Hello guys, another chapter has come to you! I want you to ask something; someone told me that at the end of chapter 28 and at the begining of chapter 29 there seems to be a "void plot" or something like that, since chapter 28 ends with Dumas flying back to the Guild and chapter 29 starts with Lucian and Dyango telling the past, this someone saying that there isn't anything that tells what happened with Dumas inbetween. I though it was quiet obvious that Dumas wouldn't be want to be next to Rymer after what happened and would want to stay away from him. What do you guys think of it?
Thanks to Zohaku for the review! And thank you guyst for keeping up with me so far!! *loves you*
33
"We are not going to endure anymore if we keep it like this.", said Kay to Ernest, watching from behind the crumbled house.
The tanned man knew it, knew it too well. His Dragoon was almost out of energy and, being in the night, it was going to be impossible to recharge it soon. He sighed, peeping a few seconds to see that the gunslingers were walking forwards, searching in all possible hiding places and shooting when they saw something move in the shadows. Ernest didn't know if the rest of the humans was still alive (he hoped so), but with the vampires that Oyan suddenly recruited it was hard to think that way. He didn't know what to do right now.
"Hey, Ernest, how are you?", asked Dumas when he appeared next to them. His clothes were burn and had bullet holes. Seemed that he got hit several times but thanks to his Casket Armor, he survived. Yet he still had his child shape, with the bullet in his shoulder.
"My mind's blank, can't think.", replied. "Why don't you take off the bullet?"
"I can't.", said Dumas. "Each time I dig my fingers in the injury I get an electrical shock and oblige me to take off my hand."
"Where is Nish?", asked Kay this time.
"With the humans, at last the ones that managed to survive. They are only five of them already, and I don't know how many vampires we have left.", the horned boy explained. "Froggy lost his machine, Lucian's doing what he can but I have no idea where are his brother and that shape shifter."
"Damnit!!", cursed Ernest.
They have to leave. It was the only option left, but part of him, a very heavy part of him didn't want to. He wanted to stay and keep fighting until his gun was broken. He had made so many promises, but right now he was feeling like he couldn't keep them. He felt like he was failing to everyone especially to his closest friends. He sighed again and groaned. There should be something he could do right now.
"We have to leave, there is anything we can do.", said Kay to Dumas, both of them were talking while Ernest was deep inside his thoughts. "If we stay, we will be all dead."
"No, we can't, we have to defeat them now!", exclaimed the tanned man.
"What?", said Dumas, looking at him as he stood up. "You can't be serious! It's suicide!"
"We have to! Otherwise, they others at the hideout will be killed once they are found out!"
"We will too if we don't leave! And if we die, who will protect them?", added Kay, grabbing Ernest's arms and shoving him to the ground right when a solar bullet passed the place where he had stood. "If you want to, then call the vampires back in the Vambery, they will be a great help here."
"No, no. The Terrennials aren't that strong if a group of vampires goes to the Vambery and surprise them."
"Don't underestimate them, human.", growled Dumas when Ernest said that. He knew damn well how strong Perrault was without his help. "And Kay's right; we can't do this without them, they are too many and too powerful for us right now. We need their help."
"No!", shouted Ernest, gripping his Dragoon with force.
"What the fuck? Why are you so stubborn in a moment like this?!", cried Kay angered. "You aren't like this, so reckless and impulsive!"
"I have to do this by myself! I can't disappoint others!", replied the man. They knew the gunslingers were coming close, but it wasn't their biggest problem.
"Eleven years ago you wouldn't give a fuck about it!", shouted Dumas, remembering the war he had with him and the local Guild.
"If you could beat the fuck out of us with only five vampires, including yourself, (and we were more than Oyan's army), then why can't we?!", he wasn't really thinking anymore, he was being guided by his emotions and passions.
"What's the point?!", screamed back the vampire. "This isn't like eleven years ago; they got stronger weapons that us, they are far too many, with different weakness!", Ernest growled and Dumas was losing his patient with him.
"Trinity didn't step backwards even in a situation like this, why should we?!", the tanned man shouted again.
"Because he had a fucking plan, not like us that just did what we thought it was the best at the moment! Fuck!"
