-0-
-0-
Skelim's nervousness was obvious. His brow, covered in grime and streaked with blood, was furrowed and his mouth curled into a frown of utter discontent. His hands were balled into fists at his sides and they kept clenching and unclenching as he paced back and forth along the edge of the ragged defensive crag; his gaze locked firmly onto the expanse of inert black mass which a short while ago had been a massive horde of undead thralls intent on exterminating those who had fled from the Citadel. Less than an hour ago nearly every man, woman and child under his command had been engaged in a life or death struggle with the monstrous things. Now all was still.
Lorenzo was nearby, his gaze directly mostly over the exhausted and near expended ranks of humanity which had gathered in a milling, nervous camp around the bulk of the Endurance. There were many injured laid out on makeshift bedrolls, wrapped in bandages to keep from bleeding out. They had lost men to the assault, the bodies of which were laid out a short distance away before being burned. They had lost a good number, perhaps two hundred or more and with their numbers already so thin it was a hard loss indeed. The only comfort there was most of those killed had already fathered children.
Vorador gave the expanse only a cursory inspection and wondered, if only to himself, exactly what they were supposed to do with these Humans. Janos seemed to think them worth saving, compelled by his sometimes infuriating altruism, but Vorador himself thought them only worth preserving for the sake of blood supply. Janos might be able to forgive mankind for all their faults and perversions, but having experienced it too often Vorador found he simply could not. Nor did the passage of time soften his disposition.
Enya, the second in command of the Forsaken Vampire hunters, was moving up towards her leader. She had taken a cut across her face which had been stitched shut somewhat crudely.
"Scouts have reported in, Coordinator. Every thrall for miles is dead." She said and while her voice was tired there was a excited jubilation in it. Lorenzo gave her a sidelong half smile for her choice of words. "Well, inert." She amended.
Skelim let out a gusty breath at that and his shoulders slumped as if in relief, although the man looked no less tense in the way he frowned. Lorenzo pulled speculatively at the knotted ends of his moustache before turning to look at Vorador, who had remained as an observer.
"Do you think Janos actually succeeded? That Uriel is dead?" He asked and the wistful hope in his voice was telling. Vorador folded his arms over his chest and glanced up towards the distant cliff, upon which stood the jagged outline of the tower outpost which obtained intelligence had indicated as the vantage point the commander of the undead army was employing. From down on the flat plain it looked like a few spikes of blackness along the edge of the distance southern cliff.
"I respect my sire's abilities, but I would prefer to have confirmation." He remarked, frowning at the site through the gloomy smog which rolled over the upper most reaches of those mountain peaks. In truth he had not been happy when he had learned of his sire's unprecedented and uncharacteristic departure. Janos was not a fighter. He was a mystic, a scholar and a holy man and hadn't done any actual fighting since the long ancient war. Yet he had taken off to confront one of the Divus alone. He should have been wiser than that.
"As would I." Lorenzo concurred with a nod. Skelim grunted and turned away from the view of so many collapsed, stinking dead bodies to face the encampment.
"We need to make tracks if we're to reach that outpost in good time." He said, already moving to walk past them down to the men. He was forestalled however when Vorador raised a hand, the other held to his furrowed brow.
"Wait." He said simply and distant, his attention elsewhere. The three humans looked at him puzzled.
"What?" Lorenzo asked.
Vorador did not immediately answer. He seemed to be listening to something only he could hear. His large ears flicked from side to side as if he were indeed receiving a sound so subtle it was inaudible to human ears. His expression flickered with various expressions as he concentrated, from displeasure to surprise to wry amusement. He turned to look then up towards the top of the highest rock which jutted from the crag, a good fifty feet above them and the concealed crevice.
"We are about to receive a visitor." He said with a cryptic smile parting his lips, causing the others about him to turn and follow his gaze.
In the air above the pinnacle of the tapering rock was a strange dark cloud, a hazy shifting mass which at first might have passed for a simple low flying trail of the usual smog. Then as it began to descend, the individual parts of it became clear and they saw it was a thick cloud of bats. The bats were circling all around in a tight circle, coming down together towards the very top of the rock. As they flew down they came closer and closer together until they actually began to merge, one into the other. The mass they formed grew as it descended, the bats flying in to add their own bodies to the growth of a figure which landed atop the pinnacle and slowly straightened up.
The figure standing there was up high and somewhat indistinct from down at the bottom where they stood but his silhouette, with long flowing hair, broad shoulders and a drape over one shoulder was instantly recognisable. The humans had seen that likeness in many places, carved into immense tributes constructed by the Vampire clans to pay homage to their King and God. That face, that same face with the square jaw and steely eyes placed on many a statue and drawn on many a mural, was staring down at them unblinkingly. It was a face which had haunted more then a few nightmares.
"Oh my god..." Enya gasped, a hand flying to her mouth in dismayed horror. The colour drained instantly from her scared face. "It's him!"
Lorenzo swore and raised his right arm, fiddling with the miniaturised crossbow he had built into his artificial arm. Skelim was more direct, roaring down to the men in the encampment below.
"Crossbows! Ready to fire, double time!" His yelled command caused heads to turn in his direction, many of them startled and scared in the aftermath of a battle so recently concluded.
"If you fire at him, he will kill you." Vorador informed them all in a calm, controlled voice. He had not so much as turned away, his gaze locked firmly onto the figure up above.
"That's Kain up there! FUCKING KAIN!" Skelim was livid.
"Yes, it is. And were he inclined to do so, he could most likely kill every single one of you without much effort." That reply caused everyone about him, including the crossbowmen who were hastily coming up to join their general, to hesitate in varying degrees of fear and uncertainty. Finally Vorador looked down and cast a cursory glance about the faces staring at him. Anxiety was written into everyone of them. He gave a little shrug.
