Post-Defiance Fan Fiction: Mirrors of Balance
By: Dragonaia
Disclaimer: The Legacy of Kain games belong to Eidos, not to me, much though I may wish it. The OOC involved in this fiction belong to me however: Rastha, Kainen/Katherine, the Voice, and the few secondary others. My retribution will be swift and horrifying.
Author's Comments: I'm very, very sorry about the delay, guys. I've had this written for a while (the next chapter's almost done too), but I've been so distracted with my job search I kept forgetting to post it. Also, by no fault of my own, the twins won't appear until the next chapter. I just couldn't fit them in. Don't kill me. I've also been seriously considering continuing Rastha's involvement all the way into Kain's Nosgoth. I'd like your opinions on that, if you will. Thanks goes out to Fantastic Flying Ferret, Ryoken, and LunaticPandora1 for their wonderful reviews.
Chapter 5: The Saraphan
"Cyrix," she commanded her sibling without preamble. "Don't go back to your clan house tonight. Stick around here or sleep at a friend's. I don't care which. Something nasty is going down and I don't want you caught in the middle of it."
"What are you talking about, lieutenant?" The male vampire glared back at her. "What right have you to tell me this?"
"Oh, for the love of-" Rastha sputtered, almost seething. "My name is 'Rastha', not whatever inane title you choose to use! It's been over a half a millennium. Get it right, damn it! And as for what right I have; I am your elder, you will obey me. It is for your own safety that I tell you this. I want you clear of trouble."
"What sort of trouble?" Cyrix's gaze switched from her to the Elder standing nearby, watching the proceedings serenely.
"The kind that involves hunters and our brother, what else?" Rastha's anger was pierced by worry. "You will stay here, Cyrix. I'm going to warn him myself. Do we have an understanding between us?"
It appeared that her brother wished to protest, but he swallowed whatever objection was clawing at his throat. "Yes, sister." He bowed his head in acquiescence to her wishes.
"Very good," Rastha turned towards the swinging doors where Kain assumed the blood was stored. "I'm going to cut through the back of the building. I'll call you when things settle down enough for you to go home." She looked back at Kain. "Are you coming or what, sir? I've neither the time nor the inclination to baby-sit you all night."
Bristling under the insult, Kain followed the vampiress through the doors never the less. They emerged on the other side into another broad, white sterile room. Large brass tanks lined the walls, radiating a dull heat, a facet affixed to base of each. The stench of blood in here was strong enough to even gag a vampire as experienced as Kain, though there was not a trace of it on any of the clean, gleaming surfaces. There were several humans in the room as well. Two men were washing dishes in the corner farthest from the door, one of which was using a jet of water on the end of a hose to rinse the soap from a platter. Another man was standing on a short ladder, cutting open clear satchels of blood and pouring the contents into the open lid of one of the brass tanks. A woman handed the strange satchels up to him, chattering with him idly as she picked them up from a square white box resting on a nearby counter. Of all the things he had expected, he had not anticipated this bland, almost mediocre scene. Vorador's 'larder' had looked nothing like this.
"Hey!" the man with the hose exclaimed, the first to notice them enter. "You're not authorized to come back here. Employees only." Something in Kain's expression had put him on the defensive, no matter how used to the presence of vampires the man was, and he raised the nozzle, pointing it at the floor between them.
The one loading the blood into the tank looked up and gave them the briefest glance before barking back at the man, "Oh, go stuff it, Tom. Go back to washing dishes like a good boy. Can't you see its just Rastha?" He shook his head helplessly. "God, talk about high-strung!" The man with the hose reluctantly turned back to his work, though he kept a suspicious eye on the two intruding vampires.
"Thanks for the compliment, Eric. Nice to know I'm appreciated," Rastha chuckled, "I'm just going to use the freight-elevator to get to the roof, okay?"
A server came into the room them, giving Kain an anxious look before rooting his eyes to the floor. Whatever the fledgling was about to say died on his lips. This one knew danger when he saw it.
