Vast's gaze remained fixed on the hall, without wavering for a single moment. The guests continued happily with the celebration, unaware that just a moment ago there was an Original Vampire among them.
Carmilla… So that wasn't an illusion. But… what's the reason for all this? Vampires should be killing machines.
His mind went into shock. Could there really be vampires capable of thinking about others? Vampires with a moral compass? With… empathy?
Heh… Vast laughed at his own thought. If such a type existed — especially among the Originals —, the world wouldn't be so cruel.
The doubt was expelled, but he still harbored the desire to peacefully converse with Carmilla if he encountered her again.
She said this isn't her region. I can assume it's true about each Original Vampire taking care of one of the four regions. At least I don't have to worry about encountering two Originals at once... probably.
In a situation like that, he would die just by breathing.
With his mind more organized, he returned his attention to the hall. Immediately, he noticed a strange presence hovering above the guests.
BZZZZZZZZZZZ!!! It could very well be a motorcycle, but like several other technologies, motorcycles were lost when the vampires took over the world, so the sound could only mean one thing.
He looked near the large chandelier, and there it was.
It's begun! He finally showed up!
A mosquito the size of a small dog was flying over the hall, seemingly looking for someone in particular. Vast quickly realized that he himself was the target and hurried to hide.
Where? He scanned the entire hall. Even though he didn't actually notice, just passing his gaze over any part of the vampire's body would reveal its aura, consequently exposing both its position and dangerousness. However, it didn't work out as well as the prince had hoped.
Stump!! The mosquito descended like an eagle, hitting his chest squarely. However, to his own surprise, the sharp needle bent upon colliding with his body. Vast removed it with a single tug, making sure to split the body in two before throwing it to the ground.
The dry thud of the flesh immediately drew looks. Panic ensued in a single scream, and in less than two minutes, no one was nearby even to see what had fallen there.
"Everyone, get out of this mansion! We are under attack by a Vampire!" Vast alerted, jumping from the second floor to the hall. I can't let him have the chance to take hostages.
Standing in that now-empty hall, he searched once again. His sharp eyes passed over every inch of the place. Under the tables, behind the pillars, on the ceiling… But nothing. No sign of the enemy.
The Crimson Shooter protected me from that first attack, but luck won't help me here.
He removed his weapon from his chest — it was still intact — and put it back in its place. Now exposed on his forearm, unfortunately, it would serve as a warning to the opponent.
"Hey, where are you, you damn bastard!"
Vampires used to be proud, but this one didn't even utter a single murmur.
He must know who I am. How many others must know what I'm up to?
The possibility of reinforcements being on their way made his mind race. Once again, his gaze scanned every corner of the hall, yet unable to find anything.
Then, for a brief second, he looked at a previously unexplored corner, the floor.
Huh? An immediate puzzle. The shadow wasn't normal. His own was there, firm and strong, but larger than it should be. A black spot formed near his head. The shadow of… something behind?!
He turned around with his weapon ready to fire, but there was nothing there. Not in front, above, or below.
Some kind of trick? Is he invisible? No, I wouldn't be able to see his shadow if he were.
He moved through quick jumps across the hall, fearing a surprise attack. Amidst these, he ended up facing a mirror.
He stopped and looked at himself. Only he was there, with a sweaty face and tired eyes. On the ground, the dense shadow of something trailing behind him… Shadow behind… Empty mirror…
!! The startle was understood by the owner of a brief worried groan, but Vast's reaction was the fastest.
The arm with the Crimson Shooter aimed just behind his head, and a shot was fired. TUMP!! The sound of flesh — not his own — being pierced brought relief and a new rush of adrenaline. No body fell to the ground, but a buzzing louder than any other invaded his ears.
A mosquito, or rather, a mosquito vampire staggered through the air until it was able to reach the ceiling, where it clung upside down like a bat.
"VAAAAST!!!" Blood bubbles came out as he spoke. "You won't leave here alive!!"
"You should have attacked while you were still behind me. Give up, you've already lost."
"What? How can you say that when the fight hasn't even begun?"