"Being a Vampire myself I don't think it's fair for me tell you what to do, and Kain and I often don't see eye to eye, but I would personally advice caution and restraint." He opined, giving Skelim a very direct look. "Especially with so many women and children in your charge." That made Skelim visiby flinch although he looked more angry than ever.
The figure high above them raised one arm and lobbed something it had been carrying in its hand up into the air. It was a somewhat spherical object but as it spun down towards them it broke into two halves which came down much quicker, landing with a wet splat upon the ground almost directly before them. Blood discharged everywhere upon impact, pieces of questionable flesh littering the ground. Several men recoiled from it with loud curses and startled gasps.
Two halves of a hewn skull had been cast before them, sliced vertically in half with each side of a stricken face still clinging to it. The face, despite its hideous state, was youthful but the hair that still clung to the head was a mixture of grey and white. What remained of a tongue was laying lay out the mouth of the separated right hand side. Skelim pursed his lips and knelt down to inspect the ominous gift, turning each side of the face about with one rough hand.
"I..its Uriel!" He suddenly stated, jerking his hand away quickly as if he had been stung by a wasp. Lorenzo came to join him, leaning over with an expression of quizzical curiosity on his face and tugging the ends of his moustache.
"I'm surprised you can tell." The Forsaken leader remarked with grim humour. All about, the men were crowding in to see, an excited and alarmed buzz of conversation whispered back and forth amongst them. Several of them quickly ran back down to the encampment to spread the news of Uriel's death amongst the people. Skelim stood up slowly and stared down at the grisly display for a long private moment. Then with a disgusted snort he kicked the half of the face he had been examining away from him. It rolled like a wheel a short distance before falling back again with a second splat.
"I couldn't invent a better fate for him." The general spat, his attention once more called back to the figure atop the rock. Lorenzo looked up at well, his face in a frown of puzzled concern. The two of them were silent in amongst the growing crowd as others came up from the camp to see what was going on. None of them had noticed the figure up there yet.
"I think this is meant as a gesture of good will." Lorenzo said, although even he did not sound sure. Skelim gave him a baffled look.
"Good will? From Kain?" He asked incredulously.
"Care to give me another interpretation?" Lorenzo almost seemed to be genuinely curious, his eyebrows raised high. Before Skelim could say a word in reply, the figure above them called down in a very distinct resonant voice which had everyone turning to look.
"If your people wish to live free from both Divus and Vampire oppression, this is your chance to reach an accord with me to that end! This chance will not come again!" Those ominous and momentous words silenced any and all whispers and all eyes were fixed upon that lone figure standing high above them, raising an arm high in the air. "To the east armies gather in convergence. Join us. There we will have words!"
Then with a sudden flourish, the figure leapt up into the air and dispersed back into a screeching cloud of swarming bats. Several humans let out startled gasps, reaching for their crossbows but by the time they had raised them the bats were already dispersing wide out in all directions and were lost in the gloomy dark sky.
From the far end of the crag, out of sight from the now intensely gossiping humans, Janos Audron could hear the buzz of conversation rage in the camp. There were angry voices, frightened voices, excited voices and a colourful choice of language being employed by all involved. Conversation soon bloomed into full blown argument and moments later the camp was consumed by raging voices, no two sides of a debate staying the same for very long. Shouts were made by officers and others to try and restore order but they were drowned out instantly. For the moment at least, order was out of the question.
"Very theatrical." Janos remarked, rubbing the side of his face with one hand. He still ached from the ordeal of the battle, although he had recovered a good deal of his strength. The dim light even under the thick smog clouds was stinging his eyes in his fatigue however so he had pulled his cowl up over his head to keep his face in the shade.
"Kain would have made an excellent orator." His companion agreed. Leaning against a rock with his gaze set on the chaotic encampment was the thin emaciated form of Raziel. His faintly luminous eyes were full of wry amusement and his arms were folded over the drape which covered half his chest. "Or an actor." There wa a momentary rise of commotion from the camp as violence began to break out, the debate reaching a boiling point. Armed men were finally forced to move through the lines to beat back the indignant arguing people into order.
Raziel was a strange creature. Janos had only met him twice before and that second time he had thought would be the last. Much clearly had happened to them both between their meetings for neither of them seemed to be quite the same person they were at the previous one. The first time Janos had met Raziel he had been confused and disoriented about the path he had to take. The second time he was weary, beaten down and dejected, bitter about his place in the world. Now he seemed almost buoyant, reinforced with a confidence and a steely determination to reach a future he no longer dreaded.
"Will they come?" The blue wraith asked without looking about. Janos let out a short chuckle at the question.
"Oh they will come." He asserted tiredly. "Lorenzo will urge it for the possible gains if nothing else. Besides none of them have any real alternative at this point." Raziel grunted in response then finally looked over at him.
"How do you fare, Janos?" He asked. Janos reflexively stretched his limbs slightly.
"If I had the time I'd take a full day and night to recover. As it is, I fear we do not have the luxury of that long." The ancient Vampire replied.
"No, no we don't." Raziel agreed with a little shake of his head. Then he grew silent, looking off again. But Janos could tell his gaze was not directed at the camp where order was slowly and vigorously being reasserted, but off on the horizon; the kind of long distance stare of one deep in thought. Silence endured for a prolonged moment, broken only by the slowly diminishing tumult of the nearby camp.
"Janos. There is something I need to tell, although I fear to." He finally said in a voice which tensed noticeably. Janos pursed his lips. He had wondered how long it would be until Raziel brought that up. Here they were now, alone and given the tempestuous nature of the events going on about them they were probably not going to receive another chance. Janos did not know what could possibly cause Raziel to hesitate as before he had been frank to the point of being blunt, but did not imagine it was anything other than a disturbing topic.
