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Darkness. That is what Vampirism has taught me. But the darkness is for ignorant pretenders.

I have a moment to think while I descend through the atmosphere to Earth. I must continue the eradication of all Vampires. I must kill the Vampire King, and all within his Vampire Kingdom. There is no time to spare, I’m certain that the Vampires beneath the Kingdom have something up their sneaky Vampire sleeves that may have repercussions for the entire world. I land into the side of a snow-covered mountain top, my crash sending steam and debris outwards into the sky. My jacket is ruined, I remove it and toss it to the side as I stand on the cusp of my impact crater. I breathe the air deep into my pointless Vampire lungs, and try to remember what it felt like to be alive. Feeling nothing, I focus on the death of all Vampires, and jump down the mountain, skimming, hovering upon the snow in a false slide.

The sun glistens over the mountain top; I keep my eyes on the darkness that trains itself beneath the Vampire-King’s Castle. He has been made King, to reign over a secluded Vampire Village. His Vampire Kingdom remains in the visual era of carriages and cottages. No doubt, however, that the Vampire-Demonic have set him up in preparation for me. The Vampires have always been cowardly, hiding beneath a veil of humanity to attract their prey. Their carriages and cottages are but fronts to the technology they possess, pure Vampire aesthetic. They have always been and always will be a mockery of humanity. A cheap imitation, made to feed off of them in the shadows. I’d pity them and their bloodlust if my own didn’t burn within my veins, fueling the unending hatred.

The Vampire Castle is tall and imposing. Large spires intimidate the night sky, as the castle itself blocks out the day for the large Vampire village below. I arrive at the end of the slope, and leap into the Vampires’ town square. Vampires immediately stop their night-to-night routines, and stare. I stand upon their giant fountain of a Vampire bat.

“Vampires! I am VAMPIRE: The Vampire Hunter, and I am here to kill all of you, as well as your Vampire King!” I pause a moment to let them absorb the information, for they surely saw me plummet to earth and into the mountain side. I drop down onto the rim of the fountain.
“You can still die with honor: line up here, and do not resist my blade.” Vampires never die with honor. The town of Vampires parading as humans are the same. Vampire shopkeeps, Vampire tailors, Vampire wives, and Vampire husbands all prepare to attack, in their own ways.
“Vampires, please, you prey on humanity, and live in secrecy, allow me to end this mockery of platitudes you call a life!”
“Please, we’re good Vampires!” One shouts from the crowd. Another pulls forward to defend and support the first Vampire.
“Yeah, we Vampires just want to live here and be left alone!” The defenders begin to pull to the front, trying to reason with me.
“We have families here, under the protection of the Vampire King, we only want to retain our humanity,” says a mustachioed Vampire, holding his bowler hat to his heart, Vampire wife and Vampire child close by his side.
“We never seek to create new Vampires,” says one, with more coming to the front. A common tactic in humanity, bringing faces to a nameless group. Makes them harder to kill, allows for attachment.
“We survive off a synthetic blood, created beneath the city,” says one, proving that they are no danger to humans.
“We offer protection to those who no longer want to prey upon humans, it’s not the life for us,” says a final Vampire, a beautiful young woman who stands directly in front of me, holding a small bouquet of white roses and chrysanthemums; enhancing her soft, pale skin and ruby-red lips. I look deep into her eyes, and then, I speak to the crowd:

“Your words touch me, Vampires, they really do. So, I have reconsidered.”

I unsheathe Vampire-Killer, and swiftly remove the heads of all those in the crowd directly in front of me. Blood sprays up into the sky, before the slumping of their bodies drenches me in it.

No matter their words, within their eyes and within their hearts will always be death. I know the secrets of the synth-blood. Like all things Vampiric, it is a lie. Their ignorance is no excuse; execution is to be their enlightenment. They cannot live without preying upon the living, that is their definition. I can see that this place is the cause of the disease, and must be uprooted violently. No more symptoms.

