[Open by request]
The vampire slayer knelt down at the shrine to Fyarion, the Night Stallion. Rhianne always did this before embarking on a vampire hunting quest for the guild as she found it strengthened her resolve, as it did some of the other members. Praying to the horse deity of night and stars, she carefully put down an offering of a carved wooden star that she had purchased at one of the market stalls. The item wasn't worth much, only a few coppers but to Rhianne it would serve as an ample gift for her purposes.
A few moments later, she stood up and brushed off her leggings with armored knee pads on them and began to walk away from the quiet area. The Slayer had a job to fulfill and she intended to get it done with as little fuss as possible. There was a couple vampires that had been spotted the previous night and she was sent out to take them down. Two wasn't a problem for her to handle, heck even three wasn't too many. More than that, she would likely require some backup.
First though, she had to find them and she had one clue on which to go by, provided by a helpful older citizen. The wrinkled old woman had pointed out that she saw at least one to have gone a little ways east, past the cobbled roadway with a simple wooden sign near a rose bush. Other than that, that was all the help she could provide. Rhianne had thanked her and with a curt nod, told her to keep safe and stay off the streets at night. The woman had smiled and told her in no uncertain terms not to worry about little ol' me. Rhianne didn't know whether the woman wasn't fully aware of the dangers these creatures posed, if she was simply being naïve to the whole matter or what.
Heading in that general direction, holy sword sheathed at her side with a couple small containers of holy water and a metal cross latched onto her belt, Rhianne soon arrived at the indicated rose bush and looked around for any further clues that may point the way. Evening would soon fall and she wished to get there as soon as possible.
He had a job to do, but don't we all? But this one took him far from home. Not that he minded, Serendipity had an eclectic bunch of colorful women, and even if it were just his eyes, he liked to indulge. But his afternoon nap recharged him considerably, so as the sun was beginning to set, he started on the road again, hoping to make it to the nearby town before dark.
After all, he didn't want to look anymore vampire than he was. Than again, the only thing that gave that aspect away was the subtle feral look in his eyes- and well, his fangs, when he exposed them. But his smile was charming never the less, so fangs aside, he never stopped smiling. Perhaps it was for this reason people never accused him of being a vampire. After all, there was no proof to such a matter, and as far as most knew during his passing of their town, his hands were clear of blood.
But that was hardly true. His hands had enough blood on it, but he liked to refer to it as vermin blood. Wicked humans, after all, were easier to kill if he saw them as rats, and when not preying upon Rats, like he usually did, criminals (most like himself!) were the best ones to feast on-
After all, they normally deserved it. It was only when he was starved did he ever go crazy enough to eat an 'innocent'. He did have some morals, after all. Perhaps that was the last bit of humanity he had left.
But being human... ah, that he missed, and as he slowed down at a wooden sign near a rose bush, he took a moment to study it, and the buds that were about to bloom. And he noted they were yellow.
Yellow Roses.
Yellow roses had been her favorite.
OOC: And in enters Dao'bachpa!
Red hair flowing behind her in a ponytail, chocolate brown eyes scoured the area in which she was in, searching. Searching for any sign of an undead monster having come this way. Having passed the yellow rose bush a little ways back (she much preferred orchids by the way), Rhianne put one foot in front of the other, when looking down she noticed something odd. There on the grass by her feet, was what looked like a small brooch. She picked it up and examined it carefully. It was made from a soft white material but not so soft that it would crumble in one's hands. It was carved into the shape of a heart, a red jewel in the center of it.
Rhianne furrowed her brows as she studied the object, wondering what it was doing there. Someone must have dropped it. Turning it over, she glanced at the back. The initials R.Z. were carved into the back, and underneath that a short message was scribbled. "To my dearest Rosa. May our love be eternal. Your sweetheart, Benigald." Rhianne pocketed the brooch and continued on. Perhaps later she would find out who it belonged to.
Something caught her eye then, a wisp of cloth turning around a corner then. Glancing that direction, the vampire slayer headed that way and soon came upon a man crouched on his hands and knees upon the ground, as though he were looking for something. "Where's the precious?!" he hissed in a snake-like voice. "It must be here! It must!" Then the man looked up, red eyes aglow as he stared at Rhianne, face twisted in a snarl as his fangs showed clearly, rage and madness in equal measures on his pale white features.
Vampire. Rhianne was already in motion, sword unsheathed and racing towards the creature even as he abandoned his search and rushed towards her, snarling like an animal ready for blood. He made to rush her straight on, but Rhianne merely kicked his legs out from under him and swung her sword in a glowing yellow-white arc of holy power towards his undead black heart.
It was over before you could say 'done'. The vampire screeched in agony as the sword pierced its heart and abruptly disintegrated before her eyes, withering away like a plant in fast motion. Something on the ground nearby caught her eye again, and after sheathing her sword, she went over there to take a look, bending down to see what it was. A book. No, it was actually a journal or diary. She flipped through the yellowed pages coming to the last entry which was apparently written yesterday night.
I know it's here, it has to be! Blast it all! Curse my luck! I will find that brooch if its the last thing I do, I swear it! There was more written there, but Rhianne couldn't make heads or tails of it as the words themselves were written haphazardly, as though someone had lost their temper. Or likely their sanity, really. Ramblings of a madman filled the rest of the page before ending abruptly, as though he had forgotten what he was doing, writing in this book his thoughts. It had to have belonged to the vampire she just slayed. Remembering the brooch in her pocket, she flipped to an earlier entry and continued reading.
My beloved Rosa. Oh my beloved lady of the stars. Rhianne had to stop here and literally roll her eyes before she could continue. How thee is more fair than all the beauty in the world. I shall confess my love to her, and then make her a vampire just like myself. I cannot live without her. The eternity I should bear without her is just plain unthinkable. She will be mine and we will live a happy undead existence together, feasting on the various meals that inhabit the world. It will be a glorious time for both of us! Yes, I can see it now. My dear Rosa...
Rhianne felt like she wanted to gag at this, and dropped the book as though it burned her. However, she quickly picked it up again and flipped to a different page. This one gave some details on their life or rather, their unlife together, as her transformation had apparently been carried out. They had lived for many a decade together before his beloved was slayed by 'those cursed Warriors of the Sun guild'. He went on to call them murderers and life thieves. Rhianne snorted at this and grew angry. You are certainly one to talk. she thought darkly at the journal.
As the years went on, the writer who penned these words began to fall into madness, apparently not able to live without 'his beloved Rosa.' Scribblings of 'my precious' were written throughout and at times Rhianne had trouble distinguishing whether he was talking about her or the brooch of hers she once owned that he constantly referenced throughout. The vampire slayer decided it didn't matter. The words got more and more frenzied and finally Rhianne decided that was enough. She also held onto the book, putting it into her bag although she had no idea why she did this. Perhaps it could give a clue to the whereabouts of other vampires, as unlikely as that seemed to be.
The red-haired vampire hunter continued on. There was still another vampire spotted around these parts and she would find him or her before the night was through. It was already dark outside, no surprise since she had just slain a vampire. She began to head back the way she had come, back to the yellow rose bush to see if her luck would improve even more. After all, it was always nice to rid the world of these vermin... And so with that, her footsteps hurried as she came closer and closer to the flowering bush.
Moments before the red haired woman arrived, he lit up a cigarette- a vice that still stuck with him, even in the undead. But it was getting dark, and despite this being the hour of vampires, he was getting tired. Being awake and active during the light drained him, and in an odd sense, made him feel more human.
But he had little time to dwell on the cigarette, or even the color of the roses when someone approaching caught his eyes and he smirked.
"Lovely night for a stroll," and he gave her a nod and took her in. One thing nice about being a vampire was his acute senses, and he used those now to take in her form, but couldn't help but notice something smelled... strange.
Walking briskly down the path towards the rose bush, Rhianne stopped when she noticed a man standing near the yellow flowers, smoking a cigarette. While she did not immediately identify him as a vampire then, mostly because of his browned skin which for a vampire was highly unusual and nearly unheard of anyway. Still something seemed not right with him and as a result, her skin crawled with a sense of wrongness.
