Chapter five ; Five times as cursed
High in the night's sky, clouds were being reshaped by the sudden flapping of mighty green wings. Jaren Sal was speeding across the night with his side still opened and bleeding. But he strongly pressed on and with a smile on his face, muttered some ancient chant. At once he came to a standstill and razed his arms towards the moon. Its ghastly rays brought life in the clouds and an army of specters arose at his command. Five of them stepped forth and tossed their empty gaze at the dragon :
" …Whhhho awakens spirits of the circle… ?"
" My need !"; Jaren Sal spoke :" The vampire, Kain must taste your curse once more !"
" …Kain !"; the ghosts breathed out :" … Hhhhhe deserves our everlasting hhhhatred. But whhhat good can thhhose like us do against hhhim ?"
" The touch of madness that you still bare, fell out of his soul. Now that I have summoned you, Nuthraptor, Bane, Maleck, De-jouls and Azimuth, I besiege you to place it back within him !"
" …It shhhhall be done… shhhaman… it shhhall be done… "
An ancient vampire had no intention to get to know these humans. He was just boring him self with this, but he did listen and patiently waited for the end of this little reunion. Adella's father bravely came a little closer to him and said firmly :
" Give her back to me. "
Kain turned his attention to him and his cold frightening face became grudged :
" Treasure what you have left, old man !"
Adella tried to pool her father back but he removed her arms from him :
" Give her back to me, damn you !"
Kain suddenly made a few large steps towards him making them all back away :
" Do not forgo my favor, mortals ! Adella plead for your lives and I decided to indulge her ! Do not force me to change my mind !"
" You took her away… "; her mother whispered
" And she is mine now ! A child of shades and the night ! A peace of my world until the end of her days. Vampires are her family now, and you are just a flicker of a memory. "; he quieted his anger and resumed politely :" But I've left her with her sentiments and other of her burdens. If she wants to hold you still dear to her I won't deny her, because I love her like my child that she is. "
" Look, mom… "; Adela tried to comfort her :" Things could have been worse. I… I'm not justifying him, but we should at least be grateful that it stopped here. "
" I can't be grateful… for any of this. "; her mom whispered
But than her father took a closer look at Kain. As horrifying and demented as he appeared, his concerned eyes were constantly on Adella when ever she wasn't looking. He cared for her more than he was willing to say and suddenly he begun to understand the relationship that developed between her and him. Now he understood the life Adella made for her self under his wing, and as alien as it appeared she didn't have the intention of leaving it. It all happened so fast he barely noticed the empty space in this dialogue waiting to be filled.
" I don't care, how you live your life, "; he said to everyone's great surprise :" as long as you are happy. "
" Robert !"; Adella's mother said in one breath
They all looked at him shocked but he just tossed his grudged eyes on Kain's smudged face and said :
" You… take good care of her… so she is happy. "
Adella looked at Kain and smiled :
" Yes… I'm happy. I protect the land from dragons and monsters and I have those who love me close to me… humans and vampires both. "
Kain has had enough of this mushy conversation and was beginning to grow annoyed :
" You know I still have a flying worm to catch ?"
" So what's keeping you ?"; Adella asked
" You are. "; he said with concern in his voice :" I won't leave until I'm sure you'll be fine… What ?... No !... AARRRRRG !"
He backed away swaying in a splitting headache, and grabbing for his head with both of his red talons. Adella ran to him :
" What ? What's the meter !"
" It… It comes… AGAIN ! AAArrrr !"; Kain fell on his knees and his right arm
" What comes again !"
" …Nupraptor ! No ! You won't take me ! I won't let you take… me ! AAAAARRRR !"
Suddenly a swarm of ghosts in pale torn mist started to descend from the hole in the ceiling. Thousands of souls filled the room and started to circle around him one by one, faster and faster. Kain roared and hissed at them but they just kept coming. Five of those appeared to be worse of them, with moldy sculls and gray bones, dressed in wizard's robes with ancient symbols for nature, energy, conflict, states, and mind They begun drawing closer to Kain and suddenly started jumping into him one by one. Adella was pooled back by ghost's phantom hands and the mob of angry specters hid him from her sight. She screamed and hissed at them trying to brake free, but in a few moments their grip was gone and they all dissolved into an evaporating fog that swiftly vanished in the flour and air.
