A/N: I am sorry if I have not updated for a very long time but I have been very busy going to parties and making a complete fool of myself, dressing up as a vampire for mass. But hey, when the dead call…

Disclaimer: I officially own Dudley now. He was once owned by Jack Scraper. Most of everything else here however, I don't.

Chapter 9: In The Vampire's mansion

The smoky skies above Sanguine City were nearly as dark as the skies of Nosgoth. Thanks to the pollution created by the mortal populace, Sanguine City was the ideal vampire habitat. The thick smog covering the city like an impenetrable blanket prevented the suns rays from touching the cracked glass windows of the innumerable buildings that littered Sanguine.

It didn't matter that the sun was just peeking over the horizon. The four vampires who stood before a large mansion would not be harmed by its fatal rays.

TJ, the child vampire, was excitedly bobbing up and down before Kain answering all his questions before he even had a chance to ask them.

"My God!" exclaimed Kain. "This entire place has been built in the likeness of…"

"…Vorador's Mansion, yeah I know. I just thought it was cool," TJ continued.

Kain looked up suspiciously at the stone golems. But instead of having birdlike wings like the Ancients, their wings were batlike. They were fashioned in such a realistic manner that he half expected them to come alive and drop down at any second.

"Do those things…" Kain asked, pointing up at the winged statues.

"… actually come alive and attack intruders? Hell no! They're for decoration purposes only," TJ interrupted once again.

"Could you please stop…"

"… interrupting you like this? Hmmm, I'll think about it,"

It was as though the child vampire could read all of Kain's thoughts, completing his sentences and all. He was positively emanating with exuberance. All of a sudden, he put to fingers in his mouth, inhaled and whistled. A shrill piercing sound filled the air. It made the other vampires cup their ears with their claws due to its extremely high pitch and intensity.

All eyes turned and looked at the fledgling vampire, who had a wide, childlike smile on his face, that sinister smile that looked so deceivingly innocent.

"Don't worry," assured TJ. "They're harmless and if they attack you it's not like you can't defend yourself" His assurance was mainly directed to Kain.

They all turned around to see two enormous black dogs, both of them rottweilers, viciously bounding up to the vampires. White foam dripped from their powerful jaws. Their eyes burned with the furious embers of the fire within. The blazing eyes only sought one target: Kain. They barked fiercely as they dashed over to him.

He stood stock still as the demonic hounds shot up to him. They flew by so fast that to a mortal they would have appeared a large black blurs with gleaming eyes. To a vampire, however, every detail could be observed before they even made contact with their target. In his weakened state, Kain could do nothing but hold out his right claw, ready to use his telekinesis. Kain's eyes narrowed as he prepared to send a telekinetic bolt at the dogs. Fortunately, Tiberius sensed what Kain was about to do and intervened. He put a claw upon Kain's shoulder signaling to him that he must not shoot. For now, he did as he was told. He did not want to anger the vampires he was with, knowing full well he would be no match against the combined strength of both Tiberius and Severina, at least not during his moment of weakness.

When the beasts finally reached him, he extended his claws and caught the first one quite easily. However, the second was close behind and knocked them both down on the cold hard ground. They lunged at him and pinned him to the ground. Kain narrowed his eyes as he tried to push them off his body. First, they went for face, then his neck, then all the rest of his body.

The dogs practically jumped on top of Kain and playfully licked the Vampire Lord. One of the dogs, the one that did not look the least bit fluffy and had a big white spot on his hindquarters, playfully nibbled at Kain's already ruined pants.

Severina put one claw on the dog's nearly nonexistent fur and proceeded to ruffle it in a rough manner. "Who's a good dog? Who's a good dog? Yes you are, Fluffy. Yes you are" Severina teased. When she tried to hug it, it desperately attempted to escape. When she released it, it looked as though it has nearly been choked to death and continued gnawing at Kain's pants.

"Spot! Stop that! Come here, boy!" Tiberius ordered. The dog willingly stopped chewing on Kain's ruined trousers and sat down by Tiberius' side. "Alright, that's enough now. Come on, we'd better go inside before the sun rises."