The commoner Vampires, surprised that their idiotic and pathetic begging for mercy did not work, attack in a staggered fashion. Poorly organized, untrained. Living too long as a mockery of humanity. The worst sort of Vampire, stealing back a life they gave up. The missing people from surrounding towns for miles around, travellers to the region, those whose lives the Vampires stole to feed themselves, are of no consequence upon the minds of these Vampires. As they come at me, I make quick work of them, the Vampires’ bodies splay across the old-fashioned cobblestone ground surrounding the fountain. With my maneuvering around the statue, the fountain’s water soon turns a deep red with the blood of the Vampires as I hack away at their pathetic attempts at defending their accused Vampire village. I make my way away from the centre, and blood pools in between the cracks of each stone, flowing outwards, filling the town square.

Through the initial hoard, I make my way towards the Vampire King’s Castle. The Vampires still in their houses exit to defend the way of undeath they carved out of human flesh. There are at least 500 Vampires coming out from their businesses, stopping their chores, all sensing the danger, all sensing the end to their Vampiric ways. Vampire after Vampire fall to the Vampire-Killer. As crowds of Vampires lose their lives, I revel in each and every kill. I listen to each slice, each splatter of Vampire intestines and dismembered Vampire limbs hitting the ground, being trampled.

Vampires continually burst out of windows and old wooden trap doors in attempts to surprise me, to try to lay even a scratch on me. They all fail; but the King of Vampires is no fool. He did not become the Vampire-King by allowing these trespasses to occur. Vampire-Warriors and Vampire-Knights flood out of the windows of the castle. A small percentage of the actual Vampire guards on staff, I’m certain. I jump to the rooftops to gain a better vantage point, slicing Vampires as they jump up through the alleys. Scalps removed, Vampires fall by the wayside. Taloned hands reach out at me, grabbing me, bright white fangs bared, glistening. Saliva flies out of their panicked vengeful mouths with their hissing and inaudible threats. Bloody pieces fly away, disconnected, ash explodes and scatters as I drive my blade through the Vampire-Warriors and Vampire-Knights, impeding my rooftop jaunt.

Having traversed most of the Vampire Village, I return to the streets, into the frantic crowd of Vampires. So thick in number, it is all I can do to swing Vampire-Killer and end them, slowly making my way towards the path. The trudge through crowded streets of removed limbs, heads, splattered brains is soon over, the final stand is made to head me off at the pass, the clearing before the long winding mountain path, a huge, Vampiric conglomeration. If I could tell one Vampire from another before, I most certainly couldn’t now. They all meet their end, falling to the Vampire-Killer. I almost zone out through the monotony of Vampire screams, becoming soaked in Vampire blood and entrails. Not a single Vampire is spared in the village.

My disgust for Vampires has no fathom to its depths. I kick the final fallen corpses out of my way, and continue towards the Vampire King’s Castle. The path is long and narrow, sheer cliffs on either side, at the bottom of the chasm, only shadow can be seen. I sense them first, the underdwellers. A form of Vampire-Demon, smaller than Vampires, weaker, but faster and always in great numbers. This doesn’t feel like a trap. More like a few near the surface, scared, attacking out of instinct. They like to remain underground, where they feel safe. I sprint down the path, knowing that the longer I stay, the more their deathscreams will draw others, more Vampires. Having quickly made my way to the gate of the Vampire King’s castle, I realize: this is the trap. The large doors swing open of their own accord with a large creak. Before me is a large hall, lined with large statues of Vampire-knights and Vampire-demons and Vampire-demon-knights. At the end of the hall, is the Vampire-King’s throne, and there he sits: the Vampire-King himself, Dracula.

“Vell vell vell, it seems I have a guest, you must be VAMPIRE: The Vampire Hunter, blah!” His thick Transylvanian accent grates on me.
“I’ve been waiting a long while to meet you face to face, Dracula. I’m going to destroy you once and for all.”
“You have no idea vhat you’re up against. I am the Vampire King. I am the vone of True Blood!”
“I know exactly what I’m up against, Vampire, and believe me, your time is at hand.”
“Blahh, I suppose I should simply abandon my castle and kingdom, then… flee, never to return…”
“Don’t mock me, Vampire, I’ll see to it that your Vampire blood is spilt by my blade.” I fly at the Vampire with Vampire-Killer.

