"Now we don't know that," Claudia said, placing the book on the table and rising to her feet. "Tragic... Perhaps you could describe my life as such. But looking back; I don't regret anything."
She went over to the window, stared at the moon and took in a deep breath.
"I lived, Hunter," she said, smiling and closing her eyes. "I owned every moment, every second... True I made some bad choices along the way but I accepted the consequences with my pride intact."
"Pride?" Silvia remarked, unsheathing her black sword. "You are different from all the vampires I have faced. Most live with guilt, regret, pain... Some even wish to die but you..."
"Ever since I gave up the senseless killing, I began to see the beauty in this world and my life," Claudia said, "I traveled the world, visited other realms, scaled mountains, witnessed extraordinary sights, made friends, enemies. I lived till the twenty-first century and got to meet the most extraordinary people; Sara, Samantha, Claire, Robert, Adrian, Luke, and Ashley. Adrian, you and your friends brought out the light in me; light I thought had faded away thousands of years ago."
Adrian's eyes widened. She knew it was him even though he had his mask on. Adrian couldn't respond. He had no words to say. He had heard the stories of Claudia; the people she'd killed, the many Hunters she'd slaughtered. But in the last four hundred years, there had been no word or sighting. Furthermore, Adrian knew Coley...
"Adrian, draw your sword," Silvia ordered.
"What?" Claudia asked. "Afraid you can't take me on your own? Be rest assured, no harm shall come to the boy."
"You underestimate me Claudia," Silvia said.
Suddenly, the air in the room was becoming thicker. Adrian found himself choking and fell to his knees. He felt an intense pressure crashing down on him. This was... He looked at Claudia. So this was what an aura of a powerful supernatural being felt like. It was Adrian's first experiencing something like this. His vision was blurring and his bones were shaking. He took off his mask and breathed in deeply.
"Grandmaster Drathvir," Claudia said. "Trust me, I have heard of you... I don't plan on holding back."
A deadly smile formed on Silvia's face. She didn't appear to be affected by the enormous amount of power Claudia was projecting.
"Adrian," Silvia said, slightly bending her knees and falling into an offensive stance. "I want you to pay close attention. I want you to realize what it means to be called a Grandmaster. Ready vampire..."
Claudia's smirk was as threatening as Silvia's.
"I was ready the moment I was turned," she said.
What happened next, Adrian could neither perceive nor follow with his eyes. It was like both Claudia and Silvia disappeared in an instant and in the next; Claudia was standing at the end of the room with two wounds on her abdomen and one on her left shoulder. Silvia was on the other side of the room. She was standing on top of a table and blood was flowing from her cheek and chest.
"Three slashes from a black sword and you're still standing?" Silvia said, breathing heavily.
"I-I didn't expect a human to move as fast as you do," Claudia said. "So this is what a black sword feels like... gosh, they are a pain. And it seems the wounds caused by them take more time to heal."
Both of them fell into fighting stances.
Silvia attacked and slashed her sword at Claudia. Claudia dodged and tried landing a punch on her opponents face. With a flip, Silvia was in the air, twisting her body and throwing a dagger, hidden in her coat, at Claudia. With incredible speed, Claudia caught the dagger and let go immediately.
"Soaked in Tolus herbs," Claudia stated as Silvia landed on the other table.
"Vervain also works wonders but for you I decided on something more... potent," Silvia replied.
Claudia flashed her sharp canines, took off her jacket and charged at Silvia.
It was an incredible sight. Both of them were evenly matched. Silvia slashed her sword again. Claudia leaped into the air, performed a quick front flip and tried landing a kick on Silvia. who dove to her right. The impact from Claudia's kick snapped the table into pieces. Silvia bounced of the ground and swung her sword. Claudia grabbed Silvia's shoulder, somersaulted behind her and threw her across the room. In mid-air, Silvia twisted her body, broke her crash against the wall with her legs and landed on the floor.
Claudia smiled and suddenly disappeared.
"Outside! Let's go, Adrian," Silvia shouted.
When they got outside Adrian couldn't believe what his eyes saw. The Hunters... They were all down.
"Don't worry they've just been knocked unconscious," Claudia said. She was standing on top of the roof of the dinner.
"Now I can get serious," Claudia said, claws extending from her fingers. She jumped off the roof and dashed at Silvia.
Silvia caught Adrian by the hand and they both dodged the attack. Adrian heard a large bang behind him. Cracks in the ground spread from where Claudia had landed and there was a wide hole. Claudia shot out of the dust rose that had formed. Her eyes were blood red and her teeth were had fully lengthened.
She smiled and came at Silvia again with a punch. Silvia used her sword to block but Claudia's punch was so powerful that Silvia was sent flying in the air and echoes of glass shattering filled the area when she crashed into a store behind Adrian.
