Chapter Nine: Damn Holy Water
Teresa smiled. If the slayer wanted to play with her, he had to play more fairly. She did not like evidence of the effectiveness that his bolt had left behind. The old human in her arms trembled as her switch-blade drew a drop of blood underneath his chin. "Come out and fight us more fairly, human."
Gabriel grimaced at the sight of the advantage the female vampire held over him. He did not want to lose any more lives tonight her clan, and she knew it. She was experienced. He raised his arms slowly and entered into the clearing.
Three of the male vampires had made it effortlessly to the base of her tree. Wicked smiles were spread across their faces. She was outnumbered.
"Come out, darling. We won't hurt you...much," a scruffy blonde creature called. His long fangs flashed with his smile.
"Odd," said another. "I can't hear her breath. But she smells wonderful though. Eh, Phoebus?"
A clean shaven vampire's smile widened at the comment. "It's driving me wild." Praepondero grabbed a handful of the stars from her bandoleer, eyeing the damned creatures below. They were foolish to play with her as if she were normal prey. Her pupils narrowed to make out the white gleams of their throats. The stars glistened like beam-shots of moonlight as they were flung from her fingertips. Chortled cries met her ears after the sound two small wet thuds. She had missed one.
The man was foolish to come near. Teresa snarled. "Drop the crossbow, mortal." She inclined her head to three remaining vampires by her side. Two of them had their daggers brandished in their hands, closing in on him. "Fight fair or the man dies." The human woman behind the vampiress was wide and awake, fear evident on her face. She remained frozen in her spot, not wanting to draw any attention to herself.
Gabriel gave the vampires a quick nod and dropped his favored weapon of the moment. "Knives only, gentlemen?"
The two advanced upon him almost at once. Helsing grimaced as one of the daggers that were thrown graced his leg, and then he ducked to let the other lodge itself in a tree behind him. They were quick, but he had been expecting that. While he had dodged, he had withdrawn and thrown one of his own daggers, catching one of the creatures in the chest. It screamed and crumpled into ash.
The other vampire with knives gave him an assessing look as he stuck. "Damn Holy water?"
Helsing moved with the attack and twisted out of the way, lucky that the blade had only taken some of his hair. He pulled out one of his tojo blades and managed to get a painful yelp from the vampire. The wound quickly healed underneath the blur of clothing that was the vampire. A very solid fist too fast for the human eye caught him square in the jaw, knocking him to the ground. The vampire was upon him in seconds.
Praepondero was frightened as she saw too glowing white hands dissolve out of the dark and push her from her position. She fell to the forest ground, moaning painfully as she hit it hard. She whirled out from underneath the advance of two large feet from above. It was the black-haired clean-shaven vampire, Phoebus.
Her body moved in and out gracefully as she danced away from each of his blows. The vampire hissed with annoyance with each strike that missed her. Her size gave her an advantage in speed, but it was an advantage that normal humans would not have over the supernatural.
Praepondero knew that she couldn't avoid his attacks forever, so she took her chance. One of her hands moved quickly into a small pouch at her belt as she ducked an overhead blow. She snapped back up and whipped her body into the very position of the dragon that Tseng Ti had named her after. She struck out with a ferocity that caught the creature off guard. Her speed was enough to make him take the defensive and back up. He was just as quick though, blocking her. Where she struck, she met solid flesh. He struck back, knowing that his prey was weaker. She cried out in pain as his fist met her in the ribs; the momentum threw her into the truck of a tree. Breath was knocked from her, and the vampire moved in for the kill.
Gabriel was fairing much than his partner. He had been quick enough to unload a few bullets into the face of his attacker, which in turn also gave him the opportunity to stake the creature in the chest while it was distracted. The bulkier vampire that was guarding the female was all that remained between him and beautiful killer. "Is she really worth it?" grunted Helsing as dodged a massive fist. The vampire hissed, spittle dripping off a fang. "Die, mortal!" A hard kick was delivered to Helsing's gut. The hunter dropped to the ground in pain.
"You were entertaining while you lasted, beautiful," the black-haired vampire spat. His long porcelain-white fingers encased themselves like iron around her slender throat. The world began to spin as oxygen was cut off from her, but she only smiled up at the loathed being. "Don't get cocky."
"What?"
"Hell awaits you," she choked out. The back of her head throbbed, and she thought she felt the trickle of warm blood flowing down the back of her neck.
The vampire blinked in confusion as her statement and then looked down at the smoldering hole that was spreading outward on his chest. His hand shot out to touch the wound. It only spread quicker. Praepondero watched while gasping for air as the creature blew away as ash on the breeze.
She had no time to lose, for Helsing's sake. She shook her head clear of its haze. Her hand snatched up the empty dart that had slipped from her fingers, and it was replaced with a stack of small throwing stars as she raced into the clearing.
Gabriel's body twitched in pain as lightening blow after blow was dealt to his body. He had managed to smack the vampire several times, but mortal fists couldn't do much. A large foot came up to meet him in the face. It stopped several inches from his face. The vampire had paused to watch in terror as several lethally blessed throwing stars burry themselves into the female's hand and throat. The switch-blade dropped harmlessly into the grass, and the human scurried away as the lovely creature withered into dust. Gabriel didn't waste a second as he jabbed a dagger that had been concealed up his sleeve under the chin of the last vampire. He nodded thanks to a battered Praepondero that entered into the circle of the camp. She managed a smile and winced as she rubbed the back of her head. She brought her hand to her face and noticed the wet white blood that oozed down her palm. "What a lovely shade of..." Gabriel cried out as she fell to the ground, hoping that she was just unconscious...
