Elric could barely think as the air was driven from his lungs, his whole body going temporarily weak. The bounty hunter hit the ground hard, tumbling over backwards into a tan plaster wall. He clutched at his chest with one hand, but quickly released the clasp on the Jaws of the Wolf with the other, his body partly working on inbred habits. The fallen warrior brought his left arm to bear, snapping Fang forward with a flick of the wrist. His mind and the magic did all the rest. The magical contraption weaved through the air, snaking its way towards the vampire.

Metallic jaws opened wide as they bore down on the dark-haired being and closed on . . . nothing. Rain was already gone; borne away by unholy speed. Elric struggled to his feet, his eyes darting around the wind-blown square from behind his thick lenses. A glint caught the bounty hunter’s eyes, his gaze drawn to his fallen revolver. A quick flick of the wrist sent Fang after it, the serrated jaws diving down to scoop up the gun. The chrome-like jaws dropped the weapon in Elric’s waiting grasp, the long chain hovering around his body in a shining spiral. It amazed Elric how Fang could shine with a magical light, even in a gray, dreary light such as this. It was as if the weapon was possessed of a life of its own, a sliver sentinel being shining with a mystical inner light.

A wave of dust and ash to the bounty hunter’s left alerted him, but even still, Elric could only just barely drop to one hand, his foot rising to catch the vampire in the stomach. That was too close, Elric thought grimly as Rain fell back, the force of his own speed driving Elric’s foot almost through his own abdomen. I cannot hope to win by trying to match his speed. Elric lowered his foot and sprinted in the opposite direction, towards a low stone overhanging supported by a single wooden beam. Rather, this shall be a contest won by cunning alone.

Without even looking, the bounty hunter raised his revolver over his shoulder and fired twice. The first bullet erupted from its chamber in a flash of bright red light, a burning missile. A weighted whistle followed the flare, the high-pitched screeching combining with the bright flash of light to caused the vampire to yell out loudly enough for Elric to hear him over the whistle. That’s two. And it ought to buy me a little more time. The orange-haired man slid the revolver home, reaching up to bring Wolf to bear instead. One hand still clutching the end of Fang’s chain tightly, the bounty hunter spun around and held the lupara out at arms length. As he spun around, Elric could see Rain sprinting after him, one arm held up over his eyes and the other covering one ear. Elric smiled triumphantly at the way the vampire’s mouth was set in a grimace of pain and frustration.

Leveling his shotgun, the bounty aimed not at Rain, but at the wooden beam supporting the stone overhanging. Many hours before, he had removed two of the three, leaving the single middle pole to bear the stone weight precariously. More than that, he had sawed away at the base of the beam, narrowing it down to a two-inch width. The bounty hunter dropped to one knee, resting Wolf’s barrel on the other. Rain was only a meter or so away from the other side of the overhanging. His timing would have to be perfect. Quickly estimating Rain’s speed and the distance from him to the overhanging, Elric fired. A single slug exploded from the lupara, blasting completely through the base of the support beam just as the vampire came under it.

The beam collapsed, the stone blocks falling with it. The stone hit the ground with the force of an elephant, giving rise to a mushroom cloud of dust and ash. Elric shielded his nose and mouth, bringing Wolf back up to a vertical position. As the cloud cleared, a heap of rubble was revealed, a pile of stone chunks and wooden splinters. The important question was; was the vampire under it?

An agonizing blow to the side of Elric’s head answered that question. The bounty hunter bounced along the dirt square—this time keeping a fair hold on his weapons. Rolling with the momentum and coming to his feet, he looked up to see Rain, his left hand clutching his right shoulder, blood oozing down the length of his black sleeve. Elric grinned and threw forth his left arm, Fang snaking forward. So, the trap hadn’t been wasted. It hadn’t gone exactly as planned, but things seldom do. Successful or not, the bounty hunter had many more tricks in store, all of them lethal.

In a flash, Rain was gone, Fang once more closing its jaws on empty air. Elric chuckled. Let the vampire play hide and seek. It only gave him the advantage. A flash of folded steel caught the orange-haired man’s attention, interrupting his speculations. A short bark of a laugh escaped the man’s lips as he viewed the woman across the square. A woman, eh? A friend to the vampire? Elric reached inside his jacket, pulling forth a blue gem the size of his fist. It matters not. Placing the jewel firmly on the ground, the bounty hunter uttered a single, short word.

“Kiba.”

The sapphire flashed a silver and blue inner light, the magic blazing to life. Silver smoke poured forth from the gem in a spiral, arcing outward to the ground before the bounty hunter. As the silver smoke dissipated, there stood Kiba, strong and proud, as always.

What is it this time, O Mighty Master? The giant wolf inquired, its gigantic head turning to regard its master. Elric laughed inwardly at that. He was no more a master to Kiba than he was to the king of . . . wherever he was.

“A Hunt, O Mighty Hunter.” Elric replied smugly, looking straight into the wolf’s glowing yellow eyes. “As always. Now, why don’t you go play with our little female friend over there? She’s interfering with work.” Kiba gave a short nod of his huge head and bounded off, his gray fur disappearing in the ash-bearing wind almost immediately.

“Now then,” The warrior turned a slow circle, scouring what he could see for any sign of the vampire. “Where are you, my little fanged friend?”

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BAers: Due to technical difficulties, I cannot view your characters. Please email their profiles (not links!) to HXrisH@gmail.com if you're RPing with me. Arigatou. (Sig by Insaney)