The Citadel of the Apostles was one of the few places that had remained completely undisturbed by the march of human civilisation. It stood in the middle of the lake of tears, hidden by near constant fog that obscured the stronghold from view. Tales of monsters and curses kept the superstitious local fishermen from venturing any closer to it.
It was here that the original guardian circle had gathered together and summoned the pillars, watching from their perch as the nine locks lanced from the ground to pierce the sky above. Satisfaction filling their souls as they watched as one by one the Hylden were torn from the land and sucked through the gate they had fashioned in the ground where Avernus Cathedral now stood.
Over the eons that followed the citadel, which had served as the vampire's capitol for centuries, was reduced to rubble choked by vines and other creeper planets; its lower most chambers water logged, flooded or buried under tones of fallen rock and stone.
Sally had learnt much about the ancient vampire civilisation from Vorador and later Janos himself. Even so they had not prepared her for the sight of this place, even in its ruined state.
"Sometimes, I try to imagine what it was like…" She found herself muttering out load as she stared up at the peeks that towers above; still defying the elements and the sky after all this time. "All those vampires, living here amongst humans…." Sally paused and pressed her lips together, feeling her fangs prick at the flesh. "Not having to hunt them."
William was sitting nearby, his long dark wings spread out either side of him clumsily as he hadn't quite perfected their use just yet. He had his back to both Sally and the Seer who had brought them here. He simply stared out silently across the waters towards the shore which, thanks to vampiric heightened sight, Sally could just see through the mist.
"I often wonder what it was like before the wars that tore our peoples apart ever started." The Seer commented as she gazed up at the various murals, noting those of worth that had not been obliterated by the passage of time. "And before the Elder began to twist the truth to suit his own needs." Sally hesitated as if she wanted to ask something but was unsure of how to ask.
"I keep hearing about this 'Elder'." The fledgling started after a moment. "I have not heard about him before." The seer managed an ironic smile.
"Oh yes you have." She replied. "Just he does not go by the name… Elder…. At least not anymore." The Hylden looked back at Sally over her shoulder. "The humans call him god. The ancient vampires made the same mistake.
My people called him; akavirah halod."
"And what does that mean?"
"'Divine Liar'." Sally regarded the seer with new eyes and as if sensing it, the fledgling noted that the Hylden was wearing a mask.
This mask was that of the detached Seer they had come to know; a woman who pursued her own goals whilst remaining unfazed and neutral to the carnage of blood and death around her.
Sally was given the impression that, in reality, the Seer was a very lonely person. An isolated soul; frightened and confused; the anxiety growing more acute the longer she wore the mask. Not only that, but she was embittered and angry.
Sally shook her head, realizing she had been using her Dark Gift again without realizing it. Vorador had told her that until she learned how to control it properly, she should avoid its use in practical situations and not try to look inside people's mind and hearts. The Seer however did not seem to notice.
"Attempting this will not be easy." The Hylden woman admitted. "Even with the pillars weakened as they are, opening a rift will be most taxing.
Out of all my people, only the General himself; the Sarafan Lord as he is known, had the power to do it. With him gone, their only hope for salvation lies with us."
William sighed and slumped his shoulders, knowing full well his part to play in this. He was still very confused by all of this. Many puzzles awaited completion inside his mind and as of yet he hadn't the pieces to finish them.
Still, this matter begged to be resolved first. Questions such as whom he had been before being raised and how he could use magic without being taught it, not to mention many more queries, would have to wait until later.
"How many Hylden are there?" Sally asked.
"At our height we numbered well into the tens of thousands." The seer replied but then her expression dimmed to a melancholy far off gaze. "Many perished in the thousand year war and only the survivors were cast into that place of demons. They numbered less than five thousand."
"Is that all?" Sally asked looking surprised. From the stories and folklore she had read and been taught by Vorador and Janos, she had expected a larger number than that.
Eventually they found their way through the half collapsed maze and before the central tower itself, a towering spire that stood directly in the centre of the walled city. Like everything around it, the structure had suffered at the hands of time and parts of it had fallen away and lay crumbled outside.
"The legendary apex." The seer muttered at the sight of it. "The place where the very concept of the Pillars was first conceived." The massive door leading into a flight of stairs that lead up towards the top was partially obscured by a metallic grate, suffering badly from rust. So much so that a single kick was enough to send it falling into piles of dark red powder.
