Hello my lovely fans, I'm back and yes I was very close to abandoning this story because of my stressful lifestyle but after reading your lovely words in the reviews I knew I couldn't abandon you, so thank you, you've brought me back. This fanfic is well and truly alive, so bear with me if its a little slow. I'll try my best, my job hours have improved to fit in some nice writing time at last. In the previous chapter I had proclaimed that I would write shorter chapters for quicker release, but I rather put in the effort and detail than give you some rushed crap. I hope my readers are still here, owlsies is very sorry.
Okay aside from the apologies I've also decided to go back and extend the bloodmoon hunt to two chapters because it was rushed and better detail could have been incorporated to make the chasing a little bit more interesting, and the hunt is basically the essence of the story. So keep an eye out for bloodmoon I and bloodmoon II. I am also editing the previous chapters to make it flow well, but don't worry, everything in the plot till now isn't going to be altered.
{~0~}
Clean Up Boy!
On the day of the Bloodmoon Hunt...
"Stop the horse now!" Vald shouted desperately. There was anguish in the his tone of voice. Halvir roughly yanked the reins of the horse, making it neigh uncomfortably before forcing it to a halt. The sorcerer's long-grey cloak majestically swayed with the cold breeze. The hood he wore gave his character a shadow of mystery but underneath that shrouded outfit, eyes of worry hovered over Vald's shoulder.
"We have to go back." The young vampire implored — almost breaking. His hands clenched tightly onto the reins Halvir was holding, demonstrating his will to wrestle it off from the sorcerer and commandeer it if he didn't agree to his demands. "We can't leave them. Especially Akihito, not to that monster." Intrusive thoughts of the rituals being performed on Akihito tormented him. Vald felt a strong impulse to turn around.
"Vald. We can't. Not at this moment. But we can...later. You have to let Akihito go for now. Its too late. I won't let you go back. They are targeting you too, remember that! That's why we have to leave now!" His words of reason were falling on deaf ears.
"We have until dawn to stop them!" Vald argued back.
Halvir's fine eyebrows twitched with irritation. At this very moment, he had only one selfish goal... to get Vald to a safe and secure hideout, even if it meant that others had to be sacrificed.
"Enough! Listen to me Vald, take a look at this!"
Fed up with the vampire's stubbornness, the sorcerer seized the reins off from Vald completely and repositioned the horse to face the scene that lay before them. From where they stood on the rising hilltops, they had a view that oversaw the forest stretched out for miles. The flaming torches that the soldiers used to light their path bloomed a collective glow of orange, deep within the forest floor. From what Vald deduced there was a small concentration of enemies seen gathering in front of the entrance to their cave — definitely the distraction party. Whereas a larger group was seen lingering outside their secret passage – the main party.
However what caught their attention the most was the activity below them, there was a search party scattered in all directions — sent to pursue after them. Eventually bounty hunters from all over the country would soon be notified of their crimes and a few recruited as well, and knowing Asami, the reward would be worth its weight in a pile room full of gold. This would lure in many who fancy for wealth, adding peril to their livelihoods wherever they travelled.
After witnessing the imminent danger of being captured, this knocked Vald back into reality. If he was caught, who would rescue Akihito or his people? No one could — not without his or Halvir's help. So escape was their priority at this stage.
Vald's determination became smothered by a feeling of helplessness. Defeat was hard to accept — he was abandoning Akihito and it took a toll on his pride. His sad eyes diverted elsewhere, paying no heed to those pursing after him but to a set of lights that was traveling back to the castle. Judging from those lights, it was likely Asami and his bodyguards, and they were moving at a rapid pace, probably to begin the final phase of the ritual.
Vald gritted his teeth and balled his fist in fury as he lowered his head. "Akihito..." He muttered uneasily under his breath.
Halvir didn't need to ask Vald how he was feeling, his weakened demeanour was obvious to the naked eye, and without saying much the sorcerer brought him closer to his chest and embraced him with a consoling hug from behind. "Lets go," Halvir whispered softly. The vampire gave a muted nod of approval. It was time to leave...
Two days had passed since then and the two fugitives were taking shelter underneath a small cave that was abandoned from wild animals. It was the early afternoon but the skies were not calm, nature had been unforgiving to them, for a torrential downpour and smiting thunders had forced them into hiding, in luck Vald had spotted an opening in the edge of a cliff that was cosy enough for the two to seek cover in and wait for the storm to roll by. Their cave was located within the land of rocky mountains that acted as a border between the human and vampire territory. The terrain here was arid, mazy and often dusty, a few resilient shrubs can be seen perched on odd angles of the land, and life forms that thrived here were commonly scavengers, many whom have waited patiently to feast on the rotting flesh of starved corpses. When it rained, low lying areas were at risk of flash floods and landslides. And for those who don't have a safe path to follow through the harsh landscape, their fate was in the hands of mother nature's cruelty. For those who do have a route, this enabled them to acquire a safe passage and a shortcut to and from the human lands without needing to go around, thus shortening their trip by two weeks, that was how far the mountain range expanded to.
