Still don't own Bastard!!

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Bastard!! Alternate Reality Chapter 5

James squinted, trying to make out the approaching figure.

"You must be James," a heavily armored young man came and said in a harsh tone. The warrior brandished a scimitar and was covered in heavy plate armor under a grey cloak. The man's long black hair matched his dark eyes which glared back at James. "I am Kai Harn! One of Empress Nei's Three Sorcerer Generals!" he declared as he stopped several paces away, "And now for her sake I shall take your head!"

"You can't possibly know how many times I've heard that," replied James off-handedly.

Just then, his sensitive ears picked up the sound of heavy footsteps behind him and to the sides. Lots of them.

"Orcs! Tear him to shreds!" Kai commanded, around two dozen of the beasts burst through the doors of the surrounding buildings.

The grotesque looking beasts quickly surrounded him and grinned savagely. They were taller than the average man with powerful bodies and a pig-like face. Most were armed with crude plate armor and jagged swords or javelins. He knew well what these monsters were capable of. He had seen their cruelty along the frontier many times before but now they were under the control of the Lords of Chaos, allowing them to rampage around highly populated areas.

"Impellitteri's Fireballs!" James chanted as several jets of flame shot forth from his palm and incinerated the Orcs. The exertion from such a simple spell was surprising. 'I have to feed as soon as possible if I'm going to be fighting like this all the time. Need to finish this quickly. . .,' he thought to himself. The young swordsman looked somewhat surprised.

"You expected less from the Undying Warrior? Foolish boy," James goaded, eager to draw his opponent into making a mistake, "To come at a powerful magic-user is almost certain death."

The raven haired boy smirked in response, "A victory means nothing to a warrior if it's not head on."

James drew Efreet from his sheath, "Big words for one so young. I have walked the Earth for over two hundred years. What makes you think I will succumb to you?"

Kai was stunned yet again as he recognized the magical sword, "I had not realized that you obtained the Fire Sword," he said, letting awe show in his tone.

"Even the mighty Efreet serves me, you still up for a fight?" James asked, Efreet flashing once in response to his master's compliment.

Kai Harn dashed towards him, scimitar held high, "Don't under estimate me!"

Kai brought his sword down only to have James avoid the attack all together as he side stepped and followed through with a thrust kick, knocking Kai off his feet. Kai rolled to his feet as James slowly stalked towards him.

"You can't win. Surrender and I'll let you live," James said, sword pointed at Kai.

"Never!" Kai slapped the fire sword away and let loose a flurry of magically enhanced attacks, "Mystic Attack of a Hundred Bursting Slashes!" James teleported away, replacing himself with a husk just in time.

In the wake of her attack was a bloody mess, James's fake body diced into dozens of pieces.

"Whoa! Hey, that's dangerous!" yelled James from behind Kai. He had recognized her technique just then, one of the most ancient of the classical styles, the Hariken Slashing Implosion School.

Kai looked to his foe, then the bloody mess at his feet, "I see. . .a mere illusion." He turned to James, "I won't kill you right away since I have many questions I'd like to ask you."

James sighed loudly, "Oh joy," he raised his hand, "Damned!" The area in front the vampire exploded as raw energy shot forth from his hand. James stood triumphantly, "That stuffy swordsman was too easy!"

"For starters, what happened to Sean?" Kai's voice came from behind him.

James turned to see Kai without a scratch. James kept his irritation hidden but was surprised that he had managed to get behind him without being heard. "That's my trick," he whined.

"Why would such a skilled wizard give up, go into hiding?" Kai pressed.

"So she did go into hiding?" the vampire asked back.

"Did she betray us for you?" Kai continued, raising his sword, anger beginning to show in his features. And James couldn't help but notice something oddly feminine about him.

"She finally realized how stupid this war really is," James reasoned.

"Nonsense!" Kai countered fiercely, "A man like you probably wouldn't understand. . .but we three Sorcerer Generals are bound by something. . .deeper even than blood!"

"Then I guess she really did fall in love with me," James said quietly.

Kai visibly paled, "You. . .bastard! What did you do to Sean?!"

James waved his hands in front of his chest, "Whoa whoa whoa! We didn't do anything like what you're thinking. I just showed her that the world is not as our eyes make it to be."

