The Loners

Thankfully, Irene did not damage my particular area as much as was forecasted, although I can not speak for those who did suffer a much greater deal, and I pray things work out for them.

Also, I think I can start to say that the end of this story is on the horizon, though I can't say how much longer since I have not finished it yet.

Anyway, enjoy and I continue to appreciate the comments and votes!

*****

'Honor us?' Alan thought to himself. 'How?'

Lord Hector's eyes turned to his left, as though to eye the vampires that were behind him.

"George, Thomas. Toss them your swords."

"M-my Lord?"

"You heard me, toss them your swords!" Lord Hector repeated, drawing both of his swords.

Both Alan and Rachel gave Lord Hector a curious and puzzled look. Alan and Rachel then watched, surprised, as two vampires did as instructed, and two swords fell near them. Both Alan and Rachel looked at the swords questioningly and curiously, then met Hector's eyes, who was twirling the two swords in his hands.

"Take the swords. It's how I am honoring you for your courage. I shall give you a proper opportunity to defend yourselves. Not only that, but I will be your only opponent here, if you are worthy of it. No one else from my side will interfere in this fight." Lord Hector told Alan and Rachel.

Though they did so reluctantly and slowly, Rachel and Alan picked up the two swords that were before them. Rachel, familiar with sword play of this kind, twirled the sword in her hands, verifying it's size, weight, and how effective she could use it.

Alan, on the other hand, had never held a sword in his life, and he stared at it curiously for a few moments. On the bright side, it felt incredibly light, and he could swing it effortlessly. However, he found that he could not twirl it like both Rachel and Lord Hector could. He tried to do so, only to end up dropping it.

Lord Hector let out a laugh, along with a few snickers from the vampires that were behind him. "That's one sad thing about humans in recent history. They prefer guns over swords, and it's much easier to pull a trigger from a distance than it is to face your enemy up close and cut him down with skill. I won't, of course, say that using guns require no skill at all, but what is true is that guns do not require nearly as much."

"Guns also artificially boost the strength of the weak, which I suppose is one reason why they're so popular. And I'm not only talking about the literal strength, but the strength of the heart. It requires a much stronger heart to run someone's heart through with a sword and watch their life fade away right in front of your eyes."

Alan eyed Hector as he spoke, and realized that what he said actually made a little sense.

"Don't let him distract you." Rachel quietly warned Alan. "Even if you agree with his words, if you allow yourself to dwell too much on what he says during a fight like this, it will kill you. Make sure you stay focused."

Alan nodded in response as Lord Hector took a stance, crossing his arms at the wrists while holding both swords in reverse so they crossed as well. He was smiling.

"I shall allow you to make the first move. Let's see just how strong you two are. If you're lucky, you'll have the honor of only fighting me the entire time. However, if you bore me, then I shall leave you to my assistants who are present." Lord Hector announced.

'Why does it feel like he isn't honoring us as much as he his mocking us?' Alan thought to himself, catching movement from Rachel from the corner of his eye. He saw that Rachel was slowly stepping sideways, putting distance between herself and Alan. At first he didn't realize what she was trying to do, but then it dawned on him. She wanted the two of them to try and attack Hector from two separate sides.

With no announcement or warning, Rachel suddenly broke into a full run directly at Lord Hector, who adjusted his swords slightly as she closed in.

Alan was caught off guard by the sudden movement, and was a little behind as she swung her sword at Lord Hector, who effortlessly blocked it. This was followed by several more swings from Rachel, all of which were blocked by Lord Hector.

Alan thought about jumping in, but was also concerned about hitting Rachel, and instead opted to sit and wait for an opportune moment to try and strike. The moment came when Lord Hector kicked Rachel in her stomach, sending her flying for several feet. Rachel coughed up blood as she did flew.

Alan attempted to strike from a blind spot, but only managed to hit Lord Hector's sword, which was raised in time to parry Alan's swing. Alan tried several more times, only to find that one of Lord Hector's swords kept meeting his own.

'For such a big guy, he's so damn fast!' Alan thought to himself. Unlike Rachel, however, Alan managed to dodge the kick that followed the several sword clashes, which was immediately followed by a swing from one of Hector's swords. This came dangerously close to Alan's neck before he stopped it.