Halvir added a bunch of dry grass to feed the campfire. The fragile flames reached out to its sustenance, curiously licking it before greedily devouring it. Its strength grew as he nursed it to health. Vald was nestled next to the sorcerer's crossed legs where his head was a mere pat away, he was curled on his side underneath a large cloak that Halvir had given to him for a comforting rest. The vampire was exhausted and the heavy pattering of rain seemed to have a somnolent effect on him. The sorcerer caressed Vald's temple tenderly as he watched the fire warmly glowing, waxing and waning with the faint breeze. The relaxing setting and familiar sound of embers crackling made him nostalgic of the intimate adventures the two had specially shared, this tempted him to reignite those passionate moments, however Vald needed to rest. Until then, he had to maintain his own self-control. Hence the sorcerer waited impatiently — heavily contemplating on the amorous techniques he could use to alleviate Vald's heart ache once he awoke...
Overtime the bulleting raindrops had eased down into sprinkles before abating to the East. Behind the thick clouds unveiled the beautiful night sky that was no longer murdered in red but splattered with glitters of silvery diamonds. Crawling out from under the cave, the two were ready to continue their journey, their campfire was stomped to a pile of ash, and their basic survival kit was packed into their bags. The two men didn't have a horse, they needed to deter the hunters from their primary trail, therefore their horse was abandoned on the side of the road then wacked with the end of Halvir's staff, causing it to flee off wildly at a particular direction. With no transport they resorted to walking until an opportunity to steal a horse came by, and that opportunity was just around the corner.
It was mostly silence as they steadily trudged up a long hill, the mud was slippery but they were careful not to rush. Sometimes their foot became stuck, requiring one another to help the other companion out of its swallowing grip. It costed effort with every step and by the time they had reached the top, they were panting. But as they were catching their breaths, the voices of men raucously speaking can be heard afar. Startled by the presence of people who could potentially be their enemy the two instinctively sought cover. Halvir and Vald crouched lower to minimise their visibility in the dark before whispering in a hurried manner and creeping to the side with caution. They used their hearing senses to locate and investigate who was nearby. The echoing voices led them to the edge of a steep hill where below them was a narrow road. The two hid behind several large boulders that provided them concealment as they spied down below.
"Hurry up dig!"
"I am!"
On the road, a berlin carriage was seen partially buried under a mass of wet-rocky debris. What was left exposed of the vehicle was its elegant back and front. The curtained window and dimmed lights indicted that the passenger was alive and trapped within. And it appears the entourage it was travelling with were in panic. Five men, fully cloaked in midnight black from head to toe were seen trying to remove the debris in haste. They dug and clawed with whatever tool came in handy as their horses calmly idled to the side. Although one cloaked figure to the left appeared to be doing more dictating than actual work, and his voice was becoming increasingly strident with every passing minute.
"They don't smell human." Vald whispered to Halvir as he scrutinised their attire and race. Likewise, all vampires have the ability to detect their prey through scent. But most land type vampires have exhibited signs of diminished senses as a result of reliance on human farms and donation banks. Those who have retained their primitive traits either derive from ancient lineages, or are dependant on their senses due to their environment, for example the cave-type vampires.
"They're not human. Damn it. Could it be a Silverblood? How did they catch up so quick? What happens if they find us?" Vald fretted.
"Vald, shh. Listen to what they're saying." Halvir instructed quietly. For a mortal, the sorcerer had greater patience than Vald. The human had a feeling that this couldn't be the Silverbloods that were after them. The carriage was facing the opposite direction, meaning that it was headed towards the eastern vampiric lands and not the northern human lands.
"Hurry up and move this stone you lazy slackers! This carriage needs to be free! Lady Ilu we're almost through this!" The superior with an irascible temper hollered.
"Who's Lady Ilu?" Vald looked to the knowledgeable Halvir. "Is she a Silverblood?"
"Likely, if she's headed back to your homeland." Halvir paused to think. "Name sounds familiar though."
"Pst, Is she one of Asami's investors?" Vald pestered him for answers.
"I'm thinking."
"If its just five bodyguards why don't we just take them out?" Vald suggested outright.
