Surrounded by the corpses of vampire and Sarafan alike, the two ancient rivals continued their duel
With no weapon of his own, all Vorador could do was dodge as Malek lunged at him time and time again. Armed with the Hylden Blade, a weapon used by the Sarafan Lord to defeat Kain in the battle of Meridian.
Parrying forward, the paladin tried to impale the vampire and scorch him with green fire. Spiralling up in an intense acrobatic flip, Vorador avoided the attack and came down behind the paladin.
Waiting no time, he seized him from behind; holding his sword arm out to prevent him to retaliating with it.
"Tell me old friend…" Vorador hissed, holding Malek fast as he struggled to get free, his armour scrapping angrily against itself. "Where will it end? All of this madness? All of this… this misery and death?"
Malek's helmet half turned as if he was looking back over his shoulder.
"When we annihilate each other? When Vampire, Human and Hylden are all dead? When there is nothing left but corpses to populate Nosgoth? Is it the oblivion of death we all seek here?"
"And what, pray tell, is your plan to deal with the situation?" Malek asked hardly with a great deal of venom, gripping the sword and trying to pry his way out of Vorador's grip. "Vampires and Humans can not live side by side!"
"Yes they can!" Vorador retorted. "That intolerance is simple Sarafan propaganda that's been beaten into your head since you were a child!"
The vampire had not been expecting his words to have much of an affect but surprisingly Malek's attempts to free himself slackened slightly.
"Vampires were mortal once!" Vorador carried on. "I know you are aware of this. We can be again and once we are… then the war can end and we can all be free.
But the Order does not want this. It maintains its control through fear; fear of the 'vampire menace'.
If vampires are no longer a threat then the Sarafan have no legitimate reason to exist. Thus they would rather exterminate us than give us a chance to be free of the blood thirst.
God, Malek… this was true with the Original Order as well! You were its leader for years! You must have known this and yet you carried on?
How could you be at ease with that insight?"
"And what makes you think I knew?" Malek asked although sounding surprisingly annoyed at himself. "I'm sure I was aware of it on some level but to be perfectly honest, I did believe in the cause. As long I could kill the vampires I hunted nothing else mattered to me.
Moebius tutored me in the stories of the ancient vampires. He told me how they abducted mere children and turned them into monsters.
That was how he justified his part he played in the rebellion that gave birth to the Original Sarafan order." As he finished speaking a humoured tone came into his voice. "I think there's plenty of blame to go around."
Without warning he swung his helmet back; smacking it into Vorador's face forcing the vampire to loosen his grip and using that to his advantage Malek broke free of his grasp and swung his sword back in a fiery arch.
Its tips sank through the fabric of Vorador's clothes and into his flesh, burning his chest. It was only using his enhanced speed that Vorador was able to avoid a fatal strike.
Still it did scorch a deep scar across his chest; his flesh burning. It took all Vorador's will not to cry out. He did not want to give the Paladin the satisfaction.
"Perhaps you're right." Malek stated, turning to face the injured vampire. "Perhaps we favour war over peace.
At first our Order was a group of patriots who wanted to protect their children. In those early days the Sarafan had only the best intentions. Honour was our guide.
But I must confess you are correct in stating that we have lost sight of the Order's original goals.
It has become too corrupt, too focused on control. It has changed from a defender to a governor, a governor which uses its noble past as an excuse to exercise fascism.
Those are actions I will never condone."
Holding a hand to his wound and pressed his teeth hard together to will away the pain, Vorador took a few staggering steps back to a relative safe distance.
"Then why… why are you fighting for them?" He asked. The scorching of the fiery sword had sealed his wound and there was little bleeding but even a vampire's accelerated healing would have trouble dealing with such a scar.
"I am not." Malek replied. "I do not care about their ambitions. I merely went along with their strategies because I wanted to attend this battle. A battle where I knew you would present."
"So its revenge." Vorador muttered. "So all you want is my death?"
"I am simply here to settle our ancient feud." He replied. "And what better way to decide the Guardian of the Pillar of Conflict than be a fight to the death?!" With that Malek charged and parried his Sword forward.
Grasping a sword from the battle strewn ground around him, Vorador parried away the strike before moving in fast; gripping Malek's arm to stop him from using his sword before smashing his palm into the Paladin's helmet trying to knock it off.
It remained steadfast and retaliating, Malek grabbed Vorador's throat with his free hand and started squeezing; trying to crush his windpipe
In that moment a strange revelation past into Vorador's mind. Perhaps it was merely the lack of air but it was profound enough.
It was a moment of clarity, where the sudden truth was laid before him; naked and untarnished.
"Actually…" Vorador began despite being strangled. "I…I can think of a better way to decide it."
