Matthew had two more encounters. Luckily, his only opponents were ghouls.
He took them out easily with the Valkyrie's slugs, now knowing to attack
before they could form up. He was glad he had an extra five rounds of ammo
to work with. He came to the end of the street and surveyed the area. Now
clear of most of the buildings, he could see where the blasts of fire had
come from. The town was mostly built around a castle, and Shalrik had
picked that castle as his base of operations. Seras and Alexander hadn't
arrived yet, so Matthew looked for a place where he could have good
visibility and good cover. His search was interrupted, however.
A familiar voice came from behind him. "Jemeth!"
Matthew turned and brought his arms to the Valkyrie. There, in the light of the red sky, stood Johnson. He wore a combat suit with all equipment and identification removed. He looked almost normal, save for his eyes. His eyes were bright red. Johnson gave a smile frighteningly similar to Shalrik's. "Johnson!" He turned the Valkyrie to the side, unable to lower it due to its mounts. "What's going on?"
Johnson walked toward him. "You failed me, Jemeth. You let them get me and turn me into what I am now." He stopped about twenty feet away. "I almost have to thank you. Your failure has allowed me to become something glorious!" He cackled insanely. "I am Lord Sharik's greatest creation! And as a reward for my loyalty, Lord Shalrik has given me permission to remove you from this Earth." He gave a cold, predatory smile as his fingers dissolved into claws. "Now I shall end your pitiful existence, weakling vampire."
Matthew slid his arms inside the straps of his backpack, allowing the pack to fall to the ground, and yanked his brownings. He dropped into a combat stance, with his right browning ahead of his left by about half a foot. Thumbing back their hammers, he spoke. "You're calling me pitiful? I am a true undead! You're just some experiment gone awry!"
Johnson's eyes burned with rage and he leapt at Matthew. Matthew brought his pistols to bear and fired, peppering Johnson with anti-vampire bullets. Johnson flew by Matthew, his claws slicing through the denim of Matthew's jacket and into the flesh of his back. Matthew gasped from the pain then launched himself to the side, spiraling in the air to fire at Johnson again. He landed on his feet facing Johnson and surveyed the damage he'd caused. Johnson, chuckling, turned to face Matthew. The bullets fell from their holes as they were pushed from Johnson's body. 'Ah, Hell...'
He brought up his brownings and fired again, hitting Johnson with all of them. Two pierced his chest. Johnson continued to smile. "That hurt quite a bit. I do believe I will have to kill you for it." Johnson was standing next to Matthew's pack. Turned to it and yanked out Matthew's Spitfire through brute force. Holding by the stock, he hurled it at Matthew. Matthew sidestepped out of the way, watching at the Spitfire flew through the air and landed on the ground several meters behind him. He turned to face Johnson again, planning on asking just what he'd meant to accomplish, but that was made painfully clear very quickly.
Johnson used Matthew's distraction to leap again, and had closed the distance by the time Matthew turned around. Johnson's claws dug into Matthew's shoulders as he was knocked back. Matthew lost his grip on his brownings. With the way he'd been moving his arms as he'd been hit, the pistols were sent flying through the air to land next to her pack. Johnson pinned him to the ground, pulling one set of claw out to attack again. "Not good enough, weakling. Maybe as a reward for killing you, Lord Shalrik will let me have Seras Victoria? I'm sure he could... change her mind about what she is."
Matthew's red eyes burned with rage. In the few months he'd known her, Seras had become one of Matthew's best, closest friends. And no one spoke of his friends that way. No one. His rage fueled him, causing his strength to increase tenfold. "Bastard!" Matthew yelled. Ignoring the pain it caused, he brought his arms up and shoved Johnson up. Johnson, not expecting such a violent reaction, was sent up a couple feet, his claws pulling from Matthew's shoulders. Matthew then brought his feet up above him, and as Johnson connected with them he pushed with all the strength he had, sending Johnson flying. He had little time to act. Getting his feet under him, Matthew launched himself to where the Spitfire lay. He landed on his hands, snatching up the Spitfire as he let his leap end with a side roll. He stopped in a one knee kneel. Johnson had already recovered and had close the distance, moving too fast to stop. Matthew brought the Spitfire to bear, felt its barrels come into contact with Johnson's chest. Matthew gave a cold smile and pressed the shotgun firing button.