Navigating the structure proved a small challenge as many corridors and stair wells had been blocked by fallen ancient rubble. Eventually however they reached the summit.
Waiting for them was a round chamber, the roof long since caved in and the far wall collapsed. Sitting in a half circle facing them were nine stone chairs, each of them withered by exposure to the elements but retaining enough of their shape to reveal what they were.
Engraved on the floor before each of the chairs was the symbol to represent which of the guardians it was meant for; the same as that on the pillars themselves.
"From here?" Sally asked and the Seer nodded once.
"This is where it happened." She replied, stepping forward to stand directly into the centre of the room. "This is the control point, where Baal first stood when he opened the gate between Nosgoth and that fiery place." She glanced out through the giant hole in the wall towards the north east, undoubtedly glaring past the horizon to the ancient sight upon which the gate had been constructed.
"So… how do we start?" William asked trudging forward turning his head this way and that to inspect the chamber.
"You don't." A feminine voice replied from behind him and a wave of surfing heat passed through the chamber before a fireball spell smashed its destructive fury into William's back between his wings, sending him crashing forward onto the floor. Sally about faced just in time to be picked up by a telekinetic grip that held her like a vice grip and tossed her up against the ceiling before dropping to the ground like a rag doll.
The seer sidestepped to avoid the large blade of a curved Sarafan battle axe. Lashing out at the owner she forced the hand to drop the weapon but then she was caught off guard by an intense blast of compressed magic that struck her head on and sent her flying straight into one of the stone chairs.
"These are the representatives for nature, dimension and time?" Another voice asked as Sally hoisted herself up to her knees. "Truly pathetic." Waiting by the entrance were three humans. One of them was a man with silver Sarafan armour, wrapped in a long flowing black hood and cloak. He had a thin black moustache and a triangular beard, a pony tail resting on his left shoulder.
There was a woman as well. Tall with long flowing brown hair, tied back behind her by a silver braid. Her green dress was long and flowing, tied around her waist by a brown leather belt. The eyes were a piercing gold and locked directly onto the seer.
The third was a man clad in iron armour with chain mail underneath it. He had short blonde hair and a scar running down his left cheek.
"Swift." William began, staring at the man in the black cloak; two smiled back at him sadistically.
"The master told us to expect you here." The blond haired man stated, lowering his hand which had cast the spells. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you all." His gaze moved to William. "The fabled boy king himself, what an honour."
"He's my kill Archon, don't forget that." The smaller man replied sharply.
"But of course." Archon sighed. "I wouldn't dream of denying you your fun. Lord Sabre, as an experienced hunter himself, would not approve of it." His eyes set themselves onto Sally. "This here is my quarry."
"I take it you are our challengers for the time of election?" The Seer asked, hoisting herself back up to her feet.
"I am Archon, the master's representative for the Pillar of the mind." He replied and gestured to the woman to his left. "This is Anubis, fair lady of the Willendorf royal court and our candidate for the Pillar of Time."
"Charmed." The woman added, fixing the seer with a glare.
"The master's plans are coming to fruition." Archon carried on. "The original heretics beyond the seal of the pillars are to stay where they are. They are not to be admitted back to this world by order of the most high."
"I will not allow my people to suffer any more then they already have!" The seer snapped in reply, her in-different mask slipping away. "I will free them!"
"Your people are dead to the world." Swift snapped. "And that is where they will remain!" Without waiting for the other two he darted forward towards the Seer by William dived into him and the two of them were sent rolling across the floor and perilously close to the tittering oblivion of the hole in the wall.
"Impatient as ever." Archon sighed as the two of them exchanged blows. "Well I suppose we should best get this messy business over with." He turned to face Sally. "The Hylden's all yours Anubis, have fun." The smirk on the woman's face widened dramatically, showing that every one of her teeth was sharp as that of a vampires.
"Oh I will." She replied, before crossing her arms in an 'x' in front of herself. Instantly her gloves tore in two, revealing that concealed within them were two curved scimitar blades. The hilt of each she grasped between her fingers, before running forward towards the seer with the cry of demented mad woman.