The Sun Blade eyed him warily as she resumed her walking again, but more slowly this time. Rhianne said little to him as she passed, only a brief nod and hello his way. His words for some reason she could not fathom, disturbed her. While as a vampire hunter, it was of no issue to be out at night, his casual manner about a nightly stroll just didn't sit well with her, her senses telling her 'beware.' So with those feelings at hand, she decided it best to stick around and watch him, but not making it obvious either. After all she could put on the guise of simply 'being out for a stroll' as he put it, sword and other vampire hunter tools on hand as well. Yes, she definitely needed to keep an eye on this man, whoever he was, and just patrol around the area to see if he did anything suspicious or of a violent nature.
Rhianne stopped again near the sign post, studying him with a discreet eye before continuing on, her walk slow and calculated but not overly so. She walked several yards away, nearly out of sight turning a corner as she did and stopped once more to pretend to examine something in the bag she carried over her shoulder. All the while keeping both ears open for any potential trouble. Unless the man had acute senses and night vision, she didn't think he would be able to see her from where she was at. But again, the vampire slayer remained cautious all the same.
To any other person, they would have believed the woman to have gone. But Dao's heightened sensed not only allowed him to smell precisely how far away she was, his eyes could also see, crystal clear in the dark. Taking in a drag, he exhaled the white smoke towards the moon. He could tell she faked interest in the sign, considering it was the sign for the town she just exited. And able to smell the perspiration in her, he wondered what she had been up to. He couldn't smell any scents of sex on her, nor pheromones meaning she was in heat. But that didn't stop him from calling out to her, despite the distance.
"If you're not doing anything, can I buy you a drink?" He had seen how she looked, and she was smoking hot. He'd be a fool not to flirt and try his luck.
When the dark-skinned man called out to her, Rhianne looked up from her 'rummaging' around in her bag, looked his way and frowned. Being a human, she could only see a dark shape near the rose bush, smoke trailing from his hand as he smoked on his cigarette idly. There was definitely something to be wary of here. Rhianne had no doubt now.
She didn't respond at first, assessing what she should do. He wasn't attacking her or anybody else, and she still didn't place him as a vampire, so attacking him out of the blue seemed like a crazy, reckless thing to do. Something that her guild didn't rightly approve of. Recklessness could get a person killed. Or worse. While the red-haired vampire hunter sometimes did act in less than intelligent ways, she for the most part tried to be careful. If something wasn't working out, it was time to retreat, rest up and heal, then try again later. An enemy couldn't be beat if one were dead after all.
As to why Rhianne was thinking these things now, it was clear to her something was off about this situation, this man. While it wasn't illegal to be out on the road at night, it wasn't necessarily a smart thing to do either. Unless one could defend themselves from vampires and other baddies of the night, staying inside tended to lengthen one's lifespan. Not to mention she still felt an aura of wrongness surrounding him, as though he were a different kind of predator, but still a predator nonetheless.
Narrowing her brown eyes at him, Rhianne cautiously drew nearer to him. His suggestion of a drink was appealing, just not with him. Rhianne was planning on doing so after her patrol later before she reported back to the guild HQ, then headed home for the night. So all she said to him was, "I'm rather busy tonight, I don't have the time." Still keeping her senses honed in case of some trick he had up his sleeve.
"Busy hunting fireflies?" He asked, flashing her a grin in the darkness. He flicked the collecting ash from.his cigarette. "Well, don't stay up too late." He went on, casually, his voice laced with just the hint of some strange accent. "But if you change your mind, I'll be at the Hog's Trough." And after finishing the last drag on his cigarette, he cast it aside, and stomped it out with the heel of his boot. And with his hands in his pockets, he made his way towards town.
Rhianne froze as he flashed her a grin. Was that the hint of fangs she saw there? It was difficult to tell in the darkness though. His casual comment about her catching fireflies made her scowl. No, hunting bad guys. Like you probably are one. she thought. Of course she had no proof of this, just her uneasiness. Normally vampires were not hard to detect as they readily displayed their fangs and blood lust. Not to mention their pale waxy countenance being one of the tale-tell signs that they were no longer among the living. This man before her showed none of that, at least from what she could easily tell.
Rhianne watched him go towards town, on his way no doubt to this 'Hog's Trough.' It was where she was planning on going too after she finished her search, but now that he was going to be there, she was torn between going there as well and not going. Going there to simply keep an eye on him, while not going to avoid his obvious advances toward her. As the dark-haired man walked off, her uneasiness slowly grew in the pit of her stomach like a dead-weight. And she hated that feeling. It made her feel helpless, and she was NOT helpless. She was a vampire slayer, for Pete's sake! No, she would go there if just to keep tabs on his activities. If he was indeed what she thought he was, he would soon meet the dirt in a very unpleasant way. First things first though.
She made to continue her hunt for the other vampire, all the while thinking that she had already found her quarry. The night wore on, the moon partially obscured by clouds with only a few stars out to help guide her. It was important that she find this creature and put an end to it. It was her duty as a slayer after all. And she would not fail.
Dao hadn't realized just how hungry he was. Though travel could do that to a person, even a vampire, no less, for their speed was unmatched in their human counter parts, and the lightly cooked steak dripping with blood was heavenly. The mead complimented it nicely, and only a few drinks in and he was drunk, and idly using his finger to wipe up the remaining steak blood from his plate and then licking it off. As he looked around, he wondered if the strange woman would meet him. But seeing how nearly an hour, perhaps more, had passed, he was a bit put off, internally, that his invitation had been ignored.
Oh well, looks like he was sleeping alone tonight. Too bad the workers in this place were all men. And when he inquired, the only female employee was off for the evening to attend a cousin's wedding to the East.
Figures. So he simply ordered another drink, and got himself a room key. The last room- how convenient.
After searching for who knows how long, Rhianne decided it was time to call it quits. There were no other vampires around these parts. Still, she couldn't help her thoughts from turning to the dark-skinned man with the cigarette and how he was probably the one she was out to hunt. So with that settled, she headed on over to the Hog's Trough tavern and asked the barkeep there if a dark-skinned man with black hair had come in at all that night. The barkeep answered in the affirmative.
"Why, yes as a matter-of-fact, someone by that description did indeed come in some two or three hours ago. Out for some hanky-panky then?" The well-muscled barkeep grinned at her playfully, winking.
Rhianne could only scowl at this. "No". she said simply. "This is for matters of business only." She then ordered an ale as she sorely needed one.
The barkeep only shrugged and said, "Whatever miss. Ain't none of my biz." And he quickly procured her the drink she ordered. Rhianne drunk it down in a few gulps, then ordered another one, this one she drank more conservatively. After all it wouldn't do to get drunk, now would it?
As the beverage slid down her throat, she exhaled out a breath and looked around once more. The man had either left or had decided to rent a room. Either way, it looked like she wouldn't be able to keep an eye on him after all. As she sat there brooding, one thought kept whirling around in her head about the man she was looking for. After all why else would she be looking for him? And it was definitely not for some 'hanky panky.' The thoughts of 'he's a vampire, he's a vampire', refused to leave her mind at all that night.
Finishing her second drink, the red-haired slayer got up and left the tavern then, heading back towards the guild HQ to report her partial progress. After that, she headed home and promptly fell asleep, thoughts of 'he's a vampire' still echoing in her mind even as she drifted off.
The next morning, the barkeep ended up dead, and the whole town was in a frenzy.
"Vampires!" It was declared, or rather, at least one vampire, as the lethal fang marks on the man's neck indicated it couldn't be anything but. And just about everyone in the town had come out to see, and it made everyone just about scared out of their wits!
