oneiroitane - Thank you for commenting.. glad you liked the plot twist. It was a gamble that paid off.
Any Hellboy fans?
I must mention here that Captain Giurescu was inspired by a character of the same name from Hellboy... who is also an evil vampire and was a soldier in the Hussars.
Flectere si nequeo superos, Acheronta movebo.
Translation: If I can not bend the will of Heaven, I shall move Hell.
Tony lay on his back, the taste of dull coppery blood lingering in his mouth. The Captain was chuckling at him from a safe distance. Since he revealed that he was undead, somehow the vampire seemed to have grown more powerful and more hideous to Tony. His chest was now furry and his arms had grown massive muscles, which bulged with every movement.
He had body slammed Tony and then punched him in the mouth so hard, his upper lip was now bleeding.
Tony tiredly pushed himself off the floor and rose shakily. His strength was gone and the Captain did not even seem to be bruised. He picked up his pike and wiped the blood from his mouth.
The Toad was distractedly staring up at the sky as if he was looking for something.
Tony slowly circled the Captain. He lunged heavily at him, thrusting the pike forward. But the Captain dodged the pike, even though it grazed him badly and grabbed Tony by the throat firmly with one hand. He raised him off the ground, tightening his grip painfully.
Tony choked as the Captain grinned maliciously and uttered with glee, "Finally I caught you, little man...now I get to taste warrior blood, fresh and gushing."
He flailed his legs about, trying to kick the Captain but the monster was too far away. The Captain opened his mouth to reveal his pointed fangs. Saliva dripped from them.
"Struggle all you want, my lord... I enjoy it... come closer now."
Tony raised his hands to scratch at the hand around his throat but nothing he did affected the Captain's grip. Tony could hear voices whispering urgently in his head. His heart was pounding and his vision started to fade.
I am too weak to use the flame... too weak... maybe this is the end... It feels like the end...
The Toad said from very, very far away, "Now Giurescu, put him down! I said not to kill him!
Tony's eyes rolled in his head. As he closed his eyes, he heard the Toad say faintly, "What is that light in the sky? What is that?"
For a moment, all was black and still. Then the Captain let go and Tony gasped with relief, falling to his side. He gingerly massaged his throat as he saw the Captain get blasted by a stream of bright orange flame. The Toad was saying something and Tony watched him retreat, the flame blasting the Captain relentlessly, such that he could not get up. The Bat Man was howling with pain. Tony staggered to his feet, staring at him.
"Tony! Tony!"
His heart stopped in his chest. "That voice... it can't be..." he turned his head slowly, "how ... it can't be.."
But it was because standing there in front of him, flame orb in one hand, smiling sweetly at him, was his Pepper, ethereally silhouetted in the moonlight, which seemed to be shining on her alone. She tilted her head to one side and stretched out a hand to him. She was wearing an indigo blue shoulder-less robe and her hair was tied back simply.
"Tony... I am back." she said smiling, those beautifully blue eyes shimmering at him.
"It is a ghost... I am dying... now I can see ghosts?"
The apparition bit her lip, "I am not a ghost, Tony, come closer."
He took a hesitant step forward. "If you are truly Pepper's ghost, I am honored and immensely grateful and very very happy that you are here but that damn Rana could have conjured you up to play tricks with me... Please, please," he stopped, "please be real."
Pepper concentrated hard and created one more orb. She lobbied it with force at the sprawled out Captain, the filthy cur, and ran to Tony's side.
She gasped with shock as she neared him, standing there, tottering and leaning heavily to one side. He was not wearing much armor, only his chest piece and gauntlets, so Pepper was extremely alarmed to see him covered in blood and gashes.
"Oh my god, Tony, how badly are you hurt?" she exclaimed as Tony knelt to his knees before her, too weak to stand up.
She knelt too, trying to hold him, gently ruffling his hair. She winced at the nasty cut on his forehead, his bloodied lip and one blackened eye. Then she touched his throat, exclaiming at the purple finger marks, left by that brute Captain on the delicate flesh.
"Tony, Tony, are you alright?"
He inhaled so deeply, she was scared he was taking his last breaths. His one brown eye looked at her with awe, molasses soft in color and she caught his hands in her own. "God's teeth, you are so cold!" she exclaimed. "Tony," she said looking around and then at him, "Tony, go away, get off this roof, I will handle these two."
The Captain was growling and was crawling away slowly, the High Priest was nowhere to be seen.
"Is it ... it is really you..." murmured Tony weakly. "The lilacs, you smell... good god Pepper! It is you... I thought, I thought you were gone..."
