I promised more soon, right? Well, HERE IT IS! I have a bad feeling that
the only people reading this is busta and my pal arch angel. That's all
right though, because you guys are enough!! Oh, for those who didn't know,
Kaos's name is not pronounced "Chaos" it is pronounced "Kai-ohs" (like king
Kai of dbz and O, like Oh with an 's' at the end. I'm just complicated
like that. . .
Also, I'm sorry if I mess up with some of the stuff. I'm not exactly sure on some of the language I'm using. (I'm not British, so. . .yeah. . .Merin's supposed to be. . . but. . .) Don't snap my head off over it, please.
Chapter 24 Kaos Chaos
Back in reality, Schala was on her knees, shaking Demitri's body. When Izra had stared at him, he had frozen and fallen to the ground. Then Izra had disappeared. Schala knew Demi was alive; his eyes were wide open, and he was breathing. It looked like he could be having a nightmare or something, because his breathing rate was beginning to increase.
"Demi, wake up!" She yelled. He'd been like this for the past two minutes or so. Schala's arm had recuperated now, but it wouldn't matter until Izra came back.
Schala watched Demi's face scrunch up as he emitted a painful sounding grunt. He was beginning to sweat, and he was breathing hysterically.
"DEMI!" Schala yelled again, now desperate to awaken the boy. Demi flinched, as if he'd just been hit. "Please, snap out of it!"
"He won't hear you. . ." A male voice said from behind Schala. Shocked, she turned to see a male figure standing in the shadows. He was coming closer, and now she could make out his features. Schala's eyes widened; she knew exactly who it was.
"It's you!" She gasped, as Kaos was now fully visible. She had seen him very few times before, mostly when he had threatening to destroy her village the day before. She was pretty sure he'd want her dead, seeing as how she had shot him through the chest with an arrow the day before. It probably wasn't likely that a devil like himself would find it in his heart to forgive her so quickly.
Schala stood, readying her spear. "Stay back, demon! Leave here!"
Kaos scoffed. "How can you discriminate against your own race, huh young lady? Where do you get off calling ME a demon? I'm do different from you."
Schala continued to hold her spear at the ready. "I'm not like you! I'm not a killer, a monster!"
Kaos frowned. "Now that hurt, little lady. You shouldn't say such cruel things." He walked close to her, but just out of stabbing reach.
"Kaos, what are you doing here?" Izra's voice asked from nowhere. In a wisp of smoke, she appeared close to Demi's body, behind Schala. She was clutching her side with her unbroken arm, and looked like she was in a bit of pain.
Schala turned on her, but just as she did, Kaos latched his arms around her, putting her into an unbreakable hold, causing her to drop her spear. No matter what she tried, his grip would not loosen. She let out a small, struggling grunt, continuing to thrash about.
Kaos put his face very close to her neck, something that made her quite uneasy and afraid. She whimpered softly, closing her eyes. Schala heard him begin to whisper something into her ear.
"Don't worry, I have to help your friend, so just hold still and play along. I won't hurt you, okay?" Kaos assured. Schala could only whimper. Why the hell would she believe a vicious devil like him? Well, she didn't seem to have a choice at the moment, did she?
Izra smirked wickedly, looking down at Demi. "It won't be long now. His own fears and mind will destroy him."
Kaos faked a malevolent chuckle. "Could I take care of the woman then? I could use the meal."
Izra stared at Schala for a moment, taking in her rather frightened expression. "I suppose so."
Kaos chuckled again, then turned from Izra. He held Schala still, just as tightly. He began whispering to her again. "Just do as I tell you, and you and your pal are going to be okay." Kaos kept his grip with one hand, smearing his hand on her shoulder, where the blood from her wound was still wet. He rubbed the blood onto her neck and onto his face and mouth. This was all managed in less than a second or two.
"Now, when I make a grunt, you yell, okay?" Kaos instructed.
Schala only whimpered her comprehension again. What the hell was he planning to do?
Just as Kaos brought his face to her neck, he grunted softly. As instructed, Schala let out a yell of false pain that sounded purely authentic.
"Quite nice." Kaos complemented. "Now just play dead."
Schala slowly let her body go limp as Kaos moved his face away from her. He gently laid her out on the floor. As he turned back to Izra, she was quite sure that he had actually killed her. Kaos wiped the blood from around his mouth. He said nothing, only sighed.
There was the sound of a door opening and closing behind the two demons. "Oi, what was that sound just now? I thought I heard a scream." Merin's voice said as he walked forward from the only door to the room.
Izra turned around to greet him. "Yes, just the dog here doing his job." She said with a sneer.
"Is that so?" Merin said, raising an eyebrow. "Looks like he's doing quite a nice job too."
Just then, Kaos brought his hands down onto the back of Izra's head. She grunted loudly, hitting the ground. Kaos moved back a bit, then swiftly kicked her in the side, where her ribs were broken.
"Stupid wench!" Kaos growled, giving her another kick. "Calling me a dog! Who's the dog now, huh?!"
Kaos stepped back more, giving her a chance to stand. She did, quite weakly, and then glared at Kaos. "Y-you. . .traitor. . ." She gasped. She was pretty sure that with the last kick, one of her ribs had punctured a lung. She could feel her chest filling with liquid.
"Rather a traitor than work with YOU for another day, bitch." Kaos sneered. He put out his arm, producing his dark, crimson blade of light. "Now, since the boy won't come out of his trance until you die or chose to let him out. . .It's time to die." With this, he stared down at her pathetic, injured form.
Izra may have been severely wounded, but that didn't keep her from using her powers. She glared at him, her eyes glowing. "Whose time is it to die, traitor."
Kaos closed his eyes as quickly as possible, but it was too late. His eyes had fallen upon the glow of hers, and he suddenly collapsed, his energy blade disappearing.
"Uh, oh." Merin grumbled, pulling his katana. He leapt forward at Izra, sword gleaming. Izra glided to the side, letting Merin sail past. He landed smoothly, and then began a flurry of swipes and slashes.
Izra couldn't tell his moves, for Merin never needed to think about what he was going to do next, he just did it. Her mind reading powers were even more useless on him than on Demitri. Izra would just have to depend on her actual fighting skills.
