Disclaimer: I own the characters of Sachiel and Ramiel, but the storyverse they live in belongs to Eidos, Crystal Dynamics and whomever else has ties to the Legacy of Kain world. I'm not making any money off of this, it's merely for personal entertainment.
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Neither fledgling had the barest inkling of how grueling their training would be.
While they had flourished in the long run and had made their father proud, the work involved had taxed them both to near the breaking point, especially the young blacksmith. Ramiel toiled long hours in the forge near the former Sanctuary of the Clans and despite his dedication and excitement over the project, he found the work less enjoyable each day. That was, until the day he was assigned a new task which would benefit his misfit sister and her bloodthirsty, hunting ways.
"A basic axe which, when thrown, will not fail on its mark unless knocked out of the air by an unknown force. Use your target spells, the ones used to source the heat from your prey, as the base magic cast."
Kain's logic was simple. If the axe is thrown at a target, it will not waver due to shifts in the wind or a sudden change in the wielder's stance just before being let loose. The great vampire leader had faith in his daughter's aim but not in her ability to stay still before throwing the weapon at her prey.
"She is jumpy at times, Ramiel. I'm sure you've noticed it."
The young smithy nodded as he struck the hammer down upon the steel he would use for the item, finding solace in the distinct ring of the metal and the heavy vibration of the strike as it traveled up the length of his arm.
"I will imbue it as soon as it's cast, Father. Will we be hunting the same day as a test, or will this be a show of skill to you, on both of our parts?"
The long haired creature smiled broadly, a not altogether friendly grin.
"Have it finished by midweek."
"Of course." Ramiel spoke softly, as he bowed halfway and then returned to his work, as if he had not been interrupted at all.
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"It's heavy, Rami!" The female vampire whined, as she tested the weight of the axe in her gloved hand. "I like short range weapons that are close to this weight, but why an axe? I'd like something I can hold with two hands next time-"
"You'll do with what you're given, petulant one." Kain chided from behind the pair.
Both fledglings turned and dropped to their knees, Sachiel in her basic armour and Ramiel in his traveling gear, complete with a plain but deadly sword slung at his hip and a similarly basic outfit of armour on his slim frame.
"I don't want either of you to return without a kill of some sort. Bring the corpses back with you as proof."
They got up to leave and waited a second as Kain held his hand up, his smirk returning, parting his slightly wrinkled face like a wide, dangerous canyon.
"Hunt in the Turelim lands. It will take you a day to get there, but it's the most inhabited area. Also, I want you both to watch for the steam vents. As you know, those lands are still volcanically active."
Sachiel saw her brother's face droop slightly but she grinned, knowing that it would be a challenge neither of them would fail in.
"Of course, Father! We won't fail you!"
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"I hate this place."
The male rolled his eyes at his sister as he trudged alongside her, the axe tied to her hip jingling as they crossed the uneven terrain. They had stopped twice on the journey, once to get their bearings and the second time to hunt for their meal, wiping out a group of small creatures they referred to as hogs, though the animals barely resembled the ancient barnyard animals save for their vicious tusks.
Sated for the moment, Sachiel marched somewhat happily, excited to get to use her skills and eager to see Ramiel in battle as well.
"How about we stop here?" She asked, as they approached a rather shallow but wide body of water separating the Turelim lands from their own land. "We can't get across this anyway and I've been scenting hawks for more than a mile now."
Hawks, while definitely bird-like in appearance, bore a closer resemblance to ancient creatures from the human realm, rather than the small, singing versions seen in and around the living cities. They flew on great leathery wings and had feathers, but only in sparse tufts around their head and feet.
Ramiel nodded and set himself down upon the grassy land, stretching his legs before him and leaning back on his muscled arms, his head tipped back and to the side so he could regard his sister at a nearly upside down angle.
"Go ahead. I'm going to have a bit of a rest and maybe start in the evening. The clouds may be blocked out, but my time underground has weakened my ability to tolerate even this weak daylight. It fatigues me too quickly."
"It tires me out even worse Rami, but I don't complain about it." She grumped. "I'm going to go stake out a spot. Come tell me when you've risen, all right?"
The blond vampire nodded as he let himself fall the rest of the way back, snuggling his back into the soft grasses and pillowing his head with his arms.
"Will do."
