Disclaimer: I only own Val, Angelo, Tiberius Cain and TJ. Everything else is not mine. Oh yeah and I own Widdle Waziel too.
Shortie: Widdle Waziel is riding on Kain.
WW: Weee! Good horsie!
Kain: I am not a horsie!
Raziel: Oooh, a horsie! (jumps on Kain) Weee! A horsie!
WW: See, I told you so.
(The entire cast comes in and jumps on Kain)
Everyone: Good horsie!
Kain: underneath dog pile Why me?
Chapter 7: Kain and Cain
Kain convulsed as he felt the overwhelming pain constrict him. Having traveled through time before, the experience of passing through alternate dimensions was not new to him. He felt the whole world collapsing around him, crippling him, crushing him. And just when he thought he would simply vanish into oblivion, everything returned to their normal state. He was crouched on the ground, writhing in intense agony. He had to find someway to recover quickly. He needed blood.
Feebly, Kain looked up at the dark sky. He saw that he was in some sort of forest. He clearly wasn't in Nosgoth anymore, for Nosgoth no longer had any forests.
His senses told him he was not alone. He turned around and his golden eyes caught sight of three hooded beings staring down at him.
"Oh no! Not again," wailed Yrouna. "This isn't Val"
"That may be true," replied Jack. "But I'm guessing we're on the right track. Val must have been nearby when he was taken in by the Conduit."
"What makes you say that?" Kim asked, puzzled.
"Just look at him. He's all bloody… and in pain… and he's a Vampire. It's only logical to assume Val was nearby."
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Raziel giddily looked up from his invisible fetters. He was vaguely aware of his surroundings and noticed that the three hooded figures were now crowded around a fourth figure. He shook his head and tried to clear his mind. The unseen shackles were somehow hampering his senses. His vision wasn't normally this hazy. In fact it was normally as keen as an eagle's or even sharper than an owl's in the darkness.
Raziel saw that his cowl was spread upon a large rock a few meters away from him. He tried to stand up and reach for it but found that he could not move his arms and legs. As awareness, returned, he realized he was "tied" to a tree with various magical runes and symbols engraved in them. They glowed with a fluorescent greenish tinge. As Raziel stared at these symbols for a few moments, his eyes adjusted to the lighting.
With much effort, his sight was no longer indistinct and he could now clearly see the being surrounded by the three hooded figures. It was Kain.
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Kain growled at the hooded ones and attacked. He lunged at Jack and tried to bite her neck. However, Jack was ready as ever. She held his shoulders trying to keep him at bay and forced a temporary freezing spell on him. Kain's wide open mouth, his fangs bared, froze three inches from her neck. Jack quickly let go of Kain and backed away. She knew the freezing spell wouldn't last very long and so stood behind the able defenses of Kim and Yrouna, readying her next spell.
Kain turned from Jack to Yrouna. He was about to attack when he suddenly felt being lifted into the air by some unseen force. He glanced at Yrouna who stood bewildered but still in a defending stance. He then turned his gaze at Kim, whose eyes were glowing brightly. She had one hand outstretched in Kain's direction.
Kain tried to use his telekinesis to negate hers but he was too weak. He was desperate for blood so he merely dissolved into a flock of bats, breaking Kim's concentration. He decided to find an easier prey to feed himself with. He could feel Kim vainly trying to drag him back but he ignored it. Her grip weakened as he flew higher and higher and finally it was gone.
Kain flew up as swiftly and as far away from the forest as he possibly could. However, his thirst for blood forced him to descend. He needed to regain his strength so he searched for a quick snack to fill him up.
A swarm of bats flew over a large strangely colored edifice. It certainly attracted Kain's attention. He would have been blind not to notice the bright neon sign saying "The Underworld." The noise that emanated from the building was loud enough to wake the dead. It was so deafening, the entire flock of bats almost crashed into each other. The sound was interfering with Kain's supersensitive hearing.
Weakened by his injuries, his thirst for blood and the earsplitting racket, Kain was forced to land. Perhaps some wandering human would be unfortunate enough to chance upon him and be his next meal. He alighted on the cold hard filthy pavement. Actually, he dropped out of the sky and crash landed on the cold hard filthy pavement. Kain returned to his normal form. At least now his hearing was not as ultra-sensitive as it was in bat form.
Almost instantly, he spied a slutty woman with legs as fat as tree trunks and a face that could curdle milk. Kain cringed at the thought of consuming such distasteful blood from such a repulsive wench, but he was so thirsty. This woman's foul blood would have to suffice. Besides, a prostitute would make such easy prey.
With slight hesitation, he sprung upon the unsuspecting wench. Kain slit her throat before she could utter a scream. He then severed her flesh and drank her life blood. The taste was purely intoxicating. He could tell she had recently drunk a lot of alcohol. This had a drugging effect on his parched tongue making him feel lightheaded.
Kain cursed at his own folly. A great vampire Lord such as himself should not have lowered himself to drinking the blood of a whore.
