The Secret Sect
Part 2
With the moon shining down over all it beheld, bathing it in its ethereal glow, nothing disturbed the peaceful visage. Not even Jump City, with all its jutting skyscrapers and neon lights could ruin such beautiful scenery. This held an irony of its own, as despite the city's welcoming appearance, it held some of the worst criminal, scum and monsters to walk the earth. Many would wonder what actually drew all these dangerous individuals to such a small city, while there were far more profitable locations across the globe. What inexplicable lure for evil did Jump City hold over them, or were they drawn in by the protectors of the city.
Deep in the rundown portion of Jump City, within the alter room of the seemingly derelict cathedral, the head priest dressed in his black and crimson robes knelt down on his knees before the menacing symbol carved into the wall. Down and down he leaned, until his face nearly touched the floor, his position remained one of submission. Barely half an hour ago, what remained of his loyal brothers and sisters had returned after failing to acquire the item their lord had demanded of them. Many of his fellow brothers had been lost, but those deaths mattered little in comparison to their grand cause. All that truly mattered was the will of their great lord, and it had been his responsibility to ensure that it was carried out, but now he had to report his failure.
Taking a deep breath as the room was washed in an unholy green aura, the head priest finally glanced up at the symbol, which pulsed with dark green energy, and a cold sensation ran down his spine like it did every other occasion this occurred. He'd long grown used to the dark, disturbing aura that he felt, but it still unsettled him nonetheless.
"Speak." The disembodied voice spoke coldly; it's deep, distorted tone reverberating throughout the large hall.
"I sent my brothers and sisters to retrieve that which you decreed, but they failed." The head priest spoke. "But many were slaughtered by the abomination."
Dark energy continued to pulse from the symbol etched into the wall, as silence choked the room in an oppressive manner for several moments. This was moment that the shaven head priest had feared, reporting failure to his lord. With sweat running down the back of his neck, he once again bowed down, his forehead touching the dusty floor.
"Fear not, for I am a forgiving master. There is another method to acquire the item of your salvation, but a different approach will be required, lest you fail again."
Giving out the instructions necessary to complete the task, the pulsating green energy faded from the symbol, leaving the atmosphere visibly less tense. Even the high priest of the cult, despite having long grown used to it allowed himself to relax a little, before joining the rest of his fellow believers to instruct them upon their next task. If this mission ended in failure too, he doubted that his master would be as forgiving again. It was known among the Sect of Sihan that their master tended to dispose of those that disappointed him; hence it was odd that he'd been forgiven. Had their master expected them to fail?
No matter what lord Sihan had expected, the High Priest wouldn't allow their cause to be sullied by their own failures. They hadn't waited for thousands of years in silence just to fail when the time came upon them, where they were needed by their great lord. For the first time in those many years, they'd been commanded to abandon their own holy temple, in search of new grounds to worship him in Jump City. Arriving barely a month ago, they'd waited with eager anticipation for their lord's next command, and it had inevitably come.
With their moment of salvation upon them, the High Priest entered the main courtyard where the surviving members of their congregation had gathered. Out of over a hundred strong, barely little more than thirty. All the others had been slaughtered by that unholy abomination that dared guise itself as a human.
"My fellow brothers, do not despair, for all is not lost." He spoke with a gentle yet commanding tone. "Our lord Sihan has once again shown us the path to enlightenment. Another key is protected by those who watch over this city, we must retrieve it from them, without them knowing."
And so it was that he detailed what their lord Sihan had commanded of them, and each one listened with reverent ears. Once they had retrieved the key, the doors to salvation would open, and greet upon them its warm embrace. Despite arriving barely a month ago, each one knew implicitly what Sihan had meant by the watchers of the city. They were a symbol of hope among the masses who did not embrace the glory of Sihan. All the cultists care for, was that these defenders stood in the path of their ultimate goal.
As the cultists departed with their goal clear in their minds, the High Priest watched with a peaceful expression upon his steel grey eyes. His black and crimson robes fluttered in the wind, and gazing up into the deep black night sky and pondered upon their salvation. They'd awaited this moment for centuries upon centuries, and with the moment so close he could practically taste it. They would finally become be accepted into enlightenment, where they could spend eternity in their lord's companionship. He would bless upon him and his brothers his most divine gift, the gift of immortality and power.