This fight would be horribly difficult for her, for more reasons than the fact that she was wounded. She was trying to kill three people at the moment. She had had to keep part of her mind on Demi and Kaos, while still keeping another part on Merin. All this had to be accomplished with a broken arm, some broken ribs and a punctured lung.
She knew she didn't stand a chance.
* * * * *
Kaos was standing in a small alleyway. He knew damn well what Izra was planning for him.
"Why does she always make her victims see their past? Can't she come up with any more original ways of doing things?" Kaos thought to himself. He knew exactly where he was; the small town where he'd been raised.
Now Kaos could feel Izra groping around in his head. She was searching for his memories of this place, trying to find something that would disturb or upset him.
"Hah, good luck, wench. . ." Kaos laughed. He could now see within his mind pieces of his life.
Kaos had grown up in an orphanage run by the church of the town. Well, the orphanage was the church, actually. This was many years ago, sometime during the early 1700's. The nuns there had explained to him that his mother had brought him when he was but a baby. She was covered in blood and dying, and had asked for the safety of the infant. They had taken him with out question.
As he grew, the nuns found him to be an astonishing youth. His body was strong and tan, even for a six year old. His mind was even better than his body, his senses keen. Despite his unusual strength and skills, he was a sweet, charming young boy.
The nuns loved him greatly; one was even so bold as to call him a child sent by angels. Not that he had ever considered himself perfect or anything. His abilities never fazed him one bit, and he never wondered why he was like this.
He never wondered until he was ten.
At the age of ten, he was coming back from the candy store, bringing some of the other children sweets. He wouldn't touch the stuff himself, because he just didn't enjoy THAT much sugar. He was always happy to haul a huge bagful back to the orphanage for the others though, even though it was his own saved up pence that had bought the sweets.
He was headed home, when a group of boy's confronted him. He stared at them curiously. There were three of them; one was tall and lanky with a dagger in his hand, the other two carried long sticks.
"Hey kid, what's in the sack?" The boy with the knife asked.
Kaos was a little anxious. "Nothing. . ."
The boys came closer. "Nothin' aye? Let us see it then."
"No." Kaos said, turning away. He'd just have to take the long way home.
"You little git—"One boy said from behind Kaos. Suddenly Kaos felt one of them grab his shoulder. As they yanked him around, he pulled away. The boy with the knife grabbed him again, and then brought the blade high.
Kaos had never felt such a horrible pain as he felt as the dagger plunged itself deep into his chest. He fell to the ground, gasping for a moment, then fell silent after only a minute or so of pain.
The boys checked the bag, feeling quite stupid for killing the kid over a bag of candy.
"Stupid bastard should have just handed it over." One boy said.
The boy with the dagger stared down at Kaos's body. "Who cares? Let's—"
He was cut short as Kaos began to move.
"What the hell?" The boy yelled, stepping back.
Kaos stood up slowly, his eyes closed and the knife still lodged into his chest. He grabbed the blood soaked handle and pulled, removing it without a single wince. He opened his eyes, staring maliciously at the boys. His mind was wild, and he was unable to control his movements. They would die for their deeds. . .
The encounter was the first blood he ever spilt.
After Kaos had murdered the boys, his mind came back to him. He looked around, astounded at what the scene. Had HE done this?! How could he? But the knife was in HIS hand; his body splashed with blood, the dagger as well.
Kaos, as calmly as possible, took his sack and proceeded homeward. Once there, he sat the bag down, without a word of why he was drenched in blood. He headed to the chapel, then fell to his knees in front of the altar, praying for forgiveness.
Not long after this, Kaos disappeared from the orphanage. No one there would ever hear of him again. The sisters knew he'd done something terrible, either on purpose or by accident, but not what. They were sure he was off to try and find forgiveness.
Kaos traveled around for a good eight years, trying to find someone who could tell him what he was, for he knew he couldn't be human.
That's when he met Merin.
Kaos was in a small, petit village somewhere on the outskirts of Scotland. He was sitting at the tavern, enjoying a nice mug of mead. He was still young, but a mess. His skin was still nicely tanned, and his body sleek and sinewy, but his hair was dark gray, long, and dirty, pulled back into a messy ponytail. His tunic was worn and dirty, in about the same condition as his hair.
An thin broadsword hung at his side, ready for anyone who may try to mess with him. He'd spent the last year or so learning to fence, and within a few months of learning had bested his master. Unsatisfied with his skills, he found a new master and learned to fight with a broadsword. After three months, he was better than this master as well. He'd decided that he didn't need masters, so he had been training himself now.
After an hour or so of sitting peacefully within the tavern, there was a yell from outside. Everyone within the tavern rushed outside, Kaos lagging behind. As he stepped out the door, an evil presence was quite apparent within the area.
"Look, I don't want any trouble. I'm just passing through." A man said from where everyone was looking. Kaos managed to push forward, getting close enough to see the man who had spoken. He was a strong looking man, but rather slender. His hair was light brown and mousy, but he was turned away from Kaos. He was wearing a dark blue, thick tunic and had a short, thin blade strapped to his side. Around him were five men, all looking like soldiers.
"You aren't going anywhere, traitor!" One soldier yelled, unsheathing his sword.
"You wish to fight me?" The man asked. "If we're off to fight, I'd suggest evacuating the civilians from this area immediately. I wouldn't want anyone hurt because of your actions."
With a growl of aggravation, the leader of the five ordered that everyone leave the premises. Everyone left as ordered, except for Kaos, who stayed by.
The man looked over at Kaos with black, calm eyes. "Aren't you leaving lad? I wouldn't want you to get injured."
Kaos could only stare at the man. There was something odd about him, other than the sword on his side. There was something. . .'wrong' with him. Kaos backed up a few inches, but stayed to see what would happen. The man shrugged, looking back to the soldiers.
The leader of the five stepped closer to the man. "Merin, you should just give yourself up. It'll be easier for you that way."
Merin laughed. "Oh, sure. I know EXACTLY what will happen if I surrender to you. I'll be tortured until I admit that I'm a witch and I work for Satan!"
"Well, do you admit it?"
"NO! I don't admit it, because I don't!" Merin yelled, getting quite miffed now.
The leader sighed. "Merin, we all saw what you did yesterday. You were being pretty damn obvious about it. Just speak the truth."
"I DO speak the truth." Merin said calmly. "I was trying to help that boy, not make it worse!"