Suddenly a clawed hand like icicles clamped upon his broad shoulder and whirled him around. He was now face to face with an irate deity. Her smirk tarnished her beautiful face. Her emerald green eyes flashed as her hair red as flame danced with the chilling wind. Her grip upon his shoulder tightened. Kain's senses told him that she was no mere mortal. The woman spoke…
"Alright, fledgling, what the hell do you think you're doing, feeding on a human like that? It's disgraceful. We all have to control our thirst, you know and yet you seem so desperate to feed, you just had to pick her of all people."
Kain looked at her dumbly. For over a thousand years, he had never been so insulted like this. No one had ever dared call him a fledgling.
"And don't forget… it isn't allowed. Malthus and his pet Wolf could patrol this area anytime. If he finds this…" She pointed to the corpse of the poor bitch. "You could be in so much trouble and you'd be putting the other vampires in jeopardy as well."
He tried to speak but no words came out. Didn't this woman know who he is?
"Well, fledgling, speak!"
Finally, at these words, Kain found his voice.
"S-Severina? Can it be possible? You and Tiberius disappeared from Nosgoth centuries ago."
"Kain? As in Kain of Nosgoth, Vampire Overlord Kain? Dude! It's been a long time since I last saw you. What happened to you? You look so… chewed up" Severina said, suddenly speaking in a high cheery hyperactive voice.
She suddenly slapped Kain hard on the back. It was meant to be a friendly slap but having the strength of 40 vampires or 400 mortal men made it a rather painful slap
"I would prefer not to talk about it right now."
Just then a winged figure stumbled outside the entrance of the nightclub. He looked like a teenager, around 19, with black spiky hair held up by much hair gel. He wore a dark gothic outfit with a lot of chains. Strung upon his neck was a pendant that looked like a conventional hexagonal coffin, complete with a fearsome bat's head and wings engraved on it. His overall appearance was that of a young vampire, though it was only a trick of drinking much blood. He even had the claws to match. Judging by the wings upon his back, the vampire looked similar to the way Raziel looked just before he was cast into the abyss, only much younger. Kain thought at first that he was Raziel but a second glance told him otherwise.
Kain and Severina turned around to see the vampire clutch his head in pain and mumble incoherently to himself. He looked like he was about to fall but Severina quickly grabbed him and he collapsed in her arms.
"Candy? Candy! Wake up! Guess who dropped by!" she cooed, "gently" shaking him in her arms.
The vampire's eyes snapped open. Severina helped him to get up. But he still had the palm of his claw massaging his temple as though he had some sort of headache.
"I hear Raziel's voice calling out to me. It's as if, he is somewhere nearby. I have this sudden feeling that the very boundaries of dimension have been meddled with. Gamin's magic is at work. I can sense it. Either that or I've had one too many cans of Booze," the vampire mumbled in his stupor.
"Don't be silly, Candy. Gamin hasn't been around for over a millennium. The only way Gamin could be summoned is with the Conduit crystal, which is in the safely guarded hands of the Shifter's Cult…"
"…which mysteriously vanished without a trace some years ago." Tiberius continued. He looked up at Severina and stared straight into her eyes. "Sevvie, what if someone has gotten the Conduit crystal and summoned Gamin? You'd be in serious trouble and so would I. I don't want to lose you or any of our children."
"And who would be stupid enough to do that?" asked Severina.
"Someone who doesn't know Gamin, someone like…" his eyes widened in shock and revelation "like… VAL!"
"And what does that have anything to do with Raziel?"
"Ummm… frankly, I don't know… yet. It's just this feeling, you know. Anyway what were you saying again?"
"Wait, what was I gonna say again?" she scratched her head in frustration. "I know there's something I'm forgetting but I just can't remember what."
"Ahem!" said Kain in a forceful tone, drawing the attention of the two vampires to him.
"Oh yeah! Now, I remember. Kain's here." Severina eagerly pointed at the white haired vampire standing on the sidewalk.
Tiberius Cain blinked a couple of times and stared at Kain. "Well, now I guess it wasn't The Booze. If Kain is here then it isn't impossible that Raziel would be nearby,"
"Tiberius Cain? Minime senuisti! (1)" Kain gasped in surprise."
"Well, neither have you," Tiberius replied, suddenly forgetting about the nagging feeling at the back of his mind. "If this isn't a pleasant surprise, Kain, how nice of you to visit.
You're finally in my world for once. But if try to do any conquering, you've got another thing coming. I have a few tricks up my sleeve too, you know."
"And what, pray tell, is that?" Kain asked.
"I have access to something far worse than any demon, monster, Sarafan, Hylden or any other creature you've ever battled with. I have a whole army of them waiting within the address book of my e-mail account and I could summon them upon the touch of button."
"What could you possibly have that I should fear? You are just a fledgling compared to me."
Severina blushed at the reminder of the insult she hurled upon Kain awhile ago.
Tiberius leaned close to Kain and whispered into his ear "Never underestimate the wrath of an incited mob of crazed fan girls. Few things on this earth are deadlier than that."
