Only a few hours remained until sunrise. Daedalus slowed his movement through the shadows towards the warehouse where Kain and Raziel were residing. Every one of his senses were at their peak, searching for the smallest sign of one of the strange intruders to the city. As a Primogen, his Obfuscate abilities were highly potent, but the pair that he had been sent to spy on had displayed numerous inexplicable and powerful abilities, and Daedalus wasn't prepared to assume that he could hide from them. He crept slowly, almost arm's length from the door to the warehouse, when it suddenly flung itself open. Kain strode out, looked around, and set his gaze directly where Daedalus was standing. The Nosferatu froze, waited for the inevitable attack...

"Raziel!" Kain called. "Be on the lookout for more spies of the Prince."

Raziel's voice called back from inside. "I heard you the first time Kain. And I'll say it one more time - I am not your servant any more!"

"True, but that does not diminish the validity of my...suggestion. I have little doubt that Luna will send someone to watch us until the Gangrel return."

Raziel said something else, but it was a little too quiet for Daedalus to pick up. Strange, though. He, along with the rest of the council, had assumed that Raziel was simply a servant of the monster masquerading as Caine. But the brief conversation - argument, he would call it - suggested otherwise.

Before he could reflect further on this, a movement caught his eye. Someone, a Vampire, was watching Kain also. Daedalus wondered if Luna had sent another Vampire to spy on Kain and Raziel. But the Vampire was clearly not Nosferatu, and almost certainly not Gangrel. Daedalus doubted that Julian would send a Kindred from another clan on such a mission. Odd...

Kain left the area, and the Vampire, whoever he was...they were, Daedalus corrected himself as he saw a second shadow follow the Vampire, also made their leave. Daedalus wondered whether to report this to Julian, but decided to continue his mission. He slipped inside the warehouse to observe the decrepit creature with the glowing blade.

***

Avid and Tenor followed Kain as he left the warehouse and entered into the streets of the city. As he did so, his body morphed from a green-skinned monster to a normal-looking human, albeit with slightly odd clothes.

"I don't believe it..." Tenor muttered. "Even his aura...if I didn't know, I'd swear he was human!"

"Just a disguise, impressive as it may be." Avid replied. "But we can assume that Caine does not wish to be noticed."

"By humans. His actions to date make it apparent that he doesn't care how many Vampires notice him."

"Perhaps. Or perhaps he simply doesn't want to be noticed at this time by anyone...hmm?"

Kain had walked to the edge of the river nearby. He paused to look around, as if to check for anyone who might be watching. Fortunately, the Tremere were hidden around the corner of a wall, and Kain missed them. Kain crouched, eyeing the water with distaste, then simply leapt right to the bank on the other side, covering a distance several times the size of a football pitch. The Tremere abandoned their hiding place, identical gapes of disbelief on their faces.

"What the hell was THAT?!" Tenor cried.

"He just jumped...how far?" Avid whispered.

Tenor swore. "Great. So how do we catch up with him?"

"Huh. Unless we can jump the river, and I'm not willing to try, by the time we reach the other side he'll be long gone. Damn. I think we should make plans for tomorrow. Caine's demanded to meet with Luna, and I'd bet a week's feeding that the Prince will hold it at the Haven, hoping that Caine will keep from violence at Elysium. So that's where we're going to be."

***

Daedalus watched Raziel as the ruined being passed the time taking swipes at imaginary enemies, occasionally muttering curses directed at someone called Moebius. Daedalus noted the name, but for a while was unable to learn anything else from his observation.

Eventually, though, Raziel squatted on the floor and called up the glowing blade from his arm. Daedalus noted what might have been a look of despair on Raziel's face, though the cloth that covered the lower half of his face made it hard to be sure.

"Damned thing..." Raziel sighed. "Are you...am I...are you still intelligent? Do you understand me? Or have you been the Soul Reaver for so long that your sentience is as decayed as my body?"

Raziel pulled his banner from his face, and Daedalus barely concealed a gasp. Raziel was missing his entire lower skull, and much of his neck and upper chest! The Brujah and Gangrel he'd talked to and considered Raziel to be a possible Nosferatu, but Daedalus could see now that Raziel's disfigurement went far beyond that of his own clan. Hell, he'd seen Samedi that looked more human than Raziel!

"Am I still destined to become you?" Raziel questioned his weapon. "Kain thinks that he can stop that. That he can keep me from ever being absorbed into the Reaver. But I'm starting to wonder...Janos. Did you know? Is this what you meant when you told me the Reaver was forged for me? I wish I'd had more time to learn about the Reaver and the Pillars from you. I wish I'd never led myself to you. I wish I'd killed Moebius in William's tomb. So many regrets...and still I must use the weapon I've come to hate so much..."

Raziel got to his feet and considered the Reaver. "No elemental forges here. I wonder if it can still be imbued."

Raziel remembered how the Reaver had been imbued with fire in the wastelands of Nosgoth's distant future. Once imbued, it had needed only to be inserted into flame to return the power of Fire to itself. But that ability had disappeared when the Reaver had fully awoken at the Sarafan Stronghold. Since then, Raziel had been using the fonts created by the Ancients long before. Now, without that option, Raziel wondered if he could still power up his weapon.

***

Lillie put her hands on her hips. "Oh, of course. you've got two insane and overpowered psychopaths roaming in the city, so your reaction is to invite them to my club."

Luna frowned. "The Haven is Elysium for this city, Lillie."

"True. And most Vampires respect Elysium. But then, most Vampires don't commit diablerie, or have unheard of destructive powers, or pretend to be Caine."

"The Haven is the closest thing there is to a safe place to meet them."