The Spitfire coughed, its shell of silver shot tearing into the flesh of Johnson's chest and tearing through his heart. Johnson flew backwards and landed on the ground on his back. He wasn't dead, but he was down for the moment until he could regenerate. Matthew wasn't going to give him the chance. He threw the Spitfire over to land by the rest of his weapons, then pulled the grenade from his protected inside jacket pocket. He leapt at Johnson once again, pulling the grenade's pin with his fangs. When he was directly over Johnson, he released the grenade's fuse trigger and shoved it into the hole made by the Spitfire's shot. He landed in a forward roll next to his gear. He quickly snatched up all his weapons and starting walking away, not turning to look at Johnson again. Mentally, he said his farewells to who had once been a great man.
Ahead of him was Seras. It was too dark to see her face... until the grenade went off. The light from its explosion illuminated her face for a moment and told him all he needed to know. First, she'd heard what Johnson had said about her before Matthew struck. Second, Johnson had been silenced by the grenade. As Matthew reached Seras, he could better see her condition in the lowered light. She'd been injured, but not badly. Just some scrapes, cuts, and a nasty bruise on her right thigh.
"You all right?" Matthew asked.
"Yes, fine." She reloaded her cannon as Matthew reloaded his weapons and put them back in their places. "You?"
Matthew checked his shoulders. His wounds were already starting to close. He then snaked his hand up between his jacket and his pack to check the wounds on his back, finding they had already healed. "I will be in a minute. Thanks... Seras." He'd been about to say 'Master' again, but he figured that was the last thing she needed to hear. "Where's Alexander?"
"Right here," came Alexander's Scottish accented voice. Matthew turned. Alexander also looked slightly injured, but he had a big grin on his face. Obviously he found combat as enjoyable as Alucard.
Another fireball leapt from the castle. He looked to the open door of the castle. "Let's go help him."
A familiar voice came from behind him. "Jemeth!"
Matthew turned and brought his arms to the Valkyrie. There, in the light of the red sky, stood Johnson. He wore a combat suit with all equipment and identification removed. He looked almost normal, save for his eyes. His eyes were bright red. Johnson gave a smile frighteningly similar to Shalrik's. "Johnson!" He turned the Valkyrie to the side, unable to lower it due to its mounts. "What's going on?"
Johnson walked toward him. "You failed me, Jemeth. You let them get me and turn me into what I am now." He stopped about twenty feet away. "I almost have to thank you. Your failure has allowed me to become something glorious!" He cackled insanely. "I am Lord Sharik's greatest creation! And as a reward for my loyalty, Lord Shalrik has given me permission to remove you from this Earth." He gave a cold, predatory smile as his fingers dissolved into claws. "Now I shall end your pitiful existence, weakling vampire."
Matthew slid his arms inside the straps of his backpack, allowing the pack to fall to the ground, and yanked his brownings. He dropped into a combat stance, with his right browning ahead of his left by about half a foot. Thumbing back their hammers, he spoke. "You're calling me pitiful? I am a true undead! You're just some experiment gone awry!"
Johnson's eyes burned with rage and he leapt at Matthew. Matthew brought his pistols to bear and fired, peppering Johnson with anti-vampire bullets. Johnson flew by Matthew, his claws slicing through the denim of Matthew's jacket and into the flesh of his back. Matthew gasped from the pain then launched himself to the side, spiraling in the air to fire at Johnson again. He landed on his feet facing Johnson and surveyed the damage he'd caused. Johnson, chuckling, turned to face Matthew. The bullets fell from their holes as they were pushed from Johnson's body. 'Ah, Hell...'
