(Fixed some mistakes, Re-Upload.)
Hello dears! I hope you are having a nice week!
Slack-jawed cheese hugger: You should play the original Boktai games, they are awesome. And yes, I will keep it up :3 Thanks!
Kemeno: Yes, Nish is an ice vampire. Thank you!
-dragonclaw-coco: XD Yeah, he is too cool now! Thank you!
Lady-of-destruction-aria: Hahaha! I don't know where in my mind I got the image of Lucian with tinny horns and wings. XD But glad you liked it. Well, yes, in a way Dumas deserves it. I'm glad you hadn't found any mistakes in the previous chapter; hope you don't find anyone in this. Thanks!
And now, onto chapter fifteen.
15
It was around midnight when Lucian and Nish returned with the three gunslingers from the Guild. Surprisingly, Dumas was still sleeping when they come into the room, while Aaron was playing cards with Carmilla. Sheridan had long ago gone to bed.
Bea sat next to Aaron and hugged the boy tenderly, asking how he was after the agitated evening he had with the north gunslingers. When everyone sat, Ernest started to relate the situation over Acuna and the cities near it. Oyan had taken the Guild and Kay and Bea managed to get everyone out before he did that, and were now hiding in the hideout they used in the invasion to New Cualiacan four years before. For the moment they were safe, but Ernest didn't know if Oyan's spy knew about it and wasn't going to tell his leader until the right time, something that terrified Ernest to no end. Among the survivors of the last war and the last invasion, there were rookies that didn't reach their twelve years or their fifteens. They were too young to be involved in such fight and Ernest didn't want them to get injured because of Oyan and his obsession of killing every vampire on the planet, but didn't know a way to protect them better than keeping them in the hideout.
The north gunslingers started to gain control over the streets of Acuna, Thirteenth Street, Old Culiacan and they were slowly getting in the domains of New Culiacan that was still terribly infested with monsters. Not only were they gaining the streets, but followers as well. Oyan had this interesting ability of convincing everyone to follow him and how good he was at it; in mere days, he had reunited almost a thousand of followers, all humans and creatures that hated vampires and had the same target as Oyan. While the rest of the population, vampires, humans and other creatures, were getting harassed by them and Oyan managed to kick some families out if they didn't obey him. Slowly, everything was getting out of hand and a new tyranny was going to start if the didn't stop the crazy gunslinger.
There was still an opportunity. Since vampires relay on each other of their own race, they could ask for their help as well for the help of those who didn't hate vampires at all. But then it was the other face of said creatures; those who hated humans with all their might. What about them? They couldn't oblige them to cooperate like Oyan was doing, but they couldn't let them interfere in their plans. How they were going to restrict them? They needed to call all the vampires in a common place that Oyan didn't know of, or choose a day where the patrols weren't that active during the night. Someone could spread the word and let the interested ones come over to talk and debate about what was happening in Acuna and the other cities. They needed to think what to say and what not to say. Ernest suggested that Dumas could do this part since he was a man of words and knew what to say in the right way. Perhaps most of the vampires reunited would recognize him and will start calling him names, but due to his bitchy personality he wasn't going to let other step on him, except for Lucian and Aaron of course, and probably Nish, but that was another subject. If he goes with a strong vampire at his side, it could be his new partner or even Lucian, and then he was going to have more chances in convincing other of their own race and start reuniting a small but strong group to fight Oyan back.
Ernest knew the days where was less gunslinger patrolling Acuna, but Lucian said it would be better summoning them in the ruined Dark Castle. Even though it was slowly crumbling under its feet, it was a well know place but also a discreet one, since Oyan would never know they were going to hide there. He would think they will do it in underground jails or something like that and, perhaps, start looking there instead of obvious places like that. They all agreed about the place, now, the day and time. The sooner the better, but it would take time in spreading the word and explaining everything to the interested ones. Lucian remembered the family of vampires he saved from the gunslingers when he went to Acuna with Ezra time ago. He could go and search for them and explain what was happening in the city and ask for their help. What about the owner of the Inn that was kindly enough to give them the best room he had? Lucian knew the man was very fond with the vampires, since part of his family was constituted by said creatures. He could try. Kay knew some people they might help them, and Bea thought of some distant family members that were in a similar cause like they were fighting for.
Once everything was seated, the tree gunslingers left the mansion with Nish, while Lucian stayed with Aaron in the main room for a bit after they left, and then went to their room to place the boy on the bed. The poor one was still suffering the blood lose and couldn't move yet, but his legs were starting to feel stronger after each of Carmilla's meal. He knew the girl put some kind of healing potion in them to make him feel better. Lucian kissed him and exited the room, finding Dumas finally up on the couch. The former Duke made a big yawn before cheering the other vampire.
