Creatures of the Light
*LEGAL DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own VHD or any part of it, nor do I owe songs marked with an asterisk.**
Night came as they fled.
D didn't spare his horse one bit as he and Reen held tight to the reins as Nightmare rushed along, foam flying from the horse's mouth. Reen was trying her best to keep Nightmare in shape, but she was still tired and weak. She could barely keep herself on the horse's back, let alone do anything to help him run faster.
D could hear the sounds of their pursuers gaining on them, hear them snarling and growling. He hadn't dared turn to see what was chasing them.
Suddenly he realized Reen was chanting under her breath, rocking ever so slightly. D wondered what she was saying, and soon Reen was chanting loud enough for him to make out her words.
"By light of moon, by ray of sun, show to me what has begun..." A faint glow surrounded her, and after a few moments she nodded slowly. "These creatures...one of them is Recol. The other is his wife, Ailii."
D nodded, figuring Recol must have slipped off to transform after he'd left the hotel. He thought back and found he didn't remember seeing Recol when he had come back in.
"I have no more magick," Reen said suddenly. "I haven't had enough time to recover using all my energy yet and I have been trying to keep Nightmare from breaking down...it will take at least another two or three days now that I have used the last dregs of my power."
"Don't worry," D said as he heard the sounds of the creatures behind them. "We can outrun-" His words were cut short as something slammed into Nightmare's right side. Reen grunted and grabbed hold of Nightmare's neck to stay on, and D was jarred from his seat. He hit the ground and rolled, getting to his feet, sword drawn.
He could see now that the beasts that were chasing them were werepanthers. Their blue-and-red fur glistened in the light of the half-moon as they began to stalk around him. Nightmare staggered to a stop, sides heaving, and Reen turned to watch.
~Be careful D. They are stronger and faster than they look,~ Reen said mentally. D felt his mind tingle a bit at the oddness of hearing someone's actual voice in his head. ~Watch your back and don't let them have any openings. Werepanthers are deadly. Watch their claws and fangs. These beasts can kill in minutes.~
~Thanks for the warning,~ D answered, watching the werepanthers stalk around him, He lifted the point of his sword ever so lightly, and lunged for the nearest one, which he assumed to be Recol.
The huge beast snarled and jumped out of the way as Ailii leapt from behind, her claws flashing. D sensed her coming and ducked down, twisting and thrusting his sword upwards. Ailii growled in anger as she did a sort of midair twist, just barely avoiding D's sword. But as she landed, D followed her and trusted again. This time he hit home.
Ailii gave a scream as the blade went through her back and came out of her stomach. D pulled back just as she lashed, her claws catching the end of his cloak and ripping through it like it was tissue paper.
Recol gave a scream of rage and hatred as he watched Ailii slump to the ground, blood running from her wounds, off D's sword. They all watched as she turned back into a woman. Her white hair was messed with dirt, blood, and debris. Her flesh was pale. Recol screamed again, his eyes glowing red with hate and grief.
D said nothing as he studied Recol. The werepanther snarled in rage and lunged. D shifted, moving like water, ducking under the werepanther's range of attack. His sword flashed as he brought it down, aiming for the beast's heart.
But Recol had predicted his movements and shifted in midleap, jaws opening, fangs gleaming, and caught D's sword in his mouth. Then, he landed, and with a jerk, snapped the blade in two.
D narrowed his eyes and dropped his broken sword, watching as Recol cockily sauntered around him, snarling. Reen gave a soft whisper. "D...be careful...."
Recol suddenly titled his head, then snarled again and lunged. D crouched, taking the brunt of Recol's attack as the werepanther bit and clawed at him. D shifted under the creature's heavy weight, avoiding each blow. Then, with a sudden snarl of his own, he gripped Recol's head and twisted it to one side. Reen watched in shock as D kept twisting, and finally snapped Recol's neck. He then dropped the dead werepanther as Recol returned to his human form. D narrowed his eyes a little before realizing there was a deep gash on his left shoulder. As Reen dismounted and hurried over to him, he touched a hand to the wound and flinched. How had he received such a wound without realizing it?
