AK: Oh gosh, I've really been neglecting this story, haven't I? Well, with good reason. My computer charger crapped out, leaving my laptop dead, and I didn't get it until January 10!!! But don't worry, I haven't forgotten any of the fans I may have for this story (X3) so here is the next chapter! And in other good news, I think I finally feel my Writer's Block ebbing away. . . little by little. . . I believe I can at least finish this story, though. However, I'm not entirely sure how long that will be, so I won't give anyone false hope when I don't even know myself. But just to say, I'm pretty sure I won't be finishing within the next few weeks unless I submit a chapter or two every day. So, no worries for now!
:)
Now, here you ago! READ!!!! XD
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A pale shade of vermillion streaked a pale blue sky when Skinner opened his eyes and peered out from the shadow of his hood. Instantly, he noticed two things: Dark, Oni, and Frost weren't there, and he could hear someone approaching from the mountain trail.
Jumping to his feet, Skinner's hands clutched his throwing knives tightly, his knuckles turning white, and faced the direction the sound of footsteps was coming from, gradually becoming louder and louder.
A few feet over, Skinner heard Leif stir, and saw the newborn vampire's emerald eyes flicker open.
". . . Skinner, what's wrong?"
"Shhh!" Skinner hissed lowly. "I hear someone coming!"
Leif turned his gaze in the same direction as Skinner's.
"It's a human," Leif announced quietly.
Skinner's tense muscles relaxed slightly, but he still asked, "Are you sure?"
Leif nodded, eyes bright. "She doesn't have the same cold, harsh scent as another vampire. In fact, she smells. . . wounded."
In horror, Skinner watched as Leif's emerald eyes widened and faded to a deep crimson shade. ". . . She reeks of blood. . ."
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The sky was already bright with the harsh glare of the sun, even though it was barely above the horizon. Its rays shone easily through the few, thick downy clouds, barely warming Dark and Frost's icy skin. Beside them, Oni's skin temperature was just as freezing.
The trio continued to race time, hoping they could possibly skip the clock to make it to Sune in time.
Within a few minutes, they paused at the base of an enormous cliff on the face of the mountain up the trail. Smaller cliffs jutted out in random places, and when Dark scrutinized hard enough, he noticed iron bars were latched onto the side of the host cliff.
Frost and Oni caught on, and the three began climbing up the side of the cliff, hearts pounding in their throats as Sune's scent became stronger. . . as well as the scents of other vampires.
As they clawed up the cliff, Dark whispered to his two partners, "There are about ten Mortal Bashers up there. Now, when we get to the last miniature cliff jutting out of the wall of this cliff, we'll pause, then get ready to attack. But we'll have to be fast, because I can scent Sune moving around up near that pool of lava!"
Frost nodded, his faded blue eyes alight with fire. Oni gave a slight dip of his head, and continued advancing ahead of the two vampires, credit to his long legs and frightening height.
Finally, once the scent of Mortal Bashers was stained within the three Demon Basher's nostrils, they managed to reach the last cliff before the edge of the large cliff face.
Fortunately, the Mortal Bashers patrolling atop the dominate cliff were inexperienced with scents or hadn't detected the three's intrusion yet.
"Now," Dark whispered barely audible, so Oni and Frost had to strain to listen, even though their hearing was more keen than some of their own species, "we're all going to make a dash through these Mortal Bashers, okay? Kill any that get in your way, but keep in mind every second counts! Just try to get past them so we can reach the top of the volcano, alright?"
Oni drew the Double Helix from the sheath across his back; Frost clenched his fists and bared his pearly fangs.
"Let's go, then," Dark grinned.
Climbing the last few feet of iron bars, the three Demon Bashers pulled themselves to the surface.
Instantly, an overwhelming scent of blood stung their nostrils. Dark's eyes deepened in color; now they resembled onyxes that someone had bled over. Frost's eyes flashed a brilliant ruby shade. Oni turned away, war tattoos flashing scarlet.
In the center of the camp that had been set up by the Mortal Bashers there lay a large pit of dead bodies, still with full veins. Blood leaked from some of the victims bodies, thick and luxuriant.
"Keep your mind. . ." Dark groaned softly, ducking behind a large boulder. Oni and Frost followed lithely, as if they were Dark's shadow.
Two seconds later, a patrol of Mortal Bashers passed in front of the boulder the three concealed themselves behind. The four Mortal Bashers had no knowledge of the trespassers, and continued along with pausing.
"Yep, just as I thought," Dark murmured. "They are newbies, most likely newborns who aren't accustomed to, or have been trained from the looks of it, to check their surroundings by scent. It's obvious they most likely rely on sight."
"Why would Ganon send untrained vampires to patrol an area?" Frost asked, casting anxious glances every few milliseconds towards the pile of dead bodies.
"Probably because," Oni interrupted, "this area isn't visited often, but he still needs his thumb on Death Mountain. And since I know for a fact he keeps skilled Mortal Bashers in Kakariko, he expects them to take out any that might hope to reach Death Mountain."
"Ah." Frost gripped a handful of white and black streaked hair. ". . . Daaark, I want one of those bodies!!"
"SHHH!" Dark hissed. "We can't afford to leave too much scent in the vicinity in case the Mortal Bashers do catch on. And we're not entirely sure they don't rely on sound, either."