"You sure took a nice and long nap.", said Lucian, sitting on the opposite couch. "Do you feel better?"
"Hell yes.", answered, standing up. "I was so damn tired. And I'm still are."
"Have you heard what we where talking about?"
"Of course. I might been sleeping, but my ears were listening to each word carefully.", he smirked. "I think I can still play as the tyrant and bitchy Duke I used to be."
"Just don't bite heads off, please, we will need them."
Dumas winked at him.
"Oh, I will try.", said before he left.
Lucian found himself alone in the room, but needed that solitude. He didn't want to say it to Aaron because the boy would get offended or something and the vampire didn't want that. The last two days were so tiring and so agitated, everything had happened terribly fast for him, for Aaron... A new war! The last one, eleven years ago, seems so distant but so recent at the same time. How he suffered that war, how he missed Trinity and how he couldn't still believe that he sacrificed himself for someone like him, after all he did in the past... Lucian still regretted a few things about his past that couldn't get rid off.
"Musing?", said a soft voice. Lucian opened his eyes and smirked. Toasty, in his plant form, slowly made his way towards the vampire. He sat on the couch's back, next to him. "Something that concerns you?"
"Oh...", said Lucian in a whisper. "Many things.", he sighed. "I was hoping to not see another war in my life time, but seem that they will hunt me until the day I die."
"Are you tired of them?"
"So much...", answered Lucian tiredly, closing his eyes, submerging in painful memories of his dark past. "I have suffered every time I wanted to protect or change things on places I lived...", Toasty listened carefully. Even thought he had to admit that Lucian wasn't of his liking, he wanted to put in practice the suggestions Ezra told him. "Trinity, for example... I knew he saved me because I was his partner, his friend, but sometimes I look up at the starry and dark sky of the night and ask myself if it was really worthy seeing the type of person I am."
"You don't seem to be a bad person, why do you say those things?", asked confused the light Terrennial. "I might not like you, but that doesn't mean you are a bad person at all."
Lucian laughed.
"If you knew all the things I did... If you only remembered, Toasty...", answered Lucian. Toasty narrowed his eyes. He was getting more confused now. "After all I have done, sometimes I think I don't deserve a second chance like the one I had. I have used the person I once loved, I killed it, tried to find a way to revive it, failed, betrayed my only family, almost killed one of them... Well, I technically did, but it doesn't matter. He is dead by now.", he smiled sadly. "I have been a prisoner, I had escaped, I had been taken care by Trinity, I have meet again the person I loved and killed, and I thought that after the war with the Duke I was going to, at last, have some happiness, the very one that never enjoyed since I was a kid, but fate has laughed at me again."
Lucian rested his head on the couch's back, looking up to the ceiling. He could feel Toasty's eyes on him.
"Fate took my best friend and my love away, and took also part of me in the process, obliging me to accept the real person I am, the one I have always been but rejected.", he smiled, this time a joyful smile. "I think the best thing of all this is Aaron..."
"He had lighted your dark path in so many ways...", added the Terrennial, closing his eyes, smiling internally to himself and the vampire.
"Yes, he is my little Sun that bright the shadow my Moon casts upon me.", the vampire sighed and lifted his head. "With him, most of my pain from the things I have done in the past flys away, to be filled with his love for me.", Lucian made himself comfortable on the couch by lying on it. Toasty floated down on his chest, like he used to do when Trinity was resting under the shadow of a tree in a warm afternoon. "Thinking of it, he is all I have. He keeps me sane, in a way."
"I haven't see you with a strait jacket before.", said the Terrennial, laughing.
The vampire groaned, but smiled.
"It would be a nice start; I can lose it at a minimal provocation."
Toasty and Lucian kept talking for a few hours later until the vampire gave up and fall asleep on the couch like Dumas did. He didn't want to show it, but he was damn tired after the transformation and the fight he had with the gunslingers back in the forecourt. Even if he was now a creature that didn't need the same basic things as a human, the rest was an obligatory task. Toasty decided to leave him sleeping on the couch and left the room and find a nice place for himself to sleep.
The next evening the vampires were much healthier than the night before, and Aaron was recovering at incredible speed too. He could stand up without any help and walk for a bit before feeling dizzy and in the need to lay on something to prevent an ugly fall. He was eating quiet a lot to replace the blood lose and Carmilla was very happy with the high appetite the young boy had, since that mean making lots of food and she could oblige Sheridan to eat it too, since the alchemist barely eat something in all day. Ernest and the rest arrived at the mansion around ten in the night saying that they were ready to go and try to spread the word into the vampires that wanted to help them. Bea already talked with the relatives she had and they were going to help them, bringing powerful weapons and special armors for the vampires that wanted to go with them. Said armors were going to protect them from the gunslinger's bullets.
