"Hey, Old Man," I said with a smirk. I looked around at the shocked faces of the Guardians I'd just flattened. Pavel was standing off to the side, trying to hold back his laughter, but he wasn't doing a very good job. "Did you need something?"
"Yes. I was hoping to have a conversation with you to work out the particulars of your little endeavor. I hope you understand that I'll need a little more information than training and hunting." I nodded and turned back to his men.
"Thanks for the fight guys. While I didn't find it too difficult, it was amusing and very instructive." I wiggled my fingers in Pavel's direction before motioning Abe toward the door. "Shall we?"
I was still in my workout clothes, but I hadn't been sweating or anything, so I didn't smell or feel gross. Abe led me to the third floor where he'd set up his office. He'd actually just converted one of the bedrooms, so it was a very large space to be considered an office. He'd split the space, creating a formal meeting area, with a regal desk and uncomfortable looking chairs, but on the other side of the room were plush couches that looked inviting centered around an electric fireplace.
"I love what you've done with the place," I said admiring his layout and décor. The whole space was warm earth tones, with the occasional red and gold thrown in. The walls were a warm cream, and all the furniture was a dark oak. While most of the bedrooms had carpeted floors, this one had hardwood that matched the furniture to perfection. To me, all of the space was cozy and inviting, but I would suspect that if someone met with Abe at his desk, forced to sit in the stiff wooden chair, it could be very intimidating.
He motioned me over to the couches, our meeting was going to be a comfortable one. When I seated myself facing the wall of windows, he sat adjacent to me. I could still look out the windows that overlooked the vast blue ocean, but I could easily turn my head to look at him and have a decent conversation. He looked relaxed, but he eyes showed a hint of concern.
"Alright. What have you planned and what still needs work?" He began, jumping straight into things.
"I haven't planned much, other than I need to train, both in hand-to-hand combat and in weapons."
"From what I saw downstairs, I don't think you need much training in hand-to-hand, though." He said smirking. "You said something about weapons. Which ones? Do you have something particular in mind?"
"I haven't really had a chance to do research to know which will be better. I want to use a sword. I understand that staking is effective, but if I become proficient with a sword, beheading would be a quicker death, probably easier, too, considering they won't be expecting me to use a sword." He nodded, looking thoughtful, but didn't comment, so I continued. "I'd also like a ranged weapon, maybe a gun or a knife. I don't know how I feel about guns, so preferably a knife. If the Strigoi are already attacking a victim and I can't reach them in the time it takes for them to sink their fangs in, I need something to slow them down and turn their attention to me."
"We might want to have a look at our weapons room here, just so you can get an idea."
"We have a weapons room here?" I asked slightly surprised, but I was learning quickly not to be surprised when it came to Abe's possessions. He chuckled and shook his head, rising from his couch gesturing for me to do the same.
"It's in the basement, the gym actually, but we don't inform anyone of it lest they get some bright idea." He said ominously. I wanted to ask, but I thought best not. It did make me feel a little bit better about our relationship that he trusted me to let me know he has a weapons room. "Let's go have a look, shall we?"
"Lead the way." I followed Abe back down to the gym where Pavel was giving the twelve Guardians a thorough dressing down. I kind of felt bad for them. It wasn't their fault that they couldn't beat me, but they could've been more coordinated with their attacks.
"Guardian Hathaway," Pavel called out to me kindly. "Would you care to critique the men's performance?"
"There isn't much I can say in regard to their fighting style considering I didn't get to see much of it, but it's just not enough to beat mine. You could use a lot of improvements when it comes to fighting as a group, though. While you attacked together, you didn't time your attacks well enough to do any real damage." I responded helpfully. "I suggest you spend some time learning how each other fight and become comfortable fighting together, as one, not as individuals."
"Thank you," Pavel said with a nod. I nodded back and turned to find an amused looking Abe. When I looked at him questioningly, he shook his head and moved toward the back corner of the gym.
He opened a panel on the wall and revealed a retina scanner. He bent down with his left eye and waited for the scan to complete. I saw a red light emit from the scanner, covering his whole eye. There was a light beep, and Abe straightened and turned to me with a grin.