"Oh?" Malek asked feigning interest. "And what would that be?"
Without a word, Vorador unleashed an elemental spell at point blank range; discharging the magic directly into Malek's armour; sending him the Paladin flying back through the air until he crashed into the ground.
Vorador staggered back, breathing in hard and recovering a little as the paladin pushed himself up.
"We could fight. But what would be proved if we do? Only which of us is the better fighter and we do not serve the interests of the Pillar of Conflict in such a way.
Conflict is not merely a contest of skills or a vendetta's end."
Malek simply growled as he stood back up.
"The winner of this election will have to master Conflict, not only in the skills necessary to prevail in it but to master the causes of it as well. To understand conflict, to read and sense it and by doing so avoid it."
Then, shocking the Paladin, the vampire flooded his arms and sat down.
"And so I will not fight you."
From high above on the cliff face, Janos Audron watched what was happening with a surprised look on his face.
"Well that is certainly an unusual tactic." He muttered.
"What?" Malek demanded. "You can't just sit there and expect that I'm not going to strike you down!"
"Yes I can." Vorador replied looking at the paladin with an ironic smile. "Our long fight has been started by at the wounds we inflicted on each other." The smile faded away. "You killed my brides and your order killed my sire. I killed those wizards you were sworn to protect.
It's a self serving cycle of hate and there's only one way to end it." He paused long enough to take up a long deep breath. "I forgive you."
Malek just stood there.
"I will master the cause of our conflict. I forgive you for the deaths of my first brides. I forgive you for your Order's execution of my sire. I release you from blame."
Malek looked utterly stunned. He staggered back a few steps nearly dropping his sword in utter surprise.
"You… forgive… FORGIVE!!" The Paladin spat. "How dare you!!! No! I will not denied my revenge by this lacklustre performance! I have crossed the centuries and endured the Underworld for this!" He moved forward, casting his shield aside and gripping the Sarafan Lord's blade tightly with both hands. "Get up and fight! Or I will strike you down!"
"You are a knight Malek." Vorador reminded him. "Even Sarafan Knights, at least the old variation, have a code of honour.
You can not strike down an unarmed opponent."
"Honour?" Malek repeated. "My honour was shed centuries ago. I willingly cast it aside when I put myself on this path. My honour died with my flesh!"
"So let me ask you." Vorador started. "What would you do to get it back?" Malek continued to advance. "What would you… a proven knight, be willing to do to blaze his way to glory?
What will you, Malek the Paladin, be remembered as?
As a man who despite the many evils done unto him, retained his dignity and came to the aid of those who needed it. A hero?
Or perhaps will you be remembered as a butcher, a murderer who would run roughshod over anything placed in his way? A killer?
That decision will always be yours Malek."
Malek's advance slowed into a slow pacing before he stopped altogether, standing there in front of the ancient vampire; the green fiery glow of the blade illuminating them both.
"Well. Which will it be Paladin?" Vorador asked, looking past the weapon to the soldier wielding it. "Hero or villain?"
Malek's emotions were completely hidden from view. The helmet that served as his head did not show what he was thinking.
"But I think you should know." The ancient added. "Whatever you decide, you will not get your flesh back.
Removing a soul from its original vessel is easy enough with necromancy. Recreating one for it is harder, believe me I've tried.
And I know the enemy, the enemy of all races, well enough. He will not keep his word."
"We will!" Malek began. "He must!"
"Why must he? Once you have done what he sent you back for, do you really think that he's going to let you live?
No. Your soul will be sucked into his Wheel and you go back to the endless cold of the Underworld."
"If that is the case then why don't I simply strike you do here and now?" Malek asked. "What difference would it make?"
"None. Precisely." Vorador agreed. "So it's your choice Malek. Revenge or Honour?"
"I do hope you know what you're doing Vorador." Janos' voice told him telepathically.
Malek's gaze moved from the sword in his hands to the defenceless vampire before him, each one symbolising the choices presented to him.
Even before he made the decision, he was watched from afar by the Sarafan still holding the hills before the entrance to the canyon leading to the battered walls of Dark Eden.
"Why doesn't he strike the creature down?" One of the Order's generals asked.
"He is weak." Another stated and turned to face the crew of the monster cannon that was currently in the process of lifting one of the massive metallic projectiles into the weapon. "Continue bombarding the walls." He then gestured to a row of Archers that until now had been idle.
"Kill the fool and the beast. Use fiery arrows." The archers dipped their arrows into the flammable oil they had brought with them and torches set them alight. They aimed towards Vorador and Malek and drew back their strings.
