Ascending to the very top spire of the immense cathedral was no small feat. A human would not have been able to accomplish it without grappling irons and an extensive set of scaffolding. But with the more than substantial feeding provided to him by Baphomet's powerfully rich and potent blood, Kain felt himself up to anything. Almost no exertion was beyond his strength. With a vigor he hadn't felt in some time, the Vampire swiftly scaled the ancient brick tower until he hauled himself up onto the pinnacle and stood staring off towards the distant horizon.
Kain had never tasted the blood of an Ancient Vampire before, not one of those free from the Dark gift by virtue of being protected by their Divus status at least. Mostly he had sustained himself for centuries on Human blood and on occasion had even sampled Hylden blood. Hylden blood had been more potent than Human blood but what he was experiencing from Baphomet's unwitting contribution was so much more intense. Perhaps due to the origin of his species, Ancient Vampire blood was naturally far more nourishing.
Whatever the reason, the feeding provided him with enough reserves of strength to seemingly sustain him for days. Or at least so it felt. This would be quite fortuitous as Kain knew he had a long way to go still. Escaping the underground depths of the buried Lost City had only been the start. He needed now to find his allies, wherever in Nosgoth they had scattered to. They needed to regroup. After that would come the difficult part.
He harbored no illusions whatsoever that his enemy had offered him this unlikely truce in good faith. Obviously there was some element of danger to the plans of the Divus that was still unknown to him, something they did not want to risk. Finding out what that was was imperative, but the question was how to go about doing that. Frowning now in grim consternation, many dark thoughts on his mind, Kain gazed out towards the horizon.
-0-
"The immense towering summit of the cathedral, designed to be high enough that when its song was unleashed, its potential range covered as much of Nosgoth as possible. It was entirely possible that potentially, the cathedral's deadly hymn might have purged Nosgoth of all Vampiric life. Now it merely served as a vantage point from which to view the state of the land. And it was not a pleasing sight."
-0-
Far to the west Kain could see the distant hulk of the Ark vessel, hovering as always above the swirling vortex of the Abyss. The immense ship was visible from this distance only due to its size, looking gargantuan even from so far away. Its presence was a constant reminder of just how bleak the situation was. If nothing was done, the Divus would board their ship when the time came and leave Nosgoth to die in the wake of the oncoming Equinox.
To the north, twinkling green on the horizon, was the rebuilt settlement of Avernus. Once it had been a human city and now it was a thriving Hylden colony, their place of sanctuary once the binding had been fully broken and their return to the physical world made permanent. The fact that he could still see it meant that it still stood strong, the Divus had either made no move to decimate it yet or the Hylden defenses had held.
To the north west were the spires of the Human citadel, the decimated fortress where Humanity had been betrayed by the Divus and led to a massacre that nearly annihilated their entire species. That had been where he had last gathered with his allies before the battle in the ruins of Raziel's clan territory. Once it had been a bastion for mankind to be protected against the menace of the Vampiric empire outside their walls. Now it was simply a colossal blood drenched tomb.
Then, as Kain watched, that tomb gave a visible shudder. Its spires swayed like trees caught in the wind, bending inward before finally toppling. The entire structure of the citadel caved in on itself, collapsing down and vanishing into the depths of a rising cloud of dust which coated everything. A few moments later the sound of the collapse reached Kain, a terrible echoing din of colliding rubble. The Vampire bared his fangs in a snarl. It seemed the Divus were not intending to leave any fortified position which might be used against them.
Beside him, watching the collapse of the distant fortress, the hovering spectral form of his enforced companion had thus far made no comment. The face of Moebius, made up by flickering wispy flames, was set in a tight lipped expression of grim consternation. It was an expression Kain had never seen on Moebius' face before, the look of someone viewing the inevitable outcome of a situation far beyond their power to change. Moebius' face was more suited to sneers of hatred or elated sadistic glee. This new expression did not sit well on him at all.
