Marvel Comics and all Marvel characters and the distinctive likenesses
thereof are trademarks of Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. ©2002 Marvel
Entertainment Group, Inc. All rights reserved. (In other words, I don't own
Blade, Frank Drake, Hannibal King, Damaskinos, Deacon Frost, the Bloodpack
and all of its respective characters or any other Marvel characters that
should pop up in this little vampire story.) Blade created by Marv Wolfman
and Gene Colan. Bloodpack ©copyright New Line Cinema 2002.
The Vampire Asad - A Bloodpack is Born! By Elton Alwine
Prequel to Blade II
Prague Vampire Nation HQ, 2000 A.D.
A man with glasses sat along a medieval table listening to the conversation, and waited to interject with his own ideas of how to deal with the mass destruction of vampires around the world. Not the turned vampires, no, they were basically worthless to the Vampire Nation, and have never had anything to offer the Purebloods, or the humans for that matter. But those born vampires were dying in cities around the world every night, sometimes by the dozens.
The man adjusted his glasses and rubbed the tattoo on his hand. Time to prove he was worthy of immortality, and no longer anyone's pet. He peered at the aged and obviously decrepit Elder Vampire; now without hair on his body and shriveled, greasy-like skin. The veins were visible like ropes inside his not-so feeble body.
"May I make a suggestion or two of how we may deal with and eliminate this Daywalker, Damaskinos?" asked the man.
"Please, please.enlighten us, our favorite lawyer," Damaskinos replied waving his slimy fingers in the air.
"It's fairly simple, lord. Almost too simple, actually. We hunt him. For years we could only hope to defend ourselves from the Daywalker, and the others. We are always caught with our pants down, so to speak. How about we become the hunters once again?" The lawyer said triumphantly.
"We.hunt.him. It's quite a magnificent idea, really."
"We gather our best warriors, and take back our.your natural right to feed."
"Yes. Blade has had his way for too long now. Ah, once again you've proven yourself invaluable." Damaskinos said almost cracking a smile.
"Thank you lord." What the lawyer really wanted to say was, "So when the hell do I get what I deserve?"
"All in due time, all in due time," Damaskinos replied to the silent question.
The lawyer blushed, and hurried some gelatinous blood on a plate to the Elder.
"Bring me Asad, and my daughter," he continued before he scooped up the food.
A dark man walked into the dark room, followed by a female-a Princess. Nyssa walked opposite of Asad and sat at opposing seats next to Damaskinos as he wished with his hands. He tapped his hand on top of his daughter's, and continued to eat. With food in his mouth, he spoke:
"My daughter; Nyssa, and Asad; my loyal minion. Tonight, things begin to change, and we make the rules. Our biggest enemy, the Daywalker, has hunted us, and made us hide beneath the surface like rats for far too long. He is only one man, with only a few friends. We are an entire race, we are the Vampire Nation. Blade will now become our prey."
"Damaskinos, with all due respect, this should have happened sooner, lord," Asad added respectfully.
"Yes, yes, yes, but now it will happen. And you, and my daughter, will find the strongest warriors capable of taking down the Daywalker-but he must stay alive, for he will be most valuable alive-a slave, an experiment," he replied.
"Nyssa and I know exactly who is capable. We will find them immediately, lord."
Nyssa only nodded in agreement.
Asad and Nyssa rose to their feet, and made their way to exit, but Damaskinos added one more thing:
"If they fail, we will gather an army of thousands. There will be nowhere safe in the world for him to go. First, we try this with the utmost discretion. Do not fail," Damaskinos finished.
The two vampires nodded, and silently left the room as servants rushed passed them to the Elder with food.
Asad and Nyssa walked quietly to a large room with high-ceiling and low-hung yellow lights. Asad continued until he reached a desk, and sat at the computer. Nyssa walked to a machine that blended into the concrete wall. There, she grabbed a cup, and placed it under a dispenser. Fresh blood flowed from the vampire's version of the coffee machine, at human body temperature. After finishing the sustenance, she wiped her lips gently with a red cloth, and stepped behind Asad who was typing away.
"I know of some fairly ruthless-but very strong vampires in New York City, Asad. I'll head there tomorrow evening," Nyssa stated.
"Yes, I too will travel to America. To Los Angeles. I will ask for Gaetano Dragonetti's help. There are dozens of Dragonettis and Ciantetos there. Most, I'm sure will be more than willing to join our Crusade against the hunters," Asad said with a wink to Nyssa. She smiled, and began to speak as she walked out of the room:
"Good luck, Asad. I'll see you again soon."
"And to you, Nyssa."
Damaskinos' mind wandered; he began to reminisce on the days of Asad's life before he was with the Nation, by his side.
Asad: a clansman of the Lobishomen tribe from Brazil, born in South America in 1855. He traveled to America by night with the unknown acquaintances of werewolves-who protected him from the shadows.
On one particular evening, his protectors would be revealed to him, protecting him from a hostile pack of strangers, vampire hunters, in 1901 in a small Texas town.
Asad could only smell the men, but his guardians-the wolfmen stalked the hunters from the shadows and the bushes. One man, a second generation vampire hunter of the Van Helsing lineage-and his men became the hunted on this bloody night.
By day, Asad had hired help to transport him and his coffin, and to protect him when he was otherwise predisposed. The men were taken care of graciously, and were told not to ask questions about him and his sunlight virus, or the need to sleep in a coffin. As in human nature, this information would prove to entertaining not to tell. Eventually the right people would hear about this, and thus the hunt was on.
When Asad arose from his mahogany tomb, he noticed his men were gone.along with his valuable possessions. He heard a howl from just outside his rail road car. Then he heard some snarling, and a man-no, men yelling, screaming. Asad then flipped the lid over and walked to the huge sliding door, and peered outside.
Something slammed on the side of the car, and Asad stuck his head out further to investigate. He saw a body, mutilated and bloody, lying face first against the track and train. He looked up and saw a half-human/half- wolf creature-the werewolf of legend-the mythical creature his family has told stories of for centuries.
The creature looked to Asad, and then charged another man, who was holding a wooden stake, and ripped his throat out upon toppling over.
