A/N: Chapter twenty-six and I'm running out of ways to thank everyone lol. This chapter's mostly a fight scene, so it's more of a filler. Thanks everyone!
Adapt to the challenges in life,
Or die by giving up.
As the two people entered the clearing, Seras was surprised to see that the pair consisted of a man and woman. Looking at their appearance, she noticed immediately that their facial features were similar to the first Freak she had battled. But there was a different air about them. One she didn't like at all.
The air around them reminded her of a house she'd entered as a police officer. A family had been brutally murdered, there was no reason given even by the murderer himself. They were only a normal family, with parents and a few children. But the pervading atmosphere around the house was one of death, naked and brutal. These were the vibes she felt now, from the two people before her.
"Well, well" Alucard said, apparently not taken by their normal enough appearance. "Two more dogs. Come to have some fun, Freaks?"
Seras turned her head quickly, and noticed for the first time the color of their eyes. They had the same color discoloration as the others, showing the truth in what her master had called them.
The man stepped forward at being called a dog, but his partner held him back. Facing her, she merely shook her head no. He grudgingly stopped his forward progress, though continued to scowl at Alucard.
"Fine" the man said, directing his words toward his companion. "I guess we may as well have a spot of fun with 'em before our work. But remember, can't let 'em leave here alive or we're finished."
The woman turned toward Alucard, and motioned for him to follow her. He grinned back at her and willingly complied, eager for some fun of his own.
"Then I guess I get the girl. You always do have more fun."
Seras watched their one-sided conversation in disbelief. To her they appeared to be picking which person to do battle with, which she realized was exactly true. Especially when the man came toward her, while the woman moved farther off with Alucard. Each was giving the other room enough to fight, so neither would interfere with the other.
The man looked at her closely, sizing her up. His widening grin only furthered to annoy Seras, who was not in the mood to be checked out by anyone, much less a Freak. He straightened the jacket he wore, obviously preparing himself for what he considered 'business'.
"Hello, little girl. My, you're sweet lookin'." He gave her a cocky smile, showing off a pair of fangs.
Seras crouched low to the ground, preparing for the combat. Great, another smart ass she thought disgustingly, wondering if all Freaks had an attitude problem. But at least the battle would be a grateful distraction from her tumultuous thoughts, which were still echoing in the back of her mind.
"Pay attention to your opponent, Police Girl. Don't underestimate him because of his attitude."
"I know" she answered, irritated by her master's interference. He could distract her more than her thoughts.
"Oh, you wanna play?" the vampire chuckled, amused by her challenging pose. "Fine by me. Besides, you killed my little brother, and I always pay debts."
Brother? Seras thought, confirming her earlier notice to their resemblance. No wonder I was reminded of the first Freak. Her wandering thoughts caused her to be off guard for his attack. The Freak, using the ground as leverage, kicked off with his feet and slamming into her stomach. She was launched back to the very edge of the clearing, the force of the blow also knocking her senses askew.
Before she could counterattack, the man was standing in front of her and Seras suddenly felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. Looking down, she realized there was a blade embedded in her stomach. The large knife had torn a huge gash around the penetration area, and she could feel the end lodged against the back of her spine. She grabbed the hilt and slowly removed the weapon from herself, as the maniacal Freak watched on. He showed no signs of stopping her, but rather he was enjoying ever bit of pain he caused her.
When the blade was completely removed, Seras stared in surprise at the weapon she held. She almost thought she was holding Anderson's weapon. The crooked blade, the long misshaped handle, only the length and point of the knife differed. The design was so similar to the one's the priest had used, she wondered if the man before her had known the mad Catholic.
But Seras noticed with disgust the major difference between the blades. The Freak had made the points of his knives blunt, creating a device of torture. The stabbing was harder to perform for the one wielding the weapon, but when they succeeded in penetrating the body, the pain would be more severe for the victim than if the end was sharp.
Shaking the clustered thoughts from her mind and focusing on the battle, she barely managed to dodge another fierce blow. The knife only managed to slice her arm, but the blade's edge stung her skin on contact. She yelped in pain and dropped the blade she had been inspecting, glaring at the man as he laughed in delight.
"A fun little game Ah've made up. Only half of my blades are made of silver, and my enemies never know which one they should dodge the quickest. Makes 'em more afraid." The last few words were barely above a whisper, making her shiver in their maliciousness.
Come on Seras she scolded herself. You have to pay attention, or you're going to die quick. But the wounds she'd already taken were making her movements lag, and she could only watch as he approached her. He slowly removed two more blades from his coat, and she wondered which had been made from silver.
"What's wrong, love? Not tired already, are ye?" He laughed out as he closed the short distance separating them.
I wish I had my gun she thought desperately, remembering the large hand cannon given to her by Walter. She'd left the weapon in her room, and there was no way of retrieving the much needed tool now.
Suddenly, she was startled to see a black vortex appear beside her. The hole was only a few feet round, nothing more than a shadow in the dark. She recognized the darkness as one similar to what Alucard used to transport them. She cautiously slipped her hand into the darkness and felt a large metal object on the other side. Finding a grip on the mysterious article, she quickly pulled it through the opening.
