"My Lord, we have reports of a vampire sighting near the village of Ramstein. Sources say it was a female who had a child pinned to the ground when a villager alerted the others." A messenger hurried into the main chamber of the Hunter's Association waving a piece of parchment urgently. "It seems a hunter was in the area at roughly the same timeframe yet we have no reports of anyone under our association confronting the vampire."
"Well, isn't this interesting," A deep voice spoke up as a figure moved from the shadows and into the flickering light of the wall torches. His hardened, scarred face looked upon the messenger with vague interest. A brown orb briefly traced over the parchment in the warm glow, the other staring unseeing ahead with a milky gaze. "Silver hair, blue eyes…my, my, it seems our little birdie has finally revealed herself to the world once more."
"Sir, you don't mean—"
"The last of the Liones vampires has finally come out of hiding. All those decades ago when the castle fell and she was the only one unaccounted for." The man grinned widely and crumpled the paper in his palm, tossing it behind him without a care. He had all of the information he needed.
"S-should we send teams after her?" The messenger flinched back when a heavy hand landed on his shoulder, fear gripping his heart as the man towering above him looked down upon him with a twisted smile.
"She is a vampire of pure lineage, not just any hunters or teams will suffice in bringing her down, dear boy, we have to think about this like a game of cat and mouse. She's been very elusive since the castle fell so she's bound to be skittish of settlements and is most likely sticking to dense woods or caves. Apart from having the advantages of being a pureblood, the Liones' are…were…known for their impeccable healing capabilities, even having the power to return someone from the very grasp of death in mere moments. No, we will have to tread carefully around the princess."
"Of course, Lord Harkon, but…how do you suppose we go about this?"
"All in due time, boy, all in due time." Harkon replied lowly before releasing the messenger and stepping back. "Go, I want more information on her possible whereabouts then report back to me immediately."
"O-of course, My Lord." The boy bowed before scurrying from the room, shutting the heavy iron door behind him.
Harkon could hardly believe his luck after all these years of searching for the infamous missing pureblood. Decades had passed after the fall of the castle yet there was never any word or sightings regarding the unaccounted princess until now. So what drew her out of hiding so suddenly? A thought entered his mind suddenly and the corners of his lips twisted into a heavy sneer.
"I believe I have the perfect person for this job."
Meliodas rubbed his eye as he sat at the edge of the forest waiting for Elizabeth to show up. He had completed his sweep quickly and had decided to take a small nap against the trees in his free time. Sleep wasn't something that he got a lot of thanks to nightmares constantly plaguing him so he often tried to get in a nap where he could. The sun was still at least an hour from rising and it made the perfect meeting time since he had kept the recruits busy late into the night, their heavy snores the last thing he heard before setting out for his patrol. His hand dropped to his lap and a yawn escaped his mouth.
"Do you not sleep well?"
His hand instinctively reached for the sword resting beside him, green eyes wide and alert as he looked around. He felt a pair of eyes watching him and he looked up to see Elizabeth resting on a branch above him, looking down at him curiously as she swung her legs beneath layers of skirts. Meliodas lowered the sword and leaned back against the tree, shaking his head. "I forget how stealthy you vampires can be sometimes."
"I have been sitting up here for hours, I figured you would have noticed at some point." Elizabeth pointed out softly as she swung backwards, locking her legs over the branch to hang upside down beside him, owlish eyes blinking innocently while silver locks fanned around her. The action reminded the hunter of a bat and he snorted at the thought.
"Let me guess, you vampires sleep like bats?" An indignant huff left her mouth and he raised a brow. Definitely the weirdest vampire he had ever met.
"We sleep like you humans do, in a bed. I just enjoy hanging upside down when I have a lot on my mind." The vampire swung back and forth lightly, arms crossed over her corseted chest.
"I get to ask my questions first then you can ask what you want within reason." Elizabeth nodded and stilled her swinging, awaiting his questions. "First, why did you stop in this particular area? Second, how did you know about the rogues attacking the town? Third, who was the vampire who attacked you and left you half dead? Fourth, are there any other purebloods or rogues in the area?"
The vampire thought over the questions for a few moments. "I stopped here because I usually only travel for three days then stop before continuing on after I have been found out. I smelled the rogues and followed the scent to the village where I led them away before fighting them off. The vampire…" Meliodas noticed how she stilled, guard rising back up at the mention of it. Considering how badly injured she was he didn't blame her for hesitating in answering.
"Lord Eion Dregan of Clan Dregan. This area is his territory and I entered it without the proper permissions." Elizabeth finally spoke after a minute, brows furrowing the slightest. "Purebloods can become very territorial and since I entered without warning he had to put me in my place."
"That seems a bit barbaric," Meliodas mentioned off handedly and she nodded her agreement. "So he beat you close to death for breaking that rule?"
"If I had not unleashed my reserve power…then I would have escaped mostly unharmed. I had no choice with so many rogues in the area and so little power left. Using my reserves…reverts me back to my true nature if I let it out too often."
Meliodas looked at her strangely. "True nature?"
"How you humans see us most of the time now. Ruthless, feral creatures who attack anything and kill merely for pleasure." Elizabeth swung herself back up onto the branch and shifted so she was facing forward like Meliodas, resting her back against the tree with her legs stretched out in front of her. "The memories are often blurry after I lose full control but this time…I knew Lord Dregan was the only target of my dark side."