"Nosgoth's corpse." The spirit of the Time Guardian finally said breaking the silence between them, his voice filled with palpable dismay. "Distantly had I glimpsed this blighted age but to view it in person is haunting." He turned then to direct his gaze up at the Vampire.
"Do you feel proud, Kain?" He asked. "Proud that your decision at the Pillars so long ago led to this terrible outcome? A broken planet sucked dry of whatever life remained by an empire of parasites?"
Kain's nostrils flared in sudden rage, his eyes bulging.
"You dare make that argument to me, Moebius?!" The Vampire snapped back at him savagely. "Were it not for your machinations, my decision at the Pillars would not have been necessary! I had to save the Vampire race from extinction!" He pointed to him with an accusatory talon. "I was the last one because of you! You are just as responsible for this wasteland as I am!"
"Oh please!" Moebius cried dismissively, not at all cowed. "Do not speak as if concern for your race's dilemma was your driving motivation at that moment, Kain! You were concerned with one thing only, your own continued survival!"
The harsh, tense moment between them lingered before Kain finally straightened up and turned his gaze back to the horizon.
"Not quite." The Vampire said then, his voice a control, flat neutral tone. "I confess, all I could feel when Ariel presented me with that choice was an overwhelming, blinding rage. You had all misled me, used me and then expected me to cast away my existence. I was a pawn, a disposable tool. To be promised salvation and then discarded."
For a moment he was there again, a young fledgling Vampire standing before eight restored Pillars with only the Pillar of Balance remaining. The ghost of Ariel hovered there speaking to him, informing him of his true nature; that HE was her successor as Guardian of that Pillar. This was a destiny he had never even known throughout his entire mortal existence, denied it by Nupraptor's corruption of the Circle.
She was asking him now to commit suicide, to return his very soul to the Pillar, so that the purge might be complete. The shock of that revelation, the sense of loss of what could have been, radiated throughout his being and shook him to the core. He had been robbed of his life. He had been robbed of his potential. He had been robbed of his future. He had been robbed of his rightful destiny.
Firmly Kain brought himself back out of that memory and firmly set himself in the present. "It wasn't self preservation that made me make that decision, Moebius." The Emperor of Nosgoth concluded grimly. "It was pure, unadulterated spite."
After a short pause he turned his head and glared back down at his spiritual companion.
"But before you begin gloating from the top of your high horse, we both know that if I HAD sacrificed myself the Pillars would have toppled anyway." He quickly added with an accusatory, bitter tone. "As soon as the Vampire race was extinct they simply couldn't exist anymore, not without their architects. You knew this. There is no way you couldn't have known this. And despite knowing this, you helped bring about a circumstance where no matter what I chose the Pillars were doomed."
Moebius' flickering flame wreathed expression darkened considerably and he glanced away from Kain's gaze toward the eastern horizon. In the gloomy smog ridden twilight of the perpetual cloud-bank it was hard to tell precisely when the sun rose and set but there was a suggestion of dull illumination from that direction."
"Their loss was a necessary sacrifice." The former Time Guardian remarked in an almost petulant tone. "As soon as you were dead and the rebellious Hylden quelled, my master would have restored the balance Himself."
Kain stared at him, his expression was incredulous bafflement. The Vampire could not process what he had just heard. It made no sense. He blinked several times and then straightened, one hand going to his forehead in a smack.
"Oh, Moebius. You do disappoint me." He muttered, shaking his head, dragging his hand down over his face exasperatedly. "Were you truly THAT naive? The Time Streamer, the gamester and puppeteer of Nosgoth's diverse timelines, utterly ignorant of the very nature of the Pillars themselves!"
Moebius looked at him with confusion plain on his face.
"And just what are you alluding to here, Kain?" He asked, sounding defensive and even offended. Kain lowered his hand enough to give his enforced companion a harsh look from between his talons.