Dao'bachpa was among the crowd, watching the curious collecting and assessment of the body as he enjoyed a morning smoke. He wished he could have slept longer, all of this activity had woken him up. So he stayed over near the edge of the crowd, simply listening in to what everyone had to say, and allowing that to amuse him- at least for the moment. He was really too groggy to do much else. And he had a bit of a hang over, which was quite the feat for any vampire. Then again, he was't sure how much he had drank....
The red-haired vampire hunter was also amongst the crowd, as were some of the other Warriors of the Sun guild members, Lia one of the two others also checking out what had happened. Word had spread fairly quickly and so Rhianne felt it her duty to also be there. Considering the fact that she had even spoken to the man last night, the slayer couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible for his demise. If only she had taken out the monster who did this, the barkeep would still be alive.
Her thoughts kept returning back to the mocha-skinned man with the cigarette. Rhianne still suspected that he was a vampire and that he must have been the one who did this. Her hands clenched at her sides. If only...
Her guilty thought was interrupted though as she thought she caught a glimpse of someone familiar. The crowd then parted a bit to reveal that same man with the black hair. Now in the daylight she could tell his hair wasn't completely black, but highlighted with streaks of teal or turquoise green. However that wasn't what struck out at her the most. The fact that he was even out and about during the daylight hours seemed to disprove her suspicions of him being a blood-sucking fiend. After all vampires couldn't exactly walk about in the sun, now could they? Or so she thought. Still, there was that ever present tension within her, regardless. Perhaps he wasn't a vampire then, but something else just as bad. Rhianne was really only trained to hunt vampires though, but that's not to say some occasional demon slaying wasn't in their repertoire either. Lesser demons that was.
Shaking her head, Rhianne turned back to assess the dead man's neck wound, inspecting it as though it could tell her where the vampire that did this had gone. Her fists tightened again. She was going to find that creep and kill it, she had to. If she didn't, then one of the other guild members would. Someone would see to it.
After some more minutes had passed, Rhianne decided she needed a breather, some time to think. No doubt a guild meeting would be held today to discuss this tragedy. First though, the vampire slayer needed some alone time. Walking away from the scene, she found a bench near the town fountain and sat down, head in hands. Guilt once again plagued her mind and she found herself a little bit angry. Not just at the vampire but also herself as she could have prevented this. If only she had tried harder... Then none of this would have happened.
She wouldn't have heard him approach, or if she had, it seemed she didn't notice, but soon his shadow loomed over head as he extended out a hand with an unlit cigarette.
"Care for a smoke?" And he smirked at her. "Looks like you could use one. Or maybe even a drink."
Lifting her head at the newcomer's voice, her inner debate having been interrupted, Rhianne nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw the mocha-skinned man before her, a hand outstretched to offer her a cigarette. There was still that feeling of something not being quite right with him, something unnatural. Still he couldn't be a vampire, being out during the day like this, so she tried to relax her rigid posture and shook her head no at his generosity.
Rhianne tried not to make a habit of smoking or drinking, as it not only wasn't healthy, but she had to keep up a certain reputation being part of a vampire hunting guild. Smoking and drinking in excess while not forbidden outright, it wasn't encouraged either. Besides she really only did so when she was feeling stressed or under the weather. Like now. She sighed heavily, and was about to change her mind, then remembered who was talking to her. For some reason, despite his obvious friendliness she didn't trust him. It was as though something were prickling at her consciousness telling her to keep her wits about her around this guy. She had a feeling things could go down south for some reason. The red-haired woman wasn't exactly the most charismatic person either as life had taught her that things often happened that were far from being fair. Her friend who had gotten killed for instance. Thinking about that past incidence always made Rhianne bitter, and less sociable around others.
So the slayer sat and stewed in silence, not bothering to make small talk with the stranger, who she still didn't trust. What would be the point? Instead she tried to discourage him to leave her alone. "I'd rather be alone, if you don't mind."
Dao placed his own cigarette between his lips.
"You know that guy? The inn keep. The one who got killed?"
When the black-haired man did not leave her alone like she had hoped, Rhianne frowned and started to get a little annoyed, but held her tongue in check. The vampire slayer sighed. "No, I didn't know him. But I should've been there to prevent his death."
As Rhianne still did not trust the man before her, she purposely chose not to reveal anymore than what she already had. Not knowing why she got that aura of danger sense from him, as he looked human enough. But then again, looks could be deceiving.
Fiddling with her hands, the red-haired vampire hunter looked down at her lap, purposely avoiding his gaze which she could feel upon her. It made her skin crawl as well. Rhianne hoped he would tire of this conversation and leave her in peace. She didn't feel like talking at the moment.
"Oh, you some agent for the town guards or something?" He tapped some ash aside, eyes still upon her. "Either way, you shouldnt blame yourself for what an animal did."
"I'm a vampire slayer!" Rhianne suddenly snapped. "I should have killed the fiend that did this!" The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. Rhianne got up then. "Excuse me." And she turned to leave.
"Vampire slayer?" The man smiled at her disappearing form. "So you think it was a vampire that did this?"
Rhianne turned back around. "I would think how he was killed should be obvious. Or did you not see the bite marks on his neck?" She stalked off then, not paying him any further attention.
As she moved to hurry away, Dao'bachpa followed her at his leisure.
"It might seem obvious to mortals, but not all bites are the same. And not all are lethal. I don't think it was a vampire that killed him. In fact, I can smell the death was from poison."
Rhianne stopped short at his words, and then whipped around suddenly. Her earlier suspicions of the black-haired mocha-skinned man being a vampire rushed to the forefront of her mind again and she stared hard at him, eyes narrowing. "And how would you know that? What are you then?"
Her hand reached for a weapon at her waist that wasn't there on pure instinct alone, then when she remembered where it was, her hand fell back to her side. If he was a vampire she was completely unarmed, save for a metal cross latched to her belt which could only do so much. While the red-haired slayer could fight hand to hand, she preferred having her sword with her. She still had doubts about his being a vampire though, considering it was broad daylight out.
The man was smiling broadly, but acted as cool as a cucumber as he made his way over towards the corpse, which was now laying on a cloth as someone went to fetch a cart to move it.
"The holes, though convincing, aren't produced from fangs. And the skin, while white and clammy, similar symptoms of blood loss from a vampire's bite, was caused by injestion, most likely."
He lightly kicked the man's side to get him to move, and leaned over to observe him. And it was barely noticible, but the man pointed out, "You can see the crust of poison in his lips. It is well concealed, considering the man had chapped lips to begin with, but any other froth brought on by the poison was wiped away."
He didn't move for a bit, and simply inhaled the air over the man again and wrinkled his nose before moving back and giving a shrug.
"Probably that new poison, Tree Ark. You know the stuff laced with lambs blood? Your type should know all about it." he told her with an easy grin. He was so nonchalant, and matter of fact in his mannerisms, and nothing about him rang out as dangerous, except some subtle look in his eyes, and it would be difficult to notice, though he was out in broad daylight, he kept to the shadows where he could.
"So you and your friends might want to consider hunting after a fake vampire. The real thing wouldn't be this clumsy." And he continued to stare down at the body in thought.
Rhianne considered his words, still on high alert. But, she tried to think reasonably here. Perhaps the man was one of the good guys who went after criminals and assassins, hence his knowledge of poison and the symptoms thereof. However that thought was quickly squashed as the slayer chalked it up as ridiculous. Her senses never failed her and this guy made her uncomfortable. There was a reason for that and she would find out what it was.
"Oh really? Tree Ark you say? How come you know so much about poisons and their after-effects so much? Are you some kind of detective or criminal investigator? Or what?" Putting extra emphasis on the 'or what' question, hoping a slip of the tongue from him would reveal to her his intentions.
Rhianne's guild did in fact know about Tree Ark and a few other poisons as well. She would have to relay this news to them whenever she got the chance. Preferably at the meeting which would no doubt be called for all members to attend. However, the issue at hand came first here. Raising an eyebrow, Rhianne waited for his reply and secretly hoped that he would indeed let something slip. He knew something alright. And she would get to the bottom of just what that was.