A sudden grenade landed next to them. The three of them got on their feet and run away from it, receiving several hits from the solar bullets from the gunslingers that started to shot away when they stood up and stand on their sight.
"It doesn't matter right now what did Trinity in the past!", said Dumas to Ernest. "Because he is not going to help us now, we can only rely on you!"
The tanned man gripped his teeth. It was too much pressure. He hadn't felt like this never, not four years ago, not eleven years ago. He didn't fight against the strongest in the army, he was always behind the leader, fighting. There, he felt safe, knowing he was being protected by someone he truly trusted. The first time it was Trinity, the second time it was Lucian, but now… he had no one. He was the one in front of the army, in a place where Trinity used to be, from a place Ernest used to see from behind, admiring.
The death of Trinity made his confidence fall, and for some time, he refused to fight or work in the Guild, leaving most of the paperwork or Guild work to Kay and the recently haired Bea. But that stage didn't last too long like he wished. He had become the Guild's leader after Trinity's dead and he had someone like him that was looking up to him, admiring him and wanting to be like him. Ernest couldn't disappoint Aaron like that. Yet the boy didn't fell the death of his father too much like Ernest and Kay did, since the boy, even when Trinity complained a lot about that, didn't spend too much time with him, so he and Aaron never developed a strong relationship with each other. To Aaron, Trinity was family, but like a long, lost relative.
Ernest never liked the leader's spot. He always felt the pressure, the stress. He hated each minute of it, but took it because he couldn't just end up what Trinity so desperately tried to do. He owned him for taking care of him after his family died in the war against the vampires. It was his duty, but sometimes it was just too much for him to handle, and sometimes he would call Kay and tell him to do the work because he was too tired to do it. And Ernest was feeling it right now. He wanted to leave; he wanted to run away from it, he didn't want to do this anymore. Yet he did, he felt he belonged there, on the battle field, with his hands grabbing the weapon, aiming and shooting. He sighed.
Dumas was right, Kay was right. Trinity would have of slapped him if he ever knows how he had been acting. And he smiled. Ernest smiled at the thought of Trinity screaming his lungs out and arguing with him like he did years ago when they didn't agree on something.
He was being a coward, scared of facing his own destiny and duty as the Guild leader.
"Dumas, how can we contact those in the Vambery?", asked finally.
Dumas and Kay smiled.
"I can reach Perrault by telephaty.", explained the horned boy. "Lucian and Nero aren't the only ones that are conected that deeply."
"Then do your thing.", said Ernest as he charged up the Dragoon to shot. "Kay and I will entretain them as you talk with her, alright?"
Both men run away from the safety of the building as they towards the north gunslingers, pointing up their weapons and shooting like mad. Ernest expierenced the same emotions he did when he and the rest infiltred, along wiht Bea and other members of the Guild, the Byron, to help Lucian and Aaron through the annoying traps Polidori had set for them. But something was different this time. He wasn't fighting against monsters like that time; he was fighting against other humans that had a different oppinion against vampires, which had other goals in mind. Ernest didn't fight against Dumas or Polidori directly like he had wished, he had to stay back once more and see from behind. He felt relieved and happy to, finally, feel what Trinity felt in that war eleven years ago.
Dumas crawled away from the fight to a safer spot. He could hear the bullets hitting the stoned floor and the man's cursing, and some bones breaking too. He chuckled at the sole idea of Ernest or Kay or both crushing their enemy's bones with their weapons.
The horned one finally found a place where he could hide, at last from the gunslingers. He prayed that no vampire would find him while he talked with his Terrennial. Well, it wasn't that often he did that, since Perrault was always glued at his side. Thin and black treads appeared from his head that vanished from the tip into the air, as his mind slowly drifted away and tried to find Perrault's one.
Since his power traveled faster in the shadows, it didn't take too long to reach Perrault. The lila cat was reunited with the rest of the Terrennials when she felt another foce trying to reach her and, without saying anything, she closed her eyes, her wings folded on her body and her usually active tail fell down on the floor.
Nero was the first one in noticing. The rest followed his gaze when Perrault suddenly got too quiet for her own good, and waited in silence. The black cat could feel Dumas' energy since, after all, he had been part of Perrault.