"Not bad, newborn. You'd be surprised how many of my opponents have fallen from such low grade attacks. Take Rachel for instance." Lord Hector remarked as his other hand twisted the sword in it and blocked Rachel's attack, which was aiming for Lord Hector's neck.

'How the fuck did he see that!?' Alan thought to himself as Lord Hector's eyes turned to Rachel.

"You should be proud, you've created a first rate vampire. However." Hector's eyes turned back to Alan and smiled. "Try not to look so confused. Battles are fought with more than just sight alone." Hector informed Alan as he pushed both fighters back several feet.

Lord Hector now took the offensive. With both swords at his sides, he charged at Alan. Alan's eyes widened as he moved his head to dodge one the swords that seemed to be aimed directly at his eye. Hector did however, score a hit on Alan's cheek, drawing first blood.

Without pause, Hector swung the second sword, this one aiming for Alan's neck. Alan ducked in time to dodge the sword, but couldn't move in time to avoid the foot that landed directly in his face. Alan though for sure he heard something crack as he grunted in pain, and skidded across the ground for several feet before he came to a stop.

Rachel attempted to attack Lord Hector from behind, but only managed to meet one of the swords. Rachel was then forced to jump back as Lord Hector spun, attempting to strike Rachel's side with the heel of his right foot, and Lord Hector stared her down with a smile.

"I assume this is the first time you have fought together like this yes? You two surprisingly have good chemistry together as fighters. I no longer have any doubts on whether or not I shall enjoy this fight."

Rachel's eyes narrowed, wiping the blood that was running down her lips from Lord Hector's earlier attack. 'So, he is holding back. He just wants to drag this out for his enjoyment.' Rachel thought to herself, keeping a straight face. 'Maybe we do have a chance...'

Alan rose, his eyes staring down on Lord Hector as he spoke. He wasn't completely sure of why, but Lord Hector's cocky attitude angered him. Alan felt his nose, and was relieved to find that, despite the pain, blood, and crunch that he thought he heard, nothing seemed to be broken.

Alan stood, ignoring the pain as best as he could, and kept his eyes on Lord Hector, who was simply waiting for either him or Rachel to strike. The sight of Lord Hector standing there with such confidence, it pissed him off. He briefly wondered what kind of cocky attitude that Lord Caleb had when he killed Alan's friends and family.

Alan led off first this time, wanting to destroy that smirk and cocky attitude that Lord Hector was showing.

Lord Hector once again met Alan's sword with little difficulty, but noticed a slight change in the newborn's strength and aura. There was a stronger sense of determination and focus now.

Lord Hector held his ground as he met Alan's sword with both of his own, but was forced to move when he sensed Rachel attacking from above and behind him. Rachel's sword hit the ground as Lord Hector moved out of the way, with Alan in hot pursuit.

Lord Hector met Alan's aggression head on. Lord Hector slammed into Alan's chest with his left shoulder before Alan could react, causing Alan to clutch his chest with his left hand in surprise and pain as he was pushed back several feet, though Alan remained standing.

As soon as Alan got pushed back, Lord Hector saw that Rachel was closing in on him once again. Dodging the first thrust by ducking low, he elbowed Rachel hard in the ribs, forcing her back as well.

Rachel gasped for air and fell to her knees, having the wind knocked out of her, and Lord Hector once again stared his two opponents down.

'He's barely using his swords to attack.' Alan noted to himself, his anger still rising. 'Not only that, he's barely attacking at all, aside from the occasional swings or charge here and there.'

However, Alan did notice, to his satisfaction, that Lord Hector's smile was no longer present. It had been replaced by a look of concentration.

Rachel slowly rose to her feet as she recovered her breathing, which Alan saw out of the corner of his mind, but said nothing. He was too focused on Lord Hector at this point.

*****

Katie, who had been watching the fight intently, was almost ready to bite her fingers off from the tension and stress of the situation. So far, neither Alan nor Rachel had landed a single scratch on the Vampire Lord that they were fighting against.

Looking back, maybe she should have asked to be turned as well so that she could help them. She then shook her head at the thought. Would good would victory be if all three of them threw away their feelings and humanity? Even if they had their lives, just how would they live? Would it even be worth living if one discarded all emotions except for hate?