"What could you possibly have to say that would shock me more than that which I have already been through?" He asked in a forced jovial tone. Raziel turned his head and gave the ancient Vampire a flat sort of stare. Janos hesitated. "Well perhaps that was naïve of me to say, but I feel myself well hardened to shocks."
"I sincerely hope this is so. What I have to say, even I have trouble conceptualising and I have had time to digest it." Raziel replied. Janos reached out and placed one hand on his shoulder, lightly shaking them.
"Enough with the preparatory warnings, Raziel. If it is important, then you must say it. Especially now, when we have this small break in the storm." He said.
Raziel lowered his head and silence endured for another long moment. Over in the camp the chaos had subsided into an angry buzz as the discussions over what had been said and offered what remained of Humanity continued, albeit with a rigid enforcing of the rules of civil discourse.
"Let me ask you then." The blue wraith finally began, raising his head sharply as if only just deciding where to start. "How many Raziels are there?"
Janos stared at him, a baffled expression plain across his soot streaked face.
"I...do not follow?" He admitted, confused. Raziel's gaze was very direct as he continued.
"So far as most know there is me, the original Raziel-Divus ...and your son." He said. Janos flinched back, hand raised at this.
"Where did you learn about..." He began.
"For the moment, not important. Is this so? Three people to bear the name, Raziel? Me, the original and your son?" Raziel pressed, his voice insistent. Janos took a moment to collect himself from his confusion. He did not know from whence Raziel had heard of his son, as he had never mentioned it to him and it was unlikely Vorador could have informed him but regardless he set himself as this question had set the tone for the conversation they were about to have.
"Yes, this is so. I named my son after the founder of the Wheel of Fate religion, the king of Fanum-Divus. But I fail to see why this is suddenly relevant." He did not mean to but there was a touch of defensiveness in his voice and posture that even he noticed. Raziel seemed to take note of that before he continued.
"Fanum-Divus is a real place, Janos. It was built outside of the physical world, in a section of stable space between two absolutes. I've been there." His statement caused Janos to draw in a sharp breath
"You set foot in Fanum-Divus itself?" He asked in awe. Raziel nodded.
"Yes. Its position means that for the denizens of that city, time has no meaning. They can enter their city far in the past and emerge out of it again in the distant future. And the reverse. With relative ease."
Janos slowly absorbed that, his thoughts turning back to what he had witnessed of the Divus first hand especially within the last day or two.
"Like when Azazel disappeared." He mused almost to himself.
"Exactly. They each have a key which allows them passage there. I had one briefly but it is gone now." Raziel explained. Then he paused, his eyes narrowing to almost closed. The hesitation was a profound one, as if he really did not want to go on. Janos himself almost wished he didn't, for what he said next was totally unexpected and stunning.
"Your son, Janos. He wasn't killed."
Silenced endured. A stretched silence of complete and utter speechlessness. Absolutely nothing could have prepared him for the statement just made.
"What?" The ancient Vampire asked, his voice returning albeit strained. Raziel visibly had to steel himself as he explained.
"He was chosen. Taken to that space where time is meaningless."
Janos' face was creased up in a contorted almost comical look of bafflement. He pushed the hood back from his head to look Raziel directly in the eye.
"I... taken? Taken by who?!" He demanded, his voice rising and echoing amongst the rocks about them. Raziel reached out and took hold of him by each shoulder as if to steady him, but it had the effect of forcing him to look directly into the blue wraith's face.
"By your God. The hub of the Wheel of Fate. He took him to Fanum-Divus to train him to become his agent and greatest warrior." Janos heard the words. He understood them. But something within him prevented him from grasping their import. He just stood there dumbly as Raziel's story continued. "Then when this period was complete, your son was returned to the physical world only many centuries into the past. There he proclaimed himself 'Raziel-Divus' and established amongst your people a new dogmatic faith."
"Raziel, do you realise what you are saying?" The ancient Vampire asked with incredulity. Raziel's gaze did not waver.
"Yes. I am saying that you named your son after himself."
Janos stared right back into those blank, luminescing eyes for a long moment. His face betrayed the utter stunned amazement of what he had just heard. He tried to speak, tried to form words but every time he attempted it they just died on his lips. All that emerged were small choked noises which died before they could form a syllable. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind and regain some logic and perspective.
"This story you craft for me it... it is unbelievable. And had I not known you better I would call it a cruel joke." He finally managed to say. Raziel's head tilted to one side and his eyebrows arched in that expressive way he had of conveying amusement.
"I'm not finished with my tale yet." The blue wraith advised almost playfully. "But do you believe me so far?"
Strangely Janos found that a part of him did. Logic and reason told him emphatically that the story was absurd and quite possibly offensive. But he could not shake the feeling there was something to this, or the sincerity in the scared blue face staring back at him.
"I believe you're sincere in what you say. You truly believe it. Whether or not it is actually true is another matter." He replied, choosing his words carefully. Raziel released his grip and leaned back, giving him space.
"Good enough. May I go on?" He asked.
"You've begun. You may as well finish." Janos replied wryly. The blue wraith took another few moments to consider his words and his silent contemplation made Janos feel somewhat apprehensive. Almost as if he feared the rest of the story, silently anticipating what might be said but not knowing why. Finally Raziel continued.
"For many centuries your son ruled Fanum-Divus as its king, but he fell foul of fate and for his transgressions was changed into a mewling human infant."
That was certainly not what Janos had been expecting and he fixed with a quizzical look, one eyebrow raised.
"Now you've stretched my credulity." He said.
"You had to have been there." The blue wraith replied, then went on.
"Your son was given a second life to live, that of an ordinary human being. He was raised again, once more trained as a warrior. In this life however he was recruited into the order of the Sarafan."
Janos blinked.
