Necromancer For Hire- Arc 2

Arc 2, Chapter 6

The Rescue

Victor was slung into the back of the alleyway, his head hitting the wall roughly.

Black spots danced across his vision as Victor tried to discern the man before him. He blinked several times, heart thudding and sweat gathering under his arms.

"Alright, kid. You know the drill." the man muttered, taking heavy steps toward him.

Victor's eyes finally focused on the source of the voice, and his heart fell into his stomach.

The man was tall and muscular, probably outweighing Victor by around one hundred pounds. His skin was pallid, with a faint bluish tint and his eyes were piercing and yellow. Worst of all, his pronounced canine teeth protruded from under his lip, making it clear to Victor that he was a vampire. He was being blood-mugged. 

'Blood-mugging' was the nickname given to the fairly common type of assault in large cities like Alcorith. Vampires would threaten their prey much like a burglar would, but instead of stealing a wallet or purse, they would drain the victim's blood. Human-draining vampires were considered villainous by default, as the rest of the species simply bought bagged animal blood from stores.

The vampire knelt down, pushing Victor's oily hair away from his thin neck. He opened his mouth and prepped his long fangs over Victor's flesh.

Victor took short, gasping breaths, fearing for what the vampire would taste when he bit into the side of his throat. From early on in his childhood, Victor had been constantly drilled by doctors on how he lacked iron in his blood- and he could only imagine how gross that would taste to a blood-drinking creature. Would the vampire be angry? Would he kill him? Even if the vampire found his blood satisfactory, he'd probably be in critical condition due to loosing that much of his precious lifeblood. There'd be no way for him to call for help if he was that weak.

Victor would have gladly told the vampire about his serious health problems, but his restricted vocal cords felt otherwise. This is why I like being with dad, he thought, shuddering when the vampire's hot breath fall on his neck. He talks for me.

Victor clenched his eyes shut, ready to accept the inevitable spike of pain that came with the creature's teeth sinking into his flesh.

"Stop!" A voice cried out, making Victor snap his eyes back open. Before he could fully realize what was going on, a beam of white light shot by him, slamming into the vampire. The creature was flung against the wall, and instantly fell to the ground, blood streaming from his head.

Gasping, Victor pulled himself off the ground and scrambled to the opposite corner, heart thudding faster than ever. He looked towards the opening of the alley, where the beam seemed to have came from.

There stood a boy that looked around ten or eleven, holding out the palm of his hand offensively. Golden curls framed his smooth, cherubic face and fell across his shoulders. He wore a white tunic with loose, golden slacks underneath, and a short poncho covered his shoulders. A piece of gold silk was tied around his waist, flapping slowly in the chilly autumn wind. His sleeves were detached, starting at his lower bicep and coming down to his fingers. But perhaps the most surprising thing about him were the wings that floated near his back. He had six of them in all- three on each side of his body.

"Ah, are you okay? He did not hurt you, did he?" The boy's voice was light and airy, but also noticeably alien, like he had trouble grasping the concept of human speech.

Victor slouched down into the corner, fearful as the strange boy moved took quick steps towards him. As he got closer, Victor realized the boy's fair skin gave off a faint glow, making him seem more and more otherworldly by the minute.

He knelt down in front of Victor, holding out his hand. "You look startled. Allow me to help you up." Swallowing down terror, Victor tentatively grabbed his hand permitted himself to be pulled up. To his surprise, the boy's skin was warm and pleasant to the touch, and it was unlike any human he had ever felt of.

The boy smiled, waving at Victor. "I am glad I got here in time. I have been following that guy all day. By the way, my name is Seraph. Seraph Harmony. What is your name, human?"

Victor frowned, unsure of what to do. He had neglected to bring any paper or writing utensils with him, so that pretty much eliminated any way of him communicating to anyone. Thinking quickly, Victor touched his fingers lightly to his vocal cords, hoping Seraph would understand the body language for muteness.

Seraph's vibrant pink eyes went wide. "Oh! I see! You are one of those humans that can not speak. Here, let me try something..." Seraph brought his slender fingertips to his forehead, gold runes shining in an elaborate pattern on his skin. He then reached out to touch Victor, who tried to shy away, only for his back to hit the wall behind him and stop his escape. Seraph's glowing fingers connected with Victor's forehead, and an electric feeling shot down his body, exciting the thin hairs on his arms.

"Did it work? Can you hear me? Try speaking to me. It is not hard, just think really loud." Victor squeaked in shock when Seraph's voice reverberated in his mind. Telepathy?! This is crazy!

He sniffled, staring at Seraph nervously. The angelic boy stared at him patiently, urging him on silently with a charismatic smile.

"I'm Victor Mortis..." Victor thought, trying to propel his mental message to Seraph. When he saw the boy's eyes alight in understanding, he knew he had succeeded.

"I see," Seraph murmured, speaking out loud again. "That is a very nice name! I have never met a human named Victor before. I think I  like it."

Victor glanced away bashfully, only to catch the vampire stirring on the ground beside them.

"Seraph! He's waking up!" Victor screamed, pulling at the boy's arm.

Author's Note- Gah, my precious baby has finally appeared.