As Director Farrow led the retreat, the spear on his back kept glowing, though he barely noticed. What took up most of his attention was the red glow over the forest. It seemed to be fading, and looking up, Farrow saw that strange red cloud disappearing. For a moment, he stopped, frozen with astonishment, but soon a smile ran down his face. Alice and the others had successfully stopped the ritual.

Gunfire still sounded throughout the forest as darkness settled over them. Soon the only light came from the stars above and the flashlights on the hunter’s guns. The only downside of the ritual being defeated was the new lack of visibility. Before Farrow could worry about that, however, he got a message from his communicator.

“This is captain Reinhardt.”

“Go ahead,” said Farrow.

“We’ve successfully freed the werewolves from the hex field. We’re prepared to assault the vampires.”

“Excellent,” said Farrow. “I’ll move our main forces east. You prepare to…”

“Director!” Captain Wagner suddenly interjected. “I have a better idea.”

“What are you thinking?”

“I’m already in position,” said Wagner. “I’ve been paying attention to where the trapdoors are, and I believe I’ve deduced where the tunnels go. Captain Reinhardt, prepare to move. You’ll know what to do.”

Further back into the forest, Captain Reinhardt raised an eyebrow. A moment later, however, she heard Captain Wagner’s thunderous footsteps. The large man had shouldered his water cutter and carried Forseti’s axe as he ran through the forest. Soon Wagner swung the axe at the ground and opened a fissure, exposing the stone tunnels beneath. Soon he swung again to reveal another tunnel, and by the third tunnel, Reinhardt grinned, getting the idea.

“Werewolf division!” shouted captain Reinhardt. “Attack pattern 5C. Go!”

Captain Reinhardt, Marcia Perez, and the other werewolf tamers came as close to the tunnels as they dared. The vampires within the tunnels had already raised spears and crossbows and ran to the fissures to prepare for an attack, but they were met with a hail of bullets. A handful of vampires managed to shoot crossbow bolts, striking a few hunters, but the sudden Night Hunter attacks ultimately sent their ranks into chaos.

A moment later, the hunters whistled, sending their werewolves down into the tunnels. Most of the vampires fled in terror, screeching as they were caught and ripped apart by werewolf teeth and claws. A few vampires tried to stand their ground, stabbing the werewolves with silver tipped spears, but even they were eventually put down, their limbs ripped apart and their blood staining the stone floor.

Marcia dropped down into the tunnel with the other hunters, and up ahead they could see the werewolves at work. It was an intimidating, savage display, but oddly enough, Marcia felt some comfort from it, grateful that the savagery was directed at the enemy and not them.

“This ought to turn things around,” she said.

###

“Get up!” Alice told herself through the pain. “Get up!”

Everyone else was frozen in astonishment. Gordon, Jasmine, and Jaiden watched as the red smoke disappeared from above the seal platform, awe in their eyes. Lord Victor and Harold Stone stared at the dead witch in shock, their plans fading before their eyes. The vampire reinforcements near one of the bridge entrances still cradled their ears from the sound of the gunshot. All felt a wringing in their ears as drops of blood continued to fall from them. The only person moving was Alice, forcing herself to get up even as her ears throbbed with pain.

Harold Stone didn’t hear as Alice Hayes sheathed her Muramasa, quickly retrieved the other one, and then began running forward, directly to where her brother was still chained to stone slab. The robed vampires who’d been surrounding Arthur Hayes began to sit up, their staffs laying uselessly beside them.

And soon the ringing began to clear from their ears and the two elder vampires slowly started to hear Alice running next to the line of dead vampires felled by her bullet. Their daze lasted for just a moment longer, and then a fierce rage began to well up inside them. Lord Victor contacted the other vampires telepathically, standing beside the bridge’s railing.

“The crucivire is useless to us now,” said Victor. “Kill them all, starting with Agent Phoenix.”

At the end of a bridge, the vampire reinforcements shook their heads and started running forward. At the same time Harold Stone stood up and drew his two swords while the vampires near Arthur stood and drew their own. Alice saw this from afar and almost reached for the Muramasa at her side as well as the one in her hand.

“No!” she cried. “Arthur!”

Arthur Hayes, growling, bit his tongue as much as he dared and spit blood onto his chest. The vampires surrounding him, still a little dazed from the massive gunshot, felt the scent of that blood overwhelm their senses. Their eyes grew wide as they stood there for a second or two before ultimately succumbing to their blood lust and leaning over him. Arthur gritted his teeth as the vampires bit into his flesh from all over.

