I am Iron Man... Wait, no I'm not!
"What did you say?" I knew full well what he had said, and it amazed me that the "vampires" of this world were so brazen.
"You heard me mate."
"Yes, I'm afraid, I did. I must say it wasn't the most healthy way for you to introduce yourself 'vampire'."
He chuckled, as he fingered his weapon, the one I guessed made the explosions, and then he showed his lack of intelligence by speaking continuing to speak. "Bugger that, wanker. I've got myself a gun, all you have is that namby-pamby sword."
My telekinesis wound itself around his weapon, and it was my turn to laugh as his weapon was pulled from his grasp and was sent rounding threw the air. "Funny. Where are your taunts and your smile now?" I said as I telekinetically pulled him from the ground sending him quickly towards him. It was then that I learned an interesting secret.
I stopped him within inches of my person and looked at him quizzically. "You carry the sent of Wolfram and Hart. After I'm finished playing with you tell your master that Kain is coming." Then I flung him hard into a wall, shattering its bricks.
Just as he was rising slowly to his feet, I was already gone- teleporting back to Lori's home.
I startled her as I appeared in her living room. She had been laying on her couch reading. "I met one of Wolfram and Hart's lackeys, a 'vampire'."
She put down her book and looked at me with a look that showed no surprise. "A vampire?"
"Yes, he was underground. We were killing the same monster, but he seemed to do it for enjoyment."
"I see. So there are other types of monsters in this city- boy I can really pick the places to live. I should have stayed in South Dakota."
"I prefer the demons and 'vampires' of this world to the humans of Nosgoth any day."
"There must be some fine people there."
"Aside from the occasional genocide, they're not too bad."
"You always do that."
"Do what?"
"Curse them with one side of your lips and love them with the other."
"A warrior king can't choose who he fights for."
"Mmmhmm." Was I that transparent? But she was right when Raziel was first pursuing me I did as she said. I would tell him things to hurt him, and then a mere sentence later I would tell him I was proud of him. I did seem to do that a lot. But it was unsettling that she seemed to know me so well. Humans were rarely that insightful.
I was wary; as she moved to allow me a place to sit I caught hold of a sent that was strangely familiar to me. My mind went back to a memory of a much younger me when I had first met the ancient vampire Janos Audron. But I chased these thoughts away as pure fantasy.
"Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing." I lied; there was a list of things wrong. Things that will never be right, a good man is trapped in a sword, a monster holds the souls of the dead trapped in its Wheel, and I'm trapped on this planet. No, nothing's wrong.
She put down her book, as she walked toward her kitchen her thigh brushed up against the Reaver and a burst of green light flashed from her body. She fell with a heavy thud, and my heart feared she had died, but to my relief she was not.
I cradled her in my arms, and took her gently to her bed and laid her softly down. I ran my fingers through her hair, and cursed myself for my folly. I should have been more careful with the blade and placed it somewhere it would not of caused her harm- tears fell from my eyes.
***********************
Strange, the feeling my body felt- like falling but worse. In my dreams I opened my eyes, and saw a misty red realm filled with demons, and beings that had once been beautiful, now demonic as well.
In my dreams, I recalled the Pillars and their purpose, they had done their work flawlessly, but at what cost? Kain had said that the vampires of Nosgoth had been continually subject to genocides. As for the forebears of the vampires, they had committed suicide all but one, or so they thought. I wondered what the vampire and humans of Nosgoth would do if they knew the truth. And what would Kain do if he knew the truth of this planet? That no one ever leaves it.
My dreams continued back to that place where the vampires made their stand against their enemies, within I saw a monster and false god. His form made of tentacles and eyes wound like gargantuan snakes around a captured ruined creature.
I watched as the blue creature struggled against his captor. He struggled to speak, until he was finally able. "Shandi, Kain has allies here powerful ones, who can help him against enemies too strong for him. But beware of the Mountain King. Tell Kain that I understand now, why he had to cast me into the abyss. I forgive him, he is my father once again."
That was all he could speak, the monster- the Elder- held him bound once again. As my dreams left that place that monster left me with these parting words "You are still mine."
Then I woke with a scream.
********************
Her scream stole away my worry replacing it with the joy of her being well. I held her, calming her fears as she told me her vision. It broke my heart to know that she had seen what was behind my door- a place where only bloodshed and weeping dwells.
"And I saw a blue man, ruined and torn. He told me to tell you that you had allies here, but he made me feel as if there was some sort of being holding them captive. He said it was called 'The Mountain King'."
"Was there anything else he told you?"
"He said he understands why you had to cast him into the abyss, and he forgives you. He also said to tell you that you are his father once again."
I felt a strange feeling, of something healing and breaking at the same time- I wept. "Raziel..."
I don't know how long I cried, but I do know that she embraced me and held me through every tear. I have never been one of the lucky ones, the ones who have someone to love and comfort him or her. I was the great ruler of Nosgoth, who had neither the time, nor the woman who loved him and not his power. But Lori?
As my tears ceased to fall I would set my sight on this Mountain King. My mind turned fully to him, I would find him, and then Lori's voice broke my concentration.
"Kain, Wolfram and Hart is having a dance party tonight. How about we go pay our friends a visit."
I chuckled. "Tonight we dance."
Hello again everyone! Short, huh? Who's Shandi? And why is Kain immune to Moebius' staff and not to that strange smell? Well, if you'd just hold your bloody horses I'll get to it! And who's the Mountain King? I don't know I got it from a Savatage song called "Hall of the Mountain King", so you tell me what the Mountain King is. So what do you guys think should happen next? Maybe Godzilla comes and destroys L.A., or maybe not.
