Loperèc, France
The training began, the quartet with Croix and Diana were starting the preparation to be able to go the journey after Hellene, since it could be somewhat laborious, since the reports are not the friendliest possible, so it was necessary at least a training and an adaptation, even more on the part of knowing a little how are the powers of a dhampir, if they will face Hellene. But there
was still another question that the group didn't have the slightest idea and that was Chloé Deppailer that was spying them for some days observing their activities, getting the notion of their routine, a little with the intention of putting the plan of killing Diana Cavendish in action, but for that she was intelligent enough to try to study the "target", trying to know how she acted, the points that could be weak, how she attacks, even having the suspicion that she is a creature of the night, mainly by what she saw of the training sessions.
Meanwhile on those training days, it was noticeable a rivalry between Diana and Akko, the two came out in hand almost always clashing with each other's style, wanting all the time to show how one has a better and more efficient style, Kagari with the style more adapted to self-defence and the so many bar fights she's been in in her life and Cavendish with a cleaner and more disciplined style, focused on hitting an enemy efficiently but without going for low blows. This rivalry was what Croix was seeing as a good opportunity to teach the Scot a style that she may end up clashing with, that even though it's dirty, someone who isn't that strong may end up doing well over her fighting dirty. On the other hand the Japanese was going to use that style of Diana to analyse how a person like her attacks and also to learn some discipline, basically one completing the other.
A week had passed since the quartet arrived at the Belmont residence and many things were already appearing in progress, Diana was refining her forge in relation to making a Katana for Akko, Marianne on the other hand was also learning a little better how to attack with a whip, having classes with Croix on how to learn to fight. Sucy was improving her accuracy learning to shoot with other weapons besides the bow and arrow, in case the occasion would be necessary, she would already be more prepared. Lotte was studying spells in the meantime to improve her skills even more, but all this peace is coming to an end with an unwanted presence.
It was a normal day of training like any other, outside Diana and Akko were together giving that usual combat training, having routine clashes, using wooden swords to avoid fatal attacks and in the meantime Cavendish was kind of getting used to the way Kagari used to attack.
The Japanese goes up and hits the "blade" of the sword of the Scot, then would give a supposed knee that could catch in the groin, but the dhampir also blocks with the knee, so the two force the swords and move away, what the brunette is already noticing an advance and adaptation on the part of the rival.
Diana: It seems that now you are no longer going as efficiently as before, now I already know your attacks Akko, it's useless.
Akko at the time just throws her sword that catches well in the forehead of Diana and this way the same is a little stunned and Kagari takes the opportunity to hold the hand of Cavendish gives an elbow in the face of the same trying to make her release the sword, but it does not solve much and this way the same receives a punch in the stomach which makes the Japanese throws herself on the ground, She throws herself forward a little, holds the blade with her feet, pushes it down leaving it stuck in the ground and this way hits a kick in the face of the Scot.
The human gets up and would give an attack that could make her win if it wasn't for the vampire turning into a bat
that dodges that attack and then takes the sword back, pointing to her rival, showing that she also knows how to use some tactics too.
Akko: It seems that someone is adapting to my style as well.
Diana: A very bad and dirty style, but it's the way, I need to use some of your style and play against yourself.
Akko using a little magic: Speak less and attack more.
At that moment Kagari uses a sand spell that goes in the eyes of Cavendish that gets a little stunned, but even so she is holding on well against the Japanese that is trying to hit a more fatal blow on the Scotswoman, showing that she has fast reflexes and knows how to be well prepared to blows. In the middle of this fight, someone was watching them from far away, it was Chloé, hiding in the middle of the vegetation, looking surprised when she saw the dhampir turning into a bat for the first time.
[Chloé: She's a vampire, a creature of the night, my suspicion really came true, how am I going to defeat something like that? Even more that it's a vampire that is quietly in the sunlight training, I thought that such a thing was not possible, vampires have weakness to sunlight, but apparently not, this is really very strange, well anyway, I'll prepare myself here, it will swallow my arrow, I'll take advantage that at this moment only have these two and take the opportunity to kill both].
Chloé goes preparing an arrow, she uses a crossbow and starts aiming towards Akko, who is still using her style to hit Diana, the Deppailer waited a moment where they stopped hitting each other with their wooden swords and that way she shot the first arrow.
Quickly with her vampiric senses, Cavendish managed to use her reflexes and caught that arrow with her hand, even leaving the blonde hidden in the vegetation startled by the speed of response of those reflexes.
Diana kept looking around trying to find something, but ended up being hit by a surprise kick from Akko, then she hit her back with her sword and declared herself the winner, but she noticed something strange in the way Cavendish was acting, it seemed that something happened, she was more serious than usual.
