UNEXPECTED AID
original fiction using characters and location from Eidos Interactive Legacy of Kain series.
By UndyingSamurai
CHAPTER ONE
She symbolized freedom, strength and defiance. She struck fear in the minds of the enemy. She had stood for over five centuries unhindered, unchanged and undefeated. Her name was Hoffnung or Hope in the common tongue, and she was the last bastion of human resistance in Nosgoth. Her design was immaculate. Those few fortunate enough to have gazed into the fortress were left speechless in admiration. It was the last remaining cradle for human civilization. Humanity prospered inside its massive stones walls, giving birth to modern literature, art, history and science. Impenetrable was the common adjective used by the enemy to describe the enclave for only its inhabitants knew of the few weaknesses that enabled entry and exit.
Her hollow tunnels reached deep into the mountains surrounding the citadel. Through these impotent vessels, departure into the enemy lands was possible. At this very moment all the tunnels were securely closed preventing a possible curiosity from the enemy; all were silent, save one.
Centuries of oppression had molded the resistance into a formidable force. Hoffnung had given birth to multiple castes in her sheltered bosom. The foundation of the vampire hunting guilds was a necessary venture for the patriarchs and matriarchs of Hoffnung. Throughout the centuries, the warrior caste perfected the art of combat and slowly incurred into the art of slaying. One thing is to defend yourself, but it is another thing to become adept enough to hunt your enemy. The Iron Hand was formed.
Four shadows crept inside tunnel. Four men carrying torches slowly made their way to the end of the passage. Haste was in their hearts. A large bald man led the group. He had no need for armor and only covered himself with an unbuttoned leather vest which exposed his numerous tattoos and massive arms. He was a hulk of a man, clearly taller and more muscular than the other three. His bald head reflected the soft light from the flame. The dim lighting highlighted his long beard's gray hairs even more. On his back hung a huge maul decorated with various glyphs and a protruding iron spike on its side.
"We're close." He whispered.
The man following him nodded. He was shorter and slimmer than his colleague. He had intense green eyes, short trimmed brown hair and a trimmed goatee. He was armored with light mail under his leather shirt and carried twin scimitars on his back. A series of wooden stakes were strapped to his right leg. Of the four men he looked to be the youngest.
"Make haste, Kurt!" The young man whispered. "We might not have enough time."
"Patience, Lars." Kurt replied to his young friend.
They had reached the end of the tunnel. A huge stone blocked the only exit from the tunnel. Kurt slowly pushed the stone door. It was apparent that moving the door was a struggle even for his strength. The door finally receded.
It had existed for two centuries. It commanded respect and created fear in the enemy. The Iron Hand was the best of the best. Its creation had one purpose: The extinction of the enemy. The men that decorated its ranks were not scholars, not likable and not sociable. They had been trained to exact no mercy and to demand none of it. Death was their favored art and they executed it flawlessly. From generation to generation, only the utmost skilled warriors and vampire slayers were permitted entry into this elite circle.
The smaller members of the Iron Hand waited behind their stalwart teammate as he scouted the area outside for any known threats. In the distance he could see a bonfire blazing, possibly sheltering other humans. As Kurt shifted the great stone door only inches as to permit exit onto the courtyard, he heard the faint scraping of claws on stone.
"Hold!" He hushed.
The stone door that gave way into the tunnel that sheltered the four vampire hunters was in fact part of a greater wall. The four men had traveled to one the many courtyards of the now abandoned enemy fortifications. Banners with strange glyphs adorned the high points of these walls and various gates connected this courtyard to further locations. Once a pristine courtyard filled with life, it now resembled a cemetery. A small cave-like opening in the far wall housed the bonfire that the hunters had spotted upon their exit of the hidden tunnels. From the safety of its shadows a creature drew near.
"The enemy approaches?" The third man said.
His name was Ulrich. He was the smallest member of the Iron Hand measuring roughly half a foot shorter that Lars. He had long black hair which he fashioned into a tail. Although he had a smaller frame, he was muscular and heavy. His right hand carried a sharp iron spear decorated at the head and strapped with leather to facilitate its handling. He had a red scarf around his neck with its tail hanging on his back.