The creature walked on its hind legs-femurs like a human, lowers like a wolf. Upper body was completely human in shape, except for the claws at the end of the lengthened fingers. But the head, the head was not human at all, but completely like a wolf.
A shot rang out and hit the werewolf in the human-looking thigh. Asad jumped from the car, and pounced upon the man with the musket. He, like the werewolf, was now covered in blood-feeding.
Another man with a silver crucifix walked towards Asad-cautiously, saying a prayer aloud, and holding a rosary, and a sharp wooden stake in the other hand.
Asad snapped the man's neck beneath him, and grabbed the standing man's stake, and reared it into his own stomach. The vampire pulled the stake from his abdomen and licked the blood from it. The man passed out from loss of blood, and fear. He was dead before he hit the ground, as Asad heard his heart stop beating before the thud on the dirt.
The vampire looked for the werewolf, but he was gone. Again, but further in the distance, Asad heard the howling, and others followed its cry.
Years and years, Asad traveled the world, and the werewolves-the protectors-were always there. They remained there even in the years after Asad joined the Vampire Nation under Damaskinos.
The Lawyer watched from a window high atop the compound as Asad and his men entered a helicopter, and flew off into the distance.
Los Angeles
Upon arriving in The City of Angels, Asad wandered the dark, wet alleys in search of a meal. It wasn't long before he found it. He saw a young man, in his late teens, crouching in a corner behind a dumpster sticking a needle into his arm. His face relaxed as the poison coursed through his veins.
Asad walked silently, stealthily towards the mortal-his food, and stopped as a man jumped from the dumpster, and pounced on the unsuspecting addict. The man, wearing a dirty, blue police uniform slammed his mouth around the junkie's neck-piercing the jugular vein. The man tried to scream, but he was dead too fast.
When he finished draining the junkie, the man, the police officer pushed the dead body away from him, and frantically crawled backwards, almost in disgust. Asad looked down at the officer's neck, and saw a glyph- Deacon Frost's glyph.
The officer stopped when he hit Asad's legs, and looked up in fear. Asad picked the man up by the shirt collar, and pushed him onto the adjacent building. Krieger, the officer's badge read. Officer Krieger. The officer had dried blood all over his neck and once blue shirt. His neck was still healing a fresh wound-obviously a vicious attack.
"Finesse. Maybe you should try feeding a little more gracefully. Humans are our food, but, that does not make us monsters," Asad said.
"Yeah, tell that to the one who turned me!" Officer Krieger replied in between breaths.
"Deacon Frost, I know him. Does that mean you will become the thing you hate? Because Frost was an animal, you have to be one as well?"
"Look, I don't know how to control this thirst, this hunger.I'm scared."
"And you should be. You're no longer human. You're a vampire; a killer. Do yourself a favor: get cleaned up, change your clothes, and stop hiding in dumpsters. Be a little more inconspicuous. Until the time comes, the right time, we must hide our existence from the humans," Asad added. He let go of the officer's shirt, and the scared man ran away down the alley with a tiny growl.
Officer Krieger rounded another alley, his forth one, trying to outrun the fact that he was now immortal, and a killer, and from the person who was not following him. He tried to find his house, but couldn't remember where it was. He was near, he could feel it, but couldn't tell which building was his.maybe it was temporary amnesia. He could feel a strange presence; it was almost a small vibration inside his body.
"I thought Frost would've killed you," a voice said from behind him. He turned around, and recognized the lady. It was Dr. Karen Jensen.
"Well, he did. I'm a vampire now. I'm as dead as it gets. And this time, so are you!" Krieger lunged at Dr. Jensen, but she stood there and waited for him to get closer, and then flicked a switch on a large, black flashlight, and the vampire was covered in a blue-white UV light. He screamed as his flesh burned and melted all over his body-smoke pouring profusely.
After only seconds, he was dead and screeching no longer, but Dr. Jensen wanted to be sure-had to be sure. She removed a silver stake from a bag around her shoulders, and pierced the vampire's heart. He did not make a sound while his body turned to fiery ashes that were scattered on the wind throughout the alley.
"I could've cured your ass had you not been such a jerk!" Dr. Jensen said with a smirk. She turned the lamp off, and walked out of the alley and onto the street. The night was just beginning for her, she thought as she put the stake back in the bag along with the UV lamp.
Asad arrived at a small-by skyscrapers size-building, and walked through the tall, Victorian doors. Asad knew right away that something was not right. There was nobody guarding the door and there were greasy ash stains on either side. And he could hear nothing in the building; no one talking, no one moving.just silence.
He entered a long, dark hallway and stopped next to a Waiting Room of sorts. In front of the door, and in the Waiting Room, there were ashes all along the floor. Apparently there was a struggle. He looked in and saw the Counsel table, empty, where the House members conduct business. There were more ashes along the stairs he descended.
There was a pair of teeth on the table.
Across the room, there were two dead humans. He turned over their heads, and on the back of their necks was Frost's glyph, along with dried blood. He looked over, and saw a piece of paper under the long, black table. Asad read the paper:
La Magra.Edgewood Towers.The Blood Tide.blood of the Daywalker.
Frost was obviously going to try to become a god; how like him and his delusions, Asad thought aloud with a laugh. Everyone knew that the Blood God was just a myth, like Zeus and unicorns and the Easter Bunny, just a more macabre and deadly icon.
On the other side was an address.
Asad arrived at a warehouse, and found the same deathly quiet that was present at the Counsel, along with wind that whistled through the rooms and windows. He could smell more dead mortals, again more of Frost's men. He saw a gray-haired man covered in blood sitting in a chair, near death, and unconscious.
There was a bullet lodged in the man's temple, near the left eye-a suicide failure-that missed the mark apparently. The bullet may be the only thing keeping him alive, Asad thought. Asad called for his men to take care of the man he recognized as Whistler-Blade's mentor. He would prove undoubtedly valuable in the future.
Two of the six men who accompanied Asad picked Whistler's body up, and placed him in the limousine. While a doctor removed the bullet, others cleaned him up. The bullet was slowing down the spread of the virus that was now in his blood, and he would eventually turn. He was badly beaten, and fell into a coma shortly after the bullet was removed, and could only give a little information.
Apparently Frost was at the Temple of Eternal Night, and Blade was some kind of key.
