Chapter 11: Training.
The training hall was empty.
No torches burned. No servants lingered. Nothing but high windows and gray morning sunlight on cold stone.
Archie was at the middle of the floor.
Seraphine was standing in front of him.
There was no audience.
"Come at me," she said.
He did not hesitate.
He moved so swift that it was blurred by a human eye. His foot snapped insignificantly on the rock and he sprung into the air. His swug his fist towards her shoulder.
She stepped aside a little.
His blow was turned aside with her palm and her heel tapped his ankle. His balance broke, within a heartbeat he was smashed into the floor.
The sound echoed.
Archie looked at the ceiling, and was vexed but not wounded.
"You hesitated," she said.
"I did not."
"You did and you are holding back. Come at me again"
He rose again.
He jumped forward, changing direction every two strides. His strength was real. The air shifted when he moved. A lesser vampire would have been unable to catch up with him.
Seraphine met him directly.
Her forearm came against his. The effect was felt throughout the hall. Stone under his feet snapped half.
For a moment, they were locked.
He pushed.
His muscles tightened. Veins stood against his skin. His limbs bore abundance of power which was hot.
She did not move.
Then she stepped closer and was whispering, " You are strong. But you wasting strength with you hits"
Her forearm pushed forward slamming into Archie's shoulder. Archie was instantly sent flying.
He sat up slowly, breath sharp.
"I do not" he muttered.
She walked toward him.
"The hits of your power spread all over your body. You lose it through your position, control your breathe and energ."
She disappeared and appeared in front of him and tapped his chest lightly. He was sent flying into the wall once more.
He came rushing at her once more. Seraphine responded to his fist with hers. Immediately the fists came into contact, Archie's hand snapped into two.
"Arrrghhh" Archie roared in pain. Holding his broken hand Seraphine slammed him on the ground shattering it before throwing him into the training hall walls.
An immerse bloodlust erupted from her as she walked towards Archie slowly, her pressure increaseing with each step. "I told you not to hold back. I am Seraphine Valecrest!!!!" Seraphine roared appearing before Archie raising him up with his hair. "I am the third strongest of the Valecrest clan, A vampire Baron. I am an existence beyond the realm of leeser beings, how dare you hold back when in a battle against me?!!!" Seraphine screamed in Annoyance as she sent countless punches into Archie's body as she spoke.
"Do not insult me" Seraphine said and just as she was above to land another hit on Archie he fist was caught. "You believe you are strong enough to stand against me" Archie said as his injuries healed up themselves. "I am not holding back to insult you or belittle you little one" Archie said as his grip strength increases crushing Seraphine wrist.
"I am holding back so as not to kill you by mistake" Archie said before slamming his fist into Seraphine stomach. Immediately the fists came into contact with the stomach, half of Seraphine stomach busted into pieces of meat and flesh leaving only a hole there.
"Who do you think I am?, A low class wolf with no intelligence" Archie said as he raised Seraphine by her neck. "You are not my match Baron" He said throwing her body to the ground as he walked away to leave the training room.
Suddenly another Seraphine walked inside the training room. "Where do you believe you are heading to?" Seraphine asked and Archie's eyes widened in surprise. He quickly moved backwards to create space between the two of them.
Looking towards the body he threw to the side, he found the body dissolving into a pool of blood. "Why are you so surprised?, Every vampire baron is capable of self replication. I am capable of creating up to 60 replicas of me, each with less than thirty percent of my fighting ability. You don't want to kill me?" Seraphine said as he smile grew wide as she showed her elongated canines
"Hahahaha, hahahaha. This is the funniest thing I've ever heard" She said as she laughed out loud "Do you think we Vampires are strength based creatures?" She said in a tone filled with amusement. He body suddenly multiplied into 30 more bodies each wielding different weapons made of blood. "Open your eyes and see Archie Ambrosius, this is the power of a Vampire Baron" Seraphine said out loud
The training hall seemed to be remarkably smaller.
There were thirty Seraphines round Archie. All of them had a different weapon created of dark crimson energy. Swords, daggers, curvy whips. Their eyes were identical. Calm. Confident.
Archie turned slowly around his head.
All the directions were similar.
" You pay too much attention with your eyes," said one of them.
A second voice responded to him behind.
"And too much on your strength."
There was a third voice, on his left.
"It is useless to fight a vampire when doing both"
The circle tightened.
Archie did not make a straightforward movement. His gaze moved on one character after another in search of something different. A flaw. A hesitation.
There was none.
Seraphine was attentive to him.
"Any replica is weaker than a third of my strength" she said. "But they share my senses."
One of the replicas came up and gave the stone floor a slight stroke with the end of her spear.
"Meaning anything they see… I see."
Another stepped forward.
"Anything they feel… I feel."
Another.
"And anything they learn… I learn."
Archie narrowed his eyes.
"But the harming them will not harm me so destroying them will do you no good"
Seraphine smiled.
"Now you understand."
The replicas moved.
Not all at once.
Three attacked first.
One of them swung a knife against his shoulder. Another swished down with a spear. The third struck him a full-fledged blow at his chest.
Archie moved instantly.
He took a step backward of the spear, and pushed it aside with his palm. His leg jerked out of the sweeping attack by a hair.
Then he struck.
his fist crashed into the replica in which the spear had been put.
The figure exploded into floating grains and solidified again some few steps distant.
It was succeeded with another replica at once.
Archie's brow tightened.
More moved in.
Five this time.
Handbows were drawn at him on other sides. Archie was wound with the onslaughts, his physical limbs were lightning-fast. His hand hit another duplicate and broke it in pieces.
It reappeared moments later.
Again.
And again.
When one of them was destroyed, another came back.
The circle never became smaller.
The voice of Seraphine was heard with a soothing feeling in the hall.
"You are wasting energy."
Archie slumped behind one of the sweeping blades and gouged a replica with his elbow. The figure melted and went back behind the line.
"You strike too wide."
A spear was plunged in his ribs. He swung and drew the weapon out.
"You move too much."
He was pushed two steps forward by a replica using her weapon flat with his back, and then she hit.
Archie spun instantly.
Another five closed in.
The trend was intentional at this point. Replicas assaulted him by degrees, never in one, but never letting him rest a minute.
Strike.
Reform.
Advance.
Strike again.
Minutes passed.
The breathing of Archie became heavier. Not out of hurt, but out of labor.
The replicas never tired.
Seraphine at last came out of the group.
Her real body.
She crossed her arms and was observing him.
"You are yet to learn the lesson."
Archie avoided some other hit and took a step aside, which left him a little space around him.
The ring of the same faces moved his eyes.
Thirty opponents.
Thirty weapons.
All watching him.
Seraphine spoke again.
"There are werewolves, who can conquer this little trick with pure strength along. How can you have the abilities of a werewolf and still be unable to do the same"
She raised a finger slightly.
One of the imitations followed behind Archie and touched him on the shoulder, slightly, and made him move.
Control is an aspect of vampires.
There was another copy that assaulted him on the blind side.
Archie just had time to evade it.
"You are attempting to kill thirty different people"
Seraphine's gaze sharpened.
"But there are not thirty of the enemy here."
Archie stood motionless half a moment.
The counterfeits were gradually going round him once more.
Seraphine's voice lowered.
"There is only one."
All the thirty replicas came to motion at that instant.
Weapons lifted.
And the whole contest came hurrying towards Archie.