William swung a fist up and it connected with Swift's chin, forcing him backwards and back onto his feet. Using the momentary advantage as best he could, William back flipped to his feet and somersaulted upwards and landed a kick directly on the Sarafan's chest plate.
Growling angrily, Swift spread his arms outside and the darkness of his cloak seemed to spread out from him; becoming dozens of creature made out of the shadows themselves; each of them with a triad of glowing violet eyes in the centre of their heads.
Acting on instinct, William drew two arcane runes in the air two fingers and summoned forth magical light as the shadow creature arched around him like a school of piranha. Several of them were engulfed by the light and vanished within it. The others shrank back to a safe distance before attacking again in unison, trying to break through the defence.
Still being inexperienced with magic and unable to maintain such spells for long, William was forced to fade the light and about face, firing a hastily prepared fire ball spell.
It passed right through the shade doing it no harm. The creature hissed its laughter before advancing to strike the fledging across the chest with its claws. The flesh tore and blood sprayed out, forcing William back against the gaping hole.
The wound, while not a fatal for a vampire, had felt him dazed.
"Elemental magic won't do you any good against my servant's filthy vampire!" Swift Stated with a sneer, drawing both of his sword blades from his block in one fluid motion. "You die here! The Pillar of Dimension is mine!" He charged forward and swiped down with both swords attempting to severe William's head from his body.
Despite the pain in his chest, William grabbed upwards and latched onto Swift's sleeves as the Sarafan reached him and preventing the strike from occurring
"Is that was this is about?" William demanded, fighting back against the strike with all his strength. His heals passing just over the edge. "God's got nothing to do with it, has he! All you want are the Pillars!" The vampire lashed out with his foot at the last second, striking the Sarafan along the side of his waist and forcing him backwards. "For a short while I almost believed you, that the vampire life was a purgatory.
Now… I'm comfortable with this existence. Because compared to you selfish people, my own being isn't nearly as bad!" He lunged forward, throwing Swift against the floor and struck him repeatedly across the back with a succession of punches. "I'm no saint of your order!" The shades advanced to help their master, several of them grabbing William's wings and trying to pull him back.
This woman was not human, that was obvious from the start. No human was this fast, nor so demented; even in madness. Anubis' attacks were lightning fast and so agile they defied explanation.
Unable to dodge attacks that fast, the only option left to the Seer was to back off and attack from a distance with magic. A lightning bolt spell culminated between her fingers before shooting across the distance between them. Anubis' constant sneer widened and she held one of her blades up into the air. It acted as a lightning rod, attracting the energy into the scimitar rather than at her.
When she swung the sword down sharply and the attack flew right back to its owner, striking her with all the force it originally had. Electricity burnt through the seer's body and she screamed out load. Then she collapsed to the ground; smoke rising from her singed hair.
Seeing her opportunity for a quick finish, Anubis darted in with a blade already held at the ready. At the last second however, the seer uttered a spell that compressed the air around her and then expanded it rapidly. The shockwave produced hit Anubis full in the face.
She was ripped off the ground and hurled across the chamber to smash into the wall on the far side.
"Well, well, a little psychic." Archon began ad she approached Sally. "Then again, if you're a candidate for the Pillar of the Mind I suppose you'd have to be." Sally's throwing daggers arched across the distance between them, but stopped in mid air as they neared the man's face.
At that point they did a u-turn and slammed back into Sally, several of the blades sliding into her shoulders and leg. She cried out and collapsed to the floor, blood staining her clothes.
"Please, using weapons is so uncivilized." Archon said with a smile. "If we're going to have a proper battle at least make it a battle of the mind." Sally wrenched the daggers out of her thigh and cast them aside. If this man was an accomplished telekinetic they weren't going to do her much good.
From him she sensed no malevolence, only a keen conviction that he was doing what needed to be done. Unlike the others the Elder had recruited, this one had little to no interest in killing vampires.
"Ah, now that's better." Arcon added with a small smile, sensing the breach into his own mind. "Some skill after all, but that's not going to be enough." A psychic shockwave shot from his mind to hers and when it hit, her entire body went numb as her mind went dead. When her senses returned she found herself lying on the floor with Archon standing over her. "Come now, this is going to be far too easy if telepathy is all your mind is capable of."