Vast made a simple gesture. He brought his fist in front of his body, revealed the index and middle fingers united as if to indicate something, pointing to his side.
The vampire's gaze went to the indicated direction, and in the next instant.
PLUSH!!
"WRYYYYY!! INSOLENT HUMAN!!"
Another bloodshot hit him squarely thanks to the cheap trick. In response to his cries of pain, Vast let out a short laugh.
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
It's quite easy to distract him. I don't think he would notice anything I planned, but…
Descendant Vampire
Strength 28/100
Agility 50/100
Intelligence 60/100
He's certainly not someone I can afford to underestimate.
Strength was far from being a problem, but the other two attributes deserved attention. Agility, especially in the air, was probably higher than the eyes could follow, and intelligence indicated considerable wisdom about his own abilities.
"Hey, you bastard, come down here so I can finish you off once and for all!"
Vast aimed with the Crimson Shooter and fired. The blood arrow tore through the air without slowing down, but hit something else.
Instead of the main target, one of the smaller mosquitoes served as a shield, quickly replaced by another, and another, and another… In the end, a cloud of them formed around the Descendant before he could react.
"Losing so much blood, there's no reason for me to get involved!" His face emerged among the various offspring. "You'll see! You'll be dead in a few minutes, and I won't even move from this spot!"
A part of the cloud separated, not enough to leave any part of the body exposed. The new attack cloud flew united through the hall but dissipated in random directions when it approached the prince.
So he intends to suck me.
As a prince, Vast couldn't let this happen easily. From that moment on, the real fight could finally begin.
Already dispersed, the cloud began attacks from various directions. The chihuahua-sized mosquitoes — again, not as hateful as before — aimed for every inch of Vast's body. Being hit was the equivalent of being run over by a motorcycle.
The Crimson Shooter was a terrible weapon for close range, and the protection the Descendant left at his side prevented the shots from hitting him fatally. With every scratch he gained, the prince lost more and more possibilities of counterattack.
Is he really going to stay there until I drop dead?
That's what it seemed. The little brute force was the most likely reason for such cowardice. He was betting everything on his most powerful attribute, agility.
The number of mosquitoes was at least 200. Defeating them was out of the question. Everything suggested that the only way out was to attack the Descendant, but the question remained: how to do it?
Tumph! A one-second distraction allowed an attack from the opponent. One, two, three mosquitoes pierced his arms. Some aimed at the Crimson Shooter, but failed like the previous one.
How resistant is this thing? He would thank Russisch if he ever found him again.
He removed each of the creatures with his hands. Sources of blood created on his limbs. On the ceiling, only a cynical laugh came from within the living cloud.
Alright, enough wasting time with insects.
Vast dashed towards the tables in the hall. The cloud slowly reformed, intending a mass attack that would suck him dry in one go.
The Descendant Vampire still observed everything from above, curious but fearful.
The prince leaped over the tables, grabbing glass cups as he went. With the mosquitoes showing total disinterest in the objects, none of them were broken, even during the process of bringing them to the center of the hall and stacking them little by little.
"What is this madman doing?" The Vampire questioned himself in order to prove he was awake. What was before his eyes was...
All set, this should do the trick!
Vast used a tower made of chairs to position himself above the great pyramid of cups. With pieces of tablecloth torn between the rushes, he stemmed two of the three piercings on his arms. The one that remained open served as a source for the liquid that would fill the entire structure.
When the first cup was filled with blood, the next four below it were the next. And so it continued, for a total of 15 levels of cups, with his blood clogging every tiny empty space, until finally overflowing onto the floor.
With this, Vast finally stemmed that last wound.
"What are you doing? Have you given up on the fight?!"
The Vampire's defense dissolved. The wound made by the first shot had disappeared completely.
The prince remained silent, stepping away from the crimson tower in a single leap. In response, the Vampire ordered:
"It doesn't matter, you die here! Attack, my children!!"
But nothing happened. A what!? choked out was all that came out of his dry throat. The mosquitoes froze in the air. Everyone's attention wandered between the tower of cups and Vast himself, and considering the factor they were comparing, it was easy to tell which choice would be made.
