Camilla seemed to dissolve within a cloud of raging bats.
"Although for reason you will be able to deduct I was unable to set up and crosses here to proclaim it, this room is nonetheless a chapel of God. Let us not destroy its sacred calmness with the cries of battle."
The flying beasts flew upwards and out of an open window. Ruben hurriedly climbed up a nearby statue and rushed onto the roof. The moon was shining brightly, the light bringers of the earlier rainstorm had fled to the dark horizon, that silhouette of hills and small mountains trying to reach out for the stars above them. The winged demons moved closer together, forming a dense mass from which again emerged their master. She emptily stared into the eyes of Ruben who returned her gaze with a most furious one.
The next moment, he had dashed forward. A wild yell preceded his leap into the air from where he forcefully descended his sword upon Camilla. She in turn evaded to her left, yet her right arm was struck by the blade. It glid through her flesh, slicing her limb off cleanly. The metal hit the bricks of the tower's roof. As Ruben turned back to face his foe however his face was struck with terror - The wound he had inflicted grew a hundred small wings and the arm, in a mass of bats, moved back towards its owner once again becoming one with Camilla's body.
"Did you not know? Vampires such as myself are virtually immortal; none of your strikes will hurt me."
"What the... Curse you!"
"If you would prefer to end this meaningless battle, then I would welcome it. I do not wish to harm you."
"Never! I must slay you or else you'll just go out again sucking the lives out of people."
The gentle demon rose her head and gazed into the moon. Within her crimson pupils the reflection its round shape bathed in a pale white met with a lost look yearning for a denied peace.
"It will have been your wish."
"Although for reason you will be able to deduct I was unable to set up and crosses here to proclaim it, this room is nonetheless a chapel of God. Let us not destroy its sacred calmness with the cries of battle."
The flying beasts flew upwards and out of an open window. Ruben hurriedly climbed up a nearby statue and rushed onto the roof. The moon was shining brightly, the light bringers of the earlier rainstorm had fled to the dark horizon, that silhouette of hills and small mountains trying to reach out for the stars above them. The winged demons moved closer together, forming a dense mass from which again emerged their master. She emptily stared into the eyes of Ruben who returned her gaze with a most furious one.
The next moment, he had dashed forward. A wild yell preceded his leap into the air from where he forcefully descended his sword upon Camilla. She in turn evaded to her left, yet her right arm was struck by the blade. It glid through her flesh, slicing her limb off cleanly. The metal hit the bricks of the tower's roof. As Ruben turned back to face his foe however his face was struck with terror - The wound he had inflicted grew a hundred small wings and the arm, in a mass of bats, moved back towards its owner once again becoming one with Camilla's body.
"Did you not know? Vampires such as myself are virtually immortal; none of your strikes will hurt me."
"What the... Curse you!"
"If you would prefer to end this meaningless battle, then I would welcome it. I do not wish to harm you."
"Never! I must slay you or else you'll just go out again sucking the lives out of people."
The gentle demon rose her head and gazed into the moon. Within her crimson pupils the reflection its round shape bathed in a pale white met with a lost look yearning for a denied peace.
"It will have been your wish."
Without warning but with inhumane speed, she flew forwards. Her since the ascend to the roof sharpened and pointed fingernails glid through the links of the warriors's chain mail and penetrated his skin. Ere they could extend to pierce more deeply, the hilt of the longsword had been rammed into her head, causing her to swiftly dash backwards. From her fingers the dark red of fresh blood dripped onto the roof, each drop mirroring the bright observer in the sky.
"I have warned you, young man."
"Pah, if that's all you have to offer..."
A second time, Ruben had ran towards her and swung the lengthy blade of his weapon. However, all it sliced was but the nightly air. His vision was briefly robbed by an impenetrable wall of black which thereupon united its bat-shaped formless entity behind his back. He felt a hand as cold as the wind seizing his right wrist, digging its nails into it and causing him to let go of his Zweihänder in paralysing pain.