"For the seventh time in the past five minutes," the man filling the tank glared at him in exasperation, "I told you to tell Elder Sing that the AB positive won't be ready for another half hour. If she's that hungry, get her to order something else while she waits. What is wrong with people tonight!"
The server bowed his head to Kain and backed out of the room without saying a word.
"Hello?" Rastha pushed. "Eric? You listening to me?" She was still staring at the human expectantly.
"What?" he snapped.
"Eric," Rastha seemed amused rather than frustrated. "We need the keys to use the elevator." Kain wanted to shout at the younger vampire. How could she be so calm when this human was so blatantly ignoring her?
The human finally stopped wrestling with the clear material of a stubborn blood package and took a good look at the two vampires. His face blanched a little and he scurried off the ladder, handing the package to the woman. "Sorry about that," he said with an apologetic bow of his head, his gaze fixed on Kain. "I was just a little preoccupied. It's been a very busy night tonight. Four of the tanks went dry, and your kind can be very pushy when they're hungry. Won't happen again, sir."
Kain didn't deign to answer the human. Now that his hunger was satiated, he'd regained control of his temper, and the look Rastha was sneaking him from the corner of her eye told him in no uncertain terms that she would not tolerate violence towards the man, whether he'd been rude or not. Kain could have easily dealt with her, but he was not a fool. There were several powerful elders only a doorway away, and they might not appreciate conflict on their grounds. If was safest not to say anything to the human at all.
"This way to the elevator," the human beckoned them forward, scrambling around a corner into a small alcove. A large pair of metal double doors was set in the wall. The human plunged a key into a nearby panel, and the doors slid open with a whir of mechanics. The human beckoned them into the confined space, using his key to activate another panel, this one located on the inside. He pressed the topmost button.
"The roof, right?" the human asked Rastha timidly as Kain stalked past him into the elevator, still glowering his fury at the impudent human.
"Thank you Eric," Rastha answered, giving the human a reassuring smile. "I can take it from here. You get back to work before Elder Marco bites your head off."
Eric didn't need to be told twice, though Kain suspected it wasn't the Elder Marco he was afraid of. The human darted back into the vampire kitchens as quickly as he could, allowing Rastha to close the doors after him. Having used a lift before while in Meridian, Kain was not surprised by the suction caused from being towed up several levels in a building. An awkward silence yawned between the two vampires before Rastha finally broke it.
"Why haven't you asked me why I invited you to come with me?"
"You like to talk," Kain answered, trying his best to control his temper. The longer he was around the female, the more aggravated he felt. "I assumed you would tell me eventually."
Rastha laughed. "I do at that… Well, would you like to know?" She chuckled again upon seeing his cross expression. "All right, all right. I get the point. I'll quit teasing. Fact is, I noticed how interested you were when I mentioned the Scion Bloodline. I figured they might have something to do with the 'unwieldy affair' you were talking about. I just couldn't say that in front of the others. They might have taken it the wrong way, you see. Anyway, if you want to see the Scions, I'll take you; they don't exactly qualify as true civilians. But believe me, I hope you're not getting in over your head. Things could get very messy, very quickly."
"I thought you said you didn't know where they were located?" Kain asked, his tone much harsher than he'd meant it. Apparently this young female was a great deal more observant than he'd originally anticipated.
"I told you," Rastha frowned at his attitude, but continued on conversationally. "I don't know where their headquarters is, but I do know where they are going to be tonight. We've got about half an hour to get all the way across town. A little longer if you don't mind missing the action."
"Why?" Kain pressed, "And what does this have to do with your brother?" That was one of the few details he'd picked up on during her conversation with Elder Toroth and Cyrix.
"Dude," Rastha stared at him like the answer was obvious. "Termination order."
Kain's eyes narrowed and then widened in understanding. "Your brother is about to be hunted." His voice betrayed no signs of approval or disapproval.
"That would be it," Rastha nodded her head, a forlorn little smile playing on her black lips. Rastha seemed to consider something, before piping up in that strangely encouraging voice of hers, "You think I'm weak, don't you?" For some reason it felt impossible not to answer her.