Slowly the wound began to heal as Reen came to a stop before him. She put a hand to his wound and muttered under her breath. The wound vanished. Then Reen swayed and laughed weakly.
"I gathered a wee bit of energy. But now it's gone."
"Thank you."
"What now?" Reen asked, looking to the dead bodies. D narrowed his eyes.
"They're dead. It's no longer our problem."
"No. They still live. We need to do something with them before they come to..."
"How can they still be alive?"
"They are. I can feel their spirits still inside their bodies. We must-"
She was cut off as Ailii suddenly lunged for her, grinning evilly. She locked and arm around Reen's neck as D growled dangerously.
"Hold it Dunpeal. Move and I'll kill her." D growled again as he heard Recol standing behind him. After a moment he felt the prick of something sharp in his back. D didn't move.
"That was quite a run! Mushin will be here soon and he can deal with them then."
"Very well. So we guard them till he arrives?"
"Yes indeed my dear."
Reen said nothing as D looked at her. She just blinked a few times then closed her eyes. She stood there, and Ailii chuckled.
"Don't feel bad Reen. It's nothing personal. It's just Zaicondii is very anxious to meet you." she looked at D and smirked. "You and your Dunpeal friend here. Who would have thought, that two of the last would seek one another out?"
"What do you mean?" D asked. Recol laughed loudly.
"What? You don't know? It means that-"
"-That you and my dear friend Reen are Creatures of the Light," said Mushin as he stepped from the shadows. He laughed as D and Reen both gave him looks of shock. "Oh, of course you wouldn't believe me. Because either of you have et to awaken to what you really are. Neither of you know what you are capable of. Which is why Zaicondii wants the two of you so badly now. Before you realize your true powers and become a problem."
"What...?" Reen asked weakly, while d remained silent, going over what he had just heard. That would explain some things. Like how he felt around Reen. And also the fact that he always seemed to be aware of another power somewhere inside him, something other than his Vampire side. But how?
"How is such a thing possible?" he asked. "My father is Dracula. My mother was a human. How can I be one of them, a Creature of the Light?"
"Fool," Mushin spat. "It matters not what you are born as. Creatures of the Light are Chosen, and soon after birth are endowed with their powers and gifts. They don't learn of what they are until the time has come. That way they stay safe from the still-developing powers inside them. So they won't destroy with what they cannot control."
"Something Zaicondii should consider before doing this!" Reen shouted. "He doesn't understand the severity of what he is trying to do!"
"Silence," Mushin said nastily as he came over. "I could care less. I am simply serving Zaicondii, as payment for his showing me true life."
"And when? When did he show you this?" Reen asked icily. Mushin chuckled.
"Just about a year ago. I was surprised to learn that Reen, they very Dracolye I so admired, was a Creature of the Light." He shot D a look. "And even more so surprised was I to find the legendary Dunpeal was one as well."
"I'll bet," D muttered as he felt Recol poking him in the back again with whatever it was he had. Mushin chuckled a bit as he watched.
Anyways, Master Zaicondii is waiting. You two can go now," he added, waving Ailii and Recol away. They nodded, turning back into werepanthers and running off into the night. Mushin chuckled as he flicked his wrist, freezing D once more, and Reen this time too. He studied them before turning and muttering under his breath, waving his hands as he began to open a portal.
Just then, Nightmare neighed loudly and charged at Mushin, rearing and slamming his hooves into Mushin's head. The Vampire gave a shocked cry as he hit the ground hard and Nightmare stepped on him a few times for good measure. Then he offered his back to D and Reen, who quickly mounted as Mushin groaned in pain. Reen laughed.
"Sorry to run like this but we really must dash!" she called as they too disappeared into the night.