"What's happening?", murmured Ursula to Nero.
"Dumas is talking with her.", at the realization, everyone knew the ones in the battle field were in problems.
No one say anything the minute or so Perrault remained silent. When she opened her eyes, they reflected worry and fear. Her wings twiched nervously and her tail rose in the air.
"They need reinforcements.", she stated. "We need to discuss who are going and who are staying here, as we can't reveal our hidding spot to the vampires."
"Bea isn't here, as that shape shifter had kidnaped her.", said Alexander. He flapped his wings and hummed below his breath. "Besides her, no one else was in charge here."
"Which means?", said Ezra almost sarcastically.
"Us as Terrennials will all want to go and beat the crap out of those vampires, not really caring for those who stay here. Having a human in charge would make us recapacite...", said Alexander. "Remember how we discussed Perrault's first actions when we were climbing up the Dark Castle; we weren't exactly caring about Dumas in those moments, but trying to convice Perrault she was wrong."
Everyone agreed silently.
"But then to whom are we going to draw upon?", asked Tove.
"There's Aaron...", shyly said Toasty to the others.
"He doesn't have expierence!", immediately Ezra complained. "He doesn't know the vampire's full potential in battle, like us that were slaved by them!"
"Maybe that's why we should.", said Alexander. "We only know they power in the offensive, but maybe Aaron will know their defense since he had to battle from the other side."
Ezra grunted and looked away.
"I don't agree.", was her last comment.
"I will talk with him while all of you discuss...", whispered Perrault as she flew away. She had her doubts, much like Ezra, but right now the boy was all they had.
"Why wouldn't you?", kept Ursula. "It is true he is young and hadn't been in the position of leader before, but if you don't give it a try you will never know."
"I don't exactly like young people going like they had gone through lot of things.", replied the artic fox.
"Just because you are older doesn't mean you are wiser.", said Alexander, receiving a dead glare from Ezra. "From the refugees here, the one with most expierence in battling, tactics and such is Aaron. The vampires will act on their own way if we let them have the control. It's not that I don't trust them, but their egoist feeling it's ten times bigger than humas, so they would most likely want to flee rather than help."
Ezra remained silent, too angry to complain about the truth of Alexander's words, and twitched her tails in sign of agreement.
Aaron grouped with the Terrennials after receiving Perrault's message. They all sat on the floor and looked at the boy who was visible nervous about the whole situation. It was stressful enough to deal with the ones in the Vambery, but now having to lead this mission was even worst. One because he lacked expierence there, and second, because they didn't really gives him much more information that Perrault did. When he said this, Ezra started to complain once more about how it was useless to ask him to do this, to what Aaron replied:
"Well then, tell me Ezra, will you be able to comand a reinforcement missions without knowing where your allies and enemies are? Will you be able to go inside the battle field with your eyes closed?", he didn't mean to sound harsh, but he was extremely tired of how they were underestimating him.
And the ice Terrennial felt silent again.
He asked to Nero and Perrault to conect with Lucian and Dumas and asks them a detailed map of the surroundings. Since they were that conected, the mental images were easy task to them, so Aaron thought of using them as a small guide after putting them on a paper. Then, he thought who would acompany him and who would stay in the Vambery. There were seven Terrennials, four powerful vampires with Casket Armors, and minor vampires as well. He didn't know for sure how strong or how well they fought, but Rymer said that some of them were "good". Aaron would ask him later who were them to consider going to battle with.
It took some mitues to Nero and Perrault reaches their vampire companions and to have the map he needed. Very messy, Aaron sketched the important things to note on the paper, as his brain started to work on a way to surprise the enemy. It would be hard seeing how vampires and werewolves were extremely sensitive with their smell and hearing.
"The Casket Armors have the same scent as vampires.", explained Stoker when he and the other vampires were reunited with Aaron and the Terrennials. "The other vampires will not really detect us, but the werewolves will be a problem."
"I don't think so.", replied Virginia. "They will care less what happens to the vampires in Oyan's army as long as they die, so I don't think they will go and tell the noble leader that they have company."