"The Sarafan?!" His voice was thick with scornful disbelief, but the look Raziel returned to him was anything but appeasing. It was a direct look of absolute seriousness.
"You actually met him in this incarnation, Janos." He said slowly and then raised one hand and pointed it directly at his companion. "He was the one who carved out your heart."
Janos' answering expression was full of scorn. What he was being told here was now ridiculous and absurd.
"And now I will call this a cruel joke." He said, looking at Raziel with profound disapproval and disappointment. "What you are telling me is something I can not accept. Not without proof."
"Proof..." Raziel repeated as if to himself and somehow Janos had the feeling the request both amused and distressed his companion. "Let me finish my story, then perhaps you might have proof." The blue wraith told him solemnly. Janos drew in a steadying breath to prevent himself from saying something sharp which he might regret. His sense of Raziel's character won out. Raziel would not waste his time with some fleeting, insulting and hurtful story. He would have a reason for this.
"Go on." The ancient Vampire finally told him, albeit with growing reluctance. Raziel nodded as if seeing his dislike of this conversation.
"After you had been killed I tracked your murderers down and killed them. I put your son in his tomb."
"You are hardly endearing yourself to me with this story." Janos' irritation soared to new heights.
"Your son laid in his crypt for a long time, before fate intervened again. His tomb was opened and raided...by one who needed more of his kind in order to realize his ambitions of empire." Raziel hurried on quickly, pressing to the crux of the matter before he could be interrupted again. "Your son and his five comrades, Turel, Dumah, Zephon, Rahab and Melchiah, were resurrected as the first of a new race of Vampires to serve their new master. To serve Kain."
Janos stiffened immediately, standing up very straight. He looked directly into Raziel's face with his expression slowly morphing from barely contained anger to dismayed awe. The colour began to drain out of his face.
"I know this story..." He breathed in a voice suddenly gone deathly quiet. Raziel nodded again.
"I thought you might." The blue wraith said grimly. Janos' mouth open and shut several times as the true meaning of the story he was being told dawned on him with the slowness of an actual sunrise.
"Raziel.. I..." The words died in his throat. Logic warred with irrational hope and dread with elation all within the confined of his confused and assailed mind. "Are you implying then that..."
"Thanks to an artefact I left for myself to find, I remember it all now." Raziel confirmed with a slow nod and a voice filled with dreadful anticipation. Janos' mind reeled back, a powerful and painful throb beginning at the base of his skull as his brain tried to deal with a concept so absolutely incredible it induced physical pain. He almost lunged forward them and grasped Raziel by the front of his drape, pulling him close. The blue wraith's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden motion.
"If what you tell me is true, if this isn't some terrible cruel jest, then you would know your mother's name." Janos said with his voice strained hoarse. Raziel stared into his face with those wide, blank eyes of his. Slowly his expression softened and there was the unmistakable sense of regret there, for what was about to happen that would change everything.
"Chokhmah. Her name was Chokhmah."
With the utterance of that name, that long buried locked away name, Janos' perception of the entire world came crashing down. Everything upended itself. Every fact, every memory, every belief were all rendered worthless. The world spun about him violently. The land and sky were no longer horizontal nor stationary.
"Janos?" Raziel's voice was saying but Janos barely heard him. The ancient Vampire dropped down to his knees with a heavy thud and buried his face in his hands. "Janos!" Hands were on him but the touch was far away like a distant echo. "Janos speak to me!"
Yes, he ought to say something. He knew that. Something had to be said in response. But no coherent thought seemed to come forth to offer a word, let alone a sentence. The only thing in his confused storm of a brain at that single moment was a memory, a single small insignificant memory which suddenly had tremendous import. It had been when he had first met the blue wraith, just before he had been found by the Sarafan. When he had turned to face the intruder, he had reacted to his ruined body with the phrase 'my child'. It had merely been a means of expressing his dismay but the irony of the phrase revealed now suddenly sent bursting from his lips a howl of irrepressible laughter.
"Nothing!" He called up out to the sky, throwing his arms to the smog ridden clouds above. "I knew nothing! I thought I knew all the ins and outs of prophecy! I thought I knew the mysteries of fate! That I knew all that had come before and what would come to pass!" His voice thundered high in an explosion of emotion which echoed through the rocks of the crag so loudly that it elicited several confused murmurs from the Human encampment. "I KNEW NOTHING!"
Then he truly felt the hands on him. Slowly he raised his face and gazed up onto those luminous eyes once more.
"My son." The phrase escaped him unbidden and Raziel visible flinched at his use of it. That brought Janos back to reality and he drew in a breath to steady himself, allowing Raziel to haul him back to his feet. He was highly disoriented but forced his body to accept his dominion over it, quieting the raging emotions in his mind through sheer force of will. An awkward silence stretched between them, lasting for perhaps a minute or more.
"Who else knows about this?" Janos asked to break that unendurable silence. In all honesty he did not really care.
"Ophiel, Umah, my friend Ewoden and Umah so far." Raziel told him, sounding very stiff and fumbling in his words; as if he were highly embarrassed.
"You didn't tell Kain?" Janos was actually surprised at that. Raziel twitched in what could only be called a wince. Janos had the impression that this was not something he wanted Kain to be aware of.
"I asked them not to spread this information until I had a chance to speak with you about it." He said. Janos nodded to himself, closing his eyes to try and focus his confused thought.
"I will... have to speak to Vorador about this." He found himself mumbling.
"You had to know Janos." Raziel said and he actually sounded regretful about it. Janos nodded again.
"Yes, yes I did." He agreed, although the same regret was in his voice as well. Slowly he opened his eyes again and looked at the blue wraith. "Thank you for telling me."
Another long awkward silence endured, the two of them just looking at once another. Arms twitched, as if wanting to reach out but restrained by uncertainty and doubt.