TJ also cooed playfully to his pet. "Hiya Spot. Did'ya miss me?" He stroked his incredibly fluffy and spotless hair. The dog panted and yawned in return. Compared to the rottweiler, TJ was so tiny he could have ridden on top of the dog as though it was a horse. He embraced him like a huge teddy bear and therefore received a few licks of joy.

TJ hopped up on Spot and steered him inside.

They all entered a large brown door which opened up to a long hallway. The walls were decked with various portraits of vampires. The first and largest portrait contained the images of Tiberius Cain, Severina and TJ. Tiberius Cain was displaying his perfect pearly white canines. Even though it was merely a portrait and not the real thing, it was sure to have made any female mortal fall into a swoon. The rest of the portraits were of Tiberius' other children of Sanguine City.

Kain continued walking along the hallway admiring the various portraits when Tiberius' claw came upon his shoulder and called his attention. Kain instinctively turned around and met Tiberius' gaze.

"I must warn you," said Tiberius "that this house…errr… this mansion can be very deceptive. It may seem like Vorador's manor from the outside. However, inside it is a labyrinth full of block puzzles, fake doors, dead ends, stairs that lead to nowhere, upside down rooms and numerous booby traps and much, much more. In short, it will make all those puzzles back at Nosgoth look like mere child's play. My mansion is the mother of all those enigmatic puzzles back in Nosgoth put together. So if you do not know the way and would not like waste time solving everything, I suggest you stick close to me."

Kain saw in Tiberius' eyes that he meant everything he said. After all, back at Nosgoth, he did create the greater majority of block puzzles that have stood unsolved over the centuries. He was one of the greatest architects Nosgoth had seen during the Vampire era. His sheer skill and ingenuity was a marvel to behold and was certainly no laughing matter. Anyone caught in one of his traps would only be able to get out if Tiberius himself willed it. Otherwise, they would probably spend the rest of eternity stuck there trying to figure it out and losing their sanity in the process. With all this in mind, Kain had no wish to wrack his brains trying to figure out his way around the mansion and so allowed Tiberius to lead him like one leading a nearly blind man.

After several twists and turns in the winding hallways, Kain realized that they were alone. The scent of dog had faded away. The soft footfalls of Severina could not be heard anywhere. And the irritating humming of TJ had disappeared completely. Kain vaguely remembered TJ saying something that the song was the "soundtrack of the Razielim clan" by someone named - what was it – "Ozar Midrashim?" However, Kain had been too uninterested in the boy's nonsensical ramblings that he had practically blocked him out from his mind, so much that he had not even noticed he was long gone. This had brought him to wonder why Tiberius had created such a nuisance of a vampire and why he had been turned at such a young age. He did not want to bother asking where he and Severina had gone. Other more important questions burned in his mind as of the moment. Now that he was alone with Tiberius, he took the opportunity of asking him.

"Tiberius, I have some questions for you," he began.

"Shoot," Tiberius replied.

"Regarding your son, whatever drove you to create him and at such a young age at that?"

"Ah… I knew you would ask that. Forgive him for being such a nuisance at times but he is just a child. You see, he has suffered so much in his human life that I believe no child should ever have to live through such a burden. His mother died when he was very young and his father was a drunkard and beat him up often, not to mention that TJ himself was afflicted with a cancer… leukemia. I could not simply watch him suffer. I decided to give him a second chance. When he died, I immediately turned him into a vampire. He could grow up if he wanted to but he chose to stay a child. And because of that, even after all that he had suffered, I see in him all the innocence I never truly had even as a human child. I was never like him and that is what I admire in him. He has still been able to retain his innocence after all he's endured. You must understand. I love him for who he is, for he is my son. Didn't you ever feel anything like that for Raziel? For the Razielim?"

"It had to be done. You know that." Kain responded defensively. 'Oh but there are still some things you do not know of' the Vampire Overlord mused to himself.' He continued, "But you don't know how much it pained me to cast him into the abyss. Raziel, my first born son, my most trusted son, subjected to nearly a millennium of torment. It grieved me beyond all boundaries of my soul. And the genocide of the Razielim nearly drove me to madness. But I had to hide it all. I had to remain strong in front of my other sons. I could not let them see through my weakness. It had to be done. Does every conversation with you have to return to this subject?"

"No. I just had to get that out of my chest." Tiberius took a deep breath. "What else do you have to ask?"