"What did you say?" I knew full well what he had said, and it amazed me that the "vampires" of this world were so brazen.
"You heard me mate."
"Yes, I'm afraid, I did. I must say it wasn't the most healthy way for you to introduce yourself 'vampire'."
He chuckled, as he fingered his weapon, the one I guessed made the explosions, and then he showed his lack of intelligence by speaking continuing to speak. "Bugger that, wanker. I've got myself a gun, all you have is that namby-pamby sword."
My telekinesis wound itself around his weapon, and it was my turn to laugh as his weapon was pulled from his grasp and was sent rounding threw the air. "Funny. Where are your taunts and your smile now?" I said as I telekinetically pulled him from the ground sending him quickly towards him. It was then that I learned an interesting secret.
I stopped him within inches of my person and looked at him quizzically. "You carry the sent of Wolfram and Hart. After I'm finished playing with you tell your master that Kain is coming." Then I flung him hard into a wall, shattering its bricks.
Just as he was rising slowly to his feet, I was already gone- teleporting back to Lori's home.
I startled her as I appeared in her living room. She had been laying on her couch reading. "I met one of Wolfram and Hart's lackeys, a 'vampire'."
She put down her book and looked at me with a look that showed no surprise. "A vampire?"
"Yes, he was underground. We were killing the same monster, but he seemed to do it for enjoyment."
"I see. So there are other types of monsters in this city- boy I can really pick the places to live. I should have stayed in South Dakota."
"I prefer the demons and 'vampires' of this world to the humans of Nosgoth any day."
"There must be some fine people there."
"Aside from the occasional genocide, they're not too bad."
"You always do that."
"Do what?"
"Curse them with one side of your lips and love them with the other."
"A warrior king can't choose who he fights for."
"Mmmhmm." Was I that transparent? But she was right when Raziel was first pursuing me I did as she said. I would tell him things to hurt him, and then a mere sentence later I would tell him I was proud of him. I did seem to do that a lot. But it was unsettling that she seemed to know me so well. Humans were rarely that insightful.
I was wary; as she moved to allow me a place to sit I caught hold of a sent that was strangely familiar to me. My mind went back to a memory of a much younger me when I had first met the ancient vampire Janos Audron. But I chased these thoughts away as pure fantasy.
"Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing." I lied; there was a list of things wrong. Things that will never be right, a good man is trapped in a sword, a monster holds the souls of the dead trapped in its Wheel, and I'm trapped on this planet. No, nothing's wrong.
She put down her book, as she walked toward her kitchen her thigh brushed up against the Reaver and a burst of green light flashed from her body. She fell with a heavy thud, and my heart feared she had died, but to my relief she was not.
I cradled her in my arms, and took her gently to her bed and laid her softly down. I ran my fingers through her hair, and cursed myself for my folly. I should have been more careful with the blade and placed it somewhere it would not of caused her harm- tears fell from my eyes.
***********************
Strange, the feeling my body felt- like falling but worse. In my dreams I opened my eyes, and saw a misty red realm filled with demons, and beings that had once been beautiful, now demonic as well.
In my dreams, I recalled the Pillars and their purpose, they had done their work flawlessly, but at what cost? Kain had said that the vampires of Nosgoth had been continually subject to genocides. As for the forebears of the vampires, they had committed suicide all but one, or so they thought. I wondered what the vampire and humans of Nosgoth would do if they knew the truth. And what would Kain do if he knew the truth of this planet? That no one ever leaves it.
My dreams continued back to that place where the vampires made their stand against their enemies, within I saw a monster and false god. His form made of tentacles and eyes wound like gargantuan snakes around a captured ruined creature.
I watched as the blue creature struggled against his captor. He struggled to speak, until he was finally able. "Shandi, Kain has allies here powerful ones, who can help him against enemies too strong for him. But beware of the Mountain King. Tell Kain that I understand now, why he had to cast me into the abyss. I forgive him, he is my father once again."
That was all he could speak, the monster- the Elder- held him bound once again. As my dreams left that place that monster left me with these parting words "You are still mine."
Then I woke with a scream.
********************
Her scream stole away my worry replacing it with the joy of her being well. I held her, calming her fears as she told me her vision. It broke my heart to know that she had seen what was behind my door- a place where only bloodshed and weeping dwells.
"And I saw a blue man, ruined and torn. He told me to tell you that you had allies here, but he made me feel as if there was some sort of being holding them captive. He said it was called 'The Mountain King'."
"Was there anything else he told you?"
"He said he understands why you had to cast him into the abyss, and he forgives you. He also said to tell you that you are his father once again."
I felt a strange feeling, of something healing and breaking at the same time- I wept. "Raziel..."
I don't know how long I cried, but I do know that she embraced me and held me through every tear. I have never been one of the lucky ones, the ones who have someone to love and comfort him or her. I was the great ruler of Nosgoth, who had neither the time, nor the woman who loved him and not his power. But Lori?
As my tears ceased to fall I would set my sight on this Mountain King. My mind turned fully to him, I would find him, and then Lori's voice broke my concentration.
"Kain, Wolfram and Hart is having a dance party tonight. How about we go pay our friends a visit."
I chuckled. "Tonight we dance."
Hello again everyone! Short, huh? Who's Shandi? And why is Kain immune to Moebius' staff and not to that strange smell? Well, if you'd just hold your bloody horses I'll get to it! And who's the Mountain King? I don't know I got it from a Savatage song called "Hall of the Mountain King", so you tell me what the Mountain King is. So what do you guys think should happen next? Maybe Godzilla comes and destroys L.A., or maybe not.