"Well, you made it worse, didn't you!? We had to kill that lad, you know!" the leader yelled.
"I know that!" Merin snapped, looking rather miserable.
Without warning, the men jumped at Merin, swords shinning. He was up and through the air before they could reach him. He landed behind one of them, who immediately turned and brought his broadsword down at Merin. With lightning speed, the man was down, his throat slit by Merin's blade.
"Anyone else want to go a round?" Merin coaxed. "I might just use him, you know? I really don't care anymore if you think I'm a witch or a demon or whatever. Hell, I thought these powers were a gift from god, but now here I am, being punished for what I was given. Why?"
"Shut your mouth and die!" One of the soldiers yelled, charging at Merin. Merin rolled under the blade as it flew at him. He got in close to the man, stabbing him through the chest. He then pushed his away, letting his body fall to the ground.
"Two down, two left." Merin said. Everyone there thought he miscounted, but he had no intention of killing the leader of the group. They had been friends, and Merin would feel wrong to kill him.
The remaining two soldiers charged at Merin, but he dashed between them. One fell, decapitated, the other sliced through the gut and stabbed in the chest.
Kaos had never seen someone fight like this. His sword was so short, but he could maneuver it with the greatest of ease. It was incredible.
Merin turned to the leader, who was standing, awestruck. "Please, just leave me alone. Tell them I'm dead. Tell them I fell off a cliff or something. Please. . .I don't want to kill you Saul. . .
Saul stared up at Merin for some time before nodding. "I'll report that in a tremendous battle, you were thrown into a raven and impaled on the rocks below."
"Nah, tell them you decapitated me, then I FELL into the raven. That way, you get the credit. . ."
Saul nodded and bowed to Merin. "Good bye, friend."
"Yes, let's hope we don't cross paths again. . ."
With that, Saul took off at a run to the edge of the village, where a black horse stood waiting. He mounted quickly and was off.
"Wow. . ." was all that Kaos could say. Merin turned to him, almost completely forgetting that he had been watching.
"Well, hello lad. I'm dreadfully sorry you had to see that." Merin apologized.
"Are you kidding?! That was the best display of swordsmanship I've ever seen!" Kaos cried happily.
Merin cocked a brow at him. "Thanks, I suppose."
"Who are you?" Kaos asked as Merin wiped his blade in the grass and sheathed it.
"I am Merin Riddly. WAS a member of the holy knights, but now it seems I've been expelled. And you?" Merin introduced, waving his hand to Kaos.
"My name is Kaos Sheltings. A pleasure to meet you sir."
From that day forward, the two had become quite accomplished friends. Merin taught Kaos some new fighting techniques, including regular hand fighting and martial arts that he had learned during his travels.
Everything seemed great for a few years, until Kaos was in his early twenties.
Kaos and Merin were traveling through a small town, both on horseback. They had made there way from Britain and had come through Germany and Austria. Now they were somewhere in on the outskirts of Hungary and Romania.
"Merin, why are he headed for Romania?" Kaos asked, feeling a bit uneasy as they rode through the darkening streets. There was a sinister feeling in the air, Kaos could sense it. "I've heard some bad things about this place lately." He rubbed his arm.
"Like what?" Merin asked, not seeming perturbed in the least by their surroundings.
"Like, demon stuff. People disappearing, howls in the night. All that stuff."
"Oh, that." Merin nodded. "I know. That's why we're going here."
There was a groan from Kaos. He and Merin had figured out how they had their powers. Merin was a demon. It was quite obvious, because he was burnt by holy water. Not only that, but he was a necromancer. When he was younger, he thought that his abilities could bring people back from the dead; however, he had been mistaken. Yes, his powers raised the dead, but only into the evil undead. He could bring any corpse to life: fresh, skeletons, it didn't matter, so long as it had been alive at one time or another. The undead that he rose would listen to his every whim. This ability had caused his trouble with the holy knights, when he had tried to raise a young boy who had died of the plague. It was the first human he had ever raised from the dead, but the boy suddenly had attacked a man that Merin disliked at the time, apparently sensing that Merin wanted to hurt him.
Kaos had found out what he was too. He was not harmed by holy water, but still his skills and strength were inhuman. Merin proposed the idea that perhaps he was a half devil. The idea stuck. It was true; Kaos's mother had to be a human. If she had been a demon, she would have survived the wounds she had sustained. Kaos had lived through having his throat cut and being impaled, but still he lived. He could only conclude that his father had been a devil and had conceived a child with Kaos's mother. Despite Kaos's race, he still feared devils.
Merin always had the strange habit to go demon hunting without telling Kaos what they were getting into.
"Are you sure we can take them." Kaos asked, feeling rather stupid for coming here.
"Sure, why—"
Merin was stopped short as his horse suddenly reared up, flinging him from the saddle. Kaos held tight to his horse as it tried to do the same.
"Woah there! Easy!" Kaos tried to ease. His horse became rather anxious, so Kaos jumped from it and to the ground to check on Merin. Merin stood up.
"Make the horses run, now!" Merin commanded.
Kaos did so, scaring them into a gallop. He watched them take off down the stone street. "Now what?"
Merin put his hand on his blade. "Something's coming." He warned.
Kaos began searching the area. "I don't see—"
He stopped as he heard a scuffling sound behind him. He and Merin both whipped around to see a large group of people. Most of them looked diseased or pale. Two of them in the front of the throng hissed loudly, revealing long, sharp canines. Kaos stepped back a foot or so.
"What's wrong with them?" Kaos asked, drawing his steel.
"Vampires, I'd suppose." Merin said stiffly. He pulled his blade as well. "I think the bastards look a bit hungry, don't you agree?"
Kaos nodded as he noticed a few of the creatures were salivating. "It would appear so."
"Then let's give them something to eat, aye?" Merin said, preparing his sword now.
"A sword in the belly should do the trick, right?"
"Vampires, Kaos, bloody vampires. Got to get them in the heart, bleed them out, hit them with holy water, sunlight, behead them; that's the only way to kill them.
Kaos nodded again. "Right then. Let's start."
"Alright, just don't let them nip you."
With yet another nod, the two were off, Kaos's blade finding itself into one of the nearest demon spawns. As he killed them, their bodies would explode into ashes. This battle wouldn't be lasting very long, with the way these demons were fighting; it was simply pathetic.