"Is that bad the hate between you and the werewolves?", asked Aaron.
"It's much more worst than the hatred between humans and monster in general.", added Edgar.
"Why?", said the boy.
"Some creatures don't see that we are merely trying to survive, like everyone else.", said Rymer. "Vampires need very little blood to live, even a few drops can satisfy our hunger, we would sneak inside the human's houses to feed, but we wouldn't drain them from all the blood. After all, if humans disappear, so would we."
"While it's true that we have slaved humans, but only because they started hunting and killing us first.", added Stoker. "We needed a way to defend us, yet it wasn't exactly the best one, but seemed so in the moment the hunting started."
"But you can't deny the fact that some of you goes... out of hand when feeding.", said Aaron.
"Sadly but true, but most of them are newborn vampires that can't control they hunger. Normally, vampires are grouped in packs much like normal wolves and werewolves, because it's easier for the young ones control their impulses when they have someone older than them to act as a guide.", explained Virginia. "But with the sudden rage towards humans with the killing, these packs started to fell appart and the young ones would soon left and 'revenge' other comrades that were killed by humans."
"Some other packs, however, don't like humans at all.", said Rymer. "They see them as just food or even less than that, like some sort of entreteinment before feeding from them."
"As far I know werewolves were also slaved by humans, why wouldn't they hate us too?"
Edgard sighed.
"Because the humans that slaved werewolves used them primarly to kill us."
Aaron decided to drop the subject right there, seeing the feeling in the vampire's eyes while talking about how they race was being hunted down like they were some kind of illness. Instead, he focused in deciding what to do next when he and the others would arrive to the battle.
Rymer told him who were the vampires that seemed to be good at battle, and decided to bring them with him. Then, he decided who would go with him from the Terrennials; Nero and Perrault would be very helpful since they would work out if they were other vampires in his side, Alexander was more than enough by himself and Ezra was going to pilot Stoker's Casket Armor seeing how he decided that Stoker, Rymer, Ursula and Tove stays.
"Wait, why do I have to stay?", complained Ursula. "I can take care of the enemy very well!!"
"You are weakened in power after reviving me. Besides, I would hate having to stress out Dumas more than he already is with me being alive and all...", replied Rymer to Ursula, who had to agree grudgingly.
"Then that means that we are going too?", asked Virginia, to which Aaron nodded. Both she and her brother criend in joy.
Toasty would go too, seeing that he had a very effectiveness against vampires, and could refill the gunslinger's weapons when they run out of energy. The only problem was actually going to the field. Like Stoker said, the vampires wouldn't notice them by smell, but the huge Casket Armor of Stoker had some troubles with the noises it does while speeding up. It could also go unnoticed in the heat of the battle, but seeing that by now Ernest's group was highly reduced, the werewolves and vampires would notice it. Aaron sighed upon that realization, but they didn't have a choice.
After talking with the rest of the group that was staying, they made all preparations before going. Aaron took two other guns besides his Knight; Bomber and Witch. They would come handy, especially the tracking missiles. The explosive shots from the Bomber deal huge damages and could blow up everything in its range. Aaron was sure he was going to blow up at last an arm or a leg from the enemy. He giggled at the idea.
While waited for the others, he walked to one of the many windows from the Vambery. He stood there, watching the beautiful view of the East Lands, and far from that. He looked at his left hand, turning it back and forth, watching his palm and back of it. He took off the glove and a purple vapor started to come from it, slowly turning into threads of Dark Matter until it completely covered his hand. But in matter of seconds, all that energy morphed and chaged form. Now, it was a thin and long needle, standing right on the center of his hand, spinning as he looked at it. It still felt odd and it felt pretty unreal. He never imagined controling such powers...
"Are you ready?", came Edgar's voice.
Aaron jumped, startled, and lost control of the needle. It pierced his hand in a painfull way and the boy moaned, cluching his hand.
"What happened?", asked Edgar upon realizing what Aaron was doing. He came closer and laughed, taking the needle out. "Be careful with this."
"I thought vampires were immune to their own power.", he whinced again in pain.
