I am looking at a vampire right now. A vampire, I have to add vampires to the list. Why do things always get complicated? It is more frustrating because it only makes my plan more difficult. I now notice how pale Isabella is, it did nothing to take away from her attractiveness. However, the fangs are a clear indication. I watch the woman carefully. No doubt she is having a bad night, and here I am, ready to make it worst.

“A gift?” Isabella asked. She looks taken aback by the voice. I could not blame her, it even surprised me. I prepare another speech thread, copying the format of the last one.

“Yes, a gift.”

“What kind of gift.” Isabella said. She licks the blood off her fingers. I already know that talking to her is not going to solve anything, but I might as well try.

“The gift of change.”

“You’re really beating around the bush here. Tell me what you want.”

“Take me to your boss”

The woman bows over laughing. I cannot remember saying anything funny. I should have thought about what I am going to say, before coming down here. The laugh is uncontrolled and lasted almost fifteen seconds. I am not happy about being laughed at.

“Does no one in this damn part of the city know who they are messing with.” Isabella said. Her hand is still on the pommel of the sword. You would think that she would take it out of the sheath. But, she seems to like keeping her sword in her scabbard.

Judging by how she killed the two others, she seemed to only unsheathe the sword to strike to kill. Her sword movements are quick. Since becoming a skeleton, I know my strength and speed has improved, but I am unsure about testing that speed and strength against her.

I shrug, not really caring what she thought. And, I really did not care who I messed with. I start to weave a very impressive speech spell. I have gotten used to weaving speech spells, to the point that, simple words and sentences are possible. I try to keep the sentences simple, and use basic words. The spell I am weaving is a speech spell, but it is more compact and took much longer to weave.

I draw my khopesh slowly, and let it hang at my side. Isabella moves closer, she looks frustrated by my presence. The vampire began to charge, and damn she is swift. If not for the souls I’ve previously absorbed, I wasn’t sure I could raise my hand in time.

I unleashed the speech weave. A huge explosion of sound burst fought from my hand. I change the threads, so that the sound would follow the path of my hand, instead of spreading out in a circle. This is so the sound will be contained, which made it more effect when it hit the vampire’s body. It also avoided anyone who is not near the sound ray. Which means that it cannot be heard outside of the sound wave

Isabella hands move to cover her ears, but that did very little. She trips and rolls over several times. Her whole world is probably shaking. I am hoping she is a vampire, and not some immortal, skeleton slaying beast. At least then it would be a race, I am somewhat familiar with. And, I am betting her hearing is quite fucked right now. Though that spell took a good chunk of mana, and it takes too long to weave. Though, it was totally worth it. Another spell to add to my arsenal.

I thought about using the reverse repair spell, but I do not want to kill her. However, she is a vampire, how would I even kill her if it I need to. Do I stab her with a stake in the heart? Or, pray while holding up whatever this world's version of a cross is. Or, is it the supernatural way, slice her heads off.

I watch as Isabella attempts to push herself off the ground. Her knees and elbows are bloody and scraped from her fall. I step on her elbow, breaking her arm. She did not scream, instead she just drops onto the ground.

“Real nice there, do you treat all the ladies like that?” Isabella said, her words are like a whip. I should have stepped on her face, maybe then she would have stayed quiet. I wanted to sigh. I want to kill her, but I have to think of the bigger picture. I do not have anything to lose, besides my life of course, if I can even call this life. If it is possible to take control of one of these gangs then getting souls when I need them will be easy.

No one would notice a few missing criminals every now and then. It will definitely be nice to have some people to lord over. I did already have Thea and Jax, they seem like they would follow most things I tell them to do. The problem is, I just did not know what I can and cannot tell them to do. Anyway, back to business, I have a vampire to break, literally.

“Just the blood sucking ones.” I said to her, casting a quick speech spell.

“Well, now I really have to kill you since you saw that.” Isabella said, in a soft voice. I keep quiet even though I want to laugh a bit. Technically speaking, I am already dead.

I move around her body, so I can break her other arm. But, with her remaining arm, she twists her body, spinning and pushing herself up to her leg. Damn, she is good. I hastily take several steps backwards; it is best to give her some distance. That is something the dead people lying on the ground did not do.

I hold the khopesh steady in front of me with one hand. I could feel the cold metal handle of the khopesh, through my gloved gauntlets. I start to weave another speech spell, just in case I might need it.

Isabella charges towards me. Instead of running towards me in a straight line, she zig zagged towards me. She is probably trying to make it difficult for me to hit her another spell.

I cast the spell, changing the threads of the spell, so the sound can spread out. It would be reduced but she could not dodge this. It didn’t work. She raises her hands to her ears, making the spell is too weak to affect her.