"Did you ever, once in your entire life, ever stop to consider just what the Pillar's actually did in order to preserve the life of Nosgoth? Or were you so blinded by devotion to your God that you simply never questioned it? Was there no curiosity in your soul whatsoever?"
Moebius' puzzled look continued unbroken, even growing into one of bafflement and blundering confusion. It was an expression that was even more unsuited to his features.
"I…" He began but faltered.
"Oh, it doesn't matter!" The Vampire snapped then, patience suddenly gone. He turned his back on Moebius, contempt making him draw his lips back and expose his fangs. "I'm not going to waste my time trying to reason with the likes of you! Remain squatting in your stagnant ignorance for all I care!"
-0-
"Attempting to use the Whisper to speak to any Vampire over a long distance would certainly be detected by the Divus. If I were to find my compatriots it would be by seeking them out directly. After the withdrawal there would be one logical place for at least Ajatar and her Serioli to go. My mountain retreat, carved into the cliff-side far to the west. I would begin my search for my scattered allies there."
-0-
The Vampire raised both arms as a signal before his body dispersed, becoming instead of one being many hundreds of smaller ones. Giving himself into the form of a cloud of bats, Kain allowed his essence to be carried up from the pinnacle of the cathedral and high into the dark sky. The swarm of winged creatures that formed his very being soared swiftly, traveling westward as fast as the wind could take them. Through their many eyes he could see the land roll away before him, passing over rugged terrain, jagged mountains and craggy fissures.
Clearing his way past the flat wasteland that had once been the lake of tears, the bats flew on towards the rising mountains on its far western edge. Amongst those mountains lay the fortress, secluded and isolated, his own private refuge from the world. Even his lieutenants rarely bothered him when he had gone there, knowing better than to disturb their master when he wanted solitude.
The bats flew on and on until they came to the graveled path that led up to the gates of the fortress and there they flew down and condensed, joining together once more to form one physical being. As soon as his body was once again whole, Kain stepped forward to ascend the path but froze suddenly in mid stride as he beheld the sight that lay before him. He had come here expecting to see the mighty doors of his fortress barred shut, statues of himself towering either side. This was not what he saw.
"No…" He breathed in utter dismay.
-0-
"Nothing. There was nothing left. I had ordered this fortress constructed as the most secure and defensible position in all of Nosgoth and it had simply been swept off the mountainside as easily as a broom might sweep away a spider's web."
-0-
His mountain retreat had been smashed into rubble. Where once there had been towering walls and mighty battlements there was now only immense piles of broken stone and brick, scattered about as if by the force of a titanic explosion. The gates had been flung out from their position and now then shattered before him, useless blocks of stone and crumbled mortar. The battlements which had defended this place lay broken into fragments, scattered across the plateau. Behind that, the passages of the fortress had been broken into like a predator breaking open an ants nest, carved out with ease and left exposed to the harsh elements.
Kain stood there staring in stunned horror at the devastation, unable to understand and grasp what he was seeing. The destruction was so total and complete that even the chambers which had been carved into the mountain itself had been smashed open, visible even from his vantage point. There was nothing left of this place but a scar on the land along with a single banner bearing his imperial sigil hanging pathetically and limply from a metal pole stuck out of a pipe of shattered brick.
"They couldn't possibly have spread their army this far west already!" He exclaimed. Only the Divus could be responsible for this. But he saw no sign of their presence here. No army of lesions on the march, no siege equipment.
Beside him, Moebius' ghostly orb shaped form still hovered. The journey in bat form over so long a distance had not been any hindrance to his companion.
"No, they could not have." Moebius said, regarding the devastation with a more detached, neural expression. "I would agree with that assessment." He hummed to himself, one eyebrow raised. "Curious. What sort of weapon could have been deployed against so fortified a position so quickly?"
That question hung unresolved in Kain's mind for a moment before the obvious answer slowly bled into his awareness. As it formed the Vampire's shocked expression gradually changed to one of grim, even angry resolve.
