SWNOVELS Chapter CHAPTER FOUR
Battle Plans
After the meal, Livinia stood at the head of the table and addressed the clan. “Before we go and prepare ourselves for battle, I would like to take this opportunity to tell you that I love you, each and everyone one of you, even you Seamus.”
The group laughed, and Sebastian ruffled Seamus’s hair as he said, “Well somebody has to!”
Livinia looked at each of them then said fondly, “It would be foolhardy to suggest that we will come out of this battle without casualties, because the odds are overwhelmingly against us, so for most of us, quite possibly all of us, we could be spending our last night on the planet. The firmly held belief of this clan is that when we depart this life, we will be accepted into Mephistopheles Kingdom, and we will spend eternity by his side. I do believe that, and if our lives end on this night, I draw comfort from the prospect that I will spend eternity in the company of all the ring-wearing members of this great clan. The clan’s history is full of brave and fearless warriors who sacrificed their lives for this clan, and I’m sure that as we walk into battle together, history will show that the Hammers and the Pistols walked fearlessly towards their destiny. If the clan is destined to end tonight, I will take this opportunity to invite the Team Leaders to say a few words.”
Sebastian stood. “Thank-you Livinia, and I will start off by saying that it has been a joy to know you, and under yours and Athena’s leadership, the clan has become something that we are all proud to be a part of. Tonight, this night sees our mortality dangling in front of us, although I will charge into battle with extreme prejudice, because Athena was a leader of great integrity and character, and it is my clear ambition to avenge Athena by cutting down Cordeir.”
“You won’t get a chance if I get to him first.” Taylee quipped.
“Maybe we can share the joy and slice him up together.” Sebastian replied, then he turned to the young women on the other side of the table and he said with a hint of pride, “To the Pistols, we haven’t known you girls long, but in the short time we had with you, I need to tell you that all your Masters are very proud of you. You have very quickly moulded yourselves into a formidable and cohesive unit, and by choosing to stand and fight alongside us on this night, you have shown that you all richly deserve to be a part of the clan.” Sebastian turned his attention to his side of the table, and he said proudly, “To the Hammers, my brothers and sisters in blood; the journey has been a great one, and if the journey ends tonight, all my memories of our times together will be special. I love you all, and tonight if anybody comes for anyone of you, they will need to go through me first, because I would lay down my life for each and every one of you.”
Livinia allowed a moment for everybody to reflect on Sebastian’s sentiments, then she nodded to Scarlett.
Scarlett stood and looked around at everybody. “Divine One, Hammers, Pistols; as Sebastian mentioned, the journey, our journey has been an escalator ride to the Heavens, and it has been wonderful not just because of the creatures we are, the experience has been enhanced because of the quality of people who have taken that journey with us. We have fought together, we have laughed together, and we have loved together, and my existence has been enriched by knowing you all. In whatever we did, the Clan always operated on the principle that everybody goes home, and tonight, in our darkest hour, maybe that is what will happen, we will all go home, to our new home, and for the rest of eternity, we will keep loving and laughing together.”
Livinia gave Scarlett a nod of approval, then she faced Vicky. “Vicky, would you like to say anything?”
Vicky stood and gazed at her leader. “Firstly, to you Livinia, the title of Divine One is very appropriate, because you are a woman of great virtue and compassion, and I might add that you are also a person of unlimited patience, because when I think about what we were like when you first got us, any normal person would have gone insane trying to mould us into a cohesive group.”
The Pistols all laughed bashfully, and Vicky continued. “But you, through all the dramatics and bickering, you stayed calm, and you were always available if any one of us needed guidance or assistance, or even a subtle kick up the backside; and you made us what we are today, and I have the utmost respect for you and I will never forget you.” Vicky smiled as she nodded respectfully towards her leader, then she turned to those on the other side of the table and said, “To the Hammers, I regret that we didn’t get to know you all better, but for your guidance and assistance over the last two years, we are all deeply in your debt.” Vicky took a deep breath, then she looked at her bonded sisters. “To the Pistols, to my Sisters, the last two years have been unbelievable, and all the great memories that I will take to my grave involve you guys. We were talking the other night about how crazy the early days were, and everybody seemed to be fighting with everybody else, and every time you turned around, there would be a new conflict erupting, but now, I look at you guys and my cheeks flush, and my heart starts beating faster, because you guys are my world, and I love you all.”