"So what does this mean between us now?" Raziel asked finally. That was indeed the question and a question for which Janos had no answer. As he looked at the blue skeletal wraith before him, he tried to see the small fledgling boy he had known before he had disappeared. Impossible. Too much had occurred over what seemed several lifetimes. The boy was gone. What he had become was something different. Something more. A powerful sense of injustice and loss began to creep through Janos' spirit. A sense that he had been robbed, betrayed and played for a fool. It was not a comfortable sensation.
"I... don't know. You're so many things to me and now with this..." The ancient Vampire started, admitting his failure. He paused then and looked into Raziel's expectant face. "Question is, what do you want between us?"
Raziel blinked and looked off quickly, his eyebrows descending in puzzlement. Clearly he had not anticipated being asked that question.
"I don't know." He admitted and he sounded more lamentable about that than anything else.
"Neither do I." Janos replied and the same regret was in his voice for the new question that hovered between them. It was a question with no simple easy answer, and that supposed there was an answer at all.
Raziel turned to watch as the human encampment began to churn, the crowd of desperate people finally having reached a conclusion to their argument. Most of them were staying put to tend to the wounded but a company of several dozen men were moving out, heading eastward. They were all armed with the teeth with flamethrowers and two had makeshift flamethrower tanks strapped to their backs.
"We should go." Raziel stated and Janos did not argue. He was quite willing right now, while his mind dealt with the ramifications of this revelation, to be distracted by other matters. Perhaps that was a battle he was destined to lose but he was prepared to make the attempt regardless.
The site of the meeting of the converging factions was a simple flat stretch of ground ringed in an oval by a handful of large blackened rocks. It was at the bottom of a slight dip in the terrain, almost to the point where it formed a natural amphitheatre. A large flat stone circle, raised up above the ground, sat in the almost exact centre of the ring. The place could not have been more perfect for the task, so much so that upon seeing it Janos wondered if it might not have been subtly altered for effect beforehand.
From the east came the Hylden, a battered and beleaguered force of warriors from the House of War. Enlil of the broken horn as at its head. She was covered in fresh cuts across her arms and chest, some of them deep and wrapped up with bleeding red linens. Her legs was still in its metal brace although she did not favour it. On one side of Enlil came Kishar, the elegant and precise leader of the House of Faith. On the other was the winged Hylden woman Janos had still neglected to learn the name of. The three of them, now together, showed such shared facial features that their mutual family connections could not be denied. Behind them, almost secretly, was the Seer. She wore a regal blue dress and upon her brow was a stately tiara, almost a crown.
From the south came Vampires and a mixed group they were indeed. Most of them were Turelim, thick giant creatures with giant muscles and large ears. More resilient than other creatures, they seemed to have fared better in battle although crom the dents, scrapes and gouges in armour and flesh across many of them, it had been a ferocious contest. Balam was leading them, the largest of the group by far. One arm was riddled with so many ancient bolts and arrows it looked like he had sprouted quills like a hedgehog but he paid them almost not mind, only reaching up occasionally with his other hand to pull one loose. Vorador had left the Humans to join his species group and with his similar ears he seemed an almost comically smaller green version of the giants about him. Umah was at his side and in her hands she still carried the Hammer of Metatron, cradling it close to her like a lost child.
Over the heads of the Turelim came the Serioli, a small force of about twenty of them. They were all armed for battle and wearing the drapes which identified their allegiance and loyalty to Kain. Ajatar-Cadre was leading them and her right hand, Ansu, was not far behind carrying his iconic large golden axe. They too had taken many an injury during the battle. Blood streaked many faces and their weapons of spear and sword had not yet had a chance to be cleaned of gore.
From the west came the humans. A smaller group than the others, but all armed and ready for trouble. Lorenzo was there of course along with General Skelim. Each of them had brought their best warriors, which the masked Enya was coordinating into two disciplined lines behind their leaders. They all looked very grim indeed. Ewoden was amongst them, Janos thought he saw a flash of red hair here and there but it was hard to see. It was to this group Janos and Raziel made their approach, attempting to move in and join as they all converged towards that ringed destination. As they approached, two warriors at the back both Forsaken, turned to look at them and started in surprise.
"Raziel!" One of them gasped in surprise with his voice, muffled from behind his mask. He had a crossbow in his hands.
"Bugger me, we thought you were dead!" The other added, just as surprised. Unlike the other he had a sword as a weapon, professionally kept and in good condition. Raziel paused, looking back and forth between the two with an eyebrow raised
"Do I know you?" He asked in puzzlement. The two men looked at each other then burst out laughing.
"It's been a few years, I don't expect you to remember us." One of them replied and reached up to remove his mask. He was a weather beaten man with a circular short cropped black beard and pale eyes. A series of scars, clearly made by claws, ran down his skin from the scalp line to the jaw. Raziel suddenly frowned, staring hard at the Human.
"Wait, I do know you." He admitted, raising one hand to point at him. "Bolgor?" He then turned to the man's companion. "Zolyn?"
The second man removed his mask, revealing a thin face with shaggy unkempt eyebrows. His cheeks were covered in a downy fuzz that almost gave him the appearance of being furred. His eyes were a bright blue although one of them had a faded hue, as if it were experiencing the onset of encroaching blindness. Both men had large, almost foolish grins crossing their faces and both of them had lost a tooth or two in places.
"We still don't know exactly what you are; god, demon or something alien to either and all. But that really doesn't matter." The one called Zolyn said with a hearty chuckle. "We owe you our lives and the lives of our comrades and that's good enough for me." With that he actually extended a gloved hand. Raziel stared at it in surprise at it being offered. Janos smiled wryly to himself as he watched the blue wraith take that hand and shake it, slowly at first but with growing enthusiasm. The meeting of hands, one with five Human fingers and the other with the tridactyl Vampiric set was a comforting one to Janos; a symbol of hope he had never imagine he'd live long enough to see.