This caught Halvir's attention and their eyes met with the same idea, like light bulbs activating in sync above their heads. The sorcerer quickly brought a satchel to his lap containing his spare magical scrolls and items that he had secretly hidden underneath a tree for emergency backup, prior to Akihito's infiltration mission for the list.
"We have two crystal shards left. Lets just hope we don't have to use the last one."
"We won't." Vald beamed with confidence.
"Come on you useless. Its just a bloody rock. Don't try to lift it up, are you stupid?! Drag it!" He berated at one individual, then to the another, "Roll it to that direction!" He gestured angrily.
The horses behind the men begun to neigh agitatedly, causing the superior to pause, turn and warily scan his surrounding. That was when he caught the scent of a human in the air. The superior licked his lips. "Do you smell that boys? A fresh snack is headed this way." The group stopped their task to sniff. They haven't had a drink since they descended from their travel. They were exiting the human lands, meaning that the treaty between diplomatic races would not be violated in this region.
Their fangs tingled for rehydration.
"Look sir, on the road!" One of the men signalled.
A lonely cloaked figure was headed their way. "Well, well looks like we have a lonely traveller!" The superior sneered as he drew out his sword.
As Halvir got closer they surrounded him. Their eyes glowed red and fangs hissed threateningly. The sorcerer remained calm, keeping his identity hidden underneath his hood.
"Now you have some guts wondering here by your—"
Halvir begun to make his move. From under his cloak he drew out his magic shards and activated them by clanging them into each other.
"AHH, MY EYES!" The vampires shrieked in pain as a deluge of blinding lights brighter than the sun attacked their vision. Once the lights faded, the vampires were sprawled out unconsciously on the ground.
Halvir nudged their shoulders to check that his spell had rendered them inactive. No response came from them and the sorcerer gave the clear signal to Vald whom had been watching from the edge of the cliff. The young vampire skated down the hill and scurried towards the carriage. He was curious who was cooped up inside, and of course he had his face masked by his scarf to remain anonymous.
It was most likely an aristocrat or a messenger inside but when he leaned in to take peek, a black crow emerged from behind the white-lace curtain, cawing as it examined the unwelcomed visitor. Vald snapped back a little, gasping in surprise as he was unexpectedly greeted by a bird. The crow's beady-red eyes stared unblinkingly at him and he was sure he could sense its malevolent gaze of reproach. Then behind the crow, Vald could make out a silhouette of a woman, though she appeared silent and unmoving, his heart began to thump faster, this figure had a haunting presence, particularly since it felt as if the crow was an extension of her limb.
A hand suddenly touched his shoulder from behind and he spun around quickly, nearly losing his balance in the process. "Argh! Don't scare me like that!"
"Lets go, we're wasting time here," Halvir said as he packed a few stolen supplies into his satchel. "Forget who's inside, we take what we need and go."
"Right." Vald let out a heavy sigh of relief. As they left, his gaze left unbroken from the carriage. Vald had a strange feeling about the vampire inside.
...||[0]||...
Suspicious activity was happening in the forest. It was dark, no torches lit the way, rustling and crushing of leaves was constant as light movement went about. There was multiple whispers being thrown around in the misty air. Not far away, a raven perched on a tree began to flap its wings before flying off into the night sky...
"Finally!" Akihito complained, yet cheered at the same time. The young vampire, once a lifeless zombie, sprung to life when he was informed that Kirishima will be taking him on a tour around the castle. He hopped up from the couch before joining the bespectacled secretary with the excitement of a child being liberated from his grounded corner.
"During this tour please refrain from wandering off or Lord Asami would not be pleased," Kirishima warned sternly.
"Yeah, yeah I get it. Just get on with it."
Tsk this brat and his attitude. Kirishima thought. "Right follow me."
As they walked through the hallways of the castle Akihito noted the number of guards on duty as well as the key details of the area that could be helpful for his escape. To his surprise, there weren't that many guards as he assumed there would be. Sure a few had been stationed outside their private quarters to keep a close eye on him while Asami was absent. But after that, the well-kept hallways was mostly barren of life. In fact it was too quiet. It felt as if he was walking through a strict library where even the slightest whisper would reward you a scolding and the only sounds permissible was your echoing footsteps.
Akihito's frustration grew as the secretary continued to walk past the closed doors like they weren't necessary for him go in. Akihito was given a brief tour rather than a proper one. He voiced his concerns. "Why are we avoiding so many rooms?"
"I have other duties to attend to. It will consume a lot of time if we visit every room of this castle. I'm only showing you the main chambers of each level."
Akihito sighed inaudibly before crossing his arms behind his head in a casual manner. Better than being caged up in Asami's room all day. "So what's Asami doing now?" He sauntered closer to the older vampire with an inquisitive tone.
