As promised here is the next chapter. I'm attempting to get ahead in writing the chapters so that I can still post even if I am too busy to write, so hopefully my muse is up to a marathon writing stint. Please feed it by sending reviews!
Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the non canon characters and ghosts, who have escaped from personal graveyard of victims. I really need to get a leash for them, pesky critters…..
Chapter 11
Weapons and Answers
"You keep saying we need to forge a weapon of power in order to destroy the cross, and forgive me for being ignorant, but what type of weapon exactly do you have in mind?" asked Carl.
"That is indeed a very good question." Cecaise said, turning to regard the friar. He had been silently following the whole conversation and seemed to have calmed somewhat from his earlier outburst. "It would need to be something that can be universally used, in case the deed falls to someone with only basic skills. A rare possibility, but one that should not be overlooked."
"What would you suggest?" Tyris asked, steepling her fingers.
"Well, an arrow head would be useless as should the target be missed, it could be devastating as would a bullet. An axe is usually difficult to wield unless specifically trained in its use," Cecaise continued, thoughts playing out across his features. "The logical choice would be a sword."
"Why not a dagger of some sort, smaller and easier to conceal?" Kellan asked.
"Remember that the cross is made of a mystically forged metal. A dagger would not be able to create enough force to destroy the cross, unless the wielder had significant strength. A sword is capable of getting quite a lot of force behind it, even if swung by a small person." He relaxed into his chair, gazing at everyone form his laid back vantage point. "Everyone here can either be trained in a sword rudimentary use or is already quite adept at it."
"That does make sense. Even the most inexperienced warrior can swing a sword and strike a stationary object with some minimal training," Van Helsing mused. "The next important question is when to start forging, we only have two days to stop the ceremony and the sword has to be forged by both day and night and be empowered by blood."
"We must begin forging tonight. One of the Goddess's blessings is that it is a full moon tonight. This will give the sword extra power, as well as giving us the chance to attack tomorrow night." Tarja stated.
"Why attack at night when it will be easier for Mercer to call the dead?" Carl asked.
"Because, he will be expecting us to attack in the daylight and it will give me an edge, since my powers are at their best at night. With the gift of power, they will be even stronger," she explained. "Also, in the event we should fail, we will still have the day to launch another attack."
"So our plan is to forge a sword with which to destroy the cross of Rhade; attack Meridian castle using the side exit almost no one knows about where we could face annihilation from hunter spirits, demons and zombies, break in and face down Mercer and his goons and destroy the Cross. And, somewhere in this whole thing we need to find a way to release Nico using said cross." Van Helsing asked. "Some days I really love my job."
At this, Tarja cleared her throat and stood. "Well, now that we have that sorted, I need to go and prepare for the ceremony of release for Calvell. I believe that I can entrust the forging to you Cecaise. You did an amazing job with Nico's sword, I trust you will forge a strong weapon."
"You have my word on that, it will be the best I will ever make. I would like to use a sample of blood from everyone in the Coven to empower the sword. It will be blessed with the strength of the entire Coven, both past and present." Cecaise stood and bowed. "I will take my leave from Calvell's ceremony. He was like a brother to me, but I feel that this would be a much better service to his memory." With that last, he turned and swept from the room.
Tarja turned to the hunter and friar. "The ceremony will begin in one hour out in the main open space. We honour our fallen dead by burning them, and you are welcome to attend."
"We would be honoured," Gabriel replied, watching as she turned and left the room, leaving the two travellers with the remaining two elite.
"We have arranged rooms for the both of you during your stay, if you would follow us, we will show you to them," Tyris spoke, rising from her chair, and gesturing towards the door.
Following the two elite members of the Coven, curiosity got the better of Carl. "Tarja was close to Calvell?" he asked, remembering the unshed tears in her eyes and her earlier reaction to his death.
"He was like a brother to her. All of us elite are quite close to each other, most of us having been raised together in the Coven. They spent a lot of time together, whenever Tarja got into trouble it was usually Calvell that pulled her out of it." Kellan answered. "Some of us are closer than others. But the bonds run deep. This will be hard on her, especially without Nico."