The three vampires dressed up, Lucian kissed Aaron good-bye and left with them and the gunslingers, along with Nero, Perrault and Toasty, while Ezra and Ursula stayed in the mansion to take care the ones in there, and Tove stayed outside, guarding the perimeter. Aaron went to Sheridan's personal library and found with interest a copy of the book that had left abandoned in the Hunting Mansion, the same one that talked about vampirism. He took it out from the shelve and sat on the table to read it, but grow bored of it. The boy left it on the table and left the library. He went to his room, dressed with some warm clothes Carmilla left on his bed, put the warm, black and red coat and boots that Dumas gave him and left the mansion without saying to anyone. Aaron didn't want to be constantly guarded, he hated it.
The night was very cold. The winter was coming too soon. Luckily for him, the sky wasn't covered with dark clouds. It was clear and the moon was shining brightly even when it was in its crescent phase. A few days more and New Moon will arrive. He couldn't believe how many things happened in so short time, but was glad that they did happen perhaps not in that order and under the same circumstances. One of the things he wanted to never happen was the call that Ernest did to Oyan that asked for help. If the man didn't call the north gunslinger, none of this would happen. But now that Aaron thought of it, Oyan seemed very convinced into "liberating" the East cities from vampires. Could it be that the leader would have invaded the East lands even if Ernest hadn't call him? And what if Ernest didn't call, but Oyan did, and Ernest only accepted his help seeing that he needed people to help him in finding the once missing Aaron? Then the fight or war was intentional from the very beginning. Oyan might had investigated by himself and with his spy the current situation of the East cities, especially Acuna and both Culiacans, and then traced a plan. The spy could have known of the disappearing boy and how desperate Ernest was in finding him. A perfect way to come into the city without looking suspicious. After all, they were helping a "comrade". Who would suspect?
"What have I told you to not go out without your vampire mate?"
Aaron jumped in surprise. He looked up and saw the same hatter man that saved him a few days ago from the north gunslingers. The young man was lying on a tree branch, the hat covering his face. He seemed to be sleeping since he had his belonging bag and his dirty jacket covering his body from the coldness of the night.
"You are stubborn, kid.", said the foreigner. He put the hat away and Aaron could notice his dirty, blond hair and bright grey eyes. "What makes you come here and take a midnight walk?"
"I have been locked in so much time that I'm getting sick of it.", answered the boy, approaching the tree were the man was resting. "What are you doing here? Are you Sheridan's friend?"
"Who's that?", said the young man, putting on his jacket, grabbing his bag and jumping from the tree to the ground.
"He is a well known alchemist, and lives in the mansion that it's behind me.", answered the boy, pointing to the house hidden behind the tall trees.
"Oh! Then I know who is he!", the foreigner smiled and Aaron could see long and pointy fangs in his mouth. He also saw his pointy ears, but couldn't define him as a dhampir either because of this. "Are you still trying to see if I'm a dhampir or a vampire?"
"Yes."
"Well, you could say I'm both.", the foreigner took the boy's arm and tangled it with his own, making him walk in the forest. "It's hard to understand, but it's true."
"Indeed it is.", the boy took sight of a very old type of solar gun hanging from the man's waist. "Are you a gunslinger?"
"Oh? You noticed it?", he smiled. "I used to be. I had no intention in killing vampires anymore.", the man petted the unused gun with gentleness. "I keep it because it's a gift from my deceased father."
"Was he a gunslinger too?", asked the boy with curiosity.
"Kinda. He was more a vampire hunter, he always worked alone."
"My dad was too, but he got killed when I was still a child and I only know him by photos."
The young men sighed.
"I have lived with my parents until the age of twelve or fifteen, I can't remember, before my dad went into hunting. He was killed by a vampire, my mum disappeared and I was left alone, with this same gun, to search for them.", he put the bag over his shoulder.
"Did you succeed?"
"Sadly, no. Both of them died at the vampire's hands but after a few years, well quiet a lot actually, I learned to forgive and give a chance to those who killed my family seeing that a few of them had helped me in my youth.", the man looked down to the young boy and smiled to him. "I can't be a bastard and keep killing their races after what they have done for me. Besides, I have also learned that vampires are like humans, just with different habits. They see humans the same way humans sees them, I was being hypocrite, I still am but it's something we must live with, and that hypocrisy was the one that made me decide to stop using my gun against them. Oh, yes...", he added with a mischief smile. "I haven't introduced myself, how rude of me! I'm Dyango, pleased to meet you again."
