Elijah was silent for a couple of minutes, tilting his head as he observed her. She clearly looked stressed and worn out, but he didn't comment. He knew most of the struggles of the Rebellion. The lack of food, the intense training, the need to hide.
"I may have a very late birthday present for you, Elyse," he said softly, bringing his eyes back to hers. "There's a vampire I'm positive you want to kill. He'll be at the East River, hunting, leaving his manor mostly undefended. You can get your revenge and…" he straightened his posture, standing on his feet almost as if he was floating, "and you can fill up more of your resources."
Her interest was instantly caught when he mentioned a late birthday present. "When?" She asked softly, locking eyes with him. She was sure she knew exactly what vampire he was talking about, the one she had been trying to hunt down for what felt like forever. If she was able to finally add killing him to her count… "When is he going to leave his manor?"
It would be amazing.
Elyse straightened and stepped away from the tree, the barest form of a smile flashing over her face. "It'll be hard to outdo that birthday present, plus I have a few years worth of missed presents to make up..but thank you Elijah."
"In five nights," he replied. "Since he's a coven leader as well, he takes two of his strongest soldiers with him. One is a female, who is a bit crazed in the head. She doesn't think straight. Outsmarting her is the best chance to kill her. As for the other one, the male, he's blind, but the rest of his senses are enhanced. The best chance to win is to trick his nose, which is through blood. And for Maverick… he's dangerous, but not impossible to kill. He's too arrogant. His anger is his flaw, and his overconfidence is his downfall. The best way for you to win is to get a headstart with an ambush. The East River has terrains surrounding it, which is best for archers."
Then he caught a faint smile on her lips and couldn't help a small one of his own.
"It's the least I can do. I want him dead as much as you do, but you deserve to take the kill. Make sure he knows true suffering when you do."
"He doesn't deserve a quick death, and so he's not going to get one," She promised, "I'll make sure of that." It had been years since she had seen Elijah smile, and even though it was a small one, she tried to memorize how it looked on his face. In case anything went wrong ever. The information he had just given her was priceless, and after her superiors heard of it, she would surely become the one to lead the ambush. The only problem would be trying to think of how she found out the information. A quick lie would be easy enough though.
Elyse couldn't wait for the days to pass now, but she wanted to spend at least another minute with her friend here. "This is random..but do you know what day it is?" She asked, the subject switching just like that, "We don't have access to a reliable calendar all of the time..and I actually don't know the date." The rebellion was lacking in a lot of things, but especially a calendar. Most of the time she was just told that things were in a few days.
(sorry for the short reply)
Elijah pursed his lips, though he was satisfied with her promise. He knew he'd be there, though, in case something went wrong. He knew he'd want to protect Elyse no matter what the cost would be.
"It's the fifteenth of February," he told her, letting her change the subject, and sitting on a rock. He was pleased she didn't decide to leave. He wanted to spend some more time with her. "If you choose to attack Maverick's manor, he may have several calendars, as well as a variety of weapons. Have you ever taken over a vampire's base, Elyse?"
(It's totally ok! My response is short too)
When he sat down, she did too, though she sat on the ground a few feet in front of him. "I've never taken over a vampire's base, no," She admitted, looking up at him, "Do you have any advice if we tried to take his manor?" Elyse knew that she had to get back to the base eventually, mostly since she was worried that Westly would be stupid and try to look for her soon. A few more minutes wouldn't hurt though. She didn't want to leave just yet.
Elijah returned the eye-contact, one leg crossed over the other as he mulled over her question.
"Each base is different," he finally said. "For instance, Lilith keeps monsters with the ability to camouflage. Since her coven is the largest, it's crawling with vampires. Most of them are linked through blood. I've never had the opportunity to explore his base, but I assume it's the same with him, except he likes to be a little… extra. His guard dogs would be bigger, but since he doesn't expect a Rebellion attack, most of his defenses would be down. I would suggest more Demon Contractors at the manor than at the ambush as monsters are easily slain with that ability."
She listened intently, nodding along and trying to remember everything he said. "His guard dogs are still going to be dogs though..right? Not monster hybrids?" Elyse had run into hybrids before and they were scary, usually only killed by Demon contractors or very badass humans because of how bloodthirsty the creatures were. She couldn't have many non-Demon contacted humans at the manor for the ambush if there were hybrids and monsters, "Do you know how many vampires are in his coven?"
