Heroes to Hunted

That was it! That small streak of luminosity was my chance, my key to unseal my fate and change it! Sunlight affected Vincent!

'I'm living this,' I squeezed my knives tight. I was fueled by a new vigor and an adrenaline rush, fading my pain away like a bad dream. 'Nothing will stop me now...'

Though I made this resolution, Vincent was hellbent to see it end in flames. He, again, dashed forward, thrusting his rapier toward my chest.

To his surprise, I matched his aggression with my own. Done was my limitation of pure defense.

My muscles tensed as our blades clashed, a symphony of sparks lighting up the darkness like fireworks. Our weapons trembled and clattered from the friction as I threw my weight into Vincent with every ounce of strength I had left.

My best efforts still weren't enough; Vincent remained unfazed and carefree.

The distance between our faces shortened. Mine was primed with a fervent determination to win, while his was calm with a royal's elegance.

"An aggressive lunge? You seem a tad more confident than before..." Vincent hummed with intrigue.

"I was always confident," I curled my lips in a smile, revealing my clenched teeth.

Though my tone was steadied and my eyes unwavering, I felt a bead of angst-filled sweat trickling down my cheek. I knew I had to focus every fiber of my being to match Vincent's superior strength and skill.

He was my better in terms of raw power. However, his weapon of choice was hardly the right call for a clench match. Rapiers weren't meant for direct clashes. I exploited that, and slashed him backward with my daggers.

Then, I bolted backward with that moment of respite, impaling one knife into the boarded window. I tore the board from its rusty nail rooting. The wood crackled as I exposed the room to a thick pillar of sunlight.

My theory was proven correct when the light instantly vindicated any molecule of fog in its wake. It created a perfect but small tunnel that cut diagonally downward through the darkness.

Like the fog, my goal became clear: destroy all obstructions blocking the windows and expose the room to the light outside.

Vincent's presence was revealed after the veil dispersed. He stood in the sunlight with a look caught between surprise and inconvenience. "I told them..." he sighed with a hint of irritation. "I told them to remove those windows..."

"I suppose this is my blunder for relying on a few farmhands and backwater guardsman," Vincent brought a hand to his brow and shook it in disappointment.

"No use worrying about it now. In fact, you should worry about yourself," I smirked, then inverted one dagger in my hand. "Here I come, don't expect me to hold back."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Vincent bowed slightly, then angled his rapier for another series of fast jabs.

A moment of serenity passed between us; it was the calm before the storm. A droplet of blood dripped from my side wound, its patter against the hardwood heralding the beginning - the beginning of our fight's climax.

With knives raised and confidence surging, I charged forward, determined to find and clear the fog impairing my vision.  Despite the darkness making it impossible to find the windows, I refused to let that deter me. I'd drive Vincent back and tirelessly search for each until sunlight illuminated the room to its entirety.

Our clash began a brief moment later. Thanks to the sunlight, I was able to detect Vincent's movements and hold my own.

Flying sparks, deep resonant clangs, and the screeching of friction illuminated our bout.

Vincent thrust his blade for my wounded side. I responded with a sidestep and a high swipe of my leg for his upper body.

In a display of elegance, Vincent pivoted, facing the opposite direction of my attack, and ducked. Upon my leg's passing, he spun around, using the momentum to slash the razor's edge of his rapier for my neck.

I backpedaled, narrowly evading the rapier's tip as it glanced the Adam's apple of my throat. Though the injury was slight, a thin stream of blood trickled out, diluting with the sweat coating my skin as it trailed down my neck.

"I think I'm starting to get a grasp of how you fight," I smirked, taunting Vincent between my strained breaths.

"It wouldn't surprise me," Vincent shrugged. "Your proficiency with the dagger far exceeds what I expected!"

We circled each other. During that time, I carefully studied Vincent's movements, looking for any openings. 'He may be a vamp- fullkin, but even he has to make mistakes,' I thought, before we closed in for another heated engagement.

Vincent was a nimble opponent, his rapier flashed through the air with deadly precision. Still, I blocked it with a single knife, scattering his momentum with a slash.

'Maybe this'll work,' I jabbed my knife for his sword wielding side.

Vincent, like an immovable wall, promptly assumed an unbreakable guarding stance against my attack.

'It did,' I smirked, revealing my attack to be a clever feint. I stopped my thrust mid-strike and swiped it horizontally, aiming for his opened flank.

Vincent was ready for me. Despite my best effort, he caught my knives with his rapier, swirling it in small circles to disperse my momentum. He knocked me backward, using his weapon's superior reach to deflect my oncoming blows.

I growled to myself in frustration, feeling a passionate anger filling my insides. 'I need to break through!' The sound of my teeth grinding accompanied my irritation as I searched for a strategy to gain the upper hand.