Aaron giggled.
"I'm Aaron, pleased to meet you again too."
Dyango laughed softly.
"You seem to be a good kid, what are you doing here in Sheridan's mansion? Weren't you in Acuna last time I saw you?"
"Hiding.", answered Aaron. "The gunslinger broke in the Hunting Mansion, where we were staying, Acuna it's dangerous for us, New Culiacan it's not a nice place for me, Old Culiacan the same and Thirteenth Street it's as infested with monsters as New Culiacan, and there aren't too much supplies there either.", explained later. "After the last fight four years ago, everything went down, specially the commerce, and the East city it's trying to raise again, slowly but safe. And now, with this invasion from the North...", the boy sighed.
"It's alright, kid. Don't lose hopes. Even thought the north gunslingers are strong, mighty and have a hell of weaponry, we still have some cards under our sleeves.", said Dyango with that same mischief smile.
"Which ones?"
"Oh, if I told you now, those aren't going to be secret anymore.", he smirked and Aaron could see that smirk was somehow familiar. Who smiled like that? "Just wait, young one, wait and see. When the time comes, you might be healthy and strong again, and you will fight again. But I think, that the ones that will end up fighting will be the vampires against the gunslingers again."
"Is that a good or a bad thing?"
"It will depend on how you see it. Oh, can I ask some personal question, please?", said Dyango, showing his fangs.
"It will depend on what kind of question."
"What's the name of your vampire's mate?"
"Why would you want to know that?"
"Oh, haven't I told you? I'm a writer, and I like to write about vampires and stuff like that.", explained Dyango. "I have stayed in the Inn you and your mate's uses, because that's what the owner told me when I asked if he knew some dhampir or vampire that was staying at his Inn, and got interested in both of you."
"A writer, eh?", Aaron narrowed his eyes. "By any chance, are you the one who wrote that vampirism book?"
"The only one in all glory.", answered the young man, proud that the kid knew about his master piece.
"Then why your name it's spelled with j?", asked the boy instead of answering Dyango's previous question.
"Oh, that? An error of the editor of the book. He was half deaf, you see."
"That's why it's spelled 'Django'?"
"Yes, that's why, but don't try to change the subject, dear friend. You still have to answer my question."
"His name is Lucian.", said Aaron. "He it's kinda mean sometimes but can be the most gentle person I ever met. He can be sweet, too, and very loving.", explained Aaron. The men took mental notes of that. "He has this strange liking for masochist and sadism, but I guess it's what it makes his persona. I don't complain about that...", added with a deep blush. "He is pretty aggressive too. Mm, no, scratch that..."
Dyango laughed softly, and let the boy continue.
"He loves being that way, he loves showing his power, his strength. He loves to fight with such violence... It's like a beast..."
"Are you afraid of that face of your mate?"
"I used to, but after four years being with him, nothing can surprise me.", said the boy with a smile on his face, and the men thought how wrong the kid was.
"Have you seen his true form?"
"Not yet, though I want to."
"I have done some research and if I'm not mistaken, he was human before, right?", Aaron nodded. "Who was he before?"
"A gunslinger. He fought besides my father against Lord of Destruction, but Dumas killed him and wanted to kill Lucian and my father. Dumas could badly damage Lucian, but my father saved him."
"How?", Dyango was confused.
"Nero says that he slipped from Dumas' Terrennial, Perrault, and bonded with him."
"The Lunar Terrennial...", whispered the men. "What was your father's name?"
"Trinity.", Aaron could see how the man's eyes widen and his body tensed. "He wanted to name me after a childhood friend he had, something about an ancient warrior, but my mum didn't like it, as Ernest told me."
"Did your mate have another name before changing to who is now?"
"I think it was Sartana..."
Dyango nodded.
"Hope I'm not bugging you too much with these questions, I have a terrible curiosity."
"Not really, but I should get moving back to the mansion. Sheridan will kill me if he doesn't' know where I am, because then Lucian will kill him for letting me out.", said Aaron with a foolish smile.
"Oh, yes! Right!", Dyango untangled his arm from Aaron's one. "I'm sorry I entertained you like this but, can we talk another time?"
"Of course!", answered the boy. "I think we will be in this area for a while so, just come here and send me a message saying you are here so I can come."
"I will, now, rush back!", whispered the young man. "We don't want Sheridan to piss off at you, do we?"