The Vampire turns to mist before my eyes, vanishing. My sword, embedded deep into the throne. I’m left alone in the empty hall of Dracula’s castle. Shadows cast, my only company.

My Vampire-Killer blade. The Vampire-Killer blade. It is the ultimate weapon for use in ridding the world of the Vampire. I created it before I was to become a Vampire. I bonded with it a piece of my soul. This sword is what allows me to retain the supernatural powers of the Vampire, but still maintain the internal power of the human. Power of will over the Vampiric bloodlusting. Power over the day. Power over the Vampire. Power to end the reign of the Vampires.

In traveling the world as a mortal, seeking tools to kill the Vampire, I came across many artifacts, but none that would make me a lone match for any Vampire, let alone every Vampire. They were gimmicks, useless toys for the delusional groups. Lost in battles of the now-dead, held by Vampires, or hidden away by cowards too frightened of the Vampire, laying in wait for a true Vampire Hunter.

I waited, I trained, and I broke through new states of consciousness and human endurance. I read: Vampirism steals the soul. This fact stuck out to me. I knew I needed that, that which would separate me from the Vampire. The power of the Vampire is how I could fight against them, and I knew if I could retain my soul, even a piece, I could rise above the petty bloodlust of the Vampire. How was my only question, and so I did my research. I’d heard of warriors from the East sealing their souls in blades to achieve eternal life as a warrior. Wizards with powerful artifacts, Lich Kings. All undead because of this process. They were greedy, and that was their downfall. I did not want immortality; the power of the Vampire would bestow that curse unto me. I spent years crafting the perfect blade to hold a piece of my soul. It is unbreakable. Designed with the killing of Vampires in mind. Made of the finest of enchanted silver, inscribed with runes, with a dual tip, and a central magically petrified wood core to the hilt. It is the Vampire-Killer. Not trusting of another, being wary of soul-stealers parading as soul-forgers, I performed the spell myself. It was excruciating: far worse, physically, than turning into a Vampire.

After it was made, I locked it away. Then, all I had to do was become a Vampire. The only way to become a Vampire is to be turned by one. Vampires won’t just turn anyone, the newest wouldn’t even know how. No, I had to completely trick a Vampire into becoming my friend, into trusting me, into knowing that I was entirely committed to being a Vampire. No easy task, as they can read the minds of man. Even if you can find Vampires, what’s to stop them from simply making you a meal? Especially if they can read your intent to use that power to become a Vampire Hunter. They have their spots, their hangouts, and their haunts. Exclusive clubs. It took years of meditation to be able to separate my mind’s thoughts, lock the disgust and contempt I have for the Vampire just as I locked away my soul, my Vampire-Killer.

The Vampire’s name was Nikki, she had set out on her own years prior, disconnected from her master having learned all she needed too. Without my intervention, she would have continued to be an excellent continuation to the Vampire lore, very by the books. Easy to obey. She truly was the perfect Vampire, a Vampiric killing machine like no other. Any human meal she wanted was at her sharpened fingernails. She wanted an apprentice of her own, to teach, to subjugate. I would be just that Vampire for her. In her mind I was the perfect slave, a male strong in appearance with the desire for the woman, and an even stronger desire for the undead life of the Vampire. She was drawn to my prime human flesh. She described being around me as comparable to being around a feastful thanksgiving table, for those who still have a god to thank. She was, however, thankful when she drank of my blood, stealing my soul for the Vampire-Gods. It was months we were together before that, and we were together as Vampires for an unknowable period of time after. Everything feels fleeting as a Vampire. We had as much feelings, as much of an emotional connection as Vampires could have for one another. It was not long after I had learned all I could from her that she tired of me, and I her. Knowing she would eventually attempt to find another apprentice to turn, it was when I could no longer feel her lingering presence that I searched out Vampire-Killer.

Once I found the Vampire-Killer, my toughest choice then was not whether or not to slay her, but to test my skills and kill her during the day, during her slumber, or at night, when she has committed her Vampiric feeding, and is at her most powerful.

