I know… I took forever to update. But on the brighter side of things, my little note on the previous chapter got some lurkers out of hiding! Yay! (gives them cookies… along with regular reviewers) Thanks a lot to Chrosis, Warlordomega, DasNewfie, Raptor-Chick, ben revell, Zack0Holic, Lunatic Pandora1, Oak Tree Woman, L. Byron, StormRaven333, and iconofcoolness for the reviews!
Chapter 20: Brawl
"Dammit," Ravyn growled, "Like we don't have enough problems at the moment." She did a quick head count of the aliens and came up with thirteen. Each was decked out in tons of weaponry and armor, making the vampire hunters look like kids with little wooden swords.
There were two that stood slightly in front of the group. The one on the left looked older, scars splattered over most of his exposed skin. He seemed the bulkiest of the bunch and wore a crimson cape over his shoulders, along with fancier armor that looked almost brand new; his mask was carved in the front to look like a gaping maw.
The other on the right was at least six inches taller than any of the aliens there, which was saying something, and wore a deep violet sash, covered in golden markings, across his chest. Unlike the others who wore the fish-net body suits, this guy's under armor looked like a full, tight, dull black suit, clinging to his muscled figure. His average looking grey-black armor was pieced over the suit, with a few extra pieces and ornaments placed here and there, many of them looking as though they were carved from bone. His mask was very simple, with the exception of it being a glossy black with very elaborate swirls and curves carved into the mask itself, resembling flames. Ravyn got the distinct impression that it would not be wise to mess with that one.
The bulkier one spoke first, the words a strange combination of clicks, growls, and purrs. Apparently, these guys didn't have any translators in their masks, or just didn't have them turned on; either way, Ravyn could tell by his tone that he was pissed. Tarn'se quickly barked back an answer, too fast for his mask to pick up and translate it.
Ravyn and the hunters watched the aliens bicker back and forth. Ravyn bit her lip and glanced at the watch; 25 minutes left. She cursed silently and began wondering whether they should just leave without Tarn'se and Jaelre or stick around and hope this little fight was over soon.
After debating the thought for a few moments Ravyn decided:
The aliens had three minutes.
"Tarn'se, what have you done?!" Macre growled, staring at the large group of humans that stood behind the warrior.
"I have come to save my honor; I suggest you get out of our way," Tarn'se replied swiftly.
Macre hissed in rage, "You dare command me?!"
Tarn'se met the hiss with calm words and demeanor, "I was simply suggesting you leave; you do not understand the situation we are in."
"The situation?!" Macre roared, "The situation is you left the ship and returned to this world without cause or reason and now I find you've revealed yourself to humans and openly walk with them! Have you lost your mind!? And Jaelre, what is the meaning of this?! We sent you out here to bring him back, not join him!"
"Tarn'se is right, Leader Macre, you do not understand what is going on," Jaelre replied hotly, "We would be glad to explain it to you, in time, but at the moment we…"
"We will not wait for anything," Far'hnde rasped coolly, eyeing the two warriors, "You both have violated our strictest codes and laws. You will be taken with us now and held before the Elder Counsel for judgment. Should you prove your actions to be appropriate and your motives sound, you will be released. If not," Far'hnde's wrist blades, much longer than the standard blades most warriors had, shot out of his wrist, "Then you are to die."
Jaelre glanced sideways at Tarn'se, unsure of what to do. Tarn'se simply stood his ground, "I understand your logic, Arbitrator, but I do not have the time to go back to the home world and face a trial. My honor is hanging in the balance, and if I must fight and kill you to save it, then I will."
Jaelre and all of the other Yautja stared at Tarn'se in shock. Far'hnde though, after many years of hunting down insane bad bloods, was unfazed, "So be it." Far'hnde pulled out a long, saber-like sword and fell into a fighting position.
Ravyn watched the tall Yautja go into what looked like a battle stance and swore; this was getting worse by the minute! They did not have time for this!