Merin was covered in ash within a few minutes. He swung into one, slicing its head smoothly. It burst into ash, letting the next spawn come for him.
"Does it end?!" Merin asked, stabbing into the chest of the new devil.
Kaos had taken out about twelve of them already. "It's not so bad. They're not strong."
Merin and Kaos were quite aware that the demons were swarming them, beginning to surround them. The hissing and shrieks of the undead were closing in, but the two men continued their battle.
It took a good thirty minutes, but finally the vampires were dwindling down to the single digits. It only took a minute or so to dispose of the remaining demons.
"That wasn't too difficult." Kaos said huffing.
"Nah."
There was a sudden laugh from nearby, causing both men to search the area.
"Well done. . .I'm impressed. . ." Said the voice. A man appeared suddenly, wearing all black clothing, with a black cape and hair. The aura that surrounded him was powerful and evil.
"What the hell?" Kaos muttered, readying himself against this new enemy.
"It's got to be a master vampire."
"Oh, that's nice." Kaos said sarcastically. "So, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in your castle or something?"
The man smiled thinly, his fangs quite visible. "You amuse me child. What is your name."
"What does it matter if I kill you?"
"Hmmm. . . You seem to have quite a spirit about you, boy." Said the vampire. "I would hate to kill you."
Kaos waited no longer. He dashed forward, thrusting his blade forward just as he came within distance of the vampire. The vamp parried to the side, producing a blade of energy as he did so. No matter what Kaos tried, the vampire was just to fast for him.
Merin tried to step in after a few moments of this battle. But stopped as the vampire grabbed Kaos and twisted him around to face Merin. Kaos struggled to get free, but the vampire was stronger than him, and held on tightly.
"Do not come any closer, or I'll spill your friend's blood." The vampire warned coolly.
Merin let his sword fall to his side and sighed. He would hate to be the cause of Kaos's death.
"You're a good man." The vampire said. "Now, I'll just be off. . ." At that, the vamp jumped into the air, Kaos in hand.
"No! Let him go!" Merin yelled, running and jumping after him. With a few hand gestures, the vamp created a spell ball and hurled it toward Merin. The spell smashed into Merin, sending him tumbling to the ground. Right as Merin fell unconscious, he could hear Kaos calling his name.
The vampire changed Kaos into one of his own kind; however, it hadn't worked quite right. Being part demon in the first place, the demon blood within him had stopped the vampirical curse and obliterated it. Unfortunately, not before it could take some toll on him. It had taken over his human half, but left him with the demon half. Now, he considered himself a monster. For a good three weeks he laid around moping, hoping he'd just die, letting his body weaken from starvation. Luckily, Kaos soon befriended a young woman named Beryl, the same Beryl he knew in the present. She made him feel less evil and happy to be alive, despite his curse. He found her company quite pleasant, and kept by her side. Beryl was an odd girl, a tomboy in fact. During this time, it was unheard of for women to wear mans clothing. Well, she did, and wore thick, baggy vests to hide her breasts, kept her hair short and pulled back into a pony tail, and pants. None of this bothered Kaos; it was her kindness that made him like her, not her looks.
Kaos was still in the town they had been fighting the vampires in, and he and Beryl were watching on the edge of the street as some priests were coming through.
Kaos nudged Beryl. "What's going on?" He asked, looking down the throng of people to see the parade of clerics.
"I think they're doing a purification or something. Their here to rid the village of the evil spirits." Beryl answered.
Kaos stood silently next to her, blending in with the crowd as well as he could. It wasn't too hard though; Beryl had recently given him a haircut, so now he had short hair that was merely brushed back. It didn't help the fact that it was gray, and he looked about twenty.
Kaos watched carefully as a preist walked by him, chanting something. He had in his hand some kind of shaker thing, and was flicking it from side to side, splashing liquid from it.
Just as the preist dashed his shaker near Kaos, the liquid landed on Kaos's hand. For a moment, Kaos felt nothing, but then suddenly there was a stinging burn in his hand. He yelled out, grabbing it as is smoldered. The preist stared at him in shock.
"DEMON!" The preist yelled. And with that yell, all hell broke loose.
Every villager in the area ran, screaming. The priests jumped into action, coming for Kaos. He jumped through the air and onto the rooftops, dashing away. After he felt safe, he knelled down, coddling his injured hand. Now that he was part vampire, the touch of holy water burned wretchedly.
"So, we find you." A voice said from near Kaos. He turned to see a familiar face with brown hair blowing softly in the wind. Before Kaos could open his mouth in greeting, the man was coming at Kaos, his sword drawn.
Kaos rolled to the side quickly. "Merin! What are you doing!?" Kaos growled, dodging another swipe from the wakisashi. Merin didn't seem to recognize him. Well, he'd never seen Kaos with his hair cut short. "Merin! It's me, Kaos!" Kaos cried as Merin was about to impale him.
Merin stopped, staring at him. "Kaos. . ." He breathed. He looked the boy over carefully. "What HAPPENED to you?!"
There wasn't a big difference in his appearance, except his eyes and teeth. He had grown faster, but that wasn't visibly noticeable. Kaos was forced to explain what had happened. It took Merin a moment to let this all sink in, but he accepted Kaos as his friend still, no matter what he was.
"We're still pals, alright?" Merin asked as he and Kaos reunited with Beryl after the chaos had died down.
"You bet." Kaos sighed, being glomped by the extremely worried Beryl. "Hun, I can't breath. . ."
Kaos forced his mind back into the present. "Is THAT really supposed to scare me? Am I supposed to be upset or something? I've come to terms with myself. These things don't bother me anymore." He laughed.
Izra laughed. "Yes, but what about this? You love Beryl with all your heart, right?"
"What are you getting at now, wench?"
Just then, in the alley where Kaos stood, Beryl appeared near him.
"Kaos. . ." Beryl breathed. "Do you love me?"
Kaos was silent for a moment. He knew this was only a delusion.
"Kaos, do you love me?" Beryl repeated.
"I love Beryl. . .but not you, wench." Kaos said sharply.
"Then you will die. . ." As Beryl said this, she drew a small, curved scimitar and thrusted at Kaos. He coolly glided to her side and produced his own energy blade, stabbing it deep into Beryl's chest.
With a loud gasp of pain, Beryl fell to the ground, still. She suddenly morphed into the form of Izra.
