Shade and a Vampire Chapter 26
I'M NOT DEAD!
First off, I'm so sorry that I haven't updated for months. I've had a lot of really important exams, and a reader has pointed out something that frankly, has made me feel rather ashamed. So I have had to, yet again, rework the plot. Once more, forget anything I ever said about the future of the story.
But now, on with the show!
Deep underground, in a small, concrete cell, Issa Shuzen awoke. His eyes flickered open, taking in the grey light of the single florescent bulb. He let out a shallow, laboured breath, his whole body wracked with pain. He tried to sit up, and clutched at his stomach, his superhuman healing not quite finished with him yet.
Pushing himself to his feet, he stood in the tiny box of a room and thought to himself grimly.
"This is outrageous. Impossible. I am the strongest individual on the planet, and I will not take this lying down!"
He walked to the left wall, where a set of blackened iron bars kept him from the corridor. He snorted. If they thought that would hold him there… He gripped a bar and pulled. It did not move. He frowned and tried again, harder. It remained firm-set.
"I must be dreaming…" He thought, his face incredulous.
"I'm afraid not, Mister Shuzen." Came a horribly familiar voice from behind him. Issa's face contorted into a visage of rage.
"You…" He snarled. He span, looking at Shade, who was sitting on his bed as if he had been there the whole time. It was possible that he had been.
"Yes, me. Now, before you get into a monologue about your honour and power and unholy wrath, etcetera, etcetera, let me offer you something to nurse your ego." Issa's hands balled into fists and he shook silently, but his expression softened slightly, now rock rather than steel. Shade continued. "You are still the most powerful mortal on this planet. There, I said it."
Issa's brow furrowed, his rage momentarily forgotten.
"I am not mortal, whoever you are." Shade gave him a wry smile.
"You can die, can you not?" Issa opened his mouth to reply, but was immediately interrupted. "The answer is yes, Mister Shuzen. You are capable of doing so. You may not like it, but I could have made it so earlier. And to answer your next question, namely how, I can tell you this." Shade leaned forward, looking at the standing vampire lord.
"I am a demon. Spawn of the pits of hell, and so forth. My name is Shade. And I wish to help overthrow the Masked King." Issa blinked. He tried to talk again, to no avail.
"You are about to ask how I am so powerful. The answer is… I just am. Heavenly or Hellish creatures are exponentially more powerful than anything this planet may produce. Whilst a denizen of this dimension may be more unholy than me, say by adultery, murder, a certain relish for the hopelessness of the dying, and so on, it does not change the fact that I am from where I am from, and they are from where they are from. I hope that answers your question. I will let you talk now."
Issa flapped his mouth open and closed. He was filled with rage, but it all seemed smothered by his bewilderment. Shade sat there patiently as he squeezed out:
"Why… why attack me?" Shade smiled warmly at him.
"Because even though we share the same goal regarding the Masked King, you do not have the power necessary to make it possible, you conflict with my own principles on the best way to run the world after it is freed, and you are a stuck-up, aristocratic twit who needed taking down a peg or two. Although I think the King may have beaten me to it." Issa's eyes darted away for a split second, and Shade's smile widened into a grin.
"You tried to fight him, didn't you? And you lost. Horribly. Then he made you a lord in his new order because if you died then people would panic. Lose hope. Very important thing, hope." Issa sighed and sat down next to the demon.
"It seems you can read me like a book." He deadpanned, looking at his feet.
"Indeed. And I can tell that you will be very happy to hear that not only am I going to let you out of here, but I am going to let you help me."
In the cell's dim light, Issa's grinning fangs gleamed.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Koko waited in the training grounds, what had previously been a sports court, with her soldiers in rows, standing to attention. Nothing put the fear into them like an impending visit from their new ally. She was however, intrigued to see how he would be training them.
"You'll soon see." Came his voice from beside her. She sighed. She didn't even bother jumping any more.
"Stop doing that…" She groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Never. Anyway, here's your father, none the worse for wear, except possibly his pride, and firmly on our side now." Issa walked out from behind him, and nodded stiffly at Koko.
"Daughter."
"Father." Shade snorted. He stepped forward, and looked out over the assembled troops. Then he looked behind him, to the motley assortment of escapees, lords and commanders. He turned back, and shouted at the soldiers, making them jump.
"Okay, you lot. Almost every fight you are going to face in the near future will consist of short, large skirmishes between easily recognisable factions. So…" He stood between the two central columns of soldiers, and indicated that they should split with his hands. They did, and soon two opposing sides had formed.