Suddenly, Ravyn felt a tug on her sleeve. She turned to face Ivy, who looked rather nervous, "Ravyn," Ivy whispered, "We're in trouble." Ivy's hands shook slightly as she dipped a dart in one of her last bottles of sun-light serum and loaded her crossbow.
"I know," Ravyn whispered back, "Now we have to get around these guys while Tarn'se and his buddy over there duke it out."
Ivy shook her head rapidly, "That's not what we're worried about." Ravyn looked back further and saw that the hunters had moved into a circular defensive stance and were staring into the shadows intently.
"What the… oh shit…" Ravyn groaned as she watched dozens of vampires step out of the shadows. "Tarn'se! We got problems!"
Tarn'se heard Ravyn call his name and he took a quick glance over his shoulder, his eyes widening when he saw the vampires.
Turning back to his clan, Tarn'se watched as more vampires strode out of the shadows, forming an oblong ring around both his clan and the vampire hunters. His clan tensed and hissed dangerously at the new arrivals. Tarn'se shouted quickly, "Stab them through the heart or take their heads off; nothing else can kill them!"
"What is this?" Far'hnde hissed looking at the vampires, "What are these humans doing here?"
"They're not human!" Tarn'se barked, expanding his spear and wrist blades. Looking at the vampires, Tarn'se growled when he realized that, even with his clan and the human hunters combined, they were outnumbered.
"How many Ivy?" Ravyn asked, never taking her eyes off the grinning vampires.
"Sixty," Ivy sighed, holding her crossbow ready.
Ravyn twitched at the number. Sixty? That meant there were twice as many vampires than humans! Even if Tarn'se and his group fought they'd still be outnumbered! This was bad, very bad.
The hunters watched warily as the vampires formed a loose, slightly elliptical circle around both the humans and the Yautja. They all stopped in unison, about five yards away. One of the vampires, positioned between the two groups, took an extra step forward. It was a male vampire, dressed in a black suit that looked rather expensive. "Hello, hunters," he purred, "It's time to play."
"Back off!" Ravyn growled, "The fight's between me and Eve!"
The vampire laughed, a high pitch keening sound, "We do not care about your affair with our Mistress's sister."
"Oh double shit," Ravyn muttered, "Nacht's fledglings…"
The vampire grinned wider, "Indeed."
Ravyn narrowed her eyes, "So, you guys have come to avenge Nacht's death?"
The vampire laughed again, "Heavens, no! We didn't care at all about our Mistress. However," he took another step forward, "when she fell, so did we…"
Ravyn smirked, "So the mighty have fallen and are pissed off about it? Tough shit. Bring it on."
The vampire hissed, baring his fangs, "You'll regret that." He gestured with his hand and the vampires moved closer.
"They aren't human?" Far'hnde scoffed, as the vampires moved closer, "You have lost your mind."
Tarn'se growled at the Arbitrator, "Have I?" Tarn'se quickly locked his plasma caster on a vampire and fired, blowing her abdomen to pieces.
"Dishonorable!" Far'hnde shrieked, "It was unarmed!"
Tarn'se responded to Far'hnde's accusation by pointing at the 'human', that was picking itself off the ground and clutching at its' rapidly healing stomach, looking lividly pissed.
Far'hnde hissed in shock, "It is impossible!" As the words left this mouth, the vampire leapt at Tarn'se who promptly dodged and impaled it through the chest. The vampire screamed as it dissolved into ash.
As the other vampires shrieked in anger and prepared to attack, Tarn'se repeated, "Only a stab through the heart or a beheading will kill them!"
Ravyn dodged the vampire as he leapt at her, unsheathing her rapier along the way. With a spin, Ravyn slashed at the vampire's face, pulling a dagger out of her belt with her left hand. The vampire teleported as the rapier passed through where its' head used to be. Reappearing with a grin, the vampire didn't notice Ravyn's left arm with her dagger until it was too late.
Ravyn felt the momentum of her spin shudder to a halt as the dagger in her hand sank into the vampire's neck. The vampire screamed, though only a rasp and gout of blood exited its mouth. With a grunt, Ravyn dropped to the ground, dragging the vampire down with her. She quickly put a knee down on top of the vampire's chest, ripping the dagger out of its neck and stabbing it down through the vamp's heart.