Kai charged forward again, "You brainwashed her with your philosophical garbage!"

James brought his sword up and parried, leaving Kai wide open for a counter attack. Before he could react, James brought his sword down, shredding the cloak and armor from Kai. James was speechless at what he saw.

"Who would have thought you'd be this formidable," Kai said between deep breaths as she held a hand to a small gash on her arm. Kai was actually a woman! And an attractive one from what he saw. Her armor had been destroyed, leaving her with a revealing under tunic, much like the one Sean was wearing the day before. James had to stop himself from letting his eyes wander.

"You're a. . .girl!" he continued to gawk.

She rolled her eyes, "So what? I grew out of that sort of thinking long ago!"

James tapped the Fire Sword on his shoulder in irritation, "I don't really want to hurt a woman. . ." he muttered.

"Men are just lowly and weak creatures to one who's never been defeated by any warrior save Mistress Nei!" Kai declared with pride.

Sighing deeply, "Oh geez. A man hater, just what I need. . ."

She sneered at his comment, "In return for my absolute loyalty she granted me immense power! Let me show you!" Kai shouted as her right hand began to glow with a bright silver light, "Kanda loestrrata amsotos yonde lutson! Talas! Turn flesh to stone!"

'This might be trouble.'

James felt his legs beginning to stiffen and looked down to see his feet had already been turned to stone, just like what had happened to the townspeople.

Kai laughed heartily, "Your clothes, body, blood, and flesh- shall be turned to stone, left to face the wind for all eternity!"

James struggled to move as the petrificaction spell worked its way up his knees. His flesh went numb as it turned to stone and he watched with dread as the spell slowly advanced towards his torso. In his weakened state it would be difficult to break the spell, he hadn't expected to encounter any High Ancient Magic. James took a deep breath and focused his power on slowing the effects of Kai's magic.

'I knew I should have taken a little blood from Sean while she was asleep.'

"Men. This is all they are," the swordswoman spat out with derision, "To a soldier there are no women or men. Just life or death. You'll rue the day you went against Mistress Nei - and made an enemy of Kai Harn!"

"Enough already!" James's voice boomed with a sense of authority that wasn't there earlier, surprising Kai and a few Orcs who had gathered to watch. "I can't die until I see my son! Anyone who gets in my way will be crushed!" his loud voice echoed with a fierceness Kai had not expected.

"Y-you. . .," Kai was stunned to silence for a moment before regaining her composure, "Mistress Nei treasures that child, I won't let you near him! Dio's scorching heat wave!" Kai launched a red beam of magical energy straight at the half petrified James.

Raising his barriers and reinforcing them with as much power as he could, James held his arms out, to catch the blast if it broke through his defenses. He knew handling another's energy was risky business but he was out of options, and if worst came to worst he could always resurrect himself.

The blast never connected with his barrier as a giant spider jumped in front of James. The spider was vaporized in the following explosion.

"Giant spider?" James muttered, "It can't be Sean."

Kai also recognized the spider, "I know this spell! Why would you do this. . .Sean Ari!?"

Said woman appeared from the dust, standing protectively in front of James.

"Sean! I told you to find a safe place to hide," James chastised gently, he was grateful that she had come to help but Kai was far beyond her in terms of combat strength.

"Why did you betray the Sorcerer Generals and Empress Nei!?" Kai demanded as she seemed to ready another strike.

Sean shook her head as she stood closer to James, "You're wrong! We were wrong. It would only sadden Empress Nei more if James were to be harmed!"

Kai rested her hands on her hips, listening to her former comrade.

"Perhaps you wouldn't understand but. . .this man has some kind of power greater than that of you or Empress Nei! A power that envelops even an enemy," explained Sean, unnerved by the fierce look in her friend's eyes.

Kai visibly stiffened at her remark, "Nonsense Sean! Open your eyes! You just want to believe that your first man is something special!"

James sighed, there was no convincing Kai that they didn't really do anything.

"Perhaps that's true but. . .," Sean seemed unsure of how to continue for a moment, "it's more than just that. I also battled this man Kai, so I know the truth. He's a greater person than either you or Empress Nei! I'm sure that master Gara sensed it too!" Sean declared with a surprising amount of resolve.