***
"Now what?" Reen asked as they ran. D shook his head.
"There's a place we can go to, where you can rest. It's a day's journey from here, and then from there we can go on to the caves Mushin was talking about."
"Where is it?" Reen asked, not wanting to say that she didn't trust the information anymore.
"A place I have only been to once. It's called the Barbarois. The old man, the Barbaroi, will give us protection if we pay him good enough."
"And if we don't?"
"Don't worry about that."
Reen fell silent as they went. Finally, exertion overcame her, and she slept.
***
"Are you sure you want to go there? The last time that old man tried to kill you!" the symbiot said with a touch of disbelief. D remained silent. The symbiot scowled. "D...come on already...there has to be somewhere else."
"No. We'll be safe there. I doubt Zaicondii will think to look there."
"Well how did we know where we were going in the first place? That we were at that hotel? The one Mushin sent the letter to? He has spies D! He's watching us!"
"I doubt that he will look for us there," D repeated flatly. The parasite sighed.
"Fine then. Ignore me like always. Just trying to keep you from ending up in a premature grave."
Silence. Finally the parasite spoke again.
"Do you believe what he said? About you and Reen?"
"I'm not sure."
"You know what that means? Don't you? You are one of the most powerful creatures alive! It would explain a few things...such as your stubbornness. Yes, Creatures of the Light are very stubborn."
"It would mean a lot of things," D responded. There was a moment's silence, and then the parasite chuckled.
"AAHH, yes it would, wouldn't it? It would indeed...And I daresay Reen may be included in this?" D said nothing and the parasite laughed more. "I knew it! See! You can't hide those thoughts and feelings from ME, haha! You can try but you will never succeed!"
D continued to remain silent as they rode. After a few moments, the parasite fell quiet, and D was allowed a few moments privacy.
~Maybe,~ he thought. ~Maybe.~
**Sorry for the short chapter but I got VERY tired writing this and wanted to finish this chapter before I went to bed. Don't forget to review!**
*LEGAL DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own VHD or any part of it, nor do I owe songs marked with an asterisk.**
Night came as they fled.
D didn't spare his horse one bit as he and Reen held tight to the reins as Nightmare rushed along, foam flying from the horse's mouth. Reen was trying her best to keep Nightmare in shape, but she was still tired and weak. She could barely keep herself on the horse's back, let alone do anything to help him run faster.
D could hear the sounds of their pursuers gaining on them, hear them snarling and growling. He hadn't dared turn to see what was chasing them.
Suddenly he realized Reen was chanting under her breath, rocking ever so slightly. D wondered what she was saying, and soon Reen was chanting loud enough for him to make out her words.
"By light of moon, by ray of sun, show to me what has begun..." A faint glow surrounded her, and after a few moments she nodded slowly. "These creatures...one of them is Recol. The other is his wife, Ailii."
D nodded, figuring Recol must have slipped off to transform after he'd left the hotel. He thought back and found he didn't remember seeing Recol when he had come back in.
"I have no more magick," Reen said suddenly. "I haven't had enough time to recover using all my energy yet and I have been trying to keep Nightmare from breaking down...it will take at least another two or three days now that I have used the last dregs of my power."
"Don't worry," D said as he heard the sounds of the creatures behind them. "We can outrun-" His words were cut short as something slammed into Nightmare's right side. Reen grunted and grabbed hold of Nightmare's neck to stay on, and D was jarred from his seat. He hit the ground and rolled, getting to his feet, sword drawn.
He could see now that the beasts that were chasing them were werepanthers. Their blue-and-red fur glistened in the light of the half-moon as they began to stalk around him. Nightmare staggered to a stop, sides heaving, and Reen turned to watch.