She smiled tremulously as Tony softly kissed her fingers, murmuring sweet nothings to them. He looked at her with a tear-filled eye and she slowly caressed his jaw with the back of her hand.
"Tony," she whispered urgently, "you have got to get out of here. You can't fight, you are too weak."
"Never!" he said gasping, "Never! I am not going to leave you ever again!"
"Tony, you are too weak... you may not... survive another round of fighting..."
He placed her hand on his arc. "Heal me, Pepper... heal me with your power."
She heard low moans and saw the Captain slowly try to pull himself to his feet. Pepper turned back to Tony who said again, "Pepper! Listen to me! Use your power and move my flame within me. It will give me strength. I..." he nearly fell forward with weakness and she gathered him up in her arms, holding on to him tightly, rubbing his face with hers.
He muttered urgently against her ear, his breath so warm on her face, "Pepper, use your hands and control my flame."
"I cannot, Tony, I cannot ... I might hurt you! It's too dangerous .. I am, I am not used to using my power."
He saw the look of abject fear in her dark blue eyes.
He smiled his crooked smile with his bloodied lip. "I have faith in you...I have complete faith in you." He took her hand and once again placed it on his arc. "Heal me, Pepper. Please ... please help my flame..." he whispered and she began to focus, closing her eyes.
Slowly, gently, slowly... I must not hurt Tony.
She felt something within him, low and weak but there and she focused her mind on it, feeling it jump and throb towards her touch.
She opened her eyes and looked into Tony's single brown eye looking at her with such trust, that her heart swelled with love and the fire beneath her fingers began to surge and burn. She willed it to rise and it obeyed instantly, rising to her touch, picking up speed.
Toby gasped and Pepper saw his eyes flash with blue light as she felt the flame flow through him like a fiery wave of power.
"It is so... so mighty, so fiery... so blue..." she whispered, entranced at the feel of living flame and blood combined. "I have never felt a fire like this."
She gasped with the way he threw his head back and roared into the night. She saw his arc burn brightly and she lowered her fingers. Then she watched with wonder as Tony stood up straight and strong, standing tall in front of her, the blue light of the arc shining brightly in the night. There was something hanging from a thread around his neck but she couldn't make out what it was.
He smiled down at her and offered her his arm, pulling her up. Pepper stared at his remarkable transformation.
"I never, I never thought it could do that, my power I mean ... your body feels warm again and you seem... alright."
His eye twinkled at her. "My life, once again, is restored thanks to your beautiful fingers." He bowed low and kissed her hand reverently. "Pepper, my flame is entirely at your service. As well as my heart."
Before she could reply, they turned to the sound of loud clapping. The High Priest was standing a short distance away slowly clapping his hands.
Pepper gritted her teeth. "Rana!" she yelled. "Rana, you lying foul cockroach! I've come to put an end to you!"
The toady priest, huge as ever, was actually grinning at her evilly. "My, my, that was very impressive ... the way you restored the Knight's flame ... what are you, sweet Virginia. . Magician .. witch ? You can conjure up fire and move them with your mind..."
The Captain came into view behind the priest and Pepper noted with satisfaction that he was badly burnt on his chest and his face was singed. He still stood however and Tony said, "He is of the undead ...he is a vampire."
She shivered at that. The thought of facing an undead being filled her with dread.
Then Tony whispered in her ear, his beard ticklish against her soft skin, "Do not fear him, sweeting... You are more capable than you think. You are not alone, I'm by your side. Together we will destroy this evil. Have faith in yourself, Pepper. You are no ordinary woman."
Pepper took a deep breath, smiling slowly at the way Tony had used her own words to him, to restore her confidence.
She said out loud, "Captain, you bastard! I know this was your evil plan to begin with but... but Rana, you didn't need to go along with it! You.. you betrayed the people's faith in you! You lied to the Celestial Being! You have been lying all along and destroying lives in the process!"
She felt her blood boil and her heart start to thump strongly. Her hands started to itch. She knew her eyes were burning orange, from the way the Captain and the Priest were staring at her in wonder.
The Captain recovered from his shock to leer at her evilly. "Finally ... fate has smiled upon me ... I will capture the red haired maiden and the Iron Knight together in one stroke!"
His yellow eyes glowed ominously. "My master will be so pleased. He has been searching for you for so long... Virginia of Cumbria."
"Master !?" said Tony and Pepper at the same time in confusion .
"Enough chit chat..." the captain cracked his neck and stretched out his arms. "I agree!" said Rana. "Let us spar. Time is being wasted."
