The Vampire King

The Haunted Forest

     Earlier that night, Caleb who is covered in blood was leaning against a wall holding the lifeless body of his beloved wife Diana whose heart was ripped out by Rhogar. He fearfully looked at the corpse of his true best friend Eric, suddenly before the screams of Gargon drew his attention. He turned to his right and saw Valko, Amelia and Andreea  grabbed the coven regent by his arms and legs, while the vampire royals laughed viciously. He watched unable to do anything as the coven regent is torn apart.
     The vampire royals looked around the massacre, every vampire of the Black Night is long way from the land of the living, except the broken Caleb crying over the brutal death of his beloved wife. They walked to him as they thought of what to do to him since he is the last vampire standing.
     "And what should we do with this one here?", Ruxendra asked, playfully.
     "Spare him, your highness!", Andreea said, pitifully, seeing how fragile he has become.
     "So he could come after us in the name of vengeance later? I don't think so!", Valko said, in a stern voice.
     "Look at him for god's sake, Valko! He is already broken into thousands pieces!", Andreea said, sternly.
     "All that glitters is not gold!", Valko said, wisely.
     "True!", Bodgan said, with a chortle.
     "Caleb is not that stupid to come after the vampire royals", Amelia said, in a serious tone.
     Valko grinning viciously bent down beside the broken-looking Caleb caressing the blonde hair of his deceased wife. He decided to agree with Amelia and Andreea on sparing his already pathetic and miserable life.
     "Today is your lucky day!", Valko said, with a chuckle.
     Caleb fixed a glare on Valko for the destruction he and his friends had caused. He is not willing to forgive and forget until all those responsible for the genocide of the Black Night Coven are all dead. He personally wanted to be the one killing his wife's murderer by all means necessary even if he must die as well.  
     "Don't think this is over, because it is not, Valko. I will hunt down each and everyone of you like sheeps", in a threatening tone.
     "Well, let me guess, we shall be seeing you at Castle Dracula very soon. Best of luck buddy!", Valko said, grinning wickedly.
     The next day at Castle Dracula, Kate was in her room sitting in her bed after taking a shower and brushing her teeth. She sat there overwhelmed by the idea that she will never see her family again, because the Vampire King wished to keep her in the castle. At that moment, a princess of the dark kingdom named Prisca Heracles came in with a golden tray containing a mug of black coffee, a plate of fried eggs, bread and a roasted chicken. 
     Prisca smiled at Kate widely before she kept the golden tray beside her. She is obviously fond of the young huntress and wished to befriend her by playing nice to her, something she is incredibly very good at especially when it is about quenching down her bloodlust.
     "Enjoy your breakfast, Kate!", Prisca said, softly, as she stood there at the bed side.
     Kate glanced at the black coffee in the mug, then at Prisca, wondering when vampires started caring about making coffee, not to mention the macabre castle is somehow modernized. She wondered how the vampiress even know how to make coffee, because vampires do not care about human food.
     "Finn taught me, because he loves it so much", Prisca said, reading Kate's thoughts.
     Kate seemed puzzled as she thought about Finn being so weird and unpredictable. She wondered why he is so different just as she recalled how he had kidnapped her and got away. She has never heard of a creature with purple glowing eyes before.
     "You already knew what I am thinking, so tell me about him", Kate said, softly.
     Prisca cracked a wide smirk as she sat on a chair beside the bed. She considered herself honourable ever since she made love with the apex predator. She is delighted to tell the young huntress about the kind of apex predator Finn really is.
     "Finn is actually not like us", Prisca said, with a sigh.
     "Define not like us, please", Prisca said, curiously.
     "He is a vampire and a werewolf. He's a hybrid!", Prisca said, with a smirk.
     "What? but the supernatural law stated that no one can be more than one type at a time", Kate said, feeling confused.
     "Finn has the ability to turn werecreatures into vampires thus turning them into hybrids. The Witch Queen claimed that the hybrids will lose their werecreature title and curse, meaning they don't truly live in both worlds, satisfying the supernatural law no one can be more than one type at a time", Prisca said, seriously.
     "That means Finn is totally a new breed of the supernatural who happen to have similar abilities to werewolves and vampires!", Kate said, sagaciously.
     "Smart huntress!", Prisca said, impressed.
     "How did he come to be? since vampires do not procreate thus denying the fact that they could copulate with werecreatures to produce hybrids", Kate said, curiously.