Piper stood up and kissed Vicky on the cheek, then she faced the group. “To the Hammers, again, thank-you for everything that you did for our group, and even though our time together has been short, who knows, maybe, just maybe, our time together is just beginning.” Piper turned to face Livinia as she said fondly, “To our wonderful teacher Livinia, Vick nailed it when she said you’re a woman of great patience, because if I had of been the teacher, I would’ve locked all these Bozo’s up in the Looney Bin and thrown away the key!”
Everybody laughed heartily, and Piper continued. “You mean so much to all of us, but to me personally, you opened up whole new worlds for me as you taught me about love, compassion and tolerance, and you were also the motherly figure who I’d never really had.” Piper bowed her face, shook her hair back, then she turned to look at her bonded sisters. She drew in a breath, gulped, then said emotionally, “To the Pistols, my Sisters, my friends, my lovers, what we experienced together will always be with us, and nobody will ever take that away from us. I love you all, and no sword or arrow will ever separate us, because we WILL be together forever.”
Isabelle loved the sentiments that all the leaders had offered, although she noted that amongst the declarations of love of affection, there seemed to be a hesitant acceptance that they were facing their final hours on the planet. Sucking on her bottom lip, she let her head sag as a flurry of negative thoughts rushed into her mind, and bizarrely, she thought about the woman who had brought her into this world. After Isabelle had turned fifteen, her mother treated her like an adult, although when they went to family gatherings, her mother would treat her like a little kid, and she would say, If you feel like you can’t control yourself, don’t talk, don’t open your mouth; and occasionally her mother would also ask, Are you wearing clean underwear? Isabelle had never properly understood the correlation between keeping her mouth shut and wearing clean underwear; but she knew that her mother would be pleased, because on this gloomy night, she was wearing clean underwear, and as well, the way the night seemed to be heading, she was becoming more convinced that she would keep her mouth shut, because while she wasn’t Shit-Scared, she knew that she was currently only a level below being Shit-Scared. And unfortunately, maybe in about an hours time, she would be fifteen levels above Shit-Scared.
Livinia drew in a breath, and then she stood and addressed them. “Clan members, let us go to the arsenal and prepare ourselves for battle.”
*
Cordeir and Troggo watched all the clan members move out of the main building and head for the rear of the dormitory. “Heading for the arsenal Boss.” Troggo stated.
“I believe you are right.” Cordeir agreed.
“You think it might happen tonight?”
“No, I don’t think it might happen, I’m certain that it will happen.” Cordeir replied. “Go and get Sven and Grinder, and then we will begin with our plans.”
In no time at all, Troggo presented his lieutenants, Sven and Grinder before Cordeir. Sven and Grinder were lieutenants in this outfit for one reason only; they were hostile, nasty and aggressive. Both were tall and muscular, and Cordeir had selected them because they were physically intimidating. He operated on the principle that if you wanted to charge in and take control of an area, you should surround yourself with intimidating, ruthless creatures who scared the shit out of you just by looking at them. Cordeir faced the lieutenants and advised, “Gentlemen, I believe that tonight could be the night.”
“You sure Boss?” Grinder asked.
“I’m certain that the Hammers came here to pay their respects for their fallen leader, and I’m equally certain that they are still here for one reason only.”
“Which is?” Sven asked.
“We cut down their leader, and under their oath of allegiance, they will be readying themselves to declare war on us.”
Fuck,” Grinder laughed, “Them little piss-ants are gunna declare war on us?”
“It is the way of the Clan.” Cordeir replied. “We saw them walking as a group towards the arsenal, so I expect that in the not too distance future, they will gather in the grounds and officially declare war on us.”
“Hooo, yeah, I’m getting excited Boss!” Grinder exclaimed.
“Now I doubt that any members of the Mephistopheles Clan will flee, because they will be looking to exact revenge for their fallen leader, and I fully suspect that they will be prepared to die to defend their clan; but just in case any do attempt to flee, I want you Sven, stationed outside the southern boundary, and you Grinder, stationed outside the northern boundary. If only a single vampire tries to flee, I’m sure that you are both quite capable of dealing with the situation, although if a few of them start fleeing over the walls, set off the flares and we will send immediate assistance.”
