Master Harring grinned widely at the stake wielding Slayer and chuckled nastily.
"It is nice of you to join us, Slayer." Master Harring politely enquired. Carly cocked her head to one side and giggled girlishly. This Master guy was really sure of himself.
"Don't mention it, Master Harring. The honours all mine." Carly retorted, grinning. "But you see, I gotta job to do and you're kinda out of luck on the whole killing the Slayer thing."
A maniacal smile crept across Master Harring's face, an expression that chilled Carly to the bone, no matter how much she liked to believe she was in control. "You just don't understand, do you Slayer? This is your Cruciamentum. You were set up to defeat me in order to test your abilities as the Slayer. I believe you have been feeling, a little under the weather?"
Carly felt the thud of realisation drop in her stomach. She refused to believe it. "What the hell are you talking about? I came here to kill you not as a test. It sounds you're the delirious one here."
Master Harring raised his eyebrows. "An associate of mine, from the Watchers Council in England was just here explaining the entire process to me. I apologise Slayer, but you are the delirious one in this situation."
The man. He was from the Watchers Council? He came to set her up in order to kill her? And how did Master Harring know she was ill? Something was going on and she had to find out.
"How – how did you know that I was ill? What's going on?" Carly demanded.
"You are ill because your precious Watcher has been poisoning you in order to temporarily drain your Slayer powers. All in order to face me and test your abilities. Now, how about that offer to take care of business?" Master Harring taunted, satisfaction pasted across his sharp face.
Carly tried to shake off the words echoing throughout her head. She was being poisoned to face this? How could Eddie have done this to her, she was his Slayer! But she realised why Eddie had told her to defeat Master Harring, all in order for her to survive. Although she felt coursing anger toward her deceased Watcher she now understood her duty. Defeat Master Harring and she would be saved. Like a light bulb had pinged over head she understood the Master's haunting words.
"So," Master Harring's face morphed to his vampire form making the hyperventilating receptionist scream and run for cover, "shall we begin?"
Carly grasped her stake and took a deep breath. "On your orders, Master."
Master Harring narrowed his eyes then pounded forward, roaring like a lion. Carly braced herself and raised her stake then they collided. Master Harring threw a punch which Carly narrowly avoided and slipped under his huge arm. She twirled around and aimed two powerful roundhouse kicks at her opponents back. Master Harring stumbled forward onto his knees. Carly felt the energy drain from her rapidly after her attack. Eddie's poison must be kicking into full effect...
Master Harring leapt rapidly to his feet and swung around snarling like a rabid dog. Carly attempted to keep her cool but felt a sweat break at her forehead, the first since she began slaying. But this was no ordinary vampire to slay. He was unnaturally stronger. Carly slipped forward and aimed three rapid punches which Master Harring deflected with one swift motion via his arm. Another first. Carly grunted in frustration and flipped around with another kick, the sweat now trickled down her temples.
"Up your game Slayer. I don't feel the excruciating pain of a stake though my heart yet." Master Harring taunted, spurring Carly on to stake his cocky ass.
"Don't worry, you'll be dead soon enough." Carly quipped, aiming a slash with her stake. The wood caught Master Harring across the cheek making him roar in pain. A number of his companions screeched in fury and started forward.
"No, you fools! Stay back, this is our fight!" Master Harring commanded. The BlackWing Clan members froze where they stood, snarling and growling. A sudden eerie silence settled between the Slayer and Master. They were stood feet apart, Carly twisted her stake as Master Harring mopped up the blood from his hollow cheek. He turned his great head toward her.
"Round two, Slayer."
Carly cocked her head then shot forward, darting like a predatory cheetah. Master Arrius reacted fast and grabbed her waist, much to the Slayer's surprise, and vaulted her across the room. Carly went flying through the air and landed painfully upon the reception desk, sending papers and wood crashing through the air. Pain instantly shot throughout all possible limbs on the Slayer's body making her gasp in pain.
She couldn't believe what was happening. She was losing and she could not let that happen. Carly staggered to her feet and looked across to her opponent. Master Harring was striding toward her, its expression murderous as Carly momentarily figured he would not hold back to slaughter her like an animal.