Diana: Akko, stay behind me, there is someone who is trying to kill us, I just took an arrow that would catch right in the back of your head.
Akko: I'm no damsel in distress to stand behind you, just because...
She noticed that the arrow had a cross symbol and that the tip of the arrow had holy water when she touched it and felt a slight burning sensation on her fingers. Akko becomes a little more serious trying to look around, Cavendish goes all in the direction where the arrow had left since she focused on the location of the arrow.
The Scottish lass turns into a bat and goes flying, dodging another arrow that could have hit her, already Akko takes a cover and goes watching her friend going to Chloé, soon the dhampir arrives right in front of Deppailer that gets a little scared, She aims shaking her crossbow towards the platinum haired lassie, but she only gives a slap disarming her that still gets a little scared, but then throws a dagger quickly that gets in Diana's hand piercing it and leaving her distracted and giving Chloé a chance to arm herself again
Chloé: You just came into my trap you damned vampire. You'll end up having the honor of being killed at the hands of Countess Clhoé Deppailer!
Diana: I don't want to hurt you, go back to your seat and don't disturb us, I'm warning you, I don't want to fight.
At this time Chloé just laughs and cuts a rope next to a tree, which shoots a trap that creates a rain of arrows, this way the Cavendish turns into a bat and dodges quickly that rain, going as she could, although the rain is very fast, she even felt some of them catching her, including the Deppailer shot an arrow that caught her when the rain of arrows was over and it was possible to notice a wound that was formed on the arm of the Scottish girl that got the shoulder of her dress torn, even though it was a grazing shot.
Diana: I'm warning you, I don't want any trouble, I'm just talking calmly, let's resolve this without violence.
Chloé: Die creature of the night, you don't deserve this exchange of dialogue!
The Deppailer throws a vial of holy water towards Cavendish, who just dodges it, but even so, she keeps throwing it, and this way, Diana keeps walking back and dodging each vial, until she steps on a rope that turns into a bucket that was full of holy water, which she dodges turning into a bat, but she is hit by a vial that is thrown by the countess. The vial
caught her right in the face, turning her into a bat on the spot, causing her to get some wounds all over her face, feeling a burning sensation, and Chloé's attacks didn't stop, Diana dodged a possible cut she was going to make with the sword. The Frenchwoman was not to be trifled with, she would attack without hesitation and would do all that if it was necessary to kill the dhampir.
Chloé: You may be strong, but I'm not unprepared either, I knew you would show up and I'm prepared to counter attack.
Diana: I'll keep warning you, get out of here, I don't want to kill you, you don't want to see me using real violence.
Chloé kept trying to attack, while Diana remained on the defensive in the dense forest, where possibly is full of traps planted by Deppailer with the intention of killing the dhampir, who is more attentive to them, what she is already formulating a way to lure her out of that place, trying to take her to the Belmont family property since there is an open field.
Meanwhile at the Belmont's house, Akko runs out of there, she enters the trapdoor desperately trying to seek help, notices that Lotte is learning books, calls her to go to her, then goes towards the forge where she notices that there Croix was preparing some more arrows for Sucy to take on the trip, in this the three observe for the expression of Akko half worried and also in despair.
Akko: They attacked both of us, someone in the forest near the house shot an arrow and Diana took two that could kill us.
Croix: This is quite serious, are you sure about this?
Akko showing the arrow: That's more than certain, it looks like someone wants to hunt us.
Croix: Arrows with crosses and... Holy water, you can imagine, this person must have found out that Diana is a dhampir, someone wants to kill Diana for that and must have tried to kill you so that there are no witnesses, come on, I won't mediate anything, this person has to swallow some iron balls.
Meridies takes her arquebus, along with a bag with gunpowder and another with musket balls, the girls also go about arming themselves preparing for the attack, but at this point Lombarda just signals them to stay.
Croix: Lotte, Sucy and Marianne, you stay here, I'll go with Akko, if something happens and they launch arrows at us they may have more targets, we can't risk leaving more people exposed.
They nod and go back to doing what they were doing, somewhat apprehensive, on the other hand Croix was getting ready to start attacking the person who tried to kill Diana.
On the other hand the things for the Cavendish were getting tighter, she walked backwards towards the forest and ended up activating a stakes gate trap that almost didn't catch her, but at the moment that happens she jumps and very high getting supported on it, but that activates another one that was a hammer full of them and that makes her jump forward.