Teresa smiled. If the slayer wanted to play with her, he had to play more fairly. She did not like evidence of the effectiveness that his bolt had left behind. The old human in her arms trembled as her switch-blade drew a drop of blood underneath his chin. "Come out and fight us more fairly, human."
Gabriel grimaced at the sight of the advantage the female vampire held over him. He did not want to lose any more lives tonight her clan, and she knew it. She was experienced. He raised his arms slowly and entered into the clearing.
Three of the male vampires had made it effortlessly to the base of her tree. Wicked smiles were spread across their faces. She was outnumbered.
"Come out, darling. We won't hurt you...much," a scruffy blonde creature called. His long fangs flashed with his smile.
"Odd," said another. "I can't hear her breath. But she smells wonderful though. Eh, Phoebus?"
A clean shaven vampire's smile widened at the comment. "It's driving me wild." Praepondero grabbed a handful of the stars from her bandoleer, eyeing the damned creatures below. They were foolish to play with her as if she were normal prey. Her pupils narrowed to make out the white gleams of their throats. The stars glistened like beam-shots of moonlight as they were flung from her fingertips. Chortled cries met her ears after the sound two small wet thuds. She had missed one.
The man was foolish to come near. Teresa snarled. "Drop the crossbow, mortal." She inclined her head to three remaining vampires by her side. Two of them had their daggers brandished in their hands, closing in on him. "Fight fair or the man dies." The human woman behind the vampiress was wide and awake, fear evident on her face. She remained frozen in her spot, not wanting to draw any attention to herself.
Gabriel gave the vampires a quick nod and dropped his favored weapon of the moment. "Knives only, gentlemen?"
The two advanced upon him almost at once. Helsing grimaced as one of the daggers that were thrown graced his leg, and then he ducked to let the other lodge itself in a tree behind him. They were quick, but he had been expecting that. While he had dodged, he had withdrawn and thrown one of his own daggers, catching one of the creatures in the chest. It screamed and crumpled into ash.
The other vampire with knives gave him an assessing look as he stuck. "Damn Holy water?"
Helsing moved with the attack and twisted out of the way, lucky that the blade had only taken some of his hair. He pulled out one of his tojo blades and managed to get a painful yelp from the vampire. The wound quickly healed underneath the blur of clothing that was the vampire. A very solid fist too fast for the human eye caught him square in the jaw, knocking him to the ground. The vampire was upon him in seconds.
Praepondero was frightened as she saw too glowing white hands dissolve out of the dark and push her from her position. She fell to the forest ground, moaning painfully as she hit it hard. She whirled out from underneath the advance of two large feet from above. It was the black-haired clean-shaven vampire, Phoebus.
Her body moved in and out gracefully as she danced away from each of his blows. The vampire hissed with annoyance with each strike that missed her. Her size gave her an advantage in speed, but it was an advantage that normal humans would not have over the supernatural.
Praepondero knew that she couldn't avoid his attacks forever, so she took her chance. One of her hands moved quickly into a small pouch at her belt as she ducked an overhead blow. She snapped back up and whipped her body into the very position of the dragon that Tseng Ti had named her after. She struck out with a ferocity that caught the creature off guard. Her speed was enough to make him take the defensive and back up. He was just as quick though, blocking her. Where she struck, she met solid flesh. He struck back, knowing that his prey was weaker. She cried out in pain as his fist met her in the ribs; the momentum threw her into the truck of a tree. Breath was knocked from her, and the vampire moved in for the kill.
Gabriel was fairing much than his partner. He had been quick enough to unload a few bullets into the face of his attacker, which in turn also gave him the opportunity to stake the creature in the chest while it was distracted. The bulkier vampire that was guarding the female was all that remained between him and beautiful killer. "Is she really worth it?" grunted Helsing as dodged a massive fist. The vampire hissed, spittle dripping off a fang. "Die, mortal!" A hard kick was delivered to Helsing's gut. The hunter dropped to the ground in pain.
"You were entertaining while you lasted, beautiful," the black-haired vampire spat. His long porcelain-white fingers encased themselves like iron around her slender throat. The world began to spin as oxygen was cut off from her, but she only smiled up at the loathed being. "Don't get cocky."
"What?"
"Hell awaits you," she choked out. The back of her head throbbed, and she thought she felt the trickle of warm blood flowing down the back of her neck.
The vampire blinked in confusion as her statement and then looked down at the smoldering hole that was spreading outward on his chest. His hand shot out to touch the wound. It only spread quicker. Praepondero watched while gasping for air as the creature blew away as ash on the breeze.
She had no time to lose, for Helsing's sake. She shook her head clear of its haze. Her hand snatched up the empty dart that had slipped from her fingers, and it was replaced with a stack of small throwing stars as she raced into the clearing.
Gabriel's body twitched in pain as lightening blow after blow was dealt to his body. He had managed to smack the vampire several times, but mortal fists couldn't do much. A large foot came up to meet him in the face. It stopped several inches from his face. The vampire had paused to watch in terror as several lethally blessed throwing stars burry themselves into the female's hand and throat. The switch-blade dropped harmlessly into the grass, and the human scurried away as the lovely creature withered into dust. Gabriel didn't waste a second as he jabbed a dagger that had been concealed up his sleeve under the chin of the last vampire. He nodded thanks to a battered Praepondero that entered into the circle of the camp. She managed a smile and winced as she rubbed the back of her head. She brought her hand to her face and noticed the wet white blood that oozed down her palm. "What a lovely shade of..." Gabriel cried out as she fell to the ground, hoping that she was just unconscious...