A World Torn Asunder (18+)(Sathenus & Haraku)

[Sathenus]

 

 

 

Name: Irukka Shakir

Age: 25

Actual Age: Unknown

Height: 5'11

Weight: 140 lb

Hair Color: Black with silver tips

Eye Color: Crimson

 

 

 

---

 

Annoyance was clear on the man's face as he sat among the other members of the council. Once again they were meeting over the disappearances of their younger more naive members. Part of Irukka could not bring it upon himself to truly care about it. Another knew he could not turn his back on what was going on either. The area where the young coven members were vanishing had been known to have vampire hunters traveling through it. Just the mention of such humans was enough to make a chill run down any vampires spine. Leaning back in his seat he tapped his fingers against the ancient looking arm of the chair. Despite the elaborate appearance of the city that they called home, the furniture that decorated the interior of their buildings were based on that of much older times.

 

It must have been hours that they had sat in the council chambers discussing what had been happening before his voice rang out making the others instantly fall silent. "There is only so much that can be done. For now, let's just advise the others to avoid the area. Though I must admit it is a great loss, at least it was the young and replaceable." His voice was cool, almost like steel and it held an authority most did not expect. Even though he looked young he was far from it. Having lived many centuries he had every right to his position and the final say. Rising from his seat he strode towards the doors of the counsel chambers his voice ringing out once more, "I must be off. I have other means to attend to." With that he left not sparing any of them another glance.

 

His steps were quick and with such elegance and swiftness that it didn't even appear as though he was walking. In fact, if one was to glance towards him he would appear as though he was gliding instead. It didn't take him long to make it back to his own home, entering the large building a sigh instantly parted his lips as his muscles relaxed. It was so tiresome dealing with the same old thing over and over again. It appeared as some things truly didn't change with time no matter how many centuries had passed. Still, he had a more pressing matter to adhere to. With the loss of their newest members he had almost forgotten to make time to reflect on what had gotten him this far to begin with.

 

Many of his fellow council members have long since lost who they once were, the mortal behind the immortal. Irukka on the other hand reflected often on his past life and the man who turned into the vampire he was today. As he settled himself in his study to reflect on who he was today and everything that had brought him here one event in particular grabbed his attention. It had been a century at least since the Great War had broken out. At least, that was what everyone had decided to call the war that had destroyed the world as it once was. The great human civilizations that had once ruled the world were no more, having been reduced to rubble and dust. The earth had begun to reclaim the old cities that had once been spectacular displays of what humans were capable of. Now it was a constant power struggle, each supernatural race struggling to prove that they are the superior species. Of course having once been human himself Irukka knew he was a bit biased in his own opinion.

 

A soft snort escaped him at such a thought. Despite being born mortal he had a much greater love for his vampire people. He had never truly felt like he belonged until he had joined the creatures of the night. For centuries he had lived in hiding with the rest of his coven and so many others. Hiding who they truly were from the mortals who had ruled the world and were so sure that they didn't exist. Well, that all had changed one night when the supernatural races had enough. It had all happened so fast, nuclear explosions had come across the globe killing millions and destroying thousands of civilizations. Now... now humans were kept by his and many other coven for food, kept like livestock and occasionally as pets. Humans weren't as easy to come by anymore, and that was saying a lot considering their sharper senses that made them an apex predator.

 

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[Haraku]

 

Name: Salem Hellborne

 

Age: 19.5

 

Weight: 150 Ibs

 

Hair: Dark Brown

 

Eye Color: Brown

 

Looks:

 

 

Salem had barely even got a foot through the door before a rough hand had found it's way to his back. The impact sounded off with a distinct smacking sound and initially knocked the breath out of him. "Ack...Mistral please...." He muttered with an annoyed tone.

 

"Heh how'd you like the Asylum?" The older man asked, his tone almost mockingly genuine. Only because it was.

 

"I liked it just about as much as I like your existence." The look he was shot wasn't acknowledged or responded to. Salem kept walking down the creaky wooden hallway. His brow eyes down cast to the freshly polished wooden floor. In the back of his mind he had to wonder why they polished the old wood instead of changing it out completely. His eyes fell on a pair of steel toed boots. As his eyes trailed up to the person he

felt himself go stiff and hoped it didn't show visibly.

 

"Son..." The man bit out. Salem blew out a fast stream of air to calm his slowly growing nerves in preparation for what he was about to do. "Excuse me Father." He muttered, speeding past him with one of his specialties. He called it 'Bypass.' It was at times hard to manage due to the increased strain it put on his body. As he secluded himself from the others on the roof of their home he closed his eyes so he could think. For the longest time the Hellborne family had been mostly hidden through throughout the world. Back when existence of creatures like vampires was controversial. Though most believed that they didn't exist. It was this that caused such chaos when they finally revealed themselves.

 

 

Salem had only been around 10 when they came about. In one of the many raids it was him and his mother. She had protected him and when it was his turn to save her he chickened out and she was taken. Never to be seen again. The confirmation of her death came a few years later when he became 16. The guilt from the choice he made as a child stuck with him like glue still to this day. For his incompetence, his lack of courage, he was sent to an Asylum. A special Asylum meant to fortify the mind, body, and spirit to become stronger in every sense there was. Anyone who went didn't go without breaking at some point and for Salem it happened quite often. His mind and body were trained under almost inhumane conditions to keep everything about him like a fort of stainless steel and iron.

 

Even though he had passed all of the exams and tests withing the Asylum he still pushed out the teachings of not feeling when he was an emotional person. They completed about 85% of his character and his mother used to love that about him. Still he understood why they needed to be purged. It was these same feelings that caused his mother to be taken from him and killed. His resolve still had yet to be found. Deep within he felt a calling to do something but he knew not of what it should be.