Chuckling to himself, he strode at a leisurely pace back into the temple, to seclude himself into deep meditation. His skin was tingling with nerves, and when the time came it would do no good to be so edgy. For the grand moment, he needed to be as calm and steadfast as all his brothers would expect of him, so they too could ready without a moments hesitation. Soon all would be right with the world, and they would spread the word of Sihan to all.
(Jump City – Outskirts)
Today's arrival back in Jump City had proven to be anything but peaceful for the brooding former leader of the Titans. He'd expected to at least have the opportunity for a few days rest before having to start fighting the numerous foes that just seemed to gravitate towards them. Barely a few hours after arriving at his mansion, he and Eve had been attacked by strange robed men, each dressed head to toe in black and crimson robes. Now Nightwing wasn't the type to be angered easily, but he was downright irritated.
His hopes of having some time for peace and relaxation had quickly been crushed thanks to his attackers. So now he sat, contemplating the reason why the attack had occurred so suddenly. He couldn't recall ever meeting a cult that dressed like that before; he'd remember clothing so exquisitely designed. Sitting in the Living Room, he gazed thoughtfully across the room at the blank wall opposite him.
Grasping the heavy black and crimson robes in his hands, Nightwing looked down upon them with something akin to curiosity. He'd taken them from one of the cultists that he'd killed barely half an hour ago. Since then, Eve had retreated to her quarters, allowing him to contemplate how he should handle this new situation in solitude. They'd obviously wanted something from him, yet he didn't know what their goals had been. His usual method of running in and taking them all out would do no good for two reasons, with the first being that he had no idea where to find them, and the second because he didn't know what they were truly after. He needed to investigate this cult a little more before deciding how to best deal with it.
Grabbing a backpack from the living room, he stuffed the robes into it before flinging the front door open and making his way to Jump City. Eve would be fine by herself for the night, while the others were out drinking, and he was out hunting. Taking a moment the gaze out at the city in the distance, illuminated by the neon lights and the scent of humanity, he briefly wondered where in that pit of humanity, a cult could hide. Taking the city's current condition into account, there was a huge list of possible locations that came to mind. Slinging the pack over his back, he coiled his muscles before dashing forward with lightning speed, his surroundings quickly becoming nothing but a blur of sound and light around him as he moved.
It took only mere moments for his eyes to adjust to the sudden onset of speed, his eyes picking out the slightest movement around him, and in mere seconds the rocky hillsides, large clusters of trees and open plains were gradually replaced by urban homes, and office buildings. Pulling to a stop, he checked his surroundings, finding the street deserted of any pedestrians. Only the occasional vehicle that drove by indicated that the city remained inhabited.
"It's good to be home." Nightwing chuckled before venturing deeper into the city at a normal pace, taking his time as he took in all the old sights. It had been a while since he'd allowed the time for himself to just enjoy the sights.
Venturing deeper into the city, he noticed that the nightlife was becoming more noticeable. With people walking home from work, and the occasional group of inebriated teenagers, he scoffed at the simplicity of it all. While he was preparing for what could eventually become another apocalypse, mankind continued on as ignorant as they'd ever been. Had they learnt nothing from Vego's almost successful attempt at wiping the earth clean? Perhaps that was one of the more endearing, if not defining traits of humanity.
Soon the city was a bustle of activity around him, with dozens quickly traversing to wherever it was they were headed. Fluorescent lamps hanging overhead bathed the streets of the city in an orange glow, and many passed by without so much as giving Nightwing a second glance. Dressed in casual black jeans, a white shirt and black jacket, he easily blended in as a normal civilian. Without his trademark spiky hair, and mask, many found it hard to pick him out from a crowd these days. It was fortunate since he'd seen the many tabloid broadcasts that continued speculate his location. They didn't have a chance in hell finding him if he didn't want to be found.
