THUD

The room was dimly lit, large and empty, a concrete box large enough for a low-born family and their dozen children to live in if they so wished. In the center, there were two people, a human and a maiden. They circled one another, equal in height. The man was at least twice the weight as the woman, his body sculpted to perfection, muscles tense and taut, his movements methodical, calculated, slow. There was a growing bruise right under the man’s right, just above his ribs. Dark green eyes stared at the maiden with coldness.

The maiden moved more leisurely. Red eyes wandered over the man’s sweat-addled chest, three scars adorned it, running from shoulder to hip. Vicious black things that made her senses prickle. She turned towards the four hooded figures that stood at each of the corners of the room.

“Do not pay them any attention.” The man spoke with a scowl, his brows lowered as his hands clenched into fists. “They will not interfere.”

She didn’t believe him, but that didn’t mean she had an alternative. She raised her fists, the dark blue scales covered her forearms, her hands closer to talons than anything else. Rushing in, she dodged his jab, the maiden’s closed fist punching upwards and into his sternum.

THUD

His feet lifted off the ground, but he did not fall when he dropped back down. Large, powerful hands grasped at her horns. With a grunt, his forehead barreled down against her own, the force of impact more than enough to send her a step backwards in confusion and pain.

He growled, wiping the blood off of his eyes, clenching his fists. “If you don’t fight me seriously, I will have to reconsider your potential freedom.”

The maiden scowled, opening her fists and revealing the wickedly black claws. Her draconic tail shifted slightly as she prepared herself. What would she do once he was dead? The door was exactly thirty steps away. Her main concern would be the species of the other maidens. She couldn’t tell what they were, and that could prove deadly in a fight.

“Don’t distract yourself.”

The man had approached, a powerful forward kick she instinctively sidestepped. He was wide open for her counter, claws swinging at his exposed, chiseled chest and pulsating black curse. But the attack never landed. The man continuing forward and rolling under her claws. She bristled, suddenly aware he was faster than he’d been showing until now.

Snarling, she followed, adding two more swings to tear his torso to ribbons. The human moved barely the necessary amount to avoid her attack from being truly lethal. Still, claws met flesh, and the scent of blood oozed heavily in the air. The maiden didn’t relent, unwilling to give the human so much as an inch as her attacks came faster. Each one should have gouged him straight through, kill him on the spot.

But he was reading her movements, well enough that even with the speed difference, he could avoid most of the damage. The strategy was not indefinitely sustainable, however, as each failed attack still incurred injury. The human was losing blood and flesh, each slash left behind bloody trails in their wake, yet he pushed forward harder with each one without hesitation.

His mass and size were pushing her back. His attacks were fast, for a human, but not enough to hit, but it was his dodging, stepping into her attack, that kept her off balance, unable to properly do much more than a half-effective counter-attack. And right as she’d been expecting a punch out of him, his large clenched fist ready to pummel at her… his foot swept her leg from underneath her.

The world spun, she fell, and the man jumped at her. The maiden tried to recover, but again he knocked her feet off from under her. She might have been stronger, but she weighed less. And the moment she began falling in full, the human had wrapped his arms around her wrist, pulling tightly against her chest right as his legs pinned her head to the floor. A dead-lock. The man put everything he had into the lock, and the maiden felt the pressure on her shoulder increase into a searing pain.

Before she could find the leverage to fight back, the pain exploded, and she screamed. Elemental energy coursed through her body on instinct. The arm that should have been numb from being dislocated surged with strength at an awkward angle. Still, it managed to throw him off of her and to the other side of the ring. Grunting, the maiden knelt, huffing, holding her shoulder. The pain throbbed.

“You used your powers… good.” The man had rolled with the toss, standing back up and glaring at her as he breathed heavily, sweat and blood pouring to the floor. “We can finally start in earnest.”

He lumbered towards her, a dead sprint, his gaze icy cold determination. The maiden couldn’t let him overwhelm her with his weight again, she breathed in, letting out a jet of hot fire that exploded outwards in every direction. Her arm was limp at her side, but so long as she’d manage to keep him-.

“Not enough!”

The man had pushed through the flames. Her eyes widened in horror, unable to react as his boot met her jaw with enough force to knock her to the side. Stunned, she moved to stand up, but he’d knocked her down again, and this time she was not able to properly use one of her arms. The man was clearly intent on taking the other this time.

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The visage of his half-burnt face and searing hateful eyes were like a vise in her heart.

With a scream, she plunged her claw forward.

A moment later she realized she’d pierced straight through his throat.

The man collapsed, blood sputtering out of the wound, and the maiden rushed to get him off of her, scrambling to her feet. She looked around, arms raised and ready for a fight, expecting to be attacked by the others..

“You may leave.” A voice spoke from all around her all at once. A screeching sound and a single door opened. The maiden looked at the man that glared at her with cold hateful eyes, then at the door, and then back. She ducked, breaking into a full sprint towards the exit, the metal closing behind her with a heavy thud.