Edgewood Towers
Asad new the place existed, but was surprised by just how elegant and expansive the underground tower actually was. More ashes littered the temple-everywhere. And once again, for the third time this evening it looked like Asad would find the same eerie silence that was as deafening as a loud noise, he though to himself as he saw blood covering the bottom of the tower. More dead bodies; Frost's bodies-same scene, different location.
Asad withdrew his sword just for protection, though it didn't look as though anyone was alive. He certainly wasn't picking up anyone's thoughts. But just then.he heard a faint noise.a heart beat!
It was coming from a dark corner, behind several wooden crates and boxes. He received a flash image of Blade, and several of Frost's men being slayed. It was a vampire; a coward vampire hiding in the shadows.
Well, it was actually very intelligent of the man, obviously. No one has ever faced Blade, and had a chance to tell anyone about.
Come out! Asad yelled silently with his mind for the man to come out- that he knew he was there. And it took a couple of seconds for the man to realize Blade was gone.
"Why are you hiding? What happened here?" Asad asked him as he saw the man's face in the shadows.
"The Daywalker, he started killing everyone.Quinn, Frost too!" the man replied shakily.
"What was Frost doing here? What did he need Blade for?" Asad asked even though he knew, he just wanted the confirmation of what Deacon Frost was up to.
"He wanted to resurrect the Blood God.he needed Blade's blood, and a member of each house to complete it, but Blade ruined it, like the bastard always does."
"What's your name?"
"Crease."
"Well, Crease, Blade did us a favor. Frost was dangerous. He needed to be quieted. For once, the Vampire Nation and the Daywalker agreed-it would seem. Damaskinos will be pleased."
"What? Man, what the fuck are you talking about! You Purebloods are so damn ungrateful for everything Frost has done-," before he could finish, Asad's sword pierced his heart, and his body fell to the ground in ashes.
Asad made some phone calls, and finally revealed all that had happened in LA-the Counsel killed, Frost resurrecting La Magra, and Blade killing Deacon Frost. The Overlord was surely joyous. Instructions were given by the Lawyer to keep Whistler alive-at all costs.
Asad knew what to do. An incubation tank would sustain his life, and keep him comatose, yet aware: dreaming. He would keep Whistler with him on his journey to Europe, and try to lure the Daywalker into a trap. A note was left for Blade to try and decipher.
Next stop.Russia.
Moscow
The men carried the small coffin-like tank containing Whistler's limp body into a safe-house, and buried him underground. Asad instructed that they watch his body at all costs-even if the Daywalker should find him. He told them this knowing that they would flee at first sight of the dark hunter-if they were smart. He didn't even know Blade was alive. Frost's cronies may have actually succeeded in bringing him down.
But, he still had an army to find and recruit. And he knew of four of them just inside the city. Asad was off to the local haunts; nightclubs, blood banks, whore houses.
A black van stopped to a halt sideways on the snow-covered asphalt. The three sitting in the van looked to the right, and saw a distant figure standing alone in the middle of the street.
"Aah, I believe that's the infamous Frank Drake; human vampire hunter extraordinaire. I think he's looking for a little action, guys. I can feel my nipples getting hard at the thought of ripping his throat out with my fingers." The man reached into a case and pulled out a music CD. "Verlaine, put this in.track 1; Smack My Bitch Up. I wanna hear some beats while me an' this fool dance, 'cause I'm about to smack mine up right now," the man said while rubbing his hands together to get them warm.
Frank Drake was a descendent of Dracula. He is human, but an extremely skilled fighter, and was taught various martial arts and the use of a variety of weapons by the Daywalker for years.
The vampire stepped out from the sliding side door of the van, and unbuttoned his soft, black coat, revealing his dual shoulder holstered handguns. His spiked bleached-white hair camouflaged the snow that landed on his head. His tattooed-covered forehead was wet with the melting flakes.
"One day, Gideon's cocky attitude is gonna get him killed, Lighthammer," the red-haired vampire said to her companion in the passenger seat as she installed the CD. He only looked at her, and then back to the figure down the road.
Gideon removed each of the matte black handguns from opposite shoulders, and pointed them at the shadowy figure half a block away. He squeezed the trigger, and one after another is fired. Drake scrambles to his left dodging three bullets, but as he ran towards the vampire, he was hit in the chest, and fell to one knee, and dropped the gun from his left hand.
Gideon walked nonchalantly over to the hunter with a smirk on his face. He turned around and yelled to his companions:
"Hahaha, and this is one of our fiercest enemies? Nothing but a joke, really.or maybe I'm just that good-," but he stopped as he saw Verlaine yell for him to turn around, but it was too late. The pony-tailed man was up and landed a punch dead on his nose and chin, drawing blood. His lip was cut deep by his one of his fangs, and dribbled down his chin.
Drake landed an uppercut to Gideon's chin, and then delivered a backhand blow across his face. Gideon caught the next punch, and headbutted Drake in the cheek bone. Drake was picked up by one of Gideon's arms and thrown into a brick building. The vampire kicked the hunter several times in the stomach, before his cockiness once again proved to be a mistake.
"This is exactly what I've needed for a while now.a bitch!" Gideon yells at the vampires who remained warm in the van.
A knee caught Gideon in the sternum; his head bowed forward. With his free hand, Drake pulled a silver stake from his upper-right arm, and slammed it into the back of the vampire's bleached-white-haired skull. In a shower of fiery ashes, Drake is covered in soot and snow from the blowing wind.
Drake notices the bald vampire step out from the passenger side, and pull out a huge mallet with him. The hunter lunged towards his bag, and pulled out a hand-cannon, and fired a shot as the female walked along the front of the stationary van.
The shot rocked through the side door sucking it into the van, and rocked it onto its left two wheels, and then came crashing back down. Lighthammer stood there motionless, as the shot didn't affect him, nor was he intimidated by it.
Verlaine yells for Lighthammer to get Drake in English, but with a heavy Russian accent.or is it the Tongue of the Ancients? Drake thought they sounded extremely familiar.
Drake and Lighthammer meet halfway, and the hunter throws the first swing. The punch lands on his chin, but he just shrugged it off with a smile. The taller than usual vampire tossed his hammer to the side, and landed a punch of his own to Drake's chin-stunning him.
