Luminous led the now named vampire down the gilded halls of her temple. "So, where exactly are we going?" Vincent asked, memorizing the structure of the building. He was surprised to find how easy it was to remember just where in the winding halls he was and where he's been.

"I'm taking you to see your trainers. Immortal we vampires may be, but I don't see the point in wasting time," she responded without looking back at him. Vincent could freely admit he was more than a bit nervous.

In his past life, he wasn't exactly the most athletic person around. He was the type of person who got picked last for team events. Hell, he was so bad he didn't even qualify for a participation trophy.

He tried to keep himself in shape, even if he didn't see the point of it, and found himself delving more and more into anime and video games, seeking an escape from the real world.

He certainly never expected to find it after a car crash, but he wasn't exactly complaining about it. Waking up with the body of a Greek God next to a shockingly beautiful woman was his every fantasy made real.

And now he was going to embarrass himself completely in front of said woman. He could feel the cloud of despair hovering above his head as his shoulders slumped forward. If his performance was so pitiful, would she cast him out? The thought was almost too much to bear.

"No! I won't let that happen! I'll impress her so much that she'll be practically begging me to stay. And maybe, just maybe, I'll get my hands on that booty again!" he thought, psyching himself up as much as he could.

"What's got you so excited back there?" Luminous asked, turning to see her newest ward with his fist raised in the air and an eager look, his face red and snorting like a bull.

"I um, what? Nothing. Why?" Vincent responded rapid fire, making Luminous quirk an amused eyebrow at his attempt to deflect. A coy grin slid across her face, "Oh really? You had quite the naughty look on your face. Care to share?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about. My thoughts are as pure as the driven snow," he claimed. But the fact that he couldn't make eye contact told a very different story. Besides, her backside was literally pure perfection so that counts as having pure thoughts, right?

"Hmm, if you say so. Anyway, we're here," she informed him, making him snap out of his delusions. He looked past her to see that they were walking towards a set of large, metal doors with ornate, gothic carvings on them.

Actually, if he looked closely, it appeared as if a woman was standing over the corpse of a massive dragon, holding a rapier to the sky in a victory pose. The woman had a striking resemblance to the one in front of him.

Did she not like dragons, or was the one depicted in the carving special in some way? Like some ancient evil that plagued the world and she defeated it.

"Um, nice doors," he stated lamely as they neared, fishing for information without flat out asking.

"Yes, I'm quite fond of them as well. I can't help but smile everytime I see them," she stated, in a tone that made him think she wasn't as happy as that statement suggested. Her voice held an edge to it, and he could feel a pressure weighing down on him, making him sweat slightly.

But it didn't last long, and soon enough the pressure abated like it was never there in the first place. Luminous casually opened the door like they weighed less than a feather, when Vincent knew they must have weighed a couple tons. They looked like they were completely solid chunks of steel. Just how strong was she?

"Ah good, you're both here," Luminous said as she entered the room, Vincent trailing behind her. Looking to see who she was talking to, he spotted a pair of what he assumed were vampires.

The first one appeared to be a young woman in her twenties, but he knew looks could be deceiving, especially with creatures who could stay young forever. After all, Luminous still looked like a teenager, and she was over 20,000 years old! For all he knew, she was thousands of years old and held an untold amount of power.

She was wearing a fairly stereotypical maid outfit that reached down to her ankles. Her hair was long and tied off in a ponytail, with two bangs falling on either side of her face and a white bonnet on top of her head. Her eyes were a bright red, gazing at him with a stern expression.

The man standing next to her was the most intimidating person he's seen so far. He was fairly tall, at least as tall as he was, with dull red hair that fell between his eyes, which were red, like most vampires, holding a gaze even more serious than the woman's.

But that wasn't the intimidating part. That part was reserved for the blood red armor he was wearing. He looked like a knight that decided to dye his armor with the blood of his enemies. And for all Vincent knew, that's exactly what he did.