"How is it possible that the boy knows so much about me? About my history? My motives? My origins? My every action? My thoughts? Nearly everything to the very last detail about me since the day I died? Not only that, he also seems to know about my future and he hints that he knows secrets I am only yet to discover."

"That is a very important question. You must understand that this world is not what it would seem to be. Somehow – I don't know how – the humans of this world have managed to find out about Nosgoth and your destiny, as well as Raziel's. Your "Legacy" has somehow leaked into this world for some strange unnatural reason. When the humans found out about it, they turned it into nothing more than a mere game, or a series of games actually. I am amazed at the human ingenuity; the subtleness of it all. They've managed to openly show to the public, without any fear, the stories of your lives… errr… unlives; your histories and destinies. Yet they are able to make it pass off as nothing more than plain fiction. And how they were able to do this remains a complete mystery even to me – believe me, I've tried. But I don't see how your coming here has anything to do with that because I've never seen it in any of the games."

"This is an outrage!" Kain yelled.

"Now settle down Kain, it isn't as bad as you think. None of the humans think it's real. Only Severina and I know it. Why TJ didn't even believe it was true until he saw you with his own two eyes."

"I demand you show me these… these games at once."

"In good time, Kain, in all good time. Those people were gifted with The Oversight. It wasn't their fault. And that reminds me, I too have a few questions for you such as where is the Soul Reaver and what timeline are you from?"

"What do you mean 'what timeline I am from'?"

"I need to know where you are in the game. What part are you in? It could at the very least help me put two and two together and give me an idea, somehow, of what you're doing in this world. According to the games, you were never destined to come here. I'm guessing that, since you don't have the Soul Reaver, you must be somewhere in between striking it on Raziel's head, therefore destroying it, and saving Raziel from being absorbed into the blade, therefore getting it back. So where… err… when are you?"

"I was unable to smite Raziel with the Reaver, contrary to what was foretold by the streams of time."

"Then where is the Reaver now?"

"The Wolf! She transported me here without the Reaver. There is a possibility it may now be in her possession."

"Oh God! No! We are all doomed!" Tiberius stuttered as he immediately put both claws to cover his mouth in shock.

"What is the matter Tiberius? You sound as though you have been damned."

"If Val has taken possession of not only the Conduit but also the Reaver, she is on the verge of the annihilation of all vampires. She will be unstoppable. As far as I know, the Reaver is the only weapon that can truly kill her, rather than allowing her to resurrect in another body. You've faced her. You know what she is capable of."

"True, she is a threat and must be put down immediately."

"Generally, Val is merely a misguided soul. She has the mentality of a child. Her siblings have poisoned her mind in thinking I am truly evil. They were the bait for a trap and I fell for it. There is no way to reason with her now. But in this fortress I have built, she cannot touch me. Alone, she is of no actual threat. It is those who seek to use her that I am afraid of. It is because of them that she will incite the war that will end all wars and she will destroy herself doing it."

"If she destroys herself, then why do you worry so much?"

"It will not be before she destroys us all. No doubt Gamin will also try to take vengeance on the humans who imprisoned him. Chaos beyond all chaos. This world will be Pandemonium and all that is good and beautiful on this earth will be lost! Kain, you must help me."

"How so?"

"Kain, I do not wish to play games with you, though I can't say the same for the humans but that is beside the point. The point is this world stands at the brink of a new era. Now, will you help me?"

"If you can find a way to get me back to Nosgoth, then, fine, I will."

"Alright then. I think that can be arranged. But for now do you have any other questions?"

"Many. For instance, why have transformed your body into a canvas and defiled yourself so?" Kain inquired regarding Tiberius' "Gothic" appearance.

"One word: boredom. I just wanted to experiment. Is there anything else?"

"Tell me, how in the hell do you actually expect me to walk among the humans as one of them? Other than the constant temptation to drink their blood, are the humans of this world really foolish to think I could pass for one of them? In case you haven't noticed, I haven't the least shred of humanity left in my appearance."

