Vamp!

Vamp! I - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Vampires Around the Coffin

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Waldstein Castle rooftop.

Once the exterminators had departed, the only ones left in the majestic castle were the vampire viscount and the Japanese Eater.

As the sunlight shone on them brilliantly, Shizune stood with the setting sun at her back, her eyes fixed on the pool of blood on the roof.

[Ah, I thought it strange that there were no people going to and fro in the castle, but to think entry had been restricted all this time. How scrupulous of those good Saints.]

Despite the tension running through the air, the pool of blood continued to form letters at a consistent pace.

"Are you really Gerhardt von Waldstein?" Shizune asked for confirmation. The letters re-formed themselves confidently.

[Dear lady, you have the wrong man!]

"You just told me you were him earlier. Why are you denying it now?"

[It is most unfortunate that you could not respond to this jest in kind, young lady.]

This time, the letters were formed in midair as opposed to against the wall.

[Then... Presumably, what you had thrown at This One earlier was holy water and mercury, and perhaps salt or ashes of burnt wood. This One is terribly sorry to inform you that none of these substances will do This One any harm. Desiccants, perhaps, but salt and silver are no weaknesses of This One's.]

With a sidelong glance at the words floating in the air, Shizune reached behind her white leather jacket. For some odd reason, there were countless knives and forks holstered there like weaponry. It would not be surprising if an attack with something like a fruit knife were to be deflected on the rows of cutlery alone.

Drawing multiple forks at once, Shizune threw them towards the pool of blood as though shooting out bullets.

[Your efforts are wasted, young lady.]

Several knives tore through the joking words and drove themselves through the pool of blood. Naturally, they were not driven into the liquid itself--they had been nailed into the rooftop itself.

[Hm?]

The the viscount realized something only a moment later. The handles of the cutlery were unusually thick, looking more like they belonged on tools like chisels.

Not a second later, sparks flew from the tips of the forks. The pool of blood began to boil.

[A stun gun of some sort. Never did This One expect that these weapons of yours might have currents running through them.]

The words floating in the air addressed Shizune as though the vampire had been less than affected by the shock. The blood pooled on the rooftop slid away from the spots where the cutlery had been driven into, cutting its boiling short.

[Truly unfortunate, but This One is resistant to electric shocks as well. And to advise you further before you waste any more of your efforts, this body is also quite resistant to flames.]

"Thanks for the tip. For a monster, you're pretty considerate." Shizune said, glaring at the pool of blood that was twitching like an amoeba. "I've already eaten a few vampires that could turn into fog, but I've never seen one that could liquify itself."

Hearing this, the viscount formed yet more words in midair. The lines floating in the air twisted and bent like thin metal wire, forming new shapes.