His acute sight, blessed upon him when he'd been turned into a vampire easily cut through the darkness that bathed the city. It was thanks to that eyesight that he spotted a number of the robed cultists lurking in the alleyway. Spotting his target, Nightwing dashed into the nearest alleyway, and checked his surroundings to see if any were watching. Fortunately the humans continued to pass by, blissfully unaware of their surroundings. Chuckling, he coiled the muscles in his legs, and felt supernatural strength well up in him. Pushing off the ground, he rocketed into the sky, and despite the velocity of his leap, landed gently and silently on the rooftop of an office building.
From up here, he would easily be able to track the cultists across the city, and hopefully follow them back to wherever it was they hid themselves away. Finding their location was his main priority, hence it was vital that they never realised he was there, following their every movement. For humans, they were incredibly talented in stealth, not once did an inhabitant of the city spot them. Their skills were almost uncanny.
Moving with great stealth, they glided through the dank, filthy alleyways unnoticed, at least by humans. In record time, they were on the other side of the city, with the residents of Jump City, none the wiser to their presence. In the distance, off the coast of Jump City they could see their target. The Titans Facility was a medium sized complex, six stories tall, with some surprising defence mechanisms implemented by the man who designed it. From their angle it looked rectangular in shape, but from a birds eye view, one would actually notice the building was shaped like a T, in memory of their old home, the Titans Tower.
Above them, on the rooftops Nightwing had already deduced where they were planning to attack, and unfortunately he couldn't interfere as he still needed to discover their hideout. So reluctantly, he continued to observe as move cultists emerged from nearby alleyways, numbering in at least thirty strong, and stalked across the bridge that led to the Titans Facility that he'd designed during the early days of his turning into a vampire. It was a fortress built to withstand attacks from foes of a supernatural origin, how it would handle normal humans remained to be seen. Gliding down from the rooftop, he landed silently on the streets of Jump City, and prepared to continue his pursuit of the Cultists.
"This should prove interesting." Nightwing snickered as he silently followed the cultists with grace that only a creature such as he could possess.
(Jump City – Titans Facility)
A lethargy and settled over the inhabitants of the Titans Facility, which was built to occupy far more than the meagre five that resided there now. Nightwing had designed this facility to accommodate dozens of heroes in their time of need, during the apocalyptic Vampire Prophecy. Now its purpose was to merely house those who chose to remain. These were Raven's thoughts as she prepared herself for bed, peeling the leotard from her lithe frame, replacing it with a deep blue gown.
Now the large building was like a lonely tomb, though both Lucifer and Leo tried their hardest to cheer her up. Even Lightning and Thunder tried to help contribute, but all they did was distract her. All she wanted to do now was to find Nightwing, and at least see his face once again, they were in dire need of his presence, and Raven felt she was the only one to realise this. Not once did the other four mention their former leader and comrade, Nightwing. Hissing in frustration, she slammed her palm into the wall of her room, the strength gifted to her by Nightwing caused numerous cracks to spread from the point of impact in a spider web pattern.
This strength, given to her by Nightwing, had been the only thing that could save her life at that time. Nightwing and Shillian were caught up in one of their many fights, both fighting evenly with each other, when she'd unexpectedly ended up in the crossfire. Nightwing had dodged an energy blast from Shillian, and it ended up hitting her instead. Her memories of those moments afterwards were fuzzy, and hazed with pain, but she remembered Nightwing feeding her his blood in order to save her.
If she recalled correctly, that had happened upon their first encounter with Shillian in their own time, when he'd arrived in present day Jump City. That day seemed like nothing more than a distant memory now, despite it only taking place barely six months ago, if not less. Sighing, she sat down upon her bed, feeling the soft caressing touch of her silk sheets lull her into a deep restful slumber.
"Goodnight, Richard." She mumbled sleepily.
Elsewhere in the Titan Facility, as Lightning and Thunder slept, and the two resident immortal were out for the night, silent robed figures had easily bypassed the defences in place. Infiltrating the facility had proven to be easier than they'd originally believed. Despite the crimson of their robes, they blended in with the darkness almost seamlessly, and never did they leave a trace of their presence for any to find. Never did they leave the slightest item out of place, everything remained untouched as they ventured deeper into the bowels of the Titan Facility. Their goal was not to attack the Titans, in fact their High Priest had been most insistent that the Titans weren't made aware of their presence.