     "We do procreate, huntress, but unlike you humans and werecreatures. Every species on earth has learned how to reproduce. There are some cases of amphibious creatures literally changing sexes in order to keep the species alive. We also found a way by turning humans using our blood", Prisca said, with a smirk.
     "Are you trying to tell me that, Finn as a werewolf, ingested the blood of a vampire and became a hybrid?", Kate asked, curiously.
     "Finn was a result of a union between a vampire and a werewolf", Prisca said, with a sigh.
     "What?", Kate asked, very confused.
     "You should ask him yourself about his real parents but for now, eat and rest", Prisca said, before she got up to leave.
     "I didn't catch your name!", Kate said, softly.
     "Prisca Heracles by the way!", Prisca said, before she left the room.
     The searching party were in a royal helicopter flying over Brasov, a city in Transylvania and the administrative center of Brasov county. The city is located in the central part of Romania, about 166 kilometers (103 miles) north of Bucharest and 380 kilometers (236 miles) from the Black Sea; it is surrounded by the southern Carpathians.
     The legendary vampire slayer glanced at his favourite henchmen, Oddo and Jones, whom both seemed nervous, then at the pathfinders whom seemed nervous as well, except Zach, Lydia, and Abigail whom seemed very calm, despite the fact that they're heading to the most dangerous place on the planet with no guarantee of coming back. He reminded himself of the old times when he used to endanger his own life just to hunt down evil vampires.
     "How long have you been in Romania?", Abraham asked, looking at George the leader of the pathfinders.
     "Fifteen years", George said, with a smirk.
     "Well, if you got any family left in the land of the living to mourn for you, you better call them, because there's a chance you might never see them again", Oddo said, seriously.
     "The guy is a loner. No one will miss him", Abigail said, with a grin.
     "Shut up, ungrateful wench! I'm still your boss!", George said, in a stern voice.
     "Have you ever been to the Haunted Forest before?", Abraham asked, curiously.
     "Not really, but I have been to a part of the hellhole before", George said, with a nervous sigh.
     "Vampire slayers and supernatural hunters avoided that wayward woodland unless they have a death wish, not to mention that place is ripe with perplexing paranormal activity, deadly traps, vicious vampires, and miscellaneous monsters", Patrick said, in a nervous tone, recalling the last time he went there as a pathfinder.
     "You sounded like you've been there too, fella", Jones said, smiling at Patrick.
     "He has been there before and he is the last survivor of the reckless hunters he escorted there. He claimed to have seen wendigos and ghouls there, but that claim was based on dread", George said, with a sigh.
     "I know what I saw, boss!", Patrick said, sternly.
     Abraham and his henchmen exchanged a nervous look because due to the fact that wendigos and ghouls have not been seen for a very long time, they were added to the list of extinct supernatural beings. They're certainly sure that Patrick knew what he saw, and base on the fact that wendigos and ghouls are vampires mutual friends there's definitely more of them dwelling in the Haunted Forest.
     "We believed you, Patrick", Jones said, tenderly.
     "I will never believe that crap!", George said, in a chortle.
     "Do you know why the masses of humanity never see the true world of the paranormal, except in isolated individual cases, George?", Abraham asked, gently.
     "Do I have to know why?", George asked, feeling bored.
     "It is due to the supernatural secrecy pact that was forged long before we were born. An agreement and a peace treaty between supernatural leaders around the world, giving non humans immunity from persecution by the human faction as long as they follow the laws outlined by the pact, mostly focusing on following all the right steps to keep the supernatural world a secret and prevent mass panic", Abraham said, softly.
     "And what about the metahumans exposing the supernatural world and also causing mass panic world wide?", Zach asked, sounding curious.
     The vampire hunters sat there recalling the destruction and mayhem the metahumans have wreaked in a very short time. They are still wondering what kind of supernatural beings the metahumans are, due to the fact the Grand Council of Sorcerers claimed they're not one of them despite their similar abilities.
     "No one seems to want to stop the metahumans at all. Why?", Abigail asked, with a sigh.
     "Because no one knows what they truly are. And we can't defeat what we don't know", Oddo said, in a slow voice.
     "The haunted forest!", Patrick said, with a nervous sigh, as he stared at the landscape of the hellish forest covered in thick fog that literally obstructed the sunlight.
