Prologue: The Master is Dead! Long live the Master!
The flames were fading into the pale echo of light. A few hundred wicks slowly, inexorably dimming. It was a church, or rather the twisted distortion of one. A church sinking deep into the very earth. This degraded remnant of a holy place was now the abode of an ancient creature, the Master. Over the countless centuries the demon within had shaped his appearance. He was a vampire, the eldest, head of his Order and a prisoner. Trapped by mystic bounds he must carry out his schemes my proxy. The tread of booted foot was soft, and nimble. Even Luke, his greatest servant, did not stir from his slumber but the Master had not survived this long without sharpening his skills, his senses. The stranger strolled into the lair without any sign of fear. This one was either very brave or very foolish. The Master thought the latter. He surveyed the stranger from his throne. The man was bathed in black. The silent boots were black, as were his pants and silk shirt. A dark trench coat stretched down to his ankles. The only color was on his head. The stranger wore a mask, forged of gold, that encircled his entire head. It was incrusted with rubies and diamonds worth more than all of Sunnydale.
"Luke!" The Master shouted waking them all. Over twenty vampires rose to their feet, all of them hungry. At their head was Luke, the greatest of their number, undefeated. "We have an uninvited guest...kill him!"
"With pleasure..." Before Luke had taken three steps the stranger sprung into action. He reached into his coat and removed his signature weapon. There was a flash. Where Luke had been sat a shrunken corpse, dead as the proverbial doornail. In less than ten seconds, the Master's champion had been eliminated.
"That was disappointing," the stranger spoke for the first time, his voice held a spine-chillingly urbane quality. "I was rather hoping for a challenge, the fearsome lords of the Undead all gathered together," he chuckled darkly. "Unfortunately I'm finding this encounter to be somewhat anticlimactic." The Master rose angrily to his feet, determined to regain control of the situation.
"Well then, I'm sure we can add some excitement. Kill him!" The Master was accustomed to being obeyed. His servants feared him more than any adversary, except this one. The masked stranger with his mighty weapon was uncanny in his calm, the opposite of the Master's primal rage. No one moved. "I said kill him!" Still no one moved.
"Perhaps it might be best if you were to try...unless of course you are afraid." The Master almost responded to the bait, almost charged into the mystic barrier, almost made a fool of himself but he didn't. He was too wily for that. "I beg your pardon," the stranger continued. "I had forgotten that you were trapped, caught like a fly in amber," The same chuckle echoed darkly. "A very apt metaphor, don't you agree?" The Master's reply was lost when he glimpsed Darla sneaking in.
"Thank you for an amusing diversion but now it is time to die..." She was in position, ready to strike. "Now Darla!" The Master would enjoy watching this death...Darla hadn't moved. The stranger laughed. This was no subtle chuckle but a pronouncement of victory.
"I'm afraid that Darla serves another master now..."
"She would not dare. She is a creature of Aurelius, my creature." Darla moved to stand by the stranger.
"Not any more, I gave her a better offer. To use an Earth idiom, she's been headhunted. In fact, I suggest you look at this as a hostile takeover..." He gestured grandly all around him. "Kneel...." And they did, all of them, all except the Master.
"Who are you?"
"I'm your namesake. Across the cosmos, billions tremble at my feet.I am usually refered to as the Master, and you have just become redundant." There was a flash and the Master had joined his servant, another corpse in miniature. The Master laughed. He sauntered to the throne, stopping to squash the Master, the other Master, under his foot. He sat down gingerly and looked at his new minions. "You know," he said as he scrapped vampire off his boot. "I could learn to love the view..." The insane cackle echoed throughout the chamber sending shivers down even Darla's back. The Master is dead, long live the Master...
The flames were fading into the pale echo of light. A few hundred wicks slowly, inexorably dimming. It was a church, or rather the twisted distortion of one. A church sinking deep into the very earth. This degraded remnant of a holy place was now the abode of an ancient creature, the Master. Over the countless centuries the demon within had shaped his appearance. He was a vampire, the eldest, head of his Order and a prisoner. Trapped by mystic bounds he must carry out his schemes my proxy. The tread of booted foot was soft, and nimble. Even Luke, his greatest servant, did not stir from his slumber but the Master had not survived this long without sharpening his skills, his senses. The stranger strolled into the lair without any sign of fear. This one was either very brave or very foolish. The Master thought the latter. He surveyed the stranger from his throne. The man was bathed in black. The silent boots were black, as were his pants and silk shirt. A dark trench coat stretched down to his ankles. The only color was on his head. The stranger wore a mask, forged of gold, that encircled his entire head. It was incrusted with rubies and diamonds worth more than all of Sunnydale.
"Luke!" The Master shouted waking them all. Over twenty vampires rose to their feet, all of them hungry. At their head was Luke, the greatest of their number, undefeated. "We have an uninvited guest...kill him!"
"With pleasure..." Before Luke had taken three steps the stranger sprung into action. He reached into his coat and removed his signature weapon. There was a flash. Where Luke had been sat a shrunken corpse, dead as the proverbial doornail. In less than ten seconds, the Master's champion had been eliminated.
"That was disappointing," the stranger spoke for the first time, his voice held a spine-chillingly urbane quality. "I was rather hoping for a challenge, the fearsome lords of the Undead all gathered together," he chuckled darkly. "Unfortunately I'm finding this encounter to be somewhat anticlimactic." The Master rose angrily to his feet, determined to regain control of the situation.
"Well then, I'm sure we can add some excitement. Kill him!" The Master was accustomed to being obeyed. His servants feared him more than any adversary, except this one. The masked stranger with his mighty weapon was uncanny in his calm, the opposite of the Master's primal rage. No one moved. "I said kill him!" Still no one moved.
"Perhaps it might be best if you were to try...unless of course you are afraid." The Master almost responded to the bait, almost charged into the mystic barrier, almost made a fool of himself but he didn't. He was too wily for that. "I beg your pardon," the stranger continued. "I had forgotten that you were trapped, caught like a fly in amber," The same chuckle echoed darkly. "A very apt metaphor, don't you agree?" The Master's reply was lost when he glimpsed Darla sneaking in.
"Thank you for an amusing diversion but now it is time to die..." She was in position, ready to strike. "Now Darla!" The Master would enjoy watching this death...Darla hadn't moved. The stranger laughed. This was no subtle chuckle but a pronouncement of victory.
"I'm afraid that Darla serves another master now..."
"She would not dare. She is a creature of Aurelius, my creature." Darla moved to stand by the stranger.
"Not any more, I gave her a better offer. To use an Earth idiom, she's been headhunted. In fact, I suggest you look at this as a hostile takeover..." He gestured grandly all around him. "Kneel...." And they did, all of them, all except the Master.
"Who are you?"
"I'm your namesake. Across the cosmos, billions tremble at my feet.I am usually refered to as the Master, and you have just become redundant." There was a flash and the Master had joined his servant, another corpse in miniature. The Master laughed. He sauntered to the throne, stopping to squash the Master, the other Master, under his foot. He sat down gingerly and looked at his new minions. "You know," he said as he scrapped vampire off his boot. "I could learn to love the view..." The insane cackle echoed throughout the chamber sending shivers down even Darla's back. The Master is dead, long live the Master...