He smiled at the man’s response, though there was no joy in it and it certainly never reached his hunter’s eyes. They flicked over the approaching form, observing his every move, as his smile turned to a frown of non-understanding. The man’s following words made no sense to him, other than his sudden realisation of Adrian’s nature, a fact which the Vampire noticed gave him no pause. He then drew a sword, and the Vampire prepared to act.

Adrian’s eyes were drawn to the blade, the Katana, a weapon he had been recently reintroduced to. He had some familiarity fighting men equipped with the weapon, in fact a particularly dogged Samurai had sought after the same prey as him, forcing them into contention once or twice. It was unlikely that this man before him was a true Samurai, he did not look like any Japanese the Vampire had ever seen. What then was the likelihood that he followed the code of Bushido? Should Adrian assume he followed the code, and therefore that conflict was now inevitable?

No matter, if caution was to be advised in this case Adrian was happy to go against the grain, so to speak. Without another word the Vampire unleashed his speed like a taut spring, the hand reaching for the handle of his dagger instead diverting to the quiver at his back, his head turned slightly as if considering the man’s words while scratching himself, alert for any movement. In a flash, his left hand shot across his body and pulled the bow from around his shoulder, down the arm that drew an arrow in a simultaneous movement that saw both appendages come together in deadly unison, the projectile was nocked before a man could blink. He was drawing back the bow in his second breath, with twelve feet dividing them still, an easy shot for even a half decent marksman. He paused, and would his foe betray himself and make the first move, revealing his capability as he charged the archer? The string was drawn back, the tension permeating not only the weapon but the corridor and the two men therein, the head of an arrow pointed at another man’s heart.