 

 

Salem opened his eyes to look out at the dark gray sky. This dreary color had been a constant ever since the war with the supernaturals. The humans left only lived because they hid well or they fought. The Hellborne family was made up of Japanese and Korean blood. He was mixed but in a different way than his father. His mother was a full on Korean and his father was mixed with American and Japanese. That sometimes raised problems with the two of them. His mother, when she was alive disliked the American blood in him. It made him do things he shouldn't. Salem could barely think over the words he found in his mother's diary some years back after she was taken. It was right before he was sent to the Asylum. That american blood was the only thing the elders could find that made him act out.

 

However his father straightened up and became the leader they all needed to protect their family and those who had joined their little union. It now had a web of connections with other families of similar interests. One thing Salem knew for sure was that his father was good at networking. Making all kinds of connections with an easy going smile and cold, steely eyes. Salem didn't want to become anything like him. The brunette pulled himself up as he looked down at the ground over the roof top.

 

During his very last exam in the Asylum he swore he would never let any of his family be taken from him again. It wasn't really a resolve nor was it something he was truly confident about but in his heart he felt that it was what everyone would want of him. Now that he had become a true soldier worthy of the title 'Vampire Hunter' it was his sole purpose to hunt, kill and hunt some more. He could not fail them...he would not. He...hoped not.

 

The brunette combed his fingers through his brown locks, temporarily folding them back and when he let his hand untangle from his locks they bounced back right into place. Salem jumped from the roof, landing with a soft thud upon the dirt ground. With his back straightened he turned his head over his shoulder. Without a word he made his way off. He remembered the trails placement on the map. The hunting grounds were just

off the grim lake and around the bend towards the south side. As was family tradition they kept their old school hunting styles. Spell books and blades were all they ever really needed. They did wear crosses but that was mostly everything from what was said to ward off the creatures.

 

However the custom made inverted cross Salem wore meant more than any old cross. He felt closer to satan than he ever would an angel. He wasn't sure if either existed and at this point in his life he didn't care. No one above aided him when his mother was taken so they wouldn't now. The silver cross in question found it's way between Salem's gloved fingers.

 

"An escape is something we'll never have but hope will still never be lost."

[Sathenus]

A knock sounded on a door somewhere downstairs disturbing Irukka. The man growled softly a sound he knew would be heard by whoever had knocked. Rising to his feet he moved to answer it and within seconds he stood at his front door staring at the woman who had dared interrupt what little time he had for himself. If he was not with the rest of his council he was normally out and about keeping peace. His private time was normally never disturbed because every member of the coven knew to do so would draw his wrath upon them. Though Irukka actually had a rather gentle temperament it did not mean he appreciated his small window to truly be on his own to be interrupted.

 

His voice was cold when he spoke addressing the young vampire before him. It was not surprise to have heard that yet another coven member had vanished and in the same area. ‘What is wrong with these newborns? Why the hell go back to the same place where so many of their brothers and sisters have seemed to parish?’ It made no sense to him, nor did it make any sense to the other council members. Every coven was run by a council, normally made up of the oldest in the coven. Those were wiser and had much more experience. “I’ll be out in a moment. Give your elder that much curtesy and do not interrupt me again until I show myself.” His tone was still as annoyed as before, but he was careful to at least make it come across more understanding.

 

Shutting the door before the young girl could answer him he turned to head out. This time he was going to take matters into his own hands. He was tired of their young coven mates disappearing, they were such easy prey to the vampire hunters it truly was tragic. Irukka would not be so easy to handle, centuries had honed his abilities and made him a force to be reckoned with. Even if his appearance alone could often scare the mortals he truly was a gentle creature when you could get past first appearances.

 

Once he was ready he left his home and moved towards the council chambers once more. Entering without so much as a knock to announce his arrival, why would he? After all he knew he was expected to return considering all of the others had already arrived. “Let’s just cut to the chase. I personally will go and search for any signs of our fallen brothers and sisters. It is really the only logical route of action. We cannot after all send more young ones; they’ll surely just end up like all the others.” Of course Irukka was already aware of what awaited his arrival to the hunting grounds. He would not find their missing coven mates, but he was hoping to at least find someone he could hold responsible for their deaths.

 

None of them were stupid. Every council member knew that the vampires that had disappeared were dead and would never be returning. Even the rest of the coven knew that, it didn’t stop them from hoping that by some miracle at least one of them will return. Just like Irukka expected none of the other council members argued with his words and before long he had set out to face the threat ahead. If anyone was up to handling this it was him and he knew that. Travel to the hunting grounds was quick, made quicker by his sharp reflexes.

 

The land around him was silent, almost eerily so even for his own supernatural hearing. So when there was finally a disturbance it made his head shoot up. He had been investigating the area for what had to be an hour by this point. Crimson eyes scanning the area around him, his senses on high alert now. Irukka was possibly the hardest creature of the coven to sneak up on, but this sounded close in itself. It meant that someone somehow had gotten past his initial predatory senses and was only being discovered now by a misstep. It had sounded like a pebble rolling along the ground, and though yes wind could have moved it there was no breeze to be found.

 

A small smirk crossed his face; fun was right around the corner. The predator in him loved the hunt, stalking prey and waiting. Irukka was different from others in the coven in the sense that he loved the hunt more than he liked the kill. Killing was something that was in a sense required; it didn’t mean that he necessarily enjoyed doing it. Vampire hunters on the other hand deserved such fates for all of his brothers and sisters they had killed. It was with this mindset that he moved towards the source of the noise he had heard. Could it have just been an animal? Of course it could have, but it was worth investigating either way.

[Haraku]

Salem hid behind an old slowly dying shrub. It was a surprise the parts that were not yet dead were even green. He eyed his targets. A man and a woman...they looked to be at least young adults. That aloofness about them said it all. They were inexperienced and easy to kill. His fingers caressed the silver metal of the inverted cross. It was like a coping mechanism that helped him find light of all that he did. He needed it for the double homicide he was about to commit. He scanned the area carefully to make sure no other vampires were lingering about. There was no one but these two. He would grant them a swift death so they could embrace one another so fondly even in death.