Like clockwork they marched forward to their goal, towards the Medical Labs situated deep in the Titans Facility. All of them were unaware though, that while they'd slipped in unnoticed they were being followed by one even more talented with stealth than even they were. He'd followed them across half the city without fail, tracking them with years of expertise under his belt. Silently, he continued to stalk them, watching as they finally entered the Medical Lab. Inside, the room was a marvel of modern technology, seeming almost futuristic compared to the casual decorum of the rest of the building.
With eyes that easily cut through the darkness, he observed as they ignored all the advanced and very expensive equipment, and instead went straight for the freezers which contained large quantities of blood. Not just any blood, but the blood of the Titans, stored in case of emergencies. Even his blood was stored there, and it had been kept up to date, even after he'd been turned into what he was now, a hybrid.
With widened eyes, realization hit him like a sledgehammer across the back of the head. Was that what they were after, his blood? What use could a cult have for his blood? If they tried injecting it into themselves it would more than likely kill them. So what reason did they have for stealing his blood?
As much as he wanted to stop them, he knew that he still needed to find out where the cult's hideout was situated, and to do that he needed to allow them to acquire his blood, and return to wherever it was they hid themselves. Edging closer, he peeked around the corner, watching as they continued to remove large plastic containers of his blood, placing each pack carefully into a worn rucksack. They never spoke, as each knew what the other was supposed to do. Eventually they had all the blood they required, and Nightwing silently vanished into the lingering shadows of the corridor in preparation to stalk the cultists once again.
Each cultist remained oblivious as they walked right by Nightwing, who remained hidden in the shadows, a talent he'd picked up from Batman some years ago. Silently, he clung to the shadows every step of the way, tracking their movements with sensitive ears, and spotting the crimson of their robes even in the pitch blackness that seeped into every corner of the building. It remained difficult to stay focused as his nose picked up the fresh scent of lavender and lilacs, Raven. Her scent hadn't changed, but what disturbed him was the lack of any other scent.
He couldn't pickup the familiar scent of oil that Cyborg emitted, nor any of the others. There were some traces, but they were old and faded. Try as he might, he couldn't pick up any fresh scents from the other Titans, not even Terra or Starfire, which led him to a single conclusion. They were gone. No longer did they walk these halls, as they'd moved on somewhere else, and now only Raven out of the original Titans remained.
He could still catch the fresh scents of Leo, Lucifer and the two elemental brothers, but other than that there was nothing. Had the Titans drifted so far apart in just the short speck of time that he'd been absent? How could it have happened? Just what had been going on in this city during his absence for this to happen? These numerous questions went unanswered as he pushed them to the back of his mind. While he was concerned about Raven's wellbeing, he had more pressing issues that demanded his attention.
Fortunately he hadn't lost track of the cultists in the midst of his inner ponderings. They'd only made it to the Commons Room of the facility, from where they each silently slipped out of a window that they'd pried open with uncanny expertise. Inspecting it closely moments after they'd departed, he couldn't find one sign of forced entry. Had the window been left open by Raven or one of the others for the night? With but a single moments hesitation, he slipped out of the window and landed silently on the ground. In the distance he could see the dark forms of the cultists slipping into the shadows as they departed for some unknown location in the city. They had bypassed the defences he'd designed to keep out intruders with such ease. Not a single one of the motion sensors that had been put in place were tripped. If one had been tripped, the defences surrounding the facility would instantly become active, in preparation to repel any intruders.
"You're good, but not that good." Nightwing grinned before slipping into the shadows and moving with unreal speed. Following the cultists would have been no easy task for a human, but with all the talents he'd gained under Batman's tutelage, and the abilities that being a hybrid of Vampire, and Demon gave him, made the task incredibly simple.
For a few moments he stopped, glancing back at the Titans Facility that loomed over Jump City protectively. It was a symbol of hope among the inhabitants of the city, and the home that Nightwing had never truly known. Many said home is where the heart is, and if that was true, then it would be wherever Raven was. Gazing at the building longingly, he knew he couldn't afford to reveal himself to her yet, no matter how much he wanted to. For now he had to keep his presence hidden from her and the others. Stopping whatever Shillian was plotting held the utmost importance now, and he would take whatever steps necessary to insure that he didn't succeed.
