My mind seldom wanders, but at times like these, after all these years, I can't seem to focus as I used to. The hunters and the families are at each others throats once again, the covenant between them broken as it has been many times before, though they hardly remember. I often become wistful when I think of the way things used to be, before the hunters, before the families, before the cock-ups and arrogance that plagued hunters and my kind alike.
The wind seems knocked out of my lungs, not that I need it, they could put me in the ocean for years and all they would get is vengeance, that's what I've become after all.
I snap back to it, the concrete wall crumbling by the force of which I was thrown against it. I make a sound, though it's drowned out by the roar of the hunters arm-cannon firing another round toward me. I grow so intensely tired of these never-ending cat-and-mouse chases that have been going on for centuries. And even now, it's not entirely clear to me who is cat, and who is mouse.
I feel the tell-tale sensation of my blood rushing, the power of my age and experience. My eyes glow a dark red in the abandoned building and as the projectile from the would-be vampire slayer speeds toward me I push against the remnants of the wall, flinging myself at the aggressor with a speed he has no hope of dodging.
He had no chance, and he sacrificed all he had for that. His amputated arm, replaced with a weapon only capable of stunning me for a brief second. His innards, now spilling out onto my arm and further to the floor. His head, naught but a bloody mess in my clawed hand. I let him fall to the floor.
Of course, we are not all like me, had he not been so unlucky with who he met, he would have had a very real chance. They are not imbeciles, these hunters, merely soft and fragile. If he still had eyes I would close them for him, as though that would make everything better, it's a sentimental habit I still suffer from.
"Aldebrand Bergmans, I presume" The voice doesn't startle me, of course. I knew she was there, I've known for the past twenty minutes that I was being followed, now that there's a few dozen dead hunters at my feet, it seems she found it the right time to reveal herself.
"I haven't heard that name in some time, I thought anyone who knew it was dead" I answer, I try my best to not sound bored, it's a bad habit I picked up over the last century, it's not my fault everything dulls with time.
She is cloaked in shadow, though that doesn't do her much good if she hoped to conceal herself, there isn't much that can hide from my eyes anymore, a blessing and a curse really. She's slender, with long blonde hair. Her clothes are casual, newly washed and pedestrian, my estimate would be that she is in her twenties, though I should know that appearance does not always betray ones age. Though I do have the appearance of an old man, seems we can't run from it forever.
"Not all of them, your identity is well hidden, though. I've been looking for you, looking for answers, really. The name's Sienna" She steps forward as she talks, her tone doesn't betray much, but there's a hint of fear. She isn't familiar to me, though I do tend to forget faces.
"I don't know if I can help you, but the fact that you aren't running despite what you just witnessed tells me you know quite a bit already, go ahead, ask your questions" I say, intrigued, mystery never dulls. I can tell she is kin, but I don't recognize the family, I'm usually quite good at that.
"Well, I'm sure you can tell, but I've not been... like you, for long. Only a few years at this point, and I've been unguided as the families have been in disarray, largely due to your actions. So, foolish as I may be, I've come to you for answers, as no one else seems to have the time" She says it almost as if she's talking to the grim reaper, the more she talks the more I can feel her fear, she isn't sure if she can expect to survive this encounter. I don't blame her, my transgressions toward the families have been great as of lately, though that's a longer story.
"You are foolish, but it's been a while since I had a conversation that didn't end with bloodshed, and I've never been asked to guide someone before, strange as that may sound. I offer you no promises, but we can talk. Lets go someplace else, though" I say as I dust off my clothes, I remove my blood-stained coat and throw it to the ground, which leaves me in similarly pedestrian clothes. I've long since stopped caring about leaving evidence. It is truly the age of chaos we reside in.
Walking on the sidewalks of London, one might think we were grandfather and granddaughter, out on an evening stroll. It's the John Doe effect, one that all of us have had to master. Though lately, more than ever before, our kin have been reckless. If you fit in, nobody feels at risk, and when nobody feels at risk, nobody asks questions.
Sienna leads me to her flat, opting for the walk instead of the bus. It's a long and somewhat awkward ordeal, as her fear is overwhelmingly obvious at this point. I say nothing, my people skills have deteriorated over the years and I would rather like to see where this leads.