"Have you ever attacked humans when you lost control?" She let out a low growl and he immediately knew the answer. "Ah—"
"Once," The vampire suddenly appeared a few feet away from him, resting against a neighboring tree with her skirts tucked around her. Her eyes avoided his as she picked at the grass. He hadn't even blinked in the span of her moving and it unnerved the hunter at how fast she could move without warning. "I vaguely remember it though there are some nights I have nightmares of the incident. I slayed innocent people who were trying to harm me and I lost control. That is why I try to help people so I can repent for my sin."
"You were acting in self-defense, something even a vampire is entitled to." She looked up at him with an unreadable expression, halting her grass picking. "Having seen it from the human point of view I know people are just afraid of the unknown and sometimes the same can be said for vampires. You shouldn't hold onto a regret if you were only trying to save yourself."
"It was not self-defense, I slaughtered those people and enjoyed every second of it for once I lose control it takes an immense amount of will power to regain it. Usually by the time I handle it the damage has already been done." Elizabeth blurted out, slamming her hands against the dirt and Meliodas gripped the handle of his blade tightly, ready to strike if she fully lost control. "That is why I do not like using that side—"
"Just as humans have a fight or flight mode, so do you. You were acting on instinct because you knew you were in danger. You did what comes naturally to you, there isn't anything to be ashamed about." Meliodas interrupted her with a raised hand and she seemed to relax the slightest bit.
"There are no other purebloods in the area, even Lord Dregan has retreated further into his territory." Elizabeth diverted back to the questions after a few moments while resuming her grass picking, keeping her gaze strictly downward.
"How can you tell?"
"I do not smell him close by and there are no other—" The vampire stilled and was on her feet in a flash, fangs out in warning. By the time Meliodas had gotten to his feet and grabbed his sword she was gone, leaving him alone and baffled.
"The hell? I don't sense anything nearby." The hunter scanned over the area but found nothing that seemed out of the ordinary. Just as he was about to head back through the woods in search of Elizabeth she returned with something in her hand. "Where did you even go in those few seconds?"
"Found this." Elizabeth stated simply as she tossed a young boy to the ground carelessly. "He was listening in on the conversation."
"Did you…did you just kidnap someone's child?" Meliodas asked incredulously as he made to help the child up only to snatch his hand back at the last second, a pair of fangs narrowly missing his skin. Elizabeth had yanked him back at the last moment, holding onto the young vampire with ease.
"Enough, tell me who sent you here. It's no coincidence you revealed yourself to me." The pureblood demanded quietly as she held the boy up by the back of his shirt, twisting him around to glare at him.
"Why would I tell you? Yer nothing more than a disgraced pureblood who likes humans." The boy spat into her face and the pureblood growled menacingly at him. He shrunk back a bit, averting his eyes to the ground nervously as he submitted. "Lord Dregan, he wanted to see if you were still in his territory. I was told to report back if you were so he could deal with you himself."
"I guess my welcome is overstayed. Report back to him that I am no longer in his territory and that I will be sure to send a proper request next time. Now go before I decide to punish you for spitting upon me." Elizabeth made sure the message got across before releasing the child, blue eyes watching to make sure he fully vacated the area before looking at Meliodas with a stony look. "I need to leave, he will ensure I die this time."
"You're heading out again?" The hunter asked as she turned her back to him, silver locks brushing gently over her shoulder. Elizabeth stilled, raising her head the slightest bit as she thought it over. "Where will you go now?"
"West. I…will return to what remains of my home for the time being since it remains unoccupied." Elizabeth tossed him a sad smile before vanishing and leaving the hunter alone.
Meliodas stood there and scratched his head. She was definitely the strangest vampire he had ever met and he'd had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting quite a few in his years of being a hunter. At least he had gotten some more answers about the rogue attack, all that was left now was to tend to the citizens before packing up and moving on once more. They needed to return to base so the recruits could be dropped back off then he was going to track Elizabeth down again since she seemed to have a knack for running into purebloods and rogues. Fighting them was practically a death sentence…but if she was there, maybe he had a chance at taking them down. Ideally, chaining her up and dragging her back to headquarters was what he should do yet there was something about her that halted that thought in its tracks. Unlike other vampires Elizabeth seemed to avoid conflict unless necessary and even took to, attempting at least, helping human settlements and becoming injured in the process. The silver-laced arrow still rested in his quiver, dried blood coating the arrowhead. It was odd how the sword didn't react to the arrow by itself though when it was lodged in her shoulder she acted like she was in pure agony, squirming around and screaming.
Maybe one of the Master hunters would know more about the correlation between the blessed blade and the mysterious arrow resting in his quiver. First though—
"Captain Meliodas! Are you out here somewhere? Some of the villagers are requesting your presence in the town square." A young voice called out and the hunter sighed in annoyance. He should've known he wouldn't have been able to distract the young hunters for long, their eagerness to hunt vampires overwhelming their tiny minds with the thoughts.
"Over here. Why the hell are you awake this early anyways?" Meliodas asked when the barely sixteen year old redhead jogged to a stop near him, slightly panting.