The chest piece was thick, and looked far heavier than any human would be able to wear. But with a vampire's strength, it probably didn't weigh much by comparison. The pauldrons and gauntlets appeared similarly sturdy, and each held intricate designs carved into them. What they were, Vincent couldn't really tell, but their design appeared religious in his eyes.

An armored piece fell on either side of his hip, and the bottom flared out in what looked like a black dress or a robe. He imagined there were some armored greaves and boots beneath, but he couldn't make them out. Beneath the armor was thick, black cloth.

As he and Luminous entered, the knight kneeled while the woman curtsied. "Of course we are milady. Where else would we be after being summoned?" asked the maid, her voice slightly deep, and held a slight playfulness to it that belied her stern expression.

"We are yours to command," stated the knight, his own voice sounding quite young, and given that he didn't appear much older than the woman, it made sense.

Luminous smiled as she turned to the blonde haired vampire behind her. "Vincent, allow me to introduce you to your trainers, Leliana and Isaac," she said, the two returning to a more casual stance when she said their names.

"Leliana will be teaching you proper etiquette, while Isaac will start you on your combat training."

"So he is the one?" Leliana asked with an unimpressed tone, looking him up and down. She frowned as she approached, and Luminous took a couple steps back, a small smirk on her face.

It set Vincent on edge.

"Um, hello. My name is-"

"Swine! No slouching, stand straight!" she interrupted, pulling out a paddle from nowhere and smacking him on the rump with it.

"Yeow, what the hell lady!" he yelled, jumping into the air. He walked a few steps away from the crazy chick, rubbing his sore backside.

"Lady Luminous has instructed me to teach the proper ways to conduct yourself in front of the nobility, and that is exactly what I intend to do. I find the best way to impart knowledge is through pain. That way you remember it," Lelian responded, smacking the paddle into her palm.

Vincent's disbelieving eyes turned towards Luminous, who was snickering behind her hand. "That little troll! She knew what was about to happen, that's why she stepped away. Well, two can play at that game," he thought.

"Lumi, the mean lady hurt my bottom. Can you make it feel better?" he begged, giving her the puppy dog eyes. Luminous raised an amused eyebrow at the nickname, feeling somewhat pleased by it. She can't remember anybody having given her a real nickname before, not like this at any rate.

However, there were two people in the room who did not appreciate his words nearly as much. "You dare speak to our Goddess in such a manner?" questioned the knight, eyes boring holes into the back on Vincent's head.

"Truly a boorish man if ever I've seen one," muttered the maid, grabbing the paddle so hard it was a miracle it hadn't shattered.

The man in question went rigid, feeling the bloodlust emanating from the two behind him. Perhaps that wasn't the best idea. But what did they mean by Goddess?

"My Lady, you wish for me to train this man than allow me to ascertain his current combat abilities," Isaac requested, fist over his heart and bowing. Vincent looked nervous at the notion, but Luminous had a contemplative look on her face.

"I can answer that for you. It's zero. Literally never been in a fight before in my life," Vincent said, trying to avoid the brutal beating he knew the other man wanted to give him. But judging from the look in Luminous' eyes, he had a sinking feeling he knew which direction she was leaning.

"Hm, I don't see a problem with that. I'm sure the knowledge will prove useful in your attempts to train him," she said, much to Vincent's despair. He wanted to impress her earlier, but it seems like that hope was getting thrown out the window.

The booty was getting further and further out of reach.

"Thank you my lady," Isaac responded, a satisfied grin on his face. One that was mirrored by the maid. Given their previous stern countenances, it didn't seem to fit them.

"Guess I just bring out the best in people," Vincent thought, rather sardonically.

"However, refrain from the use of weapons for now. Stick to unarmed combat and Blood Arts," Luminous commanded with a serious look. Isaac immediately nodded his head, unwilling to make a counter to her commands.

"Excellent. Well, I see no point in delaying. Let us begin, shall we?" Luminous said.

"I see plenty of points in waiting! Just look at that guy, he clearly wants to break every bone in my body. In fact, that's probably what he's going to do!" Vincent thought in mild panic. But there wasn't much he could do about it. Sure he could refuse to fight at all, but he somehow doubted that would go over well.