Adrian swung his sword at Claudia but she simply caught it with one hand.
"Adrian."
Claudia's eyes... Adrian saw tears flowing out of them. She let go of the sword and she was about to say something else when suddenly Silvia was standing next to them, landing a powerful knee attack in Claudia's abdomen and pushing her some distance away.
Silvia gripped her sword tightly and attacked. Adrian watched the two of them fight. Power and grace were behind both their movements. Adrian was nowhere near Silvia's level. If she was having trouble defeating Claudia then how did he, at his level, expect to fight Richard?
He looked at his sword. No more, he thought. Adrian had clearly gotten soft for some reason. He had lost track of his purpose. Claudia and Silvia were still locked in battle so he had time do what needed to be done.
Adrian moved his right foot forward and slightly bent both his knees. Kill... kill all dark creatures. I am a Hunter he thought. I will do whatever it takes.
"Adrian!"
It sounded like both Claudia and Silvia was calling for him but it was already too late. He opened his left palm and cut himself with his black sword. He closed his eyes. The pain... Adrian could feel it. The pain felt by every creature he had killed. It felt like razors cutting every inch of his body. This was a forbidden technique which was only to be used as a last resort. Black swords were weapons of power and the magic flowing through them could be channeled into ones one body. His entire body was in pain but if he could get past it then...
"Adrian!"
Two hands grabbed Adrian by the shoulders. He opened his eyes and saw Claudia.
"Adrian, please stop, just..."
A cold chill run down Adrian's spine when a sword shot out of Claudia's chest and warm blood splashed on his face. Standing behind Claudia was Silvia. The Grandmaster had used Claudia momentarily drop in defense to launch an attack.
Silvia pulled and sheathed her sword. Her coat was partly torn, she was covered in bruises, blood was streaming down her hands and she was breathing heavily.
Claudia's eyes returned to their normal brown color and so did her features. Even with a hole in her chest she embraced Adrian and said, "The pain I feel now. I am glad you didn't have to experience it for much longer. That technique you were about to use... Adrian, please never use it. You are strong on your own and you will become even stronger someday..."
The vampire fell to her knees. Adrian raised his hand and stopped Silvia from attacking.
"It's already done," he said, laying Claudia on the ground. "She will die soon."
Adrian bent down to Claudia and held her hand. It was cold... Claudia didn't have much time...
"Adrian, let me see you face." Claudia said softly.
Adrian dropped his hood and took of his mask.
"This town," Claudia continued. "I have loved every moment being here. I gave up my old ways just so I could have a life like the one I have enjoyed for the past seven years. Who would have thought that a killer like me would one day die trying to save a life... a life of a human no less..."
Claudia's voice was becoming lower.
"Adrian... Ashley is in danger..."
"Ashley? What about her?" Adrian said.
"Let me show you," Claudia said raising her arm. "But you have to trust me."
Adrian let Claudia place a finger on his temple. Adrian opened his mind to Claudia and he saw the image on a luxurious white villa surrounded by trees. The directions of how to get there also appears in his mind.
"Ashley is there," Claudia said. Cracks formed across Claudia's body and she started crumbling into dust. She had lived for ten thousand years after all.
Suddenly, Claudia's eyes widened as if taken by surprise. A smile that could only be described as beautiful formed across her face.
"What?" Adrian asked gently.
"It seems death brings back a lot of memories," Claudia said, her eyes shining with happy tears. With her lips shaking, Claudia sighed happily and said, "So this is what being at peace feels like. Ashley... Someday day she will know to... Someday she will remember." Claudia's smile widened even more. "That fool... I can't believe he's always been there for her... Just like he promised..."
After those last words, a gentle wind blew past them and carried Claudia's dust with it.
Thunder rumbled in the sky and it eventually began to rain heavily.
The rest of the Hunters began to wake up.
"I have never seen a dark creature die with so much peace," Silvia said. A spark of sorrow filled her eyes. "I have heard that only darkness awaits them."
"Then Claudia will find peace in the darkness," Adrian said, standing up. "You're leaving?"
Limping away, Silvia simply waved her hand and said, "My job here is done. I wish you luck with your Jarand Hanat. You saw her power, didn't you? You are about to fight something far more powerful than she was. She could have killed us at any moment you know?"
"Is that why you brought me along?" Adrian asked. "You were counting on the possibility that she wouldn't attack me and you used that as your weapon."
Silvia never turned back or said anything else. She kept her head down even as she entered the portal that opened.
Adrian picked up his sword. All the Hunters, including the other captains, were staring at him.
"We await your orders, sir," Emery said, walking to him.
Adrian sheathed his sword behind his back and said, "We head for the woods."
My Grand Hunt begins now.