Drake dropped low and swept Lighthammer, but the bald menacing vampire didn't fall. He merely stared at the hunter lying on the ground for a moment and grinned, and then brought down his fists slamming full onto Drake's chest with only a forearm to soften the blow. But Drake managed to get to his feet before the next swing.
He was behind the much taller man, and punched him in the base of the neck, and another at the base of his spine with the same arm-but hit a Kevlar vest of some sort. Lighthammer was still on his feet, so Drake decided to try and finish it now. The hunter kicked Lighthammer in the back of the knee, and was given the advantage for a moment.
In an instant, another silver stake was clutched from the broken arm and aimed at the top of Lighthammer's bald head, but a shot rang out, and Drake noticed his ear was bleeding. He turned around and Verlaine was pumping a shotgun for another shot. Drake had only another moment or so before Lighthammer was back on both feet, so Drake used the weapon as a projectile, and threw the silver stake at her heart, but it didn't make it.
It was intercepted by the accompanying sound of a semi-automatic rifle, and hit a building with a spark. Drake turned to his left, and saw another vampire standing on a building ledge now aiming at Drake. Without hesitation, Drake darted into the depths of the alley shadows without a sound. The man on the building shouted down at the remaining vampires:
"You were very sloppy tonight, and could've lost more than just Gideon. Drake seemed to have things going his way tonight. How is that so?"
"Asad! I suppose you want a thanks," Verlaine shouted to him.
"No, not a thank you, just an explanation. Maybe you're just tired of living, yes?"
"Excuse me, we had everything under control, obviously, and we didn't need your help, nor do we have to explain anything to you!" she replied back in anger.
"Yes, under control-you were fine, especially with that stake flying to your chest."
Verlaine looked over at the shinning stake, and saw the hole of the bullet was clean through. Asad leapt from the four story building and landed gracefully, and slung his rifle over his shoulder.
"I'm not here to critique, or criticize. I'm here to make you an offer. But after what I saw tonight, I'm not so sure you're ready, nor could you handle it," Asad stopped to let it sink in a little and sting.
"Ready for what?" Verlaine asked.
"To battle the Daywalker."
"You're beginning to sound a little arrogant, Asad. The Daywalker is not the incredible slayer he is made out to be. He is just another pitiful hunter in a world full of men with swords trying to make a difference. But he makes no difference, especially not to us, not here," Verlaine spit out hastily.
"Well, you may get your chance to prove it soon enough. Our Overlord Damaskinos has asked me to recruit our very best warriors to take the hunt to the Daywalker. I take it, you're interested?"
Lighthammer and Verlaine exchanged looks, and nodded to each other, and then to Asad. Asad returned their acceptance with a smile.
Back at the safe-house, Asad instructed his men to transport Whistler's body to London, and stay there until he met with them in a couple of days. Verlaine and Lighthammer would accompany him to Asia, to find another silent warrior.
China
The trio traveled through a little, poor Chinese village and circled around the lush jungle trying to locate Snowman's precise presence. Asad pulled to a sliding stop at the edge of a hill. After killing the engine, he walked to the top of the hill as his presence grew stronger-as did another vampire's.
The lush, green rolling hillside was quiet under the bright moonlight that was the only illumination, save for the occasional clang of metal swords meeting each other. Asad honed in on the sound with preternatural hearing. He instructed the two vampires to remain in the jeep. They both only shrugged.not caring less.
Asad traveled fast and light along the forest and hillside until he saw the two men-if you can call them that-parrying each other without taking a second to rest or breathe.
"I'm not doing too bad with this thing am I, yappy? I barely swing a sword, but Blade's taught me a thing or two. I suppose it's enough for you though. What do you think? You don't talk too much do ya?" asked the man who was obviously amused at how well he was handling the Asian samurai.
Asad recognized the talking vampire as Hannibal King-turned vampire by Deacon Frost some ten years ago. Now King, like the Daywalker, hunts vampires and other matters of the occult and supernatural-his way of dealing with the continual loss of his humanity. After the Montesi Formula wiped out half of the world's vampires a decade ago, King gained some of that lost humanity, only to lose it once more.
The Vampire Nation has tried on a couple of occasions to bring Hannibal King to their side and embrace his new existence, and immortality. But that was just another chance for King to grab a little more of his human side again.
Asad interrupted the sparring match to lend a hand to Snowman, who, with a look, showed his disrespect for the intention.
Hannibal King only laughed as Asad swung an arcing slice, that he parried with ease, and withdrew another sword from behind his back to catch Snowman's attack from the right side. King began an offensive of his own, but it was ill-fated. He started swinging widely, and opened himself up for a life-ending mistake, but backed off, and tossed out a small flash- bang grenade to temporarily stun his offenders. In a burst of light and smoke, Hannibal King had disappeared.
"I know, you didn't need my help, and I did not mean to offend you," Asad said to the samurai vampire. "Snowman.I, we, need your help. Damaskinos has sent me to find our greatest warriors."
Snowman. A Pureblood Vampire of the Kobejitsu Tribe. He is an assassin; a ninja, a samurai. Skilled at numerous martial arts and fighting techniques-he will be an incalculable asset to fight against the skilled Daywalker, Asad knew from the beginning. He looked even paler under the bright moonlight, Asad thought, and after hundreds of years of being dead.
"I come to you with most respect, Lord Ieyasu. Will you help us fight the Daywalker?" Asad asked on one knee. Snowman looked to the moon for a moment, and nodded yes, and sheathed his katana.
Prague Vampire Nation HQ
"Asad, meet Rienhardt, Chupa and Priest," Nyssa said as each vampire nodded their head in Asad's direction.
"Yes, Priest and I go way back.I'm glad you found him. I sure as hell wasn't going to search the world for his crazy-," he was interrupted by Priest's embrace, and they both laughed.
"And Nyssa, Priest, Chupa and Rienhardt.let me introduce your partners; Snowman, Lighthammer, and this of course is Verlaine, Raquel's sister," Asad finished.
"Damaskinos, lord, we present to you the Bloodpack," presented Asad to the Elder.
Three months later.