The two took their places several feet away from each other, one looking impassive, yet eager at the same time, while the other was a bundle of nerves.

"Are you ready to learn some proper manners, knave?" questioned Isaac, glaring at Vincent.

"I thought she was the one who was supposed to teach me manners?" Vincent said. Luminous snickered slightly, causing Isaac's frown to deepen. A red aura seemed to emanate from the angry vampire, making Vincent regret his choice of trolling.

"May we begin, my lady?" Isaac asked, making Vincent take up a basic defensive stance. Or at least what he thought was one. He's seen some MMA and fighting anime, so he had a pretty good idea of what it was supposed to look like.

Luminous looked at the two combatants, a small smile on her lips. "Alright. You may begin."

Almost immediately, Isaac was in Vincent's face. It was like one second he was across the room and the next he was right in Vincent's personal bubble, making his eyes widen in shock. "You're open," Isaac stated without emotion, delivering a punch towards the other man's face.

But to his, and Vincent's surprise, the newly named vampire was able to tilt his head to the side, barely avoiding a broken nose.

"Beginner's luck," Isaac said with a frown, launching his next assault. He stepped forward, launching a haymaker towards Vincent, who dodged backwards with a panicked, "Woah!" Isaac's fist missing him by mere millimeters.

This is how their battle continued, with Isaac launching attacks and Vincent bumbling out of the way. Leliana was honestly, though only mildly, impressed that the man hadn't received several broken bones yet, but then again, Isaac was still taking it easy on him. As irritated as he was by the other man's rudeness, it would reflect poorly on him to eviscerate someone Luminous seemed so interested in.

At least, too soon.

Both of them wanted to see just what it was about the man that caught her interest. So far, while he was able to avoid damage, nothing else has been impressive. But as the battle continued, Luminous made an approving hum.

Leliana turned towards her mistress, seeing a small smile gracing her lips. "What are you smiling for, my lady? I thought you'd be more upset by the boy's rather poor performance," she asked, confusion lacing her tone.

Luminous switched her attention to the maid, even as Vincent dodged another attack with a yelp. "Poor performance? I'm not sure what you're referring to. Perhaps you should observe more closely," she responded in a knowing tone.

Even more confused now, Leliana did as her mistress bid, trying to see just what she was talking about. It took her nearly a minute, but in that minute, it became abundantly clear the reason for her smile.

"It seems you've noticed," Luminous said, returning her attention to the fight. Leliana could only watch flabbergasted. "B-but how? He's but an amateur."

"Perhaps, but I suspect there's more to this amateur than meets the eye."

Back with Vincent, it was safe to say he was not having a good time. Issac was relentless in his desire to enact violence upon him. But to both of their surprise, he has yet to be able to land a hit.

The blonde haired vampire watched as Isaac's fist came towards him, but rather than the blistering speed he assumed the other man was capable of, it almost seemed to come towards him in slow motion.

Not only that, but it seemed as if he was able to predict more and more of his enemy's attacks. A twitch of muscle here, a glance of his eye there, the slightest intake of breath; there were so many little tells that it was hard not to notice after a while.

The battle continued, with Vincent becoming more and more at ease with the conflict. His movements even began to mimic his opponent's. When Isaac launched another haymaker towards him, Vincent was able to see an opening, and for the first time, retaliated with his own attack.

Mimicking the way he saw Isaac throw a punch, Vincent sent his own towards the man's face. He couldn't exactly aim anywhere else, as the man was decked out head to toe in armor. Come to think of it, that really wasn't fair in a hand to hand fight.

Isaac however, was no amateur, unlike his opponent. He saw the attack coming, and easily danced out of the way, gaining some distance from his opponent.

"What's wrong? Can't handle someone going on the offensive?" Vincent mocked, which wasn't very threatening as he was completely out of breath. Isaac however, wasn't breathing hard in the slightest. In fact, it didn't look like he exerted any effort whatsoever.

Not rising to the provocations of his blonde haired opponent, Isaac merely made a "Come here" gesture with his hand. Growling, Vincent did just that. It was his turn to go on the offensive.