“Stop it you fools!” cried Harold. He then growled and ran forward to attack the crucivire himself but was cut short. Alice, screaming, finally reached the seal platform and attacked before Harold could reach Arthur, barely managing to cut one of Harold’s wings to prevent him from flying. Alice attacked furiously, but the elder vampire gave Alice no openings as he deflected her katana with his two short swords.

Meanwhile, Lord Victor leapt into the air over the still dazed Gordon Brand. As the elder vampire flew high above, Gordon pursued as he sent a mental command to Jaiden and Jasmine.

“You two,” Gordon told them. “Hold off the reinforcements.”

“You sure?” they asked in unison.

“I’m sure,” said Gordon. “Fighting the elders and the warriors at the same time isn’t working. Go!”

Jaiden and Jasmine hesitated for just a moment, but ultimately obeyed, running down the bridge while Gordon ran in the opposite direction. As Gordon pursued Victor, Archibald Jackanape finally stood and shook his head. Looking around, the vampire clown heard both Victor flying over him and Gordon running up. Archibald stepped in front of the Dhampir, and Gordon stopped, raising Excalibur as Cora’s face flashed through his mind.

“Sorry my good fellow,” said Archibald. “Can’t let you take another step.”

As Alice’s sword clashed against Harold’s, the vampires drinking from Arthur backed away, his poison blood finally ending them. They fell to the stone floor in the light of the seal, their glamours fading as their bodies underwent various stages of decay. Two became fresh corpses, three became completely desiccated, and the remaining four turned into skeletons laying in a bed of dust.

As Alice fought with Harold, both heard Victor flapping his wings as he approached rapidly. Harold didn’t bother trying to attack Phoenix. He’d let Victor do that while he held Alice at bay. It would be foolish to show his back to an enemy anyway.

Alice, meanwhile, knew she didn’t stand a chance against two elders, so she thought of a plan. Alice darted left and right, trying to get past the elder and to her brother. Harold blocked her way at every turn of course, but Alice knew it wouldn’t be easy to get past him. While she wasn’t willing to risk wielding two Muramasas again, Alice did move one way, touch the handle of the second cursed katana for just a second, then dart the other way. The small burst of speed was just enough to take Harold off guard and allow Alice to slip past him.

“No!” cried Harold, pursuing.

Right at that moment, Lord Victor dived down, directly to the stone slab Arthur was chained to.

Alice sent to Arthur, “Get ready.”

Arthur clenched his teeth as Alice cried out, swinging her sword as hard as she could. The cursed blade cut through the chains holding Arthur’s wrists down as Alice twisted to stop with the second Muramasa at her hip right next to Arthur’s hand.

Above, Lord Victor screamed as he brought down Gram just as Harold Stone raised his two Greek swords. Moving fast, Arthur grabbed the sword at Alice’s hip and sat up as fast as he could, the katana unsheathing with his movement. Arthur then dove forward, his body narrowly missing the three magic swords as Victor and Harold brought them down on the stone slab. In the same movement, Arthur’s body lifted into the air, the chains at his feet growing taught. Twisting his body, Arthur bent down, cut the chains at his feet, and flipped, his feet going over his head before coming back down. Gram and the two Greek swords hit the floor, splitting the stone slab into several pieces, and a moment later, Athur landed in a crouch.

As Arthur stood, Alice ran up beside him, and they each gave each other encouraging looks before turning their attention to the elder vampires. As Harold Stone stepped up to Victor the two Crucivire’s lifted their Muramasa blades and prepared to fight. As the two elder vampires stood side by side, they hissed, and Alice couldn’t help but notice that both of their glamours were slipping, wisps of smoke revealing grey skin underneath. In all the time Alice had spent with Victor, she’d never seen him without his glamour, not once.

“They’re mine,” said Victor mentally.

Harold raised an eyebrow, “Are you sure?”

“I am,” said Victor. “Dispose of the two rookies, then help Archibald with Gordon.”

“Thanks,” Archibald suddenly interjected telepathically. “I could use someone watching my back. I promise to watch yours in return, I just wish you’d be nicer to me Mr. Stoneface.”

Harold took a deep breath and gave Victor a look that said, ‘must I?’ and Victor nodded.

“I will have my vengeance with my own two hands,” said Victor.

Harold sighed, “As you wish,” and then checked to make sure his wing was healed. Satisfied, he flapped them once and leapt into the air.

As Arthur and Alice watched him go, Alice contacted Arthur telepathically, “Are you worried about the others?”

“A little,” Arthur replied. “But we have our own problems.” He paused, “I don’t think either of us can beat Victor Alone.”

He sounded pained to say it, and Alice nodded.

“Then we’ll fight together,” said Alice. “Like we always should have.”

“Amen to that.”

Lord Victor regarded them angrily as his glamour continued to fade. With half of his face looking human and the other half a monster, Victor pointed Gram at Alice.