I have no choice. This fight would be sword to sword. I take two steps backwards, then another two. I want to give myself some space and hopefully even half a second of time extra. Isabella draws her sword, she is swift, but I can see gleam of the sword as it rapidly glides through the moonlight.

I parry Isabella’s sword stroke. The knight’s memories push forth to the forefront of my mind. Sparks erupted from our sword clash. Isabella swings again and I block her sword again. The sound of steel clashing with steel fills the air.

However, I am being push back. She is better at using the sword than I. I have to take a risk, if I want to subdue her. I let my guard down purposely, letting my block become lazy and slow. Isabella feinted to the left, and I try to block, but her sword is already coming at my right.

I feel the touch of cold steel after it rips through my cloak, and slides between my ribs. Isabella went for my heart, sly bitch. I even pretending to be surprised, shaking a little to act as if it had been actually hurt.

“Tonight has been fun mage. I hope you aren't as stupid in the next life.” Isabella said, in that same soft, flirty voice.

I cast a quick, simple, but long speech spell.

I laugh. I just laughed, loud and clear enough for her to hear. I had lots of fun making that laugh spell. I bet it is fun when the tables get turned.

“Oh, that tickles” I said, casting another quick speech spell. I think the surprise on her face is the best emotion she has shown tonight. I reach out quickly, and hold onto her hand. I bring the edge of my khopesh down onto her arm. I slice her arm in half, there is not much blood spurting about, it must be a vampire thing.

I push Isabella back with my hand. The shock on her face is still there. She trips after several bad steps back, and falls on the dirt and gravel that is the ground. I walk up to her, and put my foot on her stomach, holding her down. I slide my khopesh back into the sheath, inside my cloak. I made sure to keep my exposed bones. Not that I care if she did see me like this, but it could jeopardize her telling me what I want.

“Shit! Who are you!” Isabella shouted. Then she looks over me. Her eye brows raise in surprise. “You don’t have a heart beat…. are you-”

“I told you. I’m the gift.”

“Who sent you?”

“No one sends me anywhere.”

“You expect me to believe that you’re attacking a syndicate by yourself.”

“Yes.”

“Well-”

“Enough! Take me to your leader.”

“At least carry me out for dinner first.” She said, then tries to get up. Is she really trying to flirt with me in a time like this. I push her back down with my feet. She did not seem annoyed by it, just interested in looking at me. I move my other leg atop her foot, then I press it down on her leg and broke her bone as I stand on top of her.

“That feels so good. You certainly know how to make me tingle inside.” She said in the same flirty voice. This is starting to get frustrating. I had a vampire who did not feel pain. Maybe she did feel pain and just loves it too much. A masochist vampire, I just had to find the hardest person to threaten. I move my foot up more, and broke another part of her leg.

“You know, you got some balls. I do like a man with a nice pair of balls, but this is getting nowhere, you might as well break all my bones, I’m not carrying you to the Don.” Isabella said, I think she lost the will to even get up. She is probably hoping I would give up, I still had a lot of night left, and many more bones to break.

I start breaking her bones, one by one. I crack her ribs, and break her legs, and several places on her arm and shoulder. Her face looks please after I am done.

“I didn’t think you would take me seriously.”

“That’s your mistake”

“ Look, we can still turn this around, I can pay you, or we could always go back to my place, if you're interested in something else…You don’t have any more bones to break.” She said, returning to that soft flirty voice. Her words gave me an idea. I can break all the bones I want. If she was going to play this waiting game, then I could to as well. I can simply heal a couple of her bones, and break them all over again. I step off Isabella.

I began to weave a healing spell. Since I am more proficient in healing bone threads than the repair threads, so the weaving is quicker compared to healing the bear. I did not have to hold Isabella down. She is practically paralyzed now, vampire or not, breaking so many bones will stop you from moving. I pressed my hands against her leg.

“Well, we can do some of the foot stuff, if that’s what gets you on.” Isabella said.

I unleashed my healing spell on her leg. I am not too concerned about the waste of mana. I would quite a bit, to heal all the breaks. I had gathered quite a bit of mana from the six souls I absorbed, so it did not bother me. This would have to be a good investment of course.

Isabella began to scream. Which startled me. She screams and screams, begging for it to stop. It is the first time she looks at me with terror and fear in her eyes. As if I am a monster. This is genuine fear and horror. And, the fact that she cannot run, only makes it worst. When I remove my hand her flesh looks burnt. Her skin looks like red hot charcoal; she is still screaming even though the spell had finished almost two minutes ago. What is going on? All I did was try to heal her.

“PLEASE! Stop, I’ll take you, I’ll take you! Just make it stop ancient one, make it stop!” Isabella yelled, as her flesh burnt.