“Understood sir.” Sven replied.
“I hope some of the little fuckers do try to escape.” Grinder said with a wicked grin.
Troggo watched the men jog away to their positions, then he turned to face Cordeir. “We gunna attack them from all sides Boss?”
“No, the weather forecast is bleak, so for such a potentially threatening night, we will employ a full-on frontal attack.”
“Yeah, I like it; march the whole army through the front gates.”
“Like the battles of the old days Troggo, we will attack them face-to-face, and by seeing our numbers, they will understand what fate has in store for them.”
“Okay, I like that too; before we massacre them, scare the shit out of them.”
“That is the way I’m thinking, yes. Now I want Monster to get the girl, so I want you to organise a team of four to assist and protect her.”
“Will do.”
“Capturing the girl is the primary objective of this conflict, but as a secondary objective, I would like Scarlett and Taylee taken alive if possible.”
“Ohhh yeah, yummy yummy!”
“I’m sure that you’ll remember that they are both fearless and ruthless warriors in battle, so it won’t be easy, although my wish is to capture those two rather than kill them.”
Troggo nodded, then said, “The Mohawk Bitch is crazier than me, but if we can take her alive, we will.”
“Good, and when we met with them recently, I noticed that a few of the new additions were easy on the eye, so maybe organise another team to try capture a few of the prettier ones, and they can provide, ummm, how should I put this; they can provide entertainment for our hard-working and virile troops for the next year or two.”
“Ohhh yeah, the boys always like new toys to play with, although the boys are a bit rough, and their toys never seem to last much longer than a few months.”
“Be that as it may, just remember that the young blonde being taken alive is the focus of this whole exercise, and everybody else is expendable. If we capture Scarlett, Taylee and a few Toys-for-the-boys, that will be a bonus.”
“I gotta fess up here Boss.”
“What?”
“When we fronted them, one of the little bitches was verballing me, and I’m keen to capture her and make her my new slave.”
“I know who you’re talking about, because she was quite rude to me as well; so if the primary and secondary targets are all captured, you have my permission to do what you need to do.”
“Thanks Boss.” Troggo smirked, then he thought about the feisty little bitch; Grind the ciggie butts out in my eye ehhh? Hmmm, don’t think so Tasty Tasty…
Cordeir walked over to the two women and studied them. Monster was suited up in full battle gear; helmet, body armour, and in her left hand she held a shield, while her right hand clenched a large, wide sword. Monster was a powerful, intimidating beast who was fearless, hostile and aggressive, and the glint in her eyes suggested that she could barely wait for this war to begin.
Giddy was dressed in her normal gear, black t-shirt and black leather pants, and in her right hand, the machete twirled anxiously. As usual, her face showcased her extravagant make-up; her face painted white with black circles painted around her eyes. Due to her small and slender stature, she could easily be mistaken for a pretty teenage girl who was excitedly whisking off to a Halloween party, although Cordeir knew that she was a fearsome warrior. She was quick and agile, was instinctive and alert, and she was also fearless. She would enter into any fray sporting a malicious smile, hissing and spitting, her fangs exposed as her eyes twinkled with dark excitement, although Cordeir knew that her most dangerous attribute was the girl’s very nature. She loved to scare, loved to terrify, loved to inflict pain, wanted to demolish and obliterate, and she hungered to kill and slay. Effectively, the slender girl was the perfect killing machine; skilled, fearless, and importantly, remorseless.
“Ladies, how are you both?”
“Aggressively hostile Boss!” Monster exclaimed.
“Freaking bubbling Boss! Chop chop, choppa choppa!” Giddy replied excitedly.
Cordeir cocked his head and asked, “Armour Giddy?”
“Me?” she laughed, “Yo kidding right!”
“I know some of these creatures well, and while I don’t expect that the battle will last long, while it is raging, it will be fierce and brutal.” Cordeir advised.
“Never wore no armour before, so’s I ain’t gunna start now.” Giddy snorted. She glanced at Troggo, then added, “The greasy fucker ain’t got no armour.”