Kain hesitated a moment before replying with a simple, "Yes." The lift ground to halt.
"You're wrong," Rastha declared calmly, stepping in front of the doors as they opened, and into the cool night air.
"And how is it that I am wrong?" Kain followed her onto the bleak rooftop, the same rough gravel as the first one he'd landed on grinding beneath his cloven feet.
"Well," Rastha said, walking to the edge of the roof to get her bearings. "I'll be the first to admit that I'm not anywhere near you, milord, in terms of strength, power and age, that's for certain. But that doesn't mean I'm weak. We may both be vampires, but we're really two different species. You're a warrior; I'm a diplomat. You deal with problems by smashing things, whereas I don't often run into problems in the first place. You see?"
Kain stared at the vampiress' back. "Where are you going with this? Why do you bring it up?"
"I'm bringing it up," Rastha responded, turning to regard him with cold amber eyes, all trace of previous good humour gone, "Because I want to make something very clear between us. I'm helping you because that is my duty, because Elder Toroth asked me to, and because I hope to avoid any unnecessary bloodshed on your part. I don't know what is wrong with you sir, and it's not my place to judge. But there is a fine line between monster and vampire, and it can be crossed so easily. My brother is about to be hunted down because he crossed that line once too often. And no offence sir, but you smell like you were born on the other side of that line. Everyone in that room downstairs could tell. So they sent me to watch after you. Even you are not such a fool, Lord Kain, as to believe that we would let a free radical like you go wandering around without supervision. Now, if I am so weak, why would they have sent me, and not another Elder?"
Kain regarded her, unsure of what to say to something like that. To be truthful, several of the vampires in the blood bank had shown only the barest indication that they had noticed his presence, other than the mildest of curiosity, and he'd been too hungry to care. The fledgling in the kitchen had reacted negatively, but he had assumed that had been due to the difference in age and his fearsome appearance. Apparently, it hadn't been.
"The corruption," he could barely hear Raziel whisper in his ear. "They can feel the taint of our Nosgoth's corruption on you."
"I'm not trying to insult you sir," Rastha continued, unabated. She obviously hadn't heard the wraith's comment. "You just need to know that things work differently than what you're used to. I know you are angry with me for the way I treated Eric. He was distracted and tired, and he is only human after all. What would be the benefit of getting mad at him or smacking him around? It would only take him longer to do what I asked him to do. He spends most of his workday with vampires. He is well aware how much stronger our kind are. It would prove nothing to waste my valuable energy and time trying to intimidate him.
Because I act the way I act around humans, I get certain benefits. The lack of fear, for one thing, really lubricates financial and social transactions. I don't have to stand around for fifteen minutes, waiting for the cowering to stop. They know me, so they trust me. I have a reputation. And while it may not inspire fear in the hearts of my enemies, I don't exactly have many enemies either. When something bad happens, I'm the first one to know, and thus the first one to react. The humans come to me with their concerns, and the Elders trust me to take care of problems for them. In exchange for everything I do, I am given both responsibilities and privileges. I may not seem like much to someone like you, but here, in this day and age, it is the only thing that holds value, and I would not change it for the world."
"I dislike repeating myself, girl," Kain found himself growling. If he didn't need her guidance in this dimension to find the Scions he'd have struck her head from her shoulders by now. "Why are you telling me this?"
"There is a short, and a long answer to that question," Rastha said, somehow her voice had dropped a menacing note or two while still maintaining an almost friendly quality. "But you will no doubt ask for the short one, and that is all we really time for. The short answer is that while I don't trust you in any way, shape or form, you can trust me." Rastha paused and seemed to study Kain's startled reaction to her words for a moment before resuming, "You should also know that no one else is going to trust you either. You need me, plain and simple. There is going to be no backstabbing with that pretty little talking Reaver of yours, which you haven't explained to me yet, incidentally. Without me there, the hunters will take one look at you and go ballistic, if the more finely attuned ones don't try and pick you off before we get anywhere near the building first. I may be 'weak' according to your judgement, but you are going to need me to survive, and I need you to understand that. Do you?"