"I got worried when you didn't come back! The others are searching the area for now—"
"Did you seriously send out the other recruits alone in search of me? Are you trying to get them killed?" Meliodas growled, patience now paper thin. The boy jerked back in surprise, brown eyes going wide as his mouth flapped open and closed. "How do you know there aren't more vampires in the area? Instead of waiting for my return you've now sent your comrades into still dark woods with no experience in fighting. Take your ass back to the lodging while I go find the others."
"I'm sorry, Captain!" The boy bowed while profusely apologizing, his belt of vampire hunting tools slipping down his waist and it hit the ground before he noticed and snatched it up. Meliodas pinched the top of his nose. How did he get stuck with such novices again? He was one of the top vampire hunters from the academy yet he was stuck babysitting a bunch of children who couldn't tell the difference in holy water and regular water.
"Go and keep your eyes and ears peeled."
Meliodas resisted the urge to smack his head against the tree he had been napping against and set out to find the handful of novice hunters with heavy steps. While it was with good intentions to send out a hunting squadron when a member goes missing but considering the fact that rogues had just been in the area just a few days ago meant that there could be more nearby. It took a bit of time to find them as they were checking the entire area outside of the village, with even a few villagers helping out, and once he found them all he loudly chewed them out for being stupid. A few sniffled back tears while the others hung their heads in shame and the hunter almost felt bad for them. Almost. They had to all learn one way or the other though they chose the most dangerous and often lethal method. He wasn't good at this whole being a teacher thing, preferring to work alone as it was the easiest way for him to work, but the Master had passed down the order to take them on this one mission to get a feel for the line of work.
The only good thing about working alone was that he didn't really have to worry about the academy checking up on him. They let him into the world and welcomed him back when he had filled his quota of slain vampires, never for a second doubting his loyalty or word. His eyes hardened the slightest bit as he sent the recruits to help the villagers finish burying the deceased. Running into Elizabeth hadn't been a coincidence; he had been discretely tracking her movements for the past few months, losing her for the better part of a week, and only happened upon her again as he was hunting for his dinner. Her sudden attack on the deer had certainly thrown the hunter off as vampires generally went after human blood, not animal and she hadn't seemed to notice his presence there until he fired the arrow, barely missing the distracted vampire and giving away his position. It was a massive error on his part, letting a non-lethal arrow fly at a powerful vampire yet he somehow seemed to make it out alive thanks to her lack of interest in harming humans. It was a gamble he had won after never witnessing her draw human blood, suspicions raising that there wasn't something quite right with the vampire.
While he didn't know exactly why she was running around from place to place or what her full history was, as long as he gained her trust she would open up soon enough. In the end they would both get what they wanted; he would get his reward money to open up a bar and Elizabeth…well, she would be able to get her family reunion after all.
Elizabeth perched high up on the jagged rocks as she watched the group of vampire hunters begin filing out from the village when the sun began rising higher into the sky, Meliodas leading them to their next destination. There was still a good amount of distrust the vampire had in the hunter, for obvious reasons, yet there seemed to be a hidden side of him buried deep down inside and she wanted to pry it loose as the insatiable curiosity gnawed at her. The pure loathing she had witnessed in his eyes as she had pinned him over a week ago was still fresh in her memory and she quickly shook it aside. Alliancing with a deadly vampire hunter was by far the stupidest thing she had ever done and she knew her father would be both proud and disappointed. Proud that she was attempting to help humans yet disappointed that it was a vampire hunter she had chosen to side with. While the hope of both kinds eventually coexisting together sounded fantastic, Elizabeth knew that it would probably never happen anytime soon in her lifetime with how many of her kin had fallen. For now, she would go along with his little alliance even though he assumed she was tracking down the other purebloods while taking down rogues. Half of it was true; she was killing any rogues she happened upon in order to cut down the rapidly growing population but she had never been searching for the other purebloods. A few past skirmishes with them had nearly cost the vampire her life so she avoided them unless their paths crossed and it was impossible to escape. Lord Eion was known as a ferocious fighter who often killed his opponents in battle but he seemed to have held back a bit when fighting her, most likely due to her immense reserve power that often proved fatal to those around her or the fact that it was merely a warning to leave his territory. As far as she knew the Council still remained active, blanketing order over the higher ranking vampires in order to keep the balance even amongst their kind. Mainly they stuck to the shadows and only intervened when needed but she hadn't heard word on whether or not they investigated the attack on her home.
Rumors had spread nearly two decades ago when Elizabeth had taken on a handful of strong minions serving under a powerful pureblood, nearly obliterating them as her emotions lost control just a few months after the loss of her family. The pureblood had mentioned her family tragedy and all self-control flew out the window as she threw herself at the lower-ranking vampires, slicing their heads off, plunging her hands through their chests and even biting through their necks. Some of the details were still vague to her but one thing stood out in her memories and that was the nickname she had received after regaining control.
Bloody Ellie. Ruthless pureblood. Savage. Merciless. Elizabeth had heard all of the names before yet the first one seemed to stick to her permanently. Not very often did she hear it yet when she did the blood in her body began to boil once more, emotions roiling like a stormy sea within her. That name was tied to her fury of her family name being dishonored dragged through the mud, stained. Clearing her name was one of the first things she needed to do once things settled down for a bit. For now, though, she needed to begin heading West, towards what remained of her home. Meliodas would find his way there eventually and Elizabeth wanted a break from the running and fighting for a while.