Though his form was somewhat sloppy, it was clear that he was imitating the way Isaac fought. Seeing this intrigued the older vampire, who had his suspicions for a while now, but this only seemed to prove it.

He was learning as he fought.

Most fighters did this to some extent, or at least the good ones did. Studying the way your opponent moved, the way he breathed, patterns to his attacks; all ways to learn how to defeat him or even improve yourself.

But the man in front of him was doing so at an exceptional rate. He went from never throwing a punch to being at a basic recruits level after a month of training in only a few minutes. He was beginning to see just what his Goddess saw in him.

Too bad he had such a disrespectful attitude. If not for that, he would make an ideal candidate for the Blud Knights. As it was, he was expected to train him to a basic level of competence before being handed off to more exacting trainers. Likely Gunther for hand to hand combat, Roy and/or Louis for Blood Arts, and the human woman, Hinata Sakaguchi for Swordsmanship.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

But he would not allow the man to make him look bad. He would train him until he was a match for any regular member of his holy order, of that, he would promise.

After defending himself from Vincent's onslaught, Isaac had enough. Showing that he had been toying with the man the entire time, he casually caught his fist, making the newbie vampire stare in shock.

"Um, not the face?" he begged.

"As you wish."

With that, Isaac punched him in the stomach, sending him flying to the other side of the room, crashing painfully to the stone floor beneath him. He lay there, groaning in pain. He barely even saw the other man move. Was he really taking it that easy on him?

"I mean, I didn't think I'd be able to win, but sheesh. This guy is on another level. And I get a feeling that Lumi is on one even higher than him," Vincent thought to himself, as he forced himself up, holding his stomach. Thankfully, due to his ability to regenerate, the pain was rapidly disappearing.

"It seems you have a knack for hand to hand combat. But let us see how you handle the Blood Arts," Isaac said, after waiting for his opponent to recover. This was meant to test him after all. If he just kicked the shit out of him while he was lying there helpless, that would be much of a test now, would it?

Fun, certainly, but not a test.

Isaac then held his left arm out, and using the claws on his right, sliced into his wrist through a gap in his armor. Vincent watched this with big, worried eyes as the blood began to pool beneath the older man.

"Blood Art: Pack Hunting."

After calling out the technique's name, the blood began to morph and shift, before it eventually settled on the form of a pair of large wolves. The crimson constructs looked around curiously, sniffing the air almost like they were real wolves. It was fascinating to watch.

But that fascination soon turned to worry when they zeroed in on him and began to growl. He backed away from them with a nervous smile on his face.

"Um, good doggies. Nice doggies. You wouldn't hurt me, would-oh shit!" Vincent yelped, as they charged towards him. He immediately sprinted away, the blood hounds, literally in this case, chasing after him, barking and growling.

"I think this is excessive!" Vincent yelled, leaping out of the way as one of them tried to take a bite out of his backside. He just got this thing, he did want to lose a chunk out of it already!

"There are only two of them, I hardly think that is excessive," Isaac countered, enjoying the way the other man flailed about, trying to avoid the wolves. It was a basic technique, all things considered, though controlling such constructs became more difficult the more numerous they became. Isaac himself could control about two dozen fairly easily, with his upper limit being around 40.

Luminous could control thousands.

As Vincent avoided another nip at his heels, his mind raced with thoughts of how to beat these things. Could he create his own animal to fight them? Technically yes, he could, but having only seen it once, and from a distance, he didn't think he'd be able to. It was just too complicated of a technique.

So that was out. "Think, think, think! There has to be something I can do!" he shouted in his mind. Distracted by these thoughts, he didn't notice himself running straight towards the wall. He nearly panicked at that realization, when it gave him an idea.

Luminous watched with some amusement as her newest resident fled from the simple wolves, screaming his head off. He wasn't in any real danger, of course, so she could take some enjoyment from his panic. However, she became curious when she noticed the confident smirk make its way onto his face.

