Chapter 37: Kain

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When Nupraptor's mental poison seeped out and infected the circle, its members reacted in different ways. Some simply went insane, while others used their madness to further their own pursuits as they were now freed from any morals they might have once possessed.

Dark Eden was the result of the culmination of three guardians. Bane the Druid gave his control over nature; DeJoule the energist gave her ability to manipulate the flow of power and Anarcrothe the alchemist gave his sordid power of depraved alchemy.

The combined efforts of these maddened three Guardians gave rise to Dark Eden. A twisted tower stood at the heart of an active volcanic region. From the spire of this tower, their dome spread out across the land. Mutated anything caught within to a horrific parody of its former self.

With those guardians dead, their magic's ceased the flow and the dome had long since dissipated. But the land all around the ruins of Dark Eden was still barren and warped.

An ironically fitting place for my former self to take up residence.

The Vampire clans of Nosgoth, pushed to the bring by the advance of the Sarafan had retreated down the bottleneck canyon that lead to the ruins of Dark Eden and had made their final stand there. The only way in or out of the valley was fortified by the order and their ten thousand strong army was preparing itself for war. It would not be long before they attacked.

I reasoned I had arrived only just in time.

It was here that the Hylden Seer promised me lay the Blood Fountain I sought, an altered fountain. Dabbled with by the alchemist to remove the vulnerability to water from any vampire who drinks from it.

"We have but her word it is here." Raziel told me as his projected form manifested close by. "And little to no way of knowing if it even does what she says or if it even exists at all."

"Of those facts I am most painful aware." I replied. I had no reason to trust the seer, or even her own kind as they had done their fair share of manipulation through the events in Nosgoth's history. Despite my mistrust however my sympathy went out to them. "Come, we have a night's work ahead of us." Vampires belonging to Turel's clan, the Turelim, were regularly patrolling the grounds outside the ruins tower. Each clan it seemed had been appointed a task.

The Dumahim were the frontline foot soldiers and were fortifying the bottleneck canyon for the inevitable Sarafan attack. The Ruhabim were their archers, hiding themselves inside the cracks in the canyon walls with their bows at the ready. The Zephonim were also archers and assisted the Ruhabim to that end. The Melchiahim, being the weakest of the clans, were drawn back to the tower itself and protected it as the last line of defence. Strongly I saw no sign of Raziel's clan, the Razielim. Perhaps they lay within, acting as their generals' elite bodyguards?

On the edge the fortified area; I paused to admire my creation once more. To look at them now, one would not expect that in a thousand years they would become the monsters that haunted my empire

The clans were my vision, a vampire nation where our kind did not have to live in constant fear of human vampire hunters. Somewhere along the way I became more concerned with expansion and the power it promised than with my original dream. Perhaps that had been the effect Nupraptor's poison had had on me, or maybe it was simply the corruption of power. Either way, the clans before me; the promise of a return to the ancient vampire world would be warped into something unrecognizable.

"Beneath Dark Eden, lies a sealed chamber. Inside you will find the Leviathan Blood Fountain." The words of the seer echoed through my mind. "The door to this chamber the alchemist sealed so that none would disturb his unfinished project. Be prepared to experience pain if you wish to succeed."

Fading into the form of mist, I silently moved through the ranks of the Turelim towards the tower. None of them noticed the faint trace of fog around them, briefly sliding by before it carried on.

Strangely I found the doors leading into the tower unguarded. At least it appeared unguarded, but that did not mean to say dozens of vampires lay in the shadows waiting for an intruder to pounce on it.

Holding the Reaver tight in both hands, I called upon the elemental power of darkness distilled there in and cloaked myself in a shroud that rendered me invisible to the naked eye. Sliding through the corridors, I found them patrolled by more Turelim. They had not yet evolved the features that would make each clan distinctive, but I was able to tell them apart by the clan symbol on their armour and uniforms. The vampires within wore the mark of Turel.

From memories of my original visit here some thousand or so years ago; I retraced my steps through the twisting red stone corridors of the tower. I had found the three guardians in the upper chambers and no doubt that was where I would discover my younger self. I did not go that way, but instead sought a way further down.

