In which Brian Wylde watches the proceedings...
80
Brian Wylde watched from within his pile of rubble, his body broken in places he hadn't known existed. He didn't dare move, didn't dare make a noise. What had done this to him was no man, no Vampyr, and more powerful than anything he'd ever imagined in his life. This man, this stranger, may even rival the Cocheta himself, and Wylde knew what that meant.
It meant that he should stay shut, keep quiet and far out of the way, allow his still very immortal body to mend, to slowly regain it's strength. Then, when whatever was going to happen did, he would make his exit, quietly and under the protective cover of darkness.
Let Bishop and the others, the snide miserable traitors, think him defeated, think him unworthy. He would outlive them, yes he would, he would do it like he'd always done, survive and live to be Brian Wylde another day.
Until that moment came, the one where he could slip away, he would watch and take note.
That marvelous weapon struck again, the intruder swinging it out before the first of his attackers, the crackling blue end catching the first Vampyr in the chest and raking across, cutting him in two. Wylde watched, his broken mouth agape as the once immortal being split, his bottom half still trying to run, the top half turning brittle blue before toppling backwards and crumbling into four pieces. The legs barely made it a few steps before the cold aura enveloped them as well and they too stopped in their tracks.
With that same swing the intruder brought the weapon around and behind him, the fiery end cutting a swath through the air, narrowly missing Tappan and her crew and effectively halting them. They turned wide eyed, terrified gazes to Bishop, their faces pleading.
The three that had followed the first unfortunate attacker didn't even bother with that, faced with flight or the full head-on wrath of the intruder, they wisely chose flight, disappearing so quickly it would've brought a chuckle to Wylde's throat if
he still could've chuckled.
Bishop, now obviously flustered, urged Tappan forward, an order which the foolish woman followed.
Their attack was halfhearted, much clumsier than their previous effort, each and every one of them knowing they went to their deaths, but either a greater fear of Bishop or some kind of misplaced loyalty sent them to it.
The intruder met them with one outstretched arm, an arm that crackled with blue flame for the briefest of moments before exploded with a loud crack that forced Wylde's eyes closed.
He'd heard that sound once before, one day in his youth, when he'd been unlucky enough to be witness to a large tree split right down the middle before him by the fury of a great thunderstorm. He'd closed his eyes and clasped his hands over his ears back then, the flash of light burning his eyes, the crack of the lightning too much for his ears. This time it was only his eyes he was able to protect, his broken arms unable to bring his hands anywhere near his ears.
When his eyes opened, he could only see, his ears unable to hear at all. He knew it would be temporary, knew he would be hearing very soon. He could actually feel his innards realign themselves, beginning the regeneration.
In that temporary silence he saw what remained of Tappan and those that had followed her, nothing but quivering mounds of charred flesh.
He could see Bishop's lips moving, his face animated, he was yelling something, some challenge at the intruder who responded by casually walking over to the five seared bodies and stabbing the flaming end of his weapon down once into each of them, finishing their quivering in great balls of fire.
His hearing came back in an abrupt flash. One moment nothing, the next it was back and he heard everything.
“FOOL,” Bishop absolutely screeched. “YOU'VE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'VE DONE!!! NO IDEA WHO YOU DARE CHALLENGE!!!”
Then the Governor seemed to calm, his voice going low, his back hunching, his teeth baring in a hideous fanged grin.
“You've no idea what I am.”
And in the next moment Brian Wylde's eyes grew wider than ever.
End Part 80
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