"Business as usual."
"What business?"
"Preparing." Kirishima stated without meeting the boy's eyes.
"Preparing for what?" Akihito dropped his arms as he felt unsettled by the meaning.
"Ask him yourself later tonight."
"Like that guy would tell me anything!"
The secretary chuckled amusedly. "Now back to what I wanted to say. The castle has six levels in total including the basement and the attic. The main level consists of the entrance, ballroom, kitchen and dining. The second is the library, study room and lastly Lord Asami's private office...which I assume you know where it is." He looked to the boy with an accusing stare.
Akihito shrugged uncaringly. "I suppose so."
"And the third level consists of th—"
WOMP!
Something had hit the castle, though its impact wasn't earth-shattering, instead it had a mighty splosh to its hit. A smirk leaked from Kirishima's lips for a few seconds before he concealed it but because Akihito was distracted by looking outside the window he did not see this.
"I can't see from this angle!" Akihito smacked the window frame with his palm. Did his father declare war?! No this was very unlikely. This had to be another one of those stunts they use to protest. But what did they hurl over the wall and how would Asami react to the mess this time? Akihito couldn't settle his composure, he had to check out the extent of the damage since that could determine the severity of their penalty.
"It appears bats never learn. Such primitive behaviour needs taming."
That was when Akihito glowered at the secretary. "Taming...?" He scoffed at the remark before leaning up confidently and with a prideful smile that was hard to forget. Was this how the Silverbloods perceived them as — wild, then so be it. Akihito had just started paying off his fine, so regardless of what Asami mentioned last night, it didn't matter, because one night of sex wasn't going prevent him from breaking said rules. He had been curbed of his active lifestyle and was bursting to release his energy. Time to show them he can't be wholly tamed.
Akihito pointed daringly at the secretary. "You underestimate us four-eyes." And without warning he bolted off despite being informed not to do so.
"Takaba!" Kirishima reached out to him but the cheeky vampire had already made his getaway. "Oi, come back! What is he doing?"
Akihito ignored him and continued to run, he didn't know the way but for sure these corridors must lead to somewhere, hopefully to some stairs. As he approached an intersection he became discombobulated and twirled left and right, dancing awfully in circles as he was forced to take a gamble on which way to take. Kirishima's shadow was drawing near, Akihito took his chance and made a left turn. And what luck he had...spirally stairs! He proceeded to the lower grounds.
"Nope this is the basement," he mumbled to his idiotic self. He went too far down in such a hurry and the maids who were busy folding their laundry into a basket shifted their attention to him.
Akihito saw his chance in extracting quick information. "Hi there ladies, which way is the main entrance?" He waved and smiled with the captivating charm of a prince, earning a coy reaction from them. What looked like a wealthy visitor who had appeared lost in his way to them...was actually a debt-ridden man dressed in extravagant clothing.
"One level up," they signalled their hands up.
"Thanks ladies." He rewarded them with a lovable grin and they giggled shyly.
Then Akihito's face paled and his grin fell horrified. Approaching from behind the young maids was Ni Seo, as Akihito remembered the scarred-neck maid. She had her arms crossed over her chest and as she brushed past the younger maids with a surly expression, they shrivelled into obedient servants and shunned Akihito. Seo stared at him intently, castigating him with those squinting eyes since she lacked a working voice. Each step she took was unhurried but her austerity was powerful in spreading fear.
Seo spooked him and he fled from the basement immediately. Climbing up one round of stairs he finally made it to the main level. Akihito recalled a memory, this was the side stair he took in search for Asami's office in order to avoid taking the central staircase. On that particular night, finding the office was a game of luck since their gathered intel was purely based on rumours.
Akihito kept his body glued to the wall as he sneaked along cautiously. He peeped from around the corner, the entrance was clear, the double doors were left opened and no one stood guard. Akihito suddenly realised he had an opportunity to escape while nearly every guard in the precinct was distracted. A surge of adrenalin tempted him to risk it all. Half of his body begun to move on its own accord, agonising for the feel of freedom whereas the other clung to the corner crying in doubt. But the emptiness of the room beckoned him forward and he tore free from mental chains that shackled him back. Akihito scrambled for dear life and the smell of fresh air thrilled him. He was nearly out of here, just a few more metres.
"And where do you think you're flying off to, my little bat?" Asami's voice echoed from across the central staircase.
Akihito froze altogether as if someone had pressed a pause button on him. A nervous bead of sweat dripped from his forehead. He was behaving impetuously, and now, he regretted his decision that was fuelled by a false sense of success. Spinning around quickly to confront the vampire lord he put up on a defensive act. "No-no-nowhere! I just wanted to see what hit the castle that's all!"