At such a question, Dao laughed, and his laugh was a strange one at that, but though sounded like some sort that would be coming from that of the mouth of a villain, there was no malice in it, and his face was as jovial as ever. Even his eyes sparkled with mirth.
"Detective, no, but I am grateful for such an accusation," he told her, his grin growing as playful as ever. But there was still something reserved about him as he gave her a look.
"I thought you'd be able to tell by now just what I am."
And though it seemed like he might confess 'I'm a vampire.' He did anything far from it. But it might be surprising that he now professed, "I'm a criminal who deals with high end trading. Not all of my cargo is legit or legally gained, but hey," he gave that unique, bark of a laugh again. "A jobs a job, eh?" he told her, giving her a slight, playful nudge with his elbow.
"I'm sure you've heard of Opus Dey."
He paused for dramatic effect, his eyes still sparkling.
"I work for that prestigious man."
And anyone who was anybody knew of Opus. And if he were to introduce himself, which he was about to do... She might even know him.
"Lord Dao'bachpa Barrocito, at your service," he told her with a small bow and keeping that full faced smile and dance in his eyes.
Rhianne wasn't laughing. No, quite the opposite. When this Dao'backapacka or whatever he said his name to be laughed, his mouth had opened wide enough for Rhianne to clearly see the fangs of a vampire in the light of day. After that, the situation became quite serious to the vampire slayer. She had no idea how a vampire could walk about in the sunlight but right now, her senses were in overdrive as she assessed the threat in front of her, her demeanor becoming immediately hostile.
"Don't touch me, you disgusting creature!" the red-haired slayer shouted loudly at him, quickly yanking her arm back quite violently, and glared absolute daggers at him. Some people in the streets looked over to them, alarmed at the outburst and began to watch what was happening.
"Your kind are nothing but trouble! I don't know how you are able to walk about during the day but that doesn't matter right now! You killed that man and now you will meet the same fate!" Completely ignoring what he had said about Opus Dey and the criminal organization he worked for, either that or she didn't hear it, so alarmed she had been by the realization that he in fact, is a vampire.
Rhianne cursed herself for not dealing with him sooner. After all hadn't her senses pretty much already told her that numerous times before?! And now this poor soul had paid for her mistake with his life. Rhianne's anger at both herself and the thing before her fueled her need to remedy this now.
Raising her fists as she did not have her Sun Blade on her, she took up a fighting stance, situating her weight on the balls of her feet like she had been taught. "Prepare to fight!"
And Dao gave her a side long glance before suddenly laughing so much he was in tears. His face was positively red from it as he had to move to wipe a tear away when he finally stopped laughing enough to catch his breath.
"That... that's the single most alarmingly hilarious things I've heard in my life!" he chuckled still and held onto his belly. "Though I think you made me laugh so hard I pulled something!" Even still, he smiled, not even caring if he exposed his teeth or not. He hadn't been trying to hide them but he also hadn't quite made the connection that she was accusing him of being a vampire.
"You know, my kind walk around in broad daylight all the time. In fact, there's probably a few other criminals watching us right now."
But oh, did his sides ever hurt! This woman.... he'd have to buy her a drink when she settled down!
He motioned for her to put her hands down.
"Now now, no need for being so feisty. How about I buy you a drink to settle your nerves?"
Rhianne faltered and lowered her fists some. That was not the reaction she had been expecting at all! And then his comment about other criminals watching them made her think he was referring to that instead and not his being a blood-sucking fiend of the night.
The red-haired woman glared at him. "I don't care about your petty thieves' guild! You are a vampire and that's what I am referring to! Yes, I'm on to you now, no use in hiding it! I'd recognize vampire fangs anywhere!"
By now, she was positively fuming. How dare he laugh at her?! There was nothing funny about this! she thought.
By now, just about everyone there had stopped what they were doing and were now staring in disbelief at the scene before them. However, the two other guild members had since left some few minutes ago, otherwise they would've been there to back up Rhianne. As it stood, it was up to Rhianne only to finish this creep and send him back to the cold earth where he belonged.
And so she stood there, still ready to fight, stern brown eyes boring holes into this vampire, not about to back down at all.
Dao simply blinked as he looked at her, and flashed her another grin, this one crooked and leftward, but no less amused. But he did look at her seriously, even as his eyes sparkled as he digested her intent.
"What? My fangs scare you but you call the world wide workings of Opus Dey lame in comparison?"
He laughed with a tch, and shook his head. He looked the woman over.
"And if you were so afraid of my fangs and vampirism, shouldn't you be running?" He almost seemed to pout as he looked at her, still a bit confused by her. "What do you aim to do with those fists anyway? And it's not like I'm the supposed vampire you're after."
And at that, his lips cracked into another smile again as he laughed and laughed while pointing at her.
"Did you... are you... are you really assuming I killed the bar tender?"
He was laughing again before he leaned forward and gave a shake of his head. "Look, as a vampire, I can assure you, that man did not die from a bite."
He paused to look the woman over with a frown.
"What are you anyways?"
To him, she was actinga nd looking like an amature.
"Put those fists away," he said, waving off her stance. "You're drawing a crowd."
It was kind of embarassing!
As he continued to laugh at her, Rhianne only got more angry. However, he did have a point. They were drawing a crowd. And how exactly was she going to kill him with only her fists anyway? Vampires as she knew were much more resilient than that.
She lowered her fists and scowled at him. "I slay your kind, that's what I do." If only she had her holy weapon with her!
Rhianne was very much disliking the situation she was put into, as this was a new one for her. Usually the vampires come, she kicks butt and slays them and that's that. They bite the dust literally, and she goes back to the guild to report her progress. But this.... This was something she didn't know how to handle and by the look on his face, it seemed her enemy also knew it. And the fact that it was broad daylight out added another problem, since people were watching them and probably would think she was some crazed psychopath if she did try to kill him.
She didn't know what to do now, the indecision clear on her tanned face.
He saw her reaction and studied her in silence. After a moment, his own posture laxed as he looked her over. He gave a bit of a frowned pout and gestured with his head.
"You've had a long day." He sighed through his nose. "The offer for that drink is still good if you want to take it."
He flashed her another smile, but this time a more modest one.
"I'm pretty sure you need it."
Rhianne stood there indecisively for several more seconds, before she finally moved. "This isn't over." she warned him and began stalking away as quick as she were able, making sure she was not being followed. She had to tell the guild about this, perhaps they would have more information and advice on how to handle this tactfully.
Leaving behind this 'Dao'bachpa', Rhianne had only one thing on her mind right now and that was most definitely not a drink with her foe.
Except he was following her, and he frowned with curiosity.
"What's not over?" he asked. "And the drinks are over that way," he went on with a grin, jerking his thumb in the opposing direction. Then he moved to stand in front of her to block her path.
"Come on. You can't suddenly hate me because I have pointy teeth. That's like blaming a shark for being a shark. He can't help it he needs to eat meat. You going to slay sharks because he's got fangs, too?"
Forced to stop because he was blocking the way, Rhianne clenched her fists at her sides and stared in warning at him. "Get out of my way." she said very coldly, not blinking an eye.
At his statement about sharks, she gritted her teeth and said, "You and I both know that's not the same. Now, step aside." And she tried to walk around him in order to get to where she was going.
Raising his brows, he moved to stepped into her path again.
"I... don't think we're on the same page here."
Rhianne didn't answer him and tried once more to step around him. She swore that if he blocked her way one more time, she was going to punch him in the nose. Whether people were watching or not...
Despite her efforts, there he stood.
Rhianne had had enough of this. Reeling back her arm, she made to land a right hook straight into the vampire's nose.
And the pop to nose had Dao stumbling over, a hand cupping over his nose as he was on one knee in pain.
Straightening back up, Rhianne glared at him. "I have business to attend to, and you will NOT stand in my way." She made to walk off then, not sparing him another glance.
Dao winced as she began to walk away, nursing at his nose.
"That woman...." He shook his head. "She owns a mean right hook." And out of instinct, he looked at his hand to see if his nose was bleeding, then found himself laughing. "Right..."