He brought up his brownings and fired again, hitting Johnson with all of them. Two pierced his chest. Johnson continued to smile. "That hurt quite a bit. I do believe I will have to kill you for it." Johnson was standing next to Matthew's pack. Turned to it and yanked out Matthew's Spitfire through brute force. Holding by the stock, he hurled it at Matthew. Matthew sidestepped out of the way, watching at the Spitfire flew through the air and landed on the ground several meters behind him. He turned to face Johnson again, planning on asking just what he'd meant to accomplish, but that was made painfully clear very quickly.
Johnson used Matthew's distraction to leap again, and had closed the distance by the time Matthew turned around. Johnson's claws dug into Matthew's shoulders as he was knocked back. Matthew lost his grip on his brownings. With the way he'd been moving his arms as he'd been hit, the pistols were sent flying through the air to land next to her pack. Johnson pinned him to the ground, pulling one set of claw out to attack again. "Not good enough, weakling. Maybe as a reward for killing you, Lord Shalrik will let me have Seras Victoria? I'm sure he could... change her mind about what she is."
Matthew's red eyes burned with rage. In the few months he'd known her, Seras had become one of Matthew's best, closest friends. And no one spoke of his friends that way. No one. His rage fueled him, causing his strength to increase tenfold. "Bastard!" Matthew yelled. Ignoring the pain it caused, he brought his arms up and shoved Johnson up. Johnson, not expecting such a violent reaction, was sent up a couple feet, his claws pulling from Matthew's shoulders. Matthew then brought his feet up above him, and as Johnson connected with them he pushed with all the strength he had, sending Johnson flying. He had little time to act. Getting his feet under him, Matthew launched himself to where the Spitfire lay. He landed on his hands, snatching up the Spitfire as he let his leap end with a side roll. He stopped in a one knee kneel. Johnson had already recovered and had close the distance, moving too fast to stop. Matthew brought the Spitfire to bear, felt its barrels come into contact with Johnson's chest. Matthew gave a cold smile and pressed the shotgun firing button.
The Spitfire coughed, its shell of silver shot tearing into the flesh of Johnson's chest and tearing through his heart. Johnson flew backwards and landed on the ground on his back. He wasn't dead, but he was down for the moment until he could regenerate. Matthew wasn't going to give him the chance. He threw the Spitfire over to land by the rest of his weapons, then pulled the grenade from his protected inside jacket pocket. He leapt at Johnson once again, pulling the grenade's pin with his fangs. When he was directly over Johnson, he released the grenade's fuse trigger and shoved it into the hole made by the Spitfire's shot. He landed in a forward roll next to his gear. He quickly snatched up all his weapons and starting walking away, not turning to look at Johnson again. Mentally, he said his farewells to who had once been a great man.
Ahead of him was Seras. It was too dark to see her face... until the grenade went off. The light from its explosion illuminated her face for a moment and told him all he needed to know. First, she'd heard what Johnson had said about her before Matthew struck. Second, Johnson had been silenced by the grenade. As Matthew reached Seras, he could better see her condition in the lowered light. She'd been injured, but not badly. Just some scrapes, cuts, and a nasty bruise on her right thigh.
"You all right?" Matthew asked.
"Yes, fine." She reloaded her cannon as Matthew reloaded his weapons and put them back in their places. "You?"
Matthew checked his shoulders. His wounds were already starting to close. He then snaked his hand up between his jacket and his pack to check the wounds on his back, finding they had already healed. "I will be in a minute. Thanks... Seras." He'd been about to say 'Master' again, but he figured that was the last thing she needed to hear. "Where's Alexander?"
"Right here," came Alexander's Scottish accented voice. Matthew turned. Alexander also looked slightly injured, but he had a big grin on his face. Obviously he found combat as enjoyable as Alucard.
Another fireball leapt from the castle. He looked to the open door of the castle. "Let's go help him."