"Just what are you planning?" she mumbled to herself, getting a glance in her direction from Leliana. She too was enjoying the spectacle, though for different reasons from her mistress.

Vincent increased his speed, dashing towards the wall, much to everyone's confusion.

"Has he gone mad?" Isaac muttered, watching this. He had put on a decent showing so far, but it appears as if his inexperience is now showing.

However, as the blonde haired vampire neared the wall, he gave a great leap towards it, landing in a crouch a dozen feet above the ground. He then jumped off the wall, speeding directly towards the wolves, claws extended.

That's when they realized his plan. The wolves attempted to bite him, but his claws went through them like wet tissue paper, making them explode in a shower of blood. Vincent stood up, flicking the blood off of his hands, panting from the run.

"Well, what's next?" he asked, cockily.

Luminous chuckled at the surprised look on her subjects' faces. Apparently they didn't believe Vincent capable of defeating the wolves. She personally didn't believe such a simple attack would be the end of him, and she was glad to be proven right

"I must admit, you're doing better than I first thought possible. However…" Isaac said, holding out his right arm, palm facing towards himself, fingers curled inwards, pointing directly at him as well.

"Don't get cocky. You're a hundred years from being my equal. Blood Art: Gathering of the Infinite."

Vincent watched as the red began coming off his armor, almost like something sticky was being ripped off. Thick strands or red clung to it, desperate to not let go. Not only that, but the puddles of blood form the wolves shot towards the growing crimson orb above Isaac.

After several seconds of this, his armor was no longer red, but silver. That's when Vincent realized what the other man was doing. Somehow, his armor was coated, or saturated perhaps, with blood, and that technique was to remove it and gather it all up.

He was just joking about that! He wasn't serious when he said his armor was coated in the blood of his enemies! What the hell!?

Vincent took a step back in fear, staring at the massive ball of swirling blood Isaac had gathered above him. "You've got to be kidding me…"

"I assure you this is no joke. Now then, how will you handle this?" Isaac asked, as strands of blood started to form around the ball, making it resemble a morning star. Vincent wasn't sure what was about to happen, but he did know it did not bode well for him.

"I've got a bad feeling about this…" he muttered.

"Now then, let us begin. Blood Art: Ten Thousand Spears."

As soon as he said that, one of the spikes sticking out of the ball shot towards Vincent at a blistering speed. It was still connected to the ball, making it look more like he was being attacked by a tentacle monster than having spears thrown at him.

He's seen enough hentai to know where this is going and he was not ok with it!

As the first blood, spear, tentacle thing reached him, Vincent managed to sidestep it, only to find himself needing to duck the next one. Spear after spear came racing towards him, making Vincent take off at another sprint to avoid being impaled. They slammed into the wall and floor where he previously stood, creating craters in the stone.

Unfortunately for him, they simply kept coming. Wasn't this supposed to test him on how well he could use these so-called Blood Arts? So why was it that the Bloody Baron over there was just sending attacks his way? Shouldn't he explain how to use them or something?

But Vincent didn't have the time to voice this complaint, not at the moment at least, too caught up in making sure his body remained pure and unpenetrated. As he was running, he saw from the corner of his right eye, another spare coming towards him, so he leaned backwards, slinging under it on his knees like he was playing a twisted game on Limbo.

Once he was clear of that, he had to immediately jump into the air, a strand of blood sailing underneath him. Once he landed, however, he realized the trouble he was in. Dozens of spears were heading right towards him, to the left and right, preventing his escape.

But Vincent wasn't ready to throw in the towel just yet. As he was running for his life, he happened to notice something about the blood. It wasn't liquid, it was solid. As it sailed toward him, it crystalized and hardened, which explained how it was able to pierce into the stone.

So, with another smirk, he ran towards the oncoming assault, once more shocking his audience. Or at least, two of them.

When the spear was nearing him, Vincent leapt into the air, doing a somersault for flair, and landing on the strand or crystalized blood, before running directly towards Isaac.

"Clever, but that won't be enough!" shouted the Blud Knight, as even more spears came hurtling towards him. Vincent leapt off the strand of blood towards another, using it as a springboard to avoid the storm.