"Don't worry, your retina has already been programmed. I didn't know which eye you'd want to use, so I went with your right one. The first time you use it, it will prompt for a DNA sample, just in case the house goes into lockdown. You'll just press your finger in this opening, it'll give you a quick prick, and you'll be good to go."
I don't know how he got a scan of my retina in order to enter it into any program, but it was too late to change it now, so I didn't ask. I simply nodded as he pushed open the door that had suddenly become visible in the wall. I looked over my shoulder where Pavel was still scolding the Guardians and giving them scheduled training times with various different people. I stepped into the room unseen and quickly shut the door behind me. The sight before me made me gasp.
Covering the walls were a vast selection of swords. I kind of expected there to be guns lining the walls and was slightly disappointed in the obvious lack of firearms until I saw three tables covered with both pistols and rifles along with grenade type weapons.
"We tend to keep swords here more often because guns don't really help in killing Strigoi," Abe informed me as I slowly inspected the various weapons. There were some that I recognized: the great sword, katana, claymore, rapier. But there were others that I didn't know the names of. Two swords drew my interest more than the others, and these two I didn't know the names of, but they spoke to me.
"What's this one called?" I asked as I removed the sword from the wall. It was a sickle of sorts, but longer, thicker, and sharper. The hilt fit perfectly into my small hand. The base of the sword was straight but quickly jutted out and began its curve, ending in an arrowhead-shaped tip. Both the inside and the outside edges were razor sharp and the hook that was created from the jut was like a knife had been attached.
"That's a Khopesh. The Egyptians evolved it from a battle ax. It's called a sickle sword, similar to a battle ax, but much lighter and easier to fight with." Abe said handing me its designated scabbard. I hooked the scabbard around my waist and sheathed the sword. "They don't usually have the entire length and both edges sharpened, but I found it more useful when fighting."
The weight of the sword as it hung against my left hip felt natural, like it was made to be there. The Khopesh wasn't a heavy sword, though I'm sure after swinging it around for a while, the ten pounds would probably feel like a ton. I unsheathed the sword slowly, feeling every catch as it made its way out of the scabbard.
"It's a self-sharpening scabbard, so you shouldn't have to worry too much about sharpening it often," Abe said, amused by my fascination, but I was too engrossed in the sword to really care. Studying the blade once more, I put it back in the scabbard. Taking the scabbard from around my waist, I place it on an empty table in the middle of the room. I decided I'll put the weapons I'd most-likely use on this table before making a final decision.
"What about this one?" I asked taking the second sword off the wall. This one was also curved, though the curve of this one was much more subtle than the Khopesh. Compared to the Khopesh, this sword weighed next to nothing, maybe three pounds at most. Though the blade was thin, it gave no indication that it was weak or malleable. Like the Khopesh, the blade was extremely sharp, ending in a very fine point.
"That's a Turkish Scimitar," Abe said proudly. "I'm actually surprised you picked it up. Most go for the katana when choosing a curved blade, but I supposed your Turkish blood knew this sword was the right choice. This one is traditionally worn with a hip scabbard, but I've found it more comfortable with a back scabbard."
With that, he pulled out a harness of sorts. It crossed at the back, attached was a curved scabbard. Placing the sword momentarily back on the wall, I pulled the harness on, strapping it at the front, right under my bust. I pulled the sword back down, carefully guiding it into place on my back. I would have to get used to the movement of sheathing and unsheathing both of the swords. If the harness wasn't fitted to me so well, I wouldn't have noticed that the sword was on my back. It was just that light.
"The scabbard has a catching mechanism, so if you're flipping during combat or hanging upside-down, it won't come out on its own. There's a small release on the top of the hilt, right where your hand would sit, that releases the sword from its constraint."
I nodded, wrapping my hand around the hilt as it rested near the base of my neck, finding the small button near my index finger. I pushed it and the sword slid out easily, with a light ring as the metal scraped past metal. I swung the sword through the air, listening as it moved the air as it passed. I started moving the sword faster, it's rough hilt fitting snugly into my palm. Abe stepped back a couple of steps to observe my positioning.