Chloé, takes her sword and already concentrates a cut, Diana uses the lying sword that was in hands to defend herself but that is quickly cut and served as a very dirty defense, making her take a cut on the arm that rips the sleeve of her blouse besides also opening a cut wound on her that gets a little out of breath and the Deppailer is all full of confidence watching Cavendish like that.
Chloé: For a creature of the night you seem pretty weak, I told you not to underestimate me, but now I will make you swallow my sword.
Diana holding the blade of her sword: I told you, I'm not messing around, you have to get out of here before the worst happens, I don't want to kill you.
At that time Cavendish takes the sword from Chloé's hands and throws it towards a tree that activates a net trap, only that Deppailer is aware of the trap itself and dodges it and that way tries to trip Diana, only that she just jumps and then hits a kick that throws her against one of the trees and at the same time a shot is heard that ends up catching her a little above the Frenchwoman's head that is even scared.
Chloé: Your friends came, I won't be a fool to risk defeat, you won this time Diana Cavendish, you were saved by the hand of your idiot friends, but I will come back, I will come back even stronger and I will kill you you damned vampire, and everyone will one day know that you are actually a creature of the night.
The Deppailer runs out of there and goes through the dense forest, where another shot is heard, this one catches the same trunk but a little below, so she runs out, until she mounts on a horse, where it was possible to hear the horse trotting. Diana leaves the dense forest and comes back half wounded, both Croix and Akko go worried to the girl, but she shows a calmness.
Croix: Diana! What happened? Are you alright?
Akko: Diana! Oh my god! You could have died, those cuts are pretty deep, what happened to your face? Who did this to you?
Diana: Chloé Deppailer, that lassie is full of traps in the forest, all aimed to kill me, from what I could notice she has more than one. After your shot she ran away and went to her horse, I didn't want to attack her, I just wanted to distract her here so we could capture her and be able to collect some information, I wanted to avoid trying to give a final attack, but from what I could notice she knows very badly how to wield a weapon.
Akko: That bitch! She's appeared before, when we were in Loches, me and the girls were in her castle and we got the proposition for her head, I remember well that she wanted to pay a horse's weight in gold for it, accusing you of being responsible for the last appearances of creatures of the night.
Diana: Again this information is unfounded, I can't even control them, let alone summon them, my vampiric powers are more limited than it seems, the one who really had them was my mother who until today I don't know about her whereabouts, but even so, I have nothing to do with these creatures appearing yet.
Croix: Let's talk about this later, we have to take care of these injuries.
Diana just rolls her eyes upwards, but obeys Meridies, going down to the Belmont family library, where from there she goes to another place a little more hidden, where there is blood, she fills a glass of the liquid that is kind of well preserved, takes a deep breath, drinks the liquid and quickly the wounds start to regenerate as if it was magic, when she finishes drinking that bottle she even has her hand on her chest and is kind of sad, annoyed of having put that liquid down her throat.
Akko: Woah! I didn't know you could regenerate that fast.
Diana: I hate having to drink blood, but it's the best solution to heal my wounds, ahhhh, it makes me feel like a vampire again, I remember well how my mother used to drink it all the time.
Croix: In this case this is the blood of past generations of Belmont, it is a way for us to have an ally who is a creature of the night, to have a way for her to regenerate and also to bless a possible whip, with the blood of Belmont, that's how it happened with Chariot.
Akko: Woah, that's really interesting, I didn't know that vampires drank blood to regenerate themselves too and I didn't know that's how Chariot Belmont got power for her whip, how impressive, that way you can imagine that this whip must be legendary and powerful.
Croix: The Vampire Killer is passed on from generation to generation by the Belmonts, it's a whip specially blessed by one of the family, its power is much greater when carried by one of them, because here you have their blood, it's this blood that gives the power for vampires to feel something and this way the whip is very efficient in killing creatures of the night, I remember how Chariot used to sweep dungeons with this thing, we were quite a duo.
Diana: Not wanting to interrupt your conversation, but we have to do something important now, we have to hurry to try and follow the trail of that bloody murderer.
The three of them this way go to the library, Diana goes especially after Lotte, which the girls even find strange this sudden way in which she would go to Yanson. They were still thinking about that thing that happened to Chloé and Cavendish wanted to solve this issue without having to run away.
Diana: Lotte you must know some spell to summon some creature that spies or something, we'll need to know the steps of that assassin before things get too tight for our side.
Lotte: I can summon a spy spirit that will be watching everything and listening too, we can look through the crystal ball, and the only way to take it out is if I want to or if this spirit is destroyed, but don't worry because he is very small and also knows how to hide well.