With one last glance at the group Elizabeth stood and slipped from sight.
Meliodas took a hasty exit after he dropped the young hunters back off with their assigned leaders, rushing from the room claiming he had other matters to attend to despite the protests from the adults. Nearly two weeks with them had the man on his very last nerve. They had actually run into a few rogues on the way back to base and being the young, naïve children they were, thought they could rush forward and surround the creature with their crosses and stakes at the ready. What they hadn't accounted for was the fact that rogues were faster than they were and Meliodas blocked what would have been a killing blow at the last second, the blessed blade swinging up to slice the vampires hand off. Smoke billowed from the severed appendage yet the creature continued to attack, completely unaware of the pain. Trying to protect five others proved to be challenging as Meliodas slashed the vampire to pieces while blocking attacks from other rogues. One had a kid cornered and the hunter diverted his attention away from the vampire beneath him for half a second but it was enough of an opening as an elongated nail sliced across his cheek, leaving a burning trail of pain flickering across his skin. He swiftly ended the vampires life by slicing through its neck, effectively severing the head before tossing a small pure silver blade at the other rogue. It struck the vampire in the back of the head and the creature went down, twitching angrily against the ground as the silver quickly put an end to it.
To say he was pissed was beyond what he could handle so he began stomping towards the master's room with a boiling rage. How could he send him out with children like that when he knew that the hunter worked alone and only alone? He didn't care what the old man's excuse was regarding the matter so long as he got to vent. Meliodas passed a few other hunters who instantly took to the heavy air and steered clear from him, pressing themselves against the walls to avoid his wrath.
"Ah, Meliodas, welcome bac—" The guard outside of the master's room began greeting but quickly clamped his mouth shut at the death glare he received.
"He in there?" Meliodas asked tersely and the guard quickly nodded, pulling the door open for the fuming hunter. The damp stoned room was illuminated with nearly a dozen wall torches as Meliodas stormed his way up to his leaders chair, fists clenched against his side. He wasn't sure what kind of bullshit excuse he was about to receive though he at least wanted to vent first. His steps slowed as he reached the base of the stairs leading to a high-backed chair that faced the opposite direction, sharp metal edges reminding the hunter of crossbow bolts.
"I know what you're going to say, Meliodas, so save your breath for the training arena." Harkon spoke first and Meliodas clenched his jaw as he dropped to one knee. "I sent you with the recruits because you are one of the best, if not the best hunter within the academy and I figured they would learn a thing or two from you. Turns out I made a miscalculation judging by the anger rolling from your body right now."
"You know how I work yet you still decided to put their lives and mine at risk by doing such a thing. There were plenty of other hunters who could have safely taught those kids the proper techniques. They almost died because they were untrained and had no restraints when it came to following rules. I would advise you to—"
"Advise?" The Master barked out a laugh as he shifted from his chair to stand, moving from the shadows into the warm light of the closest torch. "You get to make no such decision seeing as you should have used your judgment to train those kids to the best of your ability instead of barging in here like a child throwing a tantrum, Meliodas. I will admit that it was not the wisest of ideas on my part albeit you get no say in what your orders are. I have been lenient with you because you have never once failed me in your missions but maybe I have been too soft with you."
"If there's nothing else then I'm going back to my solo mission, Master Harkon. I was in the middle of tracking a vampire down when you reassigned me." Meliodas bit out as his eyes stayed glued to the ground. Looking directly at Lord Harkon in this situation was practically a death sentence and considering he was still in his prime years it was wise to show some restraint.
"Oh, that reminds me, Meliodas," Harkon snapped his fingers in remembrance. "I have a special mission for you regarding a certain pureblood. There's been a recent sighting of her not too far from here by a village of hunters claiming she was attacking an innocent child."
Meliodas' slightly tensed posture seemed to go unnoticed by the Master. "A pureblood?"
"Yes. You remember that incident decades ago with the Liones' castle? Turns out the youngest daughter of Lord Baltra managed to escape and has just recently shown up again. I want you to trail her but that's it. This is more of a surveillance mission seeing as she's still an immensely powerful vampire."
"Of course, Lord Harkon. I'll depart immediately in search of her."
"Another thing before you leave, Meliodas," Harkon stepped closer to the hunter and looked down at the mop of blonde locks before him with scrutiny. "My sources say there was a vampire hunter in the area around the same timeframe as the attack, do you have any idea of who it could have been?"
"I don't but it's possible it was another member from a different branch patrolling through the area or an unaffiliated vampire hunter." Shit. This wasn't good, if Harkon got word that he was the one in that area and didn't bring back her head….
"Oh well, nothing to be too concerned about for the time being. You're dismissed. I expect promising results from your mission, Meliodas." Harkon turned and slowly returned to his chair, the metal creaking slightly as he sat back down.
Meliodas quickly stood and made for the door. Since Harkon seemed fairly interested in this pureblooded vampire, maybe he should do a little more digging of his own while he was out searching for her. Considering he was the one passing through that area it wouldn't be too hard to track Elizabeth down again once more. He passed by the guard once more without a second glance as he headed for the main hall in search of a meal. Eating outside was never a big deal for him but nothing beat a good homecooked meal from the best chef around. There were a handful of people eating at the tables but he kept his eyes focused on the serving window emitting enticing smells. His stomach growled in agreement.