"There is a way out of this situation that will not lead to the death of either of us. I am not sure if you will like it however..."
The red lips uttering these words opened up on Ruben's shoulder and revealed a set of pointy long teeth, widening to bury themselves in the neck whose chain mail veil had been lifted by Camilla's other hand. Yet all she was able to inflict was the pain of a piercing scream echoing in the adolescent's ear. The vampire stumbled backwards, her forehead bore a cross-shaped mark that had been burned into it by a metal object of similar shape which was aggressively held in the fighter's left hand hovering over his shoulder.
"Did you really think I'd go and face a vampire without one of these?"
"Ah... Very well, you seem to have evaded the fate of becoming one like me. Sadly this now leaves me with no other option but to fight you to the bitter end of one of our lives."
"I'm well aware."
Ruben tore off two thin stripes of cloth from his tunic and used them to tightly bind the cross to the blade of his sword. His hands gripped the hilt again, not minding the small wounds on one of them.
"Your immortality ends here."
He jumped up and sliced at Camilla. She evaded backwards, yet on the way down the metal shining in the moon's bright light caused a sizeable cut to tear up a part of the lady's dress. Immediately following this was another swing of the weapon, managing to cut off a few strings of the woman's richly black hair.
Her facial expression began to shift and the previous reluctance made way for a serious determination, lacking any trace of hatred or spite however. Once again she started to dissolve into a sea of bats shrouding Ruben into a mist of pitch-black darkness. He felt the stinging pain of his flesh being stung by five small daggers protruding from the ghostly beasts, yet as his arms swung his sword into the direction from which it came the darkness tore up before it could even touch its mass, only to form anew above the descending blade. This whole process repeated a few times, and the battler's morale was starting to lose itself within the painful and impenetrable yet so elusive darkness. When all of a sudden he heard is name called out by a familiar voice, followed by a bright fire lighting up every single of the demonic bats, burning the darkness and causing the formation to dissolve. Insecurely knelt down on the roof clinging to it with one hand while the other held up her glowing staff was Nadia.
"Ruben, I'm here to help you!"
"Nadia!"
She looked towards their foe having shaken off the flames and reassembled into her true form.
"Lady Oblatia... I'm sorry, but..."
Without even the slightest hint of hostility and instead pure kindness in the tone of her voice, Camilla replied.
"It is fine, my dear. He is your friend, so do the best you can to support him. I hope you will be able to forgive me that I must not hold back..."
The girls answer was a passionate nod. Now alit with determination she urged her companion onward and readied her rod beginning to cast a spell while trying not to lose her balance. Her friend readied himself. With both arms, she slammed her staff onto the tower's roof; a bright glow filled the joints of the bricks, of which thereupon a few were flung up into the air with the force of a powerful punch. Ruben jumped onto one and from there to another, up until he had used this magic ascending stair to be at the height of Camilla. She was taken by surprise, and before she could drill her arm into her enemy's stomach he felt a burning matchless pain filling her left shoulder down to her breast. The blade had dug through her body, and was now falling along with her back onto the roof accelerated by the wielder of the sword thrusting it downwards. Her back slammed onto the cold stone which the metal of the managed to partially penetrate.
The warrior rose up. The vampire tried to follow suit, but found herself unable to set her body free of the weapon enhanced by the cross tied to it.
"It's over, Camilla."
"...yes, is it not?"
Nadia crawled up to them as her mate took hold of a wooden stake he apparently had lied down earlier.
"I found this in a chamber in this tower, along with some others and a few hammers."
"Ah. So this was why you became so convinced that I was indeed the culprit you had sought."
"Yeah. And it'll also be by this tool of yours that I'll end your crimes once and for all."
Ruben raised his arm and meant to throw it downwards, stake in hand. Yet its descend was halted by Nadia, who now stood behind him.
"What the...? I have to exterminate her now, or she'll just keep killing people!"