"Goodnight Raven." He spoke softly. "Sweet dreams."
Reluctantly, he turned away from the bridge and sped off to the city, determined to make it there before the cultists did. With his speed it proved no problem, as it would only take mere moments to reach Jump City. He couldn't take the bridge though, or he'd end up risking being spotted by the cultists, fortunately his speed had other benefits. Taking a calming breath, Nightwing relaxed the muscles throughout his entire body, feeling raw power coursing through his limbs.
Dashing forward with supernatural speed, his feet left solid land, and began running across the dark water surrounding the small island that the Titans Facility occupied. His feet moved like lightning, only pressing down on the water for the tiniest moment, with not a single ounce of his bodyweight pushing down against the surface of the water. With each footstep only causing the barest ripple across the surface, Nightwing streaked across the water like a bullet, even he was impressed with how easy it felt running across water.
All he needed to do was ensure he maintained the correct speed, and most importantly, that he kept shifting his weight appropriately. With his feet touching down on the surface of the water for but only an instant of a moment before pushing off again, helped him to avoid using any weight in his feet. If he slowed down by even a fraction, it was likely that he'd end up taking a swim in the Jump City harbour, but this kind of speed was easy to maintain. If he liked, he could have gone even faster, but there was no real rush at the moment. After a mere five seconds which seemed to last five minutes to his senses, he'd stood at the Jump City beach, completely dry with exception to the soles of his boots which were damp from his small run.
"Well, I've definitely improved." Nightwing muttered, a grin forming on his lips. "Now to wait for them to get here."
Coiling the muscles in his legs, Nightwing bent his knees by a fraction before pushing off the ground, launching himself high into the air, and towards the nearest rooftop. Touching down on the solid concrete as gentle as a feather would, he turned around, seeing the Titans Facility in the distance, clearly visible due to its impressive size. Turning his attention to the bridge, he could see the cultists, still silently stalking down it. They were barely even halfway across it at the moment. It would take them at least five minutes to reach the building he stood atop of.
Even from such a distance, Nightwing could still make out the intricate details of their robes, with his acute eyes. Night vision was certainly one of the more interesting perks of being a Vampire, and it helped they could see incredibly long distances as well. Fortunately the next few minutes seemed to pass rather quickly, as the cultists finally ducked down into an alleyway next to the building Nightwing hid atop. Strolling at a leisurely pace to the edge of the roof, he gazed down and observed the cultists with a clinical detachment. He wouldn't have to wait much longer before they would lead him to their hideout, and then finally he could remove the cult in whatever method that suited the situation best.
"Come on boys, let's play follow the leader." Nightwing whispered, as he leaped to the next rooftop, following the cult as they carefully stuck to the alleyways. While there were other groups that had entered separate alleyways, this small group took priority. They were the ones with the bag full to the brim with his blood.
Whatever they had planned with his blood, he would be sure to stop however necessary, once he'd determined their base of operations of course. And so the unwitting game of cat and mouse continued as the cultists led Nightwing deeper into Jump City. Soon the buildings became grimy, and more worn down as they entered one of the disused sections of the city. Despite Jump City being a tourist hotspot, disused parts of the city were in fact quite common. They'd apparently become even more commonplace after Vego's prophecy, as Nightwing recalled this part of the city once being a well maintained area.
Slowly the buildings began to grow more scarce, meaning less rooftops for Nightwing to observe from. Fortunately, it seemed they'd arrived at their destination as the cultists he'd stalked across the entire city entered a large rundown cathedral. He could see some of the other cultists emerge from the shadows, quickly scurrying into the safety of the derelict building. Observing the cathedral carefully, something unnatural touched against his senses, like an unknown power, a dangerous one at that lurked within.
Nightwing allowed a satisfied smirk to spread across his face. "So this is where you've all been hiding."