"Lord, we have Whistler placed in a warehouse in Bruxelles, Belgium. If you would like, we will guard his liquid tome and lure the Daywalker to us," Asad said to Damaskinos who was bathing in a pool of human blood.
"Let it begin then," Damaskinos said with a wave of his hand.
The Vampire Asad - A Bloodpack is Born! By Elton Alwine
Prequel to Blade II
Prague Vampire Nation HQ, 2000 A.D.
A man with glasses sat along a medieval table listening to the conversation, and waited to interject with his own ideas of how to deal with the mass destruction of vampires around the world. Not the turned vampires, no, they were basically worthless to the Vampire Nation, and have never had anything to offer the Purebloods, or the humans for that matter. But those born vampires were dying in cities around the world every night, sometimes by the dozens.
The man adjusted his glasses and rubbed the tattoo on his hand. Time to prove he was worthy of immortality, and no longer anyone's pet. He peered at the aged and obviously decrepit Elder Vampire; now without hair on his body and shriveled, greasy-like skin. The veins were visible like ropes inside his not-so feeble body.
"May I make a suggestion or two of how we may deal with and eliminate this Daywalker, Damaskinos?" asked the man.
"Please, please.enlighten us, our favorite lawyer," Damaskinos replied waving his slimy fingers in the air.
"It's fairly simple, lord. Almost too simple, actually. We hunt him. For years we could only hope to defend ourselves from the Daywalker, and the others. We are always caught with our pants down, so to speak. How about we become the hunters once again?" The lawyer said triumphantly.
"We.hunt.him. It's quite a magnificent idea, really."
"We gather our best warriors, and take back our.your natural right to feed."
"Yes. Blade has had his way for too long now. Ah, once again you've proven yourself invaluable." Damaskinos said almost cracking a smile.
"Thank you lord." What the lawyer really wanted to say was, "So when the hell do I get what I deserve?"
"All in due time, all in due time," Damaskinos replied to the silent question.
The lawyer blushed, and hurried some gelatinous blood on a plate to the Elder.
"Bring me Asad, and my daughter," he continued before he scooped up the food.
A dark man walked into the dark room, followed by a female-a Princess. Nyssa walked opposite of Asad and sat at opposing seats next to Damaskinos as he wished with his hands. He tapped his hand on top of his daughter's, and continued to eat. With food in his mouth, he spoke:
"My daughter; Nyssa, and Asad; my loyal minion. Tonight, things begin to change, and we make the rules. Our biggest enemy, the Daywalker, has hunted us, and made us hide beneath the surface like rats for far too long. He is only one man, with only a few friends. We are an entire race, we are the Vampire Nation. Blade will now become our prey."
"Damaskinos, with all due respect, this should have happened sooner, lord," Asad added respectfully.
"Yes, yes, yes, but now it will happen. And you, and my daughter, will find the strongest warriors capable of taking down the Daywalker-but he must stay alive, for he will be most valuable alive-a slave, an experiment," he replied.
"Nyssa and I know exactly who is capable. We will find them immediately, lord."
Nyssa only nodded in agreement.
Asad and Nyssa rose to their feet, and made their way to exit, but Damaskinos added one more thing:
"If they fail, we will gather an army of thousands. There will be nowhere safe in the world for him to go. First, we try this with the utmost discretion. Do not fail," Damaskinos finished.
The two vampires nodded, and silently left the room as servants rushed passed them to the Elder with food.
Asad and Nyssa walked quietly to a large room with high-ceiling and low-hung yellow lights. Asad continued until he reached a desk, and sat at the computer. Nyssa walked to a machine that blended into the concrete wall. There, she grabbed a cup, and placed it under a dispenser. Fresh blood flowed from the vampire's version of the coffee machine, at human body temperature. After finishing the sustenance, she wiped her lips gently with a red cloth, and stepped behind Asad who was typing away.
"I know of some fairly ruthless-but very strong vampires in New York City, Asad. I'll head there tomorrow evening," Nyssa stated.
"Yes, I too will travel to America. To Los Angeles. I will ask for Gaetano Dragonetti's help. There are dozens of Dragonettis and Ciantetos there. Most, I'm sure will be more than willing to join our Crusade against the hunters," Asad said with a wink to Nyssa. She smiled, and began to speak as she walked out of the room:
"Good luck, Asad. I'll see you again soon."
"And to you, Nyssa."
Damaskinos' mind wandered; he began to reminisce on the days of Asad's life before he was with the Nation, by his side.
Asad: a clansman of the Lobishomen tribe from Brazil, born in South America in 1855. He traveled to America by night with the unknown acquaintances of werewolves-who protected him from the shadows.
On one particular evening, his protectors would be revealed to him, protecting him from a hostile pack of strangers, vampire hunters, in 1901 in a small Texas town.
Asad could only smell the men, but his guardians-the wolfmen stalked the hunters from the shadows and the bushes. One man, a second generation vampire hunter of the Van Helsing lineage-and his men became the hunted on this bloody night.
By day, Asad had hired help to transport him and his coffin, and to protect him when he was otherwise predisposed. The men were taken care of graciously, and were told not to ask questions about him and his sunlight virus, or the need to sleep in a coffin. As in human nature, this information would prove to entertaining not to tell. Eventually the right people would hear about this, and thus the hunt was on.
When Asad arose from his mahogany tomb, he noticed his men were gone.along with his valuable possessions. He heard a howl from just outside his rail road car. Then he heard some snarling, and a man-no, men yelling, screaming. Asad then flipped the lid over and walked to the huge sliding door, and peered outside.
Something slammed on the side of the car, and Asad stuck his head out further to investigate. He saw a body, mutilated and bloody, lying face first against the track and train. He looked up and saw a half-human/half- wolf creature-the werewolf of legend-the mythical creature his family has told stories of for centuries.
The creature looked to Asad, and then charged another man, who was holding a wooden stake, and ripped his throat out upon toppling over.
The creature walked on its hind legs-femurs like a human, lowers like a wolf. Upper body was completely human in shape, except for the claws at the end of the lengthened fingers. But the head, the head was not human at all, but completely like a wolf.
A shot rang out and hit the werewolf in the human-looking thigh. Asad jumped from the car, and pounced upon the man with the musket. He, like the werewolf, was now covered in blood-feeding.