"You've almost got it down right away, but I'll have Pavel work with you on stance and hand placement so you won't have any problems. You're a natural." He said with a smile. I smiled back before focusing back on my blade. After a few more minutes of me just holding the blade and getting used to its weight, I place the sword in its scabbard on my back before detaching the harness and setting the whole ensemble on the table beside the Khopesh.
"I think two swords will be enough. I'll train with these for a few days and decide if they're the ones that I'm going to stick with, and if I don't like them, I'll find new ones." I told Abe, and he nodded silently. I turned around to face the wall of throwing weapons. There were the typical throwing stars and knives, but I didn't see myself using those.
Toward the left-hand side of the display panels sat a single column of throwing spikes. These looked like stakes, but they were shorter and sharpened at both ends. I quickly made my way over to them and pulled a few off the wall. Despite looking like stakes, these spikes were much lighter, making it easier to throw further distances.
"I thought you might enjoy those. Most Guardians prefer them to an actual stake, though, it is extremely difficult to pierce the heart of a Strigoi when using them, they do provide a good diversion." Abe explained. "When you do your clothes shopping with Sydney, make sure to get something that has pockets or at least a place to hide a few of those, that is, if you like them."
"I think I'm going to like them," I said with a smile. "When is Sydney getting here, anyway?"
"I called her first thing this morning, and she's getting on a plane later tonight. She'll be here bright and early in the morning. I figure I'd give her a day to settle into her new home and then the day after you'd both go into the city to do your shopping. Unless you'd rather shop online and have everything delivered here?"
"No. If we go into the city it would give me a chance to scout a few locations that I would most likely be visiting when I start hunting. It will be easier to scope the places out while there's daylight and fewer people." I told him, placing the spikes on the table with my swords. "Do you think that I should carry a stake?"
"That's up to you. I don't know what kind of situations you're going to get yourself into, but if you come across a Guardian that isn't armed, don't you think you should carry a stake for them, just in case?"
"Yeah, though I don't know what kind of Guardian would walk around New York City without a stake on them." I chuckled. "So, did you give Sydney an option to help me, or did you call in a favor?"
"I asked if she'd be willing to be your personal Alchemist," Abe said. "I didn't have to threaten her or anything, if that's what you're asking. I'd gotten her back in the States and technically she does still owe me, but I gave her an option on this one. If she decided not to, I would have contacted the Alchemists personally and requested a personal Alchemist for you to call when you started hunting."
"Wait, so, she wanted to do this?" I asked dumbfounded. Sydney actually wanted to help an evil creature of the night? Without coercion? What was this world coming to?
"It appears to be that way. I've allocated her the room across the hall from yours. I've credit cards for you both, so you can do whatever shopping needs to get done. You've access to all my resources, including cars and drivers."
"Will I be able to receive Molnija marks for the kills I make?" I asked a little hesitantly. I knew it wasn't all about the mark, but that didn't mean that I didn't want my kills to go unrecorded; however, this time the marks weren't to show myself or other Guardians what I've done, but to show the Strigoi they have something to fear.
"I do believe that Sydney is trained with a tattoo gun and I can call in a few favors at Court to make sure that they get recorded, but only Guardian Croft will have access to the records," Abe said reassuringly.
"Thank you, Dad. This really means a lot to me." I said walking over to give him a hug. I'm not really a hugger, and Abe isn't really a hugger, but somehow, this hug wasn't awkward at all. I felt comforted by my father's arms.
"You're welcome, little girl." He said with a warm smile. "How 'bout you shower and meet me in the kitchen for lunch and then we'll start working on a training schedule. I don't want you going full throttle just yet. I know you're probably ready and everything, but I want you to relax just as much as you train."
"Alright," I said, while it did bother me a little that I couldn't just train all day, every day, it made sense that I would need to know how to relax also. "I'll see you in a bit."