"Lovely. Now for the easily recognisable bit." He snapped his fingers, and one side's uniform turned red, the other blue. As they marvelled at their sudden colour change, Shade whispered to Koko:
"Are they currently armed?" Koko looked confusedly at him.
"No. Everyone keeps weapons in their own lockers, and they don't disobey me when I tell them to leave them behind. Should they be?"
"No, this is perfect." Shade turned back to the troops, all eyes on him.
"You have one hour to beat up as many people on the other side as possible. Monsters can use their true forms, humans can use their brains. No killing, that's a pain to fix. You may start fighting in 3… 2… 1… GO!"
The two sides glanced at each other momentarily, and then they charged. Shade indicated for the others to follow him.
"You're getting personal training." He said. They followed, leaving the chaos behind. The soldiers looked happier than they had been in a long time.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Through the afternoon, Shade paired up the more powerful fighters against each other, watching closely, and telling everybody else to watch as well.
"Anyone you see here might be extremely similar in style or power to one of the King's commanders. This is valuable preparation."
They fought and fought, beating each other to within an inch of their lives. Even the Dark Lords and Issa were not spared a beating, made to fight each other, with mixed results. Every time they broke a bone, it was healed by their stand-by messiah. Shade gave them occasional breaks when he went to check on the brawling rabble of soldiers a short distance away. They hadn't stopped all day.
By the end, every single one of them was sweating and exhausted, save for Moka. Her outer self had been stuck on the outside for the main part of the afternoon, and she looked over her friends with no small amount of meek pity. At times, she did have to stifle a smile, however.
Shade stood before them all, smiling. He waited for them to regain composure, and congratulated them on their performance.
"Now, who would like one last fight with me? I think I need a bit of exercise." He glanced from one face to the next, none of them meeting his gaze, suddenly very interested in their nails. Then he noticed a spark in the corner of his eye. He looked to Moka. The Rosario was sparking. He smirked.
"Perhaps the other Miss Akashiya would care to oblige me, since she's been a little bit inactive today?" The pink-haired Moka smiled and shook her head, and then disappeared.
"Oh, I'm going to get you for that…" said her silver-haired twin.
She stepped out into the fighting circle, cracking her knuckles and flashing her fangs. Shade discarded his coat, and the two faced off. Shade ground the dusty floor under his foot as Moka stretched herself. She stopped, and assumed her combat stance.
With the darkening sky behind them, Shade held out his arms and waited.
"Come and get me." Moka did just that.
She shot forward, throwing a hammer blow at Shade's chest. A split second before it connected, his teeth flashed in a dark grin. Moka's eyes widened, and she passed right through him. She rolled up to her feet and turned around. Shade's form flickered, like a hologram in the air. He too turned around, sporting a playful grin.
"Fooled you. I'd never really stand still and let someone hit me like an earthquake. But I suppose the real question is…" The apparition flickered, and took a step to his side. Both his sides.
Two Shades stood side by side, inspecting each other critically. They looked to the wide-eyed Moka, and laughed in unison, their voices combining and reverberating.
"Think this is confusing? Try this." They flickered again, and suddenly Moka was surrounded by a dozen of the same man. Off at the side, Koko thought to herself: One annoying fight-god was more than enough for me…
Moka regained her composure, and raised an eyebrow at the enemy directly in front of her.
"All this means is more asses to kick." The Shade in front of her shook its head. They spoke as one.
"That's what you think. One of us is real. The rest can't hurt you. Better figure it out quickly…" The clones burst into action, jumping into the air and rushing her. She span, her leg meeting nothing but air, and a fist connected with the back of her head, knocking her off balance.
She steadied herself and turned, glaring at the copies. They pointed at each other and shook their heads. Grimacing, she threw a punch at another, only for her legs to be taken out from under her. She landed hard, throwing up a cloud of dust. She growled, and hit the ground with a clenched fist. The dust dispersed, and engulfed a group of the copies. They started to flicker, save for one. The solid Shade raised its eyebrows in surprise, and scrambled.
Moka grinned. She had an advantage now. Kicking up more dust clouds, the fuzzy-edged copies now irrelevant. She swung a kick at the solid Shade, who jumped to avoid it, snap-kicking her in the chest. She stumbled and he landed, the copies now gone.
"I think the jig is up." He teased, but in the same moment his face turned deadly serious. "Now you show what you're really worth." Moka narrowed her eyes and attacked again. She swung an elbow at his head, immediately dodged, and followed with a spinning kick. Suddenly, she stopped in mid-flight. Looking back, she saw Shade holding her foot with a single hand.
