Yes, It took a little longer, but I'm getting better with updating! Thanks to Chrosis, Raptor-Chick, ben revell, Lunatic Pandora1, Oak Tree Woman, L. Byron, and StormRaven333 for the reviews!
Chapter 18: Reactions
"What kind of dumb-ass hint is that?" Ravyn shrieked after Eve, thought she knew the vampire was long gone. God, how she hated those blood-sucking, sadistic leeches!
"Ravyn, calm down…" Ivy said reaching over and gently laying her hand on Ravyn's shoulder.
Ravyn saw red and blinked. Suddenly, Ivy was lying about ten yards away from her, clutching her stomach as she tried to catch her breath. Tarn'se had jumped back and his wrist blades were out, not aimed at her, but ready to fend off an attack. Ravyn's arm pulsed with a slight pain and it donned on her; she had finally snapped from the stress and whacked Ivy though the air.
"Ivy!" Ravyn raced over to her friend ad dropped down next to her, "I'm so sorry…"
Ivy shook her head, regaining some breath, "it's not your fault… you've been under a lot of stress recently."
"That's no excuse for me to launch you through the air," Ravyn grumbled.
Ivy shook her head, "You couldn't help it… vampire's often do things like that when they loose their temper…" Ivy's face sagged and she clasped her hands over her mouth and stared at Ravyn's stricken face.
Ravyn fell back onto her butt and wrapped her arms around her legs, trying not to hyper ventilate. Ivy had just called her a vampire. Was she that far along? Had she finished Turning?
Lunging at Ivy, Ravyn grabbed her friend by the shoulders and shook her, "Look at my eyes! What are they!" When a human finished Turning, they finally gained the onyx eyes with silver irises. Ravyn's heart pounded as Ivy hesitantly looked her in the face.
Ravyn felt Ivy body relax and she knew she was safe. "Nope, still green," Ivy whispered. Ravyn nodded and resumed her fetal position, trying to calm herself.
"Well, I guess we now need to figure out a riddle," Ivy said softly, standing and offering her hand to Ravyn. Ravyn grasped it gratefully and stood.
Tarn'se approached cautiously, "A place that now better resembles its' name," he repeated, "I have no knowledge of your human monuments."
Ravyn shrugged, "Doesn't matter… I doubt we'll figure it out anyway." Ravyn ignored Ivy's shocked look and kept walking, Tarn'se matching her stride. Ivy jogged to catch up and they walked in silence back to the car.
As they opened the doors, Ravyn heard a distinct beeping. She glanced at Ivy, thinking it was her cell phone. Ivy shook her head. Ravyn looked and Tarn'se and said dully, "You're beeping."
Tarn'se looked down at his left wrist and opened a compartment, pressing a few buttons. His head tilted and he muttered, "Jaelre? What the hell are you doing here?"
Ravyn and Ivy glanced at each other and Ravyn inquired, "Jaelre?"
Tarn'se kept looking at the devise on his wrist and replied vacantly, "He's one of my clan mates, and a good friend of mine."
Ravyn blinked, "There are more than one of you guys here?"
Tarn'se's mask pulled up, "There were many upon Earth recently; my clan. They are widely dispersed so humans won't guess what is happening…" Tarn'se trailed off, "But the hunt is over. I have no idea why Jaelre would be here…" He turned and began to jog away, his cloaking activating and making him no more than a shimmer. Though there weren't many humans out, he didn't want to risk being seen.
Ravyn and Ivy followed, keeping an eye on Tarn'se's shimmering form. He led them about three blocks before stopping and starting to quickly scale a brick wall. Ivy spotted a fire escape and ran up it, closely followed by Ravyn. Tarn'se's form disappeared as they were halfway up the escape.
"Tarn'se! I've been searching everywhere for you! I though the others may have gone out and found you already," Jaelre said as Tarn'se uncloaked in front of him. Jaelre shook Tarn'se's shoulder tightly, giving away how tense he was.
Tarn'se returned the gesture, "Jaelre, what are you doing here? Leader Macre is going to be furious when he finds out you left without permission…"
"I'm here on his orders," Jaelre interrupted, "Tarn'se you are in great danger. The clan… Damn! Cloak quickly!" Jaelre barked pulling out a shuriken, extending the blades and pulling his arm back to throw it.