"Regain your posture Slayer. Our business is not yet completed." The vampire taunted his huge hands clenched into fists. Carly wiped her brow with her arm and stood on her full agonizing posture but she refused point blank to let it show on her bruised face.
"Bring it." The Slayer simply said, to Master Harring's delighted expression. He once again bounded forward but Carly had devised an even somewhat smarter plan. In the seconds before Master Harring again collided to ultimately kill her, Carly realised that she may die and realised that if the worst came to fruition, she would take down as many as she could with her.
The Slayer watched the vampire's blazing eyes draw closer and closer then, when it was just meters from her, she ducked and leapt between his inhumanly large legs. The Slayer skidded across the marble floor and vaulted to her feet then, with a hard motion with the stake still in her splintered hand, she dusted three vamps. Master Harring paused in his tracks and whirled around. He growled in anger and stomped toward his prey.
Carly took a rapid glance to the huge vampire which approached her looking tyrannical, but she grinned and pushed on, staking more of his unsuspecting comrades. Carly flipped between two screaming vamps and staked one in the heart, then brutally grabbed the second and twisted its stone cold neck. She slid underneath its falling body and came face to face with three more whom all grinned as if lunch had arrived. Carly aimed two powerful yet draining kicks to the vamps and sent the duo flying backward into a Golden Lion statue. They yelled in pain at the hard crunch from their backs. More and more BlackWing Clan Members suddenly enveloped the Slayer as she momentarily realised, like most other things in this sticky situation, that she was far too over her head.
Carly stood in the centre of the circle of vampires, their twisted gaunt faces peering at her, all challenging her to defeat them with their brothers all present. Carly's eyes flickered over the crowd, as she silently decided which one to stake next. Her heart raced even faster in her chest, more sweat now trickled from her underarms and temples and she could hear, over the cascade of vampire screeches and taunts, Master Harring's heavy footfalls.
To a loud command Carly didn't register due to the pounding of blood in her ears, the crowd separated. Master Harring stood, his face now void of the taunts he had presented earlier, and looked at the Slayer with a burning passion to tear her head clean from her body. All once again fell silent, aside to Carly's rapid breathing.
"I see you are growing weaker, Slayer. I may as well put you out of your misery and kill you now. Out of all honesty."
Carly snarled. "Alright, Master. Then I'm right here."
The vampire strode forward and grabbed for the Slayer. She somehow registered his movement and attempted to dodge, but Master Harring caught her jacket first. He pulled her back and pinned her painfully to the ground, his huge boots on top of Carly's wrists. She winced in pain as the vampire crouched down.
"Now I have you right where I want you. It's time to die now Slayer."
Carly felt his hot, putrid breath stain her face as she pulled her head away. This was it, she had tried to kill him with all her might but he had her. She had taken down some of his companions and felt a rush of compassion that she had attempted to fulfil her duty. She thought of her family and friends, she would see them again one day. Making her writhe uncomfortably, Carly felt the tip of a stake point into her chest on the inside of her jacket. She knew immediately what she had to do...
"Slayer, I hope you have prayed as I am feeling very hungry about now." Master Harring breathed. Carly turned her head to look directly at the vampire and smiled.
"Arrius was right. You are here to die tonight." The last thing Carly Simon visually registered was Master Harring's dumbfounded expression before she lifted her chest and arched her back. The stake tore up from her jacket and pierced through the vampires chest making him scream in agony. Carly gritted her teeth and closed her eyes as she felt her wrists snap painfully when she arched herself upwards, her arms still pinned underneath Master Harring's boots.
In the split second before Master Harring dusted, the vampire yelled and plunged a fist through the Slayer's chest making her spurt blood from her mouth. The impact broke her ribs and punctured her heart. Master Harring then violently exploded into the grey dust, to the screams of his companions. Carly felt the agonising pain rip through her at the blood seeping from her mouth. The Slayer smiled slightly and felt the last traces of her life slowly fade away.
Carly Simon coughed violently then fell still, the stake still held loosely in her limp hand broke free and rolled across the marble floor.