Darkstalkers Scene: Another incomplete first chapter introducing Carmilla. The second of the 'Lost Projects.'
It's around one in the morning, the forest has been all cleared except for two figures. One is smiling, while the other isn't.
"Mircalla, you fucking whore! I can't believe I let myself get caught by you!"
You are Mircalla. Yes, that Mircalla.
You were one of Dracula's most loyal followers. Now, you're 300 years older, wiser, and hunt Demons for a living.
This poor sap is one of Dracula's last followers. As to why you left, that will be explained later. But for now, just know that Dracula is no longer alive because of you. You light a cigar, take a puff, and then use the girl's forehead as an ashtray. Her screams echo through the forest.
"To be fair, you did reveal yourself to the entire tavern when you came for me. You're the last of Dracula's cronies. I would've suspected you'd be more stealthy as I kinda killed the others. Despite this, you still underestimated me and now look at you. Tied to a tree, looking like a mentally challenged adult."
"You are an insane woman, Mircalla."
"No, I'm just resourceful. If anyone is insane, sweetie, it's you for underestimating me and my abilities. And because of your regrettable decisions, you will die in this forest, and I will get paid."
"I thought you were an artist!?" The female vampire nearly screamed.
"Don't even bother. We're in the middle of the forest, and everyone is asleep. Also, I am an artist. But I Demon Hunt as a hobby. You already know my story, hon."
"Why did you leave Lord Dracula's side, Mircalla? You had everything you could ever want! Money, power, all the victims you could bed. Why did you leave?"
"I told everyone in that damned castle to leave her alone. She was just a girl who just turned eighteen. She was innocent, and she had big dreams. But Big Drac and the rest of you had to ignore my pleas. My Pleas! I never begged for anything during my service for Dracula! All you had to do was listen to me. But no, Laura and her family had to die." You say with clenched teeth.
Laura was your first actual friend. Despite knowing who you were, her family took you in and raised you like one of their own. When you left to join Dracula, it was under the condition that they would be spared. And they were for six years. But on your 22nd birthday, the entire army thought it would be a great idea if they slaughtered them all to show their appreciation for your loyalty. It only left you with one of the worst cases of depression. Not too long after, you just up and left. It would take around 150 years for you to return. And when you did, you murdered near everything in that castle, Dracula included. The next century and a half, you spent honing your artistry and rounding up the remaining vampires who haven't sworn fealty to Demitri Maximoff.
A tear trickles down your cheek despite your hardened look towards the victim. You take another puff of your cigar; being near immortal has its benefits.
"We were showing our appreciation! They were holding you back!"
"They loved me, you pale bastard, the only people who loved me! I joined Dracula to live their lives peacefully, and in your killing them, you destroyed the one piece of leverage you had on me. So I left."
"Then you returned and nearly killed everyone who resided in that castle. How did you become so damn powerful?"
"Wouldn't you like to know? Sorry, but I have no interest in speaking with the dead. Now say ahhhh." You say as shove the cigar in the female vampire's mouth.
Then you drive a wooden stake into her heart and watch the life slowly leave her eyes. After she stops moving, you douse her corpse in Holy Water, immediately covering the body in a fiery blaze. You take the pendant that she wore as proof that she is indeed dead.
What an intro, eh?
The next day you head to your client to receive your payment.
*Knock* *Knock*.
"Ah, Ms. Carmilla. You have returned safely."
"Of course, Rev. Johnson. I have come to collect my reward on the Vampiress that's been killing your Priests. Here, her pendant is proof like you asked."
You say as you give him the pendant.
"Ah, well done, Ms. Carmilla. Wait right there, I will get your money for you."
"I'll be here, Rev."
You respond earnestly as you light up a cigar and take a puff. It's such a beautiful day, maybe you'll paint a portrait of the landscape later. You take another puff of the cigar as you think about yourself, a former Vampiress who's able to see the sun and not be mortified.
"... Maybe later."
"Ms. Carmilla. Here you go, $2500 as agreed."
"Thanks, Rev., and next time you hire me, maybe it'll be for somethin' more pleasant? Like a portrait?"
You ask as you nudge his arm playfully. He laughs.
"I'll consider it. Have a nice day Ms. Carmilla."