"You may be able to take her form, but you'll never fool me. . ." Kaos said, letting his sword dissipate.
Wow, long chapter. I'll write more soon, promise!!!
Also, I'm sorry if I mess up with some of the stuff. I'm not exactly sure on some of the language I'm using. (I'm not British, so. . .yeah. . .Merin's supposed to be. . . but. . .) Don't snap my head off over it, please.
Chapter 24 Kaos Chaos
Back in reality, Schala was on her knees, shaking Demitri's body. When Izra had stared at him, he had frozen and fallen to the ground. Then Izra had disappeared. Schala knew Demi was alive; his eyes were wide open, and he was breathing. It looked like he could be having a nightmare or something, because his breathing rate was beginning to increase.
"Demi, wake up!" She yelled. He'd been like this for the past two minutes or so. Schala's arm had recuperated now, but it wouldn't matter until Izra came back.
Schala watched Demi's face scrunch up as he emitted a painful sounding grunt. He was beginning to sweat, and he was breathing hysterically.
"DEMI!" Schala yelled again, now desperate to awaken the boy. Demi flinched, as if he'd just been hit. "Please, snap out of it!"
"He won't hear you. . ." A male voice said from behind Schala. Shocked, she turned to see a male figure standing in the shadows. He was coming closer, and now she could make out his features. Schala's eyes widened; she knew exactly who it was.
"It's you!" She gasped, as Kaos was now fully visible. She had seen him very few times before, mostly when he had threatening to destroy her village the day before. She was pretty sure he'd want her dead, seeing as how she had shot him through the chest with an arrow the day before. It probably wasn't likely that a devil like himself would find it in his heart to forgive her so quickly.
Schala stood, readying her spear. "Stay back, demon! Leave here!"
Kaos scoffed. "How can you discriminate against your own race, huh young lady? Where do you get off calling ME a demon? I'm do different from you."
Schala continued to hold her spear at the ready. "I'm not like you! I'm not a killer, a monster!"
Kaos frowned. "Now that hurt, little lady. You shouldn't say such cruel things." He walked close to her, but just out of stabbing reach.
"Kaos, what are you doing here?" Izra's voice asked from nowhere. In a wisp of smoke, she appeared close to Demi's body, behind Schala. She was clutching her side with her unbroken arm, and looked like she was in a bit of pain.
Schala turned on her, but just as she did, Kaos latched his arms around her, putting her into an unbreakable hold, causing her to drop her spear. No matter what she tried, his grip would not loosen. She let out a small, struggling grunt, continuing to thrash about.
Kaos put his face very close to her neck, something that made her quite uneasy and afraid. She whimpered softly, closing her eyes. Schala heard him begin to whisper something into her ear.
"Don't worry, I have to help your friend, so just hold still and play along. I won't hurt you, okay?" Kaos assured. Schala could only whimper. Why the hell would she believe a vicious devil like him? Well, she didn't seem to have a choice at the moment, did she?
Izra smirked wickedly, looking down at Demi. "It won't be long now. His own fears and mind will destroy him."
Kaos faked a malevolent chuckle. "Could I take care of the woman then? I could use the meal."
Izra stared at Schala for a moment, taking in her rather frightened expression. "I suppose so."
Kaos chuckled again, then turned from Izra. He held Schala still, just as tightly. He began whispering to her again. "Just do as I tell you, and you and your pal are going to be okay." Kaos kept his grip with one hand, smearing his hand on her shoulder, where the blood from her wound was still wet. He rubbed the blood onto her neck and onto his face and mouth. This was all managed in less than a second or two.
"Now, when I make a grunt, you yell, okay?" Kaos instructed.
Schala only whimpered her comprehension again. What the hell was he planning to do?
Just as Kaos brought his face to her neck, he grunted softly. As instructed, Schala let out a yell of false pain that sounded purely authentic.
"Quite nice." Kaos complemented. "Now just play dead."
Schala slowly let her body go limp as Kaos moved his face away from her. He gently laid her out on the floor. As he turned back to Izra, she was quite sure that he had actually killed her. Kaos wiped the blood from around his mouth. He said nothing, only sighed.
There was the sound of a door opening and closing behind the two demons. "Oi, what was that sound just now? I thought I heard a scream." Merin's voice said as he walked forward from the only door to the room.
Izra turned around to greet him. "Yes, just the dog here doing his job." She said with a sneer.
"Is that so?" Merin said, raising an eyebrow. "Looks like he's doing quite a nice job too."
Just then, Kaos brought his hands down onto the back of Izra's head. She grunted loudly, hitting the ground. Kaos moved back a bit, then swiftly kicked her in the side, where her ribs were broken.
"Stupid wench!" Kaos growled, giving her another kick. "Calling me a dog! Who's the dog now, huh?!"
Kaos stepped back more, giving her a chance to stand. She did, quite weakly, and then glared at Kaos. "Y-you. . .traitor. . ." She gasped. She was pretty sure that with the last kick, one of her ribs had punctured a lung. She could feel her chest filling with liquid.
"Rather a traitor than work with YOU for another day, bitch." Kaos sneered. He put out his arm, producing his dark, crimson blade of light. "Now, since the boy won't come out of his trance until you die or chose to let him out. . .It's time to die." With this, he stared down at her pathetic, injured form.
Izra may have been severely wounded, but that didn't keep her from using her powers. She glared at him, her eyes glowing. "Whose time is it to die, traitor."
Kaos closed his eyes as quickly as possible, but it was too late. His eyes had fallen upon the glow of hers, and he suddenly collapsed, his energy blade disappearing.
"Uh, oh." Merin grumbled, pulling his katana. He leapt forward at Izra, sword gleaming. Izra glided to the side, letting Merin sail past. He landed smoothly, and then began a flurry of swipes and slashes.
Izra couldn't tell his moves, for Merin never needed to think about what he was going to do next, he just did it. Her mind reading powers were even more useless on him than on Demitri. Izra would just have to depend on her actual fighting skills.
This fight would be horribly difficult for her, for more reasons than the fact that she was wounded. She was trying to kill three people at the moment. She had had to keep part of her mind on Demi and Kaos, while still keeping another part on Merin. All this had to be accomplished with a broken arm, some broken ribs and a punctured lung.
She knew she didn't stand a chance.