"You would do well to use different tactics against someone who is stronger than you, Miss Akashiya." He shook his head, face still impassive. His grip tightened, and he swung her to the ground, where she landed in a heap. "Then again, it might be difficult when that person is also…"
His voice suddenly came from behind. She span to face him, but all that she saw was the blur of an after-image. "Faster…"
She lashed out, striking the air, teeth gritted, and a laugh emanated from all around her.
"More composed, as well, it would seem!" Shade stepped out of the air, and looked at her with an expression of dark amusement. It unsettled Moka. Something about his eyes…
"And now… The real test." Shade cracked his neck, his eyes comfortably closed, then moved like a lightning bolt. A blurred fist smashed into Moka's stomach, making her double over, followed by a knee to her face. She felt her nose break under the blow, blood flowing freely. So fast was the combo, she fell flat on her back, the wind knocked out of her, looking up at her adversary.
He grinned viciously, an expression Moka had never seen him make. Frankly, it was terrifying. He took a slow, deliberate step forward. And another. Moka struggled feebly on the ground, before a heavy shoe clamped down on her neck, pinning her down. Shade's sadistic grin intensified, seemingly relishing the pain he was causing. Moka gripped the boot, trying to alleviate the pressure. She couldn't breathe… Her vision began to blacken, shrinking around the cruel face above her…
"Shade! Stop!"
Shade blinked in surprise, snapping his head up, no trace of his smile present. Immediately, Moka felt the pressure lessen. She heaved in a massive, grateful breath as the shoe was removed. Shade looked to his side, where Jesus stood, looking disapprovingly at him.
"You should know better than that, Shade. Mortals are fragile." Shade shook his head, his expression confused and worried.
"Sorry, I don't know what came over me." He bent down to Moka, smiling hopefully at her. "Apologies, got a bit carried away." Moka glared at him, still breathing heavily, and his smile died a little. "Here. This might help." He touched her forehead, and she instantly felt revitalised. Her breathing returned to normal.
Shade offered a hand, and he took it, rising to her feet. He patted her on the shoulder, and smiled reassuringly.
"Well done, you. Shame about me." Then he looked to the group as a whole, who seemed stunned. "Same goes for the rest of you. Dismissed until same time tomorrow. Someone go and tell the other lot to stop, will you?"
Slowly and with a small amount of hesitance, they left, casting glances over their shoulders. A minute later, only Shade and Jesus were left in the yard. Shade turned to the other man, grabbing him by his collar, his face now serious.
"That wasn't normal for me."
"I didn't think so. And neither is this, I imagine. "He looked down to Shade's grip, and Shade did too, seemingly only just noticing it.
"Sorry…" He apologised, looking worried. Jesus returned his face, concern etched into it.
"I think I should have another look at you…"
XXXXXXXXXXXX
A few hours later, in the dead of night, only the two remained awake. Shade sat on a chair, playing with his hands in a way reminiscent of a worried parent. Jesus was holding a small vial of his blood up to the light, looking at the murk carefully. His eyes became slitted as he watched it carefully, like a predator. In an instant no mortal could have seen, a flash of gold appeared in the swirling liquid, and the messiah's eyes widened in surprise. Without taking his eyes off the vial, he asked the demon:
"When you were shot by the angels…" He hazarded, speaking slowly. "…Did they say anything about their ammunition?" Shade looked up.
"They said they were using essence rounds. Hurt like a bitch. Helped me focus, though… What?"
Jesus had put down the vial. His head was bowed.
"Shade, I am afraid I have to tell you something." Shade leaned forward in dreaded anticipation.
"What? Tell me!"
"You… have been corrupted."
Wow, long chapter. And an ambiguous, suspensey finish, too. Not bad, I suppose, but I didn't really like this chapter. Reassure me, please.
Shout outs:
: Yes. Yes I did. Don't know where it came from, but I had it planned from pretty much the beginning.
Maesde: Not for a while, and sorry I didn't.
Thespurgin: You heard me. Or read me. Probably.
Jake Wolf: I hope I didn't make you wait too long.
ZyiareHelsing: I can't find an English translation for the epilogue, but for what I have read, definitely. I have my fingers crossed for an 'all grown up' series, but I shouldn't push my luck.
Oniix: If you're still reading, then I would like to profusely apologise for unwittingly misleading you. Know that you have made an impact for the better, in any case.
The Crimson Harbinger: I know not of this line of which you speak. Please elaborate…
Madi365: Yes, and you have Oniix to thank for making the story better, in that respect.
Well, that's all from me this time. Hope you enjoyed, and remember to review!