Learning

Hilde had sat with you, crossed legged in the lounge, on soft cushions with a scattering of books old and new, of all shapes and sizes, emblazoned with different symbols, though all were hardbacked and extremely well-taken care of.

You looked in wonder at the treasure trove before you, touching the intricate spines, some imblazoned with golden text, other scratched-in, more manic, but all had an elegance to them, in their own ways.

Hilde grinned at your childish awe "These books have been in our family for centuries... some we stole, others were written by our ancestors..." Her careful fingers traced them lovingly "Some of these books, were the only things that kept me sane, after all the bloodshed, the battle, they'd sit in my hands, tell me stories, teach me even better than pops."

You rested your hand on a purple book, with a spiralling pattern on it. "That would be a study on whoever you spent your morning with."

Of course, she figured that out, she was like a living bloodhound, naturally, she'd smell Izzy on you. You moved to the grey book, heavy and stained, it's title: "Lycaon?" You said intrigued... Wait... Lycaon?

Hilde nodded "We'll get to them later."

But the next book... seeing its red cover, it's dark lettering, shadowed, seeing it made you feel strange, it had an odd allure that you could not describe. holding it in your hands, you took in its title, felt at its spine. "Blood... of my blood." Those words, they tickled something dark in your memories, you felt like you were somewhere dark, a basement, surrounded by the impossible, surrounded by future betrayal.

"The Accounts on the Undead by the scribe Kvasir. There are only 5 copies in the whole world."

You opened it up and looked upon the ink masterfully written... in what was without a doubt, blood.

"A Vampire, writing about Vampires?" You whispered.

Hilde had this strange knowing look "Something like that. but that there is the most basic of knowledge, the types of Vampires, the subcategories... it doesn't spill the ink on the dirty details, however, so we'll focus on them."

"Are there a lot of Vampires in Wallace?"

She laughed at that before leaning in "Oh yes. The Black city is a land of mystery, it's a root, a cause, it attracts darkness, Charlie. You will find more leeches here than anywhere else in the world."

"We have a lot of work to do then..." You smiled.

"Damn right, let's start with the basics.

It was all so simple and yet rather surprising. You read the book together with her verbal annotations, along the way. Most things you knew where true, No sunlight, bloodthirst, immortality fueled by gore, Super strength, super speed... only there were things that were only myths, a steak in the heart, sure it will do some damage but unless you lop off the head as well then there is a good chance they'll survive, garlic is for cooking not for vampires although herbs and items with an extremely strong scent are excellent for disorienting, bright light is blinding, loud sounds deafening, the enhanced senses where both an advantage and a disadvantage, everything about them could be exploited, for every reaction there was an opposite reaction.

Vampires came in three types, from strongest to weakest: The Superior, who were lords among the undead, Blooded, the general population and the Leeches, abominations that were forbidden and extremely dangerous... but there was a forth, high above all of them, the Upir... like your mother, like Rose.

You learnt of the powerful Harkins, the slippery Mystar and the Fierce Noctus, but she went deeper than that, explained further, of a hidden group of Undead that even the House of Drake had trouble deciphering.

She taught you of Wendigos, these mysterious, terrors that cannibalized their own kind, devouring everything they could, the personifications of gluttony.

Then there were the Dhampir, Half-bloods, Alive and yet, undead, resistant to sunlight and silver too, but weaker, slower and disliked by there own.

"Daisy?" You said in realisation.

"Yes." Hilde nodded "She's the only Dhampir I have ever met, they are so rare that you're lucky to meet one ever in your lifetime... let alone a pacifist like her, she really is something."

You nodded a little grimly "Yeah, she is."

The Two of you spent an hour discussing Vampires, these otherworldly things, and how the Drake family found ways to assure their destruction "...So what your saying is, that the Venom is in the saliva?" She wagged her finger "The Saliva glands, in the jaw and throat, a young Vampire injects just willy-nilly they have no control, but a practised Vampire, they can measure how much they inject with a bite, manipulate it, use it to crush a human system, use it to rapidly decompose bodies: no corpse, no evidence."

"But..." Time to get all tinfoil hatty "If the Glands are there, and as you said earlier, Vampires are also susceptible to Venom, then destroying the glands..."

She smiled proudly "It's like a snake poisoning itself."

"Every reaction has a reaction." You agreed.

And so went the endless merry go round of learning, and damn if you didn't spin, studying? pft, you were the king of studying... and with your abilities... your undead abilities, flicking through books like they were nothing, spotting every detail with your vampiric sight, it was more than enough to sink your teeth into.

"So... My mother was an Upir, does that make me, something like a superior then?" You asked.

Hilde went quiet, however, "Yes and No, you're more descendant than Vampire."

"But... I could develop more abilities right? like... mesmerisation maybe?" You tried to be nonchalant, how do you tell a Master Monster hunter that you can manipulate people's minds?

She eyed you suspiciously "Maybe, what would you do if you had more night powers?"

Maybe you got away with it? or she was just playing along? "I don't know, Use them to protect people I guess, for good... that's if we ever actually go out hunting?"

"Spoken like a true Hunter. Things are quiet, Jormungandr brings fear to all, but that thing hasn't been seen for nearly a month, the time will come when we find our prey."

It was your turn to eye her suspiciously "Have you seen it? Jormungandr?"

She looked at you "Yes..."

"Really? w-what is it?" You asked desperately... you felt obligated.

"It's a monster, Charlie... a real monster. bigger than anything I've ever seen, but fast, faster enough to be a blur. just this huge black thing, kills everything it can see, destroys things just by moving, it, must, never, return." She spoke to herself, looking off into the distance, a grim determination on her face, before she flickered back to you "It only comes out in the night, Beasts like that revile the sun, which is why you need to learn to use this."

She reached around herself, over by the couch, and grabbed the long, black object hidden in her umbrella stand. Lugh was placed before you, Your father's sword in its black scabbard.

You touched the handle, decorated, dark, ominous. it was a thing of beauty, darkness bonded with light, with fire... with the sun.

"Time to fight." Hilde smiled.

"Fight what exactly?" You asked, feeling a little unnerved by the delight on her face.

"How about I show you, why when they see my Mask, my Mark, all monsters collectively shit their pants?"