Another man with a silver crucifix walked towards Asad-cautiously, saying a prayer aloud, and holding a rosary, and a sharp wooden stake in the other hand.
Asad snapped the man's neck beneath him, and grabbed the standing man's stake, and reared it into his own stomach. The vampire pulled the stake from his abdomen and licked the blood from it. The man passed out from loss of blood, and fear. He was dead before he hit the ground, as Asad heard his heart stop beating before the thud on the dirt.
The vampire looked for the werewolf, but he was gone. Again, but further in the distance, Asad heard the howling, and others followed its cry.
Years and years, Asad traveled the world, and the werewolves-the protectors-were always there. They remained there even in the years after Asad joined the Vampire Nation under Damaskinos.
The Lawyer watched from a window high atop the compound as Asad and his men entered a helicopter, and flew off into the distance.
Los Angeles
Upon arriving in The City of Angels, Asad wandered the dark, wet alleys in search of a meal. It wasn't long before he found it. He saw a young man, in his late teens, crouching in a corner behind a dumpster sticking a needle into his arm. His face relaxed as the poison coursed through his veins.
Asad walked silently, stealthily towards the mortal-his food, and stopped as a man jumped from the dumpster, and pounced on the unsuspecting addict. The man, wearing a dirty, blue police uniform slammed his mouth around the junkie's neck-piercing the jugular vein. The man tried to scream, but he was dead too fast.
When he finished draining the junkie, the man, the police officer pushed the dead body away from him, and frantically crawled backwards, almost in disgust. Asad looked down at the officer's neck, and saw a glyph- Deacon Frost's glyph.
The officer stopped when he hit Asad's legs, and looked up in fear. Asad picked the man up by the shirt collar, and pushed him onto the adjacent building. Krieger, the officer's badge read. Officer Krieger. The officer had dried blood all over his neck and once blue shirt. His neck was still healing a fresh wound-obviously a vicious attack.
"Finesse. Maybe you should try feeding a little more gracefully. Humans are our food, but, that does not make us monsters," Asad said.
"Yeah, tell that to the one who turned me!" Officer Krieger replied in between breaths.
"Deacon Frost, I know him. Does that mean you will become the thing you hate? Because Frost was an animal, you have to be one as well?"
"Look, I don't know how to control this thirst, this hunger.I'm scared."
"And you should be. You're no longer human. You're a vampire; a killer. Do yourself a favor: get cleaned up, change your clothes, and stop hiding in dumpsters. Be a little more inconspicuous. Until the time comes, the right time, we must hide our existence from the humans," Asad added. He let go of the officer's shirt, and the scared man ran away down the alley with a tiny growl.
Officer Krieger rounded another alley, his forth one, trying to outrun the fact that he was now immortal, and a killer, and from the person who was not following him. He tried to find his house, but couldn't remember where it was. He was near, he could feel it, but couldn't tell which building was his.maybe it was temporary amnesia. He could feel a strange presence; it was almost a small vibration inside his body.
"I thought Frost would've killed you," a voice said from behind him. He turned around, and recognized the lady. It was Dr. Karen Jensen.
"Well, he did. I'm a vampire now. I'm as dead as it gets. And this time, so are you!" Krieger lunged at Dr. Jensen, but she stood there and waited for him to get closer, and then flicked a switch on a large, black flashlight, and the vampire was covered in a blue-white UV light. He screamed as his flesh burned and melted all over his body-smoke pouring profusely.
After only seconds, he was dead and screeching no longer, but Dr. Jensen wanted to be sure-had to be sure. She removed a silver stake from a bag around her shoulders, and pierced the vampire's heart. He did not make a sound while his body turned to fiery ashes that were scattered on the wind throughout the alley.
"I could've cured your ass had you not been such a jerk!" Dr. Jensen said with a smirk. She turned the lamp off, and walked out of the alley and onto the street. The night was just beginning for her, she thought as she put the stake back in the bag along with the UV lamp.
Asad arrived at a small-by skyscrapers size-building, and walked through the tall, Victorian doors. Asad knew right away that something was not right. There was nobody guarding the door and there were greasy ash stains on either side. And he could hear nothing in the building; no one talking, no one moving.just silence.
He entered a long, dark hallway and stopped next to a Waiting Room of sorts. In front of the door, and in the Waiting Room, there were ashes all along the floor. Apparently there was a struggle. He looked in and saw the Counsel table, empty, where the House members conduct business. There were more ashes along the stairs he descended.
There was a pair of teeth on the table.
Across the room, there were two dead humans. He turned over their heads, and on the back of their necks was Frost's glyph, along with dried blood. He looked over, and saw a piece of paper under the long, black table. Asad read the paper:
La Magra.Edgewood Towers.The Blood Tide.blood of the Daywalker.
Frost was obviously going to try to become a god; how like him and his delusions, Asad thought aloud with a laugh. Everyone knew that the Blood God was just a myth, like Zeus and unicorns and the Easter Bunny, just a more macabre and deadly icon.
On the other side was an address.
Asad arrived at a warehouse, and found the same deathly quiet that was present at the Counsel, along with wind that whistled through the rooms and windows. He could smell more dead mortals, again more of Frost's men. He saw a gray-haired man covered in blood sitting in a chair, near death, and unconscious.
There was a bullet lodged in the man's temple, near the left eye-a suicide failure-that missed the mark apparently. The bullet may be the only thing keeping him alive, Asad thought. Asad called for his men to take care of the man he recognized as Whistler-Blade's mentor. He would prove undoubtedly valuable in the future.
Two of the six men who accompanied Asad picked Whistler's body up, and placed him in the limousine. While a doctor removed the bullet, others cleaned him up. The bullet was slowing down the spread of the virus that was now in his blood, and he would eventually turn. He was badly beaten, and fell into a coma shortly after the bullet was removed, and could only give a little information.
Apparently Frost was at the Temple of Eternal Night, and Blade was some kind of key.
Edgewood Towers
Asad new the place existed, but was surprised by just how elegant and expansive the underground tower actually was. More ashes littered the temple-everywhere. And once again, for the third time this evening it looked like Asad would find the same eerie silence that was as deafening as a loud noise, he though to himself as he saw blood covering the bottom of the tower. More dead bodies; Frost's bodies-same scene, different location.