Having led them to their rooms they were left to their own devices. Carl being the ever-efficient member of the Order, began writing up his usual report on the events that had unfolded recently, and in doing so organised his own thoughts. So far on this escapade he had seen things that he had never thought possible, from the presence of a demon to ghosts rending the flesh from a man. His faith had been tested to the limit and had yet also been reaffirmed. The very presence of the being of the cross ways meant that God did in fact exist, a comforting thought knowing what he would face the following night. If he did die, he at least had the comforting thought that he would be going to heaven and wouldn't be cast into some vast depth of nothingness. It wasn't much but by God it was something.
Van Helsing however was a creature of habit, who, although he knew that he should still be resting and that he would need all his strength for tomorrow took out his weapons and began to methodically clean them, ensuring that they were in top physical condition and were ready for anything that this mission would throw at him. While cleaning his weapons he allowed his mind to mull over the things that he had been told and had discovered on this trip to merry old England. His thoughts drifted interminably back to Nico. Knowing Balfour of old, he could see what the man saw in his wife. She was strong and independent, but had an incredible soft side to her, which allowed her to feel for her friends and family. He knew without a doubt that if there was a way out of this, she would find it and return his old friend to the world of the living. This in turn brought him onto thoughts of the one woman he remembered having truly loved. Although they had been together for only a short while, he had imagined spending the rest of his life with Anna Valerious.
She shared the same fiery spirit as Tarja, and had the same tenacity and resilience. God how he missed her, even the small comfort of seeing her again in the place between life and death had not been enough to ease his pain at her loss. Deep inside he knew that he was not responsible for her death; she had saved him from the poison of the wolf and had been caught in the crossfire. He knew she was with her family, but sometimes he had this small doubt that he was responsible. Seeing the depth of love Tarja had for Nico and the things she was prepared to do had brought it all back. He had not been able to bring her back, and nothing he could do would ever change that, at least it was a small blessing that Tarja had the chance to save Nico. If it were within his power he would do all he could to ensure that she succeeded. No one should have to live with the feeling that they should have done something more. No one.
An hour later and the entire Coven who were able to walk were assembled outside, forming a circle around the large pyre where the body of the fallen friend and Elite lay. Van Helsing and Carl were stood next to the remaining elite, watching as Tarja began the ceremony of release, preparing to release the spirit of her friend into the never realms where it would find peace. She had performed many of these over the past day and a half, releasing the souls that she had seen hovering over the bodies of the slain. However, in Calvell's case, she could still feel his presence within his body, even though he was very dead. It was almost as if he was waiting for something. Walking forward she lit the pyre on which the body was resting.
"We are here in order to release the soul of out dear friend Calvell, Elite and kin to all present through the bonds of this Coven. He died in the defence of others and gave his life for the Coven he has served all of his life." Walking backward she picked up the salt that had already been blessed and began to walk a sacred circle, creating a magical barrier against intrusion into this most sacred ceremony.
Having laid the salt, she returned to the circle and began to chant the ritual words of release handed down over generations of Priestesses, calling for the spirit of the fallen to come forward and travel towards peace in the never realms. Feeling the energy inside rise, she began calling the spirit forward form the body, feeling his power rise from his fallen shell and from within the sacred circle.
Van Helsing watched with a mixture of trepidation and awe. He knew that something was wrong; he just couldn't put his finger on exactly what it was. He felt evil nearby, but couldn't place its location. Keeping his posture facing forward, he allowed his eyes to roam over the area, listening as the chanting changed, becoming more and more urgent, calling, always calling. He was about to turn back and watch the remainder of the ceremony when he felt another spike of an evil presence nearby; the hairs on the back of his neck began to rise.