Silently jumping down from the rooftop, he clung to the shadows, and watched as the last of the cultists slithered into the safety of the Cathedral. Gazing at the entrance with a thoughtful expression, Nightwing wondered what approach would be best to take. He could probably destroy the cathedral from where he stood at this moment, but then he wouldn't know what the cult intended to do. He could walk right on in, and slay each cultist by his own hand, but he wanted to observe them without them knowing, which would be difficult in their own hideout. Gazing down at his backpack, an idea struck.
Inside the cathedral, the High Priest observed his fellow brothers with an appraising gaze, as they presented the key to their future. Stepping forward, he brushed a hand over the dull satchel. Within it were all their hopes and dreams for the future, the future only their lord Sihan could provide to them. Opening it, he looked down at the various packs of blood, the blood which would be the key to their paradise.
Looking back up at his fellow brothers, he spoke with a soft assuring tone. "You've all done very well. Lord Sihan will most certainly be pleased. Rejoice for soon our paradise will soon be reality!"
A roar of triumphant cheers engulfed the room, as all the cultists gathered raised their arms in victory. It was a day they'd long awaited, and now they'd finally achieved the dreams that Sihan had provided with them for what seemed an eternity. Their victorious cheers continued even as the insignia behind the High Priest began to pulsate with green energy. Raising his arms, the High Priest motioned for his fellow believers to be silent. There would be time to rejoice later, what mattered now was to remain silent in the presence of their lord. Turning around and bowing down to the insignia so low that his forehead touched the floor, he waited patiently for their lord to speak.
"You've done well my children. You've acquired the key to your paradise, soon the entire world will know of my grand cause." The disembodied voice spoke deeply.
Gazing up reverently, the High Priest spoke. "We live to serve the will of Sihan, we have long waited the day where we can fulfil your wishes. We offer the blood of the abomination as the key to unlock the gates to paradise."
Picking up the satchel of blood by his side, the High Priest held it forward with outstretched arms towards the pulsating insignia. Within the large hall, a pair if curious eyes observed intently. Of all the things Nightwing had expected to find within the cathedral this was not one of them, to find that the deity these cultists worshipped seemed very real. The green energy that pulsated from the Cult Insignia and seemed to blanket the entire room felt oddly familiar. No matter how he tried, he couldn't place this unnatural power, as the answers continued to elude his grasp.
Disguised as one of the cultists, it had been easy to enter unnoticed, but with this revelation in front of him, he wasn't entirely sure how to proceed, especially with some unknown supernatural force that required his blood for some unknown cause. He couldn't just tear the place apart, or try and stop the High Priest from offering up his blood, since for all he knew this unknown entity could destroy him with ease. This power definitely felt unsettling enough to warrant caution.
So he continued to watch as the High Priest, a man with a completely shaven head, not even eyebrows graced his features, held the pack full of his blood towards the pulsating insignia with outstretched hands. His smooth, angular face oddly seemed elegant, and his steel grey eyes held a well practiced charisma and self assured confidence.
Nightwing barely suppressed a revolted shudder as the green aura that blanketed the room grew thicker, as did the cold dark feeling that hit him in the pit of his stomach. Gazing up from underneath the hood of the robes he wore, he saw a burst of green fire shoot out from the insignia and quickly engulfed the satchel of blood. As the fire died away, the satchel was gone, leaving the High Priest with his hands oddly outstretched, and completely clear and smooth, devoid of any burns. Just like that, his blood was gone, to wherever it was this so called entity hid itself. Whatever this 'Sihan' plotted with his blood, Nightwing would be unable to stop it.
"Soon my children, this world we've long suffered will become our paradise." The deep, distorted voice spoke, before the green aura faded from the hall, and the insignia soon became just another carving in the wall. That cold unsettling atmosphere that had once smothered the entire room was now absent, leaving the cultists to stand at attention.
Nightwing swept his gaze across the room, taking note of everything he saw, especially the numbers of the cultists around him. Altogether they numbered barely more than thirty, including the High Priest who now stood attentively at the alter, watching over them with a stone cold look in his eyes, but something felt off. He wasn't watching his fellow believers, but was looking directly at him! Now something definitely seemed off.
"Shit!" he muttered under his breath as the atmosphere in the room once again grew tense.