Grabbing hold of another, he performed an act of gymnastics, spinning around the strand of blood like it was an uneven bar before placing his feet on top of it and jumping away, using another swing himself.

This act of extreme parkour continued for some time, with Vincent becoming more and more accustomed to the way his new body moved. "Man this new body is something else! I feel so light!" he thought with a grin. But Isaac took his smirk the wrong way.

"Think this is funny, do you? Well, why don't we kick it up a notch!" he shouted. For a moment, nothing happened, confusing the new parkour enthusiast, when he saw a thorn appear on the strand of blood he was about to grab hold of, one big enough to pierce through his hand. His eyes widened, and he let out a yelp as he moved his hand out of the way to avoid it being impaled.

This, of course, caused him to fall, but luckily there was another bloody perch below him that he landed on. Looking back up and all around him, he saw more and more thorns appear all over the strands of blood.

"Well, that's unfortunate…" he mumbled, unsure of what to do. His was the only one without the thorns, a courtesy of Isaac, and one that likely wouldn't last very long. He probably just wanted Vincent to feel despair before taking away his last bastion of refuge.

"I admit, you're quite the squirrely opponent, but how will you get out of this one?" Isaac taunted, making Vincent grind his fangs. He was getting pretty tired of the other man's smug look.

But there wasn't much he could do about it at the moment, because he had bigger problems to deal with, namely, the blood thorns. Looking at them now, he didn't see any way to avoid taking damage.

But then again, did he have to? Vampires could regenerate, couldn't they? So why was he so hesitant to get hurt? Was he that afraid of pain, or was it something as simple as his leftover humanity?

Either way, perhaps it was time to start fighting like a vampire. Not everything was as hopeless as it looked. The giant ball of blood was, in fact, getting smaller. It was about a quarter of the size it started as, so that means he had a limited amount he could use. So all he had to do was wait out the clock before launching his attack.

He could do this!

Vncent once more began charging towards Isaac, sprinting down the only remaining strand of blood without anything on it to stab into him. Of course, that didn't last long, as spikes began popping up, starting from the ball and racing towards him.

But Vincent didn't stop, even as the first thorn pierced into his foot. He winced and grit his fangs, but pushed past the searing pain and kept running. Issac, Luminous, and Leliana were all surprised by this, not expecting the former human to simply tank the damage.

Seeing his opponent's flabbergasted look, Vincent gave him a savage grin. "What's wrong, you look surprised. Thought I couldn't handle a bit of pain? This is nothing!" he shouted.

His words and thoughts, however, were not in sync. "Ow fuck that hurts! This was stupid idea! What the hell is wrong with me!"

Even with his Pain Resistance Skill, it still hurt like a bitch.

However, to his surprise, Isaac didn't send anymore of his creepy ass tentacles at him. Instead, he watched Vincent approach almost impassively, which made said man wary. But there wasn't much else he could do at the moment, and so he soldiered on, intent to see the battle through to the end.

However, as he got within 30 feet or so, Isaac lifted up his arm, Vincent narrowing his eyes at him. "Just what are you planning now?"

However, Isaac's plan would take poor Vincent completely by surprise. Before he could reach his enemy, more stands of blood appeared, though they weren't aimed at Vincent. They appeared from the strands already created, connecting to each other and forming a barrier, preventing Vincent from getting close.

The blonde haired vampire stopped right in front of the blockade, which looked like dozens of bars crisscrossing with each other. However, that was only the beginning of Vincent's problems. All around him, more and more stands of blood connected with each other, trapping him inside of a cage.

"And so we come to the conclusion. You did well, but this is where our battle ends," Isaac stated, walking up to the imprisoned vampire, lowering the cage to the ground. Vincent growled, swinging his claws at the cage bars. They cut deep into it, removing large chunks, and for a second, he thought he just might be able to escape.

However, they mended themselves almost as soon as he damaged them. He tried again and again, but it was useless. He simply couldn't do enough damage before they fixed themselves.