She turned her head towards the east. The one of her companion followed suit, and into his eyes fell the light of the sun slowly crawling up from beyond the distant mountains. It was not yet visible itself, yet its shine had already washed out the darkness of a large part of the sky and swallowed that on the stars.
"That is right. It does not seem as though I will be able to free myself in time any more, the light of the sun will end my existence soon anyway."
Camilla who had also been viewing the sight turned to Nadia.
"Thank you. I do not even remember the last time my eyes have fallen upon the sun. Whether it was years, or decades..."
Her view lost itself in the shades of faint yellow and pink again.
"As a child, before I became that which I am now, I would always beg my parents to allow me to sleep in a room whose windows were directed eastwards so its gentle shine would wake me up in the morning and its warmth lay down on my skin, and I wished to be able to fly up in the pink clouds whose outlines were so brightly traced by the ascending shine. Yet when I finally gained the ability to fly..."
She sighed. The shapes of the mountains in the background were illuminated from behind by a blinding white. Nadia knelt down next to the slain enemy.
"Lady Oblatia, I'm so sorry, I..."
Tears welled up in her eyes and rolled down her flushed cheeks. The one she was bemoaning laid her pale hand on her head, lovingly stroking her hair with her thumb.
"There is no need to cry and apologise, my dear. Actually, I am very grateful. I no longer have to roam the streets at night taking the lives of innocents. And I can finally see the sunrise again..."
The golden circle had risen from beyond the sight. Its light had flooded the heavens and made the moon appear like but a mere shadow.
"Thank you two. And may God bless you..."
Camilla's hand slid off the side of the young magician's head; before it could hit the roof, it had already vanished. A gust of wind blew from the west and carried skywards ashes, in the sun's shine seeming like gold dust.
"I have warned you, young man."
"Pah, if that's all you have to offer..."
A second time, Ruben had ran towards her and swung the lengthy blade of his weapon. However, all it sliced was but the nightly air. His vision was briefly robbed by an impenetrable wall of black which thereupon united its bat-shaped formless entity behind his back. He felt a hand as cold as the wind seizing his right wrist, digging its nails into it and causing him to let go of his Zweihänder in paralysing pain.
"There is a way out of this situation that will not lead to the death of either of us. I am not sure if you will like it however..."
The red lips uttering these words opened up on Ruben's shoulder and revealed a set of pointy long teeth, widening to bury themselves in the neck whose chain mail veil had been lifted by Camilla's other hand. Yet all she was able to inflict was the pain of a piercing scream echoing in the adolescent's ear. The vampire stumbled backwards, her forehead bore a cross-shaped mark that had been burned into it by a metal object of similar shape which was aggressively held in the fighter's left hand hovering over his shoulder.
"Did you really think I'd go and face a vampire without one of these?"
"Ah... Very well, you seem to have evaded the fate of becoming one like me. Sadly this now leaves me with no other option but to fight you to the bitter end of one of our lives."
"I'm well aware."
Ruben tore off two thin stripes of cloth from his tunic and used them to tightly bind the cross to the blade of his sword. His hands gripped the hilt again, not minding the small wounds on one of them.
"Your immortality ends here."
He jumped up and sliced at Camilla. She evaded backwards, yet on the way down the metal shining in the moon's bright light caused a sizeable cut to tear up a part of the lady's dress. Immediately following this was another swing of the weapon, managing to cut off a few strings of the woman's richly black hair.
Her facial expression began to shift and the previous reluctance made way for a serious determination, lacking any trace of hatred or spite however. Once again she started to dissolve into a sea of bats shrouding Ruben into a mist of pitch-black darkness. He felt the stinging pain of his flesh being stung by five small daggers protruding from the ghostly beasts, yet as his arms swung his sword into the direction from which it came the darkness tore up before it could even touch its mass, only to form anew above the descending blade. This whole process repeated a few times, and the battler's morale was starting to lose itself within the painful and impenetrable yet so elusive darkness. When all of a sudden he heard is name called out by a familiar voice, followed by a bright fire lighting up every single of the demonic bats, burning the darkness and causing the formation to dissolve. Insecurely knelt down on the roof clinging to it with one hand while the other held up her glowing staff was Nadia.
