Wyatt snarled skidding to a stop as he glared at Duke. This was impossible! Duke was a half breed damphir, a failure, the pacifist black sheep of Miro Tepes. He was supposed to be as gentle as a kitten. Darting forward, he now let out a war cry as he delivered a thunderous right hook.
Duke smirked, taking his brothers punch square to the jaw. Obviously the magic used to make Wyatt the blood heir of the Tepes family was successful. The amount of force generated by the teenage vampire was enough to separate the average persons head from their body. Unfortunately for Wyatt, Duke was far from average.
Duke now smirked, his magenta eyes glaring at the vampire heir with a kind of malicious glee. Wyatt's punch had little effect, feeling little more than a love tap on the empowered damphirs face. "Impressive," he smirked. "But not quite impressive enough." Raising his hands over his head, Duke now swung down, delivering a thunderous blow to Wyatt's shoulders.
Wyatt felt as if he had been hit with a sledgehammer, wincing slightly under Dukes blow. The cement beneath his feet cracking as he tried to brave himself against Dukes blow. Snarling, he now delivered a series of punches to Dukes abdomen with little effect, only for Duke to strike him with an open hand strike to the body.
Wyatt grunted, thrown into an adjacent wall and leaving a sizable hole. As the vampire heir tried to free himself, his eyes went wide as Duke launched himself forward. The pair crashing through the wall into an adjoining room.
"Little Wyatt," Duke growled as he delivered a backgand to Wyatt. "Little vampire." A another blow to Wyatt now driving Wyatt to one knee. "The new favorite son of our dear father."
Wyatt screamed, delivering a series of vicious blows to Duke with little effect. As Duke now blocked another blow, he delivered a right hook of his own, sending the vampire heir crashing into another wall.
"Do you understand," Duke screamed as he now smashed Wyatt through another wall. "Do you understand why our dear father kept me around?" Another thunderous strike knocking Wyatt back. Despite the severity of the beating he was taking, Wyatt remained standing, still determined to win the fight.
"I'll kill you," Wyatt yelled, as he now lunged at Duke. The vampire now delivering blow after blow to the empowered damphir. Duke simply brushed off the attack, backhanding Wyatt into another wall before delivering a series of body blows.
"All the strength of a vampire!"
*SMASH*
"With none of their weaknesses."
*SMACK*
"Our father studied damphirs before choosing my mother,"
*SMACK*
"He understood that a damphir is far, far, more dangerous than any vampire. And tonight dear brother you shall learn that lesson!"
Wyatt now yelled, the teenage vampire lunging at Duke. He was a rage of emotions at this point. Anger, fear, hatred, and everything in between. He hadn't come this far to have it all taken away by the pacifist black sheep of the Tepes family. He needed to prove that Mirk had made the right decision in naming him his heir.
Duke simply smirked, his fangs glistening in the light of the room as Wyatt charged forward. Wyatt was getting desperate, nervous at the possibility that Duke was actually stronger than him. This meant the vampire was now acting reckless, fighting without a plan and lashing out in anger. For Duke it was the only advantage he needed.
As Wyatt lunged at him. Duke now seized him by the throat, squeezing the vampires neck as he now repeatedly slammed Wyatt into a wall. Wyatt coughed, spitting up blood as a low growl now emanated from Duke. After years of abuse,, Duke finally felt powerful. The power he had now made him feel invincible, he now understood why his father felt he could do what he wished. With this power he would finish Wyatt off once and for all.
"DUKE!"
Duke paused, glancing behind him as Sasha and Niane now gaped at him. The damphir now paused as he gazed at Sasha. For the first time in their relationship, Duke could see that Sasha was afraid of him. Coming to his senses, Duke now gazed at his brother. Wyatt was beaten yet Dukes bloodless was telling him to rip the teen to pieces. This power, as intoxicating as it was, was turning the teenager into a monster.
Duke gasped, loosening his grip on Wyatts throat as he now lowered him to thw ground. What was he doing? He had struggled all his life to avoid becoming the monster his father wanted him to be. Now, if he didn't stop himself, he would prove to the world that he was no better than Miro Tepes.
"Wyatt," Duke said in a low voice, his throat was tight, close to tears but trying to maintain his composure. "Listen to me Wyatt. We both know our father will fall this evening. His lust for power will be his undoing."
"You don't know that," Wyatt wheezed.
"I do," Duke replied. "And so do you." Wyatt now glared at his brother, unsure of what Duke was about to say.
"After tonight Wyatt things will be different," he said. "I will leave the castle and you will become the leader of the vampire nation."
"Perhaps," Wyatt grimaced. "And when I'm ready, I'll come for you Duke and your wizard friends."
"No," Duke growled. "You won't! And you never will."
"Why?"
"Because brother we are going to come to an understanding," Duke stated. "After tonight, you shall lead the vampires. I will not stop you. Do what you will to grow stronger."
"Whats the catch," Wyatt asked, still trying to free himself from his brothers iron grasp. Duke now narrowed his eyes, his pupils dilating inside his magenta eyes.
"The wizards are off limits," he growled. "Them, their children, their children's children, and every generation after that. If you ever make a move against my friends again Wyatt, I will return and I will not rest until I have watched each and every vampire slowly burn in the morning sun. Don't screw this up Wyatt, you know that I can and will do it. Now, do we have a deal?"
Wyatt glared at his brother, a scowl forming on his face before nodding. Duke wasn't kidding and Wyatt had little doubt that after what he had witnessed Duke would and could make good on his threat. The damphir now released him, Wyatt gasping for breath as Kyra now limped to his side, the two teenage vampires glowering at the damphir as he turned to leave.
Sasha was stunned, unnerved by Dukes brutality and strength. As she watched Duke approach, she could see that despite the feral and angry look on his face, Duke was terrified at what he had done.
The damphirs hands were visibly trembling, a thousand yard stare plastered on the teens face. As Sasha now cautiously reached her hand towards Dukes cheek, he turned away, a melancholy look in his face.
"monster," he whispered.
"No," Sasha whispered, pulling Duke close to her as she squeezed him in a tight hug. Looking into Dukes eyes she could see that they appeared damp with tears. "You're not a monster Duke," she whispered. "You never were. A monster would have killed him, you showed compassion. You spared him and protected me. You're a good man Duke, a compassionate, loving man."
Duke sighed, turning his tears filled eyes towards his girlfriend as she gave him a gentle kiss. "Lets go home," she smiled.
"Hey are you two okay," Niane asked as she ran to join them. Sasha and Duke nodded, the teenage wizard shouldering her boyfriend as they moved away from Wyatt and Kyra.
"We're okay," Sasha said quietly. "What happened to Cass?"
"Oh," Niane stated. "I kinda blasted her through the ceiling. I don't think I killed her but she's probably going to have one heck of a headache later. Good thing too, pretty sure this spell is about to end."
"Good job Niane," Sasha smiled.
"So what now," Duke asked.
"Now we find Lynne," Sasha sighed. "And then we go home."