Chapter 2 - A Story Of War And Blood
Sitting awkwardly in the young vampires flat, I don't know what to say to ease her tension. Surely she must know that she would be dead already, if that had been my goal. If only age actually came with wisdom.
"Do you want some tea?" Sienna asks me, politely. Her flat, which I'm assuming is the one she had before entering my world, is quite cozy. There's a sense of this being a home. How I miss having a place like that.
"No, thank you" I answer, instantly worrying if I made the tense atmosphere worse. I don't partake in food or drink others have prepared. Not anymore.
"You wanted answers, but you must be somewhat educated. Since you managed to find me, I mean" I say, I suppose somewhat accusingly.
"I was turned by one of Elton Debenhames henchmen, Oscar. I wasn't initiated into their family, as you came on a... visit, whilst I was in the transformation progress. Since then it seems like they have no time for new vampires. Oh, and Oscar is dead. I'm not sure if that was by your hand or not, but I suppose it hardly matters. I'm fumbling in the dark here, this world that I was thrust into against my will is still mostly shrouded in shadow" She explains, her eyes darkening with the last sentence. I remember the day she speaks of. It was one of my first acts of vengeance against the Debenhames, I suppose that's how she learned of my name.
"I killed Oscar Debenhame, as well as many others, that day. I had hoped to catch Elton, the big bastard. I suppose it makes sense that I couldn't sense your family ties when we met, you've not spent time amongst them" I say, at the mention of the Debenhames leader I can't help but betray my hatred.
Sienna hesitates, as if she's going to say something but stops herself.
"You want answers, but I don't think you know to what. If you hadn't learned how to survive as one of us, you wouldn't have made it this far. Judging by your books, you're a history student. Is it that which interests you? the depraved and bloody history of our kind" I say, with a slight smirk, I might not be the wise old man people think me to be, but I can work out stuff when I try.
"It is, I have racked my brain over the last two years, and I cannot find anything. How are there no books, no records of any of you. There's only legend and myth. Everything is hidden behind a veil of mystery and it's making me crazy. I heard someone call you 'Charlemagnes dog' during the attack, but that would make you more than a millennia old" She says, the disbelief is clear in her words. I can't help but smile. It's been a while since anybody questioned my age, but I guess some things never get old. I let out a slight chuckle, when I recall the insult. Charlemagne didn't know I existed, and I was never loyal, only foolishly brave with something to prove.
"I never met Charlemagne, though I fought in his armies for the better part of thirty years. After that is when I founded my house. Although it is long gone, these foolish families today still abide by the rules that were agreed upon then. Well, most of them, anyway" I explain. My matter-of-factness seems to shock her, although it is brief. She must realize I have no reason to lie.
I spend the next few hours explaining the rise and fall of the Bergmans house, the violent betrayal and the great fall. I am uninterrupted for the majority. Sienna only chiming in with the occasional question or comment of disbelief. I cannot explain the whole of vampire-kinds history, after all, how would I know it all. Sienna keeps blood on hand that she steals from a local blood bank, apparently she has learned to enthrall humans on her own. An impressive feat for an unguided. We drink, though I have become accustomed to the sensation of cold blood over the last century, my bloodlust calls for warmer prey.
"it is almost morning, I assume you have experienced the debilitating effect of sunlight. I do not fear an attack, but I prefer to be harder to find during daylight. We will speak again soon, if you wish for a mentor I will provide, but know that I am a hunted and hated man in this world" I say, as I rise out of my chair in her comfortable home. I am not excited to return to my lair, safe as it might be.
"I understand, I will give it thought Aldebrand. You have given me many answers that I have been otherwise denied. Take care on your way" She says, hear fear has dissipated, and she regards me in a way one might regard their grandparents. it is not an unwelcome feeling.
"Should you be offered a welcome to one of the families, you should accept. They have much more to offer than me, you will be under safer and better guidance" I say as I stand in the doorway, although I have grown fonder of the thought of having a mentee, I must also be honest. Having received much betrayal myself, I am not prone to dishing it out willingly.
"I will keep it in mind" She says, as I walk down the stairs. She closes the door and locks it. Thus I am alone again, and my morning can begin. I make my way to my lair, it is a short trip with speeds like mine. I lay down in my makeshift bed as I think wistfully of the last time I had a home that contained warmth and comfortability. I cannot allow this to endanger my plan, however. I have much to do, and many a sorry bastard to end.