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The ability to see never changed for the vampires, as day turned to night, and though dusk had begun to fall, Sachiel could still see her prey across the river. The hawk's beak clapped open and closed as it waited for its mate, obviously caught in the turbulent time of raising young. By the look of the nest, the babies had been born and raised already, but the female creature remained on the twig and dung contraption, ignorant to its upcoming demise.
Three hours the young vampire had sat in her tree perch, carefully calculating how the animal moved when it ventured down to the ground, though for how seldom that happened, Sachiel had decided that killing it while it was on the nest was her best course of action. It flew up into the air in a spray of dust and loose feathers for only a brief second, causing the hunter to tense up and grip the handle of her axe more tightly. Nothing came of the movement however, as the hawk settled itself back down and returned to its previous motions.
After spying the mate and unsuccessfully trying to plan a shot that would kill both of them at once, the blue haired creature sighed to herself and relaxed a little bit, taking her eyes from the nest to drop them to the ground beneath her, where her stealthy brother stood against the tree, the bloodied corpse of a hawk lying at his feet. He had used a weak lightning spell to kill the beast as it stalked towards him while he woke from his slumber and as such, the body was charred and bleeding in places.
"Finished sleeping, Rami? I see you've caught your prize already." She asked jokingly, snorting at his quick kill. "I've got a hunt going right now, so if you don't mind-"
"It just flew off."
Sachiel's head moved quickly and she felt something in her neck pop, grunting out loud and growling low in her throat as she saw that yes indeed, her prey had flown away. She silently blamed it on her brother but said nothing as she climbed out a little further on the thick branch she had taken residence upon.
"It's only circling, Sash. Relax a little bit. It'll come back down eventually."
"But I've already been watching it for three hours!"
Ramiel broke into quiet laughter but stopped as the hawk returned again, hiding himself more effectively behind the tree this time, giving the elder hunter the privacy and stealth she needed. The bird landed back on the nest but was wary this time, eying everything across the river as if something was catching its attention. The glint of Sachiel's axe wasn't the cause but in the sparkling river fish gleamed beneath the surface, so its mind may have been on food, or the simple bubbling of the water over the rocks.
Stepping out slowly onto the end of the branch she felt most comfortable on, the woman lifted her axe and aimed it square at the animal's chest, deciding that pinning it against the thick trunk behind it would be the best option, even if she managed to behead it accidentally. It would still be a kill and Kain would still be pleased, no doubt. She grinned broadly as she reached her arm back for the throw, ignorant of Ramiel's geist upon the weapon, causing it to strike square and true despite her unconscious twitches.
The axe left her hand as she threw all of her weight into the throw, overbalancing and bringing both feet down upon the thinnest part of the branch. It snapped loudly enough for it to be nearly impossible, a sound that echoed in the fledglings ears and drowned out the shout from her staring sibling. Beneath her the river roiled against the rocks, deep enough to walk across in most spots and deeper in the center, where one would have to wade across. Though to a vampire, the water was like acid, a substance that could burn and decay vampiric flesh with only the smallest of droplets.
Sachiel screamed as she fell, unable to cast a spell on her self for levitation, or perform a geist of protection, and her weapons were all but useless. The axe, embedded in the far tree with a headless hawk lying beneath it, would have been as equally useless. How could an axe save someone from a watery grave?
"Sachiel, no!" Her brother hollered, just as impotent to save her as his spells were limited.
A wave of nausea and utter helplessness fell over the younger vampire and he found himself soiling the ground with his recently ingested meal, staining his cloak with the red liquid. Before him in the river his sister lay, prone because the fall had come hard. He certainly could not dive in to save her but regardless of his fear less than a moment prior, his eyes and mind were drawn to the situation that was not happening.
Sachiel was not writhing in agony, nor was her skin melting away, even though the water was coursing over her in a wicked torrent.
"Sash! Can you hear me? Please give me some indication!"
A grunt came from the somewhat deep water and the soaked form moved, climbing to its feet and shaking off the excess water. It was an image that would forever be burned into Ramiel's consciousness, as it was an impossible feat that had never been duplicated. Not to his knowledge anyway.
"Sachiel!" The boy cried in surprise and relief.
"I suppose the fish call this 'being wet', ne, Rami?" She asked, with a strange smile on her face.
"Dead is what you should be called! How are you standing there? You should be melting or crying out in death! Something other than dripping water and making jokes!"