Vampires didn't bleed!
The red-haired slayer stalked off angrily, intent on making her way to the guild HQ. She was likely going to be late to whatever meeting was currently being held, and all thanks to that infuriating vampire who thought he was hot stuff. No, he wasn't, her mouth a thin line of annoyance as she moved further and further away, checking to make sure he wasn't following her.
After she talked to the guild leaders, they could then form a plan on how to dispose of this creature, this strange vampire who was able to walk in the sunlight. Rhianne had never heard of or encountered such a phenomenon before now, but perhaps some of the others had... After all that had been dealt with, she could rest easier. But not before.
She'd barely make it out of the town square and there he was again. He was no longer nursing at his nose, and leaned casually against a nearby building as he looked at her.
"Tch... Think you can hit a man and simply walk away?" He looked her over with a frown before rolling his eyes. "And here I thought women knew better. Were taught to be all proper."
Would this creature just not leave her be?! Rhianne stiffly turned to face him, brown eyes finding no humor in this situation whatsoever. "You are no man." Calm but fierce words of certainty are what the slayer spoke, eyes trained on him with disdain evident.
Clenching her fists, she continued. "Apparently that hit to the nose wasn't enough. Need I go for a more sensitive area instead?"
"I thought you were some big, tough vampire hunter. Shouldn't you know most of those tricks don't work?"
"If I had my sword with me, you wouldn't still be talking, much less standing there!" Her expression was irate, and she glared at him with all the animosity she could muster. "So I'm forced to use what I have available to me! And I don't see why I need to explain this to you, you're nothing, a vile creature who hurts innocent people! Just stay out of my way and leave me alone!" Rhianne shouted loudly, her chest heaving from the effort of trying to maintain some semblance of control.
Glaring for only a second longer, she stormed off yet again, hoping he would take the hint and stop following her! But somehow she doubted he would, as the slayer was coming to expect the very real possibility she may not be able to get rid of him before making it to the guild.
Gods-forsaken vampire, if only I had my sword...
And she was right. He was following right behindher, but keeping a safe distance.
"For someone that doesn't even know me on a personal level, you sure presume a lot."
For the love of Fyarion... Rhianne cursed inwardly. Stopping short and whirling around, the red-head seethed, her anger clearly visible. "I don't need nor want to know you! Your kind are all the same!"
As the vampire was too far away to kick him where it hurt, or even to get out her silver cross at her belt to ward him off, Rhianne turned back around, her pace quickening as she began to run. Perhaps she could outrun him but she sincerely had her doubts on that. Rhianne swore that she would make it to the guild even if it killed her.
"How are we all the same?" he asked, still following, and seeming with relative ease.
Rhianne couldn't believe her ears. Was this creature for real? she thought, slowing down her pace.
Stopping her run as the slayer felt it to be a useless endeavor now, she turned around and got out her cross of silver, holding it up in front of her threateningly in case he tried anything. "You must be a really idiotic vampire if you have to ask me that. And don't come any closer, or you'll regret it." A look of steel in her brown eyes.
He stopped. THen eyed the cross, and eyed her.
"What are you going to do with that?" he raised a brow questionably.
Rhianne was put off by his reaction. Finally she shouted at him, "Stay away from me!" And took off running yet again.
He finally just let her go, watching as she stormed off. He shoved his hands into his pockets and cocked his head.
"I wonder if she's a lesbian," he mused. "Or maybe I'm coming off too strong." Either way, he simply let her go.
Finally, Rhianne reached the guild HQ. She looked behind her to see if the foul vampire was still following her but she didn't see him anywhere. Which she was all too happy for. Although, she had to say she was surprised, but quickly shrugged it off, walking purposefully towards the front door of the guild building. Now she could let the leaders know of this nuisance and what they could do about it.
The fact that the vampire had been hitting on her in a romantic way either didn't breach the tight-knit walls that she had drawn around herself, simply not caring or she didn't think it capable of expressing such desires other than violence and murder. More than likely it was the latter. In any case, that took a back seat compared to her overall goal. And that was to rid the world of what the slayer viewed as yet another poisonous vermin.
But it was just before the woman was about to enter her guild's head quarter that there was a flash and cold hands were upon her.
"How interesting. A hunter trying to take refuge. I can tell by your pulse," the vampire went on, long fingers moving to press over her wrist. "That you're more than a little unnerved." His mouth moved to breath chilly air against her neck. "Why don't you allow me to lower that blood pressure, hrm?"
But before she'd get a chance to retaliate, there was a second flash and the day walking vampire from earlier appeared, and tapped the other vampire on the shoulder. And when he turned around, the vampire hissed.
And that's when Dao slugged him clean across the face.
Rhianne reached for the doorknob of the guild HQ, and was just about to open it when a sudden flash out of nowhere slammed into her then, knocking her flat on her back! The wind thoroughly knocked out of her, the red-haired woman was momentarily stunned and couldn't get up until she had caught her breath.
Chilly air ghosted past her skin as a deep, cocky voice spoke into her ear. It was a vampire! Rhianne realized and tried to move, but the creature pinned her down firmly, cold fingers running over her wrist. Rhianne shuddered in revulsion at this and once again tried to move but another flash appeared and punched the vampire in the face, it stumbling back with a hand to its nose.
She wondered briefly how it had gotten to be dark so soon as she stared up into the ever blackening sky as dusk came in full. It must have taken her longer than she thought to get here. That was really the only thing she could think of that made sense right now.
Finally managing to get up, the vampire hunter got out her cross and rammed it into her attacker's face, the vampire screeching in agony as its skin sizzled and burned. The woman quickly followed this up by a fierce kick to the gut, the creature doubling over in further pain. She was about to hit it again when it took off, and that was when Rhianne remembered the other vampire.
Brandishing her cross at the other, despite the fact that he had saved her life for some reason she could not fathom, Rhianne's eyes widened in shock when she saw it was Dao. But they quickly narrowed again, her grip once more tightening on the metal of the cross. "Stay back!" she commanded him, still holding out her only weapon she had right now, other than her own hands and feet of course. "Don't come any closer!"
"You know," he went on with a laugh. "Most women offer their bed or at least a kiss for being rescued by a handsome man."
Lowering the cross some, Rhianne stared at him in disbelief. Obviously this vampire seduced women before he would kill them. Glaring at him, she bit out a retort. "Not a chance! I wouldn't bed you even if you were alive!"
Dao just stared at her. Then he raised a finger and pointed accusingly as he laughed, albeit a bit more nervously than usual.
"You lie! You'd probably find me very handsome were I still alive! Besides, tch.." he sneered and looked her over. "I'm alive enough! Dead things certainly can't do a lot of what I can!"
Rhianne also sneered at him. "Yes, truly dead things do not suck people's life blood from them! They lay peacefully in graves and sarcophagi!"
But the vampire did have a point about one thing though, but Rhianne would never admit such to him. He was good-looking, vampire or not. But the red-haired woman would never stoop so low. She was a vampire hunter for Kia's sake!
Glaring at him some more, she asked him waspishly, "What exactly do you want?!" After all, if he wanted to try to kill her, he would have done so by now. Still she kept her guard up.
At that, he gave a toss of his shoulders and a laugh.
"Come to think of it, all of this chasing made me forget."
His grin widened, eyes sparkling carefreely.
"I think I'm just stubborn- normally those who claim me as their enemy have good reason to." He looked her over. "Maybe I should count myself lucky you're the first one of prejudice?"
"You're a vampire! That's hardly being prejudiced!" Rhianne retorted.
The slayer sighed tiredly. "Move out of my way." she demanded. Since he happened to be standing right in front of the doors to the guild building.
"Not until you've proved I've done something in order to receive your disdain."
Her fists clenched at her sides. "I don't have time for this!" Rhianne snapped. "I'm already late enough as it is! Move. Out. Of. My. Way." Hoping that would get the message across.
And at that,he laughed.