As the vampire gave its' last gasp, Ravyn was tackled from behind and lost her dagger and rapier. A female vampire grabbed Ravyn by her shoulders and wrestled her down to the ground, snapping at her neck. Ravyn got her arms free, and caught the vampire's neck, holding her back. Ravyn could hear her pulse pounding in her ears and with a scream of rage she moved her hands up, grasped the vampire's head, and twisted it sharply to the side.
A loud crack echoed in Ravyn's head and the vampire collapsed on top of her, twitching. Eventually, the vampire's neck would heal, but Ravyn pulled out another dagger and put it in the vamp's heart to prevent that from ever happening.
Ravyn felt as if her senses had been turned up on maximum. She vaguely recognized that this was a sign she was very close to Turning, but she didn't really care at the moment. Another vampire charged at her and Ravyn threw the dagger sharply, burying the weapon to the hilt in the vampire's chest.
A yelp reached her ear and Ravyn spun around and saw Ivy, about twenty feet away, amidst the chaos of the fighting hunters and vampires. She had lost her crossbow and was now using a long dagger to defend herself, but wasn't doing a very good job of it. Ravyn screamed when she saw Ivy miss a block and get hit hard in the face by the vamp she was fighting. Ravyn saw Ivy's bloodied face as she fell.
Without thinking, Ravyn leapt twenty feet over the heads of all of the combatants, the vampire virus in her system boosting her abilities, whipping out two long curved daggers, kukris, along the way. She collided with the vampire, hooking the daggers around the vamp's neck and letting her momentum spin her as she cut all the way around the its neck. Landing gracefully, she jerked the daggers back and cut the vampire's head off, receiving a disgusting splash of blood in the face, though the vampire part of her relished the kill and sweet blood scent.
Racing over to Ivy, Ravyn sheathed the kukris, dropped down, and scooped her friend up, looking for the nearest safe spot. She caught a glimpse of an empty alley and leapt again, easily clearing the fighting and landing in a crouch in the alley. She quickly leaned Ivy up against the wall and called her name. Ivy's nose was definitely broken and she probably had a concussion. Blood leaked sluggishly from a cut on her lip.
Ivy's eyes fluttered open and she spit out the blood that was in her mouth. Giving Ravyn a weak, blood-stained smile Ivy muttered, "Ravyn, you look like crap."
"Thanks, so do you," Ravyn rolled her eyes, "Are you alright?"
Ivy groaned, "My nose is broken, my head hurts, and I think a few of my teeth are loose, but besides that I'm fine."
Ravyn glanced back at the fighting; it was all out chaos. She imagined that this was what those ancient battles in Greek and Roman times must have looked like. One person would go down, their opponent victorious for a second until they were stabbed in the back. Ravyn was relieved to see that her fellows were holding their own, but the vampires were no push-overs. Ravyn could see a few unmoving bodies sprawled on the ground.
"Stay here," Ravyn told Ivy sternly, "Don't move or make a sound until the battle is over, got it?"
"No problem," Ivy whispered, "Just get Nathan."
Ravyn gave a sharp nod then raced back into the brawl.
Tarn'se pulled away from his most recent kill, the loud crackle of plasma casters firing as well as the surprised cries of the Yautja ringing in his ears. Unlike the human hunters, his clan was not doing so well against the vampires.
They had no comprehension of the vampires' capabilities. Only he and Jaelre really knew how to fight them. He saw more than one of his fellows stab a vampire in the gut and get clawed at or bitten in return.
Far'hnde seemed to be managing himself well. A vampire would charge him and he would calmly behead it with his sword while swinging his wrist blades back to rip another vampire's heart out. After so many years of fighting unpredictable Bad Bloods, Far'hnde was excellent at fighting opponents with unknown capabilities.