The female vampire shrugged and trudged away from her brother, wading across the river and climbing the tree where her prey sat. Water dripped from her armour and ran down the branch she stood upon, the wooden perch holding her until she snatched up the beheaded animal and her weapon and hopped back to the ground. The blue haired hunter landed with a wet plop and then waded back across to the other, throwing the kill down beside his.
"I don't think I like being wet." She exclaimed grumpily. "My clothes chafe against me and it feels like I'm cold but I'm probably not really."
Ramiel was still in shock over his sister's miraculous feat and said nothing, even as he slung the hawk over his shoulder and made off in the direction of their home. Sachiel caught up with her kill in one hand and the axe in the other, happy over her perfect kill and seemingly ignorant to how grave her new situation seemed.
"What's the matter, Rami? You're being a little cold to me."
"It's not possible, Sachiel."
"What's not-"
The male whirled on his sister and snarled threateningly, baring his teeth as he never had before, frightening her and causing her to gasp out loud and grip her weapon a bit more tightly.
"You should be dead! Vampires cannot touch water! Father won't be pleased to hear about this!"
Sachiel dropped the bird and held her axe out in defense, ready to fight her sibling if it came right down to it. She had never seen him so angry and despite the fact that he was the younger of the two, she feared his skills with spells and magic, mainly because she didn't understand any of it. Her brutish warrior's mentality saw to that well enough.
"Step back, brother. I don't want any argument with you. I'll tell Father what happened here as long as you give up this act of hostility. I don't want to be hated for what I don't understand myself!"
Her last words were hollered and the male vampire's mind cleared to where Sachiel could stand it again, feeling an immense amount of hatred coming from him as he squared off against her. The blue in his mind returned and they both calmed, the girl moving to pick up her prey a second time and the younger creature to walk beside her, her eyes on the terrain ahead and his on her soaked form.
Tentatively, he reached a hand out and touched her shoulder, hissing in pain and snapping the limb away from her as he felt the residual dampness of the water eating into the palm of his hand. Sachiel gave him an apologetic look and walked away a few feet, so the drippings wouldn't hit him accidentally. It was a long, silent trek back to the compound and once inside, they parted ways again, intending on cleaning up before they met with their father with news of their return and news of a more somber sort.
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The morning of Kain's departure, both siblings waited for him at the exit of the compound in formal attire. Ramiel wore varying shades of green with gold as the accent, while Sachiel remained in her favourite shades of blue and silver. Black undertones in both outfits showed off the hues and despite the slight anxiety both vampires felt, they were immeasurably honoured to be left in charge of their home while their father went about his duties.
"I'm touched to see you in something other than an apron, my son." He mused, patting Ramiel on the shoulder and immediately looking to his eldest child with some concern. "And you, Firstborn. Why do you wear a weapon to see me off?"
The blue haired hunter grinned broadly and turned to bow, setting her sword down upon the ground in a gesture of peace.
"Isn't it a common practice amongst the clan leaders of old, to be seen out of their home by their brave guards on their way for a long voyage?"
She was attempting to dissuade the man's idea that she was armed out of danger, when in actuality, she was only armed for show. Kain smiled at her and then wiped it off immediately as he lifted a hand and slapped her hard across the face, throwing her to the ground. Sachiel grunted in pain but dared not look at the elder vampire, busily licking the inside of her cheek where the impact had broken the skin against her teeth. Ramiel watched with vague worry, aware that their father hated presumptions but wisely keeping his mouth shut so the female would learn the lesson properly.
"Never assume or presume with me. I suggest you learn that lesson before I return."
He vanished as Ramiel bowed to him, moving quickly to his sister's side and helping her up, earning himself an elbow in the belly for his troubles.
"Leave me be! He'll only be angry with you as well if he sees you helping me."
The blond creature backed off and with a cluck of his tongue, he turned on his heel and made his way back inside the underground sanctuary. He listened as Sachiel's armour clinked as she followed closely behind, unnerved by the tinge of red that crept into his mind from the elder vampire's consciousness. It wasn't a red of danger or anger, but it still perturbed him greatly.
"I'm going to change and stay in my rooms for the day. If you want to hunt after nightfall, I'll meet you in the main hall." The younger fighter called back, as he passed beneath one of the great, fiery hall sconces.
