Becoming a Legend: Nightfall [Being Edited]

91 Nightfall II

'I'll consider it.'

'No! You'll promise me!' Ranloo roared and took another step forward. Tealas hand shook, the blade gleamed. Ranloo could barely contain his rage. It was only overpowered by his fear. 'Promise me! And I give up. You have my word.'

The hunter gave a slight nod but didn't move. Ranloo hadn't really expected more. He heard Odefin raise the axe for a killing blow. Accepted it.

A familiar voice shouted then, followed by the sound of running footsteps. Pei. Something flashed with a loud bang.

Odefin growled and Ranloo knew the hunter had been hit by something. He could have smiled if not for the look on Tealas face as he looked past him. Rage, fear, and something wild. Tealas reached down and grasped Sern's hair, yanking his head out of the snow. The hunter hesitated. Sern didn't move, didn't blink. Pale moonlight reflected dimly in glazed eyes. Tealas snorted and let go.

A heartrending shriek tore out of Ranloo's throat. He reached out as the painful truth hit. He hadn't been fast enough, hadn't been strong enough, couldn't save him. His chest tightened, couldn't contain the pressure, the burning hate. Hot tears flooded his eyes. Pushing off against the snow, Ranloo flew through the air as Sern's head slumped forward into the snow, blue-grey eyes staring, unseeing.

Ranloo's heart broke, his soul shattered. Screaming wildly he bowled the hunter over, his hat flying off at the sudden impact. His sword tumbled out of his hand. Ranloo hit him in the face and blood spattered into the air. He raked his nails across his face, pounded him, batted away his arms, burning himself on the sun-symbol. Couldn't care less.

Tealas yelled and stabbed him with a dagger, kicking him to get him off. Ranloo burned with hot flames of vengeance and wasn't deterred. Didn't even feel the stabs and cuts. The medallion glared and burned, but he didn't care. This man had to die. Nothing else mattered.

They rolled in the snow, flailing, kicking and tearing at each other. Being stronger, Ranloo soon had the upper hand. He grabbed the medallion, smoke rising from his hand as it burned off his flesh. He tore at it, broke the chain and threw it aside with a wild shriek.

A faint creaking of snow warned him a second before something slammed into his back. But he couldn't feel anything beyond the agony inside. Pei yelled, followed by clashing metal. Ranloo didn't care. The hunter was at his mercy.

Tealas stabbed towards his face with the dagger. Ranloo yanked his head back, grabbed the hunter's arm and bit into his wrist, tore at his arm like a rabid dog. Tealas howled and dropped the knife. Out of control, Ranloo simply wanted to hurt this man the way he had hurt him. Wanted him to suffer.

Letting go, he grabbed Tealas' left arm instead, stood and stretched/yanked it out. Tealas screamed at him, called for help, struggled in his grip. Ranloo snarled and kicked. Bones cracked. He dragged the hunter by his broken arm, revelling in his agonized cries, the smell of fear and adrenaline. Spotting something on the ground, he dropped the hunter and picked it up. Tealas tried getting away and Ranloo stalked after him, let him crawl a while before kicking him around to face him again.

'Get away from me, demon!' he yelled.

Merciless, Ranloo bent down and stabbed the dagger into Tealas' thigh, delighted in his screech. The smell of blood saturated the air, the taste in his mouth overwhelming. He grinned, tears streaking down his face. 'You have hunted your last vampire! This is the end.' His voice shook.

Tealas crawled backwards, away from the crazy vampire, leaving a trail of blood in the snow.

Sounds of battle briefly drew Ranloo's attention and he glanced back. To his surprise, Pei and Diquarl fought Odefin together. They were the reason he still lived. He twisted his head back to the hunter on the ground, his bloodied hair flying around him. He snarled at Tealas' defiant stare, a stake in his shaking hand. Where had he kept that one, Ranloo wondered dimly as he advanced. Not that it mattered.

As he reached for the hunter, Tealas stabbed towards him with the stake. Ranloo evaded it easily, and tore it from the hunter's bloody hand. It burned in his grasp. Blood coated everything. It made Ranloo's heart drum, his teeth throb, and his mind wild. But more than anything, he was ridden by madness and deep hot fury.

He grinned and forced the stake down, hit the brigantine. Roaring, he stepped on it, pushed it between the armour plates and into the hunter's stomach. Stepped on it again, forcing it through the back. It pinned Tealas to the ground, spilling rivers of red.

The wail the hunter emitted made a shiver of delight run up Ranloo's spine, even as his soul trembled in fear.

Tealas writhed and clutched at the stake, whimpering. Ranloo took a step back and watched him bleed. Receding sounds of battle still raged behind him, but he only had eyes for the hunter. He had murdered Sern. It was unforgivable. Ranloo's entire body hurt and protested, his right hand burned almost to the bones, his face scratched, ribs broken, shoulder-blade shattered, and countless scrapes, hits, and stabs bled. Still, hatred kept him on his feet. He enjoyed watching the light slowly dim and die in the hunter's pale eyes.

'You'll... regret... this...' Tealas whispered, barely audible between rasping breaths.

'No. This is your regret,' Ranloo said, blinking tears from his eyes.

Tealas whined, drew several fast shallow breaths, shuddered and lay still.

The snow around him was painted red. Everything was red. Ranloo stared. The victory felt shallow and pointless, robbed of its meaning. It hadn't saved anyone.

He turned slowly, his eyes drawn to the figure on the ground some way behind him. Still, unmoving. His fired doused, Ranloo felt cold and dead inside. Robbed of his fury, weakness returned. He took a step, stumbled, and fell to his knees.

'No, no, no...' he whispered and crawled towards the lifeless body. He reached out, clinging desperately to the hope that Sern might still be alive. Grasping the boy's coat, Ranloo shook him, called his name. But there was no reply. No heartbeats. Blue eyes stared blankly at the dark sky.

'No. Please don't do this to me...' Ranloo shook him again, then bent forward, rested his head against the lifeless body and cried.

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This chapter was so hard to write doe me, emotionally. Still, I hope it made you feel something as well? Be that rage, or sorrow, or something else. Do tell me what you think. And suggestions for betterment is as always appreciated.

Updated Mar 2022.