The Captain pointed at Tony. "This one is still mine. He needs to be broken."
Rana giggled, the sound irritating Pepper. "My lady, what magic trick will you try on me? You are a child in front of my magic."
Pepper snorted derisively. "And just what will you try on me, Priest? Blue and white flowers? I will burn away your magic tricks."
Tony stepped away from Pepper but not before catching her hand and squeezing it tightly. He whispered to her "May your fire meet every target true." She repeated them back to him, earnestly.
Then Tony and the captain slowly walked in parallel, a little distance away, the Captain growling.
The High Priest and Pepper stood where they were. The huge man said, "I take it, this is your first duel?"
She said firmly, "No it isn't. I've faced opponents before."
"Ahhh... but sweet Virginia, this is your first duel with your fire isn't it?"
He giggled at her angry flush. "Never mind, sweet child, you cannot hope to match me anyway. I want you alive and well for what is to come next."
Then he hissed wickedly at her, "I so enjoyed watching you struggle helplessly under the influence of the drug. I look forward to doing it again. And this time, I do not need to save you for any god... I shall have you all to myself ... to torture." He laughed sleazily at her, rubbing his bands with glee.
This made Pepper see red and she moved her hands in a circle, to create a wreath of flame, which she hurled at the priest.
He simply chanted something under his breath and conjured up a cloud of thick blue smoke. Pepper watched as the smoke simply engulfed her wreath, merged with it and fell to the ground as a thick goo.
She gulped hard and focused inwardly to create two orbs. They ebbed and burned brightly in her hands.
He's too big to jump, so... she threw one orb low at foot level and the other one at chest level. To her dismay, the priest erected a circular shield, made of thick blue smoke. He swung the shield and swatted the orbs of fire back at her. She absorbed them harmlessly.
Pepper circled the priest warily. He was giggling incessantly. "Child, you do nothing but tickle me with your babyish efforts. Fire, if you haven't realized by now, cannot penetrate my smoke shield."
He crooked his fingers at her insolently.
So the drug has finally left me, thanks to Pep's efforts... the Toad and the Captain both look human again...phew!
Tony picked up his pike and jeeringly told the Captain, " Fanged fiend, are you ready for round 2?"
The Captain snarled and charged wildly at him. Tony knew he would do that, so he dodged quickly and shoved the pike sideways at him. The Captain fell from the shove and Tony took advantage to repeatedly hammer him with the pike, hitting him violently across the chest and face.
He managed to get a few good blows in until the Captain kicked out at him with one of his long legs and connected squarely with tony's jaw.
Tony staggered back in pain, clutching his aching jaw as the Captain straightened himself. He didn't notice the Captain swing until it was too late. The Vampire punched him firmly in the chest and Tony fell over, crying out in pain.
The blow had bruised him badly, he was sure of it. Hell it has made a dent in the armor! Tony saw the Captain looming over him and thought fast.
He is sensitive to fire, look at how Pepper burned him.
He concentrated and just as the Captain bent closer, Tony blasted him straight in the face with the flame. The Captain staggered back with the shock, covering his eyes. He moaned, "The light...arrrggghh...the light, it burns me, ooooo the light.".
That's it ! Light ! Vampires hate the light !
Pepper finally remembered her gift. Moonfire. White fire from the moon. She worried her lip. Worth a try but what form should it take? I need to strike at him. That's it ! Beams !
Pepper stood straight and closed her eyes, focusing on white light and raw fire. She concentrated all her energy inwards, focusing on her feelings of anger. She hated the priest, she hated the way he made her feel, she hated the way he seemed to tap into her insecurities. She felt herself burn with white light and as the priest blew a cloud of blue smoke her way, she reacted with a cloud of white light smoke.
For the first time ever, she had the pleasure of seeing fear in the toady priest's eyes. Imitating the Being's moon griffin attack pattern, Pepper had created multiple, pointed shards of white light, levitating eerily behind her. Rana widened his eyes but before he could counter, she let them loose, aiming for the priest dead on.
He blasted the Captain again in the eyes and taking advantage of his blindness, Tony skewered him with the pike and pulled the pike towards himself.
The Captain laughed derisively. "That will do you no good... stupid man... weapons can pierce me but will not wound me."
"No, but light can wound you right?"
Tony caught the pike firmly and blasted the hole in the Captain's chest with flame. The Captain screamed and the smell of burning flesh filled the air.
The Dragon yelled, Yes, Anthony it is working ! Time for the killing blow!
