Blood Hunt

Chapter Three

Olivia sat alone in the dimly lit bar, nursing a whiskey and staring at nothing in particular. She was a woman of striking beauty, with long, flowing auburn hair and piercing green eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness. But her features were hardened by a lifetime of pain and loss, and her eyes betrayed deep-seated anger and determination.

As she sat there, lost in thought, the memories came flooding back, memories of how Victor killed her parents, leaving her alone and orphaned, with nothing but her grief and a burning desire for revenge. Growing up with the nuns had allowed her to learn all there was to know about vampires from the ancient texts of the church. She would occasionally go to Agnes’ tombstone to pay her gratitude, as Agnes gave up her life for hers.

For years, Olivia trained tirelessly in the art of vampire hunting, honing her skills and seeking out any information she could find on Viktor. She became a master of weapons and tactics, studying ancient texts and tracking down leads in the darkest corners of the city.

Olivia’s research and investigations yielded results as she found out how evil he had grown over the years, he had become a very powerful vampire lord, who since being awakened has been terrorizing the city of Delphatos. He had become the king of the underworld, and became a shadowy figure, rarely seen in public, but whispered rumors painted him as a ruthless leader, feared by all who crossed his path.

Olivia’s obsession with Viktor consumed her every waking moment, and she knew that she would not rest until she had avenged her parents’ deaths. But she was also acutely aware of the danger that lay ahead, and the countless other lives that hung in the balance.

As she finished her drink and rose from her seat, Olivia knew that her journey was just beginning. She had spent years preparing for this moment, and she was ready to face whatever lay ahead. With a steely determination in her eyes, Olivia stepped out into the night, ready to battle with the creatures of the darkness and bring justice to those who had been wronged.

The city streets were quiet and still, the only sound was the distant hum of traffic and the occasional bark of a stray dog. Olivia moved with the grace and precision of a seasoned warrior, her senses honed to a razor’s edge as she scanned the darkness for any sign of trouble.

As she approached another alley, she sights two vampires attacking two ladies, just before she could draw her bow, they simultaneously sank their fangs into their victims as they sucked away, firing her arrows into their Achilles heels and causing them to drop to their knees, dropping the bodies they were feeding on.

“Hello boys” she said casually as she eyed the bodies to see if they were still alive, sadly they had died from having too much of their blood sucked out.

“Who are you, what do you want with us” the vampire by the left, a dark and fit young man spoke, the silver tip of the arrow carved from a willow tree had a paralyzing effect on the lower tier vampires.

“Personally, I have no business with your kind, and I don’t think I ever will” she had the most vivid description of disgust and hatred written all over her face. “but since you asked, I might as well get information from you” firing a second arrow into the vampire this time hitting his left arm.

Screaming in pain, the vampire squirmed around hoping that his movements will help ease the burning coming from the arrow. The second vampire had remained silent until now and was only focusing on finding a way out of their sticky situation, he had only been turned a few weeks ago, he wouldn’t want to die without using his newly acquired powers to the fullest. So, when Olivia mentioned she needed information, he was ready to use that as leverage.

“What information do you need, I can tell you what I know, if you give me your word that you will free me and my friend in return.” He was hoping that she would really take him up on the offer, but if she refuses to release them both, then at least he should get to live. He was willing to sacrifice his friend if it meant him leaving here alive.

“Where is Viktor, what do you know of his plans”, she could see the fear in the vampire’s eyes as she mentioned his name, for one was known as the ears in the dark, nothing goes hidden from Viktor, everything that happens in Delphatos has a way of always reaching his hearing. He was so connected that he visited hunters even in their deepest hideouts. She was sure that the vampire would die if he dared to talk, she knew that they all revered Viktor and would prefer to die than betray him. Yet, she had hope that one day she would come across one who is not scared at the mention of Viktor’s name, or one who isn’t bound by this stupid alliance with a god that does not care about them.

“What did you say?” he was not sure he heard her right, this hunter was asking of Viktor without fear, she must be new to the game if she thinks she can go around in the dark mentioning his name. He knew that he would gladly give up the life he so wanted to protect, rather than leak information on Viktor, as that could get you tortured in ways even vampires cannot handle.

“I am sure you heard me clearly when I spoke, I asked for Viktor’s whereabouts or where his lair is located, don’t make me repeat myself.” She knew he heard her clearly. Her suspicions were just being confirmed, she knew that most vampires would rather lose their lives than betray Viktor.

Choosing to torture them instead, Olivia clips all four of their limbs with her arrows, she wanted to make their death as painful as possible. Her hatred for vampires and her frustration at not making tangible progress on acquiring information on Viktor fueled her quest for their suffering. Walking close to the pinned-down vampires, she began dropping droplets of holy water on their exposed skin, this caused the laceration of whatever area the water touches. Their screams filled and echoed through the empty alley, she got a little satisfaction from their grief, she believed this was their penance for the souls they just killed.

After a little while, the spots touched by the droplets of holy water would heal up, and Olivia would go on to drop the water on whatever spot healed. This went on for a while, with each vampire beginning to lose their voice from shouting, the dark vampire then decided to speak up, he could no longer bear the torture.

“Ok, please stop, I am ready to give you whatever information I know, please just stop torturing me,” he said with sincerity as he could no longer tolerate the level of pain he was being subjugated to.

Surprised that a vampire would break and be willing to give information on Viktor, she backed away from the dark vampire, giving him time to heal up, leaving the arrows in place as leverage, she continued to torture the other vampire. After healing from his burns, the dark vampire was ready to negotiate for his life.

“Give me your word that if I give you the information I have on Viktor, you will let me be and allow me to escape” he could see that she was desperate for information, and decided to camp on that as leverage in his negotiation.

“Fine, I give you my word, that I will let you go, and I won’t kill you if you give the information I need” not having any intention of keeping this word, Olivia wanted to give the vampire that her need for information would make her desperate enough to release him. She did not count an agreement with a vampire as a valid one, after all you can not exactly make a deal with a dead body.

“Ok, rumors have it that Viktor is running a lair in the darkest part of the abandoned underground railway system. A layer that is said to house the greatest minds of vampire scientists working on a virus of some sort” he had given her a taste of the information he believed she needed, he knew she would be hooked on this, and would use the remaining bit of information as leverage to escape the situation.

“What is the virus for?” several thoughts went through her mind on this question, there were so many things for a vampire to be doing, but working on a virus, do they want to make every vampire a day walker? does it need to be immune to holy attacks? She really needed to know.

“What part of the city is this underground railway system located in?” she asked another question she needed an answer to, even though he had not answered the last, she needed clarification to know what her next move is.

“I can’t tell you that unless you free me from these arrows” he could hear the pounding of her heart as she anticipated his response, he could tell how much she needed this information, but he also really needs his freedom, he needed to start formulating ways to leave the city, or he’d still be killed by Viktor and each second he spends her trapped only increases his odd of getting killed by either the hunter in front of him, or by Viktor.

Weighing her options carefully, she contemplated the consequences of letting just this one vampire go this one time in exchange for the information she needed. Alas all she could see was the night her parents were killed, leaving this vampire would simply cause another poor soul out there to suffer their own share of the pain that no one should go through.

Pulling out her bow, she fired quick shots into the hearts of the vampires, she could see the regret and betrayal written on the face of the dark vampire she had given her word. She knew she now has to work with the information she has, hoping she would still get more vampires that would be willing to divulge information on Viktor. She continued walking towards the church to get rest for the day, oblivious of the creature lurking in the dark with its golden yellow eye, peering at her from a distance. Bringing out its fangs, it started following her.