"Ruben, I'm here to help you!"
"Nadia!"
She looked towards their foe having shaken off the flames and reassembled into her true form.
"Lady Oblatia... I'm sorry, but..."
Without even the slightest hint of hostility and instead pure kindness in the tone of her voice, Camilla replied.
"It is fine, my dear. He is your friend, so do the best you can to support him. I hope you will be able to forgive me that I must not hold back..."
The girls answer was a passionate nod. Now alit with determination she urged her companion onward and readied her rod beginning to cast a spell while trying not to lose her balance. Her friend readied himself. With both arms, she slammed her staff onto the tower's roof; a bright glow filled the joints of the bricks, of which thereupon a few were flung up into the air with the force of a powerful punch. Ruben jumped onto one and from there to another, up until he had used this magic ascending stair to be at the height of Camilla. She was taken by surprise, and before she could drill her arm into her enemy's stomach he felt a burning matchless pain filling her left shoulder down to her breast. The blade had dug through her body, and was now falling along with her back onto the roof accelerated by the wielder of the sword thrusting it downwards. Her back slammed onto the cold stone which the metal of the managed to partially penetrate.
The warrior rose up. The vampire tried to follow suit, but found herself unable to set her body free of the weapon enhanced by the cross tied to it.
"It's over, Camilla."
"...yes, is it not?"
Nadia crawled up to them as her mate took hold of a wooden stake he apparently had lied down earlier.
"I found this in a chamber in this tower, along with some others and a few hammers."
"Ah. So this was why you became so convinced that I was indeed the culprit you had sought."
"Yeah. And it'll also be by this tool of yours that I'll end your crimes once and for all."
Ruben raised his arm and meant to throw it downwards, stake in hand. Yet its descend was halted by Nadia, who now stood behind him.
"What the...? I have to exterminate her now, or she'll just keep killing people!"
She turned her head towards the east. The one of her companion followed suit, and into his eyes fell the light of the sun slowly crawling up from beyond the distant mountains. It was not yet visible itself, yet its shine had already washed out the darkness of a large part of the sky and swallowed that on the stars.
"That is right. It does not seem as though I will be able to free myself in time any more, the light of the sun will end my existence soon anyway."
Camilla who had also been viewing the sight turned to Nadia.
"Thank you. I do not even remember the last time my eyes have fallen upon the sun. Whether it was years, or decades..."
Her view lost itself in the shades of faint yellow and pink again.
"As a child, before I became that which I am now, I would always beg my parents to allow me to sleep in a room whose windows were directed eastwards so its gentle shine would wake me up in the morning and its warmth lay down on my skin, and I wished to be able to fly up in the pink clouds whose outlines were so brightly traced by the ascending shine. Yet when I finally gained the ability to fly..."
She sighed. The shapes of the mountains in the background were illuminated from behind by a blinding white. Nadia knelt down next to the slain enemy.
"Lady Oblatia, I'm so sorry, I..."
Tears welled up in her eyes and rolled down her flushed cheeks. The one she was bemoaning laid her pale hand on her head, lovingly stroking her hair with her thumb.
"There is no need to cry and apologise, my dear. Actually, I am very grateful. I no longer have to roam the streets at night taking the lives of innocents. And I can finally see the sunrise again..."
The golden circle had risen from beyond the sight. Its light had flooded the heavens and made the moon appear like but a mere shadow.
"Thank you two. And may God bless you..."
Camilla's hand slid off the side of the young magician's head; before it could hit the roof, it had already vanished. A gust of wind blew from the west and carried skywards ashes, in the sun's shine seeming like gold dust.