"R-Right. . ." Frost tucked his hands in his pockets. "Let's just get out of here."
Dark nodded, then went completely still. His keen hearing picked up the footsteps of each Mortal Basher in the vicinity. He heard the nearest patrol only a few feet away, and once they passed, only heard the steps of vampires in the distance. They were just turning away from the slope that led up the trail to the volcano's crater.
"Okay, when I say go. . . haul tail after me," Dark commanded, tensing his body in the form of a pounce, readying himself for a mad dash.
Oni kept a firm grip on his blade, while Frost kept his fangs bared.
". . . Go!!!" ordered Dark, launching himself forward, a shadowy blur as he flashed the Mortal Basher camp.
Frost and Oni followed on his heels, but their speed wasn't enough to let themselves go through unnoticed.
"INTRUDERS!!!!" came the screech of a female Mortal Basher. Instantly, Dark found him, Frost, and Oni surrounded by nearly a dozen Mortal Bashers. They made a circle around the intruders, malice in their extraordinary crimson pools.
"Well, now," laughed a harsh voice, and one vampire pushed his way forward. Dark brown hair shadowed violet eyes. "What do we have here?"
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The pain was still fresh as it coursed through Eirian's veins, flashing like lava through her frozen body. She was daunted by how many sounds reached her sensitive ears; she had never even known she had been missing out on so many noises, including ones she didn't know the source of.
At first, Eirian feared she was being pursued as she began her trek up the trail, but even though no one appeared behind her and there weren't any places to hide, she finally figured out she was hearing her own footsteps, though to her ears the delicate noise was advanced loudly.
Even the smells that managed to enter her nostrils seemed new, but even so, vaguely familiar. It amazed her as she realized the smell of air had become crisper and lighter, making it easier to identify other enhanced scents. The way the earth was so musky. . . how hot the fair rays of the sun were. . . even the downy clouds managed to reach her perimeter. It felt like she was learning everything all over again, and her mind was having an odd time adjust to these changes as well.
"So weird. . ." Eirian gasped, not expecting to feel like knives were being shoved down her throat when she spoke.
Can't vampires run really fast? Eirian wondered, feeling power beginning to surge through her blood.
Instantly, to test her theory, Eirian lunged forward, and at first didn't feel any different than if she were running as a human.
But when she came to a rest and looked back to see how much distance she had covered, she was beyond amazed to see that instead of about clearing ten feet in a few seconds, she had cleared nearly a hundred yards.
Blinking a couple times, Eirian figured being a vampire wasn't too horrible. . . until one specific though crossed her mind.
Rage flared inside again, and hatred for Umbriel burst back, strong and fresh.
"Do this. . . to your own people. . .?" Eirian choked out through the ache in her throat. "You're. . . so. . . self. . . ish. . ."
Clamping her fangs shut, which were growing steadier by the minute, Eirian decided to use her nightmare to an advantage.
Taking dainty sniffs every few seconds, she strained to pick out the one she had known since she had met it in the Sheikah Village.
It came easily, and Eirian knew she had a perfect lock on Umbriel's whereabouts. But another smell adorned Umbriel's. . . one that made the hair on Eirian's neck rise in anticipation and thirst.
Blood.
The hunger for the liquid Eirian spotted in drops on the ground made her watery-colored eyes flash to a deep vermillion. She had not yet tasted blood. . . her eyes could not adjust to its color.
But she knew all too well what it looked like, and though her eyes also had a demonic orange tint, she knew she was going to quench this thirst.
Excitement coursed through her veins as she launched forward, gaining distance in unbelievable amounts of time.
Eirian was whipping past gargantuan chunks of boulders and stones, her thin yet incredibly durable body dodging them with ease. As she raced up the mountain, wind caressing her cold face, she suddenly realized a new set of smells, ones she couldn't determine, and slowed her pace.
Pausing to get a better reading, she began to learn another fact in the science of scenting.
Somehow, by some new instinct or trait she had earned from her almost complete transformation, she could tell four humans and a vampire lay ahead.
Then, something hit Eirian like the sharpest whip: Umbriel's was one of the human scents.
About time.
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AK: Yeah, I know the chapter could have been longer, but it's all good. Anyways, I do have a bit of an idea for the next chapter, so I think I'll manage to get it up soon after this one! Yay! I wish I could give all my readers delicious warm chocolate chip cookies (or whatever flavor you prefer) so I guess I'll have to settle for giving my best in this story.
Now, Dark has something to tell you.
Dark: I have a question for all you readers. . . who is hotter? Me or Oni?
AK: *nosebleed* Does my vote count, Dark?
Dark: That depends. Who are you voting for?
AK: Who do you think, dumbass?!
Dark:. . . Help me, I'm clueless.
AK: YOU.
Dark: In that case, yes your vote counts. But anyone else who votes, your opinions will be taken as they come. And even if I end up losing, I promise not to corrupt any votes. . .
AK: Good. You're improving.
Dark: Sooooo. . . if you want your vote to count. . . guess what you have to do. . .
AK: Press that really pretty button at the bottom of the page that says 'Review.'
Dark: C'mon, you can do it!!
AK: Be nice. Some people might not have the mental strength to figure out how a button works.
Dark: I do!
AK:. . .
Dark: Or not. . .
AK: Anyways, review and Dark won't think you don't know how to work a button!