 

The image grayed out in his mind as he began creeping closer, staying close to the greens of what remained in nature. The mostly barren ground h like a dirty battlefield made quite the epic scenery when you stopped to look at it. The pond they sat in front of was made by man many decades ago. Yet it was the only one that remained somehow pure. It was said that even as bodies were sometimes thrown or rolled into it they would disappear and it would still be pure. Salem wasn't one really into myths and fables but it did interest him.

 

The brunette wrapped his hand firmly around the handle of his blade. "Today...we shall carve ourselves our note of vengeance." He whispered so low he almost couldn't hear it himself. He kicked a pebble along the way while he continued his crouch walk. His eyes never left the two but his attention was soon drawn away when another Vampire Hunter with a symbol that he recognized charged in heading straight for them. "God damnit." The couple that had been holding hands whilst sitting on the rocks shot up and as the man pushed his girlfriend, wife or whoever she was away so he could fight off the vampire hunter, Salem's eyes only widened.

 

He wasn't really surprised that there was another hunter out here but somewhere deep inside he could feel that love that vampire had for the woman coming his way. She must've sensed him because she stopped running, eyebrows furrowing as she backed away. The brunette didn't give her a chance to get away as he leaped over the shrub and tackled her to the ground.

 

 

 

 

 

He looked into her eyes, her demon slit irises shrinking in fear. Her eyes suddenly looked away and he followed her gaze but cringed at the loud sound of gun shots that followed. A body hit the ground and it was the Vampire Hunter who was still standing. He had slashes across his chest and a curse mark on his face but it slowly faded as the male vampire died. He felt the girl shaking under him. Her eyes looked...lost? Maybe almost as lifeless as her partner. She looked into Salem's eyes seeming to plead for death. He swallowed hard and withdrew his sword.

 

His eyes looked up to see the other Vampire Hunter giving him a thumbs up as he went off on his way. He must've been heading back home. When that man was out of sight Salem lifted the sword. He didn't like publicly killing even if this was his first time outside of those hologram tests. An execution shouldn't be public. He felt that it was private. He inhaled sharply and brought the sword down hard. The vampire girl squeezed her eyes shut but opened them soon after with eyebrows of confusion.

 

She looked at him, tearing up a silent question. 'Why haven't you killed me?' He couldn't do it. He got off of her, pulled her up and brought her to his side. He pulled out the old, worn spell book and began chanting a phrase. It was so soft that she couldn't hear but it was still said. A pentagram formed around his sword that was embedded into the ground, turning the blade a fiery red color. As he went to touch it he hissed at the searing pain that came just from making contact.

 

"Go..." He whispered. She gave him a confused look but he made it clear of what he wanted her to do when he gestured to the blade and the slowly dusting body of her significant other. She nodded and pulled it from the ground, running over to her lover. She raised her arms and stabbed the other vampire right in the chest. Salem didn't look as the two vampires exchanged their words of love but when he heard foot steps of four coming towards him he had to look.

 

The man and the woman.... He swallowed the lump in his throat as he looked down at the blade held flat in both of their hands. The three of them stood there looking at one another. This wasn't the expected outcome of the events that happened here today but he couldn't say anything until the blade was once again sheathed. "You two must get out of here before others come. If you...if you wish to spend time together without fear of death I advise you do it on the other side of this pond. For a long time we hunters will never go over there. It should be safe for a while." He turned his back to them so they could disappear. That way if anyone saw what he had done and requested he tell where the two went he could easily and honestly say he knew not of where they went.

 

"Forgive me mother...I could not kill them but...I will try for another. Someone without someone in their hearts." In all truth Salem was taught that all vampires were horrid savages with no heart for one another or anyone else. Told that they were territorial, cruel, and stingy beings. That's all he'd ever known and frankly that didn't bother him so much. It wasn't hard to believe after what happened to his mother...yet their display of obvious affection for one another threw all of those teachings off. "DAMNIT!" He slammed his gloved fist into the ground, arm shaking as he bent over in the middle of the barren area.

 

"I will avenge you mother I promise!"

[Sathenus]

Measured steps are what carried him forward, knowing that whatever could have made the noise could have even done so unknowingly. For all Irukka knew though it could have been on purpose to draw a vampire out, if that was the case he was falling or it. Still, he was not like those who had been going missing here, he was not as naïve, not as weak. Though taking him out was not impossible, he had skill that most wouldn’t believe. He had lived long enough to know how to handle himself and to gain and perfect techniques. Despite that he recognized that he was not un-killable, everyone had a weakness, it was just a matter of discovering what it was. Some hid it well, while others were incapable of hiding even the simplest thing.

 

Not exactly sure how far he had traveled when something else entered the air. Blood? It was not vampire blood that drew his senses it was human and with that he moved forward quicker. If human blood was in the air, and here of all places then it could only mean one of two things. A hunter was in the middle of an attack and got hurt while attempting to kill another one of his people, or vampire was being overly stupid with a freshly caught meal and calling any other vampire in the area by spilling blood. The first seemed far more feasible. Before long he was in the area, taking a breath, he could smell the blood in the air much stronger, it was clear it was shed not long before his arrival. He had probably just missed them, his eyes scanning the ground quickly and noticing drops littering the ground.

 

The smell of vampire was also here, two scents that he was aware of who they belonged too. He made a mental note to reprimand the young couple later, if they were even still alive by the time he saw them again. The two being out here was not safe, and they were among many of the young coven members who did not abide by their council’s words. For some reason or another the young of their coven seemed to think it was brave to take the risk of coming here and he had often heard others dare the young ones to travel here. It was becoming a huge problem and despite the council members demanding their coven members stay away there was no stopping them from coming here. It was childish and stupid, Irukka knew that without a doubt. But getting it through to these people was almost impossible.