That night I kicked down the door to one of our old places, where she still resided. I stopped her in the midst of her Vampiric feast. A woman, near dead, drained of blood; around my mother’s age at the time of her untimely death. This is what I had trained for almost my whole life.

“What’s wrong, my young Vampire? Did you miss me? Ahahaha! You always were weak!”
“No, Vampire, I’ve come to put an end to you.”
“Quit playing around, you know I never found jokes humorous. If you would like one more night of bloodlust, I do not mind heading back out to find another quick meal; once I finish this one, of course.”
“You misunderstand, this is where your bloodlust ends, Vampire.” She could no longer tell what my intentions were; they were hidden by me, by my possession of the Vampire-Killer. I unsheathed the blade; the inscripted runes glinted in the moonlight coming in through the window behind her. By the confusion and betrayal in her eyes, I could tell that she now understood I was serious. That I was now, and always had been a Vampire Hunter. This Vampire, just like all Vampires, had betrayed humanity; there could be no remorse to feel.

“So, Vampire, are you ready to die?”
“If you really think you can kill me, apprentice, and become a big, bad Vampire Hunter out of the blue, you’re the one who should be prepared to die.” The Vampire’s face gnarls, showing her Vampiric bone understructure; she bares her fangs, and hisses as she leaps through the air across the room. Her force pushes me out of the doorway, knocking Vampire-Killer out of my hand. I crash through an old stone wall and before I realize what exactly going on, she’s on top of me, slashing deep into my bare Vampiric flesh. She bites a chunk out of my shoulder, and blood soaks the rubble underneath us. She stands, grabs me by the leg, and drags me down the old hallway leaving a path of blood. The Vampire then uses her might to shatter an entire six flights of stairs with my body. She elegantly, Vampirically floats down to the tiled ground floor. The Vampire stands over me and kneels down, thrusting her hand deep into my chest. She squeezes my dead Vampire heart.

“Any last words before I tear out your heart, oh mighty and brave ‘VAMPIRE: The Vampire Hunter’?” she smiles at her own sarcasm.
“To me, my blade.” Vampire-Killer comes spiraling towards me, separating her arm from her body, leaving it lodged in mine. I grab Vampire-Killer, and slice the Vampire’s head off. I stand up, throwing her body off mine, and drive Vampire-Killer through her heart; making sure to kill her for good.

“Take THAT, Vampire.”

I pulled the Vampire’s arm from my chest cavity, and tossed it to the ground. I watched the hole quickly heal itself, leaving no scars. I felt the nail-marks disappear, and my shoulder become whole again. I felt Vampire-Killer take the blood into my soulwound.
The first Vampire I had slain was the Vampire who had turned me. Unlike the werewolf, destroying the Vampire who turns you does nothing; one can never revert back to being human from Vampirism. From then onwards, I could only be VAMPIRE: The Vampire Hunter, never again human, never willing to be a Vampire. Only in the hunt can I seek my redemption, only when the last Vampire is dead can I be free. I forever am, and always was in full dedication to my goal of the eradication of the Vampire.

Ah, but that was only the beginning; where does one go after killing their first? To the rest of the Vampires, of course. The Vampires she introduced me too, the Vampire who turned her. Then, the Vampires they knew, Vampire hangouts, Vampire clubs, Vampire bars, Vampire haunts and Vampire houses; any places Vampires would congregate. They’d all burn to the ground once I made sure there were no survivors inside. I would kill every Vampire until I reached Vampires who knew things, knew the inner workings of their entire Vampire society, to take it all down from the inside. Then I’d continue killing every Vampire I’d heard even a whisper of. No Vampire will be left on this earth and beyond. That is my vow; that is my debt. As the Vampire hungers for the blood of man, Vampire-Killer is driven for the blood of the Vampire.