~Be careful D. They are stronger and faster than they look,~ Reen said mentally. D felt his mind tingle a bit at the oddness of hearing someone's actual voice in his head. ~Watch your back and don't let them have any openings. Werepanthers are deadly. Watch their claws and fangs. These beasts can kill in minutes.~
~Thanks for the warning,~ D answered, watching the werepanthers stalk around him, He lifted the point of his sword ever so lightly, and lunged for the nearest one, which he assumed to be Recol.
The huge beast snarled and jumped out of the way as Ailii leapt from behind, her claws flashing. D sensed her coming and ducked down, twisting and thrusting his sword upwards. Ailii growled in anger as she did a sort of midair twist, just barely avoiding D's sword. But as she landed, D followed her and trusted again. This time he hit home.
Ailii gave a scream as the blade went through her back and came out of her stomach. D pulled back just as she lashed, her claws catching the end of his cloak and ripping through it like it was tissue paper.
Recol gave a scream of rage and hatred as he watched Ailii slump to the ground, blood running from her wounds, off D's sword. They all watched as she turned back into a woman. Her white hair was messed with dirt, blood, and debris. Her flesh was pale. Recol screamed again, his eyes glowing red with hate and grief.
D said nothing as he studied Recol. The werepanther snarled in rage and lunged. D shifted, moving like water, ducking under the werepanther's range of attack. His sword flashed as he brought it down, aiming for the beast's heart.
But Recol had predicted his movements and shifted in midleap, jaws opening, fangs gleaming, and caught D's sword in his mouth. Then, he landed, and with a jerk, snapped the blade in two.
D narrowed his eyes and dropped his broken sword, watching as Recol cockily sauntered around him, snarling. Reen gave a soft whisper. "D...be careful...."
Recol suddenly titled his head, then snarled again and lunged. D crouched, taking the brunt of Recol's attack as the werepanther bit and clawed at him. D shifted under the creature's heavy weight, avoiding each blow. Then, with a sudden snarl of his own, he gripped Recol's head and twisted it to one side. Reen watched in shock as D kept twisting, and finally snapped Recol's neck. He then dropped the dead werepanther as Recol returned to his human form. D narrowed his eyes a little before realizing there was a deep gash on his left shoulder. As Reen dismounted and hurried over to him, he touched a hand to the wound and flinched. How had he received such a wound without realizing it?
Slowly the wound began to heal as Reen came to a stop before him. She put a hand to his wound and muttered under her breath. The wound vanished. Then Reen swayed and laughed weakly.
"I gathered a wee bit of energy. But now it's gone."
"Thank you."
"What now?" Reen asked, looking to the dead bodies. D narrowed his eyes.
"They're dead. It's no longer our problem."
"No. They still live. We need to do something with them before they come to..."
"How can they still be alive?"
"They are. I can feel their spirits still inside their bodies. We must-"
She was cut off as Ailii suddenly lunged for her, grinning evilly. She locked and arm around Reen's neck as D growled dangerously.
"Hold it Dunpeal. Move and I'll kill her." D growled again as he heard Recol standing behind him. After a moment he felt the prick of something sharp in his back. D didn't move.
"That was quite a run! Mushin will be here soon and he can deal with them then."
"Very well. So we guard them till he arrives?"
"Yes indeed my dear."
Reen said nothing as D looked at her. She just blinked a few times then closed her eyes. She stood there, and Ailii chuckled.
"Don't feel bad Reen. It's nothing personal. It's just Zaicondii is very anxious to meet you." she looked at D and smirked. "You and your Dunpeal friend here. Who would have thought, that two of the last would seek one another out?"
"What do you mean?" D asked. Recol laughed loudly.
"What? You don't know? It means that-"
"-That you and my dear friend Reen are Creatures of the Light," said Mushin as he stepped from the shadows. He laughed as D and Reen both gave him looks of shock. "Oh, of course you wouldn't believe me. Because either of you have et to awaken to what you really are. Neither of you know what you are capable of. Which is why Zaicondii wants the two of you so badly now. Before you realize your true powers and become a problem."