James wrapped an unpretrified arm around her shoulders, saying with a grin, "You just wanted me to hold you again, huh?"

"Idiot! Not now!" she berated him with a mighty blush on her face, "After I told you over and over again to be careful!"

"Sorry. . ." James apologized honestly, slightly embarrassed that he was being treated like a child by a girl who was less than one-tenth his age.

"I think you mean it Sean," Kai said sullenly, noticeably disturbed by her friends loyalty to her enemy, "Don't you realize he just played you for a fool? Get out of the way!"

Sean took a battle stance, several magical talismans held at the ready, "No! I will protect this man! Even if it means going against the Lords of Chaos! Even if it means betraying you!" Kai gasped as Sean began chanting a spell, "Talismanic magic! Ritual Spider! Eat her head!"

Several large demon spiders materialized from the air and began advancing on Kai.

Leaping into the air, sword held high, Kai chanted, "Mystic attack of a hundred bursting slashes!" cutting the spiders into a bloody mess. "To have your heart stolen by a mere man, that I cannot forgive!" Kai said angrily as she stalked towards the defeated Sean.

James got an idea just as the petrification spell enveloped his waist.

"Sean, close your eyes!" he shouted as he readied a spell, "Spirits of the air, blind my enemies! Solar Flare!"

Bright light engulfed the area, anyone who hadn't looked away would be temporarily disoriented. The light faded after a few seconds and James saw Sean still covering her eyes while Kai was on her knees cursing.

'I knew that one would be useful eventually,' James thought, thankful for the time he had spent learning it.

Sean timidly peaked between her fingers.

"Sean, we don't have a whole lot of time! I need you to give me some of your blood!" James said quickly, knowing Kai wouldn't be stopped for too long.

"Okay," Sean replied, getting up and hurrying over to him.

He blinked, "Damn, that's it? No argument?"

She looked at him and held her wrist up to his mouth, "You said yourself you haven't fed for a long time and vampires gain their strength back from this right?"

James nodded.

"And besides," she continued with a little blush on her cheeks, "I trust you."

Without any further delay James let his fangs protrude. They weren't as long as an undead vampire's but were enough to penetrate skin. Sean flinched slightly as he bit in, blood immediately began seeping into his parched mouth. It was deliciously sweet, giving away the fact that she was a virgin, hence why many vampires prefer virgins or the blood of their mates which tasted similar.

After only a few little sips he felt his power double, almost to his normal strength. Sean clutched at his shoulder as she began to feel the other effects of a living vampire's bite. The saliva of a Daywalker had small amounts of a pleasure inducing chemical that becomes active when it comes in contact with blood, ensuring that the experience is as pleasurable as possible for both individuals.

James had enough blood to get take care of Kai now. He had been careful not to take too much from Sean; since she was so little she would probably be a little dizzy. He carefully licked over the two puncture marks as the saliva of a vampire has incredible healing qualities. Kai, who had managed to stop seeing spots by this time, could only look on in horror. She saw the vampire feeding from her friend, and the frightening red eyes that met hers.

James lowered Sean's arm and helped to steady her in her light-headed state, then without any exertion whatsoever he broke Kai's spell, sending all the built up stone to the ground at his feet.

"Do you know now what you face Kai?" he asked as he signaled Sean to stand back. His eyes burned pure red, a natural occurrence as his body reacts to the recent meal, "Like I said, I can't be defeated."

Kai stepped back nervously, fear flashed across her face briefly before she put her game face back on, "I don't believe you! Talas! Turn flesh to stone!" she launched the attack yet again only to have it crash against his barrier which shimmered for a moment before flickering out. "It can't be!" Kai cried out.

"Your magic is now useless against me," James spoke with an unnerving calm, "From the Silver Mountain to the Gates of Babylon, feel Rainbow's Mystic Arrow!"James shot a dozen magical arrows from his palm.

They struck the area around Kai, surrounding her in multiple explosions. He had been careful not to hit her directly as it would probably kill her instantly. When the smoke cleared, Kai was on her knees, covered in scratches and soon to be bruises.

"I even went easy on you, 'cause you're a woman," James smirked victoriously. "Do you surrender?" he asked, looking down at her.

She remained silent.

"Surrender or I'll be forced to do something drastic," he continued with a wolfish face.