"My fellow brothers, today is a joyous day. We have fulfilled our destiny, and among us is the first of many unbelievers who will feel the righteous power of our lord." He spoke reverently, his eyes never wavering from Nightwing's location. "It's no use. You may as well remove those robes brother, and bask in the glory that is Sihan."
Sighing, Nightwing reached up with a hand, and pulled the hood from over his head, revealing himself to the cultists. He could feel their gaze on him from all directions as he watched the cultists tense up, preparing the jump into action. Ignoring them, he turned his gaze to the High Priest who observed with a calm smile on his face that never reached his eyes. Those eyes were like cold steel, not a flicker of emotion burned within them. He could literally feel the leader of the cult analysing him carefully.
"So you are the abomination that Lord Sihan has spoken to me off." He spoke. "It is a pleasure to meet you, for the day has come where your soul will be saved through the righteousness of his fire."
Smirking, Nightwing stared the High Priest down defiantly. "Sorry, but I sold my soul a long time ago, I may as well enjoy the ride."
Coiling his muscles, he felt the supernatural power well up within him, as crimson lightning began to dance across his skin in erratic patterns. Deeper and deeper he pushed into his well of power, grasping it and allowing it surge throughout his limbs. A hurricane of wind slowly began to build up around him, roaring throughout the room noisily. Soon it died down, allowing the cultists to once again see Nightwing, in a relaxed defensive posture.
"Take him." The High Priest spoke, his steel grey eyes staring at the abomination with something skin to curiosity.
Rushing forward, Nightwing quickly dealt with the nearest cultist with a palm to the jaw, and a satisfying crunch of bone shattering reached his ears. It took only a moment afterwards for the swarm of black and crimson robed humans to surround him, all attacking almost simultaneously, each brandishing bladed weapons like swords and daggers. Ducking under the first wave of attacks, Nightwing flipped over the group of attacks, and watched as the cultists seemed to move in slow motion. Grabbing the nearest opponent, he slammed him face first into the floor, and troubled Nightwing no more.
Allowing himself a grin, as lust for battle simmered beneath the surface, Nightwing lost himself in the fray, and all he became aware of was the clang of metal against flesh, and the sound of their screams. Their weapons could do little against him, and didn't worry about a stray sword breaching his defence. All that mattered now was the sensation of flesh and bone breaking against his hands and feet.
Grabbing an incoming sword, he twisted it from his opponents grip, and threw a hook into his opponents face, feeling bone and skin shatter beneath his knuckles. Turning around, he flung the sword at a nearby cultist, and grinned as the human soon found himself impaled to the wall. Their numbers dwindled quickly, and soon became evident that their efforts were futile. Nothing they did appeared to affect Nightwing. In their eyes, he truly was the abomination that Sihan had spoken off in the past. This abomination had come to rob them of their promised salvation on the very day they'd acquired their key to paradise.
With a grin plastered to his lips, Nightwing grabbed the final cultist by the throat, and could feel the rapid, panicked pulse underneath his skin. His hands were drenched with the blood of his enemies, and inside he knew he should've felt disgusted, but remorse for the enemy wouldn't stop Shillian and his plans. Disgust was absent, in its place was that irrepressible thirst for blood, and with no blood packs around to quench his thirst, there was but one course of action that Nightwing never thought he'd take before. With but a moments hesitation, he drove his fangs deep into the jugular of his enemy, drinking deep of the blood that spewed forth from the wound on the cultist's neck. Soon the body in his hands became still and lifeless, and Nightwing pulled away from his neck, dropping the body to the floor.
All the cultists were dead now, all but one. Several feet in front of him, the High Priest stood silent and still at the alter watching him with unflinching eyes. Peering deep into those cold grey eyes, he couldn't even see a hint of fear. What kind of devotion could keep a man so calm in front of such a slaughter was all Nightwing could wonder. Any man in his right mind would be cowering in fear at this moment, yet the High Priest remained unafraid.
"You truly are the abomination that Sihan spoke of." He spoke finally. "I have been blessed with the holy powers of Sihan, and your blasphemy ends tonight."