"I see you've changed affiliation." Raziel said quickly, clearly trying to cover his momentary confusion.
Bolgor ran one hand wearily over his short beard at that.
"The citadel started becoming more rigid than we liked. It got in the way of our work." He said, before patting the mask he held in his hands. "The Forsaken were more practical." Then he looked back over his shoulder to the gathering which was beginning to form, his expression grim. "Although an alliance between us and Kain's Vampires? That's a bit much for even them."
"Would you rather ally with the Divus?" Raziel asked him with amusement. The man started in surprise at being asked, giving the blue wraith a hard glare.
"After what they did to the Citadel?" He was incredulous. "We're desperate for salvation, but not THAT desperate!"
From the way Raziel's eyes softened Janos knew the blue wraith would have been smiling irreverently if he could. He turned his head and gave the ring a glance.
"Things have changed now. It's best if you at least hear Kain out."
Bolgor and Zolyn exchanged another look, their expressions full of doubtful scepticism for the suggestion.
"Yeah well that's not our call. That's up to Skelim." Zolyn said although he gave Raziel a sidelong look. "Although if you asked, he'd listen to your council for sure." The blue wraith looked puzzled
"Why would he listen to me?" He asked. The two men laughed at his question.
"He was the leader of our squadron. The one you sent in to secure the cathedral when we parted ways. He rose swiftly up the ranks after that." Bolgor informed him. Raziel's eyes widened as Janos saw he remembered the incident they referred to and it appeared to bring him no smaller measure of both pleasure and amusement.
"Nosgoth is quite the small world it seems..." The blue wraith remarked.
Each grouping of a race came to the outside edge of the oval and stopped. The area was wide enough to allow each group about thirty feet of space around the outline from one another, with a radius of fifty across the oval itself. All three groups seemed to reach an unspoken agreement with one another and stopped on the outside of the stone ring. Looks were exchanged back and forth and while there was a low deal of muttering amongst themselves, no one group made any attempt to communicate with the others.
That all changed when a cloud of bats came circling down from the sky above and condensed together in the direct centre of the oval. Each bat melding into the others they once more formed the shape of a figure which landed upon the flat rock in the middle and rose to stand tall. Kain's drape and hair caught in a sluggish breeze and reaching behind his back he drew forth the Reaver Blade as everyone beheld him, resting it tip down upon the earth with one hand on its slanted pommel.
Immediately the Turelim and the Serioli sank down onto one knee, one group in religious devotion, the other in respectful loyalty. The Hylden all seemed to inhale at once at the sight of him, not quite a uniform gasp. Even across the radius of the meeting ring Janos could see the anxiety in their faces. The Humans made no sound at all but Janos could almost feel the hostility radiating from them in their silent indignation. The only exception seemed to be Lorenzo, who was regarding the figure of Kain with frowning but thoughtful scepticism.
Slowly Kain turned his head to inspect each group in turn, his face deliberately neutral although one side of his mouth seemed to curve up slightly in a smile at the gesture made by the Vampires. Once he had seen his fill, he finally began to speak.
"Most gathered here have every reason to hate me with unbridled passion. Some even with good cause." He called out in a powerful voice which reached even those at the backs of their groups. "But to be blunt, right at this moment, no one has the luxury of holding onto grudges and enmity. We all face a common enemy and unless we unite, we will fall." With one hand on the Reaver's pommel, he raised the other into the air and clenched a tight fist with his talons.
"Our enemy is the Divus, a cadre of beings from all races; immortals raised in the service of a creature which calls itself God! They come from a place called Fanum-Divus, a citadel situated in a realm outside of the normal flow of time. From there they have been manipulating and shaping the history of our world to suit their own ends. Even those of us who have tampered with the time stream ourselves have been little more then their pawns and the pawns of their God." Kain's eyes flicked to the Humans, who's death glares had not ceased and he gestured about toward the sky with a talon for emphasis.
"They're just as much to blame for the state of this world as I am. The Dragon, Uriel and his undead army; these were merely the forefront of their final act. They're done with this world and are preparing to purge Nosgoth once and for all before moving on to pastures new."
Kain paused, evidentially to let his words sink in and Janos could see that even amongst the surly and silent Humans, there were at the very least concerned looks being exchanged. The Hylden were more vocal, several of then muttering amongst themselves. The three leaders of their houses all appeared grim to various degrees.
Kain then turned.
"Raziel, tell them what you told me." He called out to Janos' companion. Raziel made a little sigh and stepped forward, moving out into the ring so everyone could see him. The Humans were finally stirred into vocal gasps at the sight of him, several lowering their heads as if they were in the presence of a divine creature. The Hylden looked even more nervous.
Raziel joined Kain on the central rock. The two of them exchanged a look, before the blue wraith began to speak.
"You all know me in one way or another so I won't waste time." He started. Raziel did not quite have the same booming quality to his voice that Kain had, but he was able to raise his voice loud enough to be heard. "Fanum-Divus exists suspended outside of time, stretched between two infinite abysses. One of absolute time and space and the other of negation, representing no place and no time."
This was something Janos paid great attention to for descriptions of Fanum-Divus differed throughout many different sects and cults which had existed during his life, none of them consistent with one another let alone an eye witness account.
"There they have collected diverse examples of the life that once teemed in our world, all collected aboard a vessel constructed there called the Ark. It is a ship intended for travel beyond Nosgoth, to worlds fresh and new." Raziel was continuing now that he had everyone rapt attention. "Everything has been building to this. The Ark is their gambit, their way of attaining ultimate power not just here but across the expanse of the universe." He began to put great emphasis into his words to carry a dire point across. "In a few days time, an event will occur. An event which has not taken place for uncountable eons."
