Chapter 10: To Follow the Scent of Death
Wow, it has definitely been a long time since I've updated this story and for that I apologize. I have been very busy working on my other fics and I have still yet to catch up to everything with school and work also in the mix now. Anyways, I hope that you enjoy this chapter and I hope that I will have the next chapter posted soon. Thank you to all for your patience and same warnings apply for this chapter as the previous chapters.
Chapter 10: To Follow the Scent of Death
Luckily for Derek, Rai, and John, they ran into a trio of werewolves on their way down the stairs just as the others were coming up.
"Rai."
Rai smiled when he saw that Richard was among the werewolves. "Richard. I was hoping that you would come."
"Of course. This is Shelly and Erik." Offering a small smile, the taller man introduced his comrades and approached the necromancer. "We heard about what happened but I'm sorry to say that we have no information on whom your assaulter may be."
"Don't worry about that. I have another way to find them." He withdrew a mitten from his pocket with his own gloved hands. "I know that this may be slightly degrading and I sincerely apologize but this may be the only way to get to them before they kill my friends."
"You want us to follow the scent on the glove?" Richard questioned with a somewhat raised eyebrow.
Mutely nodding in response, Rai silver-blue eyes were nearly pleading with his friend. To his relief, the werewolf gave a small incline of his head in agreement and took the glove. "Thank you."
Richard sighed and eyed Rai carefully. "You do realize that I will have to shift partially in order to follow this correct? There are risks to that."
"I know but at this point I am desperate to get to them. Who knows what they have done to Wufei and Trowa." Shuddering, the brunette gratefully leaned into the strong arms that encircled his waist and pressed back against Derek.
"Alright then."
Rai closed his eyes as he heard the wet snapping sound of bones repositioning themselves and only when he was confident that the transformation was complete did the American look. It didn't matter how many times he had witnessed a lycanthrope shift, he still felt queasy if he had to actually watch them. "We're ready when you are Richard."
The half-wolf, half-man nodded and he took a careful sniff at the glove, inhaling the scent before searching the night around him. A second later, Richard was racing across the parking lot and his remaining companions could only spare each other a glance before taking off after him.
* * * * *
Ruen smirked cruelly as he stood in the middle of a clearing under the moonless sky; his only light being those of the stars and the few lanterns set up along the perimeter.
"Come Ruen." Whispered a silky voice. "You have earned this reward."
The vampire looked over to his master, who was standing near the two futilely struggling and bound pilots and grinning maliciously. Gripping the poison-tipped dagger in his hand, Ruen flash a responding smile and his eyes twinkled with the promise of death as he neared Trowa and Wufei.
"Yes." Hissed the older vampire as Ruen came to a stop before Rai's friends. "The necromancer shall surely fall when he sees the blood of his dear companions."
"Quite." Ruen's blood-red eyes darted from his master to his intended victims and without so much as remorse in his expression, sent the dagger plunging for Wufei's heart.
* * * * *
"They are near. I can smell them." Richard growled out softly as his muscles tensed. Rai, who was standing beside him, allowed his eyes to slip shut and after a moment, also nodded in confirmation.
"Don't tell me you can smell them too." John muttered, receiving a light chuckle from Rai.
They all watched, some in shock, as Rai allowed himself to slip into his elven form. "Nay, I cannot smell them but I can hear them." He gestured to his softly pointed ears with a grin before turning back into the direction that Richard had directed them to. "Well, shall we be on our way then?"
"We shall." Derek answered and his features melted to those of a vampire, John following suit.
Together the troupe of two vampires, three werewolves, and an elven necromancer made their way through the underbrush and into the darkness that lay before them.
* * * * *
Wufei refused to shut his eyes as Ruen moved to kill him but to his surprise, the vampire suddenly twisted his wrist at the last moment and all in the clearing gasped in shock as the dagger plunged into the master's chest.
Time stood still for a brief second and then it started again with Ruen flying to the ground, clutching his head. Above him, the master snarled furiously, ripping out the dagger and glaring at Ruen. "How dare you?! Traitor! You will pay dearly for that!" Suddenly, the master barked out a mocking laugh. "Did you seriously believe that such a small thing can kill me?"
Ruen scrambled to his feet and moved to stand in front of Wufei and Trowa. "I never expected the dagger to kill you, that would just be too easy but what I coated the blade with will work nicely."
"What are you talking about, fool?!"