"I know of one." He said in a tightly controlled voice and then began forward, picking his way carefully through the debris.
Clambering through the piles of towering rubble was difficult. The cataclysm which had destroyed the fortress had left not so much as a single interior wall standing. Everything had been crushed or bashed apart. In amongst some debris Kain found a piece of wall which still bore the markings of Clan Zephonim and half the markings of Clan Rahabim, a thousand year old delicate mosaic lost in the destruction. Any art lover, Human or Vampire, would have been moved to tears by the sight.
Kain kept on moving until he reached what he thought had been the approximate position of the main council hall where once had held court with his lieutenants on the rare occasions they visited this retreat. A few large stone floor tiles were left that looked familiar, albeit covered in an obscuring layer of masonry dust. Shattered pieces of furniture last recognizably scattered around here and there along with old fabric scraps of wall banners.
The debris consisted of everything the fortress had ever held, every interior item battered and broken in a display of total destruction. All things of the fortress were here, save one mysteriously absent quality. No bodies.
-0-
"Strange. Evidence piled up all around me of demolition, but not of battle. The fortress had been destroyed without leaving a trace of the struggle it would ordinarily take to do so. This fact suggested to me one of two scenarios. Either Ajatar Cadre and her Serioli had resigned themselves to their fates and simply allowed the rubble to crush them without a fight, or they had abandoned this position as untenable and fled. The latter theory held more weight."
-0-
Kain picked through a bit more of the rubble until he was satisfied. Indeed there were no remains here; no corpses, no splattered gore, no bones, not even so much as a blood smear. The Vampire pressed his lips tightly together in a grim frown, glancing around the rubble with fresh attention. No wonder the fortress had been so decimated. There had been no one here to defend it.
Ajatar would have returned to the fortress once they had been separated in the necropolis, he was certain of that. It would be where her forces would retreat to in order to regroup. After that, she must have taken them away before the enemy could strike at their position. But what place in all of Nosgoth could they go which would be more secure against attack then the fortress? Of course this was all supposing that Ajatar had made it safely back to the Serioli in the first place and grimly he was forced to admit that he had no proof of that.
Suddenly there was a sound nearby, a deep, cluttering scrape of rubble being shifted and pushed out of the way. Kain turned sharply in time to see some stones topple from a large pile and slide down until coming to rest by his feet. From beyond the pile, the sliding, rumble of moving stone continued for a few moments before coming to a stop and silence prevailed once more.
Kain remained in place for perhaps a minute before he slowly reached back over his shoulder and drew the Reaver. Step by cautious step the Vampire moved to peer around the obstructing debris to see what lay beyond. As soon as he did he froze in place, eyes wide, before pressing himself quickly into the shadow of the rubble and making himself as small as possible.
Just beyond was a large open circular space which had been cleared of rubble, leaving a large section of the floor tiles exposed; the imperial sigil still firmly intact. Laying around the outside of that circle, tucked up against the debris and using it as a windbreak was an immense serpentine body. A long tail lay stretched out nearby, ending in a feathery tuft which swayed occasionally, battering against some stone and causing it to shift and rattle.
"Ah, of course. Who else would they send to destroy my fortress but their living siege engine?" Kain muttered to himself with a half whisper.
Thanatos the Dragon lay with his head propped up over his front limbs, his wings tucked against his back and his rear legs draped out to one side. The visor-like helmet he had been wearing over his eyes was now removed, placed to one side leaving the injuries the Dragon had sustained exposed. Burn scars ran across his muzzle and skull, especially around the eye sockets. Now Kain was close up he could see that the injury was healing but leaving some angry red scars.
The Dragon did not move as Kain remained there crouched in the shadows. He was lying there with his eyes closed and his body relaxed, his sides gently rising and falling in regular breaths. Incredulously, Kain realized that as ludicrous as it seemed he had come across the beast while he was asleep. This could be an opportunity like no other. If he was quick enough, he could race across the open space and drive the Reaver blade deep into Thanatos' heart.