He raised both hands, holding them out in front of himself
"Those two infinite expanses of everything and nothing will meet, coming into contact with one another." He said and began to press his hands together until the palms met, firmly pressed tight. "The connection of Everything and Nothing. The brief touch of the Affirmative and the Negative. This event is the Equinox; the conjunction point where all energies are unleashed in the flash of infinite possibility. The Divus and their God intend to harness this terrible force and use it to propel themselves across the dark void to new conquests on their precious boat." The blue wraith raised his gaze across the expanse of those about him.
"But their doing so would result in what is left of this damaged world being reduced to an inert, barren husk. Not even a corpse. Just a dried up ball of lifeless dust, incapable of supporting even the most primitive form of life. This is the future the Divus have planned and have manipulated us all, Human, Hylden and Vampire, toward. Their promised Day and our extinction."
"My god..." Janos' strangled gasp was the only sound to penetrate the silence that followed that announcement and it carried. The sentiment however was shared judging by the stunned looks of horror and alarm which were on the faces of representatives from every single race present.
"...has betrayed us all." Lorenzo finished, closing his eyes with a long sigh and placing a hand to his forehead. A moment later a chorus of words began to echo and bubble from one group to the other, angry voices rising mixed with fearful cries and demands for answers.
Enlil glanced back to see her own warriors murmuring amongst themselves in hushed tones over what they had just heard. Scowling, the small Hylden woman moved forward and brandished the barbed spear she held towards the two in the centre.
"All very well for you to claim we need unity, Kain!" She declared in voice which silenced everyone instantly. "You whose decision damned this world to its barren state and who has ruled this world with an iron fist for centuries, suppressing Humanity in the process!"
"And we sure as hell haven't forgotten that!" Skelim added with an angry growl from his side of the ring, but he just as quickly turned to give Enlil just as much of a hateful glare. "Nor have we forgotten your attempt to rule us through psychic manipulation! I'll grant we've a common enemy, but why should Humanity trust either Vampires or Hylden at this point? Especially Vampires?"
Balam, whose physical stature dwarfed Skelim by at least five feet, turned to give him a contemptuous glare full of indignation for his words.
"Kain does not speak lies, Human. He speaks only divine truth." The towering giant of a Vampire said bluntly. "And you would be wise to listen!"
"Well I wouldn't expect anything less from a Turelim leach!" Skelim shot back with venom but before he could say anything more insulting Lorenzo reached out and restrained him with his artificial hand.
"Gentlemen, please!" The leader of the Forsaken interjected sharply, glancing between the two holding Skelim back quite forcefully. "Let's keep this meeting civil. Civility is the only thing keeping us from descending into a vengeful melee. And I for one think our fights ought to be kept to one large battle a day." Quickly he turned his head and looked over at the would be Emperor of Nosgoth. "I assume, from the mere fact we are having this discussion, that you have a strategy in mind to combat the Divus?" He asked.
"And you are?" Kain asked back with a raised eyebrow.
"Lorenzo, Coordinator of the Forsaken."
"Ah yes, I've heard of you and your ilk. They say above all else, your faction value practicality." Kain sounded amused.
"If it works it works." Lorenzo's tone reflected that amusement, as if the idea of conserving with Kain, the darkest enemy of mankind, was somehow an experience he just could not shake the novelty of.
Kain leaned back and placed both hands over the Reaver's pommel, his eyes alight with an impish mischief.
"Then consider this. We not only face great danger, but great opportunity as well." He took a step back and as he moved, Janos got a better view of the stone upon which he and Raziel were standing. He recognised it instantly. Had it not been for the darkness cast by the smog clouds and his attention diverted by Kain's appearance he would have recognised it sooner.
"This stone dais I am standing on is an artefact retrieved by Janos Audron from the demon realm where it had lain hidden for thousands of years." Kain declared, raising his voice again he once more became the centre of attention. "This is the Pillar Forge, the arcane device which in eons past allowed for the creation of the Pillars of Nosgoth themselves. With it in our possession, those sustaining Pillars could rise again."
That was by far the most stunning revelation for those gathered here thus far. The Humans lost their dour sullen looks at once, eyes widening and heads turning rapidly as they conversed amongst themselves. They knew enough about the Pillars from their own folklore to understand the significance of what Kain had just said. The Vampires were a mixed group. The Turelim seemed puzzled as if they did not understand what all this meant but the Serioli Vampires wore nothing but utter jubilation on their faces. They, like Janos, understood the utter vital nature of the Pillars.
Kain then turned to look back at the Hylden, who were anything but jubilant. The faces there were shocked, stunned, terrified and angry. Oh yes, anger was most definitely the predominant feature in the expressions there. To the Hylden the Pillars represented nothing but the embodiment of their eons of exile. They were the lock upon the door which had bound them to the harshness of the demon realm, condemning them to madness and disfigurement. Many of them were reaching for their weapons and Janos, seeing the pure seething outrage on Enlil's face, feared a violent explosion was imminent.
"Reforged, refocused Pillars!" Kain barked at them, his tone sharp enough to make them pause before they tipped over the line. "Not as they were, but enhanced, better! To suit all our needs!"
"If the Pillars rise again, it might be the only thing which can save this world from the Divus and their harnessing of the Equinox." Raziel added quickly, clearly trying to keep the Hylden from doing anything rash.
As if that where her cue the Seer strode forward from amongst their number. She was the princess, Damkina; daughter of their over general and grand-daughter of their once powerful king Ashar. She was respected by all three houses and as soon as she moved forward she diverted their attention.
"It's true, my people." She called out to them, stopping a short distance before them and spreading her arms. "If the Pillars rise once more it will not be to our detriment, not this time. This time we NEED them just as much as they do." Her words caused quite a stir amongst her people. Janos could see a hope there, a desperate hope that what she told them was true, but a overriding fear remained. A fear born from centuries of survival instinct. It would take a great deal of effort to circumvent that instinct.