"What do ya want today, deary? Oh! Meliodas, haven't seen ya in a bit there! How are ya, lad?" A plump, heavily accented woman looked up once she realized who it was standing before her. Thick, curly red hair strained against the hair tie barely holding it all together as bright green eyes widened in surprise. Freckles were splashed across her face and she gave a pearly white smile.
"Mornin' Rosie. Usual as always if you don't mind," The hunter returned the smile as she began scooping the days meal onto a tray, sneaking a few extra rolls in there as well.
"Getting' yer numbers up, eh? Always leadin' the pack, you are. Wait…what happened to yer face? Don't you tell me—" Rosie spotted the still healing mark on his face and promptly pointed a spoon covered in mash at him menacingly. A bit splattered on his cheek and he swiped it up with a finger before popping it into his mouth.
"Just a scratch, don't worry. Already saw Liz in the infirmary just in case. Mash is really good today."
"Ach, yer gonna give me a heart attack one of these days! Yer too reckless, boy. Ought ta settle down with a pretty little thing, start a family. Pretty sure that nurse Liz has a thing for ya." The chef waggled her finger at him before sliding the tray through the window, planting her hands on her plump hips. "You'd have some cute younglin's!"
"Vampire hunting is my life, no woman will change that, Rosie. Thanks for the food!" Meliodas quickly scurried away before the woman could further go down the road of settling down. The hunter quickly found an isolated corner and set the tray down before plopping down, heartily digging into the food. Being out for so long made him forget how delicious Rosie's food was and he forced himself to slow down to savor the flavors. Deer, boar, even the occasional squirrel was fine and dandy to survive but nothing beat the heavenly food the mother figure made.
Settling down had never been a thought in his mind since joining the academy, his only goal was to eliminate any and all vampires who roamed the lands for personal reasons. Meliodas never told anyone his true intentions as to why he joined the academy, instead covering it up with a shrug and saying it was to help those impacted by the creatures. Blatantly saying it was to get revenge for the vampire who tore through his village when he was young and killed his family generally made people give him sympathy. He didn't want their sympathy, it did him no good in the end. The room began filling up with more people as he finished up and he dropped his tray back off, waved to Rosie then slipped from the room nearly undetected. Nearly.
"Meliodas, there you are! I've been looking for you all over!"
A young woman with short red locks blocked his path with hands planted on her hips, pink lips pressed together as she looked down at him with narrowed eyes. Her nurses outfit laid just a bit snug over her voluptuous curves, the top buttons straining to hang on by the tiny bit of thread keeping it grounded. It ended around knee-length with white stockings beneath. A large red cross was patched onto the fabric over her heart, indicating to all she was a medic. If there was one thing to know about the nurses in the academy…it was to never get on their bad side. And that was exactly what the hunter had done as Meliodas looked up innocently at the nurse while pointing a finger at himself. When she glowered he dropped the act and locked his hands behind his head, looking away with a whistle.
"Need something, Liz? I'm about to head out on another mission now." The hunter drawled as he began walking towards the armory. Judging by the heels clicking loudly against the stone floor, she was following close behind.
"Meliodas, I never finished your exam! You've been gone for a while and then you come back with a scratch on your face that could get infected." Liz chastised as she easily kept up with the shorter man.
"You cleaned it, it's good to go. Nothing more to the story." Meliodas shrugged.
"At least put a bandage over it so it doesn't get infected. Seriously, Meliodas, you're harder to deal with than a toddler!"
"I'll take that as a compliment, Liz. I've restocked my supplies so I'm fine, quit worrying so much or you'll get wrinkles."
"W-wrinkles?" Liz sputtered as the hunter reached the armory, knocking on the wooden window framing to alert the clerk.
"I'm going to be gone for a while so take care of Rosie and the others, okay?" Meliodas said cheerfully as he adjusted his bag over his shoulder, next taking his personal blade and slipping it onto his belt. A large crossbow slid across the counter and he arched a brow at the clerk. He preferred the traditional bow and arrow as they were lighter than the heavy wooden and metal contraption that often jammed.
"Sorry, Meliodas, orders from the Master to upgrade your gear for this mission. He's taking every precaution." The clerk shrugged at the dissatisfied grimace from the hunter. "I know it's a pain but you'll deal. The blessed blade is in the church being purified again, they're waiting for you to retrieve it."
"Thanks." He attached the crossbow and quiver of bolts to the back of his harness, Liz chastising away as he rolled his shoulders to get accustomed to the new weight. Fashioning a bow from branches would work in a pinch even though it wouldn't have the same power as his own specially crafted one.
"Are you even listening to me?" Liz asked exasperatedly as Meliodas strolled ahead of her, weapons clinking as he steadily walked faster.
"Liz." Meliodas suddenly stopped short and the nurse had to catch herself to not run into him. He turned around to stare up at her with a neutral gaze. "I'll be fine. This isn't my first mission and it won't be my last. You know I always come back fairly unscathed every time."