“Yes, you make a good point,” Cordeir acknowledged, “Although Troggo isn’t afraid of death, because he believes that he is Death.”
“Greasy fucker.” Giddy mumbled.
“Crazy freak.” Troggo snapped straight back.
“Children, please,” Cordeir began, “For the important task I have for you Giddy, armour is not essential.”
“Ohhh, getting freaking excited, choppa choppa!” she gushed, “What yo want me to do?”
“I want the blond taken alive, that is the whole reason for this conflict, and I want you to station yourself in a tree as close to her as you can get, and it is your responsibility to ensure that no harm comes to her.”
“Noooo!” she bellowed. “No tree, me wanta choppa, chop!”
“Giddy, guarding the girl is the most important task here, and as you are amongst my finest warriors, you are the only one I trust to keep the girl safe.”
With a disheartened frown, Giddy mumbled, “Fucking choppa-choppa, me wanted to chop up skanks.”
“As a faithful and trusted warrior of mine, I will reward you richly when the girl is in my possession.”
“Come on Giddy Gumdrops, smile,” Troggo teased, “Leave the chopping to the boys!”
Giddy hissed at him as she swayed anxiously from left to right, the fingers of her left hand flexing while the machete twirled continuously in her right hand.
“Crazy freaking psycho.” Troggo smirked.
Cordeir huffed, then said, “Ignore him Giddy and just perform your role. If I get the girl, you will then get anything that you desire.”
“Choppa-choppa, anything?” she asked timidly.
“Yes.” Cordeir replied.
Giddy seemed embarrassed as she muttered, “Boss Choppa, me, me likes the pruddy girl, yo.”
“Typical,” Troggo smirked again, “Crazy freaking lesbian psycho.”
“I ain’t no dyke!” Giddy hissed.
Monster cocked her head and pointed at her chest as she asked, “Errr, what about you and me?”
Giddy snorted, and she lowered her gaze as she scuffed her boot in the ground, then she mumbled, “Little chop, little choppa-choppa, and yeah, sometimes I go dyking down.”
“Ladies, Troggo, minds on the job if you will.” Cordeir commanded, then he asked, “Now Monster, do you understand the objective of this mission?” Cordeir waited for her response, then he said bluntly, “Monster, the girl is not to be harmed.”
Monster looked to the ground as she mumbled, “Feeling so, so hostile.”
Cordeir lifted her chin so that he could look into her eyes, then he said sternly, “If anybody harms the girl, it will be the last thing they ever do.”
Monster shuffled nervously, then she said quietly, “She’s just a skank, and she don’t belong with us.”
“Wait-a-choppa, Pruddy girl belong to Giddy!”
Cordeir shook his head in amusement, then faced Giddy as he said, “The girl will belong to me, but if I ever get bored with her, I will present her to you.”
“Ohhh, yeah, playtime for Giddy!”
Cordeir faced Monster and said threateningly, “If the girl doesn’t survive, you will not survive.”
Giddy hissed, and restlessly clawing her right boot into the ground, she said excitedly, “Take Skank Girl alive Monster, cause me and her, me and Pruddy Pruddy gunna have some play-time!”
“Thank-you ladies.” Cordeir nodded, then he said, “And yes, if all goes according to plan, maybe we can all play with her.”
*
All the clan was armoured up; vests, helmets and shields, and Livinia said, “Choose your weapons.”
“I brought my own.” Sebastian said as he produced a five-foot sword from his backpack.
“Me too.” Taylee said, as she slid her four-foot sword out of its sheath.
“I got my little toy.” Seamus said as he produced a menacing looking ball and chain.
Piper looked at the collection of weapons before her; swords varying in length from neat two-foot daggers, to Really-Fucking-Big, were on display, as well as lances, crossbows, battle-axes and ball and chains. “Do you think we should all go for swords Livinia?”
“I fight with a sword Piper, because it isn’t as bulky or cumbersome as some of the other weapons, and if I was going to advise you girls, I would suggest that swords would be the most suitable option.”
“To kill a vampire, you need to pierce their heart, or else decapitate them, so swords are the preferable option.” Scarlett advised. “Their armour will be like ours, offering protection to the back and front, although their sides will be exposed, and if you get the opportunity, you thrust your sword into their side, and hopefully you will spear through the heart.”
