Through the bushes they pushed onward, looking for any sign of what could've killed their fellow citizens. The last couple months had been filled with uncertainty and fear for their town. Attacks during the night leaving many dead with an unknown reason. Whispers of wolves being responsible didn't alleviate any fears, and for good reason. None of the bodies had been torn apart and howling hadn't been heard in the wee hours of the morning. Something-no, someone was creating the chaos in their sleepy town. And it was up to them to find out who.
Francesco led the charge of course. He was the more experienced of the two. Thoughts of their adversary took up space in his mind while he tracked traces of footprints in the mud. What were they like? How were they able to kill with no signs of struggle on the victims? In all his years of training, he had never seen a demon kill without tearing apart the body but this one… they were two punctures on the neck and no trace of blood left in the body.
What exactly were they dealing with?
Alessia, on the other hand, stayed behind her father to make certain any sneak attacks failed. Was it possible they were hunting a new type of demon? The thought of that alone excited her; those who managed to take a new type down were praised and talked about for a long time. She could go down in legend if this goes right! Her and her father!
A sound reached them. One that charmed the senses. A… violin? But why was a violin being played so far out into the woods? For whatever reason, the melody being played was hypnotic and the pair found themselves transfixed, all attention focused on the notes weaving through the branches. Step. Step. Step. They slowly continued on their way to the source of the music.Â
Soon they reached a tree where a blond man sat on one of the branches out of their reach. He spared a glance down at the duo and slipped down to the ground, landing in such a way he didn't make a sound. The man drew closer with his feet keeping in time to the beat of the music, sometimes fast and sometimes slow.Â
"Who do I have here?" The stranger asked, all the while not letting the melody falter. "Two hunters by chance? An odd sight to see in these parts."
He examined the pair to further understand what he was dealing with. The man had the most experience obviously. Parts of his attire were more new than others suggesting holes had been patched, scuff marks littered his arms and shoulders, and his weapons had more of a dull shine. The younger one had an outfit that screamed inexperience. No patches, minimum scuff marks, and blades that reflected the moon. The more he studied the more interested he became. Slowly, though, the music became more faint until it stopped, the bow now resting against the strings.
Francesco took that window of opportunity to draw his daggers and lunge at the creature. The small blades came down only to meet with nothing. Flavio side steeped, baring his fangs in anger that he lost control only to catch sight of Alessia. She was free as well but looked dazed, confused, processing the experience she had just gone through. Slow. Less willful. An evil plan hatched in Flavio's head as he dodged another swipe. Why should he fight this battle? A swipe later and the creature was now back in the tree, violin and bow poised.
"You think your fight is with me, hunter? Wrong, it's with her."Â
Bow met strings, generating harsh and haunting notes. All of his hypnotic powers honed in on Alessia and locked her in. Soon her daggers were drawn and met her father's. Francesco couldn't help but look at his daughter in shock, what was she doing?! They were now locked in a deadly dance with Alessia's blades coming ever closer to Francesco's skin. And then, oh then, how unfortunate, her father tripped over a small branch, sending him to the ground. His own daughter wasted no time in pinning him down and raising her dagger high, allowing for the metal to soak in the moon's glow, before being driven into the man's chest. Each swipe of the elegant bow brought the dagger down again and again until there was no possible chance for the hunter to still be alive.
The music calmed at that instant to a more soothing tone, allowing for the tension in Alessia's body to melt away and for her to stand up. Flavio slid from the tree again and approached, sparing no glance at the once proud man on the groundÂ
"Well met, hunter." His head tilted ever so slightly. "What is your name?"
She hesitated ever so slightly. As much as she could until a harsh tug on the strings prompted her to respond. "Alessia."
"Alessia, your skills are most impressive." The violin dropped from his shoulder and the music ceased. She wouldn't recover fast enough. "The name is Flavio Vecellio."
In a second he brought Alessia close and bit down, fangs sinking into her neck. She snapped back at the sharp sting and screamed in attempts to get someone, anyone, to come help her! But they were so far out in the woods and no one would think to run in the direction of a scream. Slowly but surely all the energy drained from her body. She couldn't even slap him if she wanted from all the blood loss. Eventually Alessia was almost drained with the only sign of her life being her faint breaths of air.Â
Normally this would be it for Flavio's victims. He'd drain them and leave them for dead so why, why did he feel compelled to do something else? He lowered the woman down and picked up one of the daggers, drawing a finger over the blade's edge. He watched in fascination as a bead of blood trailed down his finger and looked down at Alessia. An idea formed and pressed the metal against his palm, applying just enough force to break the skin and allow his blood to flow to one side of his hand.
He knelt down next to Alessia and held the injured hand to her lips and watched his blood drip into her mouth. For a few moments nothing happened and he felt his time was being wasted. Only for the faint breathing to suddenly stop.
Calm as ever, the man picked up her now still body and moved it to a spot where the branches intertwined, allowing no moonlight to reach the ground. Now it was only a matter of waiting.
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