     The royal pilots landed the royal helicopter on an open space several feet away from the frightening forest of death that literally stink of terror and horror. The searching party got out with bags full of sophisticated fire power and explosives designed to kill vampires and other supernatural species.
      Abraham stared at the vast forest while the others get ready. He thought about Jake and Oliver, and also the rest of the family whom he might never be able to see again. He also thought about Kate whom was taken to the Castle Dracula that is located somewhere within the haunted forest.
     "If we're not back by sunset, that means we're dead, and you should leave immediately", Abraham said, looking at the royal pilots.
     "We wish you luck", the royal pilots said, with a grin.
     The searching party got into the vast forest and headed north with the hope of finding the macabre castle of the so-called Vampire King who every hunter in the world want dead. They walked through the deadly forest quietly and cautiously apparently wary of the environment because it is the perfect place for their kind to die due to the thick fog above the forest that has obstructed the sunlight partially.
     After going deeper and deeper into the forest of death nervously and cautiously, the searching party came across some trees that are literally stained with obviously human blood, with human bones all along the way. They stopped in their tracks nervously to survey the place carefully before going any further.
     "You guys should've think twice before deciding to come here", Lydia said, with a sigh.
     "What does that supposed to mean?", George asked, fixing a cold look on Lydia.
     "It means one thing, coming here, to this hellhole, is the most terrible idea none of you will live to regret", Abigail said, in a stern voice.
     "Shut up, stupid bitch!", Patrick said, angrily.
     "Good luck trying to find the Castle Dracula", Abigail said, with a sigh.
     On the spur of the moment, they all began to hear unexplained eerie noises and eternally whistling wind that echoed throughout the area. Zach, Abigail and Lydia turned around to leave out of self preservation but George who felt deserted hurried and stood in front of them and then point his gun at them for trying to leave without permission.
     "What do you think you're doing, old man?", Zach asked, in a cold tone.
     "Taking your lives for desertion!", George said, in a fit of anger.
     "Allow me to make something clear to you all. Dracula's powerful allies, the dark sorcerers cast a spell upon the castle and the vast forest itself. Those looking to do Dracula harm are lead on a wild goose chase never able to find his humble abode", Zach said, with a smirk.
     Processing what Zach has said Abraham and the others joined George. They stared at the teenagers suspiciously and wondering what they knew and not telling them. They also pointed their guns at the teenagers as a method to make them respond to every question they will ask them.
     "How did you know?", Abraham asked, suspiciously.
     "Since when did you start pointing guns at kids like us, vampire hunter?", Abigail asked, smiling at Abraham.
     "Answer the damn question before I pull the trigger!", Jones said, threateningly.
     Zach, Abigail and Lydia stood there smiling viciously not willing to tell the hunters anything. Suddenly, a maniacal laughter echoed all over the area shortly before it was accompanied by monstrous roars that caused the hunters to look around nervously.
     "You're all going to die here!", Lydia said, in a dark tone.
     On the spur of the moment, Lydia and her friends flung air at Abraham and his searching party that sent them flying to the trees behind them at a speed. But when the legendary vampire slayer and the others managed to regain their feet the teenagers were nowhere to be found.
     "Sorcerers! Are you kidding me?", Jones asked, in disgust.
     "Those bastards are sorcerers!", George said, sounding unbelievable and confused.
     Abraham and his henchmen fixed a look on George and Patrick whom recruited sorcerers as pathfinders without even aware. The vampire slayers quickly realized that their quest has been jeopardized by the teenage sorcerers whom were likely to be working for the so-called Vampire King.
     "How long have you folks been working with them?", Oddo asked, curiously.
     "Couple of months. They came to me willing to work with me", George said, feeling betrayed.
     "And you just took them in without caring to know who they're!", Oddo said, unbelievable.
     "What did you expect me to do? They're Americans who came here as tourists but chose to remain here for a while", George said, seriously.
     "It's alright, no one is blaming you for what they did, George. Let's move on. The Vampire King knows we're here", Abraham said, boldly.
     The vampire slayers and what's left of the pathfinders heard the maniacal laughter once again that caused them to stop in their tracks. On the spur of the moment, they saw a teenage girl appeared beside an oak tree and staring at them coldly. Without a second thought, the hunters aimed and opened fire at her wasting some bullets on her. A pervaded mood of dread and terror overwhelmed them seeing the girl still on her feet unfazed. They have never seen or even heard of a creature immune to silver ammunitions laced with vervain until they came to Romania.