"You're that upset, but you can't give me any good reason why?" he folded his arms over his chest and smirked while shaking his head.
"You could at least make something up instead of just trying to use your temper to get out of this. But even if I would move, I'd still catch you later to rectify this."
Rhianne's eye twitched in aggravation. "Oh, I have a good reason, alright. You're a vampire and a sadistic killer. Now move out of my way!"
She saw his smirk and the way he laughed at her as though this were all some kind of game to him. And it pissed her off. Well, I won't be your mouse in your game of cat versus mouse, the slayer thought. Rhianne couldn't wait to be rid of him, even if it was only temporarily.
He shook his head, hardly believing this.
"Were all of those threats earlier for nothing? How can you stand here and allow me to be your road block." He looked her over, before realizing- maybe he was wasting his time? He shook his head and simply stepped aside.
"Alright, princess, go on to your cult of devil killers."
"I can assure you I will make good on those threats." Rhianne glared at him and turned to go inside the guild HQ. But turned back at the last second. "My guild is not a cult. We simply do away with creatures like you. As I will to you very soon. Count on it."
And with that she stepped inside, firmly shutting and securing the door behind her, then went off to go alert the Circle of Three. Rhianne could only imagine the distress the vampire had caused by delaying her like that and hoped to rectify it soon.
"Damn vampire." the slayer swore underneath her breath. At least he wouldn't be a nuisance for long. Or so she dearly hoped this to be the case.
Letting the woman go was probably a blessing in disguise, for even he was growing tiresome of their conversation. Either way, he smirked as he watched her go, but said nothing when giving her a single wave goodbye. With the door shut, his smile grew a little more before he placed his hands into his pockets and wondered back through the city streets.
"You say this vampire is trying to seduce you in order to trick you?" Ava Wentworth, the leader of the Sun Mages asked her, a worried frown on her face. Ava was a human woman thirty years of age, having been blessed with holy power from the heavens themselves. She could channel such through her hands as well as a special locket she wore around her neck.
"Yes, after he rescued me from another vampire!" Rhianne blurted out, aggravated at the whole situation. "Apparently the first vampire, he calls himself Dao'bach'pa, wants to kill me himself!"
Now Ava was confused. That wasn't normal behavior for blood-suckers regardless of whatever their reasoning may be. "I will have to discuss this with the other guild leaders, but I want you to be careful Rhianne. Stay alert as much as possible here." And the blonde woman turned to leave then, to go find the leaders of the Sun Blades and Sun Bows groups.
"I always do." Rhianne huffed and turned to go as well, as apparently the conversation was over for the moment.
Going to her personal chambers, she grabbed her holy sword and a plethora of holy water vials and stuck them in her belt pouch and bag strapped over one shoulder. The sword she sheathed at her side until she was ready to use it. Ava had been concerned about her whereabouts, but was immediately relieved when the red-haired slayer had shown up. Rhianne had assured her of her safety, that she hadn't been attacked or worse been turned. Now she had a patrol to do, and a vampire to hunt.
Reemerging out into the night, Rhianne went down the cobbled streets of Moonspear and past the Shaith Temple, once again praying at the shrine to Fyarion for a quick second. Keeping ever alert, eyes and ears open for any threats coming her way. She was now properly armed and could now better handle herself out on the streets at night. Vampires beware, Rhianne was coming.
It had been a long day, and though more nocturnal than most, he needed to sleep. He made his way back to an inn and wasted no time and climbing into bed. And just as he was about to drift off to sleep... He heard a most peculiar noise. He wanted to ignore it, but it made even his stale blood chill. And when he opened his eyes, a thing on the wall stated back at him with her alien like eyes and body poised unnaturally against the wall as if some sort of ammphibian. And a she watched him, her head spun around to look at him like an owl. And he could smell her poisoned breath from where he lay, and when he went to move, the creature struck.
Having offed the vampire that had previously tried to attack her, Rhianne resheathed her sword and took a few calm breaths to slow down the blood rushing through her veins. Then she continued on.
Passing by the inn she had been at prior she thought she heard the sounds of a struggle coming from inside. It seemed to be coming from the upstairs floor. Wasting no more time, she barged right in through the door and passed several startled patrons, the new innkeeper looking up just as surprised. The sounds of the bar around her now drowned out any sound from upstairs but Rhianne pushed on, much to the protests of the balding, portly innkeeper.
"Hey, you can't go up there!" he shouted.
But Rhianne merely stated in a rush, "Someone's in trouble up there." And therefore ignored any more protests that came from him.
Running up the stairs, she unsheathed her Sun Blade and looked around hurriedly at the upstairs rooms, trying to determine which one it was. There. The one on the far right at the end of the hall. Rushing over there, she banged open the door, and then stared at what met her vision, doubly surprised now.
Rhianne would be greeted to a site that would make anyone blush- for the position she would have caught the vampire in and the peculiar monster girl was scandalous. However, that's just how the punches rolled. Vases were broken, a chair collapsed, and now Dao had the upper hand and pinned the damn monster to the bed. And when the door open, she hissed, hoods of skin opening on either side of her face as she bared poison gleaming fangs at Dao.
He grimaced at the sight and struggled with the creature longer, before it suddenly managed to free a leg- which was all it needed, and it kicked Dao clean across the room- where he crashed clean into the vampire hunter at the door.
As the pair landed in a heap, the monster wasted no time in hissing as she leaped overtop of the pair, pinning them down with her tremendous strength and moved to bite Dao on the shoulder. Thankfully he hadn't worn his shirt to bed- penetrating his skin would be all the sweeter- for linen could taste most foul.
Rhianne's shock at the awkward scene was cut short, and she let out a muffled oomph! as the vampire crashed into her, landing on top of her, shirtless. Her sword clattered to the ground and skidded several feet away from where she struggled to get up. Dao however, would feel a searing pain as the silver from her metal cross pressed into his skin from where it was attached to her belt. One of the vials of holy water on her belt pouch was smashed to smithereens as well, a pool of it spilling out onto the floor, along with shards of broken glass.
The horrendous creature loomed over them as it attempted to bite the vampire on the shoulder, giving Rhianne the opening she needed. Forming her hand into a fist, she punched the creature in the eye and knocked it onto its back on the floor. The monster hissed at her, baring poison-covered fangs which glistened in a corrosive foul-smelling substance. Then it leapt at the red-haired woman. Rhianne brought up her leg and rammed her foot into the scaly abdomen of the girl creature and it hit the wall behind her, its head making a sickening crack at the impact, sliding down to the floor.
The thing tried to get up again, but it was very weakened from its apparent head injury. In the meantime, Rhianne went to go retrieve her sword, which lay glowing in a brilliant light some ten feet or more down the hall.
He swore when the teeth sunk in, and cursed louder when the silver burned. The combination must've been some weird paradox, for he found himself shivering and trembling, and eyes rolling back into his head, evidently the effects of poison.
Having almost reached her weapon, that was when the monster girl tackled Rhianne from behind and pinned her to the ground. Rhianne swore when she face-planted on the hard wood, and fought to get the creature off her. The lizard-amphibian hybrid hissed again and tried to bite Rhianne's neck but the slayer rammed her head backwards, hearing a satisfying crunch as bone broke behind her. The abomination stilled, and Rhianne shoved it off her in a heap on the ground. It twitched a little before it went completely limp. The thing was dead.
Sighing, Rhianne looked around for her pack which had also gone flying into a corner, before her eyes met the trembling form of the vampire. Snatching up her holy weapon, she marched over to him and proceeded to end his miserable existence, but something stayed her hand. Whether it be hesitation due to pity or uncertainty, Rhianne for some reason could not bring herself to kill him just yet. He was unarmed and apparently had been poisoned from the creature they had just fought. Add to that the fact that he had not shown her any ill will since they first met. He had even saved her life too!
Rhianne didn't think of herself as a killer, as she felt slaying him like this didn't seem right in her book of morals. It was a strange thing for her to feel hesitation in killing a blood-sucking creature of the night, but her lack of action might give Dao the time he needed to react.