"You know I just worry about you," She replied softly as she wrapped her arms around herself, lips turning to a slight pout. "You were always getting into trouble even when we were kids and someone has to keep you in line."
"I'm a wild child at heart, what can I say." Meliodas shrugged but a smile tugged at his lips while ruffling her short red locks playfully. "I promise to be more careful this time, alright? They're waiting for me so I need to get going to start tracking down the vampire."
"Fine, fine, I'll let it slide this time, Meliodas. Be careful out there." Liz sighed as she finally stepped back to let him go about his business, sharp blue eyes wavering the slightest bit. He smiled before tossing a wave goodbye and heading towards the sanctuary where his blade was awaiting.
Very few had ever received the honor of wielding the blade blessed by the Holy Priest himself and the hunter had pushed himself through blood, sweat, and tears to be able to have the opportunity. Applicants had to go through rigorous training to weed out the weaker hunters before the trial actually began, only himself and three others made it all the way to the starting point. They each went through a series of missions that tested their adaptability, agility, skillsets, and strengths. To say it was a challenging test completely undermined what Meliodas went through. It started off with tracking down rogue vampires, something that was a bit difficult seeing as he had stumbled upon a horde of them feasting on some travelers, and progressively got harder. The last test was the one that almost cost him his life and the memory of it still haunted him even now.
The final test was to hunt down what he thought was a rogue who had ingested the blood of a pureblood when it fact it turned out to be one of the most dangerous pureblood's in the lands. There was no going back once he entered the castle walls so he did what he did best; stuck to the high advantage points, took out the weaker vampires while scouring the castle for the head honcho. The first warning flag was the weak amount of security inside and out of the walls, meaning the pureblood was either very confident no one was stupid enough to attack or he was waiting for the hunter to arrive. After weaving his way through and taking down any vampire he saw Meliodas found himself outside of the throne room with his crossbow locked and loaded with a silver tipped bolt. He had reached out to open the door when a sudden wind burst the doors open and he found himself tumbling into the dark room, weapon knocked from his hand as he landed. While it was a nuisance to lose the heavy crossbow it wasn't the end of the world as he unsheathed his silver laced blade. Flames sparked to life all around him as he stood, warily eyeing the area for subtle sounds or shadow movements. Normally most purebloods liked to chat about themselves before ending their attackers lives but when this one shot from the darkness and latched onto him with a feral growl, Meliodas knew it wasn't going to be one of those fights.
The two crashed into the floor, snarls emitting from the vampire as he swiped at the hunter below him, eyes glowing bright red. Meliodas' arms shook as he barely blocked the attack with the flat edge of his sword. He needed to get the silver edge to cut the vampires skin in order to get any chance of the creature to release him. If he made the slightest arm movement now, though, the vampire would gain an advantage and probably slice his head off before he could even take another breath. Nothing in his immediately area would be able to help him so he began racking his mind for ideas. His arms were obviously pinned down and there was no moving his upper body. He pulled his legs up, finding they were able to shift freely, and promptly tucked them to his chest before using all of his strength to slam his feet up against the vampire. The creature hissed as he was forced backwards from the impact, fangs glistening in the dancing shadows as it crouched down. Now that he was freed from the ground the hunter could focus on vanquishing the pureblood before him.
A deadly dance was the best way he could describe the battle, predator and prey circling one another, rushing forward to attack or skirting out of the way. Purebloods generally had plenty of energy for battles yet this one seemed to be stumbling a bit as they fought, its movements incrementally slowing down as the minutes passed. Meliodas couldn't quite figure out what was going on with him until a flash of an arrow shaft filtered into his vision and he smirked a bit. Someone had already attacked the vampire with what he assumed was a silver-laced arrow.
He lunged forward and swung his blade as hard as he could, feeling it connect with flesh for the briefest of moments yet once the metal began slicing through air again he knew he'd messed up as the vampire left his sight. Just as he made to twist around, a hand latched onto his throat and he slammed into the stone floor with the breath knocked from his lungs. Meliodas' airway was completely cut off as he fought to survive, the vampire above him baring the entirety of his fangs down at him with maddened glee. A classic ruse of pretending to be injured then striking when the predators guard has dropped and he fell right for it. Green eyes darted around for the forgotten crossbow, his best chance at being able to survive this fight depending on the heavy artillery. The weapon rested a few feet away, just out of arms reach and the hunter grit his teeth. The miniscule amount of silver lacing the blade wasn't enough but the heavily coated bolts would be enough of a direct poisoning even for a pureblooded vampire.
With his vision growing dark Meliodas reached back for the quiver still resting on the back of his harness and found there was still one bolt that hadn't flown out of the pouch. With a shaking hand the hunter grasped the silvered head and twisted, effectively breaking it from the wooden base, before using the last of his energy to thrust it upwards at the vampire. Black spots dotted his vision as he felt it connect and his airway reopened, the man greedily gasping for breath as the creature before him screamed in pure agony while stumbling away. As his sight cleared Meliodas noticed the arrowhead had punctured right into the side of his neck and into a main vein, the silver rapidly poisoning the entirety of his body within moments. Not wanting to risk a rebound attack, he scrambled to his feet unsteadily before rushing for the crossbow as his blade wouldn't finish the job fast enough. A few bolts were scattered around in the darkness and he snatched one up as his foot rolled it across the stone floor. The pureblood was screaming in agony as it writhed around trying to pull the arrowhead from his neck. Meliodas snapped the bolt into the bow and aimed for the vampire, waiting until he had a clear shot before firing. The bolt launched from the bow and imbedded itself into the vampires head, killing it instantly. The pureblood's body fell to the floor just as the crossbow slipped from Meliodas' hands and clanged loudly.