"I am speaking of the blessed silver and holy water that was just sent into your system. I assure you that it will take affect in a short while." The white-haired vampire stared back bravely at his master as the impending attack of fangs, nails, and weapon came flying at him.
* * * * *
Rai couldn't believe what he witnessed as he stood at the edge of the clearing. He had predicted the moment when Ruen would hit Wufei but to his never ending surprise, his old friend switched his target and instead sent the weapon into the other vampire's heart. So numb with shock, Rai would have never reacted in time to save Ruen if it weren't for Wufei's cry of denial. Raising his arm, the elf muttered a protection spell and he sighed in relief when the master's attack crashed into the invisible barrier around Ruen.
"There goes our surprise attack. Let's go." Richard muttered as they strolled fully into the clearing. To their reprieve, their enemies seemed still too stunned at the traitorous action to react, and this allowed the necromancer to reach the now recovering master before anyone spoke.
"I do believe we have a score to be settled." Wintry blue eyes narrowed as they met the dangerous brown of his foe and Rai tensed in anticipation as the other climbed to their feet.
The vampire smirked and straightened confidently. "Yes we do, necromancer."
Rai crossed his arms and relaxed. "Awfully sure aren't we?" He snorted in disgust. "Well, I suppose we should start this correctly. Since you know my name, would you care to share yours?"
"This is not a game necromancer. Do not take me so lightly." The other warned, obviously angry with Rai's nonchalant attitude.
Rai had to resist the urge to laugh. "Of course I realize this isn't a game. I wouldn't be as naïve as to actually underestimate you. I just thought it was sort of rude that you know my name and I still have yet to be introduced to you."
Snarling in annoyance, the master rushed forward. Obviously the rest of the enemy saw this as the signal to begin the fighting and the small group of friends suddenly found themselves battling for their lives.
"You want to know my name?" An evil gleam entered the cold brown eyes as the master circled Rai, who stood calmly composed as he nodded. "Then you will know it. I am Kurisata Soji, your master!"
Rai scoffed as a smile inched along his lips, "We shall see." He whispered as she leapt forward, fangs bared and the struggle began
* * * * *
Ruen grunted as he pushed aside the dead corpse of another vampire before turning back to Wufei and Trowa. He quickly removed their gags but before he could finish untying them, the white-haired vampire heard a scuffle of feet behind him and he spun around just in time to deflect an attack that would have killed him.
Shouting in fury, Ruen grabbed his foe by the neck in a tight grip and smirked uncaringly into the younger vampire's eyes before tearing out the other's neck and then plunging his other hand into the chest. Dropping his newest victim to the ground, Ruen hurriedly finished freeing his friends, "Here, take these." He withdrew a gun and a small blade from under his jacket. "I would advise you aim for their hearts and be wary of their gaze."
Trowa nodded his gratitude as he took the firearm and a few clips from Ruen before joining the fray. Wufei though paused as he took hold of his sword. "Thank you."
"Anytime Wufei. Besides I owe Taranthiel a lot more than this." Before the Chinese pilot could ask who Taranthiel was, Ruen had run into the battle and with a final shrug, Wufei went to join Trowa.
* * * * *
"I will make sure you suffer dearly for taking my husband's life!"
Rai's eyes narrowed and he dodged another attack. "You are perfectly aware of what your husband was attempting to do before I killed him. Better his life than millions of innocents, vampire."
"And I suppose you would know, elf. I know your people care naught for humans. I mean, compared to your life spans, they are but small specks warring and destroying what you struggle so much to protect." Kurisata spat out and winced when one of Rai's spells managed to brush her skin.
"We may prefer to deal with only our own affairs but even we have enough heart to care for humans if they are in need." Rai's pure silver eyes flashed and a tiny globe of white energy hovered in his hand. "Tis part of the reason I am a necromancer and tis also why I am here to stop you."
Expression grim, the necromancer began to chant the last words of his spell but as he reached the last syllable, he felt a bulky force slam into his side. Stumbling back a few steps as he lost his concentration, Rai grimaced as he heard the cracking of bones and felt a fiery pain shooting up his arm. He bit down on his lower lip to keep from screaming out in agony and turned his eyes up just in time to watch helplessly as Kurisata leapt at him.
T.B.C.
Well, that's it for chapter ten. I think that maybe there will only be one or two chapters left for this story and then all done. Thanks to those that have reviewed and please give some feedback for this chapter.