Both Kai and Sean blushed immediately, "Oh. . .No. . .I," Kai stammered, embarrassed.

Noticing this, James corrected himself, "Actually I was talking about casting a sleep spell but if you preferred something else. . .," he said to Kai with a wink.

Sean ran up to him and tugged on his arm, "James, please! You don't have to harm her! Kai just did what she thought would make the Empress happy like me," she pleaded, her eyes looking fearful.

He knew she was right. Whenever he got a 'blood high' it was always harder to control himself. He had heard many stories of vampires going berserk after feeding but, luckily, it had never happened to him or anyone he knew back home.

"Don't get cocky just because you've broken my spells!" Kai declared, leaping up, "Come forth my servant!"

A split second later, something crashed through a building further down the street. Once the dust cleared James got a good look at it and was genuinely surprised by what he saw.

"A Cockatrice?" he asked to no one in particular.

He hadn't seen one since he was a child. The creature was like a cross between a snake and a chicken of all creatures. It stood well over three men tall and had a massive wing span. He had been surprised because they typically avoid direct sun exposure by hiding in caves and ruins. They weren't particularly smart creatures but they could turn organic matter into stone by touching it. James had wondered how Kai had managed to turn the entire town to stone without being exhausted from the using so much magic and his answer was stomping down the street.

"What kind of 'warrior' resorts to using a monster just because she's on the brink of losing?" James chastised.

"A dead beat father tells me about honor? You wouldn't know honor if it sat on your face!" Kai shot back.

'Ouch.'

"I'd know your mom if she sat on my face!" he replied only to get an angry glare in return.

"Don't let it touch you Sean. Its touch can turn you to stone," he warned.

The beast advanced towards them as Kai barked orders at it from the rear. The beast's head reared back and a second later spat out a grayish colored gas. Acting on instinct he grabbed Sean and leapt away, just as the petrifying breath hit the ground where they were standing moments before. James leapt again with Sean in his arms to the roof of a nearby building.

"Wait here," he told her, "I mean it."

"But what about you?" Sean asked worriedly, her face heavy with weariness.

"Don't worry," was his only reply as he leapt back down.

If memory served correctly, simple beasts like the Cockatrice were usually controlled telepathically with some kind of medium. The beast began walking towards him again, but looking past it at Kai he noticed she was holding a shining blue crystal.

'Damn I'm good!'

James charged forward dodging another breath attack from the monster and passed by it altogether. By the time Kai realized what was happening he was too close.

Thrusting his hand towards the crystal he chanted, "Hartlett's Fiery Palm Explosion!" catching both Kai and the crystal in the blast.

It was a weak attack meant to weaken Kai and destroy the crystal. Like he thought, the Cockatrice broke off its attack started screeching wildly.

"Whoops. Looks like the connection was broken so abruptly the monster's lost its mind. Sorry Kai!" James called over his shoulder to Kai as she struggled to stand from the rubble.

The creature was going berserk, crashing into nearby buildings and stumbling over its own feet.

James groaned loudly, "A crazed Cockatrice isn't even worth a notch on my sword but. . .If I save your hide you better be in debt to me for the rest of your life!"

The beast turned to him and stumbled his way. James raised his hand, "Damned!"

The Cockatrice was incinerated in an instant. With that out of the way, James walked over to Kai who was roughed up pretty bad. Her already revealing clothing was tattered and she had a small gash on her forehead. Her mane of black hair was dusty and wet with sweat and blood.

"Kill me!" she demanded, "You'll live to regret it if you don't kill me now. My spells are beaten, and my beast dead, but I haven't lost to you in a real fight! When my wounds heal I'll be back- to kill you!"

James heard the scuffle of feet as Kai's orc troops retreated. James watched her closely for awhile. She torw her gaze from his and flinched as pain coursed through her body. Wordlessly, he hunched over and picked her up in his arms as gently as he could.

"Wha! What are you doing!?" she blurted out as her face started to heat up.

"You can come to kill me anytime," James replied with confidence, while looking her in the eyes."But first we've got to take care of those wounds," he said off-handedly, he was followed closely by Sean as he carried her to a lone tree that would provide some shade from the midday sun.

He laid her down gently against the trunk and got down next to her. She looked suspicious of him but it didn't matter now.

