(View point flip in this chapter, watch for it!)- I do not own Lok etc

Ewoden

Chapter 8: The demon dimension and the Wilderness of Nosgoth

Hounded with relentless determination, Ewoden and Sally were forced to take shelter inside a large crevice leading through the canyon wall. From here they could see the large bulking form of the demon scratch around through the jagged rocks, trying to pick up their scent.

Ewoden had covered it with a magic intervention spell so it lead off in several directions at once. Obviously the beast was confused, a pair of large bat like ears that had lain flat against the side of it's head lancing out either side, listening for even the smallest sound.

Sally held her breath as it past close, sniffed the air before striding off, the loud echoing of it's hoofed feet against the hard ground. Ewoden leaned out a little and watched it walk away, it's ears still twitching in the air. It had not given up looking for them yet. It had chased them off a cliff and gotten buried in a landslide. It was hardly about to abandon the chase now.

The glow from his gauntlet was still very strong, enough to light up the small crevice they were hiding in. Ewoden couldn't be sure, but it seemed to him like the glow was intensifying. Was the Scion coming to them or was there some other explanation.

"Has it gone yet?" Sally whispered into his ear. Ewoden looked out again. He couldn't see or hear anything. Not a demon in sight, not so much as a blurred image in the green fog. That disturbed him more than their presence would.

He bent down and picked up a small rock. Hesitating only for a moment, he threw it out from their hiding place. It collided with the side of a stone formation, the echo ringing out through the canyon. Almost at once the demon reappeared, slamming down from above, the dirt leaping into the air as the ground shuddered. It screeched, finding nothing there to reward it's patience, beating at the ground in fury with it's large arms, bellowing smoke and fire from it's lips before disappearing again.

"I'd say not." The former Sarafan replied flatly. The demon was just waiting for them. Predators, especially ones as hungry and relentless as this creature would happily wait days for their prey to show themselves. They were not trapped in this crevice, unless they found another way out.

"There's a gap back here." Sally told him hearing it's thoughts through the Whisper. "It's narrow, but I think I can see a cave inside." Ewoden studied the crack himself. It was indeed narrow. A little too narrow for either of them to pass through, but that was easily rectified. Together, they formed a spell that had been taught to each of them by Janos Audron himself. Piece by piece, the stone began to chip itself away, making the hole bigger.

Once it was big enough, Ewoden managed to push himself through. The cave beyond was too dark to see clearly, but he could tell it had a very high ceiling and from the distant dripping, he could tell there was water here somewhere; or some kind of liquid at least. Bringing his fist up, the rays of a light spell shot outwards, illuminating what little of the cave it could. Looking down, he saw that he was on the threshold of a narrow path of rock that stretched over a long fall to a small pool below, the liquid a pale green. Giant stalactites hung around him, their beginnings still; concealed in the shadows near the ceiling. One the far side of the path was another opening, this one considerably wider than the first.

"Looks like we can go this…" He began turning back; before he could complete his sentence however a large yellow almost reptilian eye passed by the entrance to the crevice, fixing Sally with a sharp unyielding glare. The female vampire shot round, frozen to the spot. The demon pulled way began before ramming its horns forward again, the shot shaking at it's collision. Sally was nearly thrown out of the cave by the sheer force, the claws on the end of those huge arms scrapping at the cliff face trying to carve her out. "Quickly, through here!" Ewoden shouted, pulling her through into the cave beyond as a long finger like claw snaked through into the crevice, scratching at them trying to get a grip.

Even the demon realized that it couldn't open the rock to get at them and that knowledge infuriated it to no end. Still, it did have one more weapon it could use to retrieve it's meal. It backed off to a safe distance and stood stock still for a moment. Then it's head began to bop up and out as it forced something out of its stomach and back up it's throat, the sides of it's neck expanding.

"What is it doing?" Sally demanded. She got her answer however when it spat forward and a large, snake like creature escaped it's jaws, a great deal of red slime oozing out with it. Ewoden felt his stomach turn.

This new creature shook itself up as it slid out of the red mucus, a large pair of jaws with several rows of teeth lining it's scaly lips. It looked up towards the other creature who spawned it, which gestured towards the crack in the canyon wall. The meaning was instantaneously clear. That creature was small enough to fit through the crevice. It's mission to retrieve them, to serve them both as a meal to it's creator.

It soon became obvious that this spawn was immune to any sort of magic they could muster. Attempts to burn, cut or destroy it failed. It's slimly skin just seemed to absorb the energy, making its hunting efforts even more vigorous as it snaked it's way through the large series of caves they were forced to run and hide through.

It was as relentless at the demon, a shade in the shadows, sliding through dark corners and cracks where they could not go, forcing them down dead ends and to the edges of sharp drops. Despite being newly born, it was a formidable hunter.

Attempts at getting close enough to use ordinary weapons would prove fatal. Those serrated jaws and lighting fast reactions would shred either of them before they even had time to lift an axe.

So instead, they were forced to run, using whatever advantage they could in order to try and escape. All the while the glow from Ewoden's gauntlet steadily increased and it's pull lead them through the towering and narrow corridors, through darkness and across pathways over deep pits.

Still the creature hunted them, a demonic python intent on dragging their carcass' back to it's creator.

Emerging out from a cave, the two of them were faced with an even more terrifying sight. Standing directly in front of them as they made their way out into the green fog again was a humanoid type creature with green skin and cloven hands like an ancient vampire. Thick black leather bracers were wrapped around each arm, brass armour around the calves. It wore only a pair of near loose black leather pants. His chest was bare, apart from a single brown leather strap running across his shoulders, a red drape connected to a golden disc in the middle. Long white hair tied back into a pony tail lowed out from behind a ridge of skin covered horns lining the hair line.