Katie had a feeling that if she allowed herself to be turned, she might end up following Alan on his current path of hatred, and in turn, Rachel would ultimately be dragged back into the life that she had been trying to escape.

The more she thought about it, the more distress it gave her. But, she also knew that she had to be resolute. She had to be the anchor to prevent them from drifting too far away.

*****

"Lord Constantine, you missed us at our last gathering." Lady Helen said as she answered the phone.

"Yes, I apologize about that. There was very important business to attend to." Lord Constantine answered.

"Oh? What kind of business is that?"

"My sincere apologies, but I cannot answer that. I'm sure you understand, we all have our little secrets." Lord Constantine replied calmly.

Figures. "You wouldn't by chance be planning something unpleasant, would you?" Lady Helen asked calmly, her implication obvious.

"No, of course not. I happen to like you Ladies, it's Lord Caleb that I have a real problem with."

"I've heard you've offered Lord Richter full access to the America's eastern drug market. Why did you offer him so much?"

"Boundaries can be drawn and redrawn. At this stage, I don't care so much about his allegiance as much as I care about him staying out of the way." Lord Constantine answered coolly.

"So, you planned on backstabbing him from the start, haven't you?" Lady Helen said with a touch of distrust in her voice.

"Yes, but I suppose that is a problem, isn't it? You don't trust my intentions in this scheme I drew up, do you?"

"Is there any reason I should?"

Lord Constantine had anticipated this at some point. It's only fair. After all, he wouldn't trust himself either.

"How about I let you in on a little secret?" Lord Constantine offered.

Lady Helen almost laughed. "A secret? What kind of secret?"

"The renegades are currently fighting Lord Hector."

Lady Helen's smile vanished. "If that's true, then it's over. We'll have no more excuses to stay here in America."

"Not necessarily. As a matter of fact, things may work out to our advantage. I think maybe now I'll tell you about the important business I have been attending to."

Lord Constantine explained his plan, which was a scenario that Lady Helen hadn't even considered, and it took her by surprise.

"How long have you been cooperating with the renegades? I assume the pieces haven't all fallen into place like that by accident." Lady Helen stated.

"A minor detail that doesn't matter."

"I think it matters very much. You're consorting with the most wanted criminals in the supernatural world at this point. Even your status as a Lord wouldn't protect you from the fury that would befall you if word of this got out."

"That's precisely why I don't want to give out details."

"Fair enough. However, I doubt the renegades are strong enough to play the role you want them to."

"Well, that's the nice thing about this plan. If they are strong enough, than it works out well for us. If not, well, no harm done, and we all go back to normal. Though that also means we're stuck with Lord Caleb for a little longer."

*****

Alan roared as he charged Lord Hector once again, swinging his sword down on Lord Hector with all of his might, to try and at least break Lord Hector's stance. It was no good, and Lord Hector held his ground without moving.

Lord Hector also saw, out of the corner of his eye, that Rachel was closing in. Alan jumped out of the way as Rachel thrusted her sword at Lord Hector. Lord Hector avoided the thrust aimed for his head, turned, and struck Rachel in the face with the handle of the sword, knocking her to the ground.

Alan moved in as Lord Hector struck Rachel, hoping to get a clear shot at him, only for Lord Hector to turn and block Alan's sword.

"You're timing is getting better. Though, I would almost say that you're ruthless. Or is it that you're so confident in your lover that she needs no words of comfort even if she is thrown to the ground?" Lord Hector asked, still speaking with an air of confidence, even if he wasn't smiling.

Alan said nothing, responding by growling in frustration and tried to strike Lord Hector several more times. These attempts were ended once Lord Hector struck back, by catching Alan's sword when Lord Hector crossed his two swords, trapping it, followed by Hector kicking Alan in the chest, the blow that forced him to his knees.

Rachel stood on somewhat shaky legs, the latest words that Lord Hector spoke hitting her harder than Alan. The old Alan would have shown concern when she was struck. But not this one. It was almost as if he was glancing in annoyance towards her every time she had been struck down for not being strong enough. He may have not reached that level of cold heartedness in his mind yet, but this fight was confirming it. He was well on his way.