“You’re going to regret interfering with my plans, Alice,” said the Elder Vampire. “Mark my words.”

“Too late,” said Arthur. “We already regret ever seeing your face.”

Alice grinned, and even Victor growled before his glamour faded completely, revealing the vampire beneath. His lavish coat became little more than tattered rags, his skin became dark and leathery, and his eyes turned red and fierce. Quick as a flash, Victor snarled and rushed forward, swinging Gram with animal fury. Alice and Arthur traded blows with the vampire, sparks flying as they fought him with intense focus in their eyes.

Further back along one of the bridges, Gordon and Archibald paused when they realized that Agent Phoenix was free. Archibald jumped backwards and looked behind him. Gordon took a moment to look down the bridge in relief before turning his attention to the vampire that killed Cora. Archibald, watching the fight near the seal, shook his head. Unlike Victor, his glamour remained in place, still showing the clown makeup with a white face and painted beard.

“Bother,” said Archibald. “This has certainly been a disappointing evening.”

Archibald suddenly turned his head back around and blocked Excalibur with Tizona. Tiona’s aura of fear seemed to have no effect on Gordon, who fought angrily. Gordon still had Cora’s face in his mind, and it was enough motivation to cut through the fear. He did lament that he wouldn’t be able to help the Hayes siblings, but he knew Archibald wouldn’t let him pass without a fight.

And things got worse when Gordon saw Harold fly overhead, realizing instantly that he was after the two young ones.

“No!” cried Gordon, almost turning to follow. He was forced to defend himself from Archibald, however, and couldn’t pursue.

“Careful, careful,” teased Archibald as they traded more sword swings. “Turning your back on me is a mistake, even if turning your back on them gets them killed. No matter which way you turn your back, someone’s getting stabbed. Oh, my!! What a conundrum!”

“Shut up!”

Further along the bridge, Jasmine and Jaiden Cut down vampire warriors left and right. With magic swords, the warrior class vampires were no match for them, even as they desperately followed the will of their master. However, as they fought, they felt images from Gordon Brand warning them about the elder vampire chasing them they felt a chill. They couldn’t fight the warriors and the elder at the same time, and neither was skilled enough to handle an elder alone.

“Not good,” said Jasmine.

Grimacing, the two of them began to despair. Jaiden, however, suddenly felt a familiar presence in his mind, one he hadn’t sensed since the battle began. Though he was reluctant, he knew what he had to do.

“You can handle the warriors, right?” he asked telepathically as he kept cutting vampires down.

“Jaiden, you can’t!” Jasmine shouted back with her mind as she set some vampires on fire. “You’re no match for…”

“We don’t have a choice!” Jaiden shouted back. “Can you handle them?”

Jasmine, reluctantly, replied, “Yeah. I can take these guys.”

“Good.”

Jaiden turned and ran to meet the elder vampire, his entire body shaking. With a flaming sword, it wasn’t hard for Jasmine to cut the warrior clash vampires down and hold them at bay. What was difficult was keeping her back turned on Jaiden, but Jasmine kept her eyes forward anyway.

Jaiden, for his part, saw the elder vampire flying down on him, and contacted that presence in his mind.

“Where were you before?” Jaiden asked.

“My apologies,” said Jacqueline Castellane. “Something was interfering. I believe Victor’s ritual prevented telepathy at such a long distance, but don’t worry. I’m here now, and I can help you.”

Harold, flying above, grew confused at one of the rookie night hunters challenging him directly, but didn’t question it for long. The elder vampire swooped down, swinging his swords with all his might, hoping to end the young man with a single blow.

Jaiden deflected both blades with surprising ease then jumped up to cut one of Harold’s wings. The elder vampire dropped to the ground, rolling to a stand, then attacked Jaiden as fast as he could. Jaiden blocked easily, a cocky grin on his face, and Harold grimaced. A Moment later Harold jumped back and stared angrily; his swords spread out at his sides. He knew that this young man hadn’t been fighting so skillfully before, and in his anger his glamour rippled further.

“I know that fighting style,” said Harold.

“Hey Harold,” said Jacqueline through Jaiden’s mouth. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Harold shook his head, “It’s such a shame you created a crucivire. You’re wasted as the hunters’ pet. You should have accepted the death owed you with dignity.”

“Pet, am I?” asked Jacqueline. “And yet were I to do the bidding of you vampires, you’d put me down like a rabid dog. Such a fate is not out of the question for you if you continue to fight for that side, so between the two of us, who’s really the pet?”

“Enough,” said Harold through gritted teeth. “It’s too bad I can’t kill you here and now. I’ll just have to cut this young man up while you watch through his eyes.”

