will not ask what happened,” Old Man said. “It’s probably better if I don’t know, but the screaming we heard suggests a certain level of… horror was involved.” He handed her his cloak. She’d shredded the one she’d taken from the guard during her transformation. “Although perhaps you should wear this until you can get something from Gerald.”
“Thank you.” Amanda’s eyes faded from crimson to blue. Reginald was lucky to be alive. Ancient vampires were, at their core, eldritch horrors and inhuman abominations. Without sufficient care, she could easily have reduced his mind and brain to mush through her mere presence alone.
“Not bad.” Avraniel grinned. “Whatever you did must have scared the crap out of them. I didn’t even know somebody could scream like that and still live. I approve, and I’m sure Spot would too.”
“Of course, you approve.” Amanda adjusted her hold on Reginald. He wasn’t especially heavy, but he may have soiled his pants at some point during her persuasion. It made carrying him rather more complicated than it would otherwise have been. “We should go back.” She glanced at the city and sighed. “Avraniel, why are parts of the city on fire?”
“Who knows?” The elf shrugged. “It must be a coincidence. There’s no proof I did it. Maybe the criminals set those fires as a distraction tactic when they realised they couldn’t beat me. And, hey, it’s not that bad. Only a little bit of the city is on fire. The authorities can totally handle it.”
“Good grief. I hope the whole city doesn’t burn down. That might make our deal with the authorities a bit tough to fulfil.” Amanda reached out with her senses. Something was approaching them at extremely high speed. Seconds later, Spot landed beside them.
Are we burning things? The dragon hopped around eagerly. Can I burn something too?
“Sure,” Avraniel drawled. “We’re going back to the compound. I’m sure there are at least a few more idiots still looking to pick a fight.”
Above them, Timmy and Katie were circling the area on a zombie wyvern. Amanda’s keen hearing could pick out the sound of Timmy slapping his face with one hand. Her lips twitched. He was no doubt thinking of how troublesome this would be to deal with. On the upside, the fires hadn’t spread too far from the compound, and they could blame it all on the criminals. The authorities would certainly be happy to pin more crimes on Lord Tarrick.
“Come on,” Amanda said. “I don’t think it would be wise to leave Gerald on his own for too long.”
Chapter Four
Katie sat down and stifled the urge to complain about the height of her chair. Due to her short statu
re it was difficult for her to find a chair that didn’t leave her feet dangling above the floor. Oh, sure, she could have asked her master for a shorter chair, but that would not only be embarrassing – she wanted to be treated as his esteemed apprentice, not the twerp Avraniel was always calling her – but also pointless. They were all sitting at a normal table. A shorter chair would leave her unable to see what was going on at the table clearly, which would be even more embarrassing than having her feet off the ground. Instead, she used her magic to create a shadowy stool for her feet to rest on. If anyone noticed, they were at least nice enough not to say anything – either that or Avraniel was waiting for a better opportunity to sneak an insult in. Despite her blunt approach to combat, the elf could be surprisingly sneaky sometimes.
If only she could climb up onto the table the way Spot had, but there were things a young dragon could get away with that a young human could not. Flopping onto the large table with his limbs akimbo while munching on some steak happened to be one of them. Thankfully, he’d learned how to eat much more neatly. The last thing she needed was to be showered in mangled bits of steak. However, she’d have to keep a close eye on his tail. He liked to wag it when he was happy, not unlike a dog. It wasn’t a problem yet since it was still fairly stubby, but once it got longer, it would definitely become a hassle. There were even records of dragons swinging their tails with enough force to either pulverise people in full plate armour or cut them in half.
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