So I powered through. Using my daggers, I captured his jabs, swipes, and thrusts before slashing them away. With each successful parry, I closed the distance between the two of us, bit by bit. Then, for just a moment, an opening was revealed. Vincent became tunnel visioned on defending his left side.

'NOW!' I inwardly shouted and roused myself into action. Vincent's momentary distraction was all I needed as I spun on my heel. I brought my dagger down in a powerful arc towards his head.

The opportunity was quickly sealed.

Using his lightning-fast reflexes, Vincent deflected my blow and lunged toward me with his rapier, aiming for my wounded side. I poured forth all of my strength into my legs to leap away from his strike. The sharp burn from the tip of his blade grazed my skin.

Though he landed a glancing blow, I was given another chance. A shot to even the scores.

Vincent was recovering from his thrust, so I knew I had to act quickly. I launched a series of swift slashes and stabs, forcing him to give ground. With a burst of energy, I slammed the hilt of my dagger into his gut.

My blow forced its way into his gut, squelching his organs and cracking a rib along the way. Vincent stumbled backward as the full force was transferred into him.

For a few priceless seconds, Vincent was stunned. I quickly took advantage of the opportunity for a mad dash. My goal: back to the wall to open another portal for the daylight to seep through.

Vincent recovered quickly though, and he was hot on my heels.

I turned to face him in sudden retaliation. He pulled his weapon-wielding arm back and jabbed for me. Evading with a hastened duck, his rapier's tip passed just overhead. Then, while crouching, I sliced my daggers upward in an "X." A gush of black blood sprayed forth.

I leaped backward, then hoisted my leg up for another high kick. The soles of my shoe pressed into Vincent's chest, forcing him backward and putting some distance between us.

'Gotta keep looking!' I growled and continued my search for more windows.

A few moments of bumbling through the darkness and I soon found the next one.

With the same action as before, I freed the obstruction blocking the glass. The light shined through, obliterating more of the darkened fog and lighting up another section of the room.

'One down,' I tiredly smirked, then returned my attention to Vincent.

Startling me from my confidence, the ground rumbled and vibrated with a tectonic fury. Because of it, several other windows had broken, freeing the dungeon of more fog.

When the shaking ceased, I was left with one thought. 'What the hell was that?'

Vincent laughed, then shrugged with a smile. "Your compatriots and my sister seem to be getting rowdy..."

"That was them?" I mumbled with surprise. The magnitude of the trembling could've easily been attributed to an earthquake. Yet... "They did that?"

"Indeed! I can only hope my sister has found some enjoyment in them."

"Well," I flashed my knife, "I'll be sure to check after I've defeated you."

"Such confidence," Vincent raised his rapier, ready for another bout.

That said, I raced toward him, empowered by the confidence of my first victory. My reactions, movements, and attack strategy; everything seemed oddly sharper.

At first, my assault went well. I held my own against Vincent's onslaught of parrying, jabbing, and thrusts. Just barely, anyway.

However, that all changed when the wound in my leg worsened. The adrenaline masked the pain, but I was still bleeding profusely. With the amount of blood loss I suffered from, the consequence was obvious.

'Not now!' I clenched my teeth, trying to fight through it.

Unfortunately, I failed, and my leg buckled under weakness, exposing my chest to Vincent's thrust. His rapier forced its way through my flesh, splitting my skin by like butter to a hot knife and missing my heart by the width of a coin.

The air in my gut rushed outward, leaving my body through my gaping mouth. Vincent ripped his blade out, and I staggered backward, clutching my wound with shortened breaths.

I stumbled backward, only to collapse onto the hard floor with a sickening thud.

Blood seeped from my wounds, making the world swim before my eyes. My limbs felt like lead, impossible to twitch, let alone move. Each breath came in ragged gasps, as if my lungs were failing me.

Everything spun out of control while my vision blurred and my consciousness wavered.

Yet, my thoughts remained unbroken. 'I... I won't die...'

"I'll admit you were a fantastic fighter, Sir," Vincent praised while flourishing his blade.

'...I won't die...'

"It's almost a shame... No... It IS a shame I can't recruit you into my fold. You're a wasted warrior, one who would've served the House of Graves well."

'I won't die!'

Vincent exhaled in dejection, then began a steady approach. "I suppose I'll have to make do with your corpse once I convert it into a thrall." He held a victor's poise. His shoulders were relaxed, his spine straightened, and his eyes narrowed on mine.

'I WON'T DIE!'

Vincent towered over me, rapier raised and pointed downward for an executioner's blow.

There was no other choice now. I had to confront the demons that slept within the depths of my soul. My body knew this, too. That was why it instinctively drew in dozens of fast-swirling red orbs, despite the gut-wrenching fear from my phobia

"I. WON'T. DIE!!!" I shouted, my body exploding in a deadly, bright inferno.

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