It seemed neglect nor pity was going to help the poor, writhing vampire. His mouth still foamed, and his body grew clammy as he continued to choke and blindly fight the poison burning through his veins. It sent forced his fangs out, his eyes glowing red, as he hissed and arched his back, beginning to look more monster than man.
"Slay him already! Now's your chance!" Rhianne's mind screamed at her. But for some reason, she couldn't. Still faltering, Rhianne stared down at him, her weapon aimed at his chest before she quickly sheathed it in an exasperated huff.
"This is ridiculous..." she muttered under her breath, eyes taking in how he struggled in vain, foam and saliva dripping from his mouth as the poison ravaged through his body. Rhianne ran a hand through her red hair, wondering what to do. She had to do something. But what?
Stepping away from the suffering vampire, Rhianne's eyes went back to the dead creature lying in a twisted heap on the floor, blood pooling out all around it. Then back again at the prone male vampire. Flicking her eyes back once more to the amphibian monster, she huffed again and made her way over to it, searching. "I don't know why on earth I am doing this!" she gritted her teeth as she searched the dead corpse before her. Usually poisonous creatures had the antidote to their own toxin somewhere on their bodies. And that's what Rhianne was looking for now.
Finally she found something. Two small sacs on either side of the monster girl's neck looked like it might be it. She hoped. And wondered once again why she was doing this. It wasn't like her to help a vampire. But then again, Dao was no ordinary vampire. Wrenching one off carefully with her weapon, Rhianne then brought it over to the poisoned dark-skinned vampire. Questioning her sanity and morals all the way. "Why, why, why?!" She continued to berate herself over her own shortcomings. If she was wrong about this, she had only herself to blame.
Holding the sac over his mouth, she poured whatever foul-tasting liquid was present inside of it in between Dao's lips which were turning a sickly shade of green. Not knowing if she was only poisoning him even more than he already was. Now all Rhianne could do was wait and see what effect the substance had on him.
The second the liquid was in his lips his body jerked, then twisted to the side, gut lurching as it seemed he had swallowed the vial thing down whole. But the second it entered his body, he twisted again, jerking in her direction this time before suddenly vomiting endlessly onto her lap.
Three times he wretched before shivering over her form. And as his eyes rose to meet her face, he looked at her- confused at first before his usual smile blossomed across his features- albeit a little weaker and his skin, a bit paler.
"You saved my life." He laughed. His lips twitched, still grinning as he swayed. He raised a finger, the other hand still holding his gut. "And I..." He gestured to the puke in her lap.
"Sorry about that." He told her, trying to smile before suddenly collapsing back to the ground.
Jumping away in sheer disgust as he vomited, but still Rhianne wasn't quick enough to dodge the regurgitated mess completely. Wrinkling her nose at both the sight and the smell, she pinched her nose shut in an attempt not to breathe in the foul air.
"You saved my life!" the vampire had exclaimed in both gratitude and disbelief. Rhianne was still wondering why she had done so.
"Why did I help him?" she thought yet again. She glanced down at her clothes and leather in disgust.
Dao had fallen back to the ground and was down for the count, so to speak. The question of the night was what to do now? She couldn't just leave him there, could she? "Yes, I could." she thought.
After debating with herself for several minutes, Rhianne made her decision. Grabbing his hands, she pulled him along the floor over to the trashed room and then propped him up against the side of the bed. Shaking her head again, the red-haired slayer sat down at the opposite end of the room and waited for him to wake. Danger or no, she still felt she needed to keep an eye on him and remain wary. But then, she remembered the throw up and grimaced.
Going over to the wash basin after taking a quick look at the unconscious vampire, she lifted her tunic over her head carefully and began the tedious task of washing it clean. Underneath her shirt was a see-through white undergarment that did little to hide her figure, yet she had a chest wrap on underneath that. Some faint scars were visible on her torso, obviously the remnants of old wounds from years past. Soon she was done, and had a clean, albeit wet tunic to show for it.
His eyes opened, slowly at first- hazey... and fuzzy.
He blinked a few times and saw a white blur come into focus.
Then he saw the figure, which was female on all accounts...
And then red hair.
He couldn't help himself, grinning from ear to ear he slowly rose his head.
"Hey.. if you were going to undress, you should have told me so I could have watched."
At the sound of his voice, Rhianne whirled around and quickly brought up the tunic to cover herself as best she could. Glaring at him, her words full of anger and embarrassment. "Avert your eyes, you fiend!"
"But why?" he told her, voice weak, but no less serious-a nd happy. "I like what I see."
Sending him a look that could kill ten times over, Rhianne hastily pulled the tunic back on and fastened the ties on the front. It was still wet though so she had some trouble putting it back on as fast as she would like. Glaring at him again, she went over to collect her things and began to walk out of the room, not looking back.
"Eh?" he watched her leave, though he was confused with more than that. He sat up, rubbing at his head and wiped at the sweat on his brow.
"Sweat?" he blinked and touche dhis forehead again. He gave a curious tilt to his head- and a moment later, he was stumbling after her.
"Lady Vampire Slayer!" he shouted. "Lady Slayer I-" And he paused only when he reached her side, grabbing onto her hand, tight.
"Do you feel this?" he asked, taking her hand and dabbing it all over his forehead.
"Did you throw water on me or something?"
There had to be an explanation for this!
Rhianne yanked her hand back and glared hotly at him. "The only water I would throw on you is holy water." she said, with an obvious edge to her voice, though there was the hint of something else. Doubt, perhaps?
After all, she had had the perfect opportunity to end his miserable existence and what did she do? She had saved him instead! Now the slayer needed some alone time to think. And she couldn't do so with this vampire trailing after her like some lost, annoying puppy.
"Yeah but... This is sweat." vampire s didn't exactly do that!
"This doesn't concern me!" Rhianne busied herself by re-positioning her metal cross and the one vial of holy water she still had left, considering the other one was now nothing more than a pile of useless, broken glass, its contents spilled out all over the wooden flooring.
She cast another glare at him. "Figure it out yourself!" And began to stalk off, away from the infuriating vampire.
The slayer was almost near the end of the hallway towards the stairs which led up, when the innkeeper came rushing up, his portly frame heaving and bobbing up and down as he hurried to get up there to see what was going on. Rhianne stopped. Now she couldn't leave, as the man was now in the same vicinity as a vampire and she had to stay in case anything else of the bad went down.
Instead, she looked back at the corpse of the lizard monster, and indicated her head at it. "There is the source of your problems." she told him. "Don't worry, it's very much dead, but I would suggest checking around to make sure there isn't a nest of these things holed up somewhere." Sighing, she went on. "I should stay and help you look in case there are any more of these things."
The innkeeper could only stare in shock at the scaled amphibian/reptilian hybrid. Finally he spoke. "What the heck IS that?!" he gestured to it, looking very uncertain. After all monsters in the inn was very bad for business! At least it explained what had happened to the previous innkeeper though it didn't make him feel any better about it. Still staring at it in shock and fear.
"Do you have a basement where I can check around in?" Rhianne asked him point blank, not bothering to answer his question. To be honest, she didn't have any idea what that thing was either, as her focus was on vampire slaying, not pest control. Although, she supposed her work was just a certain type of pest control that centered around blood-sucking undead. Not green and blue scaly things like that creature over there was.
The portly man slowly nodded. "Y-yes, there is. D-downstairs, to the right of the main room when you first walk in. I'll give you the key for it." Rummaging around in his pockets, he produced said key and handed it to her. "Good luck and...I suppose I should say thank you."
Rhianne gave a curt nod and took the key from him. "Thank you, I'll do my best." Looking over to Dao, she motioned him over. "And YOU. You are coming with me, so I can keep an eye on you." Glaring at him again as though to emphasize her point and that there was no room for arguments.
Dao pointed at her, then moved his finger to point at himself, and indicated with his expression he was 'surprised' by her sudden command.