It felt like grilling him for information, even if she knew he was willingly telling her all of this. He was turning over one of his own kind. She knew it was mostly because of his mutual hatred of Maverick, but it just boosted her trust in him. Elijah wasn't a loyal vampire, a fact that she loved. It meant that somewhere in there the Elijah she grew up with was still there.
Elijah shook his head, though there was a little fact he was incredibly proud of. “There’s one hybrid dog. It’s a level three, and is viscous. I has two heads. With the help of a Demon Contractor or two, if you successfully manage to sever its heads, it’s basically useless. However, the heads are the worst spots to go for. Its belly is its weakness, but you’d best be careful to not get trampled. Another thing I’d recommend is having a flame Contractor.”
There was a sudden shift in Elyse’s demeanor, and Elijah felt pleased knowing she was opening up to him again.
“He had over a hundred and fifty prior to a year or two ago,” he answered her second question. “Now he has about fifty, and won’t be getting any more unless he proves himself.”
She went silent as she tried to think if she knew any flame Contractors. They were rarer than the demon ones. "I'll work on getting a flame Contractor or two," Elyse said simply, nodding as she asked two more of her own questions, "Do all fifty or so live at the manor? Any weapons beyond wooden stakes that you would recommend?" She had to get all the details, otherwise, this was going to be much more of a bloody ambush. These details would be the difference between this going smoothly or becoming an absolute massacre."
If Maverick had that many vampires just a few years ago, she wondered how big Lilith's coven was. Any amount more than two hundred already seemed huge, but Elyse guessed it was well over that.
“I’d recommend a crossbow, too,” Elijah nodded, his hand on his chin as he mused things over. “Half of them would be with Maverick, I suppose. He’s quite arrogant; he doesn’t think he needs more, especially when dealing with what he deems as a lesser specie. I wouldn’t put it past the other coven leaders lending him more of their vampires.”
When his words registered, he let out a curse.
“Lilith might assign me to him,” he grunted out, a disgusted emotion flickering in his eyes. “Especially when she knows the history between us.”
Especially when the reason Maverick’s vampires decreased to a fifty for Elijah’s own little rampage. He never got Maverick’s head, though.
"Would the vampires they lend him be there in time to stop the ambush?" She asked quietly, not trying to hide the anger and equal disgust flashing across her face at the thought of him having to fight not only against her but with the vampire that had 'killed' him all those years ago.
Elyse slowly got to her feet after the question, looking over at Elijah and sighing, "I have to get going, otherwise they'll send someone out looking for me." She really didn't want to go, but talking to him had calmed her down. No longer did she want to punch Westly, though she knew she wasn't going to speak to him until she had to. "Can I give you another hug?" She asked in the same quiet voice, knowing that she wouldn't be able to see him until after the ambush..if she survived.
“They would,” Elijah nodded with a sigh, but looked at her when her question filled his ears. He blinked. She wanted to hug him again? This time, instead of giving her a reply, he stood up, walked over, and gently wrapped his arms around her.
He buried his hand in her hair at the back of her head, closed his eyes, and breathed her in deeply. How lucky he was to still have her alive.
“Be safe,” he murmured. “I can’t lose you again.”
She returned the hug without complaint, surprised that he had hugged her back this time. Her arms slipped around his sides and she buried her head against his chest, very aware again of his lack of a heartbeat. "You too..no matter if you're fighting against me or not," She mumbled.
Elyse couldn't bear to lose him for good, so she promised herself that she would see him again after the ambush. Her hold around him tightened for a second before she stepped away slowly. "I won't be able to meet you until after the ambush, just to let you know." Her voice was soft but strong, a silent reassurance that she would see him again.
It would just lead to her staying if she didn't leave now, so she slowly started walking away, facing him for a moment to say, "Goodbye, for now, Elijah." With that, she turned and tried to be as quiet as she could when walking back to the base.
Time to deliver some good news to her superiors.