Aaron giggled. Turned over and left running towards the mansion.
Dyango's smiled disappeared as he showed his back to the running teen, looking at the deep, black shadow the Moon casted down on the ground before him. He gripped his teeth. How could he?! Still alive, and didn't care after him at all! What kind of person was he?
"You seem pretty pissed.", came a soft, male voice from the shadow, which changed it's silhouette. "Was it because of what the Moon's mate told you?"
"Oh, what do you think?", spat the men at his changing shadow.
"You don't have any reason to be mad at him. After all, he suffered more than you did down there in that prison..."
"Indeed he did, but I had my hopes up, while he lost them after he was taken from our family.", Dyango put his hat on again and closed his dirty jacket. "He destroyed my youth!", added with a comical and fake sadness. The shadow laughed loudly.
"You have changed your sense of humor, and you are more... naughty. Why is that?", asked the shadow, following each of Dyango's move. The men started to walk back to Acuna.
"After being for almost thirty years with you, who wouldn't stick up with your wicked sense of humor, dear Shadow?", answered Dyango with a smirk on his face.
"Me? Wicked? How dare you to offend me!", continued to play along the shadow.
"You liked brother because of how his personality was similar to yours?"
"But of course! After hearing what the Moon's mate said, I'm starting to like him even more."
"You can't wait and see him again, can you?", said the men, disappearing under his shadow as if the ground was eating him up.
Aaron got a nice reprimand from Ezra. The fox girl yelled at the boy when he crossed the principal door and dragged him from the coat's neck to the living room, in where she made him sat on a chair while she screamed at him, saying how dangerous it would be for him to go outside without someone to protect him, seeing that the north gunslingers would even dare to step on the mansion's territory. After hearing the ice Terrennial for about half an hour, Aaron was free to return to his room. The boy sighed and took off the coat, dropping it on the bed and his body following afterwards. He was so tired of being jailed inside anything. He was starting to think that Lucian drank a lot of his blood to prevent him to do something stupid. Aaron couldn't blame him. After all, he would have done something stupid trying to help. But it wasn't fair! Why he has to stay while the others did the entire job by themselves? Not even Dumas was healthy enough to fight, he was in a same state as Aaron was now. It was a conspiracy against him, he knew it!
If he could let Dyango come close to the mansion or sneak out without Ezra or the others noticing, the boy would have some fun with a possible new friend, talking with him in the forest instead of being locked in his room, having nothing to do. But didn't know how to contact Dyango again...
The Inn! Yes! The young man said he was staying at the same Inn that he and Lucian rented. The idea was soon trashed as he remembered that the Inn was in Acuna, now the most dangerous place for him. Aaron groaned as he crawled to the center of the king-sized bed and flopped on it, facing the ceiling, that interesting ceiling that had nothing of interest but was the only thing that had interest enough for Aaron to see right now. How he was going to tell Dyango when he wanted to see him? If he told Ezra, Ursula, Tove or Sheridan they will all reject and start asking numerous questions about this young man that had an interest in him, saying it could be Oyan's spy. The boy bit his bottom lip. Could it be possible? Oyan hated vampires; there was no way in hell he would ask for a vampire's help. Unless he had said creature under a certain spell or had something of high importance to it. There was nothing more that will make Oyan happy that have a vampire under his orders.
Leaving those thoughts aside, he started to think a way to call Dyango and meet him without the others knowing. He can't go outside the mansion if he wasn't companied with anyone. Delivering a message was the option but he didn't know how, until a small vampire bat screeched near the room's window. Aaron looked at it, and the beast looked back. The boy smiled. He rushed to the desk near it and started to search for paper and something to write on it. After looking in every drawer, he finally found a pencil. Sitting down on the chair, he started to write on the blank paper. The vampire bat made its way inside the room and started to fly in it, feeling content that its master needed its help. The beast waited patiently on the bed, crawling from time to time and sniffing around. Its master smelled very good.
"Come here, boy!", said Aaron with enthusiasm. The small bat flew to him with same feeling, landing on the desk. The boy petted it with gentleness before folding the letter in a tinny piece of paper that put on the vampire bat's back with a thin rope. Carefully, he made a knot on the paper to prevent it to fall while the beats flew to its destiny. "Alright... Mm...", hummed the boy. He grabbed a card opener and made a small cut on his index finger. "Here, take the letter to this man.", ordered as he gave the blood sample to the beast that took it with pleasure. The bat sucked on the cut before flying out from the room.
Aaron watched it go away and then looked back at his cut, which was healing up pretty quickly. Now, he only had to wait for the letter to be delivered.