Her family came behind her, checking if she was all right, but she was more worried about her sire. Kain was lying on his back, unconscious. She ran to him and tried to wake him, but before she could, he suddenly opened his eyes, startling her and swiftly got up looking around with a certain amount of surprise.
" … Are you all right… ?"; she asked him, drawing his attention
" Never better. "; he said smiling :" I haven't seen this clearly for a long time. Now I know what must be done !"
Before he finished the sentence, he hurled his magic at her unsuspecting family, instantly capturing them in bonds of his shackles so tight they could barely breathe.
" Wait ! What are you doing !"; Adella yelled
" I'm taking it back !"; he shouted :" I was a fool to let humans steel my Nosgoth from me ! It is MINE and mine alone !"
Adella was shocked. She tried to run at him, but he slapped her so strong she fell before the hovering feet of her human father. She looked at him grieved, but he just laughed :
" Oh, you are going to cry now ? You weakling ! I don't know what came over me to think you deserve my mercy !"
" No… I don't believe this ! This isn't you !"
" This is more me than you can ever imagine ! Strong, powerful, merciless ! I am a god ! And you… If you aren't with me, you are against me !"; he took up the reaver and continued in a chilling tone :" You must forsake your humanity, Adella. You cling to it like it is your stolen gold. It is nothing ! Humans are nothing ! Filth that drags around our world like a plague ! Forget it and join me !"
" No… I… The dragon ! Jaren Sal did this to you ! Fight it, Kain ! You must fight it !"
" The dragon ? Yes, this must be his doing. I'll have to thank him later, but first… "
He extended his claw and grabbing her in his telekinetic, brought her face to the neck of her mother. She tried to resist, but it was in wane. And suddenly trough her anger, came the sweet sound of blood beating under the skin. It has been a while since she fed and the thirst was burning in her like a forest fire. The beating got faster and louder, accelerated by fear, and Adella could smell the sweet terror filling her mother's entire being. She couldn't bare it. It was like water to a man in the desert, like sunlight to a prisoner of the darkest dungeon, but she kept her jaw clenched and closed, knowing that if she should open it, she won't close it again.
Kain laughed :
" I'll leave you like this for now. When you come to your senses return to me, and we'll settle the rest. Seek at the pillars, for there is the seat of my rule, and don't take long, 'cause I'll start without you. "; he shifted in bat form and vanished in the night
They were left in his bonds of magic, frozen and paralyzed, except for Adella who was able to move her head and her jaw. She tried to think things trough, but she couldn't. The sound of blood in her mother's vanes was too disrupting, and she could just hang there helpless and weak. The grip of Kain's magic teased her like her jailor, and somehow she knew it won't let her go after she kills her mother, but will take to her father and so on until she kills them all. She tried to resist as long as she could, but in the end she begun to brake and her jaw started to dangle above her mother's skin…
Suddenly a stream of red fluid came to her mouth and Adella deeply sucked with all her burning hunger. It was a plastic bag filled with sweet blood in her mouth and as soon as she drank it, her sight cleared and she saw Tarian and Jasmine next to him.
Jasmine had straight black shining hair that shrouded her ears and neck. Her greenish skin housed veins that reached the surface of it like a fade web of tattoos. She had a constant habit to wear white and red. Sometimes she would wear white black and red, but such times were rare. This time she had a white cloak, boots, belt and gloves, and red trousers and shirt made of shining leather. Her fade, cunning and innocent smile revealed her tendency to joke even in the most extreme situations.
" God morning, sister. It seams I've caught you napping this time… "
" Tarian ! Boy am I glad to see you ! Quickly get me out of here !"
