Risika the Slayer

There was a full moon in the sky and it would often be veiled by small strips of dark clouds. The winds were moaning in the forest, the rustle of leaves could be heard as the winds blew through the branches of the trees. The giant trees that bordered the forest looked ominous. Strange noises could be heard coming from within the depths of the labyrinthian woods.

The castle stood just outside the forest, a long winding path through the forest led to it. Three horses stood in the courtyard just inside the gates of the castle, the riders were two men and a woman, they wore hooded cloaks. The woman took off her hood to reveal her beautiful face and her long hair that ran back into the cloak. She tied her hair, and put the hood back on again. It was the vampire stronghold of Adon.

She gestured to her companions, and they rode out into the night through the castle gate. They rode into the forest. The woman was leading the group, her name was Risika. They rode like shadows, swiftly avoiding trees and rocks till they reached a ravine. They got down and tied their horses to tree trunks. Noiselessly they took off their cloaks and revealed their light armour. The moonlight bathed them and their armours shone in the darkness. Risika spread her arms out like an eagle and looked upwards at the sky, the two others knelt down at her feet. Her eyes started glowing red and her canines started extending till they were clearly visible, her beautiful face started getting contorted and her skin turned into a dead brown, two horns grew from the sides of her head and suddenly with a whiplash two wings sprouted out of her armour on the back. Lady Risika was now Risika the slayer. “Get up”, her voice had deepened and become throaty. The two vampires got up, their eyes were glowing red too and their faces had taken a beastly appearance, but they had no wings like Risika. Risika took her sword out of the scabbard and the men did the same, they raised their swords to the sky and Risika let out a screech that tore through the night sky.

Nearby, in the Lichen settlement, the screech was heard. There was panic at the camp, the women and children hurried into an underground cellar, while the men put out the fires and turned into fierce howling wolves. A pack of them started running towards the source of the sound while the others staid back defending the base.

“They’re coming”, one of the vampires said.
“See you on the other side”, said Risika and flapped her wings and flew into the night like a huge bird.

The wolves had reached the other bank of the ravine, they saw Risika fly into the sky and the two other vampires on the other side with their swords unsheathed.
“For Adon!”, they shouted and leaped towards the wolves.
The wolves leaped at the same time, and the met mid air over the ravine. The first wolf to leap was beheaded just seconds before the two vampires thrust their swords through the hearts of two others. They were standing in the middle of the ravine and the wolves had surrounded them, their backs faced each other as they looked cautiously at each glowing phosphorescent lupine eye staring at them. The wolves were circling them now. One wolf leapt at them and bit one of them on the shoulder and was hanging from there. Taking advantage of the situation four others leapt towards the two. The man who was bitten, with an extraordinary show of strength pulled the wolf from his shoulder and threw it away. He ducked, and simultaneously the other vampire rotated in a deadly circle around the spot he was standing in cutting the wolves who had leapt at them in half. There were only two left. They howled nervously looking at the two vampires and leapt at them, two swords went through their hearts.

The lifeless bodies of the wolves lay on the river bed, a small patch in the water had turned red, it was swirling with the current. Not wasting a moment the two vampires ran into the forest. Although the fires were put out at the camp, the vampires didn’t have any difficulty spotting the Lichen camp. Probably because Risika was already there, screeching and killing wolves. She was outnumbered, thirty to one. Occasionally she would grab a wolf and fly into the sky, there she would suck it dry of its blood and let it fall. The wolves would leap at her but she was too high for them. The vampires ran into the circle that the wolves had formed, thrusting and slicing with their swords. Soon all the wolves lay dead at their feet.

Risika landed on her feet.
“Well done *insert names here*”, she was smiling revealing her long fangs which were bloody now, the bloodlust in her eyes had now turned into a content crackling fire.

A baby wailed in his mother’s arms.
“Wait”, the expression on Risika’s face changed to tense concentration and anger was building up inside her again.
“Find them”, she said.

They looked for openings in the ground, and finally found the camouflaged entrance to the cellar.

“Let them burn. Let the blood of Romolus boil in the fire of our rage”

They lit torches that were lying around and put anything combustible they could find on fire and threw them inside.

Soon shrieks were heard.

They waited till the last one stopped and sheathed their swords.