* * * * *
Kaos was standing in a small alleyway. He knew damn well what Izra was planning for him.
"Why does she always make her victims see their past? Can't she come up with any more original ways of doing things?" Kaos thought to himself. He knew exactly where he was; the small town where he'd been raised.
Now Kaos could feel Izra groping around in his head. She was searching for his memories of this place, trying to find something that would disturb or upset him.
"Hah, good luck, wench. . ." Kaos laughed. He could now see within his mind pieces of his life.
Kaos had grown up in an orphanage run by the church of the town. Well, the orphanage was the church, actually. This was many years ago, sometime during the early 1700's. The nuns there had explained to him that his mother had brought him when he was but a baby. She was covered in blood and dying, and had asked for the safety of the infant. They had taken him with out question.
As he grew, the nuns found him to be an astonishing youth. His body was strong and tan, even for a six year old. His mind was even better than his body, his senses keen. Despite his unusual strength and skills, he was a sweet, charming young boy.
The nuns loved him greatly; one was even so bold as to call him a child sent by angels. Not that he had ever considered himself perfect or anything. His abilities never fazed him one bit, and he never wondered why he was like this.
He never wondered until he was ten.
At the age of ten, he was coming back from the candy store, bringing some of the other children sweets. He wouldn't touch the stuff himself, because he just didn't enjoy THAT much sugar. He was always happy to haul a huge bagful back to the orphanage for the others though, even though it was his own saved up pence that had bought the sweets.
He was headed home, when a group of boy's confronted him. He stared at them curiously. There were three of them; one was tall and lanky with a dagger in his hand, the other two carried long sticks.
"Hey kid, what's in the sack?" The boy with the knife asked.
Kaos was a little anxious. "Nothing. . ."
The boys came closer. "Nothin' aye? Let us see it then."
"No." Kaos said, turning away. He'd just have to take the long way home.
"You little git—"One boy said from behind Kaos. Suddenly Kaos felt one of them grab his shoulder. As they yanked him around, he pulled away. The boy with the knife grabbed him again, and then brought the blade high.
Kaos had never felt such a horrible pain as he felt as the dagger plunged itself deep into his chest. He fell to the ground, gasping for a moment, then fell silent after only a minute or so of pain.
The boys checked the bag, feeling quite stupid for killing the kid over a bag of candy.
"Stupid bastard should have just handed it over." One boy said.
The boy with the dagger stared down at Kaos's body. "Who cares? Let's—"
He was cut short as Kaos began to move.
"What the hell?" The boy yelled, stepping back.
Kaos stood up slowly, his eyes closed and the knife still lodged into his chest. He grabbed the blood soaked handle and pulled, removing it without a single wince. He opened his eyes, staring maliciously at the boys. His mind was wild, and he was unable to control his movements. They would die for their deeds. . .
The encounter was the first blood he ever spilt.
After Kaos had murdered the boys, his mind came back to him. He looked around, astounded at what the scene. Had HE done this?! How could he? But the knife was in HIS hand; his body splashed with blood, the dagger as well.
Kaos, as calmly as possible, took his sack and proceeded homeward. Once there, he sat the bag down, without a word of why he was drenched in blood. He headed to the chapel, then fell to his knees in front of the altar, praying for forgiveness.
Not long after this, Kaos disappeared from the orphanage. No one there would ever hear of him again. The sisters knew he'd done something terrible, either on purpose or by accident, but not what. They were sure he was off to try and find forgiveness.
Kaos traveled around for a good eight years, trying to find someone who could tell him what he was, for he knew he couldn't be human.
That's when he met Merin.
Kaos was in a small, petit village somewhere on the outskirts of Scotland. He was sitting at the tavern, enjoying a nice mug of mead. He was still young, but a mess. His skin was still nicely tanned, and his body sleek and sinewy, but his hair was dark gray, long, and dirty, pulled back into a messy ponytail. His tunic was worn and dirty, in about the same condition as his hair.
An thin broadsword hung at his side, ready for anyone who may try to mess with him. He'd spent the last year or so learning to fence, and within a few months of learning had bested his master. Unsatisfied with his skills, he found a new master and learned to fight with a broadsword. After three months, he was better than this master as well. He'd decided that he didn't need masters, so he had been training himself now.
After an hour or so of sitting peacefully within the tavern, there was a yell from outside. Everyone within the tavern rushed outside, Kaos lagging behind. As he stepped out the door, an evil presence was quite apparent within the area.
"Look, I don't want any trouble. I'm just passing through." A man said from where everyone was looking. Kaos managed to push forward, getting close enough to see the man who had spoken. He was a strong looking man, but rather slender. His hair was light brown and mousy, but he was turned away from Kaos. He was wearing a dark blue, thick tunic and had a short, thin blade strapped to his side. Around him were five men, all looking like soldiers.
"You aren't going anywhere, traitor!" One soldier yelled, unsheathing his sword.
"You wish to fight me?" The man asked. "If we're off to fight, I'd suggest evacuating the civilians from this area immediately. I wouldn't want anyone hurt because of your actions."
With a growl of aggravation, the leader of the five ordered that everyone leave the premises. Everyone left as ordered, except for Kaos, who stayed by.
The man looked over at Kaos with black, calm eyes. "Aren't you leaving lad? I wouldn't want you to get injured."
Kaos could only stare at the man. There was something odd about him, other than the sword on his side. There was something. . .'wrong' with him. Kaos backed up a few inches, but stayed to see what would happen. The man shrugged, looking back to the soldiers.
The leader of the five stepped closer to the man. "Merin, you should just give yourself up. It'll be easier for you that way."
Merin laughed. "Oh, sure. I know EXACTLY what will happen if I surrender to you. I'll be tortured until I admit that I'm a witch and I work for Satan!"
"Well, do you admit it?"
"NO! I don't admit it, because I don't!" Merin yelled, getting quite miffed now.
The leader sighed. "Merin, we all saw what you did yesterday. You were being pretty damn obvious about it. Just speak the truth."
"I DO speak the truth." Merin said calmly. "I was trying to help that boy, not make it worse!"
"Well, you made it worse, didn't you!? We had to kill that lad, you know!" the leader yelled.
"I know that!" Merin snapped, looking rather miserable.