Asad withdrew his sword just for protection, though it didn't look as though anyone was alive. He certainly wasn't picking up anyone's thoughts. But just then.he heard a faint noise.a heart beat!
It was coming from a dark corner, behind several wooden crates and boxes. He received a flash image of Blade, and several of Frost's men being slayed. It was a vampire; a coward vampire hiding in the shadows.
Well, it was actually very intelligent of the man, obviously. No one has ever faced Blade, and had a chance to tell anyone about.
Come out! Asad yelled silently with his mind for the man to come out- that he knew he was there. And it took a couple of seconds for the man to realize Blade was gone.
"Why are you hiding? What happened here?" Asad asked him as he saw the man's face in the shadows.
"The Daywalker, he started killing everyone.Quinn, Frost too!" the man replied shakily.
"What was Frost doing here? What did he need Blade for?" Asad asked even though he knew, he just wanted the confirmation of what Deacon Frost was up to.
"He wanted to resurrect the Blood God.he needed Blade's blood, and a member of each house to complete it, but Blade ruined it, like the bastard always does."
"What's your name?"
"Crease."
"Well, Crease, Blade did us a favor. Frost was dangerous. He needed to be quieted. For once, the Vampire Nation and the Daywalker agreed-it would seem. Damaskinos will be pleased."
"What? Man, what the fuck are you talking about! You Purebloods are so damn ungrateful for everything Frost has done-," before he could finish, Asad's sword pierced his heart, and his body fell to the ground in ashes.
Asad made some phone calls, and finally revealed all that had happened in LA-the Counsel killed, Frost resurrecting La Magra, and Blade killing Deacon Frost. The Overlord was surely joyous. Instructions were given by the Lawyer to keep Whistler alive-at all costs.
Asad knew what to do. An incubation tank would sustain his life, and keep him comatose, yet aware: dreaming. He would keep Whistler with him on his journey to Europe, and try to lure the Daywalker into a trap. A note was left for Blade to try and decipher.
Next stop.Russia.
Moscow
The men carried the small coffin-like tank containing Whistler's limp body into a safe-house, and buried him underground. Asad instructed that they watch his body at all costs-even if the Daywalker should find him. He told them this knowing that they would flee at first sight of the dark hunter-if they were smart. He didn't even know Blade was alive. Frost's cronies may have actually succeeded in bringing him down.
But, he still had an army to find and recruit. And he knew of four of them just inside the city. Asad was off to the local haunts; nightclubs, blood banks, whore houses.
A black van stopped to a halt sideways on the snow-covered asphalt. The three sitting in the van looked to the right, and saw a distant figure standing alone in the middle of the street.
"Aah, I believe that's the infamous Frank Drake; human vampire hunter extraordinaire. I think he's looking for a little action, guys. I can feel my nipples getting hard at the thought of ripping his throat out with my fingers." The man reached into a case and pulled out a music CD. "Verlaine, put this in.track 1; Smack My Bitch Up. I wanna hear some beats while me an' this fool dance, 'cause I'm about to smack mine up right now," the man said while rubbing his hands together to get them warm.
Frank Drake was a descendent of Dracula. He is human, but an extremely skilled fighter, and was taught various martial arts and the use of a variety of weapons by the Daywalker for years.
The vampire stepped out from the sliding side door of the van, and unbuttoned his soft, black coat, revealing his dual shoulder holstered handguns. His spiked bleached-white hair camouflaged the snow that landed on his head. His tattooed-covered forehead was wet with the melting flakes.
"One day, Gideon's cocky attitude is gonna get him killed, Lighthammer," the red-haired vampire said to her companion in the passenger seat as she installed the CD. He only looked at her, and then back to the figure down the road.
Gideon removed each of the matte black handguns from opposite shoulders, and pointed them at the shadowy figure half a block away. He squeezed the trigger, and one after another is fired. Drake scrambles to his left dodging three bullets, but as he ran towards the vampire, he was hit in the chest, and fell to one knee, and dropped the gun from his left hand.
Gideon walked nonchalantly over to the hunter with a smirk on his face. He turned around and yelled to his companions:
"Hahaha, and this is one of our fiercest enemies? Nothing but a joke, really.or maybe I'm just that good-," but he stopped as he saw Verlaine yell for him to turn around, but it was too late. The pony-tailed man was up and landed a punch dead on his nose and chin, drawing blood. His lip was cut deep by his one of his fangs, and dribbled down his chin.
Drake landed an uppercut to Gideon's chin, and then delivered a backhand blow across his face. Gideon caught the next punch, and headbutted Drake in the cheek bone. Drake was picked up by one of Gideon's arms and thrown into a brick building. The vampire kicked the hunter several times in the stomach, before his cockiness once again proved to be a mistake.
"This is exactly what I've needed for a while now.a bitch!" Gideon yells at the vampires who remained warm in the van.
A knee caught Gideon in the sternum; his head bowed forward. With his free hand, Drake pulled a silver stake from his upper-right arm, and slammed it into the back of the vampire's bleached-white-haired skull. In a shower of fiery ashes, Drake is covered in soot and snow from the blowing wind.
Drake notices the bald vampire step out from the passenger side, and pull out a huge mallet with him. The hunter lunged towards his bag, and pulled out a hand-cannon, and fired a shot as the female walked along the front of the stationary van.
The shot rocked through the side door sucking it into the van, and rocked it onto its left two wheels, and then came crashing back down. Lighthammer stood there motionless, as the shot didn't affect him, nor was he intimidated by it.
Verlaine yells for Lighthammer to get Drake in English, but with a heavy Russian accent.or is it the Tongue of the Ancients? Drake thought they sounded extremely familiar.
Drake and Lighthammer meet halfway, and the hunter throws the first swing. The punch lands on his chin, but he just shrugged it off with a smile. The taller than usual vampire tossed his hammer to the side, and landed a punch of his own to Drake's chin-stunning him.
Drake dropped low and swept Lighthammer, but the bald menacing vampire didn't fall. He merely stared at the hunter lying on the ground for a moment and grinned, and then brought down his fists slamming full onto Drake's chest with only a forearm to soften the blow. But Drake managed to get to his feet before the next swing.