Kain let out a peal of cynical laughter. He couldn't help himself. "Are you trying to ensure that I do not attempt to betray you? Fledgling, I have trusted very few people during my prolonged existence, and it usually did not turn out very well for either side. What on Nosgoth makes you think that I will trust you?"
Rastha nodded her head absently, before saying, "I don't doubt that, milord, and I'm not expecting you to trust me. I'm just letting you know that you can." There was a gentle conviction to those words.
Kain stared at her in confusion. He was seized by a compulsion to believe her. The urge was so strong and so completely out of character that he finally realized that it was just one in a long string of silent influences that had been prodding at his mind while Rastha spoke. There was only the slightest tingling in the back of his head to indicate that anything was wrong. Kain pressed one of his clawed hands to his skull, trying to shake the compulsion off.
"Stop it," he snarled at her furiously.
"Huh?" Rastha blinked at him before a flush of embarrassment stole over her face, her pale cheeks tingeing the palest shade of pink. The pressure in his head immediately vanished. "Oh god! I'm sorry sir," she said contritely, "I didn't realize I was doing that! I just recently came out of an evolution and I've been wrestling with a couple of new Dark Gifts. Elder Toroth calls that one 'Persuasion'. Basically, it causes people to go along with whatever I'm saying; a kind of hypnosis; but it only works when I'm talking out loud. It's not as versatile as 'Charm', but it functions well on a lot of the Elders; I'm not sure why. Anyway, I'm very sorry sir. I'll try to make sure it doesn't happen again. Please don't be angry with me." She bowed before him, shoulders tense, as if expecting a blow to descend.
Kain felt a heavy weight ease from his chest. Good, she hadn't been inside his head after all. It had disturbed him that she might have been, especially since he hadn't detected it at first. But now that he was paying attention, he realized she was telling him the truth. The compulsion did alleviate every time she was silent. While his face remained impassive, inwardly he wanted to laugh again. Diplomat indeed, she would be a deadly politician if she ever mastered that ability.
"So they sent you along to 'persuade' me not to cause too much destruction," he commented aloud. "Very well, resist doing that to me again and I will resist the urge to kill you. Do we have an understanding?" He didn't trust the female for a moment anymore, but he did still need her help.
He watched Lieutenant Rastha's shoulders relax and she straightened up with a bright smile. "Yes, my Lord Kain. We understand each other."
"Then let us cease this idle chatter and proceed on to the real goal, before your brother is too dead to benefit from any warnings you may want to give him," Kain ordered her.
Rastha giggled, but he could see the concentration in her face when she responded. It seemed her 'Persuasion' gift was difficult to repress at times. "Yes indeed, my lord. But I never actually said I actually wanted to warn him, I said I had to. Far as I'm concerned, the bastard's had it coming for decades. Anyway, if you'd follow me, it shouldn't take us more than ten minutes if we travel via the rooftops." Rastha proceeded to run the length of the roof, travelling towards the north. As she reached the edge of the cement square, the muscles in her legs bunched and she launched herself in a great leap to the roof of a nearby building. Kain followed close on her heels.
Rastha said nothing as he pursued her through the city's winding maze of streets, rooftops and dazzling lights. She was actually very hard to keep up with, her legs completing jumps with an effortlessness that even Kain had trouble managing. He had the distinct impression that she was running deliberately slower than she was used to, so that he could keep up to her. Kain was not offended. She was being very careful not to draw attention to the disparity, and he readily acknowledged that every vampire evolved in his or her own unique way. She could keep her speed. It wasn't very often that he needed to run anywhere, and teleportation served him well enough for travelling.