"If that was true, then our own attacks wouldn't hurt us if they are turned against us, which isn't the case.", explained. "We are merely immune to our own and other's curse, or poison."
"Poison?", the boy shivered when, slowly, the small stich started to close to his surprise.
"Some have poison in their fangs, like snakes and spiders, but the only ones I know are from the nobility.", he laughed again upon seeing his face. "It's normal, silly. After all, you share his powers and Dark Matter."
Aaron looked again at his hand, where only a small, red circle was seen from where the needle had stich. Not even the small drops of blood were seen anymore. Lucian hand't been feeding from him from the last few days, yet when they had that encounter in the woods before going to battle, Aaron felt Lucian's sharp fangs on his heated skin, and he knew he had opened wounds with it, but didn't know if Lucian actually drank his blood and, at the same time, poured his Dark Matter inside. He was getting a bit scared about it. While he wanted it, at the same time he was scared at the idea of transforming. He just hoped he would be though and would endure the loss of his human self for ever.
Aaron sighed and didn't think about that as he climbed inside the crab machine of Stoker along with Ezra, who was piloting. Inside, Hër and the female vampire that was with Bea, Lobreta, was inside too. Both vampires bowed and smiled to Aaron when he got inside and the cabine shut closed.
"Wait... didn't you tell me you couldn't pilot it?", said Aaron as the machine started to move.
"Because Stoker wasn't alive at the moment.", explained Ezra.
"I don't get it."
"Casket Armors are very attached to their masters, meaning that the only way to activate it, like this case, is only if it feels the living presence of its owner.", said the Terrennial as she conduced the huge machine towards an elevator that was especially designed for it. "As long as Stoker is alive, I, you, Lucian, Dumas or anyone can control his Casket Armor."
The cabine was actually a lot bigger than he thought the first time he saw it, something it shouldn't surprise him seeing how... big was Stoker.
"Leader, how are we going to go in?", asked Lobreta. Aaron got surprised that she was referring to him as their leader. "I mean... after what you told us, isn't actually dangerous from any angle?"
Aaron helped himself and laughed loudly.
"Then you don't really know what this machine can do."
Ezra grinned in agreement to the silent plan that Aaron was thinking of. Maybe she got wrong at saying that Aaron was inexperienced.
At the two sides of the crab machine, Edgar and Virginia were running with their own casket armors, having inside some of the Terrennials and two other vampires in each. They weren't that much, but they put their hopes on Stoker's big one.
They stopped a few kilometers away from Acuna. Aaron took out the piece of paper where he drew the sketched map and told them that, from either way, the enemy would notice them due to the intense noise. Instead of just doing a sneak attack they were going straight forwards. Being the enemy so disperse it would do nothing if they wanted to do it that way.
The vampires and the Terrennials could notice Aaron was nervous. He wasn't trembling, but he was being a bit clumsy with his words and orders. Though every one understood what to do, they were concerned about the boy too, thinking if he was going to be alright once they split in three different groups. The cheerful voice of Alice broke the suddenly intense atmosphere. It came from inside Stoker's machine and, in some swift movements, Aaron was inside along with Ezra.
"Yo, Aaron!! How are you?", said the always smiling bunny girl to the boy. She had a tired look in contrast with her joyful spirit in those moments.
"How are you doing this Alice?", asked Aaron.
"It's easy to me, a hacker!", replied with a big grin. "Anyway, I wanted to say that there is a group coming from the north of Acuna…", she typed fast on the keyboard in front of her and a small window appeared, blocking the video transmission of her and showing a map with a moving dot. "They are quiet the number."
Aaron sighed, with a knot in his throat. His hand started to tremble and tried to ignore it.
"No, don't worry, silly!", said Alice with a smile after closing the window. "They are allies."
"Allies?", repeated Ezra. The other Terrennials and vampires were now surrounding the machine, getting all the information.
"Yeah. They had some problems because they lived far away from our lands, but they managed to go through thanks to me, of course!!", she grinned again. "Try not getting in their way, they have heavy armament."
"Who are they?", asked Virginia.
"They're canid.", answered Alice. "I think they are relatives to Kay…"
Aaron smiled. After all, blood always calls back when family is in danger.