 

Glancing around he tried to figure out in what direction the human had gone, it was when taking another breath that another scent reached him. This one was still strong telling him the human behind it was still somewhere in the area. Now Irukka wouldn’t say he was an expert tracker, and figuring out precisely what direction the mortal had gone it was not a specialty of his. He was good at stalking, not tracking there was a big difference. Taking a look at the ground he took in the light almost unnoticeable foot prints using those to help him figure out what direction to go in now. One pair was heading off in a direction he knew his coven mates would never go, another seemed to be heading opposite of where he had come from. The drops of blood in those prints told him they were of whatever human had been hurt here. Then there was another, appearing in and disappearing in the same direction.

 

“That’s peculiar.” He murmured turning to look in that direction. It was with that he turned to follow those tracks. As he moved forward he kept his senses on high alert, each step was with practiced care as if he was already stalking his prey instead of hunting for it. If he could just discover what vampire hunter families hunted in this area it would be a huge asset to teaching his members to stay away. He had run across multiple vampire hunting families in his centuries, only one had ever gotten close to taking him out. The others had been inexperienced or young members and were easy to pick off, just like the inexperienced and young members of his coven were easy to pick off.

 

He stopped when he heard a thud, something hitting the ground, head snapping up. Standing stock still his eyes scanned the area around him, he was aware of a presence not far away. Part of him was tempted to try to tease the human out into the open, the other wanted to see what would come if he pretended like he was not aware of their presence. The second was more entertaining and would allow him to learn more about whoever it was. With that he remained where he stood, not remotely trying to hide himself, eyes surveying the land waiting for movement to bring his attention to the person. Surely a human would make such a mistake, even if his senses could give him a general location it could not pinpoint someone’s exact location without another sense pinpointing them as well.

[Haraku]

"Damnit...why is this so hard?I came to slay these foul beasts but I couldn't even kill the girl." He rolled onto his back taking in a sharp inhale of breath. His senses were screaming at him that something wasn't right. The silence was expected but there was a sudden stillness in the air. Salem however lacked the proper ability to tell precisely what it was. The alert didn't go unnoticed however. It was simply disregarded since he didn't know what it meant. After sitting himself up Salem stood, hand on the handle of his blade at the ready for an attack. It was more of a cautionary action more than anything.

 

There was still no one around and the couple seemed to heed his warning fairly well because when he looked over expecting to see nothing he could see them sitting on the opposite side of the pond. They certainly weren't there before. They most likely had trouble deciding whether they should trust him or not. It brought a smile to his face to see that they did. 'Noted. Younger vampires are much more trusting.' It was one of those things he would keep locked in his mind and keep to himself. This information could help him for his next vampire encounter. Hopefully he wouldn't be faced with couples anymore. At a young age- watching your partner die could be a traumatizing thing. It brought him right back to the memory of his mother being snatched away.

 

He could vaguely remember her long brown locks, cherry pink lips that always held a beautiful smile, her chocolate brown eyes always so warm he felt they'd melt him. He saw her when he looked down at the vampire girl before and everything just blew way off course. However he was certain that if he could find a different vampire with no romantic ties and not in a group taking them out would be easy. Now that he truly thought about it though...would his mother really want him to avenge her? Could you fight hate with more hate? He immediately shook that thought from his mind.

 

Those dry savages took someone as sweet and pure as can be from his world and that was not forgivable in any way. They had to pay and soon he'd learn to ignore the romance between vampires and simply just kill but for now with his feelings heavy inside of him- he'd leave them be. Salem looked around trying to spot out another vampire to sneak up on. He moved from the barren grounds back to the remaining greens.

 

There was a moment of regret for not taking up archery lessons. He could've had a chance at striking from far away rather than up close and personal. Not only that but nowadays archery also had extra studies which included how to enhance the bow with the artes of magic. Salem let out an annoyed huff of air through his nose. His sword felt better in his hands anyway. Maybe later down the line he could pick up the whole bow and arrow business. All thoughts halted when he spotted something a bit away from him. He squinted trying to figure just what that was.

 

"Couldn't be...is that a vampire?" Had he really just lucked out? "I will avenge you after all mother." Salem released his hold on the handle of his blade to adjust his gloves, armor and shoulder protectors. "That should be good..." Salem began creeping over. He didn't make a foolish charge for what he assumed to be a vampire. He couldn't be certain yet. It could be another hunter in strange getup for all he knew. Though in order to avoid getting shot or mistaken for a vampire hunters usually refrained from wearing any kind of vampire like garb.

 

"Today must be my lucky day." He whispered as he got closer. There was no doubt now. That had to be a vampire. If it wasn't then perhaps he should cut something off of them anyway for looking like that. It was a humorous thought but it was soon shut down as he built up his focus, training kicking in immediately as he drew closer. His movement stilled when he got closer so he could inspect the target. As his brown eyes analyzed the tall vampire- tall in comparison to the other two he'd seen at least- he noticed something so vaguely familiar about them that he soon felt was stupid of him to forget. Unfortunately for the life of him he couldn't think of what this vampire reminded him of. There was no time to be dwelling on such things anyway so he didn't mind saving the confused thoughts for another time. It wasn't yet time to strike. Salem had to over analyze and observe first. Then check his options to see how and when to attack. It was the most logical way to go about things.

[Sathenus]

’The things that I do for my coven.’ Irukka thought as he stood there almost too still. The air was also still, there was no breeze and the silence of the area was almost deafening. It was all normal to Irukka, the presence of a vampire tended to make most wildlife run. It was with a sigh that he thought more about what brought him here. Why did it always have to come down to him investigating these things while the rest of the council hid within their city. The city housed only their coven members though visitors did travel through none stayed for more than a day or two.

 

The thought of his home made a small smile cross his face. He couldn’t help but feel pride in the place he called home. Built from the ground up after the war it was by far one of the most fascinating vampire settlements in his own opinion. He was sure numerous others felt the same way. Suddenly he saw a flicker of movement telling him the human he had been hunting finally seemed to have noticed his presence.