As soon as it saw them, it shot around, a claymore blade in it's hands. A sword Ewoden instantly recognised. It was the Reaver blade, the sword to be wielded by the destined liberator of all, the Scion of Balance. As if in confirmation of his find, the gauntlet of the Wraith armour glowed bright white, as if satisfied to be in the presence of it's intended owner.

The creature paused, before drawing the sword back and slamming it forward. It missed both Ewoden and Sally and instead sank deep into the flesh of the snake that had been chasing them, pinning it to the gravel. The creature hissed violently, before dying, shrivelling up into a black ash like substance.

"Sally, Ewoden?" A weak voice asked. Turning, the former Sarafan could now see the creatures' travelling companion. It was an ancient winged vampire; one they were both very familiar with. Clad in little more than jags was their tutor in magic and arcane science, Janos Audron himself. The one they had left unprotected in the aerie, unintentionally leaving him at the mercy of the invading Sarafan inquisitors. He was alive and well, the wound in his chest gone as if his heart had never been removed.

"The Wraith armour, give that to me!" The first being snapped, tearing the glowing gauntlet out of Ewoden's grasp. There was a sudden snarling and a large column of rock nearby began tumbling, large paws with serrated claws scrapping frantically at the dirt. The vicious snarling of demonic dogs only a few feet away ringing in the air. Without warning one of them burst through, an insanely furious creature with dripping fangs and powerful muscles, ridden by a smaller humanoid like creature with white insect like skin and glowing green eyes. Seeing them standing there, it raised a spear like weapon ready to throw. "Maybe another time." The vampire muttered with a smug grin, clenching a fist around the gauntlet, the white haze of an intervention spell suddenly surrounding all of them as it used the armour's own reserve of mana to toss all four of them into the infernal winds of magic.

The horrors of the demons dimension vanished as Ewoden felt magic lift him from this place, sending them hurtling near uncontrollably back towards boundaries of Nosgoth.

The introduction of the exact artefact I required to ensure our escape from the demon dimension ranged on the coincidence I would expect from one of Moebius' plans. But not one to look a gift horse in the mouth and with time pressing me ahead, I used the armours already impeded power to tear Janos Audron and myself away from that place. The two that had brought the Wraith armour to me, the human and the female vampire were caught in the after math of my hastily made spell and were forced to tag along as I emerged back in Nosgoth.

More than seven hundred years after I had first left.

From the smell of the air around me as the porthole left the four of us alone in a forest clearing that the Pillars lay in the state of disrepair I had forced on them.

Apparently my theory had been correct. Inside the demon dimension. Time meant nothing. So that was the secret to the time travel of the Hylden, if they focused their magic enough they could create doorways to any heroically period they wished. Only question that mattered to me was, exactly what era had I emerged into?

I didn't have to look far to find the answer. The clearing we had emerged in was in the middle of a dead forest, the towering husks of trees standing around us like decaying giants. The remains of their few leaves lay scattered across the muddy ground, some still gently falling from the thin canopy above. A thick mist hung in the air, it's torch refreshing as the cancerous presence of the demon dimension. Some distance away on the far side of the clearing was a wooden stake stuck in the ground, a banner marking the territory of a clan or faction. The symbol on the banner was uniquely familiar to me.

It was the mark of the second Sarafan, the rebirth of the Order under the control of the Sarafan Lord. I had arrived in a time when The Sarafan controlled Nosgoth from it's capital, the city of Meridian.

If I needed any more confirmation, not to far away from the first were another collection of stakes, although these bore the Sarafan order's other logo, instead they lay encrusted with impaled vampires, some still fresh and others decaying away, rotted bones falling into the dust.

Despite the decadent era, I was glad to be away from that place. I never realized until now how much I appreciated the cold touch of the air, or the rustle of dead leaves beneath my feet. Still, now was not the time for day dreaming about such things. Sheathing the Reaver, I turned towards Janos, who still had the canister in his arms.

I cast a quick glance towards the other two who had tagged along. The human looked more confused than afraid. Odd, especially for his race. Exactly that had they been doing in the demon dimension and with the Wraith armour, an armour I wore myself at one time?

I turned away then. It wasn't really important anyway.

"Janos?" The female vampire began after an awe ridden silence. Her black eye were side with shock. "But how…"

"I have no time for this." I muttered, weary of his near never ending journey. Wrenching the canister from Janos' grip with my mind, I paused to study it now in my own talons. Through a small window directly in the centre, I could see the white liquid the ancient had described, the cure itself.

With one single action, I would come monumentally closer to my destiny. I attempted to break the canister open, to expose it's contents to the world; to cure every vampire in Nosgoth.

To my dismay, the canister remained intact. I tried again, bring all my strength to bear. Still the material this container was made out of remained whole.

Anger, I dropped it and brought the Reaver to bear, swinging it over my shoulder and directly down onto it. There was sharp resonation that echoed through the dead forest, but still the canisters surface refused to break.

"I thought as much." Janos began, sitting down on the forest floor, visibly exhausted.

"Why won't it break open?" I demanded through clenched teeth.

"The technology used to create this container is more advanced than anything you can imagine Kain." Was the reply. "I suspect it will take more than physical strength or even the Reaver itself to open it." I clenched my hands around the hilt of the Soul Reaver in utter frustration. I knew it had been too easy. Obtaining the cure, rescuing Audron and escaping with both back into Nosgoth. Despite a few incursions by the Hylden it had all gone well. Apparently too well.