"This is inconceivable. Impossible!" Moebius' hushed whisper was filled with utter disbelief as Kain's enforced companion beheld the immense creature. "They went extinct eons before even the Pillars were raised!"
"You've indeed been gone a long time', Moebius." Kain remarked, keeping his voice as low as possible. "Allow me to introduce you to Thanatos, last of the Dragons."
Moebius stared at the Dragon from the depths of his flames with an expression of genuine incredulous shock and dismay.
"I can not accept this!" He almost gasped.
"Oh this is a treat indeed!" Kain chuckled, trying to keep the sound as quiet as he could despite himself. "To see you actually perplexed and surprised! Having you stuck to me might be worth it just for the novelty of that alone!"
Kain judged that he was perhaps about a hundred feet from the Dragon's body. Thanatos however was lying on his stomach, making the chest hard to reach. But Thanatos' throat was exposed as he lay there with his neck stretched out. One well timed slash could at the very least sever something vital. He tightened his grip on the Reaver's hilt, muscles tensing, ready to spring.
At that exact moment before the initiation of action, one of Thanatos' heavily scared eyes peeled open. The lid raising followed by a wet sliding membrane sliding sideways across the eyeball. Instinct alone saved Kain from dashing full force right into the Dragon's line of sight. Instantly he pressed himself tight to the side of the rubble, watching with held breath as that single eye rolled slowly from side to side; scanning the open expanse before it.
Slowly at first, the Dragon raised his head and craned his neck up like a roused viper. A loud snort rocked from his nostrils, a sound of irritation and displeasure. Those wounded eyes moved around until they had rested firmly on the pile of debris Kain was attempting to conceal himself behind.
-"I know you're there, Vampire."- The echoing mental voice stated and Kain repressed the urge to swear. -"I feel the vibrations you make in the air when you're this close to me. And your scent is appalling! You stink of carrion filth! So I bid you leave and permit me my allotted solitude."-
Frantically Kain tried to think of what to do now. He was right up against a creature with immense power and he was all but defenseless and with no allies to support him. With little alternative he decided it best to keep Thanatos talking until he could discern a means of safe egress from this dangerous situation.
"How do I know you will not kill me the moment I try?" He called out. The Dragon snorted again in response, louder this time.
-"Do not tempt me, Vampire. All I wish now is quiet so I may…"- Then Thanatos paused, having raised his head high enough to see Kain from over the edge of the rubble. -"Oh...it's you."- The projected voice now sounded very irritated. -"The one they called 'Kain'. The one they speak of and fear so much."-
Kain was certain then he was about to have a torrent of searing flames poured down upon him. When after a tense moment that did not happen, he called out again.
"So the Divus tell stories about me? Nothing flattering I am sure." He tried to keep his voice as even and confident as possible even as every fibre of his being screamed at him to get away. Thanatos watched him with eyes narrowed, glaring down the length of his snout
-"You escaped me back in the ruins. I let my anger get the better of me and you exploited that. Be warned that I will not make the same mistake again. Next time, you will not provoke me into errors in battle."- He said.
"I find it strange we're even having this conversation." Kain quickly stated. "Wouldn't your standing orders be to tear me apart on sight?"
-"One would think."- Thanatos replied, his thought sounding now bemused. -"But strangely, no. The Divus only give me very specific orders and I am to carry them out when they are given. Nothing more."-
Kain looked out at the piles of mountainous debris piled all around.
"You destroyed this place?" It was more of a statement than a question.
-"Those were my orders."- Thanatos confirmed gruffly without so much as a pause or sound of any regret in his tone. -"To 'Decimate the mountain stronghold then await further instruction.'"- He quoted. -"I welcome the respite, however brief it might be."- The Dragon lowered his neck back down onto his forepaws but kept his eyes open and locked onto Kain's position.