It was done. His legs gave out and he stared at the corpse while catching his breath, a numb sensation washing over his body. Death had been so close to dragging him to the pits of Hell. How he survived he wasn't entirely sure at the moment but he knew one thing was for sure; the final trial had been completed. Was it worth it? Nearly dying to be one of the few blessed enough to carry the blade purified by the High Priest? Years of intense training, broken bones, concussions, lacerations, every possible kind of injury just to be able to hold a blade? A final deep breath in gave the hunter the strength he needed to stand once more, hard eyes staring down at the slowly dissolving vampire before him. As per the rules of the trials, the head of the slain vampire was to be brought back as proof of completion. He got to work as fast as he could before the silver could completely dissolve the head, using the creatures own clothing to block any sunlight from destroying any exposed skin. A final tug of the fabric secured his trophy to a loop on the back of his harness and with a brief glance at the tossed aside crossbow, Meliodas headed for the door to report back to the academy.
It had been three years since the incident that nearly cost him his life due to a rookie mistake and Meliodas vowed to never make that mistake again with a vampire, especially purebloods. A little voice argued in his mind that the same thing was going to happen with Elizabeth yet he squished it down. Yes, he had spared and helped her that night but only for the sake of preventing any straggling rogues from using her blood to become advanced rogues. There was also the incident with saving her life a few weeks ago yet that was merely for his own benefit of befriending the vampire and using her to find more purebloods. The moment she tried anything that was a red flag she was as good as dead. Trusting her was a spur of the moment thing but they would both benefit from the strained, mutual agreement for their own personal needs. Once it was all over…he'd have his bar money and she'd be sent to her family in the afterlife.
The church doors slid into his view and the hunter mentally braced himself for the cleansing ritual. Every time the blade was blessed the user must also go through a cleansing in order to ensure a strong bond between the two. He thought it was a load of crap but in order to use the deadliest blade the academy owned it was necessary, especially considering who he was alliancing himself with. Elizabeth was an incredibly powerful pureblood with rare healing abilities that saved even her from the brink of death after her fight with Lord Eion so that made her a deadlier vampire than others. Though she hadn't hurt him, yet, taking that chance was reckless and he'd already learned once about being taking purebloods lightly.
Two underlings working for the Holy Priest gave a short bow as he approached before opening the doors to him, following close behind after he entered into the room. The Holy Priest stood by the blade patiently as his aides took the weapons from the hunter to cleanse them as well. "Meliodas, are you ready for your blessing and unification with the blessed blade?"
"Yes, Father." Meliodas replied as he trudged up the stairs to stand before him. Although the priest was generally a nice person, the hunter liked to think he took his job a little too seriously sometimes. Once, he was completely drenched with holy water because the priest still felt a bad aura emitting from his body not realizing it was his patience growing thin from being showered. The priest held out a bowl of holy water and a small towel to the hunter who cleansed his hands.
"God above, I plea with you to bless thine devout soldier as he ventures out in thou name to cleanse the lands from the demons. I bless thee, Meliodas, before your journey into the world. I stow upon you the blessed blade to be used in God's name as you cleanse the darkness plaguing the world."
The Holy Priest carefully grabbed the blessed blade with a cloth and held it out to the hunter. Meliodas accepted the blade in his palms, a small zap of electricity shooting up his arms at the contact. He often wondered if it was God trying to smite him through the metal seeing as he was quite the sinner handling a holy blade. No way in Hell was he telling the priest he dragged the weapon through dirt, rocks, and even a river while trying to carry a vampire. "I slay those who are unholy in your name, Lord."
"Have a safe journey, my son, God bless you." The Holy Priest removed his hands from the blade as Meliodas carefully sheathed it.
"Thanks."
The two aides quickly returned with his weapons and Meliodas secured them all to his harness and belt once more, ensuring they were snug before waving farewell to the priest. It was a fairly uneventful exit from the grounds, a few younger hunters running up to him in adoration though he quickly told them he was headed out on an important mission and couldn't talk. The hunters watching the front gate saluted as he passed through, the heavy wooden doors slamming shut behind him.
"Well, well, well, looks like I need to head…West." Meliodas muttered to himself as he searched for the direction needed. Once his eyes caught sight of the mountains to the West of the academy he began his move. How far he needed to go, he wasn't sure, but he had become fairly good at tracking Elizabeth down so it shouldn't be too hard. She said she was returning to what remained of her home…Liones castle? The vampire never mentioned a last name but seemed to grow sad at the mention of her father and her home. Liones castle was to the West and Lord Baltra's reign crumbled decades ago when vampire hunters infiltrated their walls and slaughtered everyone so it was a fairly reasonable possibility that the vampire was headed there. It would take a few weeks by foot to get there unless he borrowed a horse from a nearby town seeing as the academy had lost too many in the past to attacks before slowly ending their use of the animals.