Yanson soon makes sure to use the spell to summon the spirit and a ghostly little creature with a bit humanoid shape but the body a bit fuller and made all of spirit matter appears. Diana catches that little creature, it comes out of the library in morecego form, she heads towards the road, where she notices that there is no horse, in that way she goes flying to the nearest town, where she notices that there are several horses, she makes the point of flying lower and stealthily observing the local activity.
Chloé on the other hand was in the same town, she stayed in a tavern wearing a hood and drinking a beer, until she ends up being welcomed by one of the people sitting next to her.
Customer#1: Hello sweetness, a beautiful adventuress we have here today, you must not be from around here.
Chloé: I demand respect, get out of here you disgusting drunkard, have more respect for the Countess of Loches, or else I will have your head cut off.
Adventurer #1: Hey Antoine, don't disturb this lady, she's not in the mood for an adventure with a mere commoner like you.
That way the customer just walks away and the adventurer sits down next to Chloé who continues to stay just her way quiet as always. On the other hand Diana was observing the places, soon she looks at the tavern from there the same one adheres as bat form and manages to notice the presence of Chloé who was drinking beer and next to a possible adventurer.
Adventurer #1: What brings a beautiful lady like you here?
Chloé continues to ignore and drink her beer alone.
Adventurer#1: Not for nothing, but a countess in this little town piques my curiosity, did you come here to do some adventuring? I'm a bounty hunter here in the region, I've been protecting the surroundings from these creatures of the night.
Chloé just goes about ignoring it and drinking, while Diana sneaks her bat form around the place, trying to find a way to get the spirit into Chloé's bag that was well exposed, in this case the arrow bag, would be perfect to put the spirit to spy on Deppailer's activity.
Adventurer #1: You don't seem like the talkative type, do you?
Chloé: Just leave me alone, I want to stay here alone and drink, can't you see you're bothering me, I'm not going to make a pass at a poor commoner like you.
In this way the adventurer just distances himself from the Deppailer that is just drinking and Diana goes for a flypast where she manages to leave the spirit in the Frenchwoman's bag of arrows and this way she leaves the tavern, passing practically unnoticed.
The Cavendish then flies back to the Belmont's property, landing there returning to a human form, she goes to the underground, arriving on the place she observes what is happening on the crystal ball and can only hear the sounds of people's conversations around and also Chloé taking coins to pay the tavern's owner, where she then pays a room, marking that espionage mission as a possible success.
Diana: Great, now we will be able to know where this daft cunt is hiding and be alert in case she comes to warn someone connected to the church or comes back to kill me, we have already killed one rabbit here.
Lotte: This spell doesn't spend that much magic since I spent just for the summoning, and it spends to send it back to the book, the longer I leave it, the more magic is needed, but I think it might be long enough that I have enough to summon back this spirit.
Sucy: And what do we do now? Are we going to stop training? Are we going to run away from here? Or are we just going to kill that damned thing, which is more than deserving.
Diana: Are you crazy? We're not going to kill anyone, we're going to leave that lass alive, we're just going to keep an eye on what she does and how she acts, we can't be that unaware, lucky Loches is at least a good few days walk from here, so it'll be safe, if she's really going to come back to sort something out.
Croix: Completing here, you will continue the training the same way you were doing, that's no excuse not to continue, we still have three weeks before we leave here for England and then Ireland, our mission can't stop because of a little hunter girl, by the way I doubt very much that they will allow her to cross the English Channel.
Akko: From the way her parents seem to be, I don't doubt at all that she'll get a scolding like that, so we can be safe when she returns to Loches and even if not, she'll try to hide somewhere else and soon she might be found.
Marianne: The Deppailers are very concerned parents, of course they're going to be going after their daughter anyway, she's not going to end this one so well, I'm sure.
After that conversation the girls went back to what they were doing, Diana even calls Akko to come back outside, where they exchange some blows among themselves. Sucy on the other hand stays talking with Croix and helping her to forge more efficient arrows, including many of those bathed a little with Belmont blood, which gives a little more efficiency on the hit and also the blood of night creatures, which is another form that makes the arrows cross more and have a higher efficiency rate, going beyond what they were made for. Marianne was training with Diana and Akko after the two stopped fighting each other so much.
This way they were exchanging blows with the French girl, who was learning the attacks little by little, picking up a little bit of expertise, she is mixing both Diana's and Akko's styles and creating her own style of combat, even though it is quite clumsy on her part, but combined with her enormous luck, it is what makes her the element of Leblanc that the other two witches don't have.
Far away from there, on the other side of the English Channel, the Earl of Appleton, Paul Hanbridge, received at that moment an unwelcome visit. Someone who had disappeared into the shadows during all those years arrived there, Daryl Cavendish herself, who was coming with her daughters, to the surprise of the Earl who was not expecting her visit.