Every once in a while she would pull ahead and stop, looking around at the vast cityscape below as she waited for him to catch up. Kain took his time, studying his surroundings deliberately as he tried to keep track of where they were going. If it weren't for the glaring sign that crested the blood bank, he would not have been able to tell where the building with the portal back to his Nosgoth was located. Streets wove into one another in a complicated pattern of grids, and streams of lights traveled up and down their lengths, with one road curving out into the forest and towards Vasserbunde at the head of the Lake of Tears. Kain wondered idly if Nupraptor's Retreat existed here in this dimension, but he suspected not. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he very nearly ran past Rastha, where she sat crouched on the peak of a tall, crumbling, church-like edifice.
A rectangle of some strange black material was clutched in her talons, and she was staring intently down at something on the street.
"I don't have time for this tonight," she muttered, before pressing a red button on the side of the device and speaking into it. "Dispatch, this is Lieutenant Rastha. Do you copy? Over."
"Copy that, Lieutenant. What is your situation? Over." The box radiated a scratching sound that offended Kain's ears, but the voice coming from it was distinctly human.
"I have a Code six-twelve, at Fifth and Ottmar. Repeat; there is an armed robbery in progress at the Royal Bank on the corner of Fifth and Ottmar. Request multiple officers present. Do you read me? Over." Rastha responded calmly.
There was a pause at the other end before the woman's voice answered. "Copy. We read you, Lieutenant. Swat teams are en route. Wait for their arrival on scene before proceeding. Officer Marks is in command. Over."
"Negative on that, Dispatch. I can't wait around. Tell Marks I'll draft a report tomorrow. Rastha out." Rastha pulled the device away from her mouth and flicked a switch on the bottom, silencing the buzzing noise. "Sorry about that, sir," Rastha replaced the contraption in a pocket on her leather harness. "Can't neglect my duties." She tapped the device, answering the question that Kain hadn't bothered to ask. "It's a non-magical communication device called a two-way radio. I just called in someone else to take care of the problem for me."
When Kain didn't respond she began to run across the rooftops, this time without pausing to look around. One last colossal leap and they were standing on top of a low office building, the mortal employees having left hours ago for their own homes. The forest was not far from this vantage point. Only a few edifices more and you would be wandering among the trees. Rastha jerked her head in the direction of their destination, a long, low manor house, surrounded by a high brick wall. The grounds were neatly maintained, though no lights were burning in the house. The strong scent of many vampires emanated from it. The only thing lying between them and the villa was a ring of humans and machines surrounding the entire perimeter, bright glowing lights on electric poles pointed in the manor's direction. Kain's eyes narrowed as he detected the gleam of polished metal and oiled leather. Most were dressed in cloth armour similar to what Rastha wore, though here and there he saw what looked suspiciously like full plate armour. Long banners trailed in the breeze, bearing among other crests, the symbol of the Saraphan Order, or in this case, Bloodline. These were the infamous Hunters. He glanced over at Rastha. She appeared unsurprised and unconcerned.
"This is going to be a little tricky sir," Rastha instructed him gently. "I need you to stay very close to me, and I respectfully ask you to please try not to say anything or do anything unless I instruct you otherwise. This will be difficult enough to accomplish without you adding to the mix." She didn't give him time to object, instead launching herself over the edge of the office building to land lightly on her hooves, only a few feet away from the nearest hunter. Kain emulated her reluctantly, though he couldn't manage her distance, and so dropped into the shadows of the building.
Rastha strode past the nearest hunter boldly, flashing the badge pinned to her chest when he moved to block her. The human backed off, releasing his weapons, his movements the mechanics of habit. Apparently, it wasn't the first time the vampiress had attempted something like this. She jumped onto the nose of one of the broad, rectangular machines, scanning the crowd. The humans ignored her actions, the tense grips on their weapons loosening as they continued to scrutinize the villa and its grounds. Kain watched the reactions of the hunters from the shadows several feet away. He'd chosen to hang back a ways, both to observe the Bloodline Hunters, and to watch Rastha interact with them. The possibility of a trap had surfaced near the forefront of his mind, and however improbable it was, he still did not want to walk blindly into it.
"Who's in command here?" Rastha shouted over the heads of the gathered hunters.