 

Standing there silently he knew he was leaving himself open, that was the whole point though. Positive that the hunter had his attention focused on him Irukka just glanced slightly over his shoulder. Eyes surveying the area for a moment before he turned his gaze back to look before him. He had caught movement in his peripheral vision and knew that the human was there, what the hunter was waiting for he didn’t exactly know but figured he could at least humor it for as long as it worked to his advantage as well. Moving in the direction he knew the human had come from his movements were swift but he was careful in the placement of his feet his steps being almost completely silent.

 

Irukka had moved only a few feet before coming to stop once more, his head tilting to the side ever so slightly as if something had caught his attention. He could hear it, the sound of the human heart beating, pumping blood through the mortal’s system. He found it funny really, how hunters still thought they could sneak up on them when they were the apex predator. Then again, Irukka assumed if he was truly distracted that maybe, just maybe some mortal would be able to sneak up on him as well. But this was not one of those times, he was focused on the presence, on the beating heart having tracked it to this point. He wanted this human to show himself and come for him. At this point all he was doing was trying to put up the innocent guise of not knowing that the poor mortal was there.

 

Bending down he reached out letting his fingers smooth over the sand. He was still within the area where whatever fight must have taken place, so for all the human knew he was inspecting that. In all honesty, he really was, but he was doing so while keeping his senses trained on the hunter. He wasn’t stupid enough to think that it just happened to be some poor lost human, he was far too smart for that. Irukka would be lying if he ever said he didn’t have a large ego, living for centuries on end kinda helped a guy gain a large ego. It was natural for vampires, just like the bloodlust inside of them was natural. It may not have been at one point in their existence, and it was much easier to control the older they got but it was always present.

 

As he knelt there, hand outstretched before him and fingers barely touching the dirt his mind started to drift off onto other things. He had a lot weighing heavily on his mind so it was no wonder that occasionally it wandered and lost focus. It took him a moment to snap out of it his head raising and eyes once more scanning the landscape before him. He deliberately kept his gaze from going over his shoulder again slightly curious if the human watching him would be aware of that. The thought made a small smile cross his face as he rose back to his feet dusting himself off though it wasn’t necessary.

[Haraku]

Salem again swallowed the rising lump in his throat and prepared to go in. He looked out again but..the vampire had moved. His eyebrows raised in surprise. With how close he was Salem was sure he would've heard movement...but he had not. 'That's strange.' This wasn't in any of his lessons. Why did they not teach that vampires couldn't be heard when they move? Or was he just going deaf? For now he planned to go with being partially deaf and figure out the specifics later down the line. He peaked over the shrubbery to look at the vampire. It was distracted by something. Their hearing was excellent after all. In his vampire studies he learned their hearing was better than even a cats and somehow greater than or equal to a bats. Maybe that's where all those vampire bat tales had come from.

 

Even throughout the war it hadn't been proven that vampires could turn into bats. Some say they've seen it but the proof of it wasn't there. Salem liked to think that some possessed the ability while others did not. His attention was brought back to the vampire when it bent down doing something in the sand. Gears began turning in his head from the ever still pinging alarm going off in his head. That alarm was joined by another soon after. Before he made his move he decided to try to digest the situation, and analyze just what was wrong so he could enter battle with a cleared conscious.

 

'Hearing that possibly exceeds that of a bat...ability to walk without being heard.' If vampires truly did have that kind of hearing range then.... Salem's eyes widened in realization. This one must've come to investigate all of the noise and with how quiet it was he must've been able to see everything but seemed to hide it well. When he first took notice of it- the vampire was definitely close enough to have seen some of what went down right? If there was one thing he knew it was that vampires weren't stupid. The younger ones were naive but they weren't stupid either. So what was it doing? Playing with him?

 

'I don't play games....' Salem stood taking a few paces back as he placed his hand around the handle of his blade. "Face me vampire." He called out, eyebrows furrowed as he prepared for battle. Now that he really looked even though the vampire was somewhat faced away from him he noticed it was definitely an older or just much taller one than the other two. So pale.... Salem shook his head at the unnecessary thoughts. Even still he couldn't help but notice certain features. The long black hair with a bit of silver within the strands. If he were still young and maybe if this were some fairy tale he might've thought it all to be cool. This was very real however and all the fairy tales he knew were lies that caused pain and suffering in one way or another.

 

"You shall be the first I strike down for what your kind has done to me. You will taste my blade and it will taste you. Many more shall suffer the same fate."

[Sathenus]

Movement caught his attention once more, his eyes following it noticing the human stand. The mortal took a few steps back before speaking calling him out and telling him to face him. A small smirk crossed his face as he did just that, eyes locked on the hunter standing feet away. That was a distance he could cross in seconds but he remained where he stood. What was the man up to? That was what he was going to find out, was he done trying to analyze him? He hoped if the poor hunter was that he had figured out all he needed to know to at least not be stupid with his actions. Alas that didn’t seem to be the case at all when he heard him speak again. ’Does he really think he is capable of striking me down? He can’t be very old himself… still young. Maybe even naïve himself? Should I treat him like I do our young? Firm hand but with a bit of lenience?’ It was confusing to Irukka.

 

He had faced young vampire hunters before, and by faced he meant he had watched them as they slowly moved away from him as if he wouldn’t notice. The only hunters he had ever truly fought were older with more refined skills. Was it wrong he was already judging the hunter’s capabilities? Probably. But that was who he was, he analyzed his own opponent as well and figured that if the two vampires had survived it had not been because of the hunter who had been injured. Said hunter had been hurt because he was fighting one of them. It meant that the only hunter left in the area was not who he seemed to be.

 

Irukka couldn’t figure out if that was a good thing or not, but he was going to investigate it. His body language showed that he did not see a threat in the man as he turned his whole body to face him better. He was a bit surprised by the human’s words, hearing that he seemed to think not just that he stood a chance against him but that he’d be the first of many to fall to him. Forcing himself not to start laughing or to show how amused he was by the words he shrugged his shoulders instead. “You know…” he mused, “revenge tends to blind people. Make them not think clearly, act recklessly. You aren’t about to make the same mistake, are you?” Irukka’s voice was oddly kind considering his words. His eyes however, were not so kind.