"You mean the two that easily took down a whole party of Gangrel, including Cash? What is your plan for when they start killing in the Haven. There are humans there too, plus several gangs of Vampires who might well decide to take the fight to the new enemy. How do you propose to keep the Masquerade intact then?"

"Caine told Cash that if the meeting didn't take place he'd create a wave of destruction in the city. At least this way we have a chance of avoiding a breach."

Lillie sighed. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I prefered it when we were dealing with Fiori. At least we knew he was killable."

"Lillie..."

"I know, Julian. And the Haven will be ready for you. But don't ask me to like it."

Though neither noticed, someone was standing at the door, listening. Sasha narrowed her eyes, then turned and quickly made her way down the corridor, walking to where her bike was waiting for her.

She needed to speak to Cash.

***

Kain stalked through the darkened streets of what he assumed would be the slums of this city. This area struck a resemblance to the slums of Meridian - boarded windows and doors, graffitti, bums and other lowlifes. An excellent feeding ground.

Kain followed a shambling figure into a dark alleyway. The alley was secluded, and Kain figured he could feed in peace there. But once he stepped into the alley, his senses warned him that it was a trap.

The shadows seemed to spring to life, and Kain found himself bound by dark tendrils. Several people, Vampires, approached him. The bum he'd followed discarded his rages, proudly displaying cleaner casual wear.

"The humans around here are so dumb!" The Vampire laughed. "That's what, seven tonight?"

Kain growled. "I have no patience to deal with fledglings. Release me and I may spare your lives."

"Whooo-oooh!" A female Vampire taunted. "Bet you a buck and a half we don't spare your life!"

Kain shook his head. "Fine." He discarded his human guise and cast a spell of light. The light wasn't even close to sunlight in power, not enough to harm his enemies. The shadows, on the other hand, dissapated instantly. One of the gang stared in shock.

"Wha...what did you just do?"

"Nothing compared to what lies in store for you."

"Is that so, oh dark one?" From deeper in the alley, a taunting voice emerged. A Vampire appeared, but this one looked far from human. His eyes were in the wrong place, his nose was far too big, and his mouth seemed to have been turned to the right angle of where it should have been. Kain raised an eyebrow. Finally, an evolved Vampire. He'd started to wonder if the entire city was made up of fledglings.

"This city has been marked for the Sabbat. But you should feel honoured - you'll be the first Camarilla Vampire whose blood shall pave the way for our invasion."

"I do not know what a Camarilla Vampire is, but I can tell you what type of Vampire I can see in all of you. Dead ones."

The Tzimisce charged forward, but Kain met him with a beserk attack. Tens of clawed slashes fell on the Cainite at lightning speed before Kain delivered the blow that sent the Tzimisce sprawling. He felt the approach of the other Vampires, and span on the ball of his foot, throwing a green, slimy object into the chest of the nearest.

The Vampire screamed, and as her pack watched, she melted into a puddle of green goo, sending blobs flying as she spasmed into liquid. The Tzimisce looked impressed by this.

"Not bad, my dear victim. But I'm afraid that killing one of us simply makes the rest of us more eager for a kill."

Kain smirked. "Then you should celebrate, as you're about to get all the kills you can handle."

"And just what do you mean by that?"

"Your friends were standing a little too close to our recently deceased fledgling."

The Tzimisce stared in amazement as the little splatters of goo that had showered the other Vampires started dissolving the flesh that they covered. In moments, the screaming Vampires were increasing the size of the green puddle. The Tzimisce automatically took a step forward, wanting to collect a sample, imagining the possibilities of obtaining such a weapon.

The next thing he knew, a clawed hand had impaled him through the heart. The last thing he saw before the darkness swallowed his sight was Kain's fangs.

***

Daedalus couoldn't figure out what Raziel was trying to do. Raziel had looked around the warehouse, finally dragging an ultraviolet lamp from the wall. Apparently, some worker or other had been using it to grow mushrooms. Raziel tested the light.

"Bright...and it seems to feel more like sunlight that the other artificial lights this place has. Just as well. I'd rather avoid lighting a fire in a building with so much that could burn."

Daedalus noted the boxes of bedding that the warehouse contained, and secretly agreed with Raziel.

Raziel turned the lamp onto full, and then put the Reaver into the glow. Moments passed, and to Daedalus' suprise, it went from a dim blue glow to a bright golden shine. It was as if the blade had somehow absorbed the light of the lamp.

"It feels...off somehow. Perhaps because the light was artificial. But at least I know that it works." Raziel swiped the Reaver in the air a few times, and the weapon gave a shrieking sound. Then Raziel tried an energy bolt from the blade. The light bolt shot from the Reaver's tip and impacted against the wall, less than two feet from where Daedalus was standing. The light flared, and for a moment Daedalus felt as if he were standing in broad daylight. Thankfully, the light faded immediately. But Raziel was looking towards him in suprised anger, and Daedalus realised that the light had momentarily dispelled the shadows that he was hiding in. And Raziel had seen him!

Daedalus ran for the door, but was too slow. Before he could reach it, the Reaver jabbed the wall a few feet in front of him. It was a calculated jab - Raziel had guessed where the Nosferatu Primogen might have reached hidden in shadows, and had thankfully missed. But this close to him, the Reaver's light was casting away the shadows, and Daedalus was in plain sight of the enemy. The enemy who was now pointing the Reaver right at Daedalus' throat. Daedalus could feel the flesh of his upper body sting at the presence of the light, but even more frightening was the look of Raziel's eyes. They were glowing slits that were angled in impatient anger, and they held Daedalus' gaze as if they were the eyes of a Gorgon turning him to stone.

"Oh damn..."