The hunter began to feel restless as the feeling of danger increased, the stench of evil surrounding the area. Where is it? A feeling of restlessness began to take over as the presence became closer, centring on Tarja. Turning to observe the rest of the area he saw it out of the corner of his eye. A ghostly figure, haggard and grotesquely misshapen, a ghostly translucent knife poised above the necromancer's head. A hunter spirit! "Tarja, behind you!" he called, already in motion.
So focussed on the energy of her fallen friend she hadn't felt the spirit behind her. The scared circle was only designed to prevent the passage of corporeal threats into the circle and prevent the intrusion of higher-level entities such as demons. It wasn't designed to stop spirits passing through, as that would prevent the called soul from escaping.
Turning her head, she faltered in mid chant, realisation dawning on her as the hunter slammed into her side, tumbling them both out of the circle of people to land a skidding line along the ground and through the circle of salt. This had a surprising effect on the Hunter spirit, making it visible to even to the most insensate, including Carl.
Chaos broke out as people fled for their lives, fearing a repeat of previous events. Carl simply stood there, gaping, as people began to run in all directions. The remaining Elite were ushering people inside the buildings, away from the spirit, although it was clear that they were in no danger, as the spirit followed the necromancer who was being pulled to her feet by the hunter.
"The Bastard sent a hunter spirit! I swear I will kill him slowly for this!" she howled, feeling the anger rise within, eyes going black as the night sky with power.
The hunter spirit felt the increase in power and made a direct bee-line towards the now irate woman.
"How do we stop this thing?" Van Helsing asked, standing his ground next to her as the spirit swept down, ghostly blade held aloft.
"We need to use a blade powered by both blood and salt, that way we can bind it to the ground, or we can attempt to break Mercer's control over it and free it. I would really rather not bind one to the Coven Grounds!" She shouted as she rolled to the left, barely avoiding a swipe from the blade. Without realising it, she had rolled directly into the place where the spirit of Calvell was waiting.
Without warning, as if sensing its victory was near, the hunter spirit dived directly at the necromancer, who was still flat on the ground, attempting to get up.
"Tarja!" Van Helsing yelled, running towards her as fast as possible in an attempt to intercept the spirit in its path.
Realising that her end was near and that she would only have one chance, Tarja called upon her newfound power, shoving it into her necromancy and let instinct take over. Reaching out she became aware of a strong presence, almost beside her. Warm and comforting, powerful and yet familiar all the same. Calvell? She called, feeling time slow down.
Yes Tarja, I knew that you would need me, so I have decided to stay and protect you until your mission is finished and you have saved the gateways. she heard his voice in her head, almost as if he was speaking to her.
"But why?"
Because, If you fail, there will be nowhere for me to go anyway, he replied. Besides, it's become habit.
Feeling her energy flare, she felt Calvell's spirit move in closer to her, forming a shield between her and the spirit. Knowing that it was the only way to save them both, she poured her energy into he guardian spirit, feeling his strength grow. Looking up she realised that it had only been a few seconds in time and that the hunter spirit was not going to be able to penetrate her 'shield'.
She grabbed a blade from her boot, and dragged it along her hand. "By blood I free thee from your captor," she said. Bending she wiped the bloodied knife into the salt on the ground, "By salt I bind thee to my will." Then taking the knife she drove it into ground, "By the power of earth I free you from your captor. By the power of three time three I release you from your captor and bid thee to go in peace!"
Taking the knife she drove it into the metaphysical heart of the spirit, feeling it cry in pain, finally released from its torture of being controlled, slowly fading into nothing ness. Finally releasing her powers she allowed them to return to their normal levels, feeling the spirit of Calvell retreat to a distant but permanent sensation nearby.
"Tarja, are you alright?" Gabriel asked as he grabbed her by her shoulders, visually checking her for injuries.
Looking up into his concerned face, she smiled. "Yes, I'm fine. I had some help from an old friend. It appears that I now have a guardian ghost, at least for the time being."
The others, having reached earshot in time to hear her last comment, looked at her with a mixture of awe and disbelief.
"Guardian Ghost?" Van Helsing asked.
Well, let me know what you think,
it really doesn't take much effort to leave a review.
Fen.