Elijah didn’t walk away without making sure she was safe. When she finally disappeared, so did he. She’d be okay. She was strong, that much he knew. He’d seen her fight before. And if he faced her at the battlefield again… he knew he’d rather have his head removed than hurt her.
But just like he suspected, Lilith assigned him to Maverick. Lucky for Lilith, the vampire leader would do anything to make things miserable for Elijah. Unlucky for both him and Lilith…
His leader hadn’t given him explicit orders.
[TIME SKIP: FIVE DAYS; DAY OF THE AMBUSH]
"You're with me, Dog," Maverick commanded, and Elijah had to do everything to make sure he didn't attack again. "This time, if you turn on me, you won't just be bleeding out for days. You'll be mine to deal with."
Elijah didn't respond. Instead, he strapped his sword on his back and moved out, hoping Elyse and her team was all set. He hoped Elyse hadn't gotten into trouble. Finally, they set out, all sixty of them, their vampire speed leading them to their destination within two hours.
What they were going to collect were ancient beasts, monsters that would prove to be far more destructive than the ones they currently owned. Elijah only hoped the Rebellion could stop them before those beasts were in the possession of the vampires.
Then they finally reached the East River and Elijah inhaled sharply, preparing himself for the bloodbath that would soon begin.
Everything was set in place.
A team of demon Contractors and surprisingly, one rare flame Contractor waited by Maverick's manor while Elyse herself led a team of rebellion fighters hidden around the East River. Putting together the ambush was easily the most stressful things Elyse had ever done in her life but now it was going to pay off. Both of the attacks would happen at about the same time, a fact that she hoped would make it easier to pull this thing off.
Elyse herself was with the team at the East River, hiding along one of the hills surrounding the valley. This was one of the biggest operations that had ever been even attempted, and if it paid off it would be a huge success for the rebellion. She crept along the line of soldiers, adjusting her mask again and counting over her stakes she had strapped to her belt. All that was left was to wait.
Waiting didn't take terribly long, the sudden appearance of vampires in the area below them easy to spot. All eyes flicked to her, waiting for the signal. Elyse was trying to look for Elijah through the trees though, hoping he knew what was going to happen as she flicked her hand and the volley of wooden arrows started. Right now they just had to catch the vampires off guard and kill as many as they could as she motioned for the rest of the soldiers to start the descent down towards the river.
This was going to be a bloodbath.
Elijah was the only one who expected the attack. So when wooden arrows began to rain down, he was careful to avoid them, but others were not so lucky. The ones flanking around him fell instantly, one by one, and Elijah felt pleased. For now, everything was going according to plan.
But Maverick was just as good as him, having heard the arrows being released into the air and dodging each one falling towards him. Elijah kept a close eye as he kept himself free of wooden arrows, and then the real battle began. Humans descended towards the river, their weapons clutched tightly in their hands, masks over their features. Elijah couldn't see Elyse, but he knew she was there. All he had to do was keep himself alive now, even if it meant killing vampires or injuring a few humans.
"Filthy humans," Maverick spat, wiping the blood off his cheek. It wasn't his, but of a vampire that he used as a shield. "Stand back! Let them come to us, and then tear them apart. We will have our very own free buffet."
Soon enough, the arrows stopped working. The rest of the vampires began to regroup, getting better at dodging the weapons. He just hoped the humans were strong enough to break through. He hoped Elyse was strong enough to break through.
Elyse watched as the remaining vampires regrouped and she cursed under her breath. She had stopped to find Maverick as the other humans charged at the vampires, watching the first human spill with anger. As much as she hated watching fellow humans die in front of her, she had to be smart. The first vampire she recognized was Elijah, his blonde hair giving him away. Right next to him was the next face she recognized. Maverick.
That sight was enough to get her moving again, though she slipped into the bloodshed to help fight vampires that had already attacked. It would've drawn too much attention to go straight for the bastard. Her blue eyes flashed as she made her first kill, saving the life of a human that the vampire was foolishly feeding on. Amature mistake, to feed when fighting.
After that things began to blur together. Humans and vampires alike fell, and when the archers finally descended into the valley, their crossbows traded for stakes, things seemed to be going alright. No vampire besides Elijah would make it out of this alive, Elyse promised herself. She found him multiple times as she fought, making sure he was alive. As long as he lived, things would be fine.