"Let's compromise shall we?" James said in a much lighter tone, "I'm still hungry and you need healing. So why don't I just lick your wounds," he grabbed her arm and held it to his mouth firmly and began licking at the small cuts and gashes.

"Hey! W-wait!" Kai struggled but quickly realized there was nothing she could do about while stuck in his iron grip.

After licking at it for little bit he pulled back and showed Kai her arm. All the cuts were healed, most of the blood had been licked away, and the pain was almost non-existent.

"Better?" he asked her, licking a little blood from his bottom lip.

She blushed deeply and turned away, "Its fine."

"Really? 'Cause with the way you were writhing around and moaning and stuff I'd say you loved it!" taunted James.

"I-I was not!" she snapped back, wrenching her arm from his grasp.

"Well I'm still hungry so I hope you're ready. Because I'm gonna go over every inch," he said provacatively.

Kai stammered, unsure how to react before she was flat on her back, watching James lick the wounds on her legs.

"Um, James? Don't you think this is a little much?" Sean asked from the sidelines in a timid manner.

James looked up, looking indignant, "Nonsense! To the victor goes the spoils!"

He went back to work, going up her legs and to her abdomen, getting the few cuts there, passing her breasts (he's not a total perv), and finally coming to her neck.

She froze beneath him.

"It can happen if you want it to," he whispered to her.

After a long silence she nodded once. Once he was given the green light he lowered his mouth to her neck and as gently as possible sank in with his fangs. She flinched at first but the effects of the bite quickly took effect as she let a moan of pleasure escape her lips. Her blood was sweet and virginal, expected from a man hater. Kai grasped handfuls of his hair and writhed her body under him, not even trying to suppress her gasps and moans.

'I guess she's what you call a super freak.'

Not long after the bite, James licked the fresh wounds and looked down at Kai. She was flushed and gasping for air. Sean came up from behind him and punched him in the back of the head.

"Hmm?" he looked back at Sean.

"Why wasn't it like that with me!?" Sean berated him, jealousy evident in her tone.

James just shrugged, "Well the neck is a more sensitive area and we didn't have time for all this," he finished waving his hands around.

Kai regained her composure and whispered, "I feel. . .strange."

James turned back to her, "Well, when one of my kind bites someone, it creates a bond through which they can feel each other's emotions. So in a way, we're married! Isn't that great?" he smiled at her, only to receive a weak punch to the arm. "Sean and I have a similar connection, only weaker since I bit her on the wrist and not the neck." Both Kai and Sean continued to look at him in wonderment.

James's face turned serious, "You are a great warrior Kai. That was a close call, even for me, the handsome hero."

Lightly brushing some of the dirt and grime from her hair, he smiled softly, his personality somewhat returning to normal as the 'blood high' began to ebb.

Kai was still beet red as she said, "Let me give you one warning. The next of the Three Sorcerer Generals is completely different from Sean and me. He's an undead vampire."

James raised an eyebrow, "Oh?"

Kai continued, "My magic was taught to me by Empress Nei but he joined her with great powers of his own. It's said that through magic he's acquired a body that's nearly immortal. . .and immune to ordinary spells. More than that his powers keep growing- exponentially."

Giving Kai a sly smile, James said, "You worried about me, huh?"

"N-no way! I'm just saying not to get yourself killed before I can hunt you down and do it myself! And why are you still on top of me!" Kai shouted, embarrassed, while trying to push him off.

He laughed out loud at her reaction, a rare occurrence these days. Getting up, straightening out his clothes, he said to the two women, "You two take care of each other and stay out of trouble. I'm sure we'll meet again soon. Oh and make sure you fix the villagers before you go."

Sean ran up and hugged him bye, causing James to smile at her open affection while Kai managed a weak wave. He smiled all the same at her tough girl attitude. She built walls to block out others but he had seen her true self today and saw the kindness and innocence in her.

'Empathy has its uses I suppose.'

He continued on through the town to get back on the road to his destination.

The rest of the day was uneventful for the most part. James busied himself by watching the birds or singing songs to himself. By the time the sun had begun to sink below the horizon he was at the foot of the mountain where his old friend lived.

'I wonder if he's even still alive. I mean, he was hella old fifteen years ago.'