“Or else just swing the sword high and cut the fuckers head off.” Taylee added.
“Ladies, pick up the swords and choose one that is right for you. Check its weight and size, and don’t automatically go for the bigger swords, because it is important that the sword is not too heavy or too big for you.” Livinia stated.
“The sword should be comfortable enough so that it feels like it is merely an extension of your arm, and you can swing it high or low with a minimum of effort.” Scarlett added.
The Pistols all went through the vast range, grabbing swords, and then bracing their legs as they swung. Scarlett watched Aleisha swing and cut through a variety of movements, then she asked, “How does it feel Gorgeous?”
“Hmmm,” Aleisha pondered, then she offered, “Deadly.”
“Sounds like it’s your weapon.” Scarlett smiled, then she stood behind her as she placed her hands on Aleisha’s hips. “I noticed when you were swinging high, you were bringing the sword down on a diagonal, and if you do that, it will cause damage to the victim’s neck, although it won’t sever the head. To decapitate someone, you need to swing in a horizontal motion, aiming obviously for the neck, and you should achieve a neat decapitation. So have a few more swings, both left and right, and concentrate on keeping that horizontal line.”
Aleisha swung, left and right, pleased with the almost straight line of her swing, then with Scarlett’s hands still resting on her hips, she stepped it up, swinging more vigorously, the swings producing a whooshing sound as they sliced through the air. With a tremor of exertion and expectation in her tone, Aleisha asked, “How was that?”
Scarlett kissed her cheek, then said demurely, “Let’s just say that I hope we never become enemies.”
Aleisha smiled, and said confidently, “We won’t.”
Aleisha was a little bemused that the most gorgeous woman she had ever laid eyes on, was instructing her on how to decapitate someone, and she said timidly, “We will never be enemies if you grant me a request.”
“And the request is?”
Aleisha smiled, then asked quietly, “May I steal a kiss?”
The request was granted, and with the sword dangling in her hand, Aleisha became invested in the kiss, although as sweet and sensual as it was, Aleisha wondered whether it was going to be the very last kiss she ever had.
While the others were still practising, Vicky was surprised to see Taylee move into a corner, then snort up a small line of powder. Not wishing to expose or embarrass her, but curious as to why she did it, Vicky whispered, “Is that cocaine?”
“No, Honey, it’s a meth-based concoction of my own. I’m normally super aggressive anyway, and the powder just kinda pushes it up a level and makes me Crazy-Fucking-Aggressive.”
Not entirely comfortable, but wishing to present herself for battle in premium condition, Vicky asked, “Should I take one?”
“If you not used to this stuff, it can blow your head off, so no, best not to. When we walk out soon, your adrenalin won’t be flowing, it will be erupting, so try to harness your adrenalin and use it to get yourself pumped.”
Livinia called the group together, and said, “Pistols, in this, your first battle, there are things you need to know. With the aid of your enhanced senses, when the battle begins, you will be shell-shocked as creatures start flying at you from everywhere, and the noise will rattle your sensibilities. You will hear chanting, and you will hear screams, shouting, threats; but remember your training, focus, stay focussed on the job at hand and look at the immediate threats in your area, then concentrate on taking them out. During the battle, some of your friends and allies will fall, but you do not grieve, you do not scamper away to help your fallen comrade, you continue fighting until there is no-one left to fight.”
Sebastian stepped forward and said, “A battlefield is a place of horrors, and many horrors will occur on this night, but there is no place for grieving on a battlefield, because while you still exist, while you still draw breath, you go after our enemies.”
Scarlett kissed Aleisha on the cheek, then she stepped forward to be by Sebastian’s side. “We can count the cost of the battle when it is over, but in the heat of battle, we are the children of Mephistopheles, and we march into battle with the single objective, and that is to slay those who brought down our great leader.”
Taylee swung her sword through the air, then she snarled, “Tonight, one way or the other, we, the remaining children of Mephistopheles, will march into the history books!”
Livinia picked up her sword and walked towards the door, then she stopped and turned to look at them. With her left hand resting over her heart, she asked quietly, “Are we ready?”
Sixteen vampires clenched their weapons tighter, and as a group, they marched towards the door.