When fighting a Vampire it was important to recognise that what you were facing was decisively, defiantly, not human.

A human had necessities for survival. They needed sustenance, shelter, a community, strength… some were more important than the others, and some could gain access to others far easier, but it was still the case.

Vampires had no such need.

The desperation of human blood was an all-encompassing obsession, a goal, but a Vampire would survive without the red liquid in its system. They had no need for shelter, they thrived without a community, and their strength was obvious when considering their prey’s capability.

They had no hopes.

No dreams.

No plans for the future.

They just… were here.

And it became apparent in those moments where bodies crashed together. In those moments of intense clashes of flesh and bone occurring at phenomenal speed.

In a straight fist fight, no matter the training, it was the Vampire who would eventually win out. Having diminished or non-existent pain receptors meant that they could take a hit and continue onwards with barely a miss in their step.

Some even avoided blocking altogether when it came to physical brawls. What was the point of blocking when you could take the hit and keep advancing forward with just a sag to your skin.

Being dead also meant that the necessity for blinking was gone, which meant that their eyes didn’t lose track of their enemy in the micro-seconds it took to descend and raise again. They also didn’t need to breathe to catch up on expended energy, they were just at the strength they were at and would continue until they succeeded or were stopped.

This did have some drawbacks.

They had no ability to grow.

They couldn’t get stronger, nor faster, and so if they were facing someone who was both those things then… well, they had no capacity to get to their level.

They were either at the top, or they weren’t.

Injuries that were taken by the likes of steel weaponry could be healed overtime with a steady supply of blood. The ability to shapeshift meant that the likes of broken bones were not a problem in any long term capacity.

Though, like with any creation, there were exceptions to the rules and some mutations existed in the Vampiric world. New and rare creatures did exist who prioritised more than just blood, which had led to some… abnormalities.

They were the fearsome beasts of the night who could, unless stopped, fight on, and on, and on, until dawn break, if need be.

But, most importantly and perhaps most terrifyingly, they also had no emotional connections. There was no loyalty that wasn’t based on physical prowess.

Two Vampires could spend centuries together, one could be lost in glorious combat, and the other would move on with barely a second thought.

So, despite the momentary pause on the field, the death of a cherished ally caused no hesitation in the likes of Brian and Kenan who were- in that moment- already starting to adapt and move despite the irritation of the pink flames.

***

“Okay. One down. Tick that off my bucket list,” Dragonick said, twirling the longsword.

The blade, gathered from the same weapons lockup that Ashyer had grabbed the katana, from was similar in its aged appearance. The steel was darker near the grip and guard and whilst it had been recently cleaned and sharpened it was apparent with the occasional marks in its frame that it had seen many battles over the decades.

It was comfortable in the Dental Cadets hand though and Dragonick seemed comfortable wielding it with one hand.

“I wasn’t expecting them to feel so… empty.” He said, standing beside his friend who had since drawn the katana; “And the lack of blood pooling is a bit unnerving.”

“It’s a weird feeling, yeah.” Ashyer agreed, glaring at the other two Vampires who were stationary despite their obvious desire to advance; “Like… stabbing wet paper.”

The flames were still burning in their spots and yet the Vampires made no noise after the initial confusion. The burning continued to rage through the air and the environment had taken up a warmer, steamier feel. The pink fire was causing shadows to dance over the walls, and it was a miracle that the fire alarms hadn’t been activated, though this was likely intentional on the Undead’s part.

“That’s exactly it.” Dragonick agreed; “It’s easy, and thin, but dense at the same time.”

“It’s like you were expecting more.” Ashyer said, recalling his own bout earlier that evening; “It’s like you want to feel that the world has been saved because you’ve ended the life of a monster.”

“Kind of hard to do when there are two more in the room,” Dragonick said with a chuckle; “But, hey, I have a good feeling that they’ll be dealt with soon enough.”

“How much blood did you use for that little stunt?” Reginald asked, standing beside Gotthold who was still breathing heavy from the combat against the Kenan Vampire. The former could see on the exposed skin of the latter the sweat droplets and the mouth aiming to catch his breath beneath the black mask.

“I’m fine.”

“Oh is that so? And there I was getting worried because it’s not like you to get so winded.”

Gotthold sighed but it may have been a desperate exhale and, conscious that the Undead were almost certainly listening, muttered in an annoyed tone;

“About a pint?”

“A pint?! They recommend not doing any physical activity after giving blood, and you just burnt some up with your magic and whilst engaging in a fight with a Vampire!”

Gotthold nodded, having likely expected such a reaction.

“I’ll be okay.”

“Magic uses blood. A Nova Pulse uses more blood. It’s how we burn our Soul against our enemy.”

Reginald knew that Gotthold was aware of this, but the revelation wasn’t for him. He knew the Cadets were listening and were wondering about the capability of their two tutors. To know that, even they were their experience, were still human was an important milestone.

They would need to step up for this fight.

“I’ll be fine.” Gotthold muttered; “It’s just a pint. I’ll get that back with twenty-four hours of rest.”

“Oh, perfect, let’s just go get you some then. Do you reckon those fellas will mind if we let you go grab a quick nap in one of those empty apartment rooms?”

“I’ll be fine!” Gotthold repeated, but this time the other Dentist didn’t rage any further. Instead, he put a hand on his friends shoulder.