"And to you, humanity. Join us in our efforts to defeat the Divus and I am willing to make concessions." Kain added, turning his head to look back at the Humans. Obviously he wanted to control the momentum of this meeting and guide everyone involved to one satisfying conclusion.
Skelim was looking at the forge with narrowed eyes and pursed lips, his expression foreboding. Slowly he raised his gaze to look up at Kain, who watched him silently expecting a reply.
"What we want, Vampire, is to live free from being hunted as prey." The general began with thinly veiled anger and contempt. "What we want is to raise our children without being in constant fear for their lives. What we want is for our species to survive and flourish." His voice then took on a far darker tone as he added; "What we want is for you to pay for your crimes." There was a distinctive grim muttering of agreement from the men behind him, although noticeable none of them dared to look past him at the Emperor of Vampires himself. Kain merely smiled oily at them and said nothing, merely waiting. Skelim maintained his gaze before he shivered and let his shoulders slump. "But I suspect we aren't going to get that last one."
"We don't always get what we want, mortal." Kain told him with a deliberately flat voice, as if he were repressing a smug tone.
"Could we get you to say sorry, at least?" Lorenzo asked smiling wryly. His sudden jovial statement caused everyone to turn and look at him, eyebrows raised and gazes filled with incredulity. The leader of the Forsaken however was immune to scornful looks and his smile was irrepressible. "A good apology goes a long way!" Skelim's expression was one of profound disapproval as he looked at the man. Lorenzo patted him on the shoulder. "Frankly Skelim I'd take restoring Nosgoth's vitality, along with an apology to sweeten the deal, as worth an alliance with even the devil himself."
"As if there is any difference with what's on offer here." Skelim snorted. But he took Lorenzo's meaning it seemed. "Very well." He called over. "To see the Pillars rise again, you have Humanity's aid."
Kain nodded briskly then turned to look back as the Hylden Enlil was starting forward. She kept her eyes squarely on Kain, her gaze unflinching and unblinking. She did not come right up to him but rather stopped perhaps seven feet away from the forge, planting her spear to one side. She said nothing for a moment and Janos had the distinct impression she was conflicted about what this entire scenario.
"The three houses are in agreement. If this is truly as you say, then the Hylden are committed to this end." She eventually said, but then she glowered at Kain with lips pulled back over bared teeth. "But woe betide you if this is a treachery."
Kain's oily smile somehow become even more oily. Now that he had the two other races, for however briefly, swayed to his council it was time to move on to the meat of their problem and Janos wondered exactly what plan Kain had to counter it.
"To make the forge function, we require one final item. Its ignitor, the orb atop Moebius' staff. But it was spirited away back to Fanum-Divus." Kain started, eyes sliding over everyone now that he had them rallied. "Where it is beyond our reach."
"Then this is for nothing?" Enlil was both incredulous and incensed.
"Due to its position outside of the flow of time, Fanum-Divus is all but unassailable. Only the Divus have means to journey back and forth to their city." Kain replied, but turned away to look over his shoulder as two figures began to make their way from the Vampire group out towards him. Vorador was one of them, his arms tucked into the small of his back in his usual fashion. The other was Umah, her hips swaying and her lips curled into a smile of sensual pleasure. Over one shoulder she slung the hammer, a large and imposing tool yet carried with an almost comical degree of little effort.
"That is not entirely accurate, Kain." She told him in her soft voice as she approached. "There is one other who possesses the ability to travel to that in-between space, besides the Divus." Turning she looked back at Vorador. "Father. You have it?" Vorador gave her a look that radiated bleak detachment before he offered forth an item he had been holding in one hand. Janos recognised instantly the glittering dodecahedron. Umah took it from him, her smile widening and a look of happy bliss coming over her beautiful face.
"Come forth my old friend." She told the relic, holding it out before her in one hand. The lights over the glassy surface of the ancient item rippled in response like a rising swarm of fireflies. When Kothar's projected form emerged, manifesting in all its luminescent splendour, the startled gasps and yells were quite understandable. All three groups tumbled back in panic and alarm as the two massive translucent wings spread wide and the Dragon's long neck uncoiled to raise up the head high. Only those who had seen the Dragon before did not react with startled surprise and terror. Kain kept himself poised, hands resting on the hilt of the Reaver and he had not yet stopped smiling.
Kothar looked down at all those assembled, his head sweeping side to side. Then that neck arched around and looked down right towards Umah, who waited for him with the smile of one meeting an old friend who had left long ago. Kothar regarded her for a long moment before his thoughts began to radiate.
-"Your form has changed. Your spirit is alerted. But I recognise you, Ashar. You who were the greatest of my pupils. You who assisted me in creating the Tempus Crux."- He said, once more his mental thoughts projected to everyone within the range of his mind.
Umah bowed low, dropping down to one knee in a gesture of absolute respect to pay the ghostly projection of the Dragon due honour.
"Its been a long time, mentor." She said.
-"I see all three of the new races gathered here. I did not think such a thing would occur ever again beyond the apex of Uni."- Kothar went on, his long neck once more sweeping back and forth to behold the scene. Several Humans had tumbled over onto their backsides in their fright. The Hylden had all readied their weapons, many spear points held out in front of themselves defensively. The Turelim were all standing very still, their large ears out either sides of their heads and twitching.
"Circumstances are coming to a head. The time has come to correct the mistake we made so long ago." Umah announced, getting back up to her feet. Kothar turned his head and looked down at those gathered directly before him.
-"Yes. So it would seem."- The Dragon said and spread out his wings, their span covering the entire gathering in their expanding luminous extent. -"The time is finally here to destroy the Tempus Crux."-