No Matter How Dark It May Be, There Is Redemption

Heroic Vampire Crap

Sword in hand, Carmilla fought her way over to Laura’s father across the vast room, liberating him from the group of vampires that had him trapped in a corner of the room.

“Thanks,” he panted.  He swallowed hard.  “Is she…?”

Carmilla shook her head.  “She insisted I help you guys out instead of sitting by her side.”  She flashed a quick grin.  “You know how stubborn she can be.”

He gave a slight chuckle.  “Ah, yes.  Takes after her mother.”  He reached into his pocket.  Carmilla reached out her hand and received the Pommel of Azathoth.  She scanned the room and found that Danny had taken the Blade of Hastur and secured it in a scabbard.

“Are you going to be okay?” she asked, deflecting a blow and knocking a vampire back.

“Yes,” he said.  “And, Carmilla?”  He regarded the woman in front of him.  “I’m sorry for the things I said.  You’ve done nothing but protect my daughter and help.  I––”

“––Do not need to apologize,” Carmilla said sincerely, and then smirked.  “Just don’t die, or your daughter will kill me.”

She then headed towards Danny, taking out two vampires that were tag-teaming the tall warrior, and another one that was giving Kirsh problems.

Carmilla parried a blow from another vampire and countered with a low sweep.  “Laura?”  Danny asked.  “How is she?”

“She told me, in typical Laura fashion, to stop being a useless vampire, and to go be a centuries-old bad-ass,” Carmilla answered.

“But is she––”

“She’s not going to make it,” Carmilla stated bluntly.  “I’m sorry, Danny.”

Danny stiffened but continued taking out vampires alongside Carmilla.  “I’m sorry, too, Carmilla.”  She hit a vampire square in the nose with the hilt of her sword and Carmilla kicked him towards Kirsh, who had the pointed end of his wooden weapon ready.  “Now, go take that bad-ass business elsewhere.  We have this handled.”  She smiled at Carmilla and handed her the Blade.

Carmilla nodded and ran off to her last stop.

Lafontaine and Perry were starting to be overtaken by half a dozen vampires.  Carmilla looked over their surroundings.  With a vague idea of how to proceed, she fought her way over, only to be grazed by an arrow.  “Can you two morons not shoot me?!” she yelled up at them.  Lafontaine looked particularly sheepish, so Carmilla assumed she had been the one to fire.  She glared at them.  “I’m coming towards you.  Do not shoot me.”

She stood next to a bookcase and after carefully measuring the distance and its weight, she lifted it off the ground and threw it right next to where the pair was hiding.  She climbed up next to them and brought them to the top of the newly placed bookcase.

“Uhm, Carm, what are you doing?” Laf asked.

Carmilla looked at them and Perry.  “Do you trust me?”  They slowly nodded.  “Good.”  With minimal effort, she threw them up in the air, and they landed on a beam near the roof of the building.  From there, they had a great vantage point, and there was almost no way for the vampires to figure out their location easily.  Carmilla knocked the bookcase back over, just in case.

And now there was just one thing left to do.

Carmilla searched the room for the Dean, an effort made in vain as she felt a strike to the back of her skull.  The Blade went scattering away from her.

“Ungrateful pest,” she hissed.

Carmilla rolled away from her, scrambling towards the Blade.  The Dean grabbed her around the waist and spun her away, into a nearby pillar.

“Cowardly cockroach!”  Carmilla dipped her head to the right, narrowly dodging a blow that took out a chunk of the pillar.  Carmilla shoved her mother away, growling.

“Call me what you want, you monstrous viper,” Carmilla spat.  She backhanded her opponent, which had minimal effect, other than leaving the Dean shocked.  Carmilla took the opportunity to head for the Blade.  She pulled out the Pommel, but as she went to attach it, she was dragged backwards by her ankles, and it rolled out of her hand.  She felt hands on her calves that flipped her over so she was facing the Dean.

“You pathetic, pitiful, sniveling worm!” the raging woman shrieked, anger and hatred flaming in her eyes as she took a small wooden stake from a rear pocket.  “No one would miss you if you––”

“Hey!  Callous evil witch!” a voice rang out from behind Carmilla.  Both her and the Dean turned to face Laura, who stood proudly.  “Hasn’t anyone ever told you what to do if you have nothing nice to say?”  Carmilla’s jaw dropped open.

“What? How?” the Dean shouted.

“Little tip next time you decide to kill a human during huge battle while trying to take over the world,” Laura said, smirking, “don’t leave a bleeding vampire corpse on the battlefield near said human.”

Any color left Carmilla’s face.  “No.  No, Laura, you didn’t!”  But if she looked closer, she could see the faint trace of blood on Laura’s lips.  Vampire blood.

“You fool!”  The Dean leapt over Carmilla, aiming her charge at Laura, who gracefully sidestepped.  Instead, the Dean barreled into a group of vampires behind Laura.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Laura said dismissively.  She looked down at Carmilla, who was getting to her feet.  In the distance, she saw Kirsh and Danny gape at her, realizing what must have occurred. 

She turned her attention back to Carmilla.  “Laura…”  Laura held up a finger to her girlfriend’s lips.  She looked at her adoringly, and then pulled her into a passionate kiss.  Laura hoped and prayed that all the love she felt for this woman was evident in this kiss.  She wanted for the kiss to say everything she couldn’t say.  The words “I love you” had not felt enough for what she wanted to say to Carmilla when her feelings were somehow more ethereal.

When she finally pulled away, hearing the Dean recover from her embarrassing failed tackle, she could tell that her kiss succeeded.  It looked like she took Carmilla’s breath away, and tears were flowing from her eyes.

Before Carmilla could do anything else, Laura spoke.  “Time for you to get out of here.”  She then leaned in and whispered, “And it’s time for me to find out why you hate this heroic vampire crap.”

Carmilla eyes widened, but it was too late –– Laura grabbed the Pommel of Azathoth off the ground and attached it to the Blade of Hastur.

She ignored the blinding pain that shot through her hand and her arm and pivoted to face the Dean, and lophiiformes.  She ignored the heart-wrenching way Carmilla screamed out her name, as if she needed it more than she needed air – who knows? maybe she did.  She ignored her hand bursting into flames as the pain traveled through her arm into her shoulder.  She ignored the loud pained groan that escaped her own lips.  She ignored the Dean’s speedy unconvincing pleas before she thrust the weapon with all her might.  She ignored the light and the darkness and everything that followed, but she couldn’t ignore Death.