Jaelre too, was fighting well. He and Tarn'se had stayed close in battle, watching one another's backs for threats. At one point a vampire teleported past their defenses, knocked Tarn'se sprawling, and bit Jaelre. This time, however, Jaelre seized the vampire by its' long hair, pulled it away, and bashed its' head into the ground until it was nothing more than a bloody pulp that proceeded to dissolve into ash.
As Tarn'se defended himself, he could see at least three of his clan on the ground, unmoving, most likely dead. Dodging another hit from a vampire, Tarn'se caught a glimpse of Macre being grabbed by four vampires in unison and pulled to the ground. Tarn'se shuddered when he heard Macre shriek in agony; the vampires were feeding.
He quickly dispatched the vampire he was fighting by letting it come very close. As the vampire reached out to grab him, Tarn'se knocked its' arms away and rammed his wrist blades through its chest. He didn't bother to watch it die as he ran over to the quartet of vampires feeding on his Leader.
With a bellow of anger, Tarn'se felt his senses sharpen again and he reveled in it. Grabbing one vampire, he easily pulled it back and ripped its' head from its shoulders, dropping the corpse and diving towards another. The second vampire saw him coming and hit him square in the face.
Tarn'se barely felt it.
He instead grabbed the vampire by its arm and spun, swinging the vampire as if he was throwing a discus and released it. As the vampire flew away from him Tarn'se fired his plasma caster, taking out its' heart.
He grunted as he felt the third vampire jump on his back and pull him to the ground. The vampire rolled him under it and hissed in his face. Tarn'se pulled out a shuriken and drove it up under its chin splitting its' head in half like a ripe melon. He hacked at its' chest once with the shuriken to make sure it was thoroughly dead.
The fourth vampire was waiting for him, a female it seemed. She opened her mouth wide and hissed. Tarn'se could see Yautja blood running down her face and dripping off her chin. The vampire teleported and reappeared, slamming into him. Tarn'se stumbled backwards and felt his back hit a wall, realizing how close to the buildings he was. The vampire crooned softly at him, touching his dreadlocks in an almost seductive way, "Hello love…" she purred.
Tarn'se tilted his head and replied with a perfect mimicry of the vampire's voice, "Hello love…" He snapped his head forward, his helmet connecting in a loud crack with the vampire's forehead. The vampire staggered backward, dazed, as Tarn'se darted forward and punched his arm through her chest, taking her heart out in the process. The vampire gasped and died, melting around Tarn'se arm.
Tarn'se gasped as he felt the Turning induced high fade as all of his injuries came back to him. His ankle hurt from when he had twisted it and the numerous bruises and scratches about him began to throb and sting. He quickly staggered over to Macre, who lay gasping on the ground.
He was dying. Tarn'se could see that even without aid of his mask. Macre's head turned towards him and his Leader still had the strength to lift his arm tap his chest twice with a closed fist; a gesture of respect. Tarn'se returned the gesture as Macre wheezed out his final breath and the Black Warrior took him.
Ravyn grabbed the back of Nathan's shirt and pulled him out of the way of a leaping vampire. With a quick flick of her wrist, Ravyn threw one of her daggers at the vampire, hitting it dead center through the heart. Nathan had been reloading his crossbow and hadn't seen the vampire coming.
"Holy crap," Nathan gasped as Ravyn pulled him out of the fight towards Ivy, "You look terrible."
"I feel terrible," Ravyn grumbled back. After fighting her way through the vampires, Ravyn dropped Nathan by Ivy, who was still leaning up against the wall, breathing in long, measured breaths, "Stay here and guard her; I'm going after Eve." Nathan didn't argue with the determined look in Ravyn's eyes as she turned away from him and began jogging away on the outskirts of the battle.
Once past the fighting, Ravyn ran down the street, trying to ignore the cries of pain from both humans and Yautja. She cursed quietly and kept running; she wasn't abandoning them. She was doing this for Tarn'se and any hunters to be Turned against their will, as well as herself.
And she'd die before she lost a fight verses Eve…
And yet another cliffhanger… I'm giving out a lot of those recently, aren't I? Please review, I want to know how I did describing this big battle. My past ones haven't been very good (looks at Predator 4: War of the Worlds and shudders).