Severina walked over to Cain and said "Candy, maybe I should go fetch TJ now. He certainly would like to see this."
"Sure thing, Honey"
As Severina left the two vampires in a hurry, Kain and Cain continued to converse.
"Perhaps, I should treat you with the same hospitality you showed me and Severina back at Nosgoth, Kain" sneered Tiberius.
With the strength of 35 vampires, Tiberius Cain hauled Kain into the dark alley behind the nightclub. And with that he began to beat him up relentlessly. A swift kick sent Kain tumbling into the wall, followed by a left hook and a right uppercut. Kain was too weak to defend himself. Not even the blood of that bitch he drank earlier healed him of his injuries fully. In fact, the alcohol content in her blood was what impeded Kain's usually astute fighting abilities. Tiberius slashed at his face and pulled at his silvery white hair. Vampiric blood stained the walls of the alley. Kain feebly attempted to retaliate but found that he could not even deal a single blow.
"Give it up Kain," Tiberius mocked. "I know all your moves, so don't even try."
"Why are you doing this?" Kain panted, trying to catch his breath.
"Why, you ask? I'll tell you why; because I have good reason to, I have every right to do so and it isn't everyday I find you this vulnerable. In fact, it isn't everyday I find you at all. You ruined Raziel's gift! I know what you did. Don't think of me as a fool. I know much of your treachery. You impaled me on the Soul Reaver! You massacred the entire Razielim clan! And to top it all off, you cast my wife into the abyss! You betrayed us all! For all of that, I cannot forgive you." He sighed. "But I fully understand why you had to do it." His voice suddenly changed from furiously outraged to exhausted yet concerned.
Cain held out his claw and helped Kain get up on his own two feet. Kain leaned upon the other vampire for support. "Well Kain, how does it feel to be the weakling for once?" Cain asked.
"Hmph! I'll live. I didn't go through hell and back only to be at the mercy of the likes of you. But I was wrong. You have changed after all."
"I'm not the same fledgling you met 8 centuries ago. You'll probably need a drink and some new clothes, I believe"
"I don't want to talk about it"
"You don't have to; it has the Shadow Wolf's name written all over it."
The pair stumbled out of the dark alley and saw two figures walking in the distance. It was Severina accompanied by a small child, around the age of 9. At the sight of Kain, the child ran pell-mell straight to him, carrying a kiddy orange backpack. Kain sensed that the boy was a vampire but to be turned at such a young age was inconceivable. The child had an ecstatic grin plastered upon his face as he put down his backpack on the ground.
"Wow! I can't believe it! It's really you! Kain! The Scion of Balance! And all this time I thought my dad was only joking when he said he went to Nosgoth. And I thought you were just a video game character."
"Tiberius, what in the hell is this boy talking about?"
Cain mumbled to himself "Poor Kain, not even aware of his own Legacy" He turned to the two vampires and sighed "Kain, I want you to meet my son, TJ. TJ, this is Kain, now say hello."
"Hello Kain, can I have your autograph?" TJ chirped with glee as he dug around his backpack.
TJ's backpack was practically adorned with pins and buttons of various images of Kain, Raziel and Tiberius Cain. He took out a Raziel notebook and a G-tech pen and shoved them into Kain's claws.
"Just write your name on the very first page and don't scratch the pen please" said TJ in a plucky yet demanding voice.
Kain did as he was told but mentally questioned himself why he was taking orders from a little boy. He wrote his name and handed the notebook back to TJ who eagerly awaited him and was now holding a small strange-looking device in his hands. He put it up to his face and flashed it at Kain. The intense light temporarily blinded him. But as soon as he could see again, he noticed that a small picture of himself had come out of the device. Instantly, TJ took the picture and started blowing on it.
"This is called a camera, Kain. You take pictures with it. The awesome thing with this camera however, is that it can take pictures of vampires as well as humans. My dad invented it. Appareo decet nihil munditia? (2) My dad taught me Latin, you know"
"Interesting," Kain answered in an uninterested tone.
"Alright TJ, that's enough now." Cain interrupted. "Sevvie, we'd better get Joaquin to close the nightclub. It's already 3:30 AM." Cain looked at his watch to confirm the time. "It's been one heck of a night but now we have to get home before the sun rises.
After closing down the nightclub, the four vampires strode off into the direction of a large mansion. On the way there Kain and Cain still talked together, catching up on old times.
"And don't expect me to talk all Nosgothic with you from now on, only when I'm in the mood. And Kain, now that you're here you'll need a new attitude, a new look, a makeover. I can teach you how to walk the walk and talk the talk and blend in with the humans. "
"Very well, but I have just one question for you, Tiberius"
"Shoot"
"What is a dude?"
A/N: Hope you don't mind I put in a little Latin stuff into the chapter. Many of the characters in this story actually speak Latin.
Translations:
Minime senuisti! (1)
You haven't aged a bit!
Appareo decet nihil munditia? (2)
Isn't it cool?