Chapter 3 - Blood-filled Dreams
As I drift off to sleep, I recall the fight with the hunters. Their technology has come a long way from the ramshackle contraptions they used to walk around with. It has been a long night and my eyes grow heavy, even if I could go several days without rest. Sleep is more a way to pass time than it is a necessity.
Darkness. Then light, a bright light. I am standing in the streets of Copenhagen. I remember this day. It is only ten years after the Great Fall, I was hiding out in 1870's Scandinavia. This is the one and only time the hunters caught me off-guard.
Walking along the streets, searching for my next source of sustenance. I spot a drunken man walking along the streets and decide him to be an easy target. Being in hiding is still new to me at this point, so I am careful to only choose targets that would be easy for the populace to dismiss. A strategy I would later change, opting for blood banks or raiding hospitals.
Following the man into an alley where he stops to relieve himself. I don't pounce, there's no need. Drunken humans are as easy prey as newborns. I simply walk up behind him, not drawing any attention. My teeth sink into his sweaty neck while my hands muffle his surprised groans. My grip tight enough that he has no chance of reprisal. I feast on his sullied alcohol-ridden blood and feel refreshed, albeit slightly disgusted with the taste. His body a lump on the floor, I pick him up to throw him in the harbor. Many young men die this way, it's a believable story.
However, this night would not play out so easily. I had been too engulfed in my meal. My senses had waned for but a moment. I feel the impact before I hear the words.
A burning, hotter than the fires of hell, spreads across my back. A crossbow bolt boring its way deep into my flesh. Silver bastard. As I turn I simultaneously pull out the bolt, a task that pains me almost more than when it went in.
"Vampire scum, you will answer for you crimes, heed the Inquisition!" I hear a voice. But there's more than one hunter. At the time they really leaned into their actual name, the Inquisition.
I let out an instinctive low growl as my blood rushes, silver has the unfortunate side-effect of putting vampires into full-alert. My clawed hands fully transformed, my eyes glowing a ghastly dark red in the gloomy night. it is a horrid sight when a vampire cannot control their transformations.
I hear the mechanical whirring of the BAAL device, several of them. It's an implant that hunters deploy to taste the dark powers without succumbing to bloodlust. They sacrifice their arm, in exchange of temporary power whilst fighting my kind. Multiple attachments can be used with the device, this particular bastard is using a powered crossbow with silver-tipped bolts.
I launch myself into the air, to get an overview. Soaring several meters above any on the ground I can get a headcount. Four hunters, three with BAAL devices and one initiate. It's clear they don't know who I am.
Kicking off the building to my left, I send myself flying toward the hunter currently reloading his crossbow. I have no time to be flashy. My claws penetrate deep into his chest. As I move to strike the initiate standing near, I smell it, fire and brimstone.
The arm-cannon fires a projective made of a silver alloy. Combined with the earlier hit I am in no mood for more. My blood boils as I exert my speed to move aside. The projectile flies past and makes a sizeable new entrance in the stone building behind me. Reckless.
"Get out of here Alfred, this one is strong!" The hunter screams at the initiate. He doesn't react, seemingly stunned by the display of violence he just witnessed.
With all the noise it wont be long before the street is swarming with concerned citizens, and I don't quite care to come out of hiding yet. The third BAAL user is wearing a contraption that I am, at the time, unfamiliar with. However, he seems increasingly hesitant to use it. I run to the arm-cannon wielding hunter in a blink, and kick him. He is launched several meters back and lands in a display of brokenness. Coughing and throwing up blood onto the pavement.
"Don't come any closer!" The remaining BAAL user begs. Still not making a move to use his weapon. I chalk it up to nerves as I remove his head from his shoulders with a fluid swipe of my clawed hand. All that remains is the initiate, still stunned in place. Too frightened to run or fight. I stare at him.
"Unless you want to answer the questions that will come with this bloodbath, I advise you take what's left of your friends and get out of here" I say, before bracing my legs and jumping to a nearby rooftop. Making my way across the cityscape I hear the cries of terror and despair finally leave the initiate. I assume he will be leaving the Inquisition before long. As I run the world fades. I am returned to my makeshift bed, back to the reality which I now reside in.
Sleep is never peaceful, or without dreams. I have lived for too long to deserve that. No matter. I rise as a new night begins.