Wow, it has definitely been a long time since I've updated this story and for that I apologize. I have been very busy working on my other fics and I have still yet to catch up to everything with school and work also in the mix now. Anyways, I hope that you enjoy this chapter and I hope that I will have the next chapter posted soon. Thank you to all for your patience and same warnings apply for this chapter as the previous chapters.
Chapter 10: To Follow the Scent of Death
Luckily for Derek, Rai, and John, they ran into a trio of werewolves on their way down the stairs just as the others were coming up.
"Rai."
Rai smiled when he saw that Richard was among the werewolves. "Richard. I was hoping that you would come."
"Of course. This is Shelly and Erik." Offering a small smile, the taller man introduced his comrades and approached the necromancer. "We heard about what happened but I'm sorry to say that we have no information on whom your assaulter may be."
"Don't worry about that. I have another way to find them." He withdrew a mitten from his pocket with his own gloved hands. "I know that this may be slightly degrading and I sincerely apologize but this may be the only way to get to them before they kill my friends."
"You want us to follow the scent on the glove?" Richard questioned with a somewhat raised eyebrow.
Mutely nodding in response, Rai silver-blue eyes were nearly pleading with his friend. To his relief, the werewolf gave a small incline of his head in agreement and took the glove. "Thank you."
Richard sighed and eyed Rai carefully. "You do realize that I will have to shift partially in order to follow this correct? There are risks to that."
"I know but at this point I am desperate to get to them. Who knows what they have done to Wufei and Trowa." Shuddering, the brunette gratefully leaned into the strong arms that encircled his waist and pressed back against Derek.
"Alright then."
Rai closed his eyes as he heard the wet snapping sound of bones repositioning themselves and only when he was confident that the transformation was complete did the American look. It didn't matter how many times he had witnessed a lycanthrope shift, he still felt queasy if he had to actually watch them. "We're ready when you are Richard."
The half-wolf, half-man nodded and he took a careful sniff at the glove, inhaling the scent before searching the night around him. A second later, Richard was racing across the parking lot and his remaining companions could only spare each other a glance before taking off after him.
* * * * *
Ruen smirked cruelly as he stood in the middle of a clearing under the moonless sky; his only light being those of the stars and the few lanterns set up along the perimeter.
"Come Ruen." Whispered a silky voice. "You have earned this reward."
The vampire looked over to his master, who was standing near the two futilely struggling and bound pilots and grinning maliciously. Gripping the poison-tipped dagger in his hand, Ruen flash a responding smile and his eyes twinkled with the promise of death as he neared Trowa and Wufei.
"Yes." Hissed the older vampire as Ruen came to a stop before Rai's friends. "The necromancer shall surely fall when he sees the blood of his dear companions."
"Quite." Ruen's blood-red eyes darted from his master to his intended victims and without so much as remorse in his expression, sent the dagger plunging for Wufei's heart.
* * * * *
"They are near. I can smell them." Richard growled out softly as his muscles tensed. Rai, who was standing beside him, allowed his eyes to slip shut and after a moment, also nodded in confirmation.
"Don't tell me you can smell them too." John muttered, receiving a light chuckle from Rai.
They all watched, some in shock, as Rai allowed himself to slip into his elven form. "Nay, I cannot smell them but I can hear them." He gestured to his softly pointed ears with a grin before turning back into the direction that Richard had directed them to. "Well, shall we be on our way then?"
"We shall." Derek answered and his features melted to those of a vampire, John following suit.
Together the troupe of two vampires, three werewolves, and an elven necromancer made their way through the underbrush and into the darkness that lay before them.
* * * * *
Wufei refused to shut his eyes as Ruen moved to kill him but to his surprise, the vampire suddenly twisted his wrist at the last moment and all in the clearing gasped in shock as the dagger plunged into the master's chest.
Time stood still for a brief second and then it started again with Ruen flying to the ground, clutching his head. Above him, the master snarled furiously, ripping out the dagger and glaring at Ruen. "How dare you?! Traitor! You will pay dearly for that!" Suddenly, the master barked out a mocking laugh. "Did you seriously believe that such a small thing can kill me?"
Ruen scrambled to his feet and moved to stand in front of Wufei and Trowa. "I never expected the dagger to kill you, that would just be too easy but what I coated the blade with will work nicely."
"What are you talking about, fool?!"