"Alright, Elizabeth, let the hunt begin."
Elizabeth licked the remaining blood from her lips as she watched the deer prance away in a panic, her meal settling warmly within her belly. She had been camped not too far from her home for the past week while trying to gain the courage to enter the heavily damaged castle once more. The nightmares that occasionally plagued her were beginning to haunt her once more and some nights she woke up screaming, tears flowing heavily down her face as she looked around wildly for the massive plumes of flames. Apprehension creeped into her chest every time she thought of entering the domain once more but she couldn't bring herself to return to the place where her family perished. So she sat and waited for days on end, for what she didn't quite know, though it seemed to the be the least stressful option for the time being. She wasn't sure how long it would take Meliodas to find her once more though he seemed to be an expert in tracking her. It could be days, weeks, even months maybe if he were travelling by foot. By horse would be another story but he didn't seem to be the horse riding type. A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she debated what to do next. A bath was a tempting idea as there was a nearby hot spring she and her sisters used to slip off to whenever they got bored of their lessons…a pang fluttered across her heart and Elizabeth placed her palm against her chest as sadness washed over. More and more memories resurfaced the longer she remained on the castle grounds though it wasn't entirely unexpected.
Considering her options of remaining dirty or sucking it up and taking the first step to a bit of closure, Elizabeth reluctantly chose the later as she looked down at her blood stained clothes. Laundry would need to be done as well since her feedings had become even messier than before. The vampire bit her lip uneasily as she made her way through the dense woods slowly, wrapping her arms around herself as images of three young children running through the very same trees entered her mind. No words could describe the pain filling her chest, tears brimming with tears as she tried to stay strong. Oh how she missed it all. Only a few minutes passed until the low trickling of the stream entered her ears along with the strong smell of minerals. It was just as she remembered, a pool of steaming water filled by a small stream trailing down weathered rocks and a thick forest surrounding three sides of it while a view of the castle filled the last. Appearance-wise nothing had really changed though the pool did look a bit bigger than when she was a young vampire. She slowed to a stop at the water's edge and crouched down, staring into the clear water only to see herself looking right back with a tortured expression. The tears she attempted to hold back now spilled down her cheeks silently before plopping into the hot spring. Delicate fingers made to swipe away the hot, salty trails when they stopped short.
This was part of the healing process and wiping them away would do nothing more than push the bursting emotions back into her heart so she let them be, instead slowly standing up and beginning to untie her corset. Piece by piece she stripped down, laying the clothes neatly away from the edge until she was ready to wash them. With a deep breath in and out Elizabeth carefully slipped into the steaming waters. How many years had it been since she last relaxed a bit? The vampire sank lower until her shoulders hit the surface of the water, tilting her head back to rest against the worn stone. Thousands of stars shone brightly above her and she began tracing out shapes in the sky. Her sisters, Margaret and Veronica, would always say the brightest twinkling lights were the souls of departed family members who returned to the heavens above to watch over those still living. Wholeheartedly she denied it as a child, arguing that there was no way they had that many dead family members staring down at them.
Pinked lips slightly twitched upwards at the thought, finding her adamant denial funny hundreds of years later. "Maybe I was wrong all those years ago. Father, Margaret, Veronica, are you all watching over me from the heavens?"
Further down against the rock she slipped until her head was fully submerged in the hot waters, silver locks billowing around her gently. The heat didn't bother her much as she opened her eyes. Tears mixed seamlessly within the water as she let some of the pent up emotions out, sobbing silently beneath the surface while curling up into a tight ball. How much longer could she keep running? Nearly three decades had already passed as she ran from place to place to escape the humans and purebloods alike. Coming home never seemed like a good idea because of the haunting memories within the walls yet it was a place that no one would bother her and she would be safe within what remained of the castle.
Elizabeth broke the surface with a small gasp, running her fingers through her locks to straighten them out once more. She turned to face the castle with her arms resting on the edge of the spring, cerulean eyes tracing over the now smaller outline of the building. An entire wing had been demolished in the fight along with two of the six towers, one of those being her favorite hiding place, the drawbridge was damaged but still sealed the entrance to the castle while the connecting bridge had been burned to nothing. Those who had infiltrated never left the grounds, their skeletons most likely still resting within. The vampire shuddered at the thought of skeletons littering the hallways and rooms. Humans remained after death to decay while vampires turned to piles of ashes most of the time, save for very powerful purebloods who merely looked to be resting. The thought of her sisters and father remaining as if sleeping made her stomach twist painfully. Could she handle seeing them or would her emotions unravel?
It was a bit funny, finally coming back home only because of an encounter with a vampire hunter. The only reason she had agreed to work with him was because it was either that or dying a very slow, painful death in a crater. She had her suspicions that he was merely using her as a pawn to gain something for his own benefit but Meliodas didn't truly seem to be in it just for money. There had to be some other reason he was doing this and she was going to find out what it was…eventually. He wasn't exactly the most talkative or sharing type so maybe she could slowly chip away at his guard.
"I seem to have gotten myself into a rather odd predicament." Elizabeth huffed as she nestled her cheek against her forearm, gaze never leaving the castle.
"That you have, vampire, though I would say the odds are in my favor."
Dun dun duuuuuuun.