We both left the weapons room. The gym was still occupied by the Guardians, but they were busy sparring and conditioning to notice that we'd reemerged from a hole in the wall. I gave Abe a quick kiss on the cheek and bounded up the stairs to the first floor. The sun was shining heavily through the windows, filling the space with the warmth of the sun. The first floor was mostly whites and creams, with powder-blue walls. The entirety of it reminded me of the beach, which considering the beach was just outside the door, it was fitting.
I walked slowly up the stairs to the second floor. The second floor was different than the first mainly because instead of open space, it was a long hallway that stretched from either side of the stairs. There were doors periodically placed on either side of the hallway leading to a bedroom each. Reaching the third floor was much of the same.
Taking a slight right at the top of the stairs, I stepped across the walkway to the door of my room. Opening the door to my room, I was again met with the brilliant light and the stunning sight of small sailboats floating out on the ocean. While pure happiness was not an emotion that I could feel now, I felt at peace with my beautiful surroundings.
I set to work unpacking all of my belongings that I had brought with me, which didn't amount to a lot. I placed my jeans in the bottom left drawer of my dresser and my t-shirts in the drawer above that. In the top left drawer, I placed all of my socks and underwear. I placed my collection of bras in the top right drawer along with my two swimsuits, sleep shirts and tank tops in the drawer below that, and pajama pants and shorts in the bottom right drawer.
I hung up all five of my dresses in the closet to the right of the dresser, along with my dress slacks. The few pairs of shoes I owned were lined along the bottom left side of my closet. I didn't have much in terms of jewelry, but I placed the few things I did have in a box on the counter in the bathroom. When my boxes arrived from Turkey, I'd unpack and organize my knickknacks and decorative items that would give my space more personality.
I grabbed some clothes to change into and headed to the bathroom. I'd decided to take a bath. There was also a wall of windows in the bathroom, but I could block the view of the shower or the bathtub with a screen, but I decided I wanted to be able to look out across the ocean. I turned on the taps, checking the water was warm before plugging the drain. I added a few drops of plumeria oil, giving the water a pleasant floral scent. While the water was rising, I stripped my gym clothes from my body and threw them in a hamper by the door.
The tile was cool against my bare feet but was a refreshing contrast from the warm sunlight that entered the window. I lowered myself into the tub and waited for the water to reach just below my shoulders before turning it off. I settled back into the deep tub, allowing the water to warm my bones. It wasn't like I felt the cold, but the heat felt nice. My muscles weren't sore, so I didn't need the heat to sooth them, but I felt soothed regardless of any bodily ache.
I let out a sigh of contentment as I closed my eyes and enjoyed the silence that surrounded me. The air inside was still and steamy, and I could hear a gentle breeze moving the waves and grass outside. I suspected that Abe wasn't going to be eating lunch at eleven, so I guessed that I had at least an hour to just relax.
With my eyes still closed, I decided to do a bodily check. I knew I was feeling better than I had in years, but I wasn't sure what else had changed with the acceptance of the Darkness. I kind of wouldn't mind if it gave me some sort of superpower, but I doubt that. However, I did try a few things just to see if anything worked.
I held my hand above the water, focusing energy into my palm, hoping for something to happen. I was hoping for the water to move or heat up, the ground to quake or the air to swirl around me, but nothing happened. So, no, I can't control an element.
I sighed and decided to take a moment to check in on Lissa. Even though I'd left her, I still felt a need to protect her, even if I couldn't do anything from where I am. I slipped into her head not knowing what to expect. She was currently at a bar with Adrian, drinking. I didn't detect a trace of Darkness in her entire being.
I don't know if it was Lissa's doing or my own, but I could see Adrian's aura, and it was clouded in Darkness. Seeing that much Darkness caused an urge inside of me to surface. I didn't know how to quench it, but my body did. I felt my lungs expand and my mind focused on the Darkness surrounding him. As I breathed in, the Darkness around him dissipate, and I felt myself becoming more alert and focused.
Adrian's hand froze halfway to his face, drink in hand, his eyes widening as he turned to study Lissa beside him.
"Rose? What have you done?"