ZIIIUUUUUMM!!
The mass that didn't protect the Descendant attacked the pyramid voraciously. There were plenty of cups, a feast like no other for the hungry beasts.
"You fools!!" The Vampire emerged from his defense but remained glued to the ceiling. "JUST GIVE UP, INSOLENT HUMAN!!"
Slowly, that last cloud dissipated. The creatures that weren't distracted by the pyramid ended up colliding with Vast's fists and were crushed by them. However, it only took a simple scratch on the prince for the worst to happen.
From a sequence of five, Vast caught the third and fourth mosquito with one hand, but the fifth came so fast that he barely managed to dodge. A scratch was made on his face.
Damn it!! He even forgot about that, the presence of the Crimson Shooter made him forget about his own ability. Immediately, the two captured mosquitoes were recovered to the point where they could free themselves.
Finally, the fifth mosquito attacked again, a new piercing that had the healing aura directed towards the Descendant.
"KAHAHA!! So the rumors were true! Your curse can heal those around you when you get hurt!!"
Great news for him, the prince could even perceive the total relaxation of that contorted body upon gaining such information.
"Do you really think you'll win? Even with such a useless ability?"
Vast didn't respond, at least not with words. He began to run in circles around the hall, an act that the Descendant only regarded as random, typical of a desperate animal.
"There's nowhere to run!!"
At the simple point of an aim, some of the ballistic mosquitoes pursued the prince. They crashed into the crimson tower but still unable to draw the attention of their companions.
Vast dodged one after the other, capturing some in the process and hurling them at the Vampire. A kind of makeshift spear.
At some point, blood began to trickle from the Crimson Shooter, a continuous line that seemed endless, never disconnecting from the device.
Unbeknownst to both of them, the grand hall — once white and golden — now stained red from floor to ceiling, an environment where it was almost possible to lose depth perception. A room of red mirrors.
In one of the mosquito attacks, Vast grabbed it like the others, but instead of throwing it back, he jumped and used it as a hook to cling to the wall.
The Vampire grumbled upon understanding the prince's intention. Too late to react. Vast leaped from the wall towards the enemy, the Crimson Shooter aiming at any exposed vital point.
"Grrh! Accursed human..." the Vampire raised one of his hands. "I told you to give up!!"
SLAP! He used his speed to dodge the blood shot. When behind Vast, he descended with a slap to his face, strong enough for the collision against the ground to create fissures in the marble.
The prince got up instantly. He didn't vomit blood. He didn't even have enough to remain standing, let alone to spit.
Already visibly impatient, the Vampire questioned one last time:
"How long do you intend to drag this fight on? Can't you see that I'm being kind by trying to finish you off quickly?"
Vast, covered in blood from head to toe, revealed his right hand, specifically what he was holding.
"Huh? Is that... a rope?"
The Descendant strained his gaze. It was indeed that, but different. It wasn't firm but gelatinous. Moreover, it almost merged with the surroundings because it was the same color as the...!!
"Wh-What do you intend to do...!?"
In a rare occasion since the beginning of the battle, Vast smiled at the Vampire.
"You finally understood? Surprising, I didn't even expect you to realize that."
The "rope" stretched across the entire hall, at more than specific points. Most of the mosquitoes that the prince threw in his direction during the fight ended up on the walls, but some attached to the support pillars. As for that rope of coagulated blood, it tied into each of these mosquitoes.
"DAMN YOU!! YOU WILL ALSO DIE!!"
Even with his wings open, he didn't fly away, he was too scared to manage it. To the assertion of that monster, Vast only wagered.
"Maybe, it's a small risk to ensure that you die."
He pulled the rope almost to the point of breaking it. The stretching brought with it the collapsing of the pillars, which filled with cracks that reached the ceiling in the blink of an eye.
"YOU.. ACCURSED HUMANNNNN!!!"
TRRUUUUMMMM!!
That night, suddenly, Vincent's mansion collapsed. The structure's collapse drowned out by animalistic screams.