Part 3: Demons
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Underground
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Belphagor sat on the throne, Saalah and Undertaker on either side of him. Gangrel was kneeling on the floor before him, the obedient pet he was. The remainder of the Ministry of Darkness sat in chairs around the small dark room. Kane felt apprehension creeping up his spine.
"Who's the girl, Kane?" Belphagor asked, gesturing for him to come closer.
"Nobody, Master," Kane replied automatically. "She was a lost tourist."
"I smelled Power," Undertaker added, a terse look on his pale features. "But I couldn't read her--she blocked me from doing it."
Saalah looked interested. Her cat-shaped eyes lit up, a smile spreading over her beautiful features, revealing fangs. "A Witch?" she asked, looking at Kane intently.
"No, Mistress," he replied, his throat hurting more than usual. He knew Saalah had something to do with it. "I don't know."
"You have the Dark Powers, and you are telling me you couldn't snese Power on her?" the woman demon screamed, voice raising to the level of a Banshee. Belphagor touched her arm, trying to calm her.
Then he turned his red eyes on Kane. "We gave you life after death--we gave you a family after your was gone," he told his minion. "We are your family. We can take all that away from you, and more." He projected a picture of the black haired girl dying at Saalah's claws into Kane's mind. The masked man slammed walls up, refusing entry to the demons.
"Did the witch teach you that?" Undertaker asked quietly, his voice deadly.
"I wouldn't know, brother," Kane replied in a voice just as deadly, but raspy with the pain, then he turned and walked out.
Saalah stood to follow, but Belphagor put his hand on her harm again. "He'll come back to us," he nodded to Gangral to follow him. "We'll just keep closer tabs on the fool."
"What am I doing here?" th ewords invaded Undertaker's mind again. He shook his head, trying to clear it. lifting his urn, he took a drink of the virgin blood from it, feeling better aftwewards, the voice leaving his
mind.
The Arena
==========
Calliope opened the locked doors of the arena, projecting heat into the locks to melt them. Ravyn bit back the "Cool!" comment, and filed in behind the two other witches. Heavynne lit a ball of light in her palm, holding it out to light the way through the dark hallways of the arena.
"Ravyn, you shouldn't-" the voice cut off. "They know-" the voice was choaked with pain,. Again, it was in her mind.
"Kane-where are you?" she thought back to him.
"I'll find you," he told her.
"My sisters-"
"Don't worry about them,"
Then the hand grasped her shoulder from the dark locker room to her right, and she bit back a scream,. Hopefully, Calliope and Heavynne wouldn't notice her missing until she found out what was going on.
Ravyn turned to see Kane behind her-but it wasn't Kane. It was a shorter man, iwth lots of hair and fangs. Ravyn screamed as he lunged for her.
The black clad arm reached out, grasping the man with a black gloved hand around the throat, slamming him down on the concrete floor. Ravyn heard the connection of skull to concrete, but he rose, growling. Kane stepped in front of Ravyn, grappling with the man-beast. The fanged one seemed to have an upperhand. Kane seemed injured somehow.
The man-beast grabbed Kane, slamming his mask-clad face into the floor. Ravyn whimpered, hearing the crunch of bones. Then she felt anger rise in her. Red hot anger. She raised her hands instinctively, feeling Power rise through her, channelling through her arms, to her hands, and out her palms. A blast of what looked like light beams hit the man beast, knocking him to the floor. That gave Kane time to get to his feet, grab the hairy man and swing him over his head, smashing him across a metal bench in the locker room. Ravyn heard the snap of his spine, and the hairy body went limp.
Ravyn could feel herself slipping into shock. She shook herself out of it. Then looked at Kane.
"Are you alright?" she went over to him, raising her hands to his mask. "I can heal you-"
"No," he grabbed his mask, keeping her from removing it. "I will be okay."
"I heard the bone snap-" she started, tracing over the leather mask, seeing if she could tap into where he was hurt through it.