Now, where have I heard that before? Jacqueline asked herself as she guided Jaiden’s body to defeat Harold. Harold’s glamour fell away completely, revealing his vampiric face and torn rags underneath. Soon his two Greek swords clanged against Mistilteinn, which whistled in glee at the ongoing battle.

Bathed in the light of the red, glowing sphere that was the magic seal, Alice and Arthur clashed blades with Lord Victor, his hideous vampiric face grimacing as sparks flew from the magic swords. While the two crucivire’s were faster when using the cursed katanas, Lord Victor still had no trouble deflecting them both with skilled precision.

Using telepathy, the siblings fought as one, each moving to get on either side of the elder vampire. Lord Victor sidestepped them adeptly, which meant they couldn’t surround him no matter how hard they tried. While the two Muramasas never came within an inch of Victor’s skin, Gram came within a hair’s width of scratching theirs. Both Alice and Arthur could feel a searing heat as the edge of Gram nearly sliced them. In one rare moment, the pair managed to get on either side of him, but it only took one quick beat of his wings to leap above their heads, letting them cut empty air.

A moment later, Victor landed on Alice’s shoulders, his claws digging into her shoulders as she cried out in pain. She tried to swing her sword upwards, but Victor leaned down, swung the blade away and tried to fly away with her, getting them both into the air.

“Alice!” cried Arthur, grabbing Alice’s ankle. Alice slipped from the claws, blood staining her shoulders as she cried out again. When she hit the floor, she immediately rolled to the right to avoid Gram slicing the stone where she had just been.

Arthur immediately attacked Lord Victor as Alice stood, feeling dazed from the pain in her shoulders. After a moment, she took a deep breath and rejoined the fight. Lord Victor defended from their attacks as easily as before, only this time Alice fought a little more slowly.

The siblings struggled to get an upper hand over Victor, whose immaculate defensive technique offered no openings. His offense was just as effective, and with a twist of his wrist, he pulled of a double feint. First, he feinted to attack Alice, making Arthur try to rush in. Right before striking Alice, Victor changed his direction once more, right towards Arthur.

Arthur leaned back, the sword Gram cutting his shirt and piercing the flesh beneath. As Arthur stepped back, his shirt opening to expose some of the cross tattoos on his chest, Alice attacked Victor from behind. Victor twisted his body to evade her, though Alice did manage to scratch one of his wings.

But as Alice turned to attack again, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her right wrist and froze, the Muramasa falling from her grasp. Arthur’s eyes went wide with horror, sending a chill down Alice’s spine. She looked down and paled.

Victor had cut off her hand, prompting Alice to scream as the pain flared.

A moment later, Victor had his arm around her torso from behind and his sword at her neck. Despite the pain, Alice felt her body freeze, her scream cut off just as her hand and the Katana hit the stone floor.

“Alice!” cried Arthur, raising his own katana.

“Careful, Phoenix,” taunted Victor. “We wouldn’t want my hand to slip, wouldn’t me?”

Alice froze, her eyes wide as she felt the sword at her skin, one movement away from cutting off her head.

Arthur glared, not daring to move from that spot, “You know what I do to vampires who take hostages?”

Victor grinned, “Of course. What do you think I plan to do with your sister?”

Alice didn’t know what Victor meant by that, but even though Arthur’s glare never wavered, she could see his skin growing pale. Whatever her brother did to vampires who took hostages, she knew it could be good. On top of that, Alice knew Victor’s wing would heal quickly. It wouldn’t be hard for him to fly away from her, and she knew that was his intention as he started backing them away to the edge of the platform.

“Why?” demanded Arthur, taking careful steps forward as Victor moved away with Alice.

“Why?” asked Victor incredulously. “Why would I want to torment the woman who trampled on all my plans and ambitions? I should think that would be obvious.”

“You want to make this worse on yourself?” said Arthur. Despite his steely exterior, Alice could sense the fear welling up inside him.

Victor merely laughed, “An empty threat from an arrogant little upstart who didn’t learn his lesson the last time he fought an elder vampire. Sorry, boy, but you’re about a hundred years too inexperienced to defeat me, let alone by yourself.”

Alice felt a chill. Victor wasn’t bluffing, and judging the fear creeping into Arthur’s face, he wouldn’t be able to reach Victor fast enough to help her. Arthur’s eyes darted to the left for a moment, towards Victor’s injured wing, and his face paled even further. That wing had to be nearly healed.

Thinking quickly, the only thing Alice could think to do was grab her injured wrist and squeeze, letting more blood flow from where her hand used to be so that the scent filled the air. Lord Victor, still holding Gram to her neck, scoffed.