A gasp escaped Seras' lips as she stared at what now lay by her side. Her Harkonnen cannon. Her silent plea had been answered, and somehow she'd been able to open a dark gate to her room. She turned gratefully to the rapidly shrinking black hole, and smiled to herself at her accomplishment. But facing the Freak once again, her smile turned to a cold frown, and she leveled her hand cannon in his direction.
The appearance of the dark portal surprised the Freak as much as Seras, and he cut his laughter short as he watched the fledgling vampire place her hand into the swirling blackness. He watched shocked as she had pulled what appeared to be a large tank cannon out of the inky darkness. His fear was justified as she pointed the massive barrel in his direction. Because of his eagerness, he was now standing only a few feet away from her position.
Seras smirked as she watched the growing fear in the Freak's eyes, and she unhesitatingly fired the cannon. The gun's concussion made her slide back several feet, but her aim was true. The shell hit the Freak squarely in the stomach
She watched as he slowly turned to dust, the slightest breeze taking his ashes away. Her battle was over, and the outcome had been a little too indecisive for her comfort.
Meanwhile, Alucard and the woman were facing off.
"Will you give me a challenge, pathetic fake? The others before are not even worth mentioning. Especially the first." He grinned, knowing the woman would take offense. The angrier she was, the easier she would be dealt with.
The woman's eyes narrowed at the mention of her brother, the only signs of emotion she had shown yet. She reached both hands behind her, apparently reaching for something. Bringing them back into view revealed two long, silver whips.
The whips lashed quickly, slicing a sizeable hole into Alucard's left side. He hissed as the tips sliced into his skin, and jumped back in surprise.
"Silver tipped." He clutched his side in an attempt to stamp the bleeding. "So you do have some tricks of your own." He realized his taunting would be useless against the woman in front of him, who appeared to have the ability to set aside all emotions in battle. Only skill would determine who would win this fight.
The woman watched Alucard's suffering mutely, merely grinning at his words. Her only reply was to pull the whips back for another pass. However, Alucard knew what to expect from the next attack, and was able to easily avoid the whistling tips. However, he learned too late that the entirety of both whips had been dipped in a flexible casing of silver. His back was scorched and his coat was in smoking ribbons.
Alucard smiled to himself when he felt Seras' portal open. Her battle would end soon, and he had no doubt as to who would be the victor. Well then, he couldn't let his fledgling destroy her combatant before him, now could he?
Besides, Alucard realized he needed to finish this quick, or there would be little left of his body. But the woman was keeping quite a distance between them, meaning he couldn't get close enough to attack. Watching the woman circle him, he guessed the long range attacks were an indication of weakness in close combat.
There was only one thing he could think of doing.
On the next pass, Alucard stood still and watched the silver rope come whistling toward him. At the last moment before impact, he grabbed the end of the whip. Immediately, the silver burnt his hands beyond recognition, but he held on. The woman, surprised by his apparent lack of intelligence, tried to pull them back, but he only grabbed more of the whip's length. Alucard started walking slowly toward her, grabbing onto more whip as he approached.
Realizing what his plan was, the Freak lashed out with her twin weapon, trying to make Alucard release his grip on the other. But having taken control over one, he was able to dodge the other with ease.
Then an idea struck him through his pain wracked mind, and he waited while she flung the whip back for another try at dislodging him. He grabbed onto the second rope, and now held both in his burning hands. With his strength quickly ebbing away, he pulled both whips as hard as he could toward him. The Freak, foolishly refusing to release her grip, went sailing toward the trees surrounding the meadow. She slammed into a large oak, losing consciousness momentarily.
Alucard walked up to the woman and grabbed her by the neck. The Freak awoke and immediately began squirming under his grip, but she could not break free from the master vampire's steel grasp. Alucard's eyes locked with hers, and the female vampire suddenly quieted. Seras, her battle now over, watched the interaction with curiosity. She was also confused as to exactly what her master was doing, since he hadn't yet taught her this trick.
Alucard's eyes widened in amazement as he found the information he was looking for, but his emotions quickly turned to amusement. Finally finished with his mind probing, he broke eye contact with the woman. He waited as she slowly regained control of her mind, her eyes widening in horror at what Alucard had done to her.
"You were a worthy opponent. For that, I'll give you a quick death." He took her head in between his hands, and with one push, crushed her skull.
"Master, what did you do to her?" Seras asked, cautiously walking up to the elder vampire.
"Mind reading, a technique far above your level of skill."
Then Alucard turned to her, and Seras saw that the strange look from earlier had returned in his eyes as he gazed at her. However, this time he took no pains to cover the mysterious emotion, rather, he just stood like that for a long moment. Seras began to squirm under his steady gaze, wondering if the look meant she'd failed him once again.
Seras was somewhat alarmed as she watched Alucard walk up to her. She wasn't sure what his intentions were, but the fledgling vampire could do little to stop him if he meant to hurt her. Facing her, he leaned down, making them at eye level. He brazenly licked a spot of blood of her face, surprising her enough to jerk back. Alucard merely grinned and gently grabbed her elbow. Then she understood what he was trying to say.
"Well done, Police Girl." With that simple gesture, she knew all was forgiven for her outburst earlier, and she blushed at the acknowledgment. Seras gently leaned against her master as he transported them back to their room for a peaceful, and well deserved, rest.