Instead of killing, Elijah went for injuring the humans that came at him. He kept a close eye on Elyse, making sure to subtly strike down any vampire nearly succeeding in killing her. With Maverick's eye on him, he couldn't do anything big, He just hoped all the other vampires were gone for Elyse to attack Maverick, and that the coven leader didn't escape before she could strike him down.
Slowly, the numbers of vampires were decreasing. So were the humans, though surprising they were in larger quantity. His clothes were stained with blood, the scent clouding his senses, but because of Lilith's punishments, he was able to resist. So did most of the stronger vampires. The others? They didn't fare very well.
Soon, it was just him, a few vampires, Maverick, and Maverick's two strongest warriors.
Elyse drove a stake through some vampire's heart, running purely on adrenaline and anger. She was well aware of her various wounds, but they didn't stop her from spinning on her heel and locking her focus on Maverick. When she had become the leader of the ambush, she had clearly specified that she got to take on that vampire. Plans to take care of his two strongest vampire buddies were falling into place as she pulled her final stake from her belt.
She didn't come for him directly, waiting until he was semi-distracted before starting to creep up behind him. It took only a moment for her to meet Elijah's eyes, to make sure he was alright, and to try to relay the message that he should run. All she could do was hope that he got what she wanted him to do.
All she wanted to do was make Maverick pay for that day so many years ago, but she told herself to take her time. Elyse grabbed a discarded stake from the ground, wiping off the blood onto her black pants and once again focusing her mind back on the vampire in front of her. His back was still turned as she made her first move. She threw the blood-covered stake at his back like a dart, hoping that it hit home and stuck.
Elijah caught the look in her eyes, but he couldn’t run, not when he was so, so close to tasting victory. When Elyse threw the wooden stake, Elijah hoped it would pierce his skin, but Maverick turned around in the nick of time, howling as it hit his shoulder.
Elijah, too, was momentarily distracted, which nearly cost him a good shoulder. But he whirled around, his double-bladed sword intercepting the stakes and saving his skin. At this point, the rest of the vampires fell back, but Elijah saw a familiar face dead in a pool of blood. The blind one that Maverick loved to show off. Good.
Despite his attempts at protecting himself, Elijah didn’t miss Elyse’s weapon finally piercing their enemy’s stomach and rendering him helpless.
"This is for my friends," She growled, launching herself forward and stabbing her stake into Maverick's stomach. It wasn't a killing blow but it felt so good to finally get to do that. Her blue eyes flashed with anger as she yanked out the stake again and this used her strength to dig it into his shoulder. The vampire was still standing, though not for long as she hooked her leg behind the taller male's and pushed so he fell to the ground. Now she was standing over him, hopefully looking much more intimidating now that she was taller than him.
Elyse had imagined being able to kill Maverick for years, played scenarios in her head and thought about what exactly she was going to do to him. Most of her plans had revolved around the killing blow being in memory of Elijah, but since he was still 'living' in a sense, she switched what she was going to say very slightly. "I wonder if you even remember trying to kill me," She hissed, twisting the stake further into his shoulder just in spite of things. The more pain he felt, the better.
"I know you remember killing my friend though, you know his name. I know you do." She was blind from anything besides her current movements at this point, nothing except making this death hurt was going over in her mind. "Want to know what his name is?" She spat, moving the stake again to thrust it into his chest only centimeters from his heart.
It seems all eyes were on Elyse and Maverick now with the way she was slowly drawing out his pain, the way she was slowly killing one of the cruelest vampires in existence.
Elijah, however, couldn’t move his eyes away from Elyse. He knew she had it in her. Still, the thought of the vampire dying out didn’t decrease anything he was feeling. Their friends were still dead. He was still a vampire. They were all worlds apart.
“I don’t… I don’t remember you,” Maverick choked out, his hands closing around the wooden stake impaled in his chest. Elijah lowered his sword. Of course, he didn’t remember. Vampires didn’t remember who they killed; they were decades old. His lips moved, but no sound came out. Perhaps he was calling for his vampires. Maybe it was Elijah. He didn’t know, but Elijah didn’t respond.