My next planned attack point is for one of the most secret Vampire testing facilities: Complex Z. Vampires trying to improve upon themselves: make themselves more powerful. The arms race occurs for the supernatural as well. Vampires are especially excellent and crafty at this. Now, don’t be mistaken, it is never the Vampire’s goal to increase their population to extremes, as that would cause ‘livestock’ problems; control problems. Vampires all should be of one mind, which takes training in the ways of the Vampire. Their numbers are select and chosen. That is why I am the only one who’s been able to gain the power of the Vampire; I was driven unlike any other man in my hatred for the Vampire…

I had just come out of a movie theater; my parents took me to see Blade. I was so excited and happy coming out of that movie, but in walking down a back alley: a Vampire jumped us from the dark. He was a new convert; my father tried to fight him off, but was overpowered, and killed. The Vampire then killed my mother for her blood, but was called back by his turner for his foolish and brash actions. It was then I made a vow, a vow that I would kill every Vampire so that this could never happen again. I would cleanse the world of every last Vampire and Vampiric entity. This is not about revenge, or vengeance against the Vampires for killing my family, no; this is my showing of gratitude for being left alive. I am indebted to the Vampire, and my debt will never be fully paid until the world has been rid of them all.

I’m in Romania right now, deep in the Carpathian Mountains. I approach the Vampire testing facility under the cover of day, using the thick forest canopy to stay within the sun, but out of sight by air. I am silent as I jump and weave through the miles of branches. As I get closer to the Vampire facility, I begin to notice automated guard posts. One problem, though: they’re all positioned facing towards the facility. Either they really don’t care about intruders, which they have no reason two, or this trip is about to really pay off. I make my way through three perimeter fences and past four Vampire dayguards unnoticed. The final dayguard is too on the ball, too aware. They’re making them better, the best I’ve seen. I glide through the air from the cover of the trees, Vampire-Killer in front. The Vampire has no time to react before it’s impaled upon my blade. As with any Vampire, a stake through the heart does it in. These dayguard Vampires are ugly, even for filthy Vampires. They’ve been experimented on, given a hard light-resistant skin that’s very similar in texture to rock; it’s not organic, but it is permanently attached to their entire skin. A dark, removable glass covers their eyes. Their breathing is assisted through machines. These are tough Vampires. I’ve encountered them only once or twice before, on much smaller Vampire installments. The first time, I was too cocky, and their armor gave Vampire-Killer a resistance I hadn’t anticipated. No slashing, only stabbing is able to work. I remember this now. Their coating is non-reactive to the anti-Vampire enchantments on the blade. The second time I was foolish, allowed myself to get surrounded by a group of them. This time, I’m not so brash.

I cut my way into the complex. The only available light coming in is blocked, even through the entry holes I carved in the multiple barriers. I exit the small closet, sensing no Vampiric activity. I read the nearest sign in the pitch-blackness: Mezzanine Z. I fly down the stairwell to the bottom of the complex, to where the most Vampiric activity is located. Work from the bottom up, no survivors. I cut down Vampire guard after Vampire guard before I make it to the Vampire scientists. The door slides open, revealing a huge lab full of them.

“Stop what you are doing, Vampire waste, and prepare for death!”
“We’ve been compromised! Release the expri–” Words cut off, just like her Vampire head. I drag my sword along the floor, slicing Vampire scientist after scientist limb from limb. The Vampires begin to react in more than shocked expressions; I take it to the wall. They jump at me from all angles, hissing and bearing their fangs. The Vampire-Killer is in its element, absorbing the Vampire blood, filling my soul, feeding my bloodlust. Security bursts in through the doors on either ends of the room and open fire. Machine gun fire cuts into the walls around me as I run up to the ceiling and back down the wall on top of the door, cutting their weapons in half, then the Vampires themselves. The guards from the other side take to the walls and ceiling as well, firing at me. I stop the bullets with the Vampire-Killer, and enter the fray. Vampires work in darkness; the light from the discharge of bullets is the Vampire’s disadvantage, not mine, the Vampire Hunter. Being attacked from all sides, I jump from wall to ceiling to floor and back again, swift blade strokes making quick work of the hoards of Vampire guards flowing in through the doors. I glide along the blood-drenched floor, making waves in the red bliss. Vampire limbs fly up in distraction, Vampire bodies used as Vampire shields, they take the bullets before the shooters take my blade in their death. Wasn’t as much security as I thought there’d be. But I can still sense more Vampires within Complex Z.

