Out of the Night
"Princess, you should rest we have a long day of travel tomorrow and you'll need your strength." Avacyn looked her at her chaperone, a soft-spoken young girl from Thraben, she had a point and the wine from dinner is making her head light, maybe she should retire for the evening. The hour is late and the moon is high in the sky, casting its pale light upon the inhabitants of Innistrad.
It provided little relief to the inhabitants of Kessig however, with the dark forests creating shadows so deep one could almost drown in them. The distant howls of werewolves did much to exacerbate the paranoia that permeates the region, much to Princess Avacyn of Thraben's dismay. She always tried to conceal her dislike for the dark woods of the region, out of courtesy for those who hail from the province. She glances around the several campfires littered around the campsite and the guards, servants and retainers that accompanied her on her trip.
"I suppose you're right, Remilia." She gathers her voluminous skirts and makes her way back to her carriage. Once inside she starts the laborious process of undressing. She drops her skirt and petticoats, undoes her corset and slides into a nightgown. She breathes a sigh of relief, no matter how well they fitted her corsets, Avacyn always felt the tiniest bit constricted, not enough to be a hindrance, but it was still a relief to get it off.
She slides into the cot against the wall, snuggled up under the blankets she closes her eyes. Sleep comes soon and evelopes her in its sweet embrace.
BANGBANGBANG
Avacyn eyes shoot open
BANGBANGBANG, "Princess! AGHHHHH!" Avacyn snaps to attention and freeze's at the scream. Shivers surge up her spine, goosebumps explode across her tender flesh, and pupils become pinpricks. All effects of the wine drain away. Vampires... oh, by the Archangels, Avacyn thinks with mounting dread. Her jaw quivers as she suppresses a scream.
Her head snaps as she hears thumping, crashing, groaning and screaming coming from outside her carriage window. She silently creeps out of bed and peeps through the window. All she can see are the nawed carcasses of her retainers and guards, overturned crates and ransacked carriages. Her mouth hangs open and her eyes are wide. She takes short gasps.
Crunch! Avacyn leaps clear of her skin when a dead body with elongated canines of a vampire smashes through the wall her carriage. She gags and nearly wretches at the stench of it's burning flesh. A small spark of hope ignites within her chest, just enough to dispel the palsy that had all but overwhelmed her.
"Feel the light, Vampire!" She doesn't recognise the voice, but felt the fervour of an Inquisitor of the Church of Holy Light. She creeps forward to see who her saviour
She scrambles back into a corner. A lone man stands in the centre of the camp with half a dozen vampires closing in around him. He stands resolute against the encroaching fiends. With a silver longsword in one hand and a silver dagger in the other. The vampires snarl and bar their fangs. The Lone Hunter simply smiles mockingly, "I am supposed to be frieghtened by this?" The vampires continue their display, "I've fought drunkards more intimidating than you bastards, now come, to the dance!" he raises his blades, "Who wants to be first?!"
Savacyn hears this little exchange and thanks the Archangels for this miracle.
A large male vampire surges forward swing an arming sword, with a female close behind carrying a spear. He dodges the man and duck under the woman's first spear thrust. He beats it aside and pounces forward, lunging with his longsword. The blow connects with a resounding scream as it slides into the woman's corrupted flesh. She falls limp on the blade embedded in her heart.
The Hunter hears the man coming back around for another attack. He swings the woman around as a shield. The male's strike cuts into the base of her cold, dead neck with the hunter with drawing his blade, a small spray of blood coming with it. He leaps forwards going in for a quick slash to the chest.
It falls short and he almost loses his balance...
"Shit!" he curses to himself. He regains his footing quickly and takes a couple steps back, and returns to his opening stance. He hears a snarl and instinctively raises his dagger behind his head to deflect the incoming strike.
He catches it and ducks away to bring both assailants into focus. They both ready their weapons, as does the Hunter. The three stare each other down, the Huner switches to reverse grip on his dagger...
Avacyn has now crept to the edge of the rent torn in the side of her carriage from earlier and peers out to see how he's fairing in his fight...
The Hunter's eyes dart from opponent to oppenent. Murder burns in the vampire's eyes, and vengeance in the Hunter's. "Why do you fight for the humans, your grandfather misses you, he would gladly have you by his side?" A male vampire says from behind, the Hunter turns around and sees the remaining three approaching from behind. He adjust his position so
The hunter's voice loses it's fiery zeal, and replaces it with freezing detestation, "Why would I want to become an animal, scuttle about in the night like a rat? Why would I want to live like a parasite?" All the vampires snarl simultaneuosly.
"What a waste," another female vampire snaps. "Kill this bastard abomination!" She lunges forwards. The Hunter blocks with his dagger and thurst with his sword, the vampire leaps back with inhuman speed. The Hunter, eager to be done, closes the gap and delivers a quick riposte to his assailant, driving the blade into her throught, tainited blood gushing form the wound for a moment, he pulls his sword free. He turns to face his thrid attacker. His lilac eyes glow with bloodlust. His brutal scimitar held ready to strike.
The Hunter remains unfazed while Avacyn watches on in terror. The Hunter observes that the serrated blade would be ineffective at best. He steps forwards. With hardly a a foot between them. Avacy notices his lips moving in a rhythmic fashion, his off-hand begins to glow with a little ball of light like a handheld star.
"Come on, you filthy craven kinslayer!"
The Hunter gives him an ice cold glare. His response... is simple, "Burn!" He hurls the ball of light, and the vampire is consumed in burning light, when it fades, all that is left is a blackened skeleton that crumbles to dust. "Who's next?" The other vampires all back away as he forms another ball in his palm...
They all snarl and growl, but begin to back away. The Hunter's patience begins to wear thin, he pick one of the remain three at random and blast him into bust with the spell. One breaks and flees, while the other stays, in place and drops his axe, falls to his knees. "Please, have mercy! I beg of you, please, I have a wife and family-"
"Whom you murdered to sate your own bloodlust. If you wanted compassion, you should have hung youself from the rafters of your manor! Spared the dozens you have killed!" He draws a crossbow from his back and points it at the grovelling vampire. "Your kind took everything from me! My family, my home, and my LOVE!" He pulls the trigger and sends the bolt straight through the vampires skull. The vampire fall over onto his back with his dying agony forever etched onto his ghostly visage. The Hunter then extracts the bolt and inserts it into his quiver. He sighs and turns towards the carriage with the massive torn in the side.
"Princess, I know your in there, you can come out now, it's safe," he calls to Acacyn.