Before they could fire, Malek raised his hand towards them and drew magic runes in the air before unleashing an elemental spell. Lightning scorched through the air, leaping from archer to archer before electrocuting them all.
Reacting as well, Vorador fired his own fire ball spell and unprotected as it was now; the cannon was struck head on. The magical fire reacted with the gunpowder and the weapon exploded with tremendous force, taking out the Sarafan general who died before their screams left their mouths.
The explosion also took out the Trebuchet and catapults the Order had arranged alongside it.
A loud cheer when up from the walls of Dark Eden from the Vampire Clans.
"Honour?" Malek asked without looking at the fires now spreading across the hills; now chasing the Sarafan army out of their encampments. "What definition of honour could I ever have? I just killed some of my own men and I'm not even sure why." He took one final look at the sword in hand before he hefted it up and tossed it away, the weapon sinking into the ground nearby; its green fire slowly dying away.
Umah and a handful of other vampires from both the Cabal and the Clans came out from Dark Eden. The vampires had won the battle and with the death of their generals and the destruction of their siege weaponry, the Sarafan tried to withdraw.
Their infantry was picked off by Zephonim archers and few of them managed to flee south, their mages casting a protective barrier as they retreated.
"Victory for Lord Kain!" Dumah declared.
Vorador stood back up. Malek looked the ancient over as if contemplating something. Eventually however he thought better off it and turned away. He wandered a short distance before he found a rock jutting out of the ground and sat down on it; collapsing his helmet on his gauntlets and letting out a long pent up sigh that spoke of released emotion.
"Take the Pillar, vampire." He muttered. "I am a failed man, a failed warrior and a failed knight.
I have failed in every duty and task that was every assigned to me."
Upon the uttering of those words Vorador felt something connect to him, as if a n invisible hand had reached down out of the ether and taken hold of him. He could feel a powerful link. It filled him with strength both physical and emotional.
Through this link he could feel the physical presence of others as well. He could sense his sire upon on the top of the cliff face more completely than ever before. So to could he feel the former Sarafan knight Ewoden in Willendorf and even William and Sally at the Citadel of the Apostles.
"We have no time for victory celebrations now." General Raziel told them and gestured off in the general direction of ruins Avernus. "Quickly, Dumah take your clansmen and scout the emerging Hylden. I want to know if they are going to attack us. Do not engage, we should know their strength before hostilities begin"
Dumah nodded once and quickly set about organizing his forces for the task.
"Zephon, Turel; you're with me. We have to pursue the Sarafan retreat. If we are fortunate we can catch them before they make it back to Willendorf. If we do, then we eliminate their military force."
"Hold fast clansmen!" A voice called from out of the sky. Vorador shuddered as he felt a presence suddenly coming souring towards them. It was a powerful presence, one he had never sensed from any being before and yet strangely familiar at the same time.
The clan vampires looked up as an object came hurtling out of the dull sky. It came down to the ground with a solid thud and all eyes were on the way of jet black wings that folded back as a tall imposing figure stood up.
Even Malek looked taken aback by the sight of winged being before them.
"K…kain?" Umah started staring upon this visage of the past. It was certainly Kain there was no doubt of that yet clearly much had happened to him. His skin had changed from green to sky blue and the ridge of horns across his forehead had gone his eyes were completely gold and seemed to shine with some inner light. The ends of his hands were no longer talons but rather large fingers shaped like those of the ancient vampires.
"Master…is that…you?" Zephon asked looking over this new vampire before them. Vorador's eyes were on the Reaver sheathed down Kain's back between his wings. Even the sword had changed, although not physically. On the outside it was still the same as it always had been but the elemental power it burned with was certainly a new addition. Bright and constant, its power augmented more than could be imagined.
"Stop gawking at me and assemble the troops!" He snapped. "We must pursue the Sarafan army before they have a chance to regroup. I have it on good authority that a peasant revolt is taking place in Willendorf. The Sarafan's grip is at its most tenuous. If we strike now, hard and fast this war will be over!"
Raziel was the first to recover.
"Erm…. As you command master."
"Well don't just stand there... MOVE!" Kain yelled and instantly his six clan leaders scattered to assemble what remained of their fighting force.
"What of the Hylden master?" Melchiah stopped to ask.
"They are of no threat." The winged vampire told them. "If possible I wish to claim them as allies but for the moment, let us concentrate on taking advantage of the Sarafan's military blunder. Now move it!"
As Dark Eden's defenders moved out to form ranks, Kain turned to face those others in his presence. He regarded the silent visage of Malek for a moment, before turning to face Umah.
"I will to Willendorf, Milady." He told her with a sweeping gentleman like bow. "Would you care to join me?" With that, Kain offered a hand forward.