"Right over here, Lieutenant." A grizzled, silver-haired old man stepped forward from the crowd, pushing his younger constituents out of the way. He was clad in the traditional armour of a Saraphan Knight that Kain immediately recognized, and a longsword and shield were strapped across his back. "What do you want this time?"
Rastha's gaze centered onto him and she groaned aloud. "Not you again! You always give me such a hard time, Sentinel Malek. Why is that?" Kain's eyes widened at the name. This was the Guardian of Conflict? Of course, the last time he had seen the human, the man had been a raging, bodiless spirit possessing his own suit of armour, but still. It was shocking to see this particular human looking so… composed in the presence of a vampire.
"If you can't guess, vampire, I'm not going to tell you," the human grasped her ankle and tugged on the leather straps holding the bracers to her calves. "Now get off the hood of my truck before you scratch the paint any more than you already have."
"Oops," Rastha chuckled guiltily, "My bad. I forgot." She hopped off the metal to land on her cloven feet beside the head Bloodline Hunter.
"I assume this isn't a social call," Malek crossed his arms and regarded Rastha in a threatening manner.
"Not really," Rastha smirked at him, as if she was completely oblivious to the hostility emanating from him. "Though if you're offering, I'd be more than willing to drop by for dinner. Just kidding, just kidding. Come on old man; loosen up a little. It's not going to kill you, and I don't bite. Well, not often anyway, and certainly not your kind."
"Rastha," Malek reprimanded her, his stern reproach demanding compliance.
"Sorry," Rastha ran an anxious talon through her hair. "It's been a tough day. You know me. Anyway, there were just a few things I wanted to ask you about. First off, where are the Scions? It's not like them to be this late for a hunt."
"Don't worry your pretty little head over them, lieutenant," Malek advised her quietly. There was an ingrained suspicion in his words. "They are where they are supposed to be. You don't have the authorization to know anything else."
"Okay," Rastha said quietly, a little of her temper beginning to flare up. "There are only three ways into my brother's house; the front door, the roof, or the sewer access. That leaves one of two options; they're coming by helicopter, or they're coming through the sewer access. Hell, maybe they're going both ways. In either case, the only reason you lot are here is to stop any spill-off from the real fight and cut off retreat. Since I already know that much, you might as well tell me when the jaws of the trap are set to snap shut. How long until it's a go?"
Malek considered the vampiress for a few silent moments. "Very well," he conceded reluctantly as he pulled back his sleeve and checked a bracelet-like gadget on his wrist. "It's all set to go down at exactly one-seventeen sharp. That's all the Scions deigned to tell me, so I can't tell you much more than that I'm afraid."
"That gives me twenty minutes then," Rastha pondered the matter aloud, staring off in the direction of her brother's home.
"Fifteen minutes for what?" Malek demanded.
Before Rastha could formulate an answer, another hunter ran towards then, shouting at Malek, "Dad! Dad! I found out where Rahab and Raziel are!"
"And here we find yet another familiar face," the wraith Raziel sighed wistfully in Kain's ear.
A young, dark-haired hunter pushed through a pack of his brethren to stand before Malek, doubled in half and panting. He bore the symbol of the Saraphan Bloodline on the back of his soft armour, and he filled it out remarkably well for one so youthful, his broad shoulders reaching nearly as wide as his father's, despite his teenage years.
"Take a deep breath, Dumah," Malek instructed him, pounding the young human on the back as he coughed and struggled to catch his breath. "What is it?"
"Mom just called," Dumah panted. "Apparently the police contacted the house. They've been arrested." He glared accusingly at Rastha.
"Hey," she protested, raising her claws in front of her chest defensively. "Don't look at me. They were not in custody the last time I saw them. I haven't had time to arrest anybody tonight."
"We'll deal with it later, Dumah," Malek reassured the young man. "Calm down. It wouldn't be the first time Raziel's been detained overnight. I expect it won't be the last either. He'll take care of Rahab." He turned back to the vampire lieutenant. "Now, you haven't answered any of my questions. Why do want to see the Scions, and why did you want to know how long until the attack?"