“Do you really think that will work on me?” the elder vampire challenged.

“What can I say, Victor?” said Alice. “You’re the one who said you wanted me. What I want to know is…how much?”

And with a quick motion, Alice brought her bloody wrist right up to Victor’s nose. As the scent washed over him, his eyes went wide and Alice felt his grip on her relax, just a little.

Arthur rushed forward, quick as a flash. While Victor was distracted, Arthur moved to the right and knocked Gram away from Alice’s neck. Alice took the opportunity to reach back, grab the back of Victor’s neck with her remaining hand, and throw her over him. As Victor landed flat on his back, Alice slipped her foot under her fallen Muramasa as Arthur brought his own down on the vampire. Alice caught her katana with her left hand just as Victor rolled away, Arthur’s sword clipping the elder vampire’s wing.

Victor was up in a moment as Alice and Arthur attacked as relentlessly as they could. Alice’s wrist and shoulders flared with pain, but she pushed herself to attack. She was slower and more awkward without her right hand, but Victor was still disoriented from the smell of Alice’s blood flooding his nose, making his defense less elegant than before. The siblings pressed their advantage, swinging their swords and backing Lord Victor to the edge of the seal platform as they occasionally cut his flesh, especially his wings.

With a well timed attack, Arthur managed to catch Gram with his katana and twist it just right to knock the magic sword out of Victor’s hand, sending it over the edge. For a moment Victor looked wide open, but he quickly jumped backwards over the edge of the seal, the two katanas hitting the stone railing.

Stepping up, the pair watched Victor, his wings still shredded from their earlier attacks, plummeting into the darkness below.

Alice and Arthur stood there for a moment, panting, Alice’s wrist and shoulders still throbbing. Sweat dripped from their bodies as blood stained the respective parts of their shirts. As they peered into the inky blackness below them, they knew this wasn’t over.

“He’ll be back when his wings heal,” said Alice. “And I don’t think the blood trick will work forever.”

“You’re right,” said Arthur. “He’ll get used to it eventually.” Then he looked at her, his face grim.

He didn’t need to ask to know how bad Alice’s injuries were. Her shoulders would heal before too long, but a crucivire needed a few days to regrow lost limbs. Even with the enhanced speed and strength of the Muramasa blades, Lord Victor had been a step ahead of them with every attack. Victor would be completely recovered by the time he returned, but Alice would still be missing her dominant hand. She could see the fear in her brother’s face as they both silently acknowledged this. They were no match for him, even together.

And yet, Alice still hadn’t lost hope, thinking of one other tactic she could use. Alice could still sense that fuzzy thread connecting her to Lord Victor. Grabbing that thread in her mind, she could feel it come into focus slightly. If she wanted, she could connect to Victor’s mind again.

“I have an idea,” said Alice. “But you’re not going to like it.”

Arthur sighed, “You know what they say about desperate times. Lay it on me.”

Alice explained as she pulled out a bandage and began wrapping up her wrist.

“I can connect to Lord Victor’s mind if I want,” she said. “If I attack his mind while you attack his body, it will force him to divide his attention between the real world and the mental world. It’s a situation rare enough that even Lord Victor may not be able to handle it.”

Arthur frowned, “Can you fight in the real world and the mental world at the same time?”

Alice shook her head to say no as she finished tying off the bandage.

“That’s crazy, Alice!” said Arthur. “Your body will be a sitting duck while you’re in there!”

“Then I’ll have to trust you to keep me safe, won’t I?”

Arthur stared at her in silence for a moment, considering what she’d just said.

Finally, he took a deep breath, “I guess I will. Alright, do it.”

Alice nodded before turning and walking towards the seal. She then sheathed her Muramasa and lowered herself to sit crossed legged on the ground by the giant red sphere. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and entered the mindscape, grabbing that red thread and pulling into complete focus. Standing near her, Arthur held his own Muramasa in his hand and listened carefully for the sound of wings.

Far beneath the seal platform, Lord Victor had retrieved the falling Gram once his wings healed, and now flapped regularly to increase his height as he sailed in a circle around the column of stone beneath the seal platform. As he ascended, his vampiric face gritted in rage, he suddenly felt something enter his mind, crashing through his mental barriers like a battering ram.

Within the mindscape Lord Victor, with his handsome human face, stood at the top of the stairs to his mansion. Infused with rage, the mansion and the gardens were set aflame around him, an inferno threatening to swallow up all those got too close. As the fire flickered up towards the night sky, Victor saw the air shifting on the walkway before him.