Tarn'se grabbed Jaelre's arm and turned to see Ravyn and Ivy ducking just below the roof ledge, "Is he gonna finish that throw or can we come up?" Ravyn called.
"You may come up," Tarn'se said with a nod. Turning to Jaelre he explained, "These are human hunters, they hunt and kill the vampire creatures I told you about." Jaelre put away his shuriken but his stance remained tense.
"Hello," Ivy said with a grin. Her eyes sparkled as she did a quick scan of the new alien's mind, trying to pick up any emotions that may help her out. Her face paled and she looked at Ravyn, "We should probably leave."
Ravyn's brows rose, "Why?"
"'Cause he's seriously considering killing us." Ravyn's eyes widened and she looked at Tarn'se for some help.
Tarn'se glared at Jaelre sharply through his mask lenses, "You are not to harm them. They are my allies and you will treat them as such."
Jaelre growled angrily, "Tarn'se this is madness. When you told me you encountered human hunters, I assumed you had simply seen them, not revealed yourself to them! It was difficult enough to believe that you were transforming into some blood-sucking parasite, but you ask me far too much to simply stand by and watch you openly associate with these humans. Have you lost your mind? Have you forgotten our laws? The simple fact they have seen you is bad enough! What if they told their superiors? You know as well as I do how the humans' government has been trying to capture one of us. Do you know what the Elders will do to you when they find out about this?"
"These humans have no contact with their human government; their only purpose is to hunt down and kill vampires, the infected humans," Tarn'se replied quickly.
"That's not the point!" Jaelre let out a loud rattle, trying to calm himself, "Tarn'se you have to get out of here now!"
Tarn'se eyed his friend, concerned, "What is going on?"
"You're in deep trouble Tarn'se. The Arbitrators are here."
"What?" Tarn'se shouted, "How… that's impossible! There hasn't been enough time for Leader Macre to send a message and have an Arbitrator sent!"
"You would be right," Jaelre growled, "If the Arbitrator Far'hnde didn't arrive on the last ship! He and Leader Macre talked and chose to come after you!" he paused and muttered, "I convinced Leader Macre to send me ahead to try to convince you to come back peacefully."
"I can't leave!" Tarn'se shouted, felling as if his world were crashing down around him, "I told you what is happening to me! These humans," he gestured to Ravyn and Ivy, "are the only ones that could possibly aid me. The shame brought to my name by associating with them is irrelevant when compared to what may happen should this disease fully take me!"
Jaelre sighed, shaking his head, "This is folly, Tarn'se. Can't you see that? Why not ask the healers to help you. They could…"
"I am beyond any of our healers' medicines. I am going to become one of those creatures unless these humans can help me." Tarn'se hung his head, "I am finished if I go back now; I am as good as dead. All I need is one day, and if I do not come back then, then I will have fallen on my blade."
Jaelre stared at him for a long moment. Tarn'se began to wonder whether his friend would try to take him by force. In the end, Jaelre held out his hand, "Give me your left gauntlet then."
"What?" Tarn'se stepped back. The left gauntlet contained not only the system for cloaking, changing mask visions, and firing a plasma caster, but also a Yautja warrior's self-destruct devise. Tarn'se wasn't about to give that up so easily.
"They will track you through the homing beacon in your gauntlet. I will need to tamper with it so it will not work," Jaelre explained.
Tarn'se grinned and held out his left arm. Jaelre took it and quickly began to flip switches, press buttons, and activate all sorts of locking codes. Tarn'se chuckled, "I will never again taunt you about your extensive knowledge of our technology."
Jaelre growled, "I never imagined I would be using it to help a delinquent friend escape an Arbitrator." There was a high pitched beeping from the gauntlet and a few of the red lights blinked out. Jaelre released Tarn'se, satisfied, "It will take them longer to find you now, but I can't just go back to them and tell them you refused to come."
"You may come with me; trust me, these humans have nothing to do with their government. I trust them." Tarn'se blinked when he spoke. He trusted the humans? There were very few of his kind that he trusted. Never had he imagined that he would ever place his trust in another species, let alone one with such terrible reputation for being untrustworthy.