"It's pointless. You can't escape. Now, I shall show you one more technique of the Blood Arts. Lady Luminous has commanded me to not use any weapons, so this will have to suffice," Isaac said, using his blood to create… a screwdriver?

"...Is this your way of saying you want to screw me? Because look, I'm flattered and all, but-ah!" Vincent yelled, as the screwdriver pierced through his hand, continuing until it was stuck in a cage bar, with Vincent's hand being stuck between the bar and the screwdriver's handle.

Maybe Luminous should have named him Ethan Winters.

"Fuck that hurt! Can't you take a joke?" Vincent said, reaching up and trying to remove the screwdriver from his hand. But unfortunately for him, it wasn't budging.

"I'll have you know I have a remarkable sense of humor. You simply aren't funny. Now, prepare yourself. Blood Art: Puppetry."

As soon as Isaac muttered those words, the screwdriver made out of his blood began to force its way into Vincent's body, making him scream in pain. It felt way worse than having a spike go through his feet or a screwdriver through his hand.

Before long, the entire thing was inside his body, and Vincent could feel the blood squirming around in his body. Looking at his arm, he could see it moving around beneath his skin, like those beetles from The Mummy.

"What the fuck did you just do?" Vincent yelled, glaring at the man while cradling his arm in agony. But his question would soon be answered. Not with words, but with actions. The arm he was holding onto suddenly shot towards his throat, grabbing hold of it and squeezing.

"What the hell," Vincent choked out, using the hand that was within his control to try and remove the other. But it was no use, it was latched on too tight.

"I'm sure by now you've made the connection, but allow me to explain anyway. This particular Blood Art allows me to inject my blood into someone and control their actions. I only used enough to control one of your arms, but that should be more than sufficient to end this fight," Isaac spoke, getting a glare from Vincent in response.

He continued to struggle to remove his own appendage from his throat, but no matter what he tried, he simply couldn't do it. Soon, his vision started to darken. "Is this it? Am I really going to lose choking myself out? Man, how pathetic is that?" he thought, eyes drifting towards the spectators, or more specifically Luminous, who had a resigned and disappointed look on her face.

And that hurt most of all. That was the look of a woman who would not be allowing him access to her backside anytime soon. The thought of this pompous asshole being the reason infuriated him to no end.

With a renewed determination, Vincent took his right hand and used his claws to pierce into his own flesh, stabbing himself in the side. Issac watched this with a raised eyebrow, "What is this? Some last ditch effort to defeat me? Well, whatever it is, it won't work," he said, forcing Vincent's hand to choke him even harder.

But Vincent didn't respond to the provocation, mostly because he couldn't. Hard to be a smartass when you're being choked out. He'd just have to let his actions speak for him.

He raised his now bloody hand, concentrating. He only had one shot at this. Slowly, the blood formed into a dagger, making Issac raise an eyebrow. "And just what are you planning to do with that?"

His question would be answered as Vincent raised the blade between the arm Isaac controlled and his own body, bracing himself for the pain that was about to come. With only a moment of hesitation, he sliced off his own arm.

It hurt. Dear god, did it hurt. That was just about the only thought going through his mind. The sheer, utter agony of having your limb cut off. No amount of preparation could have prepared him for it.

Everybody's eyes widened in shock at the insane action. Isaac was so surprised that he lost control of Vincent's arm, allowing him to take a deep, ragged breath.

"Are you out of your mind!? What in the world would possess you to do such a thing!?" Isaac shouted, losing his composure.

Vincent gave him a grin, "That's easy, isn't it? To impress a pretty girl."

Isaac couldn't quite process his words. He wanted to impress some woman? But who could be so important? That's when he remembered who exactly was watching, and he turned to look at the only woman he could be referring to.

Luminous Valentine.

He wasn't sure if her expression could be considered impressed by the move or not, but he had her attention if nothing else. Something he knew people would kill for.

With Isaac distracted and flummoxed by his actions, it was now or never. His Pain Resistance Skill and the shit ton of adrenaline coursing through his veins were about the only things keeping him from passing out at the moment, but they wouldn't last forever.