     "What the hell?", Jones and Oddo asked, in unison, apparently terrified.
     "You shouldn't have come here in the first place, Abraham Silver", the girl named Olga Murdock said, grinning viciously.
     "What the hell are you?", Abraham asked, in a bold tone.
     "Let me just show you", Olga said, laughing maniacally.
     Olga flicked out her retractable large claws shortly before she cracked a wicked grin revealing two upper fangs. She briefly closed her eyes and when she opened them they were glowing electric blue. She pounced on Abraham and the others as they opened fire at her but to no avail. She seized Patrick by the throat and then hauled him up above her head like a piece of paper. Without mercy she began to drain him of his biological energy as he shrieked in an unbearable pain.
     The vampire slayers whom have never before seen or even heard of a vampire that feeds off the energy of humans. Without a second thought, they fled out of self preservation together with the last pathfinder. Olga on the other hand, killed Patrick by draining him of his energy right down to the soul.
     After running for what seemed to be eternity, the vampire huntsmen and the terrified pathfinder at last stopped when they were certain that nobody was chasing them. They stood there breathing heavily apparently terrified by what they have seen for the very first time.
     "What on earth was that back there?", George asked, so terrified.
     "A vampire that drains the life force of humans", Jones said, nervously.
     "So you folks knew and didn't warn us! Now Patrick is gone!", George said, in a fit of anger.
     "This is the first time we have seen something like that. Besides, you were the one who brought three sorcerers whom double crossed us!", Oddo said, in a stern voice.
     After coming back to his full senses, Abraham suddenly and dreadfully noticed that he and the others were in fact in a sort of cemetery full of sarcophagus with vines all over them. At that very moment, he realized that he and the others should leave the place while they still can, because none of them know what's in the sarcophaguses.
     "Shut the hell up everyone! We're in a sort of necropolis", Abraham said, with a nervous sigh.
     Jones and the others stopped arguing and finally noticed the environment they ended up after running away from the weird vampire. They looked around nervously at the uncountable number of sarcophagus in the place.
     "What are we doing? Let's get the hell out of here!", George said, feeling terrified.
     "I'm afraid you folks can't leave here", a male voice said, in a dark tone.
     Abraham and the others turned to their left and found Zach, Abigail and Lydia standing beside a sarcophagus. They pointed their guns at the sorcerers without any hesitation, shortly before Olga appeared behind them together with two other girls named Hope Jimon and Clara Ossy.
     "Drop your weapons! It's over!", Abigail said, in a stern voice.
     "It's not over! We are here for my niece and we won't be leaving here without her even if we have to raze this hellhole to the ground!", Abraham said, boldly, as he scowled at Olga.
     "What part of it's over you do not understand, the legend?", Olga asked, grinning viciously.
     "Where is she? I won't ask again!", Abraham asked, coldly.
     "You don't have to", Hope asked, with a chuckle.
     On the spur of the moment, a swarm of wendigos and ghouls in black robes surrounded the area closely, blocking every path Abraham and the others could use to escape. Zach on the other hand, began to laugh like a total psychopath admiring the way the vampire slayers and the pathfinder were outnumbered and outmatched.
     "Take the legend to Diavol City. Obliterate the rest!", Clara said, in a command tone.
     The name Diavol City rang a bell in the hunters brains. It is the vicious vampire capital of the world. They have all heard of the global vampire capital of Diavol city that governs the dark world of vampires everywhere, plausibly one of the nightmarish places on earth.
     "What?", George asked, terrified.
     "I want to talk to your king but you must spare them!", Abraham said, boldly.
     "You really have guts, don't you? You're in no position to make demands!", Olga said, amusingly.
     Abraham quickly thought of a way to save the lives of his most loyal henchmen and the pathfinder, since he is the only one the Vampire King wished to be capture alive. He suddenly reminded himself that ancient vampires like Dracula always have a certain code of conduct similar to hunters.
     "I'm demanding a parley!", Abraham said, in a stern voice.
     Hope and the others stood there exchanging a look but reluctant to accept his demand. They wondered if the legendary thought that the parley he demanded would save his own life with the lives of his men whom were destined to die in the haunted forest. As they thought of just carrying away the orders of the Vampire King by killing the legendary vampire slayer's henchmen and the pathfinder, Finn landed lightly in front of Abraham and the others startling them.
     "Parley accepted!", Finn said, in a stern voice, as he fixed a look on the legendary vampire slayer.