"Powers? I doubt it, you smell as human as they do." Nightwing gestured to the ravaged bodies of the dead cultists scattered across the main hall of the cathedral. Any further words that Nightwing had planned were abruptly silenced as green flames erupted from the High Priest, burning everything they touched except for the man before him. Nightwing watched with awe as the flames danced around the High Priest, and the green aura surrounding him flared menacingly. This display reminded him of another, a power he'd seen before some time ago.
"Do you see? The power of Sihan will burn away all who refuse to hear him, starting with you, abomination." He spoke.
"Just get on with it already." Nightwing spoke, a grin now on his lips. "I've faced enough like you to know that whatever you're preaching isn't going to do the world a whole lot of good."
A column of green fire rushed towards him, and the High Priest grinned with anticipation as the abomination was about to be burned to a cinder. Only anticipation became disappointment as Nightwing dashed away from the flames with blinding speed, allowing them to fly by harmlessly and burn a hole through the stone wall. Now on the offensive, Nightwing rushed forward, intending to slam his fist straight into the High Priest's face, but he leapt out of the way with surprising agility, especially for a human.
Growling with anger, the High Priest shot multiple balls of green flames at Nightwing, who dodged each one, twisted his torso in multiple directions, allowing the fireballs to sail by harmlessly. Throwing his hand out, crimson lightning arced out towards the High Priest, who raised his hands, summoning a wall of green fire to disperse the attack.
Nightwing hissed in frustration as what should have been an easy victory was slowly being dragged out. These powers the High Priest now demonstrated were so familiar, and he'd only seen one other individual with powers like this. Knowing this urged him to fight harder, and the moment the wall of fire disappeared, he rushed forward faster than the High Priest could hope to follow. Frantically, he dove into the air, landing on the other side of the room with unnatural agility, and gazed across the room. He couldn't see the abomination anywhere in sight, but he had to there in the room somewhere. A blur of motion was his only warning before Nightwing appeared only a foot away from the High Priest, with his hand painfully gripping his neck.
Placing the palm of his hand against Nightwing's torso, green flames burst from his hands, burning away the robes that he wore. Grimacing, he felt the flames burning deep into his flesh and the determined expression upon the High Priest's face only made his next action that much easier. With a simple twist of his hand, he felt the bones break with a resounding snap, and the man in his hand grew still. Dropping him to the floor, Nightwing sighed and gazed at the destruction that had taken place in under ten minutes. He knew that he should've felt guilty for all these deaths, but upon learning that these cultists worshipped his greatest enemy, they'd become less than human in his eyes.
(Jump City – Shillian's Headquarters)
Leaning back in his chair, Shillian grinned triumphantly as once again everything had gone according to his plans. Undoubtedly, the cult had been utterly destroyed by Nightwing by now, leaving him with one less mess to clean up at the end of the day. He'd known that if he'd alerted Nightwing to the cult's presence, then he would remove them from play, but not before he'd acquired what he'd needed from them. Their services had proven invaluable in the past, but now that he no longer needed them, they could be disposed of.
His plan had come together quite well, using the cult to acquire Nightwing's blood, and then use Nightwing himself to destroy the cult now that they no longer had a purpose. Smirking he rose up from his chair, and strode confidently towards the table, were the satchel of blood lay. Removing one of the packs of blood, he gazed at it with admiration, knowing that with this blood, the war that Cyrus wanted would be assured.
"I love it when a plan comes together." Shillian spoke, and traced a finger across the transparent plastic that held the key to his plans.
A quiet laugh left his lips as he imagined the future that would soon be upon them. For now, the Titans, or Nightwing had any clue as to what he schemed, but it would all become clear to them soon enough. In only a few months, whatever feeble resistance they could muster would be crushed underneath his fist, and then the next phase of his plans would be in motion, and then not even the gods themselves would dare stand in his path.
To Be Continued
Next Chapter: Betrayal
Author's Note: Two chapters in less than a month, I know, a real shocker. If anyone has figured out what Shillian's planning by this point, I'll give them a big round of applause. Hopefully I can keep this pace up, and continue updating. It all depends on the amount reviews I get. They're what motivate me to continue writing this story, even though I'm actually working on getting some original fiction published at this moment. So if you want to see this story continued, please read and review.