Shall We Meet (Part 4)

Ashley could feel pain surging from the wound. Collapsing to the ground together with him on top of Aoki. His fangs bared he glared down at the vampire with detest raging inside him. Something was not right with the wound he had received from the dagger.

No, the dagger was coated in something? Or perhaps something else was used when creating it? His body was growing weaker as time passed and the weapon had accelerated that fact. A slight trembling from his body at the strange feeling.

BAM!

Aoki's knee slammed upward into Ashley causing him to collapse to the ground beside him. Pulling his dagger back to him as he gracefully climbed back up to his feet.

"Huff.. Huff..." Ashley breathed heavily while his expression was beginning to look pale.

"Fufufu," Aoki chuckled to himself down at the weakened Ashley. "You really are reckless for those two. Is it satisfying being like that?"

Master should be far enough by now.. Ashley thought to himself as he tried to stabilize his breathing.

"Don't worry. You wont suffer for long." Aoki spoke in a hurried tone as he pointed his dagger downward at Ashley. "I will even send those two off with you soon."

Should I just kill him? Ashley pondered that thought as he glared at him. He could see the starved look in Aoki's eyes as the pink jewel eyed vampire ran his tongue slowly across the point of his fangs desiring after the taste of fresh blood.

No, master is waiting for me. I can't act rashly right now. Ashley shoved that idea aside.

"Heh." Ashley smiled as he thought it felt nice having somewhere he belonged after such a long time being chained up as a slave. Over the years countless others had looked at him. Many people had the chance to give his life purpose after he fell into that hell due to his own mistake in the past. Since Ashley had been a vampire with such a past behind him nobody had been willing to grant him a chance til his master came along.

"That will never happen." Ashley declared. He would never allow someone to take from him what he had waited so long to obtain.

"Hmm?" Aoki could not understand the motivation behind the determination that Ashley showed. In his current state he looks like he could collapse soon even if left alone. The poison in the blade coursing throughout Ashley's body.

"You," Ashley paused for a moment. Forcing a polite smile to his face. "If you want to live much longer you better learn to respect your superiors."

"Hah?!" Aoki could not stop himself from laughing. Uncertain if Ashley had lost his mind due to the poison in his body or simply wanted to mock him while looking as horrible as he did.

"Have you really-?!" Aoki's words were stopped.

BAM! CLANG!

Ashley slammed against Aoki. His blood scythe causing a loud echoing sound to reverberate in the air as he sent the dagger flying out of Aoki's hand while striking at the vampire's weapon from the side of his hand. The dagger landed with a thud to the ground.

That would not be enough for Ashley in his current state to be able to confront Aoki. Taking advantage of the opening he sped off. His body flashing past werewolf knights on the battlefield. All his senses were in a poor state but he could still feel the vampire behind him. He had to get away quickly if he was going to keep his life.

Aoki was dazed for a second at the sight of Ashley using the strength he had left to escape. However he would never leave his dagger behind. It was something he had carried with him for ages. Walking over to the dagger he bent down to pick it back up. Running his finger carefully along the dagger. The dagger was harmless to touch, but deadly when it inflicted a wound on a vampire.

His wound will need treated properly soon or he will die on his own without needing assistance. Aoki knew how dangerous his dagger was. He was the one who designed it himself. Any vampire wounded by his dagger could recognize what was wrong with them. It was not a secret poison that vampires would be unable to recognize when it was inside their body.

Aoki smiled as Ashley vanished. His senses expanding as he tried to locate his prey. They could not hide from him forever after showing themselves to him.

"Huff.. Huff.. Huff.." Ashley's breathing was becoming more haggard. The skin on his body around the stab wound was becoming darkened from the poison. Becoming an ash grey color as he bled.

Although vampires did not bleed as heavily as regular mortals they were still able to bleed. Though their blood was different from mortals because it was what gave them the gift of semi-immortality and protected them from normal poisons and illnesses. The cost they had to pay for semi-immortality was their thirst for blood. The immortality they held was only considered a semi-immortality because they could still die. Vampires were not impossible to kill and the ways to kill them were not a secret kept from the world.

Wood, Fire, Beheading, and of course..

"Dead man's blood.." Ashley hid on the branch of a tree as he tried to remain standing after losing track of Aoki. His entire body trembled as he forced his senses to keep an eye on everything around him. Unable to sense his master's direction properly he could only stand there and try to catch his breath.

"Dangerous.. He's dangerous.. Fusing dead man's blood into the creation of that blade.." Ashley understood what was wrong with him.

The reason that Aoki was able to easily slice his way through his own kind was not only his skills. Aoki's blade was special made with the blood of the dead infused into the blade. It was a poison that could drop a vampire dead if it was left for long. All it took was the blade hitting the right place in a vampire and the death would be instantaneous.

The vampire would be unaware of the fact they were killed if Aoki struck them in the right place. It was the executioners habit to torture his victims with pain before they died that slowed down many of the deaths that the man caused. After being a victim himself of torture and experimentation as a child that was just the form of death Aoki learned to give those who died by his own hands. The pain that the world inflicted on him he returned back to the world when he fought.

Master, I will find you soon.. Ashley held his wound as he could feel his own hunger rising due to the damage that his body could not heal on its own. The only way he could heal himself from dead man's blood coursing throughout him was to feed. He could not allow himself to become desperate like Aoki. With himself poisoned by the dagger he had to locate Vorbuk quickly.

No matter how weak Ashley felt he could not abandon his duty. Somewhere in the distance his master needed him to return to his side alive. Wounded he forced his body to push on even as the pain in his body felt like it was boiling hot and tearing him apart internally.