Caleb frowned as he approached the gates of the Tepes Manor. The trip here had not been easy.
After arriving in the vampire realm, Caleb did his best to avoid contact, ducking down alleys or moving through shadows. The promise he made to Duke meant he would avoid killing if possible. This unfortunately led to problems though. A pair of vampire guards spotting Caleb within 20 minutes of arriving. While Caleb was able to disable the first, the second managed to escape. The Tepes family knew he was coming, meaning this rescue mission just got a lot harder.
Opening the iron gates to the Tepes Manor, Caleb paused. Standing before him were four members of the Five as well as a young man who looked vaguely familiar.
"Cassie, Duchess, Lancelot, and Ken," Caleb stated, his voice low.
"It's Cassandra, you father killing bastard." Cassandra hissed.
"Sorry, I'm guessing Ann's busy." The veteran hunter now locked eyes with the young man. Watching the man's eyes become pools of inky darkness, he quickly realized he wasn't human.
"Can't say I know you though. Got a name?"
"Andrew Tepes," he replied, unsheathing a long sword. "Prince Andrew Tepes and you are not welcome here Moreland!"
Caleb nodded, understanding who this was. Memories now flashed in his mind of a young boy attacking him years ago. A boy who was trying to protect his father.
"I remember you kid," Caleb replied, his shoulders slumping. "Want to apologize for our first meeting, but I can't leave. Not while my kid brother and his friend are here."
"That is not your concern Caleb Moreland," Lancelot exclaimed. "They have made their choice. Lord Wyatt shall now determine their fate."
"Guess we're doing this the hard way then," Caleb sighed, slowly withdrawing a pair of Bowie knives. "Just say I didn't warn you first. Now...let's go."
Caleb now braced himself as four of the five now charged. It quickly became apparent to the young hunter that Andrew was told stay back. Andrew may want to fight, but the Five had their orders. The young prince was to remain safe.
That was Caleb's advantage, one of the few he had. He couldn't kill these vampires, but he could certainly hurt them. All he had to do was out think them and after years of hunting, he was up to the task.
Dodging away from Cassandra and Duchess, Caleb ducked the sword strikes of Ken and Lancelot. He was now one on one with Andrew.
"Let's see what you got kid." Caleb thought as he looked to strike with his knives.
Andrew was well trained, the young dhamphir countering Caleb's attack. If Andrew wasn't trying to kill him, Caleb would be impressed. Still, the dhamphir had a weakness. Training could only take you so far against a seasoned opponent.
Deflecting Andrew's attack, Caleb ducked low, delivering a brutal kick to Andrew's knee before slicing his hamstring. Andrew screamed, dropping to one knee before pushing Caleb back. Caleb's attack was successful though, Andrew's wound would cripple him for the remainder of this fight. In time the dhamphir would heal from the silver knife wounds, just now before Caleb finished them off.
Seeing the young prince in trouble, Cassandra and Duchess lunged forward. Armed with sabres, the two vampires moved with grace and speed. Caleb though was their equal, deflecting their blows and keeping them off balance. Retreating backwards he now drew the two women away, leaving Ken and Lancelot to tend to the prince.
Quickly assessing the two women, Caleb could see they were fast, agile, but nowhere near as strong as either Ken or Lancelot. If he could outmanuever them, he had a chance. Dodging a slash from Cassandra, the hunter now rolled towards Duchess; slashing her along her thigh. A well placed strike to neck and a pistol shot to her forehead now downed Duchess.
"NOOO!"
Caleb turned, noting the anger and despair on Cassandra's face. What the vampire didn't know was that Caleb's pistols were not lethal to vampires, they contained no silver only regular ammunition. Duchess would be fine within an hour, she was simply out of commission for now. Still, Caleb had no intention of telling Cassandra that.
"You murdered her!" Cassandra screamed, tears falling down her cheeks.
"Looks like I did," Caleb smirked. "Just like your daddy years ago. So, what are you going to do about it?"
Cassandra roared, charging towards Caleb. "Good," he thought, blocking her attack. "Get nice and angry. Easier dealing with someone who ain't thinking clearly."
Consumed with rage, Cassandra blindly attacked, her attacks powerful yet clumsy. Caleb remained patient, delivering strikes with his knife, fists, and kicks. The momentary brawl ended when he shot Cassandra in the knee before knocking her out with a well placed punch.
"Two down." he whispered, picking up her sabre.
Turning towards the remaining three, Caleb could see Andrew beginning to recover from his wounds. All three look horrified, having watched Cassandra and Duchess fall before the hunter.
"Lancelot," Ken said solemnly. "Protect the prince. I will deal with the Moreland."
"Ken, no," Andrew exclaimed. "We should work together."
A sad smile now crossed the blind swordsman face. "You have not yet recovered young prince," he said softly. "May my sacrifice buy you the time you need. It...has been an honor to serve you."
Despite Andrew's protests, Ken now stepped forward. The blind swordsman instructing Lancelot to keep the Tepes heir safe. Caleb now held a knife in one hand, a sabre in the other.
"Ain't too late Ken," Caleb called. "Let me pass. All I want is Chase and Aaron. No one else needs to get hurt."
"I have fought all manner of creatures in my two centuries of life Moreland," Ken stated, assuming a fighting position. "And bested most. I look forward to the challenge."