"You too, Rev." You say as you leave the Priest's home and head into town whistling a lovely song you heard on the way.
Finally making it into town, you decide to get some downtime. Sitting at a table outside a coffee shop, a waiter comes and greets you. "Good morning, what may I get you?"
"Just some tea, thanks."
"Right away, Madam."
He bows and heads inside. You look at your surroundings, taking in the beauty of it all. Typically, Glasgow, Scotland is a dreary place, but today? Absolutely breathtaking.
"I can't wait, I gotta sketch this."
You say to yourself as you pull out a sketchbook and a pencil, and after taking another quick look at your muse, you begin sketching the area. A stone road to the left, a little fence and mini gate separate the shop from the way, and past that is a vast, lush grassland. You finish, and you take a second to admire your work. Not bad, Cam.
"Not bad, I'll work on it later."
"Here you go, Madam."
"Thank you very much." You say as you take a sip of your tea.
After that, you take some time to think about what you will be doing in the next few days. Your work in Scotland is done, so you should head back to England. It seems that no one here wants to hire you for work or a portrait. You decide on going back to England in two days. So you can take jobs by the folk here without going all the way to Liverpool.
You see, you came to Scotland for both a job and to do a portrait, but on the day of the picture, your unknown client no-showed. Shame, it would've paid well. And obviously, the job you took did go through and resulted in a good payout. Although 2500 dollars is a little steep for one vampire, you're not complaining. You go for another sip of tea, but you see that your cup is empty.
"Huh."
"Would you like another cup, Madam?"
"I would."
"Of course. Just a minute."
You glance at the landscape again then back at your sketch. But when you go to look at it, you see your sketchbook, you notice it's not on the table. Someone is holding it, gazing at your sketch of the area. You look at the figure keeping your sketchbook. She had blonde hair and wore a pink dress with various white designs plastered all over it. To finish off, she wore white stockings and white heels. She looks exactly like Laura on her last day on earth. You try to avoid eye contact with her, but she seems to find your gaze whenever the situation called for it.
"Sorry, did you do this? It's remarkable."
"I did, sweetheart. And thank you."
"You're welcome. What is your name?"
"Friends call me Carmilla. Here, my card."
You say as you pull out a card from your coat pocket and hand it to the blonde. She reads the contents of the card aloud.
"Carmilla Scout Rivers, Artist, Demon Hunter, Paranormal Investigator. You're a Demon Hunter as well?"
"I am in my spare time. I'm mostly the first and third things on that card, though. But if the client's paying, I'm not complaining."
"Where do you currently reside?"
"I'm from Styria, Austria. But Liverpool, England is where I normally lay my head, and it's also where my shop is."
"Really? I'm also from Styria."
"Interesting."
Things are starting to get odd. First, this woman who is the spitting image of Laura comes to you, and now she reveals that she shares the same place of origin as you? Something is not right. She can't be Laura; she died 300 years ago. So who is she? The woman even has the same innocent smile as Laura. Better be careful; maybe you should head back to Liverpool sooner than later. The waiter brings out your tea again.
"Here you go, Madam."
"Cheers, Waiter. Bring out my bill, will ya?"
"No need, I'll pay for it. For making my day."
"I never got your name, sweetheart."
"Hmm. I guess I did never tell you my name. Maybe I shouldn't~~."
"Oh come now, Blondie, it's only fair." You say as you take a sip of your tea.
"How long will you be staying in Glasgow for?"
"I'll be gone in two days."
"Well, what about I commission a painting for me? Since you are what this sketch shows me, a fantastic artist."
"What's your price, sweetie? Because I won't do a low paying job when I'm going to be back in Liverpool in two days."
"Don't worry, Ms. Rivers. I'll make sure you get what you are owed. I'll even let you stay at my place for free. And you get to know my name too. So what do you say?" The blonde asked, sitting next to you.
You don't want to change anything with this stranger. Everything about her and Laura makes too much sense.
"Sorry, Blondie. I just finished up my last job here. Unless you pay me now, I won't be painting you anything." You say as you take a sip of your tea. That'll get her to back off, or so you think.
"I have $5000 on my person. Here, and you'll have another $5000 on the portrait's completion. Oh, I can't wait! We can leave after I pay for your tea."