 

Considering that the human hadn’t tried to attack him right away, and had instead decided to face him head on made him wonder what he thought he would gain by doing so. The best plan of attack was normally to catch the vampire off guard when they were distracted by something. They did not just show themselves and call the vampire out to face them. ’What is he up to?’ Irukka questioned himself allowing his eyes to look the human over completely taking in his stance and the way he was looking at him. Obviously, something had happened to make him want revenge on his people, but what exactly? So many things came to his mind that they could have done, murder, abduction, turning, mauling.

[Haraku]

Salem's eyebrows furrowed further. "I don't have a choice...-erm it's not just for my branch back home. It's for who your kind has stolen from me!" In his mind he was mentally slapping himself for almost telling that his family had forced him out here more or less. All he had decided to do was get an early start so he wouldn't have to look at anyone or hear their lectures.

 

Father was a scary man and was even more so after his wife was taken by the cold painful hands of death. It seemed that the man could do nothing but slay vampires and how he did it Salem never saw. Wasn't sure that anyone did besides the vampires but he had to wonder just how he did it. Now that he thought about it- what did his father use as a weapon? Those questions made their way to the back of his head and he again was staring at the vampire. What soft looking hair- what the hell?

 

'This is no time to be analyzing what his hair- ack it's not time to be thinking about anything stupid!' Salem grew more and ore frustated with himself, letting up his stance and holding the blade in an unorthodox manner. The blade was backwards and the handle was firmly gripped within his hand still even though it pointed behind him. "I wouldn't have to be- I wouldn't be here if not for the suffering you placed upon my family. My mother was a big piece to the puzzle, a key element in unlocking the secrets deepest in our-...ugh...." Salem couldn't stop running his mouth and he couldn't understand why.

 

He was talking to a vampire. A vampire! This shouldn't even be happening right now. They were supposed to be tearing each other's throats out but here he was standing in a normal position talking about someone who was long gone. "My mother was everything to me. She was so beautiful, sweet, kind and always protected me. When it came to do the same in return- I couldn't face the music." Brown eyes were downcast, head lowered a bit at the shameful statement. "I was young but I could've done something- anything but all your kind did was laugh and take her away." The glare appeared back on his face but his stance didn't change.

 

(PS/N: Sorry this one is a little short. I'll try to crank out more with my next one.)

[Haraku]

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[Sathenus]

Irukka watched the mortal with glowing eyes a small smirk spreading across his face when he heard the man say he had no choice. It didn’t matter that almost immediately after he continued to speak. The human had already given him far too much information. If the man didn’t want to do this, then there was a driving force behind why he was doing so. Especially to look upon him with such emotion in his eyes and to call him out in such a manner. “You’re either very brave, or very naïve to request that I face you in this manner.” Irukka said his voice just as calm as he had previously stated. It was kind of amusing to think that the man wanted to face him head on like this.

 

As they stood there, watching each other Irukka could have sworn that he saw something flicker in the man’s gaze. ’What is with this human? He’s just standing there… not even attempting to make the first move. Is he ill? Should I just put the poor thing out of his misery? No. Maybe he could be of use to me in solving these disappearances…’ It was normal for his thoughts to roam in such a manner. Going from whether or not he should just kill an enemy or if he could use them to his own advantage. Cocking his head to the side slightly when he heard him speak again. ’His mother? Is that what this is all about? A vampire must have taken her from him and the poor thing can’t let it go.’ Vampire or not there was still a part of him that could feel for the poor mortal’s loss. Still, it had been who knows how long ago since he had felt a loss like that himself, and thus his feelings could only go so far.

 

That hadn’t stopped a small frown from crossing his face. To confuse him even more the human wasn’t even standing in a fighting stance, in fact, if it wasn’t for the distance between them he would have thought they were just having a normal conversation. Then came the reason behind the boy’s ramblings, the reason behind why he apparently “didn’t have a choice.” “Come here.” He ordered his voice taking on a more commanding tone as he motioned the human closer to him. Normally Irukka would never give his advice to a human but this seemed like it was necessary. “Stop being an idiot. You’re still young, and assuming I followed everything you have said you were quite young then as well.” Pausing his eyes et those brown orbs of the human once more.

 

“You cannot hold yourself accountable for what has come and gone. A boy cannot defend anyone from a predator, and your reaction was perfectly normal.” Irukka remembered a raid similar to that of what the man was saying. If it was the same raid he was thinking of that the man was referring to then he knew the young human could have done nothing to change the outcome. “Now things happen for a reason. People leave us, and new ones enter our lives. The loss of your mother is unavoidable, eventually you would have lost her. Whether or not that was still to vampires or something else, only time could have said.”

 

As if he was getting bored he turned away from the human slightly. Now that he had given some wisdom and advice it was time to entice a more aggressive response from the human. He couldn’t appear friendly after all. “If you don’t mind, I have a wounded human to hunt and put out of his misery before he tries to harm another of my coven.” It was a rather off handed way of him telling the man that he didn’t think he was a threat or even worth any more of his time. Especially if he was turning his attention to a wounded hunter instead of dealing with the one that had called him out.

[Haraku]

Salem heeded the vampires words silent, his hand still loosely resting on his sword. His words went in one ear and remained. Not only because every word he said made sense, it was also because the man seemed like an intelligent kind of vampire. He did admit that this would look awkward to other Vampire Hunters since they looked to be communicating normally which was definitely not normal. Of course if anyone came by he could definitely play it off as if he had been hypnotized or something. Then again the hunting grounds was rather bare today so he could only assume that Hunters didn't really hunt on days like this.

 

Did they send him out here as some sort of suicide mission? Then again as he could recall, he left on his own without uttering another word to any of his remaining folks. So perhaps his lack of knowledge was his fault. He could take the blame for that. It was when the vampire had demanded he move closer to him that made thoughts rushed his mind like a flurry of attacks he couldn't see. Of course the words hadn't really registered until his mind had time to process a sentence or two. How close did he want him to get? Why? Was he planning a quick kill? Somehow even while he was stuck in thought his body had bent to the vampires will and made him move closer.