"Is that so?" The vampire lord looked at him unconvinced. Face stern as usual.
"Yeah! Got a problem?"
Out of the blue, Kirishima came rushing to his master's side. "Sire! Takaba, he took off!"
"At ease, he's standing before us."
The secretary pressed his glasses back up with a smug look on his face as he looked down. Akihito seethed inwardly at the sight of the two. These two bastards have caused him a whole lot of misery with their scheming and underhanded tactics. They'll get a taste of their medicine one day, any form of punishment will do just as long as karma had run its course.
"Bring the equipment," Asami instructed to Kirishima quietly.
"Yes my Lord." The secretary nodded and was dismissed. Akihito harboured a strong distrust against them and disliked their every move. He watched them closely.
"Follow me Akihito, lets see how severe the damage is to my property."
Akihito radiated off a bitter air that growled keep a certain distant as Asami came closer, but the older vampire didn't heed and a caressing knuckle ran to trace down Akihito's jaw, intimately teasing him.
"Stop that." Akihito brushed his hand away from his face before turning his back with his arms crossed. Asami smiled at the so-called unhappy wife. He'd love to play with Akihito a little longer and maybe fluff him up as well but the inspection of his castle was a priority.
"Lets go."
Akihito grunted in response and followed behind. As they walked the vampire lord decided to have a little chat along the way. "Didn't my secretary warn you not to go off on your own without my consent."
"Yeah...well...he provoked me."
"In what way?"
"He insulted my people." Akihito replied before pulling a sullen pout.
"And so that gave you a legitimate reason to run off?" He flashed Akihito a disapproving look.
Akihito fought back, his fierce stare wielding conviction. "Vampires like you are always looking down upon our kind, taking advantage of us, and labelling us as a primitive race. You land suckers don't even know us! You wouldn't understand our pain or what we go through! We have rights just like you, so don't go around thinking you can tame us like animals!" His rant almost left him starving for air.
"I see." Asami responded in a low voice but his reaction was inscrutable to Akihito. As they passed the courtyard a suffocating smell was spreading uncontained from the site of the impact. It had a scent of farmyard animals and decay. Akihito looked slightly green in complexion, Asami on the other hand didn't seemed to be affected by it at all, or maybe it did bother him but he obscured it with a poker-face. Akihito could never read him.
Arriving at their destination the soldiers shuffled to the side to make way for their leader. All heads were gazed up with a look of disgust — few pinching their noses. On the side of Asami's castle an unidentifiable gunk decorated its exterior, it had a gooey texture and the revolting colour of mud. Added to the filth was animal fur and feathers, the pieces that failed to cling flew freely to those below and around it, littering the floor and getting caught in the shrubs of the royal garden.
The longer they stood there to admire a cave bat's concoction of revenge, the stronger the smell became as the obnoxious gas spewed out slowly. Soon they were reaching their limit of tolerance. Akihito's eyes were beginning to water, the tainted air surrounding them had an irritating effect. He recognised this weapon, this was the 'fire bee bomber', similar to the ones that were released in Vldörf but its ability to harm was not instantaneous. The fire bee was designed to be the ultimate weapon of vandalism and slow torture to those in its radius.
"Now someone in your colony will reap the consequences. Starting with your friends," Asami declared, his words marked death.
Akihito rushed to the older vampire, begging for forgiveness like his life depended on it. "Wait there's no real damage done to the castle. I can clean this all up, just please don't harm them!"
"Clean, you say?" Asami wanted an absolute guarantee from the younger vampire.
"Yes!" The promise in Akihito's eyes had never shone so brightly.
"Good, I was waiting for that reaction."
What threatening expression had quickly transitioned into a devious smile. This quick change of mood confounded Akihito and it made him worry about the vampire lord's real intention.
"Here it is sire!" A voice informed. Akihito turned around when Kirishima and his men dumped a pile of cleaning equipment before him.
Asami loomed over Akihito, his taller physique striking terror into him. "Now clean up boy, to the last feather."
Akihito gulped, such a cruel demand, was there any pity for him? The secretary handed Akihito a face respirator. "What is this?"
"A breathing apparatus," Kirishima replied to him. Akihito stared at it in his hands before curiously fiddling with it, this was his first time witnessing such an invention.
"LOOK OUT!" A soldier shouted from above. Another fire bee bomber had been hurled and it had splattered right next to the first, exacerbating the mess and Akihito's workload.
Asami sighed.
Kirishima jotted on his notebook.
The Silverbloods dispersed away like frightened ants for fresh air.
The birds dropped and fainted.
And Akihito sobbed inwardly.