What made it worse was that Rachel was feeling something very similar within herself. She too, had said nothing every time Alan had been struck. However, her situation was a little different. She was strong willed and confident right from the start. She had more control over her emotions than Alan. At least, that's what she told herself.

"You look a little distracted. I thought you told me that we shouldn't let his words distract us?" Alan asked Rachel, causing her to gasp lightly and turn to him.

Alan's eyes were focused on Lord Hector, and was already on his feet. He was wearing an unreadable expression on his face, and Rachel wondered whether it was a mask or if that was his real expression now. A cold and calm face of concentration that seemed to care nothing about the world except what he was focused on, his enemy standing before him.

It also occurred to Rachel just how quickly their roles had been switched. He was now the strong and dark individual who was in control, and she had become the weak, emotional one. She took a deep breath, suppressing her warring emotions, and focused her eyes on Lord Hector. She needed to do better than this. She had to have full control like before, and kill her emotions completely.

None of these thoughts crossed Alan's mind. He remained focused, and undeterred. He did wonder for a brief moment what was going on with Rachel. At first, she seemed fine, but now, something seemed to be bothering her. How could she allow that to happen? Wasn't it her that told him that they needed to be focused completely? Wasn't it her who first showed him her dark side which had allowed her to ruthlessly kill almost anyone she pleased?

Where was the Rachel that was in Montana, and had killed all of those cops and vampires without a second thought? That's the Rachel that Alan needed right now. Otherwise, she was going to start getting in the way. If she doesn't want to fight this then she should say so, and leave all of this to him.

He knew that he couldn't afford to keep worrying about her and trying to fight this guy at the same time. Besides, there was still an objective beyond this guy that was standing before him, and that was Caleb. Alan refused to allow himself to die until he got to that objective. He also refused to allow either Rachel or Katie to slow him down.

That bastard had taken away almost everything in the world that was precious to Alan, and Alan wanted to make sure he stayed alive and returned the favor, no matter how many other Vampire Lords he had to fight, or how many times Katie and Rachel may protest such a course of action.

In Alan's eyes, this was a war, and one he would fight to the end. That's what he told himself.

Alan once again played the aggressor, charging at Lord Hector.

"I'll give you this, you're quite the determined one. It's been a long time since I've fought someone with such drive." Lord Hector told Alan as he met Alan's sword with his own once again.

"I may not like Lord Caleb or his tactics, but I am going to have to thank him later for his hand in setting the stage for this battle. I doubt you would be anywhere near this strong or determined if he hadn't killed your family."

This was too much for Alan to keep silent over. "You bastard!! How would you like it if I took everything away from you!?" Alan shouted, swinging at Lord Hector once again.

Lord Hector scoffed at this. "I already know the feeling. In fact, I grew up with nothing, so nothing really has any value to me. When you are born and raised in one of the poor countries of the African continent, especially one that was in a near constant state of war, you find that there really is nothing to have, except for one absolute truth. And that is power."

"Power, and battle. The survival of the fittest, that is the one thing I aspire for. So go ahead, take away everything I currently have. My title, my subordinates, my material possessions. Unfortunately, you can't take away the one thing I value most, and that is my strength. Not unless you defeat me." Lord Hector declared, besting Alan once again, this time with a punch to the right side of Alan's face.

Lord Hector then sighed. "And you were doing so well, hiding your feelings. But, if you're going to get all emotional on me, then I shall have no choice except to put an end to this battle. It's one thing to allow your emotions to drive you, but it's quite another to flash your emotions in battle. That is a sign of weakness."

Alan found that the words resonated with him, and they made sense. If it was his weakness that was allowing Lord Hector to toy with him the way he currently was, then Alan would have to cast aside his weaknesses to become strong enough to defeat his enemies.

Rachel suddenly rejoined the battle, once again trying to strike Lord Hector from a blind spot. She noticed that this time, Lord Hector wasn't as prepared as he normally was, and she came very close to striking his skin.

"I'm afraid I am no longer interested in you. I'm going to have to ask that you stay out of this fight from this moment on. My only interest lies in the newborn." Lord Hector said coldly, this time swinging at Rachel with one of his swords.