Kain pursed his lips, frowning as his mind ran with a million thoughts at once. He had been right. This was a rare opportunity, but not for the reason he first thought.
"Well, given the uniqueness of this moment between us I suppose it only prudent I ask you something." The vampire called out to the Dragon. Thanatos' face did not have the same facial features as a Human, Hylden or Vampire but there was something of a mellowing about his reptilian eyes.
-"So unique is this tranquil moment that I might be inclined to indulge the question."- His thought replied. Taking a deep breath Kain stepped out from behind the protective shield of rubble and stood openly before him, with one hand firmly gripping the hilt of his sword.
"Why?" He asked simply, raising his voice so the Dragon could hear him clearly and to drown out the quiver of fear which twisted in him despite his best efforts to keep it under control. "Why do you fight for the Divus? You have no kinship with them. They are composed of the three races you despise, led by the parasitic God your kind went to War with. They would be far more your enemy than us."
Thanatos watched him from the far side of the clearing of rubble and the mellowing behind his eyes stopped instantly. Now those eyes were as cold as ice, silts narrowing until they all but disappeared.
-"You think my servitude is a willing alliance? No Vampire. I do not unleash my might for these religious cretins of my own volition."- Thanatos stated, his voice laced with venom and intense hatred. -"This era, this moment of time they stranded me in, is utter poison to me. My kind rely on the strength of the land itself to sustain us. As long as it is healthy then so are we. But when it is not, we wither and die within moments."-
The Dragon raised his head again, this time high enough so that Kain could see a collar of leather and metal wrapped about the base of his neck. Attached to that collar was a gently glowing shard of round crystal, about the size of a man's head. It was a pale white color and emitted a faint glow. Kain had seen it before of course but always during conflicts when events were too frantic to allow for closer inspection. Now however, with the benefit of having recently glimpsed the material of which the Celestial Arrow was composed, Kain recognized it. It was that same elemental solidified crystal, solidified into its purest state.
-"This abominable crystal, a shard of purified elemental energy, is the only thing keeping me alive. It is barely enough to sustain me. And at a snap of their fingers the Divus could render it inert and leave me to choke on the corruption of this sad, pathetic future."- Thanatos explained. Briefly Kain wondered what sort of force would be required in a fight to dislodge that crystal, but quickly decided that he currently had no means of dislodging it without intense and unacceptable risk to himself.
"Forgive my bluntness…" He began instead, not taking eyes off of the Dragon for so much as a moment. Their conversation might be cordial right now but it could explode into violence at a moment's notice "But I find it hard to believe one such as you would endure such enforced servitude. From what I know from your reputation, the mere concept of being put to work like a beast of burden or even an engine of war would be humiliating! Enraging!"
His words provoked Thanatos to grip some stone with his front paws tight, so tight that his immense claws burrowed into it with a loud echoing crack. Shards flew off in different directions.
-"And you would be right."- The Dragon's angry thought snarled. -"I hate this. I hate this with every fathom of my soul! If it were merely a question of my own survival I would have torn this crystal off myself and gladly perished before suffering such indignity."- Then he paused, raising his head to look up with his scared eyes towards the sky. -"But I am the last of my kind. Through me, Uni has a chance to survive and grow once more. The Divus have promised me that when they leave this world, I may have it for myself, to see it cleared of the vermin once and for all. A paradise for the race of Uni to call home."-
Kain's lip drew back over his fangs in a disgusted sneer. Not just because of his scorn for such an offering, but in how much it paralleled is own dilemma so long ago.
"You didn't honestly believe that, did you?" He asked in a tone of disappointed scorn. Thanatos did not look back down at him.
-"Does it matter whether or not I did?"- The Dragon asked. -"The fact of the matter is that I have no choice either way. As long as my fate is bound to this infernal trinket then I am theirs to command."-