Soon Alice arrived, bursting into the world as if through a pane of glass. The glass shards and cracks in the air faded away, leaving Alice standing before him, her body glowing and causing the mental world to grow blurry like a camera image out of focus. In this mental world, Alice checked her arm and found her right hand where she remembered. Satisfied, she looked up at Lord Victor who stood on the steps to the mansion and glared hatefully.

“Just what do you think you’re doing?” asked Victor.

Alice stood, a taunting glint in her eye, “You’re the elder vampire with hundreds of years of experience. You tell me.”

Victor grunted.

Alice then summoned a katana into her hand and then imagined everything Lord Victor did to her and her family. As the mental katana glowed with her rage, Alice looked up defiantly. Lord Victor summoned his usual sword with the bag wing hilt, his eyes filled with hatred.

“Well,” he said. “I suppose you being here is an opportunity of sorts. We are alone, in a sense, here in the mindscape. What do you say, Alice? Shall we have one more dance, you and I?”

“Sure,” said Alice, pointing her katana straight at him. “I’ll lead.”

For the barest fraction of a second, Alice detected a small hint of a smile at the corner of Victor’s mouth. However, it was quickly replaced by an angry grimace as Lord Victor rushed forward. Within Victors burning mindscape, He and Alice clashed blades furiously.

Out in the real world, Lord Victor finally flapped his wings and landed on the edge of the seal platform. Looking over, he could see Alice Hayes sitting cross legged by the seal, but Arthur Hayes quickly stepped in front of him, raising his Muramasa. Lord Victor’s vampiric face sneered.

“Fighting me alone, crucivire?” the vampire asked. “You’d think a phoenix would know more about staying alive.”

“I know a thing or two about living,” said Arthur. “And you’ve lived a few hundred years too long, vampire.”

Victor grunted and considered his target. He still wanted Alice alive to torture her, so he decided to attack Agent Phoenix, rushing forward and swinging Gram at the crucivire’s neck. Sparks collided as Arthur blocked with the Muramasa, and soon their blades collided in a flurry of strikes. To the human eye, they were fighting in an indistinct blur. Only those with similar physical abilities could really appreciate the speed and skill on display from both fighters.

Even though Alice was presumably attacking his mind, Arthur noticed no difference in Victor’s fighting ability. On the contrary, without Alice’s help, Arthur was more on the defensive than before, spending all his time blocking and no time attacking.

Come on, Alice, Athur thought. If you’re going to do something, do it quickly.

In the mindscape, Alice wasn’t fairing much better. She could tell that her crucivire mind was influencing his, as their surroundings remained blurry, but Victor himself didn’t seem to flinch. Lord Victor’s mental control was incredible, and he could take it. The mental sword fight wasn’t going well for her either. It seemed that Lord Victor could fight in both the mental world and the real one without any trouble.

“I don’t know what you hoped to accomplish by coming here,” said Victor, his handsome face smirking. “But I’m enjoying our final dance. Now, what were you saying about leading?”

Alice grimaced, but she wasn’t surprised he was doing so well. She needed a new line of attack, so she jumped backwards, and just as Victor rushed forward, Alice struck the ground with her katana, splitting the earth open.

Lord Victor paled and spread his wings, stopping just as the edge a new precipice. In the real world he stopped and flew back from Arthur with a stunned look on his face.

Down below in the mindscape, once could make out the wine cellar that made up Victor’s mental basement, the wine down below already forming hands that reached up for him. Victor stared down, his eyes wide with fear, and then lifted those eyes to Alice. It may have been the telepathic link, or just two blood siblings thinking the same way, but both Alice and Arthur smirked, responding with the same taunt.

“Problem, Victor?”

Arthur rushed forward, attacking furiously with his katana, and for once Lord Victor seemed to be on the defensive.

Alice, meanwhile, faced Victor in his mental world while he stared at the open fissure, the mansion and gardens around them still burning. The chasm in the ground slowly started to close, and as Alice stared at the elder vampire, she might have felt pity for him at some point, but they were far beyond that now.

“What is it, Victor?” asked Alice. “Afraid of what’s down there?”

Victor looked up, breathing heavily, “There’s nothing down there.”

“Really? Then why are you afraid?”

Victor looked shocked, then grew angry as he flapped his wings and rushed at Alice. Alice simply sidestepped and swung her katana at the ground again, opening another fissure. Victor twisted in the air to avoid that fissure, landing to the side only to find Alice attacking him.

And thus Lord Victor found himself facing an overwhelming two pronged attack. Arthur Hayes attacked relentlessly in the real world while Alice alternated between swordplay and opening chasms in the ground. Disoriented, Victor defended from both, but found no openings to attack. Both Alice and Arthur were able to get sword strikes in, and Victor had trouble telling which were true wounds to his flesh that spilled his blood, and which were merely in his mind.