No answer came from the oddly silent female and with a slight bow, she stepped into her own rooms as they approached the door. Ramiel, only residing in the rooms next to hers, seemed a million miles away as he entered his private haven and locked the door securely behind himself. He knew that the skilled female could get inside if she tried hard enough, but he hoped that a simple lock and a bit of respect would keep her out for the remainder of the day. Two cabinets lay to his right hand side and he undressed quickly, filling the first one with his formal clothing and opening the second to stand nude before it. He looked deeply into the full-length mirror within the dark closet and scowled at his handsome reflection, immediately closing the wooden doors again and locking them tightly.
From the chest beside his bed he took out a set of robes in a dark shade of blue, shrugging them on and tightening the sash so he could be comfortable while he rested. He wasn't about to sleep, but a good deal of simple sitting would do him well, especially considering the extensive library he had yet to finish reading through. His father, while generous in his loaning of the books, was still withholding secrets, and Ramiel was determined to unlock them in due time.
"'Filling of the Valley'." He read out loud, from the cover of a rather soiled and dusty tome that rested on his bedside table. "Sounds interesting enough to occupy my afternoon."
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(written in nearly illegible script on stained paper, dated 2436 OTNA (of the new age) )
Over the course of my evolutionary millennium, the waters rose above the Abbey and effectively submerged it. Samael, my true first born, the leader of the First Clan, has recollected the occurrences to me, so that I may record them before my transformation has completed. He is precious to me, as I and my brethren never were to our Lord and Master, and I find myself unable to tell him for fear of being chided by my comrades. Trueborn vampires evolve as life dictates! Have I not shown this by growing different from my brothers and subjugating myself to the waters that we once feared? I have control over the waterways and lakes they cannot traverse!
Samael has agreed to dictate to me the details of the first flood and my return to the world of the living and I will record it thusly, as I failed in my duties of teaching my offspring to read and write. The transformation requires so many of my waking hours that I cannot do everything in the allotted time! However will I finish this in time? I only ask your forgiveness, my Master, for my weaknesses!
(written in more legible script; neatly printed but with a shaky hand, also dated 2436 OTNA)
'The day grew dark by mid-morning and the majority of us had already scented the change upon the winds. The smell of decay came with it, as well as the smell of dampness. Rain most likely, but the chances of it during the hottest days of summer were slim. The clouds pressed in from the mountains and though our Master slept fitfully during his Change, we were loathe to wake him despite his sleeplessness. Whatever little sleep he gained only created a new, stronger form for him and it was above us to interrupt him. His children we may have been, but even we were not immune to his wrath when given the chance to be obstinate.
We had walled our Lord into his rooms to prevent his escape during the Change, as instructed by him, and either myself or my brother Camael listened as he spoke our orders, usually to be dictated to our brethren. This day however, we did not arrive at our Lord's chamber by the Hour of Dictation, and instead armed a battalion against the rising waters surrounding our beloved Abbey.
Bear witness to the fact that it was not the water we feared, but our home being destroyed by the element's vicious nature. Our bodies had been born with the ability to breathe both air and oxygen beneath the water's surface, and yet our lives remained on land. How could one preserve familial items if they are submerged in icy cold waters from Nosgoth's great northern mountains?
Two hours from the time we forced our brethren back into the Abbey, the waters came. No more simple leaks in the low barriers and dampness in the Great Hall. We carried what we could to the upper floors of our sanctuary and hid the items as we went back for more. By the time I and my mate had returned to the topmost floor with the last of our many belongings, the water had crept its way into the very depths of our Lord's private chambers. While we knew his compulsion to change would override his very safety, we still attempted to break down the barriers encasing him in the grand quarters. We were unsuccessful and whether it was by instinct or the desire to succeed my father to the throne, I ordered the others to retreat to the bell tower and we left our Lord Rahab to his own survival.
Many of us, mostly the fledglings and the females, desired the safety of the Abbey and delved back into the cold waters, using their abilities to the fullest. We had evolved beyond our Lord in that we could tolerate the sun's weak rays when near the surface of the water or on the land for brief periods of time. The great colossus Dumah continued to pump black smoke into the air to block out the sun's harmful rays and yet even the weakest of rays burned our Lord's pale skin, even in the near darkness of his walled-in home.
More than a decade passed and still, we had not ventured into the deepest depths of the Abbey to speak to our Lord. He would no doubt be angry with us, but as survival dictated, the strongest survived. There was no doubt, considering the powerful spiritual residue we all felt within our minds, that Lord Rahab had survived the catastrophe. The day that finally signaled the end of his Change, Rahab appeared before us, while Camael and I patrolled the Outer Font. We had stopped to rest beside the water's edge for a moment and the water before us bubbled as a great white shape appeared just below the surface. It did not breech the surface but brave as he was, Camael tossed his gear aside and dove in.