"What...?" Reen asked weakly, while d remained silent, going over what he had just heard. That would explain some things. Like how he felt around Reen. And also the fact that he always seemed to be aware of another power somewhere inside him, something other than his Vampire side. But how?
"How is such a thing possible?" he asked. "My father is Dracula. My mother was a human. How can I be one of them, a Creature of the Light?"
"Fool," Mushin spat. "It matters not what you are born as. Creatures of the Light are Chosen, and soon after birth are endowed with their powers and gifts. They don't learn of what they are until the time has come. That way they stay safe from the still-developing powers inside them. So they won't destroy with what they cannot control."
"Something Zaicondii should consider before doing this!" Reen shouted. "He doesn't understand the severity of what he is trying to do!"
"Silence," Mushin said nastily as he came over. "I could care less. I am simply serving Zaicondii, as payment for his showing me true life."
"And when? When did he show you this?" Reen asked icily. Mushin chuckled.
"Just about a year ago. I was surprised to learn that Reen, they very Dracolye I so admired, was a Creature of the Light." He shot D a look. "And even more so surprised was I to find the legendary Dunpeal was one as well."
"I'll bet," D muttered as he felt Recol poking him in the back again with whatever it was he had. Mushin chuckled a bit as he watched.
Anyways, Master Zaicondii is waiting. You two can go now," he added, waving Ailii and Recol away. They nodded, turning back into werepanthers and running off into the night. Mushin chuckled as he flicked his wrist, freezing D once more, and Reen this time too. He studied them before turning and muttering under his breath, waving his hands as he began to open a portal.
Just then, Nightmare neighed loudly and charged at Mushin, rearing and slamming his hooves into Mushin's head. The Vampire gave a shocked cry as he hit the ground hard and Nightmare stepped on him a few times for good measure. Then he offered his back to D and Reen, who quickly mounted as Mushin groaned in pain. Reen laughed.
"Sorry to run like this but we really must dash!" she called as they too disappeared into the night.
***
"Now what?" Reen asked as they ran. D shook his head.
"There's a place we can go to, where you can rest. It's a day's journey from here, and then from there we can go on to the caves Mushin was talking about."
"Where is it?" Reen asked, not wanting to say that she didn't trust the information anymore.
"A place I have only been to once. It's called the Barbarois. The old man, the Barbaroi, will give us protection if we pay him good enough."
"And if we don't?"
"Don't worry about that."
Reen fell silent as they went. Finally, exertion overcame her, and she slept.
***
"Are you sure you want to go there? The last time that old man tried to kill you!" the symbiot said with a touch of disbelief. D remained silent. The symbiot scowled. "D...come on already...there has to be somewhere else."
"No. We'll be safe there. I doubt Zaicondii will think to look there."
"Well how did we know where we were going in the first place? That we were at that hotel? The one Mushin sent the letter to? He has spies D! He's watching us!"
"I doubt that he will look for us there," D repeated flatly. The parasite sighed.
"Fine then. Ignore me like always. Just trying to keep you from ending up in a premature grave."
Silence. Finally the parasite spoke again.
"Do you believe what he said? About you and Reen?"
"I'm not sure."
"You know what that means? Don't you? You are one of the most powerful creatures alive! It would explain a few things...such as your stubbornness. Yes, Creatures of the Light are very stubborn."
"It would mean a lot of things," D responded. There was a moment's silence, and then the parasite chuckled.
"AAHH, yes it would, wouldn't it? It would indeed...And I daresay Reen may be included in this?" D said nothing and the parasite laughed more. "I knew it! See! You can't hide those thoughts and feelings from ME, haha! You can try but you will never succeed!"
D continued to remain silent as they rode. After a few moments, the parasite fell quiet, and D was allowed a few moments privacy.
~Maybe,~ he thought. ~Maybe.~
**Sorry for the short chapter but I got VERY tired writing this and wanted to finish this chapter before I went to bed. Don't forget to review!**