Tony slid the dagger of Aramiah out from his boot and stabbed the Captain in his heart, plunging the dagger into his flesh. Then he caught the dagger's hilt firmly and released a blast of flame, such that it spilled over his hand and over the dagger. Tony could feel the heat of his own flame on his hand but ignored it because the flame had penetrated the Captain's core and was burning him from within.
The burning smell grew stronger and Tony watched grimly as the Captain's flesh began to turn to black goo and then ash. The damn Vampire whispered to him then, "An excellent battle, Lord Knight ... Necromancer Stane will be so pleased with your progress. You are worthy of his blessing now."
"STANE! Wait, you work for Stane !
It was too late to get an answer as the Vampire's flesh shriveled onto itself and turned into a blackened mass of hard ash.
Tony kicked at the smoldering carcass, stamping out the flesh, desperate to ensure the vampire wouldn't come back to life. He breathed a sign of relief as finally the Captain lay in piles of black hard ash.
Rana still managed to construct a shield of blue smoke but the shards pierced the shield and weakened it. As it collapsed, Pepper lobbied one final giant white beam at the priest. "Yes! Woooohoooo!" she yelled as the beam hit the floor in front of Rana, tossing him in the air in a blast of white light.
He landed heavily on his back, moaning in pain. Pepper then knelt on one knee, trying to control the feelings of weakness. Her head was throbbing with pain and she felt dizzy. I knew that would tire me out... shit... I need to recover... Come on! Get up!
She stood up, swaying slightly in place. She glanced over at Tony, who was trying to retrieve his pike from the Captain's smoldering ashes. He straightened and looked at her with worry, forehead furrowed. He took two steps towards her and she raised her hand at him. "Tony", she shouted, "Do not worry, I will finish this."
"Yes, Virginia... we will finish this." Rana had got to his feet, limping slightly, one hand massaging his back. One side of his toady face was swollen from the fall. He stood there, hands folded, head slightly bowed. "No more holding back. You get hurt, it is okay, I can explain it to the Master." He grinned evilly at her. "You die..." he whispered, "well, I can explain that as well."
He suddenly unfolded his hands and blasted a stream of ice, cold and violently swirling, towards her. Pepper reacted instinctively, countering with her own orange flame, raising her hands and pointing them forward. Ice and flame clashed in a violent mash, both fighting each other viciously for control. Neither Pepper nor Rana were going to give way. Their respective streams of power were pushing against each other, each trying to overpower the other and engulf their opponent.
Sweat gathered on Pepper's brow with the effort of sustaining the steady stream of fire as the ice relentlessly pushed against it, forcing her to dig her heels in. She knew if she failed to keep the flame strong, the ice would overpower her and the priest would win. She gritted her teeth and opened her mouth to silently scream with the effort.
She briefly locked eyes with Tony, standing at a safe distance away. He was looking between them with indecision, unsure how to interrupt them to break the deadlock. "Tony, Tony, do not do anything!" she said loudly.
What do I do! What do I do?! Should I charge at the priest? Should I let my flame out and let it join the fight! Goddamn it, I do not know what to do?!
Tony paced where he stood, feeling so helpless and unsure. He was awed by Pepper and Rana's deadlock of fire and ice, silvery white and orange streams of raw power, locked in a deadly tussle, neither side giving way.
Rana for once, was flustered, deep in concentration. But Tony was more worried about Pepper, who was straining under the force of the icy stream, her face flush with exertion.
He swore violently under his breath, poised on the balls of this feet. She cannot keep this up much longer... Dragon, what should I do?
But the matter was taken out of his hands as Rana started to chant ominously in a guttural tone. The icy stream became stronger and darker, more bluish black and it began to swirl in place, still pressing against Pepper's flame. She began to move backwards slowly, the black mass stronger than the previous icy stream.
Tony watched with growing horror as the black stream became even thicker and more powerful. It surged against the flame and began to take it over, black eating away at the orange. Rana suddenly said "OHGGGGGRU" very loudly and abruptly and the black mass completely engulfed the flame, destroying the orange stream.
Tony charged forward but he was too late. The black mass swept Pepper off her feet, like a giant black wave and in a neat motion, with Rana giggling incessantly, it tossed her backwards.
His heart stopped and he heard a ringing noise, loudly sound through his head as Pepper was thrown off the edge of the roof, the edge that overlooked the cliff. She did not make a sound, she just fell silently and vanished from his sight.
So... is this the end of Pepper and Tony? Pepper at least... what about Tony? Stay tuned for the next exiting part! Coming in 2 days... nah.. tomorrow LOL