"Silence brother! Let us listen." Lars replied.
The creature they had seen coming out of the small cave was in fact a man. The distance between them did not allow much room for the appreciation of detail but it was clear enough he was fleeing. Realizing his futile attempt at escape, he turned around and face some unseen pursuers.
"No! Please!" He yelled at the pursuers.
Out of the shadows, two red eyed creatures emerged. Their corpse-like features were clearly visible to the four hunters. The two creatures slowly approached the overwhelmed human barely managing to maintain their balance.
"Corpse-Steelers? Let us hurry before they kill him." Lars shouted.
Lars drew his twin swords and lunged into battle with unequalled fervor. Fortunately for him he was stopped. Kurt had grabbed him by the belt and pulled him back to the safety of the tunnel.
"Let go of me Kurt!"
"He is already dead, brother. And another player nears the battleground." Kurt responded while pointing at an alcove high above them.
The two creatures lunged at the helpless man and clawed at him with the fury of a frenzied animal. Upon murdering their victim, they crept over him and gnawed at his corpse like dogs. The hideous sound of flesh being stripped from the bone filled the small courtyard. The enemy was feasting on this unlikely banquet when they were crudely interrupted by a different kind of creature.
The four hunters observed quietly, studying this blue-skinned creature that had glided on broken wings from the heights above. He was evidently not human, and not vampire. For the hunters, his naked body seemed rather weak and skeletal posing no real threat at the moment. His face was partially masked by a brown cowl adorned with familiar glyphs they had seen before. His hands and feet were similarly clawed like those of the vampires and his eyes emitted a faint hue.
The enemy noticed him immediately he touched the ground. This strange creature studied his enemies for a mere second before engaging them in combat. The human hunters were completely shocked viewing the winged demon combating the enemy effortlessly. He moved with blinding speed and evaded all of their pointless attacks. This was the first time that the members of the iron hand had seen a creature engage the enemy unarmed and emerge victorious.
It appeared that the blue-skinned creature grew tired of toying with the enemy and executed his death sentence upon them. He dashed with superhuman speed clawing at them with precision. This was not the wild barrage the vampires so commonly used. His attacks were accurate, powerful and overwhelming. In seconds he stunned one of them, dashing quickly to its back and lifting it over his head. The bonfire must have been thirty feet away from him and yet he threw the enemy naturally to the lethal flames.
"What the hell is that?" The fourth hunter said.
Friedrich was much older that the other members of the Iron Hand. He had been with this elite unit for more that thirty years. His experience and knowledge was invaluable for the team. His purpose was to navigate the team through the ever changing world of Nosgoth whilst providing his familiarity with the enemy. He armed himself with a single short length blade. Its curvature was perfect for the severing of heads. He lacked the complex armor his younger fellows carried relying solely on regular clothes. He was bald and has a long gray beard.
"I've never seen anything like that in my life." Lars whispered
"How old are you, like twenty-two?" Ulrich sarcastically replied. "You haven't seen anything yet boy."
The blue skinned demon swiftly turned around and faced his remaining enemy. Clearly he had no time to lose. He pounced at his enemy dealing a calculated combination of attacks culminating with a kick that sent it flying towards the fire. The creature walked slowly to the enemy and picked it up by its neck. The enemy was evidently in a state of torpor as the demon easily stretched his hand and positioned it over the blazing flames. He was unharmed by the deadly effects of that element, it appeared.
Having disposed of his two enemies, the blue-skinned creature continued his path to the gate of the courtyard. He paused for a moment, turning his head and eyeing the hunters for a second. Fear crept into the hearts of the battle hardened men.
"Engage!" Friedrich ordered.
The four men bolted out of the tunnel equipping their weapons and selecting their favored battle stances. For a second, they thought they had intimidated the creature. He simply chuckled underneath his cowl before turning around and opening the gate. As quickly as he had appeared, he vanished again.