These humans were different, though. They were hunters like him and his kind. They aided him when he had needed aid, and he had fought beside them as if they were part of his own clan. They had earned his trust, as much as the lone warrior in him disliked the idea.
He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a human voice call out haughtily, "Now, what's this? A free meal?" He spun with a snarl to see three vampires calmly walking out of the shadows. They must have seen them and teleported to the rooftop. There were two males and a female, the male with long bladed dagger in his hand; the head male chuckled again, "Exotic food I see; how fascinating." They were dressed in plain black clothes and didn't look too distinguished, comparing them to all of the other fancy costumed vampires Tarn'se had encountered.
Jaelre pulled out his spear and extended it, "Tarn'se, what are these?" he hissed anxiously, staring at the vampires.
"Vampires," Tarn'se replied, "Do you have a spare weapon?" Tarn'se cursed silently that he had left with no weapons but his plasma caster and wrist blades. The plasma caster would be next to useless if the vampires could teleport and he would have to be very close to the vampires to use his wrist blades; too close.
Jaelre unsheathed a katana-like sword and passed it to him. Tarn'se took the sword and extended his wrist blades. He glanced at the human hunters and saw Ravyn with a sword and dagger unsheathed and Ivy with a loaded crossbow.
"Behead them or stab them through the heart," Tarn'se told Jaelre, "Everything else will be ineffective."
"I'm not in the mood for anything exotic tonight," the other male vampire drawled, "I'll take the humans."
"Have fun," the female purred, turning and eyeing Tarn'se. She teleported and Jaelre barked in surprise.
Tarn'se shut his eyes and concentrated on his other senses. Many Yautja often would sit for hours focusing their other senses besides sight, in case they were blinded in battle. Tarn'se spun as he felt a tiny wind behind him and the ever so slight pop of air displacing suddenly. He felt the sword hit something yielding and heard the female vampire scream. He heard a distinct thud and a curse from Jaelre; the other vampire had attacked. Human shouts indicated Ravyn and Ivy were also engaged in battle.
He had hit the female in the side and she clawed desperately to try to get the sword out of her. Her form flickered as she tried to teleport, but was hindered due to the pain she was in. Tarn'se aimed his plasma caster and fired, the vampire's chest exploding in a shower of blood. As the vampire began to melt away into ash, Tarn'se heard Jaelre shriek. Tearing the blade out of the disintegrating vampire, Tarn'se shouted in shock as he stared Jaelre's limp form with the vampire attached to his neck. Tarn'se dove at the vampire knocking it away from Jaelre, who screamed as the vampire released him.
The vampire rolled with Tarn'se and managed to get on top of him. The vampire snarled and snapped at Tarn'se, raking its' claws down his abs, drawing blood. Tarn'se growled and tried to stab at the vampire with his wrist blades but couldn't get a good angle.
Suddenly, the vampire shrieked into his face and threw itself off of him, flailing at its' back. Tarn'se looked up to see Ravyn standing a few feet away with a crossbow aimed at where the vampire was now beginning to dissolve.
Tarn'se quickly got to his feet and raced over to where Jaelre was lying motionless on the ground. Tarn'se grabbed his friend's shoulder and was rewarded with a dizzying punch to the face. He stumbled back and stared and Jaelre who was breathing heavily and shaking.
"Leave him alone for a second," Ivy said softly, "Being bitten and having a vampire ripped off that fast is a little shocking the first time."
"I'm fine," Jaelre growled at Ivy, trying to stand. He lost his balance halfway up and fell to his knees. Tarn'se approached slowly and offered a hand to his friend. Jaelre glanced at him for a moment, and then allowed himself to be helped to his feet. He turned and stared at the pile of ash that was the vampire that had bitten him, while reaching up and touching the two bleeding pinpricks on his neck.
Jaelre turned to Tarn'se, "You're turning into one of those things?" Tarn'se gave a small nod. Jaelre looked back at the pile of ashes and shook his head. Not taking his gaze from the ashes he voiced what everyone was thinking:
"What do we do now?"
I know, not too eventful, but more is coming soon! Probably not until next week though; I've got a huge AP Biology test this week and other numerous school things…ick. Please Review!