"This is most disheartening." A voice from around a corner began as footsteps began to near. I clung to the wall as two vampires emerged from a nearby corridor entrance. One of them had short spiky black hair and extremely well defined cheekbones. I didn't need to see the clan banner hanging from his right shoulder to identify him. He was Zephon, one of my six…and now seven; vampire sons.

Beside him, I watched in mute amazement, was one I never thought to lay eyes on again. He was a medium sized vampire in terms of height, but with handsome qualities in his features that made up for it. Long black hair tied into a ponytail behind his head, the crop on top in a middle parting running down either side of the head and face.

The clan banner hanging from his shoulder pad identified this vampire as the eldest of my sons, the one called Raziel. "Our lord foretold great glory and conquest, yet here we are cornered like rats by the Order."

"You put too much importance on winning Zephon." The younger Raziel replied giving his companion a sideways glance. "I am far more concerned over the fate of our species. Winning battles can only do so much for our survival."

"You have no guts." Zephon muttered in return.

"Perhaps if I show you yours, you might rethink that remark." The vampire I had cast into the abyss, in what seemed like another life time, started angrily. I slipped past them, but found my gaze following them until they rounded another corner and disappeared.

The encounter had left me unnerved but still I carried on.

"After all this time…" Raziel's voice, the Raziel still encased in the blade, announced to be telepathically. "I had almost forgotten what my face looked like."

"It is not often that a man sees his own corpse, it is a sobering experience." I replied, quoting the words Malek had once used against me.

Finally I found that a wall in the side of one of the corridors had a strange ambience about it. I could feel a light breeze coming through the cracks, showing there was enough space for a gust to move about beyond.

He ran my hand across it and discovered that the mortar had been poorly applied and was no twisted like so much of this place. This was a false wall. I was amazed it had actually remained unnoticed by the vampires now occupying this ruin. Clearly their thoughts were elsewhere to have missed it.

I dissolved into mist form and seeped through the tiny cracks, flowing through the barrier until I reached the far side. Reforming, I found that just beyond was a flight of stairs heading down for quite a distance into the earth.

They continued quite a distance before levelling off into a short corridor that ran northwards underground. It was dark here; far too dark for normal eyes to see; but my eyes pierced the veil like knife blades.

At the far end was a large metallic, oval shaped door. I studied it briefly and judged that it was made of a material beyond my strength to break and was placed into its frame far too well to be simply removed. Along the right hand side of the door were engraved Nosgothic blood script letters. It stated simply: 'The Blood of Ages Flows so Sweet.'

There were no other markings or distinctive objects to be found upon this barrier so these words had to be significant in opening it.

I doubted it was this simple, but just to satisfy my curiosity; I removed my gauntlet and cut open the skin on my hand. I smeared the few drops of blood over the engraved words and stood back. I did not expect it to work, but I found to my surprise that the blood script words glowing bright red for a moment before with a soft groaning, the door began to swing inwards.

"The alchemist is not one for designing wards, if this was the best he could do." I muttered to myself, walking inwards. It was only then I discovered that the alchemist 'had' been far cleverer than that.

The chamber beyond was full of the one thing hazardous to all vampires.

Water.

I was standing upon a stone catwalk, several meters before a moat of running water that flowed from a series of waterfalls in the centre of the room and out the bottom through a large drain. The waterfalls in the centre of the room fell from fonts in the high ceiling above and formed a circle around a raised stone pedestal to which the catwalk extended. The bridge itself ended halfway and from there, I could see that the fountain I sought lay beyond that deadly curtain. It stood there directly in the centre of the stone platform, surrounded by metal shelves with complex alchemic equipment stacked upon it. The substances they contained were long since gone and they were covered in dust, the metal shelves upon which they were placed rusting in the presence of so much water.

"Damned alchemist." He muttered. Anacrothe had made sure his experiment would never be disturbed with this ingenious setting. The door would only own in the presence of vampire blood, ensuring a human would never arrive at this point; and that the abundance of water would deter any of my kind.

Presumably, the alchemist had had some other means of crossing this divide but I would not see what it was. I was left with only one option.

"Kain, what are you doing?" Raziel asked me, his projected form fading into existence behind me as I judged the distance between the end of the stone catwalk and the suspended platform.