The four maidens that stood at each corner sprung into action, rushing to surround him, glowing hands pouring energy into his body. Spells were sung, thickening the air with power. They focused on his injuries, starting with his throat. The man gasped for air as soon as the throat had regained its structure. They moved further down towards his injuries, each one closing and leaving only unblemished skin in its wake.

He did not move or complain, barely showing pain as he waited for each strip of torn flesh and muscle to reattach itself back into place. The process was silent, methodical, the maidens caressing his skin as if in worship, glowing hands traversing every inch of his physique.

Like sculptors building a masterwork, the man’s body had no blemishes left by the time they’d finished their work. The only exception the three dark glowing scars on his chest.

With their work finished, the maidens quietly stepped away from the man, returning each to their corner as he sat up, drenched in sweat. Any trace of the blood gone, his body naked and pale.

The metal doors opened, and he stepped into the sunlight, the balcony overlooking a hill covered in lush green. The warmth seeped into his cold body, his eyes adjusting to the brightness as his golden mane reflected the sunlight. The man took the white robes offered by the maiden that stood next to the door, donning it as he looked onto the prairie.

The only thing ruining the visage was the single blue dot running across the fields in a mad dash for freedom.

“So you can’t handle a Draco just yet.” The voice spoke from his left, the man did not need to turn to look at the owner.

Instead, he frowned. “I hope you did not interfere this time.”

“She’s not going to be hunted down or anything.”

“But?”

“But she’s three days away from going feral.” A small laugh followed. “And the nearest town in that direction is a week away.”

“Then it is her fault for not knowing better.” With a slight nod, the man turned to follow the stairs down to the large patio. “Since you’re here, I take it you bring news.”

“Just some little interesting things, here and there.” The maiden’s presence was a shadow, trailing behind him as he walked. “A Baron died.”

“Any I should care about?”

“Your cousin. The one you banished to that little village as far East as the kingdom goes.”

The man’s brows furrowed ever so slightly. “And this is worth my attention, why?”

“A human bonded the Sabertooth that turned him into feral-food. On his own. The feat might be diminished because he’s an offworlder.”

“It was about time a new one emerged, though it is fortuitous to have occurred in our kingdom. Do we know what his power is yet?”

“None.”

The man nodded, moving down the stairs, heading towards the metal doors leading into the rest of his estate. “Then send someone to-.”

“No, Master, he has no powers. He is a pureblooded human.”

The expression soured, his steps coming to a halt. The man turned around and looked upon his informant for the first time that day. The maiden was covered in a large black cloak, meant to protect her from the sunlight. Red eyes gleamed through the shadows underneath the cowl. He met those eyes with a silent glare.

“The report says he lost an arm in the confrontation, the healing will take nearly a month since his body can’t tolerate elemental energy. The blood-work confirms purity.” In the unnatural darkness that hid the maiden’s face from him, he could sense a smile. “Earl Vitchatt has extended an invitation to meet him.”

“Of course he would.” The man turned around, changing the intended destination. His eyes shone with determination.

“There’s more.”

“More?” That was… surprising. She always teased with the most important things at the end of their little conversations.

“A report has been sent, mentioning two dozen humans, political refugees, men and women alike. The report claims they escaped Coven. They showed up in the same village as the pureblood human.” A small laughter followed. “But it’s the oddest of things, the number of human women is practically the same that of the men. Don’t you find it very strange, my Lord?”

The man’s eyes widened slightly, his steps began moving quickly, what had been a leisure walk turned into nearly a sprint. The cowled figure followed with ease. Not a sound to betray her movements, but he could feel her mirth as he crossed his house and entered his office.

There were three maidens there, each with their own desk, each surprised to find him entering at this hour of the day. “This is urgent.” He claimed, and the instantly stood at attention.

“Your orders, sir?”

“There’s a report of political asylum for some humans that showed up in Astunes.” He spoke loud and clear. “Muddle the waters, make it impossible to discern if the story is true or not without us finding out about it first.”

“Should we tag their profiles?”

“Yes.” He walked towards his desk, sitting on the leather surface. His attention moved away from the assistants as they pulled out a series of enchanted mirrors, each tied to different people, to different parts of the kingdom.

Communications that didn’t rely on radio, that couldn’t be traced.

The man’s gaze turned towards the figure and frowned. “Is there anything else?”

“I want the value of q.” The maiden pulled back her hood, pale chalky skin, long blond hair, red-blood eyes. The fangs peeking over her lips betrayed her species. “Using these new variables.”

The man hesitated, nodding. “I don’t need to run a simulation. If these humans are as pure as you claim them to be, then the value is no longer zero. But it is a fragile situation at best.”

The Vampire smiled, a twirl of her wrist, a cup materialized out of thin air. “Then the vampires will move.” The smile turned into a smirk. “What must be done to avoid humanity’s extinction, oh great leader of the science department?”

He looked upon the golden choker that adorned the Vampire’s throat.

An idea slowly taking shape.

“War.”