With a yell the two combatants charged one another. Ken's skill was extraordinary, the blind samurai truly a master. Caleb now found himself playing defense, Ken's strikes precise. In a sword fight, Caleb realized Ken's would best him. This, however, was not just a sword fight.
Locking blades with Ken, Caleb quickly withdrew his pistol, unloading the entire clip into Ken's midsection. The blind vampire doubled over, clutching his midsection as Caleb disarmed him.
"Remember when you pinned my father to the wall," he growled. "Let me return the favor!"
With a yell, Caleb sunk Ken's katana deep into the vampires shoulder before delivering a vicious roundhouse kick to his head. Now, only two stood in Caleb's way. The Tepes prince and the vampire knight.
Lancelot now took a step, standing between Caleb and Andrew as the hunter reloaded his pistol.
"You fight without honor Moreland." he growled, holding his sword at the ready.
"Ain't no such thing in a fight," Caleb replied. "And you're old enough to know that. This ain't Camelot so, you gonna let me pass? Or are you going to force me to take you down too?"
"Lancelot, no." Andrew commanded, grabbing the knights arm. Lancelot shrugged off the princess grasp, giving Andrew a reassuring smile.
"I will be alright young master," he said softly. "Your safety is what is important."
"Then I will fight with you," Andrew replied, moving to stand shoulder to shoulder with the legendary knight. "Together we can stop him."
"Let him come Lancelot," Caleb called. "He's old enough to make his own decisions. If he's going to be a leader, you're going to have to let him stand on his own."
Lancelot fidgeted nervously, looking between Andrew and Caleb. Perhaps combined they could overwhelm the hunter. Caleb Moreland already lived up to his legendary reputation, a one on one fight would accomplish little more than adding to the body count.
"Be careful young prince," Lancelot said. "And follow my lead."
With a nod, the vampire and his dhamphir pupil charged forward, looking to take Caleb out as quickly as possible. Holstering his pistol, Caleb withdrew his knife once more, using that and the vampire's sabre to deflect his opponents blows. Lancelot lived up to his reputation, the legendary knight proving to be an even better swordsman than Ken. What surprised Caleb though was Andrew.
Andrew was well trained, combining a mixture of both Lancelot and Ken's techniques. It made defending the dhamphir's blows unpredictable, forcing Caleb backwards. The hunter couldn't keep this up for long, he needed an opening.
Dodging another attack from Lancelot, Caleb lunged at Andrew, slashing the dhamphir along the arm. Caleb's attack was precise, cutting the muscle along the dhamphirs arm. Andrew's arm fell limply to his side, causing Lancelot to kick Caleb away. Tumbling backwards, Caleb now took the opportunity to strike.
Delivering a sweeping kick to Lancelot's leg caused the knight to fall to one knee. While Caleb's leg ached from the blow, it gave him the opportunity to withdraw his pistol. Firing his weapon, Caleb struck the knight in the throat and forehead, Lancelot falling backwards. Like Cassandra, he would recover in time, but not before he could disable Andrew.
Roaring at the supposed demise of his master, Andrew struck, slashing Caleb across the chest. "Monster!" he yelled, trying to skewer Caleb. The hunter dodged, wincing from the wound before blocking another attack from Andrew. Despite the dhamphir fighting with only one arm, he was proving to be a challenge to the veteran hunter.
Collecting himself, Caleb now found himself in a life or death struggle with the young prince. Andrew's attacks were lethal, Caleb doing his best to defend. The hunters only hope now was to systematically disable Andrew. Dodging another sword strike, Caleb slashed Andrew along the thigh, leaving deep gashes that slowed Andrew.
Andrew remained undeterred by his injuries, fighting with a manic violence that came close to overwhelming Caleb. Having no other choice, Caleb withdrew his pistol, firing a shot that shattered Andrew's knee before shooting Andrew in his good shoulder. Andrew collapsed, Caleb delivering a knee to the young man's face, causing him to spit blood as he fell backwards. Quickly, Caleb now kicked Andrew's sword away, pointing his gun at the young dhamphir.
"Do it," Andrew spat, grimacing up at Caleb. "I always knew you were a monster Caleb Moreland!"
"I ain't no monster kid," Caleb said softly. "Just a guy trying to save his baby brother."
For a moment the duo looked at one another, Andrew's chest rising and falling quickly as he prepared for death. "You fought well kid," Caleb stated. "And I ain't going to kill you. I didn't kill the others."
"What?!"
"They ain't dead," Caleb said. "They'll be fine in an hour or two, so will you. Stay down though, fights over."
"I won't let you pass," Andrew growled, trying to stand.
"You can't even stand right now," Caleb replied. "No one else is going to get hurt. I'm just taking my brother and his friend home. That's it."
Andrew said nothing, continuing to glare at the man who had haunted his dreams since he was a small child. He felt like a failure, his eyes beginning to fill with tears.
"I failed."
"You didn't," Caleb countered, holstering his pistol. "Know that...and know I will never trouble you again after today. Take care of yourself Andrew, you got a bright future ahead of ya."
As Caleb now left, he could continue to hear the ragged breathing of the young Tepes prince. In time, he hoped the young man would learn from this battle and be better for it. For now though, he needed to find Chase and Aaron, and make sure they got home safely.