"Ah so you have lost the beguile spell over time, or you've forgotten. Don't worry. I will handle that in due time but for now, here we are"

The two vampires had entered a fairly large room that looked pretty much like a normal kitchen except with three refrigerators, each of which was shaped like a coffin. Tiberius neared one of them and opened it. With the exception of the vegetable compartment, it was nearly full to the brim of red and black cans of TC's Bloody Booze, each one with a picture of Tiberius Cain smiling while holding a can of TC's Bloody Booze. Just like the portrait in the hallway, the picture on the can would have also made any mortal woman drool and stare at the can for hours on end. Above the image, in bloody bold font, was written "TC's Bloody Booze". Beneath it was the caption "It's to die for".

Tiberius took two cans out and turned to Kain saying, "Do you want your blood warm or cold?"

"Warm," he replied coldly.

Tiberius placed both cans on the table apart from each other. He pointed his right index claw finger on one of the cans. Then with amazing accuracy and precision he zapped the can on the right with a quick lightning bolt. The can was still crackling with blue energy as he picked it up and handed it over to Kain.

"(1)Ergo Bibamus" Tiberius said.

Kain looked down at the can and saw two bite sized dotted marks on the top with a sign saying: BITE HERE.

Kain opened his mouth and punctured the marks with his razor sharp fangs. With his bloodthirst taking over, he greedily gulped down the contents of TC's Bloody Booze. Even though it had come from the refrigerator only moments ago, it was warm enough to have been fresh straight out of a human's still beating heart. The taste of the blood on his parched tongue satiated his bloodlust temporarily for within seconds of finishing his first can, he asked for more. Tiberius took another can out of the fridge and heated it before Kain covetously snatched it and drank anew. Kain's wounds healed rapidly. The blood he lost during his recent fights was now being replenished. Meanwhile, Tiberius waited patiently drinking in silence for Kain to finish satisfying his bloodthirst.

After six full cans of TC's Bloody Booze, each one of a different flavor, Kain let out a loud sigh and said "This is the most divinely luscious blood I have ever tasted. Never in all my years in Nosgoth have I come upon blood as delectable as this." He laughed.

"Well, I guess you've never had flavored blood in Nosgoth. The blood you just drank came in different flavors, namely Lemon, Orange, Pineapple, Grape, Apple and Mango. And you haven't even tasted the Tropical Variation." Tiberius replied smugly.

"No, enough for now, I am satisfied,"

Tiberius stood up and went over to a stone brick wall on the opposite side of the kitchen. He carefully took out one of the stone bricks and flipped a hidden switch. Immediately, the wall slid to the side revealing a fairly sized freezing vault. Tiberius opened it with ease and took out three small bottles and set them on the table. Kain took note of the label which read "TC's Bloody Youth Potion".

"This is how you are going to appear human. Three bottles of this would reduce me to a mere infant but you are well over twice my age and I suppose it will simply make you look human enough to walk about. You will keep your claws and cloven feet and your fangs but the humans will not mind. Otherwise, they would have at least noticed my wings by now and noted that I am something unnatural. And another important thing, by drinking this, you will have no need to drink human blood for around nine years or so. You can still drink blood but unless you are injured you will not need to do so."

All the while Tiberius was saying this, he had uncapped all three bottles and mixed their contents into one wine glass. He urged Kain to drink it and drink it he did. Before long Kain felt a dizzying sense taking over his senses.

"It is taking effect. You must rest now, Kain. We will continue with our conversation when you awaken. Perhaps, we may even enlighten you concerning your "Legacy". But for now you must sleep."

Tiberius led Kain to a spare guest room (for vampires that is) where he could sleep in a coffin roughly his size.

"Your new clothes will be prepared for you tonight, Kain. But for now I have more important matters to attend to. There is only one person in all of Sanguine who always knows what's going on and I intend to have a little chat with him."

As soon as Kain was safely inside his temporary coffin, Tiberius went out of the room and into the hallway. He flipped out his brand new Nokia N20 cellphone and search for a particular number.

Dude of Doom.

As soon as he found it, he called the number and waited for that annoying psychic soothsayer voice at the other end of the line. Only then did Tiberius switch back to his not-so-Nosgothic personality:

"Yo, Dudley! Waz'up? It's TC. We gotta talk. I've got a major situation here."

A/N: For all of those who do now know Dudley, Dude of Doom, read Soul Reaver: Apocalypse by Jack Scraper.

(1)Ergo Bibamus – therefore, let us drink