"I am speaking of the blessed silver and holy water that was just sent into your system. I assure you that it will take affect in a short while." The white-haired vampire stared back bravely at his master as the impending attack of fangs, nails, and weapon came flying at him.
* * * * *
Rai couldn't believe what he witnessed as he stood at the edge of the clearing. He had predicted the moment when Ruen would hit Wufei but to his never ending surprise, his old friend switched his target and instead sent the weapon into the other vampire's heart. So numb with shock, Rai would have never reacted in time to save Ruen if it weren't for Wufei's cry of denial. Raising his arm, the elf muttered a protection spell and he sighed in relief when the master's attack crashed into the invisible barrier around Ruen.
"There goes our surprise attack. Let's go." Richard muttered as they strolled fully into the clearing. To their reprieve, their enemies seemed still too stunned at the traitorous action to react, and this allowed the necromancer to reach the now recovering master before anyone spoke.
"I do believe we have a score to be settled." Wintry blue eyes narrowed as they met the dangerous brown of his foe and Rai tensed in anticipation as the other climbed to their feet.
The vampire smirked and straightened confidently. "Yes we do, necromancer."
Rai crossed his arms and relaxed. "Awfully sure aren't we?" He snorted in disgust. "Well, I suppose we should start this correctly. Since you know my name, would you care to share yours?"
"This is not a game necromancer. Do not take me so lightly." The other warned, obviously angry with Rai's nonchalant attitude.
Rai had to resist the urge to laugh. "Of course I realize this isn't a game. I wouldn't be as naïve as to actually underestimate you. I just thought it was sort of rude that you know my name and I still have yet to be introduced to you."
Snarling in annoyance, the master rushed forward. Obviously the rest of the enemy saw this as the signal to begin the fighting and the small group of friends suddenly found themselves battling for their lives.
"You want to know my name?" An evil gleam entered the cold brown eyes as the master circled Rai, who stood calmly composed as he nodded. "Then you will know it. I am Kurisata Soji, your master!"
Rai scoffed as a smile inched along his lips, "We shall see." He whispered as she leapt forward, fangs bared and the struggle began
* * * * *
Ruen grunted as he pushed aside the dead corpse of another vampire before turning back to Wufei and Trowa. He quickly removed their gags but before he could finish untying them, the white-haired vampire heard a scuffle of feet behind him and he spun around just in time to deflect an attack that would have killed him.
Shouting in fury, Ruen grabbed his foe by the neck in a tight grip and smirked uncaringly into the younger vampire's eyes before tearing out the other's neck and then plunging his other hand into the chest. Dropping his newest victim to the ground, Ruen hurriedly finished freeing his friends, "Here, take these." He withdrew a gun and a small blade from under his jacket. "I would advise you aim for their hearts and be wary of their gaze."
Trowa nodded his gratitude as he took the firearm and a few clips from Ruen before joining the fray. Wufei though paused as he took hold of his sword. "Thank you."
"Anytime Wufei. Besides I owe Taranthiel a lot more than this." Before the Chinese pilot could ask who Taranthiel was, Ruen had run into the battle and with a final shrug, Wufei went to join Trowa.
* * * * *
"I will make sure you suffer dearly for taking my husband's life!"
Rai's eyes narrowed and he dodged another attack. "You are perfectly aware of what your husband was attempting to do before I killed him. Better his life than millions of innocents, vampire."
"And I suppose you would know, elf. I know your people care naught for humans. I mean, compared to your life spans, they are but small specks warring and destroying what you struggle so much to protect." Kurisata spat out and winced when one of Rai's spells managed to brush her skin.
"We may prefer to deal with only our own affairs but even we have enough heart to care for humans if they are in need." Rai's pure silver eyes flashed and a tiny globe of white energy hovered in his hand. "Tis part of the reason I am a necromancer and tis also why I am here to stop you."
Expression grim, the necromancer began to chant the last words of his spell but as he reached the last syllable, he felt a bulky force slam into his side. Stumbling back a few steps as he lost his concentration, Rai grimaced as he heard the cracking of bones and felt a fiery pain shooting up his arm. He bit down on his lower lip to keep from screaming out in agony and turned his eyes up just in time to watch helplessly as Kurisata leapt at him.
T.B.C.
Well, that's it for chapter ten. I think that maybe there will only be one or two chapters left for this story and then all done. Thanks to those that have reviewed and please give some feedback for this chapter.