" But how ?"; Jasmine asked :" This magic has a strong grip on you. "
" I don't know… Maybe if you would somehow break me out of this you would brake them as well. "
Tarian reached for her and had his hand zapped by green field. Suddenly, her father started to mumble something. Jasmine looked at him and saw his eyes pointing to his pulse-rifle, lying on the flour. She took it and after some thinking set it to maximum :
" I don't know if this will work… "; she said
" Hit me !"; Adella said decisively
Jasmine hesitated for a moment and than she pooled the trigger. The bright blast of the gun stroke her and instantly the entire magic field dispersed and all five of them fell down. Her family simultaneously took a deep breath, before getting up. Adella jumped on her feet unharmed and happy :
" It worked ! You've killed it !"
" Yes, but what was it ?"; Tarian asked
" Excuse me !"; Helen interrupted :" Not that I'm ungrateful, but who are you two suppose to be ?"
Tarian and Jasmine hissed at her and their fangs flashed on the torch lights. Adella slugged them both aside :
" Stop that ! Like they haven't bean trough enough tonight. "; and than she remembered :" Kain !"
" What ? Kain did this to you ?"; Tarian asked
" He… I don't know. He flipped ! He wants to take over the world again ! we must stop him !"
" We ? Stop HIM ?"; Jasmine tossed :" I really don't see how we can stop him in anything. "
" Hey, wait a minute !"; her father suddenly interrupted them :" Don't you think the NUC should know about this ?"
" He's right. Go to General Leiman. Let him prepare for an attack. But please ; give us a chance to put some sense back into him. "
" You aren't actually thinking of reasoning with Kain !"; Joseph asked :" He'll kill you before you even get close to him. "
" We have to try… I have to try. He saved us all from this dragon. I can't just abandon him. I won't !"
" But, Adella… "; her mother tried to say, but she just turned away
" Sorry, mom. I have to save the world !"; she Tarian and Jasmine ran out so fast they could barely see them disappear in cave's shadows
" You have to save the world ?"; Jasmine asked amused
" I always wanted to say that. "
" Enough jokes. "; Tarian said as they ran trough the cave :" We'll need a plan if we want to face him now. "
" There must be something. "; Adella said and stopped running :" What did he say to me… Oh what's the word… Nurputor… Nur… Nup… "
" Nupraptor !"; Tarian said
" That's it !... Wait. How did you know ?"
" He told me… Don't be so shocked. You think he only talks to you ? "; he bowed his head :" We're in trouble. Nupraptor was a mage in ancient times. He cast a curse of madness on our sire that guided him over two thousand years. "
" Madness ? Kain can be deranged, but he isn't crazy. "; Adella said
" He said that his greatest son eventually saved him from that, centuries ago. "
" What ? Who's his greatest son ?... Desmond ?"
" His greatest son ever is named Raziel. " Jasmine said :" Yes, he talks to me too. In his madness, he condemned him to a watery grave, but he emerged as the reaper of souls. He first wanted to kill Kain, but eventually they teemed up against the Hylden. I don't know what happened to him. "
" Raziel… I know now. "; Adella said :" He told me that his sword is in fact this Raziel, who gave his soul to the blade so that " the taint could be cured ". The soul of Raziel is the spirit of the soul reaver, his sword !"
" Don't you find all of this strange ? That each of us has one peace of the puzzle ?"; Tarian noticed
" You think Kain might have anticipated this and gave us some clues ?"; Jasmine said
" If Raziel cured him once, he might cure him again. "; Adella said
" Raziel is a sword now ! How is the sword going to help ? What good can the sword do ?"; Jasmine asked annoyed
" It is not just a sword… I don't know what it is, but I think it can do something. We must go to the Pillars at once !"
Velako was waiting outside, as well as Oderon of Tergetti and Yvonne of Zantara, the first in Tarian's and Jasmine's house. Once their sires came out, they bowed and followed them as they ran trough the rocky woods. Velako explained that the family is safe and relocated south of Wilendorf's mines where they will wait until this ends. Fortunately the waiting transport of Tarian and Jasmine was close by and they begun steering to the ancient sight of toppled pillars. But just as they started Adella realized :
" Wait ! I've got it !"
" What ?"; Jasmine asked
" Velako ; you must go to our home as fast as you can and bring something back. This is most important !"