He was behind the much taller man, and punched him in the base of the neck, and another at the base of his spine with the same arm-but hit a Kevlar vest of some sort. Lighthammer was still on his feet, so Drake decided to try and finish it now. The hunter kicked Lighthammer in the back of the knee, and was given the advantage for a moment.
In an instant, another silver stake was clutched from the broken arm and aimed at the top of Lighthammer's bald head, but a shot rang out, and Drake noticed his ear was bleeding. He turned around and Verlaine was pumping a shotgun for another shot. Drake had only another moment or so before Lighthammer was back on both feet, so Drake used the weapon as a projectile, and threw the silver stake at her heart, but it didn't make it.
It was intercepted by the accompanying sound of a semi-automatic rifle, and hit a building with a spark. Drake turned to his left, and saw another vampire standing on a building ledge now aiming at Drake. Without hesitation, Drake darted into the depths of the alley shadows without a sound. The man on the building shouted down at the remaining vampires:
"You were very sloppy tonight, and could've lost more than just Gideon. Drake seemed to have things going his way tonight. How is that so?"
"Asad! I suppose you want a thanks," Verlaine shouted to him.
"No, not a thank you, just an explanation. Maybe you're just tired of living, yes?"
"Excuse me, we had everything under control, obviously, and we didn't need your help, nor do we have to explain anything to you!" she replied back in anger.
"Yes, under control-you were fine, especially with that stake flying to your chest."
Verlaine looked over at the shinning stake, and saw the hole of the bullet was clean through. Asad leapt from the four story building and landed gracefully, and slung his rifle over his shoulder.
"I'm not here to critique, or criticize. I'm here to make you an offer. But after what I saw tonight, I'm not so sure you're ready, nor could you handle it," Asad stopped to let it sink in a little and sting.
"Ready for what?" Verlaine asked.
"To battle the Daywalker."
"You're beginning to sound a little arrogant, Asad. The Daywalker is not the incredible slayer he is made out to be. He is just another pitiful hunter in a world full of men with swords trying to make a difference. But he makes no difference, especially not to us, not here," Verlaine spit out hastily.
"Well, you may get your chance to prove it soon enough. Our Overlord Damaskinos has asked me to recruit our very best warriors to take the hunt to the Daywalker. I take it, you're interested?"
Lighthammer and Verlaine exchanged looks, and nodded to each other, and then to Asad. Asad returned their acceptance with a smile.
Back at the safe-house, Asad instructed his men to transport Whistler's body to London, and stay there until he met with them in a couple of days. Verlaine and Lighthammer would accompany him to Asia, to find another silent warrior.
China
The trio traveled through a little, poor Chinese village and circled around the lush jungle trying to locate Snowman's precise presence. Asad pulled to a sliding stop at the edge of a hill. After killing the engine, he walked to the top of the hill as his presence grew stronger-as did another vampire's.
The lush, green rolling hillside was quiet under the bright moonlight that was the only illumination, save for the occasional clang of metal swords meeting each other. Asad honed in on the sound with preternatural hearing. He instructed the two vampires to remain in the jeep. They both only shrugged.not caring less.
Asad traveled fast and light along the forest and hillside until he saw the two men-if you can call them that-parrying each other without taking a second to rest or breathe.
"I'm not doing too bad with this thing am I, yappy? I barely swing a sword, but Blade's taught me a thing or two. I suppose it's enough for you though. What do you think? You don't talk too much do ya?" asked the man who was obviously amused at how well he was handling the Asian samurai.
Asad recognized the talking vampire as Hannibal King-turned vampire by Deacon Frost some ten years ago. Now King, like the Daywalker, hunts vampires and other matters of the occult and supernatural-his way of dealing with the continual loss of his humanity. After the Montesi Formula wiped out half of the world's vampires a decade ago, King gained some of that lost humanity, only to lose it once more.
The Vampire Nation has tried on a couple of occasions to bring Hannibal King to their side and embrace his new existence, and immortality. But that was just another chance for King to grab a little more of his human side again.
Asad interrupted the sparring match to lend a hand to Snowman, who, with a look, showed his disrespect for the intention.
Hannibal King only laughed as Asad swung an arcing slice, that he parried with ease, and withdrew another sword from behind his back to catch Snowman's attack from the right side. King began an offensive of his own, but it was ill-fated. He started swinging widely, and opened himself up for a life-ending mistake, but backed off, and tossed out a small flash- bang grenade to temporarily stun his offenders. In a burst of light and smoke, Hannibal King had disappeared.
"I know, you didn't need my help, and I did not mean to offend you," Asad said to the samurai vampire. "Snowman.I, we, need your help. Damaskinos has sent me to find our greatest warriors."
Snowman. A Pureblood Vampire of the Kobejitsu Tribe. He is an assassin; a ninja, a samurai. Skilled at numerous martial arts and fighting techniques-he will be an incalculable asset to fight against the skilled Daywalker, Asad knew from the beginning. He looked even paler under the bright moonlight, Asad thought, and after hundreds of years of being dead.
"I come to you with most respect, Lord Ieyasu. Will you help us fight the Daywalker?" Asad asked on one knee. Snowman looked to the moon for a moment, and nodded yes, and sheathed his katana.
Prague Vampire Nation HQ
"Asad, meet Rienhardt, Chupa and Priest," Nyssa said as each vampire nodded their head in Asad's direction.
"Yes, Priest and I go way back.I'm glad you found him. I sure as hell wasn't going to search the world for his crazy-," he was interrupted by Priest's embrace, and they both laughed.
"And Nyssa, Priest, Chupa and Rienhardt.let me introduce your partners; Snowman, Lighthammer, and this of course is Verlaine, Raquel's sister," Asad finished.
"Damaskinos, lord, we present to you the Bloodpack," presented Asad to the Elder.
Three months later.
"Lord, we have Whistler placed in a warehouse in Bruxelles, Belgium. If you would like, we will guard his liquid tome and lure the Daywalker to us," Asad said to Damaskinos who was bathing in a pool of human blood.
"Let it begin then," Damaskinos said with a wave of his hand.