In the real world, desperation started to creep over Victor’s face. He tried to dart left to get around Arthur and attack Alice directly, but Arthur was in front of him in a moment, a cocky grin on his face as the swordfight continued. Victor tried to flap his wings and fly over Arthur, but Arthur simply jumped up and swung his Katana. Though Victor blocked, Arthur raised his legs and kicked on the bones in Victor’s wings, pushing off him and dislocating the joints from Victor’s back, making the vampire shriek in pain.

Arthur flipped over and they both landed, Victor’s wings hanging off him weakly. Arthur didn’t waste time and attacked Victor immediately, the swords clanging against each other once again. Alice, in the mindscape, kept opening more and more holes in the ground, while Victor in the real world kept looking at her as she sat down, eyed darting around under her eyelids. As he clashed blades with Arthur, he kept zigzagging back and forth to try and slip past him, but the crucivire gave him no openings.

Desperately, Victor attempted to jump, grab the Muramasa with the claws of his foot, and slice Arthur in the head as he flipped over him. Arthur leaned back and to the side to avoid the blade, grabbed Victor’s tattered shirt as he came down, and swung the vampire around to let the momentum throw him away, the katana slipping from Victor’s claws. Victor twisted around to land on his feet and raised his head, grimacing with a mixture of fear and anger in his eyes.

In the mindscape, many fissures littered the landscape, revealing the dark wine cellar below. Lord Victor’s handsome face was contorted with fear and anger here as well, his eyes darting around at all the holes around him. Alice pressed her attack, her glowing red katana clashing loudly against Victor’s sword until she backed him up to the very edge of a fissure. And as Victor blocked Alice’s strike, he stopped just before falling in.

Lord Victor had tried to deny it, but in the darkest recesses of his mind he knew he’d hidden something from himself. What exactly that was he’d long since forgotten, but he knew that if Alice Hayes forced him into that dark place, he’d be lost. He had no choice but to stop her, but his wings were still injured, and Arthur Hayes was blocking his way in the real world. He had to end this fast.

In the mental world Victor twisted to avoid falling in, but there were so many fissures Alice had ample opportunities to push him against another. In the real world Victor crouched low and drew his sword back, preparing to rush Arthur Hayes with as much speed as he could muster. Arthur saw this took a similar stance.

For just a moment the two of them stood deathly still, just staring each other down with fierce look in their eyes, all while Victor fought Alice fiercely inside his own head.

And then, like a pair of coiled springs, Arthur and Victor ran forward. They closed the distance in the blink of an eye, their arms a blur as their blades clashed together. And as quickly as their movements had begun, they ended up on either side of each other, Victor gracefully slipping past his opponent. For a moment, it looked like Victor had a straight shot to Alice Hayes, his hideous vampire face grinning maniacally. But Arthur, yelling, twisted his body around in a flash and aimed a thrust directly at Victor’s heart through his back.

And the sword struck true, the tip barely exiting Victor’s chest as the elder vampire’s red eyes went wide with pain.

At the same moment in the mindscape Victor froze, blood spurting from his chest and making Alice freeze in surprise.

The elder vampire’s momentum carried his real body forward, off the tip of Arthur’s katana, and Victor, lord among Vampires, fell to his knee as blood flowed from his chest and back. Victor held his wound, his eyes wide with terror as he dropped Gram, the Viking sword clattering to the floor.

Lord Victor fell to one knee in his mind as well, his handsome face filled with just as much terror. Seeing this, Alice lowered her katana and smiled in relief, taking a deep breath. Arthur had done it after all, and they’d won.

The smile lasted only for a moment as she watched Victor, his image going fuzzy. As her face went grim, she didn’t know what prompted her to do it, but she walked to his image and grabbed Victor’s image by the neck. Victor’s mental body went limp as Alice walked him over to one of the fissures, stretching out her arm and holding him right at the edge.

At the same time Arthur did the same, grabbing Victor by the neck as the vampire’s skin started to turn to dust. Arthur was equally unaware of why he was doing it, but he brought Victor right to the stone railing at the edge of the platform and stretched his arm out, holding the dying vampire there.

“And thus, justice is done,” said Arthur. “And can you tell why?”

At the same time, Alice watched Victor’s image grow blurry as his consciousness faded.

“You almost had us,” said Alice. “But you made one fatal mistake.”

And once again, Alice and Arthur said the same thing at the same time.

“You messed with the wrong family.”

And as one, they both raised their legs and kicked Victor as hard as they could.

In the mindscape, Victor was knocked into his own mental basement, splashing wine. He desperately tried to stand and flap his wings, but the red hands in the wine grabbed him and pulled him down. Alice looked down from above and could see him struggling for a few moments as he screamed until he was pulled under the wine, disappearing completely.