Kane pushed her hands away. "It's too dangerouis," he told her. "I do not want you getting involved."
"I'm already involved," Ravyn snapped. "You called me for help, remember? And when i offer it, you push me away."
She paced the locker room, sinking into a plastic chair against the wall. "What do you want from me?" she asked, looking up at the huge man, again wearing a black trench coat and black leather gloves.
"I should not have called to you," he shook his head, shoulderlength dark curls falling over his face.
"But you did," Ravyn replied tersely. "And I want to know why."
The big man coughed, sitting on the floor beside her. He could look into her eyes, still, even with her sitting higher, because of his height. "My brother-he got into bad stuff when he was thirteen," his raspy voice began. "Black magic, demons." Tears welled in his eyes, but he blinked them away. "Something went very wrong one night, A fire engulfed our house. He wasn't injured at all. My parents and I were killed."
Ravyn looked at him sharply. "Killed?"
"he brought me back, with the help of two demons," He hunched his shoulders. "Our parents were beyond being able to be resurrected. The demons gave us new life. But my scars have never been repaired." he gestured to his mask. "I wear this to hide what I am."
"So you're-undead?" Ravyn asked haltingly.
He nodded. "I never wanted this. I was eight. It's been such a long time- " he broke off, his voice choaked with tears again,. Ravyn put her arms around his broad shoulders as best as she could, wishing he would let her do something for him.
"You can't," kane said, reading her thoughts again. "I won't let you. When you heal someone, you take some of the hurt with you. This isn't just pain, it's evil. I won't let the evil touch you."
"You're not evil," the words came out of Ravyn before she had a chance to think about it.
Kane's eyes clouded over, and he stood, brushing her arms aside. "As I said, I don't want you involved."
"Dammit, Kane-"
"Ravyn!" Calliope cried walking into the locker room, seeing her Craft sister facing off against an enormous man in a black trench coat and mask.
Then Kane's eyes widened, looking behind Calliope. Ravyn turned to see the pale man. The Undertaker.
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Underground
===========
Belphagor sat on the throne, Saalah and Undertaker on either side of him. Gangrel was kneeling on the floor before him, the obedient pet he was. The remainder of the Ministry of Darkness sat in chairs around the small dark room. Kane felt apprehension creeping up his spine.
"Who's the girl, Kane?" Belphagor asked, gesturing for him to come closer.
"Nobody, Master," Kane replied automatically. "She was a lost tourist."
"I smelled Power," Undertaker added, a terse look on his pale features. "But I couldn't read her--she blocked me from doing it."
Saalah looked interested. Her cat-shaped eyes lit up, a smile spreading over her beautiful features, revealing fangs. "A Witch?" she asked, looking at Kane intently.
"No, Mistress," he replied, his throat hurting more than usual. He knew Saalah had something to do with it. "I don't know."
"You have the Dark Powers, and you are telling me you couldn't snese Power on her?" the woman demon screamed, voice raising to the level of a Banshee. Belphagor touched her arm, trying to calm her.
Then he turned his red eyes on Kane. "We gave you life after death--we gave you a family after your was gone," he told his minion. "We are your family. We can take all that away from you, and more." He projected a picture of the black haired girl dying at Saalah's claws into Kane's mind. The masked man slammed walls up, refusing entry to the demons.
"Did the witch teach you that?" Undertaker asked quietly, his voice deadly.
"I wouldn't know, brother," Kane replied in a voice just as deadly, but raspy with the pain, then he turned and walked out.
Saalah stood to follow, but Belphagor put his hand on her harm again. "He'll come back to us," he nodded to Gangral to follow him. "We'll just keep closer tabs on the fool."
"What am I doing here?" th ewords invaded Undertaker's mind again. He shook his head, trying to clear it. lifting his urn, he took a drink of the virgin blood from it, feeling better aftwewards, the voice leaving his
mind.