Without warning, the men jumped at Merin, swords shinning. He was up and through the air before they could reach him. He landed behind one of them, who immediately turned and brought his broadsword down at Merin. With lightning speed, the man was down, his throat slit by Merin's blade.
"Anyone else want to go a round?" Merin coaxed. "I might just use him, you know? I really don't care anymore if you think I'm a witch or a demon or whatever. Hell, I thought these powers were a gift from god, but now here I am, being punished for what I was given. Why?"
"Shut your mouth and die!" One of the soldiers yelled, charging at Merin. Merin rolled under the blade as it flew at him. He got in close to the man, stabbing him through the chest. He then pushed his away, letting his body fall to the ground.
"Two down, two left." Merin said. Everyone there thought he miscounted, but he had no intention of killing the leader of the group. They had been friends, and Merin would feel wrong to kill him.
The remaining two soldiers charged at Merin, but he dashed between them. One fell, decapitated, the other sliced through the gut and stabbed in the chest.
Kaos had never seen someone fight like this. His sword was so short, but he could maneuver it with the greatest of ease. It was incredible.
Merin turned to the leader, who was standing, awestruck. "Please, just leave me alone. Tell them I'm dead. Tell them I fell off a cliff or something. Please. . .I don't want to kill you Saul. . .
Saul stared up at Merin for some time before nodding. "I'll report that in a tremendous battle, you were thrown into a raven and impaled on the rocks below."
"Nah, tell them you decapitated me, then I FELL into the raven. That way, you get the credit. . ."
Saul nodded and bowed to Merin. "Good bye, friend."
"Yes, let's hope we don't cross paths again. . ."
With that, Saul took off at a run to the edge of the village, where a black horse stood waiting. He mounted quickly and was off.
"Wow. . ." was all that Kaos could say. Merin turned to him, almost completely forgetting that he had been watching.
"Well, hello lad. I'm dreadfully sorry you had to see that." Merin apologized.
"Are you kidding?! That was the best display of swordsmanship I've ever seen!" Kaos cried happily.
Merin cocked a brow at him. "Thanks, I suppose."
"Who are you?" Kaos asked as Merin wiped his blade in the grass and sheathed it.
"I am Merin Riddly. WAS a member of the holy knights, but now it seems I've been expelled. And you?" Merin introduced, waving his hand to Kaos.
"My name is Kaos Sheltings. A pleasure to meet you sir."
From that day forward, the two had become quite accomplished friends. Merin taught Kaos some new fighting techniques, including regular hand fighting and martial arts that he had learned during his travels.
Everything seemed great for a few years, until Kaos was in his early twenties.
Kaos and Merin were traveling through a small town, both on horseback. They had made there way from Britain and had come through Germany and Austria. Now they were somewhere in on the outskirts of Hungary and Romania.
"Merin, why are he headed for Romania?" Kaos asked, feeling a bit uneasy as they rode through the darkening streets. There was a sinister feeling in the air, Kaos could sense it. "I've heard some bad things about this place lately." He rubbed his arm.
"Like what?" Merin asked, not seeming perturbed in the least by their surroundings.
"Like, demon stuff. People disappearing, howls in the night. All that stuff."
"Oh, that." Merin nodded. "I know. That's why we're going here."
There was a groan from Kaos. He and Merin had figured out how they had their powers. Merin was a demon. It was quite obvious, because he was burnt by holy water. Not only that, but he was a necromancer. When he was younger, he thought that his abilities could bring people back from the dead; however, he had been mistaken. Yes, his powers raised the dead, but only into the evil undead. He could bring any corpse to life: fresh, skeletons, it didn't matter, so long as it had been alive at one time or another. The undead that he rose would listen to his every whim. This ability had caused his trouble with the holy knights, when he had tried to raise a young boy who had died of the plague. It was the first human he had ever raised from the dead, but the boy suddenly had attacked a man that Merin disliked at the time, apparently sensing that Merin wanted to hurt him.
Kaos had found out what he was too. He was not harmed by holy water, but still his skills and strength were inhuman. Merin proposed the idea that perhaps he was a half devil. The idea stuck. It was true; Kaos's mother had to be a human. If she had been a demon, she would have survived the wounds she had sustained. Kaos had lived through having his throat cut and being impaled, but still he lived. He could only conclude that his father had been a devil and had conceived a child with Kaos's mother. Despite Kaos's race, he still feared devils.
Merin always had the strange habit to go demon hunting without telling Kaos what they were getting into.
"Are you sure we can take them." Kaos asked, feeling rather stupid for coming here.
"Sure, why—"
Merin was stopped short as his horse suddenly reared up, flinging him from the saddle. Kaos held tight to his horse as it tried to do the same.
"Woah there! Easy!" Kaos tried to ease. His horse became rather anxious, so Kaos jumped from it and to the ground to check on Merin. Merin stood up.
"Make the horses run, now!" Merin commanded.
Kaos did so, scaring them into a gallop. He watched them take off down the stone street. "Now what?"
Merin put his hand on his blade. "Something's coming." He warned.
Kaos began searching the area. "I don't see—"
He stopped as he heard a scuffling sound behind him. He and Merin both whipped around to see a large group of people. Most of them looked diseased or pale. Two of them in the front of the throng hissed loudly, revealing long, sharp canines. Kaos stepped back a foot or so.
"What's wrong with them?" Kaos asked, drawing his steel.
"Vampires, I'd suppose." Merin said stiffly. He pulled his blade as well. "I think the bastards look a bit hungry, don't you agree?"
Kaos nodded as he noticed a few of the creatures were salivating. "It would appear so."
"Then let's give them something to eat, aye?" Merin said, preparing his sword now.
"A sword in the belly should do the trick, right?"
"Vampires, Kaos, bloody vampires. Got to get them in the heart, bleed them out, hit them with holy water, sunlight, behead them; that's the only way to kill them.
Kaos nodded again. "Right then. Let's start."
"Alright, just don't let them nip you."
With yet another nod, the two were off, Kaos's blade finding itself into one of the nearest demon spawns. As he killed them, their bodies would explode into ashes. This battle wouldn't be lasting very long, with the way these demons were fighting; it was simply pathetic.
Merin was covered in ash within a few minutes. He swung into one, slicing its head smoothly. It burst into ash, letting the next spawn come for him.
"Does it end?!" Merin asked, stabbing into the chest of the new devil.