 

It couldn't have been out of instinct either. He wouldn't ponder on it too long. All of the advice was well received but he didn't take kindly to being called an idiot. However maybe the Vampire was right which he was in everything he said which Salem decided earlier. There was really nothing left to say here. At least not that he could think of. His red orbs shot up when the vampire turned away speaking of going after the other Hunter.

 

That he absolutely could not allow. "I can't let you do that. I could be naive...stupid as you say but I cannot let my kind be killed." Salem set himself back into a fighting position. Making sure to follow what he had been taught and not buckle his knees while holding ground. "Your words however are appreciated." His sword tipped up in his hold but flipped into an unorthodox position that followed all the way down to the way he held it. His brown eyes held no malice but they did hold strength. The soft breeze that picked up played delicately with his brown locks. His eyes never left the vampire but they still did not even graze malice.

 

If they were bound to be enemies because of their race then so be it. Even if the vampire had somehow eased his stress, and cooled his nerves. He felt more level headed about the situation. He even had less of an urge to fight. However he couldn't allow another human to fall to the hands of a vampire. That stood for any vampire. Even this tall one here. The height difference was almost intimidating but it was a minor thought in the back of Salem's mind.

 

"I am not one to make the first move...if you do not then we will be here for quite some time."

[Sathenus]

A pleased smile crossed Irukka’s face when the mortal moved closer at his command. It had been quite clear that it was not entirely on the poor human’s own will that he moved closer to him. Still, Irukka could enjoy the fact that even after so many years and not using it as often that he still had control of the mortals around him. At the males words a laugh escaped him, did this poor thing really think he’d be able to stop him from going after the injured human? It was laughable really. He did not turn to face the hunter already knowing the stance he had taken up just with a glance back over his shoulder.

 

“Maybe you and ‘your kind’ should think about that the next time they attack members of my coven. It takes a lot to get me to come out here to handle the problem myself. So I’m afraid to say it’s too late to persuade me not to go after the other human.” The man deserved what was coming his way. If Irukka had to take this one out as well then he would, whatever he had to in order to ensure the young of his coven stopped disappearing. He had to guarantee his own covens safety above all else, and he would annihilate all that got in his way. Noticing the way that the wind picked up he took in a breath easily catching the scent of blood in the air, and he knew what way he would have to go to catch and finish of the man who had attacked his own.

 

What he wasn’t expecting was for the human to speak again, this time to tell him he was not one to make the first move. Stopping himself from laughing again he gave the poor man an amused look. “That’s cute. You think I’m either going to attack first or wait around. I’m sorry to tell you, but I have no interest in dealing with you anymore than I already have. You aren’t the one I’m here for apparently. I mean… I am not an idiot I know what you did for that girl and her mate. How sweet of you really, a hunter with a heart. It means you are innocent in my eyes. Not a threat. I have no quarrels with you.”

 

This time Irukka did turn a little to face the man again. With a small smile he spoke one last time, “I do have to commend you though. Your loyalty has not gone unnoticed even for a man I am sure until earlier you have never seen before. However… I must do what is best for my people, and you must do what is best for you. If you want to walk away from this meeting, it’s best if you stand down and behave yourself.” Now he was talking to the man like he would the young of his coven. As if he was just an innocent child who did not know any better and needed to be told when it was time to stand aside and give up. Though Irukka knew he was not unkillable, he liked to think his skills in talking others into listening to him was beyond perfection.

 

After a moment of thought his eyes returned to the man. “If you want to come I won’t argue. I’ve always wanted a cute little pet.” His voice wasn’t joking, it was completely honest. He would love to have the cute little hunter as a pet. Wouldn’t that just be the perfect way to drive home the fact that vampires were the superior race? If he could turn a vampire hunter into a lovely little pet? It sounded perfect really, and it wasn’t like the man had made any move to fight with him. Even the stance he was in now just seemed… unusual. Not really fighting ready, but not quite as innocent as he had a moment earlier. Granted it was also another little dig on his part towards the human.

 

Who in their right mind would agree to be a vampire’s pet? Not many, and those who would usually had some sort of hidden reasoning behind it. After all, once a pet you pretty much went everywhere with your vampire. Maybe that was another reason why he had offered it? If he could make this cute hunter into a pet it would make bringing other hunters into the open easier. Kinda like live bait. That was a very appealing thought to Irukka, but he was not the kind to enslave others. He would only take that which came willingly to him.

 

Not realizing he had lost himself in thought he blinked before he turned back in the direction his true target had gone in. Without so much as another word he set off in that direction a bit curious what he would find. There was a part of him that hoped he would find more than just the one hunter, if he could locate the base of a whole family or group he could come back with reinforcements and wipe them out once and for all. Humans were stupid after all. Maybe if he couldn’t he’d bring a pet from his coven to help him draw them out. A hunter would surely come help a lost and defenseless human, right? He’d pick a newer pet, one that still had a little fight left in them. That would surely lure a hunter to try to help. Then all he had to do was follow until he learned where the base was.

 

With that in mind he decided he’d do that the following night, for now he had to at least try to get the human who had been hurt and take him out.

[Haraku]

Salem's eyes squinted as his lips seemed to form into a pout at the vampire calling his methods 'cute.' Of course he straightened out his expression to attempt an unmoved look but he was still fuming about it. Nothing he did was cute! He was a man damnit!

 

Salem's face flushed at the mentioning of what he had done for the couple. He looked to his left to see them still on the other side of the man made pond. They were proof of his good deed. The vampire wasn't wrong though. Of course he had heart. It was just as big as his mother's. At least...that's what he liked to tell himself. His brown orbs slid back over to look at the taller male. He stood back into a normal position with a disgruntled sigh. His sword was sheathed and he turned to face away from the vampire. When he turned back he still lacked true resolve but he had something to settle on.