Looking down, he smirked. Isaac made a big mistake by wanting to show off. With the cage close enough to the ground, he could try and use another Skill he had, Shadow Motion. He hasn't actually used the Skill before, but there was a first time for everything, right?

Besides, it was a Skill inherent to his very biology. How hard could it be to figure out?

Reaching his foot through the bars and into the ground, Vincent willed himself into the shadows created by the cage. It took him a few moments, but his instincts kicked in and he felt himself submerge into the shadows.

By the time Isaac looked back into the cage, he was already gone.

"Where did he go!? How did he escape!?" he yelled, looking around for the missing vampire.

"Right here, asshole!" Vincent shouted, appearing from behind him. Isaac turned to see Vincent leaping out of his shadow. "I see, so he used Shadow Motion to escape. How clever," he thought.

Vincent then placed his one remaining hand against his profusely bleeding wound, gathering up a good amount of blood in it. "Take this! Blades of Blood!"

After shouting this, Vincent swung his arm, sending dozens of crescent shaped blades of blood towards the surprised Isaac. But even if he was taken by surprise, it wasn't enough to damage him. He swung his own arm, and the last remaining blood from his giant orb in the sky raced forward to create a wall of blood, blocking the attack.

"Not bad. I confess, you surprised me with that one. But this fight is over, it's time to admit defeat. You are clearly unable to continue," Isaac said. But Vincent only grinned at him, even while wobbling on his feet.

"I'm not so sure about that. Why don't you look behind you?" he said, making Isacc raise an eyebrow. With the wall of blood in front of him, there was little he could do anyway, so he decided to humor the man.

Turning around, his jaw was immediately met with a fist. "Gah!" he yelled in surprise, staggering back more due to shock than pain. Looking to his left, he saw Vincent's severed arm flying towards the blood wall he erected, hitting it before falling to the floor.

"Your arm? You actually managed to control it?" he said, completely shocked. He raised a hand to his lip, surprised to see his fingers with blood on them.

His blood. "He was actually able to make me bleed?" Isaac thought in disbelief, turning to look at the man standing on uneasy feet.

"Yeah! Not so… tough now… are ya…? Hoo boy," Vincent said, before collapsing forward, unconscious, officially ending the fight. Seeing this, Isaac dispersed his blood arts, gathering up the blood and returning it to his armor.

Luminous and Leliana approached, with the oldest vampire's face curved into a smug grin. "Well, what do you think? Better than you thought, no?" she asked. Isaac sighed, unable to refute her claim.

"Indeed my lady. I see why he's caught your interest. Given enough time, I believe he will equal the likes of Lord Roy or Lord Louis," he said, giving her a bow. She had a contemplative look on her face as she considered that. Both of them were strong enough to be considered Demon Lords in their own right, so having another under her employ of that caliber would be a great boon indeed.

However…

"I do believe you are selling him a bit short, Captain. I have a feeling he'll surpass them both," she said, shifting her gaze towards the unconscious man. Both of her servants looked surprised by the claim, but neither one refuted it.

Luminous made her way over to Vincent, collecting his severed arm as she did so. That move really threw her for a loop. Sure he could recover from the wound easily enough, but the fact that he went so far to impress her gave her a fluttering feeling in her chest.

She wasn't a stranger to people doing stupid things to garner her favor, but they wanted the attention of the Goddess Luminous. They weren't doing it solely for the sake of a "pretty girl" as he so eloquently put it. In other words, he didn't want the attention of Luminous the Goddess, but rather, Luminous the woman.

And that made all the difference.

She smiled as she placed the severed arm against the stump, using her own power to accelerate the healing. Soon, his arm was reattached, without so much as a scar. Sure, he would have regrown the arm soon enough, but this was the least she could do for him, after going so far for her.

"Good job. You've exceeded my expectations. I think that deserves a little reward," she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. This made him smile in his sleep, trying to lean in closer towards the sensation. "Lumi…" he muttered, making her giggle, running a hand through his hair, a soft smile on her face.

"Sleep well, Vincent."