How the water did toss violently then! White crests broke its once serene surface and what remained of my dearest twin brother floated to the surface, broken and bloodied, merely bludgeoned meat dressed in tattered rags. I lifted my weapon to the beast and immediately dropped it as the pale skinned head of my Lord appeared, his viciously grinning visage causing me to gasp. I was instructed to return to the Abbey and tell the others of his return. He told me of his visions; of a blue skinned spirit whose body possessed powers unheard of, and whose name must never be spoken amongst our brood. I retained the information out of sheer duty to my Lord and father and as quickly as I could, I returned to my home. The large form of my Master followed closely behind, a frightening spectre in the chilly depths. Had he not shown me some degree of consciousness and familial recognizance, I would have ended up as my brother had.
The reason for Camael's death was told to me once, though I care not repeat it, even for the official records. It too had become taboo within the Clan, alongside the strange name of my father's distant successor, though he assured me at one time, that the stranger would be a distant cousin and would mean nothing to anyone in the long run.
In the year 2446 OTNA, my father, the great Lord Rahab, renamed the Martyr's Abbey. As members of the Rahabim clan, we now lived within the watery depths of the Drowned Abbey. The fjords which fed the valley continued to pour fresh water into our home and we constructed dams and channels to move the water through the entirety of our homeland, giving our Lord the ability to remain beneath the water and still venture into the furthest corners of his lands. The bell tower, which still contained the ceremonial bell we rang on joyous occasions and during raids, remained wholly unused, as loud noises echoed through the water and pained us greatly. We refrained from causing excessive noise and even encouraged a sort of telepathic link to be used underwater, to keep us from conversing verbally.'
On a separate sheet of paper, Ramiel found a different style of handwriting, along with a strip of cloth without a label or details as to what or who it had belonged to. Reading the single note out loud, he got to his feet and paced the length of his chambers, moving back and forth between the furniture as if it wasn't even there.
'I have waited more than enough years for this day. My father waits in the Abbey for his prey, while I use the skills I acquired recently to pen my acknowledgment of a vicious but brave foe. I found him in the Main Hall, while patrolling. Blue skin and dark hair, as our Lord had described! His eyes glowed with a light unheard of, even amongst we preternatural beings. I avoided a confrontation with him, but I watched with horror as he destroyed more than a dozen of my kin with less effort than it would take me to write these words. My cousin Kohael managed to take a piece of the demon's cloak as he struck out at him, but he died in doing so. I pried the item from his fist and have set it out to dry in a safe place. I will fetch it when it's ready and it will be archived here with these notes.
He comes now! A vampire, this creature seems to be. I can feel his mind delving into mine, unconsciously, as if he cannot control the basic skill. He is tinted blue, but it is not a placid or calm blue. I fear that his colours have been reversed and unless I see his version of a calming red, the end may be near for all of us.
In the name of our Lord Rahab, I will not let him take the Abbey.'
Ramiel stared at the last line on the paper and blinked stupidly, unable to believe what he had read. In his right hand sat the item Samael had described, its dry surface scratchy against the callouses of the blacksmith's palm. He stepped closer to the flaming sconce beside the dresser and held the object out to be examined, turning it over in his hands and taking it for what it was.
A plain piece of cloth. Brown in colour, with a paler shade of dye covering one section, as if a symbol had been decorated onto it. Unremarkable, however it seemed to be important enough to have been kept by Kain. That fact alone stayed Ramiel's hand as he was tempted to toss it into the drawer he reserved for odd treasures he picked up on his travels. He carefully tucked the strip back into the slim book, a bookmark of sorts, and set the tome back upon his bedstand, stifling a stitch in his side as he stood too quickly.
Then it dawned on him.
These creatures, vampires of a race long dead, could touch and live in water. His father had discussed the former clan leaders and brethren he had shared lands with in the past, but the mention of Rahab had not detailed his ability to survive in water. Nor did he know why the Drowned Abbey, a place off-limits to he and his sister, had been segregated and placed on the list of taboo lands. He was suddenly suspicious of the water tolerance, more so because his sister seemed to share the trait with the underwater vampires and he did not.
"How many days did Sachiel say we had until Father returned home?" He quietly asked himself, scratching the back of his head in anxious annoyance. "I think I've got some exploring to do..."