“It’s not ideal, though.”

“Yeah…”

Really, it was hard to argue.

“I… know… but, it did knock us from a Four versus Three, to a Four versus Two. I’d say it was totally worth it if you think about it that way.”

“But we’re still dealing with two.” Reginald corrected; “And we don’t have the benefit of stealth, now. Maybe next time save that trick for when it’s just two on one?”

“I’ll take your feedback on board…” Gotthold muttered, raising an arm; “Dragonick!”

“Yep?” The student said, rushing towards his tutor with such speed that his cloak ended up billowing with the arrival; “What’s up? We going back in to get one of the next two? I want the one with glasses, looks like you warmed him up- or I could take one and you take the other and let the other two have a break, or-?”

“Stop.” Gotthold said; “First up, I need to give you feedback. Your attack was a good choice. You picked the right moment to strike the Vampire. Sometimes knowing what that is can be tricky.”

“I learned it by watching you.”

“Negative points however are that you announced attack again. If you need to quip, do it at the last possible second when the attack has landed. Otherwise, if it gets dodged, you don’t look foolish.”

“Smart! That’s why you’re the one who has been here longer.”

Gotthold groaned and Dragonick turned with him to face the remaining two Vampires who were, as their flesh sizzled, slowly managing to advance forward. It wouldn’t be long now until the flames would have perfectly faded.

“You okay?” Reginald wondered as Ashyer approached.

He was… quiet, at the moment, and Reginald could sense that his Cadet was struggling. The question was designed to prompt him into revealing his insecurities regarding his inaction whilst it felt that the other pair were having a more proactive role, but he could sense that his student didn’t want to articulate precisely why that was bothering him just yet…

“Why aren’t we attacking?” Ashyer instead wondered; “Surely… lunging forward and throwing some blades into their chest would end this nice and easy?”

“Is that what you want to do in this moment?”

Ashyer looked aside.

“I just… don’t like feeling powerless.”

“The pink fire you see is the Nova Pulse of Gotthold,” Reginald said over the sound of crackling fire; “It’s the fire of the soul. It’s what our colleague is burning to stall this moment and grant us time to prepare.”

“So we don’t attack because it’s not… fair?”

“Interacting with it without fully comprehending his magics capabilities means that we run the risk of getting burned- and not just our skin. Our soul, as well.”

“Isn’t it worth it to get a bit burned though? To defeat the Two Vampires?”

Reginald smirked, looking at the student and recalling he had made a similar point back in the day to his own tutor. Thinking about it, yes, even now it had made little sense but…

“If you’re lucky, you’ll live a long life.” Reginald said, drawing the two hand axes from their holsters; “There may be a moment in your life where you decide that it’s time to sacrifice yourself for the sake of others, but make that a moment where there is no other choice.”

“I…”

“Don’t think that every fight you engage in has to be to the death, Ashyer. Sometimes it will be, but this isn’t one of them. Don’t stake your life on something when it doesn’t have to be. Stake it on something that matters to you.”

Ashyer nodded, turning his gaze to the enemy.

“That… does make sense,” he said, preparing his sword with the others as the final remnants of pink fire faded.

The room returned to darkness instantly and with the smell of burning flesh now permeating the room, the two Vampires moved. There was no hesitation, there was merely a continuation of movement that they had been seeking to undertake prior to the burning and were now able to continue doing. They lunged with no pause or consideration for their dead foe, instead choosing to advance because it was the thing that was required in that moment.

They wanted blood.

That need was greater than existing.

And so they moved-

From Ashyer’s perspective he saw the rushing limbs and teeth, only for suddenly the room to shift with the eruption of a new light source to his side.

This time the flickering embers were green.

This time they erupted from Reginald who was suddenly engulfing his weapons in his own lime coloured shade of dancing ripples. The flames were wild, casting long shadows out from their source.

The Vampires either tried to pause or hesitated in their advance, but it wasn’t enough as Reginald crashed the two axes together and the resulting KLANG echoed outwards in both sound and pressure.

Objects in the room not bracing themselves shuddered with the impact of the air alone.

Green sparks erupted across the room and danced through the space, latching onto different points with the non-verbal direction of the caster.

Two latched onto the clothing of the Vampires, whilst the other two settled down elsewhere. Burrowing into the clothing they then expanded, forcing both Vampires to vanish in a loss of balance into separate green tunnels.

Then, with the formation of two new green entrances, the Vampires appeared in different parts of the room and journeyed in different directions.

Kenan had emerged upside down falling from the ceiling. Brian exploded out of a table firing him at an angle upwards.

And the Hunters were advancing now. The lead two warriors moving first with their students trailing behind.

Pink fire led a trail for one pair, whilst green portals suddenly coated multiple surfaces in the room for the other, whilst the Vampires stumbled and attempted to catch themselves.

They were surrounded, and yet… they were Vampires.

What transpired next occurred without words. It was what Ashyer and Dragonick had heard about in lectures. It was the true state of a battle against the Undead. There was no calling of attack names, or conversations between the equal trades of blows, there was just pure desperation and adrenalin as you attempted to kill this terrible thing before it could do the same to you.

And there was fire. 

So much fire.

The air was filled in that moment with blood, sweat, and teeth.