 

His attention was again drawn in by the vampire's words of praise. His eyes looked up to try to look into the other's eyes which were somehow almost hypnotizing. Maybe it was the rare color that reeled his mind in as much as it did. Nothing passed over him which made it apparent that the other wasn't trying to hypnotize him or anything of the sort. Now he was only showing that he was listening by keeping eye contact. Either way he was already "behaved" and raised an eyebrow at the word since it was directed at him. "I'm not a kid you know." He muttered with a light glare on his face.

 

The men and women at the facility said things like that to him and every time he wished to cut them down to size. He was trained to turn that around and direct that same feeling towards the true enemy. One of which was staring down at him, complimenting him, calling him innocent and telling him to stand down. Did that mean that Vampires had hearts too...well obviously. The couple was the first showing of that. Tearing two lovers apart was the cruelest a person could do. Vampire or human....

 

Salem wondered why they didn't take his father instead? He wouldn't care as much with him gone. Of course the house would be in chaos without a strong leader to take charge, the elders wouldn't be able to. The only thing they could offer would be their wisdom and even that would not be enough for the rest of the household. The man was torn on what to do. The vampire wasn't wrong. He had never seen the man in the flesh until today but he knew the face. He was a partnered member to is very own household. He had a wife and one little girl. If he fell the house would be in shambles, and if it all was traced back to his incompetence his family could be broken apart or worse...publicly tried and executed.

 

Salem shook his head trying to rid himself of the dark thought. Even if he didn't like them very much they were still family and he didn't want that young girl to suffer loss just as he had. He had yet to say anything when the other man mentioned something about a pet. It took him a moment for his brain to register what had just been said. His whole face became red in embarrassment. "W-Who're you calling cute?! I'm no one's pet and I never will be! That sounds disgusting." He knew very little about anything intimate but from the books he could recall pets and sex falling in the same category. He wanted no part of that.

 

"I would never lower myself to something like that. I belong to me, myself, and I. That's it." After letting out a long drawn out sigh, Salem pulled out his spell book. "Αφαιρέστε την παρουσία σας από εδώ" He spoke, the page lighting up with a downward force. The strong weight caused Salem to bring his arms down while still pushing up to not allow it to force his arms all the way down. a mix of blue and green shot up from it, swirling as it shot through the clouds, clearing the way for Salem to see a blue sky for a brief moment but when the magic disappeared the clouds came back together, showing nothing but a gray sky once again.

 

He shook the moment of surprise and closed his widened eyes, opening them to look at the vampire after putting away the book. "I could not allow you to take him. He is back in human territory. If you will not fight me then I won't fight you but I will not let my people be killed."

[Sathenus]

Noticing the flush overtake the human's face he followed the man's gaze to where the two vampires were still with each other. Again, Irukka had to make a note to give them a piece of his mind once he was done here. They had been stupid to come here, and they were stupid for staying. Had their encounter taught them nothing? Frustrated with his coven's young his eyes narrowed as he continued to watch the couple. A soft rumbling coming from his chest, a growl not quite fully formed.

 

Irukka had to admit it was cute how the human reacted to him even bringing up the subject of the man becoming his pet. Especially hearing him state he wasn't cute. That only made the whole thing more adorable in his eyes. Then again, he was used to feisty, just not in such a breakable body. Maybe that was why he found this all rather cute? "Such a shame. I'm sure it would have been rather nice to see you with a collar on. But I'll honor that wish of yours and leave you be." He shrugged it off as if the subject had never been brought up to begin with. But what kind of vampire would he be if he hadn't teased him just a little. Knowing how this conversation would look from an outsider looking in he realized he had to cut this talk short. Otherwise he was encouraging the poor man's behavior and that was not something he should be doing either.

 

Watching as a book was pulled out Irukka suddenly stood straighter his eyes narrowing as the hunter started speaking reciting something. "Be careful what you are doing." He growled his voice suddenly taking on a deadly tone. What he wasn't expecting was for the light that came from the book. Irukka's gaze followed it up into the sky as he took a small step back. The first true step he had taken since they had come face to face. 'What is this human up to?' he asked himself before his gaze returned to the hunter once everything had settled once more. He was pissed with the man's words. The hunter had gone from smart to stupid in a matter of seconds and unfortunately Irukka could not let this go unpunished.

 

"You went from smart to stupid very quickly." Irukka growled his eyes narrowed into deadly slits. It was quite clear by his voice and the way his body shifted that he would not be leaving peacefully now. There was only so much he could let slide. He had been going to let the hunter go free, especially after not harming his coven members, but this was crossing a line he could not accept. Without so much as another word he launched himself forward not even giving the hunter a chance to realize that he was in motion. He had to use his speed to his advantage. While Irukka would have preferred to leave the poor man alone and go after his true target the human had other plans.

 

Deep down he hoped the hunter realized he had sealed his own fate. As a member of the council he now could not let the man walk away with his life. Going against his own people by not attaching a vampire was one thing, Irukka could quite happily come to peace with that. But helping a man who was actually guilty of killing vampires escape him and escape the fate that was meant for him was too much. Irukka's first instinct was to just get his hand around the other's neck, then just a quick flick of the wrist would end the hunter and the man wouldn't suffer more than necessary.

[Haraku]

Salem went to speak but the tackle instead caused a surprised sound mixed with a groan leave his lips. The vampire was heavier than the brunette had anticipated but from close up maybe due to the increased sense of danger or something else his cheeks flushed. Of course he had to brush it off and quickly acess the situation. "Call me- whatever you like" he grunted out "doesn't change who I am." Salem let his abs ense up and with a forceful thrust of his lower body and stomach he had provided himself space between the vampire and himself for a very short period of time. Within that second he had pulled himself back by his arms and lifted his legs so they were bent to throw them up and flip back onto his feet.

 

"I'm not going to fight you but I'm also not going to let you kill me." Salem stood in a defensive position and let out a deep but quick exhale.

 

(Sorry for the late and short reply. Life has gotten the better of me but I'll be consistent from now on.)