(co-written by O)
Lloyd Wyman had collected more supplies from the hardware store for fixing up his house. He had gotten plenty of looks from women who shopped at the hardware store, he was used to it. He had kept in pretty good shape since leaving his previous employment and being exiled.
No one really would suspect what Lloyd Wyman's previous job had been and he was fine keeping others in the dark about it. He turned on his car's radio to listen to old classic rock from the 1970s, he had grown fond of it when he visited the local bar in town and spoken with some of the other residents, particularly Bruce Springsteen.
Lloyd preferred solitude to the company of others, even if he did visit town from time to time, just so people wouldn't question him, or be frightened of him. He had been lucky to find an abandoned house in the Great Slave Lake area. A home positioned in between the two largest towns in the southern portion of the Northwest Territory. It allowed Lloyd the option of traveling to either, just in case he was recognized. Driving to his house, he took a deep breath, even if it was pretty cold out, he didn't really feel it, being what he was. Just plain old, ordinary Lloyd Wyman. He now made his way to the rustic front door of his home, before a voice called out to him.
"Excuse me, are you Mister Lloyd Wyman?" A voice called out to him from behind.
Lloyd Wyman turned around and saw a man in his mid twenties standing there with full brown hair and a beard. He was a little shocked to see anyone out here at this time of day.
"Can I help you with something? You don't look like a delivery guy, and I certainly didn't order anything from uber eats today." Lloyd Wyman joked.
"Funny, but no, I was actually hoping you could help me in finding someone." The bearded man asked.
"Go ask the mounties, I'm not in the business of serving anyone." Lloyd said as he turned around to open his door.
"But you used to be, didn't you?" The bearded man asked as the man paused holding his hand on the doorknob.
"You served someone in another...country if you will, kind of young, but part of a long legacy, until you betrayed their trust." The bearded man said as Lloyd turned around shaking his head with a smile.
"Look, sir, I....honestly haven't a clue what the hell you're talking about. Now, I say this with the utmost kindness. Get the fuck off my property or I'm calling the cops on you." Lloyd said through his smiling teeth.
"It wasn't easy to find you. You hid well away for years, until a security camera found you. We couldn't verify you at first, because of your I.D.. But that's where you played a clever game on everyone. You legally changed your name to Lloyd Wyman, because no one would believe your actual name. A name that most people would know from a famous book or film, isn't that right, Hannibal?" The bearded man asked as Lloyd or Hannibal grew frustrated with this man.
"I don't like you coming here, and accusing me of being someone you think I am, now for the last time, get the hell off of my.....property?" Hannibal said as a band of metal wrapped around his hand.
"Yeah, I'm not exactly a normal human. Nat, you're up!" Tom shouted as a red-haired woman jumped onto his shoulders Tom now cast a spell, wrapping Hannibal's wrists in metallic bands while Natalia MacGregor tried to hit Hannibal's pressure points on his body.
Hannibal winced as Nat was hitting his pressure points as Tom held him down. Hannibal grunted, sweeping Tom's legs from underneath him. Realizing the danger he was in, the vampire now reached up, grasping Nat by her leg.
"Get off!" he roared, wrapping his massive hand around the dhamphir's leg before throwing her like a frisbee. Nat flipped through the air, landing on her feet next to Tom. Obviously the elite vampire was going to put their skills to the test.
"You think....you can stop me?!" Hannibal shouted, lunging at Nat. Quickly becoming intangible, Hannibal's attack passed through her, leaving him off balance as she looked to counter attack. After years of training with Akira, the dhamphir was a formidable fighter. Countering his attacks, Nat delivered several blows if her own trying to keep the massive vampire off balance.
Hannibal grunted as Nat delivered a spin kick to his face. Blocking a follow up attack, Hannibal struck Nat across the face. As he tried to move forward, he felt a chain around his neck tighten as Tom looked to give Nat an opening. Instead, the vampire roared, tearing his door from its hinges before heaving it at Tom. who covered himself in metal armor
"I was....the strongest vampire in the Tepes family for years, and you half-pints think you can come here and what? Come to arrest me? Kill me? I don't care who you think you are, but no pathetic secret government wizard or dhampir punk can stop me!" Hannibal shouted as he finally knocked Tom flat on the ground and raised his fist up to smash Tom's face in.
"MISTER HANNIBAL, STOP!" A beautiful 20 year-old girl shouted rushing quickly in front of Hannibal. He saw this young girl was dressed in fashionable yet beautiful clothes. She had chocolate brown hair that fell past her shoulders and emerald green eyes. What made Hannibal pause was the fact that this girl was a dhamphir.
"I don't know who you are, but you best get out of my way child." Hannibal warned her.
"But you do know me mister Hannibal. It's me: Princess Andromeda Tepes. Remember me? I called you 'Teddy' when I first saw you because I thought you were as big as a teddy bear." Andromeda said as Hannibal looked directly into her eyes and he did recognize the girl as Andromeda Tepes and dropped onto his knees.
"My....my princess! Oh my god, please, forgive me your highness." Hannibal begged through his tears. "Have....have you come to finally kill me? Or has your father forgiven me for my actions?" He continued to ask through his tears.
"No Mister Hannibal, we need you to come with me and them, it's important to them. It's important to us. Chase, you can come out now!" Andromeda called out to Chase as he walked over to Hannibal's side.
"Mister Hannibal, this is my boyfriend, Chase Moreland. Our families have been enemies for years but we fell in love with each other and my father is allowing this to happen for my happiness. But to close the case on what happened to Chase's brother, we need your help mister Hannibal. Please, do it for me, for us, for our future together." Andromeda asked as she held Chase's hand tightly.
Hannibal now wiped his eyes of his tears.
"Dear princess Andromeda, I failed your father's trust years ago. But I see this as my chance to gain it back. I will comply, for you, dear princess." Hannibal said with a bow.
Tom and Nat looked at each other with a nod as they saw this as progress, despite their bruises they had gotten. But then again, it was part of their job.