Arthur, meanwhile, had sent Victor soaring over the railing on the seal platform. The crucivire quickly moved up and rested his arms on the stone as he watched Victor plummet. Falling, Lord Victor turned to dust, his skin falling away to reveal his muscles, his muscles falling away to reveal his skeleton and internal organs, his organs slipping out his ribcage, and finally even his skeleton collapsed. Within moments, Lord Victor was nothing more than a pile of dust that eventually slipped into the bottomless darkness below.

Arthur stood there for a moment, taking deep breaths. His body felt like it was on fire, but that wasn’t enough to dampen his spirits. He eventually let out a big smile. They’d won. After everything that had happened, they’d finally won.

Alice gasped awake, taking deep breaths. Arthur immediately turned around, ran back, and knelt beside her.

“You okay?” he asked.

Alice nodded, “Yeah. I’m fine.”

Arthur sighed in relief then hugged his sister, and Alice hugged him back. They sat there for a moment or two and maintained their tearful embrace, just grateful they were still alive. Finally, Arthur pulled away.

“How are you doing?” he asked.

Alice looked mournfully at her missing hand, “Could be better.”

Arthur nodded, “Okay, stay here and rest. I’m going to go help the others.”

“Roger that.”

Arthur nodded before standing and turning to run down the bridge they’d come down.

Further down that bridge, Archibald Jackanape had been fighting Gordon but jumped away from Gordon Brand the moment Lord Victor died. Shaking his head, the vampire clown sighed as he rested Tizona on his shoulder.

“Well that’s disappointing,” he said, shaking his head. “I knew they should have sent us bigger swords.”

Gordon, on the other hand, looked down the bridge with a swell of pride, sensing Phoenix’s relief. So, they’d defeated Victor after all. Good. Now they just had to clean up the stragglers.

Gordon rushed forward, but Archibald simply dived over the railing, spread his wings, dived up, and landed on the bridge a several feet away.

“Sorry, Mr. Brand,” said Archibald. “But it’s obvious we’ve lost today. We’ll have to finish our fight some other time.”

“Get back here!” cried Gordon, running forward. “I’m not done with you!”

“Gordon old boy, I’d be disappointed if you were,” said Archibald slyly before beating his wings and leaping into the air. Gordon pursued, though he was no match for Archibald’s speed in the air.

Jacqueline, controlling Jaiden’s body, fought with Harold Stone, his two Greek swords clashing against Mistilteinn as that sword sang. This was a battle between two Elder Vampires, their skill honed over a hundred years. They blades moved as nothing more than a blur to the human eye, but neither seemed to have the advantage.

But suddenly the pair of them fell still when a sword pierced Harold’s heart from behind, sticking out the front of his chest.

Harold, his eyes wide with fear, looked behind him, “Ar…Archibald?”

“I did promise to watch your back,” said Archibald, grinning. “Didn’t I?” He leaned in closer as Harold’s skin began to decay. “The Red Council sends their regards.”

Archibald pulled Tizona out and let Harold fall to the ground as his body slowly turned to dust. Archibald then looked up and grinned.

“Jacqueline Castellane,” he said, grinning. “It’s been far too long.”

With Jaiden’s face, Jacqueline gave a regretful smile, “I wish I could say the same, but I’m in no hurry to receive the red council’s…regards.”

Archibald laughed boisterously, “Oh, Jacqueline, how I’ve missed you. It’s a pity what happened. Well, no matter.”

Archibald used his foot to kick Harold’s swords into his left hand, one after the other.

“We’ll see each other again someday,” said Archibald. “That’s a promise.”

And Archibald spread his wings to jump into the air once more. Watching him go, Jaiden suddenly felt Jacqueline’s presence retreat, giving him control of his body again.

“Careful,” Jacqueline warned Jaiden. “His eccentricities may make him amusing, but Archibald Jackanape is as dangerous as any Elder Vampire.”

“Yeah,” said Jaiden. “I got the memo.”

Last, but not least, Jasmine Ross was singlehandedly cutting down the warrior class vampires and setting them aflame with Dyrnwyn. After slaying several in one go, the vampires behind them suddenly stopped their attack, looking at her with fear. A moment later they turned and fled, running as fast as they could towards the cavern entrance.

As Jasmine stood there, she suddenly heard the flapping of wings. Looking up and raising her sword, Jasmine trembled as she saw Archibald approach, but the elder vampire flew over her. Soon, Jasmine herself just watched as all the remaining vampires in the seal cavern fled. Looking back, she could see both Jaiden and Gordon running up.

“Huh,” she said, “I guess we won.” And she gave a sigh of relief.