Paul: What are you doing here Daryl? Do you want gold? Have you come to torment me? It was better when I was out of here.
Daryl: Oh Paul, is this how you get your first wife? I didn't come here to torment you, you can even disregard me as a wife, I don't care, don't you Andy, you've grown up a lot all these years boy, remember Aunt Daryl?
Paul's Wife: Get out of here you filthy snake, nobody here likes your presence, Paul kicked you for me because he knew what a lousy wife you are.
Daryl: Oh you are so low, what lame arguments, it wasn't Paul who didn't want me, it was me who didn't want him, or have you forgotten that I was my husband's mistress all these years, how I was his first wife? I decided to get out of here, but the reason is none of your business, I'm here because I have a proposal for you, it's a very silly one.
Paul: I'm not getting into a three-way relationship Daryl, you wanted to end our marriage because you wanted to.
Daryl: And who says I want rubbish? I don't want a relationship, I just want to stay here for a while, we'd say you'll soon find out why.
Paul: I demand to know now or else I will throw you out of here Daryl.
Daryl: How demanding you are Paul, so okay I'll say, the reason is to welcome someone, I've been preparing for this moment for a decade, it's going to be the moment we've been waiting so long for and you're not going to neglect your two daughters staying here with you these days, are you? They miss their daddy so much.
Paul: And who would that someone be? I won't throw you out if you tell me.
Daryl: My nieces Diana and Hellene, they will be coming here soon and they can be excellent bargaining pieces, I'm only going here to bargain with them, I need a place to stay where I can enjoy a bit of luxury and that they know where to find me, I know you would understand my side, then I'll get the hell out of here.
Paul: Diana is in France as a hunter of creatures of the night and Hellene has been missing since her mother's death, the Irish don't even want to see a McLaren alive. How could this be a bargaining chip? And how could it be of any benefit to me?
Daryl: Paul, Paul, Paul, you are too naive, Diana is the direct descendant of the whole Cavendish estate, you can benefit a lot, that whole castle is full of gold, but it is full of creatures of the night, however we can negotiate well. Diana is a hunter as you said, she works together with the partner of Chariot Belmont, she can rid the castle of the creatures, because she is the direct heir of everything that my sister Bernadette owns, she is the owner of all that, have you thought about the benefits that this can bring you, you can have control not only here in England, but do business also in Scotland.
Paul: I understand what you mean Daryl, I understand very well, you are proposing that I come to marry my son Andrew to your niece Diana because she is the heiress of everything and that way I will have a certain control over that castle and everything in it, I could benefit a lot from that, you are now speaking my language, so I will tolerate your stay here.
At that moment the two shook hands, but Andrew was watching everything quite irritated and he even hit the table angrily and everyone was watching that a bit apprehensive for Hanbridge's reaction.
Andrew: I'm not marrying her dad! How can I marry someone I don't even know! This is absurd!
Paul: Shut up Andrew, you are in no position to deny anything, you have to stop being so selfish and be more broad minded, or do you think I had married Daryl because I loved her? I got married because I needed the opportunity to have the Cavendish properties, but she has no control of anything, now is the golden opportunity, this is thinking big here my son, you have to stop being so dumb and start using your little head, we are talking about a castle full of gold here.
Andrew beats his feet angrily and gets out of there angry, meanwhile Daryl watches all that with a smile on his face, seeing the boy leaving, already Paul gets a little angry, but tries to calm down and Hanbridge's mother follows the boy, together with his friend Frank wanting to give an extra consolation for the viscount.
Paul: Boys, you know how disobedient they are, you wish they were like your daughters are, are they still the same old behaved ones with you? From the looks of things it would seem so. These kids really don't understand how we do this with their best interests in mind, if we really let them act out of love the family would mix with poor people and that would be outrageous.
Daryl: You are absolutely right Paul, we think the best for our family and these children have to understand, my girls already understand this and thank you for your cooperation, you won't regret my help, I also want to do this to clear the Cavendish family bar and get that tainted story of my sister getting involved in a homosexual relationship with that Irish witch out of the way.
Paul smiling at Daryl: Excellent plan Daryl, it's good to do business with you, even if you do disappear from time to time, by the way, later turn up at the fourteenth, I'll be there waiting for you, I want to see if you're in the same mood as before.
The two clink their glasses and Daryl flashes an encouraging smile like someone who really understood the intentions of her ex-husband, who was still a tremendous adulterer. The elder Cavendish is making negotiations to get more benefits and also be able to somehow carry out her plan a little faster.
See you, assassin witches...