"You want me to accompany you into the basement... alone?" He gave her a cocky grin and hit lightly the port man's shoulder. "Thanks for the key." He gave the man a wink and was soon at Rhianne's side.
Smiling, he kept close to her.
"You know, as a gentleman, I should remind you it isn't proper for us to go and do what we are doing."
The slayer's mouth turned downwards into a sneer, and without warning she roughly pushed the overly cocky vampire in front of her. "No funny moves or you'll regret it! And stay where I can see you!" Rhianne snapped, frowning at Dao. "Let's go, I have things to do!"
Not sparing another glance at the innkeeper, Rhianne attempted to shove the vampire again, impatient and fed up with this whole deal as she was.
"You're the sort that likes it rough, ain't ya?" he went on, still all smiles. "But you know... we're only examining a basement.. don't you think if there were a hive, we should check out the attic as well? Those creatures tend to hide in... unwanted places. Though the basement would make more sense. Nice and damp.. unless they like drafty attic spaces."
Rhianne was about to yell at him again to move it, but then stopped to consider his words. As much as she loathed to admit it and hated his guts as well too, the blood-sucker did have a point. As the red-haired woman was deciding, the portly innkeeper went up to her and handed her the attic key as well. "Best to check both, I'd highly appreciate it." the bald man told her, still looking nervously back at the lizard monster, as though it would suddenly come back to life and jump up again to attack.
Rhianne nodded and then glared again at Dao. "We're going to the BASEMENT first." she snarled at him. "If you so much as look at a patron the wrong way, I'll gut you where you stand!" Once more, pushing him in front of her. "Now move it!"
And they were off.
Dao gave a playful salute and then winked to the inn keeper.
"Yes, m'am!" And made his way towards the stares. Once the door was unlocked, Dao made a face at the smell before laughing. "Smells like old piss and eggs. I suppose we're still not doing ladies first?" He asked her with a grin, but again, knowing hte answer, he took the lead and made his way down the steps and into the dark. Though he could see just fine, he moved to fetch a lantern.
"shall we light this for you?" he asked, his voice playful and teasing as he rocked the unlit lantern back and forth in his grasp.
Once down the stairs, Rhianne was on high alert mode, her senses starting to tingle that there was something unwanted down here. And for the first time, she wasn't referring to the vampire in front of her who seemed to think this was all just fun and games to him. Grabbing the lantern from him, she promptly lit it herself, the oil inside of it burning brightly, illuminating the entire stairway and most of the basement which was indeed damp, wet and cold. The back of it was still shrouded in shadows however, but they quickly dispersed as the vampire hunter moved the light source back and forth, her weapon already out and at the ready. Not caring one bit if the holy power emanating from the blade was negatively affecting the vampire or not. In fact, a part of her hoped it was.
All seemed quiet and very basement-like here, but as Rhianne moved further inward, that sense of wrongness seemed to increase. A skittering was heard across the floorboards then, and the slayer quickly moved the lantern in that direction, only to see a harmless tiny spider skitter frantically across the wood before vanishing into a hole in the wall. Rhianne frowned at it for just a second, before turning her attention back to the task at hand. Something wasn't right here. While there was no sign of any hive here, no nest or creatures like what she had seen and killed upstairs, Rhianne still felt there was something they weren't seeing.
Moving swiftly along, and examining walls, ceiling, floor and corners alike, the red-haired slayer found something of importance. A large hole in the wall near one of the back corners where really foul and damp air drafted out of. Shining the lantern that way and peering in, Rhianne deduced that the hole led into a passageway, a tunnel that sloped steadily downwards. That wasn't good. Who knew what nasty creatures were lurking down there? Regardless, Rhianne had to check it out. Along with her aggravating vampire "sidekick." It was appropriate enough, as Rhianne would definitely have no problems whatsoever kicking his arse into oblivion, and so a small smile formed on her coppery-tanned face because of this.
All was quiet in the hole though, but the sense of nastiness she was feeling was by far the strongest here. A distant sound was then very faintly heard coming from deep within the tunnel, so faint Rhianne could have sworn she'd imagined it. Examining the breach one last time, she noted the ground inside was muddy and slippery, the walls coated in slimy stuff. Gripping her sword firmly in hand, Rhianne mentally and physically prepared herself for whatever they might find down there. If they did encounter more of these creatures, it may be a bit difficult to fight while holding a lantern in the other hand. Not to mention the narrowness of the tunnel itself. But there was nothing for it but to continue on.
Dao couldn't believe the condition of the basement, then again, he'd seen worse. When the hole was found, he gave a laugh.
"I think the hole is a bit too obvious, but then again, the creature that attacked seemed pretty simple minded."
Noting the smell he gestured, "Ladies first?" He wasn't sure if she still wanted him to lead or not, but no matter the situation, he was still all smiles- and the sparkle in his eyes never faltered.
Rhianne let out a huff. "Get in there!" she shouted, making to shove him in first. The smell was pretty bad, and the woman had to wrinkle her nose at the awful odor coming out of the hole in the wall. This Dao'packaba or whatever he said his name was, was acting like such a gentleman, when the slayer knew he was anything but. Which only further served to piss her off.
"Alright, alright," he went on, cracking his neck before getting down on his knees and moving to crawl within. He immediately stopped however, making a face before throwign off some slime from his hand. He peered over his shoulder and said, "You know this suit I'm wearing is expensive, made from imported Essyrni silk. Crawling around like this... this sort of fashion could get ruined."
"Is that supposed to impress me?" Rhianne let out a sigh, equal parts irritated and weary, before moving carefully in after him. She had to re-sheath her holy blade while doing so in order to properly carry the lantern and not have it crack open on the ground beneath them. As the last thing they needed was to burn the place down, even if the ground itself was moist and damp, it would still prove hazardous if that happened.
Flinging some slime off her neck too, she flung it aside before crawling through on her hands and knees. Which was difficult with one hand being occupied with the lantern so she could see where she was going. After crawling painstakingly for about ten plus feet, the passageway widened, opening up more and more to the point where Rhianne could stand up, although she still had to be careful not to bump her head on the ceiling here.
The smell was even worse here and Rhianne nearly gagged, holding a hand over her mouth and nose. Stopping suddenly when she felt, more than heard, something slither by. Directing the light that way, it was promptly knocked out of her hand, crashing into the tunnel wall to the right of her. The light flickered once, twice, before going out, casting the entire passageway in total darkness. But at least there was no fire.
Rhianne cursed loudly before a large amphibious hand clamped itself around her neck, cutting off her airway. Since she couldn't see where anything was now, she kicked out viciously with her foot, hoping to hit whatever it was that had attacked.
Dao cursed. He couldn't believe something like this had gotten past his defenses. But he wasted no time, and soon Rhianne would feel the pressure on her neck lighten as something hissed beside her, and she might be barely able to make out the vampire in the darkness as he kicked the damn beast off her.
The creature being stunned by both Rhianne and Dao's kicks, let loose its hold on the slayer's neck, before going after the vampire instead, lunging for his throat with scaled, clawed fingers. Rhianne also was in action, leaping up to land a kick at the creature's midsection which hit, the monster grunting as a result, but still intent on going after Dao.
Quickly unsheathing her holy sword, the light from it briefly illuminated their attacker. It was definitely another one of those poisonous creatures from upstairs. Out of the corner of her eye, the woman saw three more coming their way down the tunnel, although it was still difficult for her to make out the shapes fully. Rhianne cursed some more, before she went after the one in the lead, swinging her sword expertly at its neck to behead it, leaving Dao to deal with the first one.
Dao had it covered- mostly. But the second his 'partner in crime' took out her blade, he immediately felt it's dizzying affects as she swung it in the air. It caused him enough missteps that the creature leaped upon him, thankfully when the creature went to bite- it missed, and got a mouthful of Dao's shirt. It gave Dao enough time to properly retaliate, and he used his fist and punched the damn creature away from him before getting to his feet and kicking the downed creature, hard.