"I know this is a rather unorthodox request," Rastha pleaded with the Sentinel Malek. "But I really need you to consider listening to me. I want to go inside and try and talk my brother into letting his fledglings go. If I can do that, would you try not to shoot them on the way out the door?" Kain could detect the stirrings that signalled the vampiress was using a Dark Gift. She must have been bringing her brand of 'Persuasion' to bear on the vampire hunter. "I know you're really not supposed to allow people on scene, believe me, but I'd like to keep the casualties to a minimum today, and you know he'll use them as meat shields given the slightest provocation. It's not like he doesn't know the Scions will be descending upon him already."
"No, Rastha," Malek denied her request and tried to turn away. But the compulsion she'd planted was working on him, and he couldn't leave it there. "It's not that I don't trust you to do what you say you'll do, but it's against procedure, and it's very unlikely that Korzen will even listen to you, the stubborn bastard. I'll just be giving him a valuable hostage to play cards with."
"I know its risky," Rastha tried to soothe the Sentinel's concerns. The compulsion increased. "But we really don't have a choice. If there's a chance I can save just a few of them, I'm going to take it. It's my duty, and it's something that not even you can deny me."
Malek's face seemed strained as he tried to make sense of what was happening to him. He pressed a hand to his head and let out a deep breath. "So that's why you took that three-month sabbatical," he grumbled, "You went through an evolution. It was short and it isn't showing physically, so I assume you must have gained a new Dark Gift then."
"How did you know?" Rastha asked in confusion, taking a defensive step backwards.
"I'm pretty sure you're using it on me right now," Malek complained, "You mind turning it off?"
"Oops," the vampiress scolded herself, "Not again! That's the second time tonight. I just haven't got the hang of the damn thing yet. Give me a minute." Her brow furrowed in concentration.
Malek's expression gradually eased, and he rubbed his temple. "That's much better, Rastha. Thank you. Look, in principle I agree with you. Really, I do. You just want to protect your kind. I can't fault you for that. But in truth, you and I both know that there's not a chance in hell you'll get Korzen to change his mind, so why bother? You'd be risking everything, and gaining nothing."
"Won't you at least let me try," Rastha insisted stubbornly. Kain had never seen a vampire beg a human for anything before. He was sure he never wanted to repeat the experience.
Malek stared at her helplessly before relenting. "Very well. But it's your own head you're risking. I'm not taking any responsibility for the results."
"And I don't expect you to," Rastha agreed. "Thank you, Sentinel Malek." She glanced around, suddenly realizing that the dangerous vampire she was supposed to be escorting wasn't present. "Lord Kain? Where did you go? It's safe to come out now. They're going to let us through. Kain!"
Kain took in the startled expressions of the human's present, and stepped into the halo of light, allowing the constant beams of illumination to distinguish his fearsome countenance. Several of the hunters blanched and took a step back. He found himself enjoying their reactions, a mixture of repressed anger and the barest undercurrent of natural fear.
"Who's he, Rastha?" Malek challenged the vampiress. "You didn't mention a guest." Both he and Dumah fingered their strange weapons, looking very worried as the vampire emperor stepped closer and closer.
"Malek," Rastha tried to reassure the hunter, though she didn't disguise her insulted pride. "In all your family's records, in all the legends you have heard, and in your personal living memory, have I ever done something that could be in any way interpreted as dangerous to the human species? No, I have not. Never. Not even once. After one entire millennia of almost flawless behaviour, I'd appreciate it if you hunters would quit riding me about every single little thing I do. Certainly I've earned your respect, if not your trust, by now. Haven't I?"
Malek sighed, and waved a weary hand at the tense crowd of hunters. The words that left his mouth astonished Kain. "All right boys. Let's all calm down and put the guns away. If Rastha says its okay, it must be. Go back to your jobs now. Move it." He rounded on Rastha and muttered, "Don't make me regret this."