Kaos had taken out about twelve of them already. "It's not so bad. They're not strong."
Merin and Kaos were quite aware that the demons were swarming them, beginning to surround them. The hissing and shrieks of the undead were closing in, but the two men continued their battle.
It took a good thirty minutes, but finally the vampires were dwindling down to the single digits. It only took a minute or so to dispose of the remaining demons.
"That wasn't too difficult." Kaos said huffing.
"Nah."
There was a sudden laugh from nearby, causing both men to search the area.
"Well done. . .I'm impressed. . ." Said the voice. A man appeared suddenly, wearing all black clothing, with a black cape and hair. The aura that surrounded him was powerful and evil.
"What the hell?" Kaos muttered, readying himself against this new enemy.
"It's got to be a master vampire."
"Oh, that's nice." Kaos said sarcastically. "So, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in your castle or something?"
The man smiled thinly, his fangs quite visible. "You amuse me child. What is your name."
"What does it matter if I kill you?"
"Hmmm. . . You seem to have quite a spirit about you, boy." Said the vampire. "I would hate to kill you."
Kaos waited no longer. He dashed forward, thrusting his blade forward just as he came within distance of the vampire. The vamp parried to the side, producing a blade of energy as he did so. No matter what Kaos tried, the vampire was just to fast for him.
Merin tried to step in after a few moments of this battle. But stopped as the vampire grabbed Kaos and twisted him around to face Merin. Kaos struggled to get free, but the vampire was stronger than him, and held on tightly.
"Do not come any closer, or I'll spill your friend's blood." The vampire warned coolly.
Merin let his sword fall to his side and sighed. He would hate to be the cause of Kaos's death.
"You're a good man." The vampire said. "Now, I'll just be off. . ." At that, the vamp jumped into the air, Kaos in hand.
"No! Let him go!" Merin yelled, running and jumping after him. With a few hand gestures, the vamp created a spell ball and hurled it toward Merin. The spell smashed into Merin, sending him tumbling to the ground. Right as Merin fell unconscious, he could hear Kaos calling his name.
The vampire changed Kaos into one of his own kind; however, it hadn't worked quite right. Being part demon in the first place, the demon blood within him had stopped the vampirical curse and obliterated it. Unfortunately, not before it could take some toll on him. It had taken over his human half, but left him with the demon half. Now, he considered himself a monster. For a good three weeks he laid around moping, hoping he'd just die, letting his body weaken from starvation. Luckily, Kaos soon befriended a young woman named Beryl, the same Beryl he knew in the present. She made him feel less evil and happy to be alive, despite his curse. He found her company quite pleasant, and kept by her side. Beryl was an odd girl, a tomboy in fact. During this time, it was unheard of for women to wear mans clothing. Well, she did, and wore thick, baggy vests to hide her breasts, kept her hair short and pulled back into a pony tail, and pants. None of this bothered Kaos; it was her kindness that made him like her, not her looks.
Kaos was still in the town they had been fighting the vampires in, and he and Beryl were watching on the edge of the street as some priests were coming through.
Kaos nudged Beryl. "What's going on?" He asked, looking down the throng of people to see the parade of clerics.
"I think they're doing a purification or something. Their here to rid the village of the evil spirits." Beryl answered.
Kaos stood silently next to her, blending in with the crowd as well as he could. It wasn't too hard though; Beryl had recently given him a haircut, so now he had short hair that was merely brushed back. It didn't help the fact that it was gray, and he looked about twenty.
Kaos watched carefully as a preist walked by him, chanting something. He had in his hand some kind of shaker thing, and was flicking it from side to side, splashing liquid from it.
Just as the preist dashed his shaker near Kaos, the liquid landed on Kaos's hand. For a moment, Kaos felt nothing, but then suddenly there was a stinging burn in his hand. He yelled out, grabbing it as is smoldered. The preist stared at him in shock.
"DEMON!" The preist yelled. And with that yell, all hell broke loose.
Every villager in the area ran, screaming. The priests jumped into action, coming for Kaos. He jumped through the air and onto the rooftops, dashing away. After he felt safe, he knelled down, coddling his injured hand. Now that he was part vampire, the touch of holy water burned wretchedly.
"So, we find you." A voice said from near Kaos. He turned to see a familiar face with brown hair blowing softly in the wind. Before Kaos could open his mouth in greeting, the man was coming at Kaos, his sword drawn.
Kaos rolled to the side quickly. "Merin! What are you doing!?" Kaos growled, dodging another swipe from the wakisashi. Merin didn't seem to recognize him. Well, he'd never seen Kaos with his hair cut short. "Merin! It's me, Kaos!" Kaos cried as Merin was about to impale him.
Merin stopped, staring at him. "Kaos. . ." He breathed. He looked the boy over carefully. "What HAPPENED to you?!"
There wasn't a big difference in his appearance, except his eyes and teeth. He had grown faster, but that wasn't visibly noticeable. Kaos was forced to explain what had happened. It took Merin a moment to let this all sink in, but he accepted Kaos as his friend still, no matter what he was.
"We're still pals, alright?" Merin asked as he and Kaos reunited with Beryl after the chaos had died down.
"You bet." Kaos sighed, being glomped by the extremely worried Beryl. "Hun, I can't breath. . ."
Kaos forced his mind back into the present. "Is THAT really supposed to scare me? Am I supposed to be upset or something? I've come to terms with myself. These things don't bother me anymore." He laughed.
Izra laughed. "Yes, but what about this? You love Beryl with all your heart, right?"
"What are you getting at now, wench?"
Just then, in the alley where Kaos stood, Beryl appeared near him.
"Kaos. . ." Beryl breathed. "Do you love me?"
Kaos was silent for a moment. He knew this was only a delusion.
"Kaos, do you love me?" Beryl repeated.
"I love Beryl. . .but not you, wench." Kaos said sharply.
"Then you will die. . ." As Beryl said this, she drew a small, curved scimitar and thrusted at Kaos. He coolly glided to her side and produced his own energy blade, stabbing it deep into Beryl's chest.
With a loud gasp of pain, Beryl fell to the ground, still. She suddenly morphed into the form of Izra.
"You may be able to take her form, but you'll never fool me. . ." Kaos said, letting his sword dissipate.
Wow, long chapter. I'll write more soon, promise!!!