She said with a precise level of excitement in her tone. She hands you the money, and on inspection, it was exactly $5000. Who is this woman? Better question. Who the hell carries $5000 on their person? You're asking to get robbed. But at this point, you don't have much choice.
"Carmilla? Something wrong?"
"No, just thinking about… stuff. Nothing to worry about, Blondie."
"If you say so, Carmilla."
"Yea, sorry."
"You wait right there, I'll go pay for your tea."
The beauty said as she got up from her seat and went inside to pay for your tea. A couple minutes later, she got out and motioned you to follow, and you did so.
"Now follow me, Ms. Rivers."
"Lead the way Blondie."
And you two were on the way. Seeing as you were behind her, you took the chance to give her a second glance. Everything about her so far reminds you of Laura, from her speech to how she admired pink and white. You would light a cigar to ease your stress, but the method you do so would raise suspicions. You, ironically enough, are pyrokinetic, and you light the cigar with your finger. You finally arrive at the door of her house - a simple home for four to live in.
"Here we are, just give me a second to unlock the door."
The blonde said as she jiggled her keys at you with a look of happiness. As if she just reunited with a friend she hadn't seen in years. All the while, you're trying to decipher what demon she is. You decide that she isn't a succubus. She would look more curvy, otherwise. You've never killed a succubus with blonde hair; they always had black hair like yours. She may be a fairy or a pixie. They would have a fascination with pink and white if any of your previous encounters were any indication. But if she were a pixie, she would be a lot shorter than you, and you're 5'9. Think Carmilla. Do you know of any demons who can shapeshift in Scotland? None came to mind. Just your luck. You both get inside a cozy spot with just the right amount of space.
"So Blondie, what kind of portrait do you want me to draw?"
The beauty took a seat across from you with a sad look on her face.
"Straight to business, Carmilla? Shouldn't you relax a little?"
She said as she took your hand with her's. You look at your hands together, her soft hands on yours, but you break it off.
"I'm a little restless. I'm sorry if I sound odd, but you remind me of a close friend from Styria who passed away a while ago. And everything about you reminds me of her."
The blonde looked saddened by the realization.
"What was her name?"
She asked. You clear your throat - a moment of truth.
"Laura."
She looked surprised. But shortly after, she blushed. You couldn't believe it, but Laura, who was ruthlessly murdered, was standing in front of you. But how? She is supposed to be dead!
"Laura? H- How are you still alive?"
"Let me show you, Cam."
Laura turns around and undoes the top of her dress. To reveal a dark mark on her back. The mark of a Dhampir.
"You're a Dhampir!? But I recall you not having a mark on your back when we were young!"
"It showed on the night of my supposed death. From then on, I attained these strange powers. I now control water. When I came to, I went looking for you, but I heard that you had fled Styria. So, I too left, and I became a Demon Hunter. With a preference for Vampires."
"Laura, you must know that-"
"I know. You had nothing to do with the hit on my family. I assume that's why you left."
"That's only half true. I was so traumatized by your passing I couldn't stand to be in Austria anymore. Next thing I knew, I found myself in a Monastery lost and confused."
"Did the Monks help?"
"Oh, did they, Laura. It's because of them that I can walk in the sunlight and not be hurt. It's also how I can do this."
You say as you immolate your finger. Laura looks amazed.
"And it doesn't hurt?"
"Not anymore."
"What did the Monks do?"
"They helped clear my head, and after doing so, helped purify my soul. All the while teaching me how to fight. They lead me to what they called The Fountain of Purification. They instructed me to bathe in it. When I did, the waters removed pains I didn't know were there. I no longer felt scared around a fire and later learned that the water cured most of my vampirism. But it kept the benefits, so I still have the strength and speed, and I'll always look young. But it also removed my need to feed on victims. Which lead to another hidden strength I didn't know about."
"What was it?"
"The longer a Vampire holds off on feeding, the stronger they become. And despite the purification, it still applied to me! Through this, I gained the strength needed to slaughter Dracula and his forces that night 150 years ago. Granted, some of them escaped, but they serve under Demitri Maximoff, and he knows how powerful I am. I just killed the last of Dracula's servants last night."
"How long have you been like this?"
"300 years. Give or take. I have been Dark Hunting ever since. In honor of the Monks' memory."