"But Dad," Dumah protested, the only hunter who had not obeyed their leader's direct order. He'd levelled his barrel in the direction of Kain's chest. "Look at him. He doesn't match any description in the records. He's a god damned elder, and I bet he's not even registered. You're not about to let them march in and meet with Korzen, are you? Do you have some sort of death wish?"
"Dumah," Kain snarled at the young human before either Malek or Rastha could respond. Scolding his former son just came naturally to him. "You will point that weapon elsewhere, or I will not hesitate to impale your-" Kain got no further before the human sighted along the barrel and fired. Discretion was never Dumah's strong point.
The muzzle of the weapon flashed as the first projectile left it, followed by a stream of others. Something embedded itself in Kain's shoulder and he was forced back a step, more out of shock than anything else, staring at the wound. He looked up to see that Rastha had grasped the end of the weapon in one set of talons, holding the barrel downwards as the human emptied his clip into the surface of the road, while her other triad of claws was latched around his throat, forcing the human's head back without drawing blood. The weapon soon stopped firing and the noise died off, save a series of repeating clicks. An uneven crater smouldered beneath the nose of the weapon.
The moment was frozen, with the surrounding hunters staring at them in shock.
"Malek," Rastha threatened, her voice a soft whisper, "Tell your son to remove his finger from that trigger, or I will take great pleasure in crushing his larynx."
There were several more metallic clicks from the Saraphan as they trained their weapons on her.
"I told you lot to put those firearms away," Malek bellowed at them, before turning back to Dumah. The men complied reluctantly. "Come on, son. Ease up off the trigger. You're out of bullets anyway. You're just looking like an idiot."
Dumah's hand shook before the clicking ceased, and he dropped the weapon to the ground. Rastha gently released him, pulling her claws away. She had been careful not to scratch his skin, though three fresh purple bruises lined his neck. The young man stumbled backwards, catching his weight on the side of the strange rectangular vehicle to stay upright.
Kain dug his claws into his wounded shoulder, trying to feel the projectile he knew was still imbedded within. The small nub of metal came loose into his palm, not even the size of a fingertip.
"It's called a bullet," the vampiress informed him, peeking at the tiny pellet.
"I've seen them before," Kain replied darkly, flattening the steel in his palm before tossing the metal over his shoulder. The Saraphan had used them during their first campaign, though the technology was lost over the years. Of course, this modern design had so much more… presence.
"This is Lord Kain, hunter." Rastha introduced predator and prey, drawing herself up with regal dignity as if nothing had happened. "Lord Kain, this is Sentinel Malek, patriarch of the Saraphan Clan. I trust that you both shall never have occasion to meet again." She turned back to Malek. "Elder Toroth told me to watch after him for now. He'll be coming with me. Does this alleviate your fear for me somewhat, Master Hunter?"
Malek didn't respond to the jibe, instead evaluating Kain with an experienced, critical eye. Though the violence was not on the surface, Kain could still detect the man's inherently ferocious nature swimming beneath the layer of cool civility. "You wield a Reaver, do you?" the Sentinel asked without preamble.
"I have that privilege," Kain's response was neutral. He recalled Rastha's warnings about the illegality of his weapon when Malek allowed a disapproving frown to cross his features.
"Let's not be hypocritical," Rastha admonished the hunter with a playful smile, her clawed hand reaching out to tap on the cloth-wrapped hilt of his longsword. Malek pulled away on reflex, though he said nothing.
"Be off with you then," Malek turned his back to them. "I have an assault to oversee. My men will be waiting to see if any vampire who emerges is armed or not. Tell your relatives that if they are, they will be shot on sight. Now go, before I change my mind."
"Yes, sir!" Rastha gave the hunter a mocking salute and set out to cross the gap between the barricade and the villa.
Kain gave his former enemy and his former son one last, lingering stare before turning to follow her across the roadway.
(I am trying very hard not to make Rastha a Mary-sue. She only has two abilities that Kain does not: she's an Empath, and has super-speed and reflexes, like a cheetah. Everything else, Kain beats her in, hands down. Actually, Kain tries to kill her in the next chapter. Tee hee! )