Episode 6--Sword Dancer

In a great cathedral, a vampire drinks from a man, lets him fall to the floor. It’s been taken care of, Memerink-sama, he says aloud. A young nun, unseen by him, looks terrified, covering her mouth for silence.

At the Vatican we learn a unit's been stationed in Amsterdam. This must be about the incident at the old cathedral, correct? --says William Wordsworth. Blood was taken, comments Lady Caterina. Amsterdam...says William; could it be Sword Dancer? You know he was sent by the agency as a peacekeeper. There was no choice, she says; the four-city alliance that includes Amsterdam is controlled by the Count Four. Moving around without their notice requires local knowledge. But what will we do if he lets his personal grudge interfere with his mission? asks the Professor. If that happens...she says slowly, the Gunslinger will...

In Amsterdam: a stately mansion: an angry man is being questioned. I don't know, he snaps, we didn't touch anyone! Karel-kun, that means you really are an idiot, says his interrogator, an elegant, blond vampire present as a hologram. He smirks nastily. --A wanderer made a fool of you and you didn’t even notice. Shut up, Memerink! I'll kill you! --rails Karel. A third hologram materializes in the room to join the two already there. Of all places in our territory, for the cathedral to be invaded, he says--I'm sure you know what that means. We must find the real culprit before the Vatican intervenes. Hurry, Karel. --they rez-out. Karel pounds his desk. I don’t need you to tell me that, he growls, and we see he too is a vampire.

Night: a young nun in blue habit--the same one who witnessed the attack in the cathedral--goes out into the street. A horse-drawn carriage passes by, stops ahead of her. You're Sister Agnes? --asks the passenger. You should be more careful, it’s not safe for a lady to walk alone...he grins, showing his fangs, and tells her his older brother wants to hear more about that incident the other night. She grips her gold cross, says she remembers nothing. We’ll hear your story at the mansion, says he. She resists, he tries to force her into the carriage, and a voice in the street says "Hey, vampire." Who the hell--? Let her go and leave quietly or I’ll kill you, says the cloaked silhouette. Kill me? A lowly Terran threatening a Methuselah? The vampire coldly throws the young sister against the wall, lunges at the cloaked man with inhuman speed; there's a flash of blades, and the vampire is staring at his shaking hands--the man is so fast that he's trimmed one of the vamp's talon fingernails. You can't kill me, says the human. The Methuselah draws his sword and rushes the human but is cut down in an instant. His stunned coachman, a dwarf vampire, rushes to his side as he lies in the street; the cloaked man stands motionless. We don't see his face.

A technician displays an alarming-looking device to Karel, explaining that it "directly scans the insides of the brain"-- it can even find information the holder doesn’t consciously remember, however distressing. Karel says he doesn’t care for any distress as long as he finds out more.--Karel-sama! cries a voice--the little coach driver--and a coffin is carried in. Karel shakes him by the throat, demanding to know what sort of joke this is. A man, stammers the coachman, a caped man with incredible strength. Karel orders that man and the girl brought to him no matter what it takes.

Sister Agnes wakes from a nightmare; she's in a large dormitory, alone. Down the hall she finds a chapel, walks down the center aisle. Poised in an incredible stance before the altar is a blond bare-chested man, standing on one hand, his weapon held out to his side; his skin is laced all over with scars. You're awake?--he asks calmly. Who are you? --she startles. He swings gracefully to his feet; I'm Hugue, a travelling priest, he says. [So our missing man from last episode has been found.]

Checking his communicator in a storage room [they appear to have taken refuge in a convent: we see other nuns going about various chores in the background], Hugue learns from Kate that the one he killed was Peter van der Wulf, Karel's younger brother, and that they too are looking for the culprit. He says he'll watch for their next move. He sees Agnes pass by outside the window and races out, weapon in hand. She's been grabbed by a tall henchman, a gun to her head; the little vampire coachman tells Hugue that Karel summons him as well.

In Karel's gorgeous mansion, he tells Agnes that his people didn’t commit the attack in the cathedral ("we wouldn't be so stupid"). She agrees to be submitted to the memory device: she and Karel are both fastened into it, and he hears what she heard: "it's been taken care of, Memerink-sama." Memerink, he growls, that fucking bastard! He's framing me! He thanks Agnes for saving him, gives orders for someone to take her home; she asks if Father Hugue can take her. Father? He's no priest, he's a Vatican hitman, scoffs Karel. Maybe she should stay for the show tonight...

As people eat in an elegant dining room, the coachman examines Hugue's weapon, which looks like a shirasaya-style sword-- then pretends he wasn't messing with it as Karel and Agnes pass, entering a tiered theatre. (The place is HUGE.) Karel announces to his assembled guests that in revenge for his brother they will "conduct the execution of a Vatican dog." He snaps his fingers; lights blaze up, and in the center of the arena-stage is Hugue, unarmed, his hands chained.

Father!--gasps Agnes. A barred gate opens, and into the arena stalks a shadowy, wolflike monster with glowing eyes. It crouches, streaks away so fast it blurs out of sight, rematerializes on the wall. As it charges him Hugue flips into the air, vaults over its back and comes down with his wrist shackle between its jaws--it throws him off but breaks the chain, freeing his hands. It comes on again with supernatural speed, blurring in and out of visibility. Slashing him once and again as it flashes past, it springs like a cat and pins him down.

It's over for him, says Karel. Agnes can't stand it; she races back to the salon, grabs Hugue's weapon from the caught-off-guard coachman. Father! she cries out, and tosses it into the arena.

Bitch! How dare you interfere! shouts Karel; he draws his sword and runs her through, cutting the chain of her gold cross with the blow. Hugue sees it.

Stupid girl, mutters Karel, but then there's a roar and a tremendous crash in the arena, and Hugue is standing over the body of the monster in a spreading pool of blood. [Sneaky animators...] A Terran killed a moon wolf?! gasps Karel (--he actually says "moon wolf" in English). Hugue turns: I knew I shouldn'tve left any of you alive, he says. He draws the weapon--it pulls apart rather than coming unsheathed, and we finally see that it's a double staff with a blade in each end (the blades are sheathed inside when it's closed--like a twin sword). He hurls one, embeds the blade in the wall, leaps onto its hilt and somersaults into the balcony--alone with Karel, who stands stunned. Die, says Hugue.

As we see the bodies…is that so? The vampires of Amsterdam were annihilated? asks Caterina. Yes, he's heading to Antwerp next, says Sister Kate. Give Sword Dancer the order to return, says the Duchess. If he obeys immediately, we'll excuse his actions; otherwise…

And Agnes wakes up in the convent dorm again; she asks if Father Hugue is there. He's long gone, he told me to give you this, says the nun: her cross is lying on the pillow.

...go on to Episode Seven.

...return to Trinity Blood Episode Guide.