Book 2 First Night (13)

Book 2 First Night (13)

At the behest of the mysterious voice, she delved into the tunnel. As for its owner, and their aims she did not have much of a choice but to cooperate. She had long exhausted her regenerative capabilities; copious amounts of precious fluid were leaking out of her wounds. Her steps were weakening by the minute; she could no longer run straight. With her ragged breathing, she was unable to use a single one of her mildi.

There was no blood for her to consume. And thus, no rahtena.

This city was cold.

Struggling as she was, she quickly approached the end of the tunnel. Beyond the semicircular exit, the railway gently curved to the side. On the left, hills. On the right, a sprawling view of the city.

A lone man stood at this egress.

He wore familiar clothing; she had seen them time and time again ever since she awoke in the morgue. If she remembered correctly, it was called a suit. A red sash-like garment hung from his neck. One of the accouterments worn by the men of this city.

The man stared at her with his blank eyes. No, she could not tell if he was truly looking at her his actions were most vague. With a single glance, she understood that little life remained in him. In other words, she would not be able to absorb any rahtena from his body. It was almost as though he was a corpse.

Even so, perhaps.

Just as she was about to sink her fangs into his throat, the man floated into the air as if he was but a puppet on strings. Rotating in mid-air, he silently landed on the ground. The man sluggishly stood up straight, his head tilted as he opened his mouth.

A pleasure to meet your acquaintance. O ancient one.

The man said in Farbanian.

The person before her was nothing more than a puppet. Someone must have been controlling him from afar.

Manipulating the dead, huh?

Tis as you surmised. A form of mildi commonly used among your kin. Please excuse my insolence. I am simply trying to help you escape from those accursed Dorini.

Still, who art thou? You lowly Semani dare to assist me?

Hohoho My, oh my. Though I did not presume to gain your favor right away, I did expect your words to be a touch warmer than they ended up being.

He was laughing, and yet the man before her kept up his blank expression. He was incapable of showing even the slightest sign of human emotion.

Leave it be. Speaketh to me thy desires.

The ancient Niba manuscripts, milady.

The man answered.

My former master had been particularly interested in these documents. However, his findings amounted to nothing more than scraps and fragments of the past. These little ears of mine have heard that milady possesses complete knowledge on these matters. Might you perhaps lend this humble servant your ear?

For that reason alone, thou hast brought me to this world?

That is correct. If possible, I would have liked to have shown you this world of theirs. Those blasted Dorini. Unfortunately, a blunder was committed along the way.

Hmm..

She turned up her nose.

Despite being unaware of the nature of this mishap, she could potentially use it as a bargaining chip. Awakening her from her slumber in this world Leto Dorini was a means for that man to avoid needless danger to himself. In other words, this mildita cannot be trusted. Having seen through this, she responded as such.

The Book of Niba dost not contain anything worth mentioning. The workings behind rahtena, several spells and symbols related to its manipulation, and the prophecy of the Eeba Nil Magina.

I wish to hear more of that Great Gate you speak of. The foul Dorini of this city call it the Mirage Gate. Oh, my.

The puppet stopped speaking, sniffing around in search of the scent coming from the distance. Assuming a pose in the air, his eyes darted about the place. She had also detected the odor no, it was more of a combined presence. Straining her eyes evermore, she stared back into the dark tunnel she had left mere moments ago

~*~

At the end of the tunnel, he could vaguely make out the silhouettes of two people.

They appeared to be engaged in conversation that was was what he thought until one attacked the other, draining them of their blood.

They were too late. That vampire had laid her hands on another victim.

However, why was someone here at this time of night? As Matoba pondered his doubts, Tilarna rushed ahead at the enemy.

How dare you!

Hey, wait up! Shit!

Taking a stance with his carbine, Matoba took off the safety. This was no time to hesitate. At any rate, he had no choice but to face the vampire head-on.

Nevertheless, he remembered his job, ensuring that they adhered to protocol.

Police! Dont move!

Just as he expected, she made her move. Her graceful silhouette was illuminated by the light outside the tunnel. Eyes were as red as blood, glowing in the darkness. Tilting her body to the side, the vampire muttered something in Farbanian, closing in on Tilarna with astonishing speed.

With Tilarnas back to his gun, Matoba could not shoot. Jumping sideways, he aimed to secure a clear shot at the target. The vampire was in his sights. Alas, that was not to be. Swinging her longsword, Tilarna entered his view once more. She aint taking into consideration a single one of my movements.

Fucking idi!

Fucking idiot. Not this again.

Matoba clicked his tongue, shifting his position once again to fire his weapon at the vampire. No, it was impossible. Tilarna was in the way. Dodging the claws of her opponent, she sent slash after slash in rapid succession, entrenching herself in a fierce battle. There was no chance of firing off his gun.

And yet, this was odd.

The vampire did not employ any sorcery this time around. Instead, she had devoted both her mind and body into piling up attacks on Tilarna. Though it did not change the danger they faced, she did not seem as elusive as she was before. As expected, she had sustained quite a bit of damage from their earlier attack.

Even so

Shes quite the fighter, alright. Standing up against that monster with only a sword in hand. Matoba thought as he watched the two of them. This could be described as nothing less than the worlds greatest catfight.

Turning her body around, Tilarna swept her longsword sideways. The blade drove straight into the vampires flank. Her howls echoed throughout the entire tunnel, rattling the rails beneath their feet.

!

The vampire landed a kick right in the middle of Tilarnas torso, sending her flying into the air like a rubber ball. Crashing into the tunnel walls, a pained gasp escaped her lungs. Just like that, Tilarna lost all strength in her body, collapsing to the ground without another word.

Nonetheless, this was convenient. Keeping his cool, Matoba aligned his sights on the enemy.

They were the perfect distance away from one another. He had a clear shot at the vampire.

And he fired. The bullet made contact with the vampire, taking her aback.

He shot again. A spray of blood flew into the air as the vampire staggered aside.

It was still not enough. Flicking a switch on his carbine, he set the gun to fire at full-auto. Although his initial burst hit its mark, that was all it amounted to. Demonstrating her monstrous endurance, the vampire leaped forth like a spring, avoiding most of his attack.

She was coming.

Translators Notes:

The Farbanian word for magic.'A form of magical energy that can be sensed by the Semani.The Farbanian word for magician.'Translates to The Great Gate.