The vampire swoops down again. This time from behind. I slide to the left and snatch at the cape with my free hand slamming him down to the ground. I’ll never understand why vampires still wear capes. Been out of style for centuries and guarantees I’ll kick your ass. Nothing but an old gaudy fashion trend they still cling to. I stand on his cape to prevent escape, then I start kicking with my other foot. He takes the moment the moment to sweep the leg, leaving me on my ass. My fault for not thinking about balance. I should have mounted him and punched or just gone for the kill. I really am out of practice.

He dives back into the darkness and prepares his next attack or licks his wounds, but I don’t feel him leave the room. I take up my guard bracing myself for an attack from any direction; arms up, ready to punch or stab with whichever arm he comes closest too. I hear him sneaking up from behind me. I spin around and launch an elbow directly that should at least fracture his skull. He diverts his attack at the last moment and flees back into the shadows unharmed. I showed my attack too soon. I could have waited until he committed to launch my counter attack, instead he had time to adjust still.

The thing about the Primeval breed of vampire is as a whole they haven’t gotten their hands dirty in a long time. They know they can’t go toe to toe with today’s hunters. They usually send out thralls to do the dirty work. I’m thinking this guy doesn’t have thralls. If he did they’d be attacking me by now.

Another hit and run attack. I don’t aim at the cape this time, that’s just a diversion, I stab him right in the shoulder and watch him crash and burn. I follow as his momentum rolls him across the floor. I finally get a good look at him. Primeval for sure, broach, tuxedo, bad slicked back hairdo, pale skin and all. I readjust my knife and move in for the kill.

He splits blood in my face. It doesn’t hurt but it blurs my vision for a moment and forces me to wipe my eyes. When I open them, he’s freed himself from his cape and punches me in the chest. The punch sends me flying backwards. I’m glad I wear the vest beneath my robes. If I didn’t that would have caved my chest in for sure. He doesn’t capitalize, instead he flees back into the shadows.

My brain slowly starts to fill with fuzz, making it hard to think. That’s when my theory is confirmed. He’s one of the Primeval vamps with the ability to control minds. That’s how he was controlling the Strigoi earlier. Not really magic, more like a practical way to combat magic they had developed. Still he won’t get me, I can finish this before he gets control. A steady siren blares in my ears, I know it isn’t real, just him trying to take control of me. Coupled with the darkness of the room, and the blood in my eyes he’s really taking me off my game here; more than I already was. He just has to wait me out at this point.

As a punch connects with the back of my skull I realize he did have thralls, one of my fears. I turn to retaliate and see the woman I freed first. He’s using the people he had here as thralls. That’s how they were staying alive, it wasn’t some magic shots. A thrall’s lifeforce is tied to that of the vampire they are in service of until that vampire dies or they’re set free. It can be a great way to fight off aging if you’re working for a benevolent vampire. That’s not the case for most, but I guess they don’t lose years of their lives either. Thralls hit harder than regular humans but nothing crazy. I just need to be careful not to overdo it or I might kill them.

I land a punch on the woman only for her to return a kick to my chest. Not enough to stagger me, but enough to know I shouldn’t treat them with kid gloves. Before I can retaliate I swing an elbow around to hit the man approaching from behind me. He falls but she lands another strike before I can get my guard up. For a moment I get a chance to focus on her. I land a quick combination that topples her but another dives at my ankle forcing me to a knee. Punches start to land back to back and things are feeling dire. I push forward knocking my attackers over.

We throw a few punches back and forth as I try to rise from the ground. I land a big body blow that gives me some room to get back to my feet. I saved all these people just moments ago and now they’re trying to put me down for the count and somewhere in all this chaos there’s a vampire waiting to strike. I spot him from the corner of my eye, he isn’t hiding anymore, he’s cocky. He’ll get his in just a moment.

Eight, I’ve taken out eight. Time to get serious, at this rate they’ll outnumber and over power me. The next one that rushes in gets a kick directly to the skull, he’ll just have to live with a concussion. An arm flip to the next directly into his buddy behind him. One approaches from the back and I launch an elbow to his rib cage.

Slowly I’m making my way over to the vampire. He doesn’t look panicked, but he should be. Standing there licking his fangs as if he’s ready for a meal. Slowly the thralls start to slow down and I’m making ground. He launches another mental attack, throwing me off balance. I had been dealing with it before but this was enough to bring me to my knees.

The thralls quickly pile on and grab me. I can’t overpower so many of them at once. I’m powerless as they drag me to him. I expect some long-winded monologue like the movies. I’ve been on a lot of mission but this is the first time I’ve had to go toe to toe with a circus master. Instead his cold fingers stroke my face before he palms my chin standing me up as if he’s trying to remember my face.

“I shall remember you, as you were a worthy advisory. Not many would last as long as you did, but in the end they all fall,” there’s the monologue. An arrogant fake French accent. I can’t take this.

I return his favor from earlier and spit into his face and smile licking my own teeth this time. If he’s going to kill me, I’m going to earn it. He doesn’t take kindly to me returning his disrespect and quickly begins landing punches across my body as I remain defenseless. Vest or not, I felt a few ribs crack. Maybe the old guy can still go if he wants to. The strikes stop when he grabs me by the throat.

Vampires are strong, and it doesn’t take long for me to start struggling for air. He’s saying something but I’m fading in and out. I can’t understand what he’s saying but I see his mouth moving. I reach for one of my guns, hopefully I can just shoot him and be done with it. I grab my gun and he tightens his grip. I feel it drop from hand, past my feet and to the ground as I hang kicking my feet in the air. One last chance. I feel around my belt or try to, looking for a grenade.

I find one and pull the pin and wait. It takes a few seconds but slowly it begins to glow. A sunlight grenade. All the power of the sun packed into a grenade. Super expensive and hard to find and alchemist to make it, but worth it. The eremites always suggest having a spell to save your ass, but my magic ability starts and stops with passive enhancement magic. This is my ace in the hole. I begin to lose my own vision as the room turns white from the grenade.

I’m brought back from the brink of death as I feel my body flop to the ground and everyone in the room screams out. I rush to cover my head from the full brunt of the blast. The screams let me know the grenade worked. As the vampire burns and his thralls are brought back to reality I struggle to stay awake, something Mother Dalia told me once comes to mind; I chuckle to myself. It’s better to light a candle than curse in the darkness. She used to tell me that all the time. This probably isn’t what she meant.