Neschume was happy, very happy. Their number didn't got down because he was using the corpses of the already dead north gunslingers as Ghoul soldiers. It was funny to see them walking in their own pace but aiming like professional sharp shooters. But the game was getting boring. He couldn't find his target, Lucian, and the surviving ones were hiding very well. This hunting was getting old, and Neschume didn't have much more time to keep going like this. In a few hours the Sun would raise, and he had to speed up his plan. He didn't fear the Sun or its strong light, but it was annoying.
He moaned in pain when someone hit him from behind. He cursed himself for being careless and turned around, grinning when he saw Lucian gripping his teeth and Gun del Hell with his left hand. Neschume noticed that his own armor was ripped apart with the shot from the dark gun. But he didn't care. The bullet inside his body was restraining most of his powers so, to Neschume, it was going to be very easy to finish this.
He moved swiftly, pouring his Dark Matter around him like a veil as he came closer to his target, which leaps quickly from his spot when Neschume decided to attack, leaving a nice crater on the stoned floor. The noble leap too and grabbed Lucian's leg, pulling him towards his body but receiving a hard elbow hit on his face. But the hit didn't stop Neschume from planting his hand on Lucian's chest. Lucian panicked and, struggling, got free from the noble's grasp.
"Oh, damn you…", mumbled Neschume but grinning at seeing Lucian's scared face as he touched his aching chest. "I just barely put my hand on you…"
Even when it was a simple touch, Lucian could feel how Neschume managed to move the needle some millimeters closer to his back. Vanargandr was paying close attention to this, and decided to play against Lucian for the first time in a long time.
Neschume run towards him again, this time with both of his hands turning black and then turning into blades that cut the air around him, sending sonic booms to Lucian that made his ears explode. Lucian jumped backwards when Neschume reached out a second time, but tripped over his own feet and fell, noticing the strange and annoying buzz in his ears. He was dizzy and he couldn't make the floor and the entire city stop moving in circles. He hated being so helpless.
Lucian groaned in pain when Neschume took him by his ankles to slam him on the floor again, dealing huge damage to his now smaller body. The noble stopped, grinning and watching him trying to stand up again.
"Now, now….", mumbled the noble, putting a feet on Lucian's head. "I heard you like being humiliated.", he chuckled, taking a strange metal collar from under his casket armor. Lucian struggled when he smelled the very familiar scent from the crosses that once held sealed Vanargandr in Mahoroba.
"Not by the ones like you…", spat with venom in his voice Lucian, shivering when Neschume put the piece of metal against his right cheek. Inside him, Vanargandr was screaming in agony and anger as he remembered how Lucian's tribe sealed him. "Ugh….", groaned as he felt his chest ache again.
"Mm…", mumbled Neschume. He put the collar around Lucian's neck and pushed him straight up. "It's time…", whispered. The collar restricted the vampire's power and movements, so Lucian was right now like a doll waiting for his master's orders. "Okay, say good bye to everything you have known, Moon Beauty."
The hand of the noble pressed hard on Lucian's chest as it poured with strong energy. Lucian moaned in pain, feeling the needle move and fight against the energy trying to take it out.
The metallic sound the needle made when it fell on the floor sent shivers running down Dyango's and Nidhoggr's spine. They froze in fear, utter fear, as they knew exactly what was going to happen. Dainn was shaking by now, and Dumas couldn't understand their reaction since he didn't know. Nish came to them and Hel sighed, feeling a hard knot in her throat.
"We are fucked…", mumbled Dyango, his hands trembling even when he had feasted them into fists.
Dyango suddenly lost all will to fight and all will of living. He had whished that none of this had happened to his brother, he knew Lucian wouldn't endure the change and the possession once Vanargandr starts taking his body slowly. Even if the reinforcements came, it would be too late. The change started and there was no turning back now.
"We still have a chance Django, don't screw it right now!", screamed Dainn, using the boy's real name since they came to the East Lands.
"Right on, Shape Shifter.", said Nish smiling, and hearing in the distance the annoying sound that made Stoker's casket armor as it run closer to the fight, and the group coming from the north of Acuna.
They still had a chance but very low possibilities of making it happen.