"I can jump this." I replied, taking one last look at the water below. If I fell into that I was a dead man.

"Even if you make it, you'll be going through those waterfalls." He didn't need to remind me. I was already well aware of that. "You'll be reduced to bones within moments." My sight however was on the blood fountain. One drink from it and I would be one step closer to accomplishing my goal. I would not be deterred by something as simple as water now.

"That is a risk I am going to have to take!" Before he could utter one more word in argument, I bent into a crouch before propelling myself across the void. Time seemed to slow down at that point as I knew no matter what happened I would be passing through water and I readied myself mentally for the onslaught.

As I expected, I was able to leap the distance; but in doing so I flew through the curtain of water.

The mere touch of it burnt like acid, my skin peeling back under its presence. I crashed to the floor, breaking some of the alchemist's equipment in the process. The waterfalls around me were spitting water and it was showering me with a constant barrage. Unable to bear the pain I cried out, my back arching in response. I could feel my flesh disappearing bit by bit under the searing unrelenting torrent.

Glaring up, I saw the blood fountain before me half concealed by Anarcrothe's equipment. A wide square basin with a stone spire in the centre sat directly in the middle of the platform. Four golden skulls branched out at the summit with their mouths pried open, a thick stream of red following out. It ran down the cracks in the stone pillar before filling the basin below. The outline laced with decorative runes and stone skulls adorning horns.

I had no way of knowing that the fountain would do what the Seer claimed. If she had lied, then she had sealed my fate.

Standing up as best I could, I stumbled towards the fountain knocking the glass pipes and holders out of the way. Collapsing at the side of the basin, I felt my strength leave me. The water was burning the muscle off my bones now. I had little time.

As if I had been starved of sustenance for centuries, I sank my head into head into that sweet blood and drank.

The salt and copper followed down my throat like a torrent and I lost my awareness in the hunger. All I knew was the feeding, drinking and drinking that sweet liquid.

When my self control returned, I found myself lying on my side at the side of the basin. I could feel my flesh and skin returned to me as if they had never been scolded. The hunger and the burning sensation were gone, but the feeling of water against my skin had not followed. Sitting up sharply, I realized I was soaked. My hair and clan banner were matted and clung to my back. The waterfalls around were still showering me but not one of them was hurting anymore.

I ran my talons through my hair and confirmed it. It was water, but its touch was no longer burning me at its touch.

Suddenly overcome with undeniable mirth, I rolled my head back and started laughing. I didn't even know why, I just knew I couldn't stop.

"Seer, you have my eternal thanks." I declared, slowly pulling myself up.

With a loud groaning sound, the skulls at the top of the fountain closed their mouths and the flow of blood ceased. Slowly all four of them turned to glare directly at me.

"Congratulations little vampire." One of them uttered, blood leaking from behind its teeth as it spoke.

"It has been eons since we satisfied the hunger of your kind." Another added.

"And never after the alchemist began his profane meddling." The third put in.

"The Blood Fountains were created by the ancients to satisfy their hunger as they could not stomach hunting live prey." The fourth and final skull announced. "Overtime however, the ten of us were forgotten and abandoned as the generations of vampires past." The second finished for it.

"Had you come before the alchemist, you would not have survived the leap." The first pointed out glaring down at me with empty sockets.

"But his alterations have saved you, for our gift to you is the removal of an aspect of the ancient curse bestowed upon your race." The fourth added.

"Water is no longer permitted to do you harm." All four of them said at once. "For our blood enhances." With that they remained silent and still. The blood in the basin churned as if under the influence of intense heat and turned jet black.

Testing it, I thrust my arm through the waterfall closest to me. Nothing happened.

My arm remained whole and unharmed as the water flowed of it. The feeling of it sliding over my skin was strange. It had been over a century since I had felt it during my human life and the now unfamiliar touch caused me to shudder involuntarily.

"Perhaps you are satisfied now?" Raziel's voice asked irritably.

"Beyond belief." I replied with a wide grin that refused to leave my face. "Now, we have business elsewhere."

"Where to now?" He asked.

"Malek's Bastion." I replied, walking through the waterfall and standing on the edge, letting it wash over me; relishing in the feeling. "I left something in Vorador's care I need to pick up."