Word count: 1478 words
Trigger warnings: mentions of blood
This is an entry to MayaTheWatcher's 400 follower AU contest. It's also the prologue to a book that will come out in the future.
Enjoy!
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A hunter sharpened their blade against a pointed rock, the silver blade in their hands gleaming in the moonlight. The huntsman was in search of a creature, some sort of monster that had been terrorizing the local village.
Tucking their sword away, the hunter stood up after taking a moment to rest on a fallen tree. They glanced to the sky, the moon was at its highest point, meaning that monsters would be roaming the dark forest for their unsuspecting prey.
They smiled to themself, pulling out a poster for the reward of the capture of the monster. 'This'll be too easy, just another bounty to collect.' The hunter thought, though they couldn't help but wonder what creature they were hunting. The poster didn't say.
'Maybe a werewolf?' They began to wonder while walking through the woods, reaching for a glass bottle that was attached to their belt. It was filled with a sticky red substance, goat blood, to be exact. They uncorked the bottle, pouring a puddle of blood to attract any nearby monsters.
The hunter chuckled, monsters were too stupid to realize that they were walking right into their death. 'This should be too easy, you've done it again, Iskall.' They thought to themselves, the Swede hiding in a bush of greenery and overgrown plants.
Iskall took off their crossbow, loading an arrow while waiting for the unsuspecting creatures to search for the scent of blood. It felt like an hour had past before the rustling of leaves alerted the hunter, causing their finger to instinctively hover over the trigger.
A man stumbled out of the bushes, seemingly lost in the forest. Iskall lowered their crossbow, but they stayed alert. Things weren't always what they seemed.
He had raven black hair that was slicked back, pale skin and dark eyes. He wore a fancy suit and red tie, as well as a long, black cloak with a hood pulled over his head. The man took a short glance around, pulling off his hood as he did so. Iskall quickly raised their crossbow again once they spotted the man's pointed ears. He wasn't human, but some kind of monster.
"I know you're here.." He called to the forest, the creature's ear slightly twitching. "I can hear your heartbeat. A-are you one of those hunters? I swear, I-I'm not trying to hurt anyone!"
Iskall's finger held the trigger while the monster slowly walked around in search of the hunter, and the moment the creature turned his back, they pulled the trigger. A silver-tipped arrow shot out of the bushes, the monster turning around and grabbing the arrow moments before it could pierce his skin. He snapped the arrow in half, the creature's eyes turning from a dark shade of chocolate brown to a deep crimson.
He threw the remnants of the arrow onto the ground. "Please, I don't want to fight. I just want to be left alone." The creature said quietly, his voice weak and tired. But Iskall didn't care. He was a monster, no matter what he said.
The Swede reached for their blade, pulling out their weapon as they leapt out from the bushes. They raised the silver sword over their head, the monster jumping out of the way to avoid getting a large slash through his chest, but he still managed to get cut on his arm.
"This is your last warning!" He shouted while clutching the bleeding wound, Iskall able to spot the creature's fangs. The hunter loaded another silver-tipped arrow, pointing the crossbow at the creature.
"So, you're a vampire.." Iskall muttered with a smug grin, much too interested in the creature rather than the imminent danger that they were in. "I've never fought one before, this should be fun."
"P-please, just leave! I don't want to fight!" The vampire begged, "I'm starving, I just wanted a bit of food, that's all! I'll leave that village alone, I swear! J-just please, leave me be!"
Iskall shook their head. "Sorry, but the king wants you captured, dead or alive. And I'm quite fond of that reward money."
The vampire's eyes widened with fear, the monster suddenly vanishing, turning invisible out of reflex. Iskall loaded an arrow, slowly glancing around at their surroundings to watch for the creature.
When there wasn't any movement or sounds, the hunter frowned, lowering their crossbow. Iskall pulled out a dagger from their belt, pushing the blade against their skin. 'If goat blood brought you here, maybe human blood will make it easier for me to capture you.'
A bit of the crimson fluid ran down Iskall's wrist as they sliced through the skin, and within moments, the vampire appeared again. His eyes widened with curiosity, the hunter grinning as they drew their sword.
The vampire glanced from Iskall's sword to the bit of blood that ran down their wrist, clearly debating whether to eat or to walk away. His forked tongue licked his lips, while his crimson eyes gleamed as he stared at the blood.
Iskall threw the bloodstained dagger onto the ground. "Take some." they offered while gesturing to the weapon, although the hunter loaded an arrow in their crossbow behind their back.
Hesitant, the vampire inched his way closer to the dagger, slowly lifting the silver off the ground. He studied the weapon, watching the red blood slowly roll down the blade. The vampire touched a finger against the knife, before flinching in pain, throwing the weapon against the ground.
He looked down at his burnt finger, which was a dark charcoal color. The vampire hadn't realized that the blade was made of pure silver, which was deadly to vampires due to its properties of warding off unholy creatures.
The hunter shot an arrow while he was distracted, the vampire falling to his knees as the silver-tipped arrow lodged into his shoulder. He could feel his skin beginning to burn as the vampire pulled the projectile out of his shoulder, Iskall pulling out their blade as they approached the creature.
The Swedish hunter raised their blade to slay the monster, slicing their sword to try and kill the vampire. As they brought down the weapon, the creature grabbed the sword's blade. His hand began to turn the same charcoal color that his finger had, but the vampire's eyes darkened as he let out a cold growl.
"I told you to LEAVE!" The vampire yelled as ripped the sword from Iskall's hands, throwing it into the forest, far from where the hunter could reach it.
"W-what the-?!" Iskall stumbled backwards, shocked at the vampire's strength. They turned to run, but the monster was faster. In the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of the hunter, his eyes burning with rage.
Before the hunter could attempt to run once more, the vampire's fingers sharpened into claws, the monster scratching out Iskall's left eye. They stumbled backwards holding their wound, blood staining the Swede's gloved hands.
The vampire pounced onto Iskall, knocking them to the ground. Their left eye had a bloody scar over it, the hunter keeping it shut tightly. They were pinned to the ground, unable to run.
"I won't kill you, but I need something to heal me.." the vampire grinned as he spoke, his fangs extending as he opened his mouth. He bit into Iskall's neck, digging through the skin to draw blood. The hunter could feel their head turning blurry and their vision beginning to fade.
By the time the vampire had finished eating, the charcoal burn marks on their body had faded. Iskall had passed out, possibly from the lack of blood. Besides the hunter's pale face, they seemed alright overall.
The vampire let out an annoyed groan. "You let instinct get the better of you again, Mumbo.." he said to himself, grabbing the unconscious Swede and lifting them into his arms.
He carried the human out of the woods, setting Iskall down in the darkened street of the nearby village. Someone would hopefully find them to treat their wounds, Mumbo turning away to retreat back into the forest to hide.
'They're only going to fear me more, now..' Mumbo thought sadly as he trudged through the woods, the vampire keeping his head down. He didn't want to be this creature, he just wanted to be human again.
Iskall's blood would sustain him for some time, meaning that the vampire wouldn't need to attack the animals in the village for blood until he was hungry again. If he waited for too long, Mumbo's instincts would take control.
He didn't want to be feared, he wanted to be normal again.