James grabbed some wood and cast a fire spell on it, letting his magic keep the flames alive through the night. He let himself relax as best he could for the moment, since he was back to normal strength from drinking Kai and Sean's blood there wasn't much that could be considered a serious threat. He closed his eyes and soon fell asleep.

The next day, as soon as the sunlight shone through the trees he was on his feet, traveling up the winding dirt paths of the mountain. Trees covered most of the mountain but James's sharp eyes saw a thin stream of smoke about halfway up. Hurrying up the rest of the way towards the smoke, James arrived in a small clearing home to a modest sized log cabin. The smoke had been billowing out of a small chimney stack on the side of the cabin.

'It's just like I remember it. I'm sure Zed will be happy to see me. I hope.' James stepped up to the porch and knocked solidly on the door.

He heard some scuffling on the other side of the door before it cracked open a little.

"Who's that?" an elderly voice said grumpily.

James couldn't help but smirk. Even he hadn't changed.

"An old friend who is very late," he replied.

The door flew open, revealing an aged man with short cut snow white hair. His eyes were glazed over, having been completely covered by cataracts. He had some gray stubble on his face along with a long scar that went horizontally across his left cheek. His back was hunched over slightly, supported by a cane.

"It's about damn time you showed up! You know how long I've been waiting for your sorry ass! God damn! Always late!" the old man stuck his finger in James's chest.

James held his hands up in front of himself, "Come on now. Better late than never right?"

Zed sighed as he hobbled back inside, followed by James. It was dim inside with shelves and shelves of books that gave off strong magical energy.

"I've had this ready for going on seven years now!" Zed picked up an object wrapped in a black cloth and handed it to James.

The vampire accepted the item and slowly pulled the wrapping back. Enclosed was a gold bracelet with three inlaid crystals.

"These are the crystals you told me about?" asked James as he examined the fine craftsmanship.

"Hell yeah!" the old man said in an irritated manner, though James knew that's just how he talked, "Those stones can store magical energy so you can draw on it if you start getting your ass kicked. Which I know in your line of work happens more often than not." James with a smirk on his face managed to get the bracelet on with little difficulty. "It'll gather excess energy and store it. So now you have a greater reserve of magical energy to use as you please," Zed explained as he puffed on his pipe.

Zed had been a magical instructor many years ago and the two had met when James was exploring the ruins of one of the ancient cities. Since then they had adopted a master-apprentice relationship that went both ways, each man learning from the other. Of course Zed didn't have the advantage of a ridiculously long life span.

"You staying for tea or what?" Zed asked as he sat down in one of two rocking chairs.

James sat down next to him and accepted a cup filled with steaming hot tea, "Thanks."

They were both silent for a while, letting the stove fire occupy their attention.

"So, what did you do in the unknown regions?" asked Zed with an uncharacteristic calm.

James sighed, "I fought. A lot. But I also learned some amazing spells. I gained the power to resurrect myself even after both heart and brain are destroyed."

Zed gasped, "If you could do that then you could. . .live forever!"

James nodded, "Yes. The only truoble is it takes a while for the body to regenerate. I also found out that Arshes had my child a few months after I left."

Zed took a sip of his tea, and responded, "Word around the campfire says she's with the Lords of Chaos."

Raising an eyebrow James replied, "How do you know? You never leave this mountain."

Zed simply said, "The animals told me. Remember, I did study among the Druids for several years." T

he two carried on their conversations for another hour or so before James realized he had to be going, "I'm sorry old friend but it's time for me to be going now. I have a kingdom to save."

Zed waved his hand dismissively, "Yeah, yeah. Go on, do your thing. Shoo!" James bid his friend one final farewell before leaving.

The descent down the mountain was much easier and took less time than it took to go up and by the end of the day James was well on his way back to Meta-Rikana. The trip took a little longer than had been expected but he had hampered the enemy's progress by depriving them of two of their generals. James continued along the trail and could make out the Great Wood forest in the distance. He was so far away in looked like a thin green strip but he was well aware of the size and dangers of the forest. Those not familiar with its winding trails could end up lost for days. James yawned loudly and scratched himself since no one was around.

'I wonder how Sheila and the others are doing.'

It got a little corny I know but I don't care! Reviews!!