With every Vampire in the lab carved to pieces, I am left with only a loud buzzing and blood pooled at my feet. They got to the alarm; the door release. In our bloodlusting I spent too much time fancying up my moves. I focus; hone my keen Vampire senses. I hear doors, gates, cages unlocking. But there is no Vampire activity in those areas. Near, yes, but not at. I must head back upwards, towards the Vampire scientists, more Vampire security forces, the Vampire leader… Vampire experiments: they’ve been released.

I begin to hear a faint haunting moaning. On the next level, I see them. Zombies. These Vampires have been experimenting on zombies. But why? They’re slow, useless fodder. I can read a zombie’s movement just like I can read a human’s… But there’s more moaning than I can account for, it permeates down every hall, makes it hard to pinpoint a location, but I can still read where most of them are. I take down the hall, slicing their heads and arms off. The trick is to hit them between the bottom and top jaw. This is child’s play; I practiced on zombies.

I’m suddenly grabbed from around a corner which is when I realize what they’ve been doing: combining zombie and Vampire DNA, creating some sort of… Vampirzimbies? Vampirimbies? Vampirombies? Vampirmbies? I don’t know. All I know is that in the way the Vampire DNA has been mixed with the zombie DNA, they’re impossible to track or feel out at all. I can only go by sight. There are too many bodies to get a proper bead on their movements. I tear off the Vampire-Zombie’s grappling arm, and toss it to the crowd, cleanly removing another’s head. Zombies are intermingled with Vampire-Zombies, who move much faster. I can feel their cold, dead exhalation upon my neck. Some of the Vampire-Zombies crawl upon the ceiling, decomposing flesh dangling over the others in the tight hallway. I duck and roll from their slashing Vampire talons and biting Vampire fangs. Their numbers are overwhelming; this Vampire weapon is truly a lethal combination. I’m glad to be the one who will obliterate it. Those standing fall to the ground, cut at the knees. The ceiling becomes a carved roadway of sword-marks as I take care of the Vampire-Zombies on the ceiling next. When I am done, there is no more movement in this hall.

I hear gunfire coming from the next level up, no doubt Vampire guards having some trouble with the Vampire-Zombies. On the next level, a strobe light of gunfire bombards my eyes. Vampire guards doing all they can to defend themselves against the creation they protected. I can sense a frightened Vampire scientist or two amongst their numbers. I make no move to defend them from the Vampire-Zombies, only keeping my senses aware and my eyes open for an attack from those I cannot sense, from those that have been created to render my Vampire senses useless. When the last bursts of gunfire cease, and the last Vampire hiss is snuffed out, Vampire-Killer and I go to work. I hold it out horizontally at neck height, and run directly down the hall, decapitating Vampire-Zombies, mowing them down like the mutated Vampires that they are.

On the top floor, the Vampire dayguards have gathered to make the last stand just before the doorway of the overseer to this Vampire testing facility. I slide in between the crowd, and begin stabbing each one through the heart with Vampire-Killer. Vampires stabbed through the shoulder into the chest, through the skull, through the back, up through the pelvis, through the stomach, and through outreaching arms; all ending in an impaled heart. One Vampire left. I kick in the Vampire-themed doors, and see her: Vampironymous. Her custom desk nameplate is all the clue I need to her identity. I’d seen them before. She has been the lead on multiple little Vampire pet projects I have created the end to. I’ve never seen her in person.

“Ahahaha! VAMPIRE: The Vampire Hunter, so we finally meet.”
“That we do, Vampire dreck.”
“Now, now, be nice, Vampire Hunter. The Vampire higher-ups are very perturbed by your actions. We’d like to know what we in the Vampire community could do to resolve this little… disagreement.”
“You can die, Vampire!” I spin my sword back around at my side, leap over her desk, and slice her and her fancy leather chair in twain. Her Vampiric death-scream is the loudest and harshest I’ve ever heard. It pierces my ears and agonizes my Vampire blood. I need to take a moment of reprieve.

With this facility cleansed of Vampires, I take my leave towards the next grouping of Vampires on my list that must die.