The Arena
==========
Calliope opened the locked doors of the arena, projecting heat into the locks to melt them. Ravyn bit back the "Cool!" comment, and filed in behind the two other witches. Heavynne lit a ball of light in her palm, holding it out to light the way through the dark hallways of the arena.
"Ravyn, you shouldn't-" the voice cut off. "They know-" the voice was choaked with pain,. Again, it was in her mind.
"Kane-where are you?" she thought back to him.
"I'll find you," he told her.
"My sisters-"
"Don't worry about them,"
Then the hand grasped her shoulder from the dark locker room to her right, and she bit back a scream,. Hopefully, Calliope and Heavynne wouldn't notice her missing until she found out what was going on.
Ravyn turned to see Kane behind her-but it wasn't Kane. It was a shorter man, iwth lots of hair and fangs. Ravyn screamed as he lunged for her.
The black clad arm reached out, grasping the man with a black gloved hand around the throat, slamming him down on the concrete floor. Ravyn heard the connection of skull to concrete, but he rose, growling. Kane stepped in front of Ravyn, grappling with the man-beast. The fanged one seemed to have an upperhand. Kane seemed injured somehow.
The man-beast grabbed Kane, slamming his mask-clad face into the floor. Ravyn whimpered, hearing the crunch of bones. Then she felt anger rise in her. Red hot anger. She raised her hands instinctively, feeling Power rise through her, channelling through her arms, to her hands, and out her palms. A blast of what looked like light beams hit the man beast, knocking him to the floor. That gave Kane time to get to his feet, grab the hairy man and swing him over his head, smashing him across a metal bench in the locker room. Ravyn heard the snap of his spine, and the hairy body went limp.
Ravyn could feel herself slipping into shock. She shook herself out of it. Then looked at Kane.
"Are you alright?" she went over to him, raising her hands to his mask. "I can heal you-"
"No," he grabbed his mask, keeping her from removing it. "I will be okay."
"I heard the bone snap-" she started, tracing over the leather mask, seeing if she could tap into where he was hurt through it.
Kane pushed her hands away. "It's too dangerouis," he told her. "I do not want you getting involved."
"I'm already involved," Ravyn snapped. "You called me for help, remember? And when i offer it, you push me away."
She paced the locker room, sinking into a plastic chair against the wall. "What do you want from me?" she asked, looking up at the huge man, again wearing a black trench coat and black leather gloves.
"I should not have called to you," he shook his head, shoulderlength dark curls falling over his face.
"But you did," Ravyn replied tersely. "And I want to know why."
The big man coughed, sitting on the floor beside her. He could look into her eyes, still, even with her sitting higher, because of his height. "My brother-he got into bad stuff when he was thirteen," his raspy voice began. "Black magic, demons." Tears welled in his eyes, but he blinked them away. "Something went very wrong one night, A fire engulfed our house. He wasn't injured at all. My parents and I were killed."
Ravyn looked at him sharply. "Killed?"
"he brought me back, with the help of two demons," He hunched his shoulders. "Our parents were beyond being able to be resurrected. The demons gave us new life. But my scars have never been repaired." he gestured to his mask. "I wear this to hide what I am."
"So you're-undead?" Ravyn asked haltingly.
He nodded. "I never wanted this. I was eight. It's been such a long time- " he broke off, his voice choaked with tears again,. Ravyn put her arms around his broad shoulders as best as she could, wishing he would let her do something for him.
"You can't," kane said, reading her thoughts again. "I won't let you. When you heal someone, you take some of the hurt with you. This isn't just pain, it's evil. I won't let the evil touch you."
"You're not evil," the words came out of Ravyn before she had a chance to think about it.
Kane's eyes clouded over, and he stood, brushing her arms aside. "As I said, I don't want you involved."
"Dammit, Kane-"
"Ravyn!" Calliope cried walking into the locker room, seeing her Craft sister facing off against an enormous man in a black trench coat and mask.
Then Kane's eyes widened, looking behind Calliope. Ravyn turned to see the pale man. The Undertaker.