This chapter is a rough draft of my SM fanfic crossover with Underworld. I need some help with the parts marked <Insert Scene>. Yes ... ran into some serious writer's block with those parts. I would deeply appreciate any help that I can get.
Retrograde
Part 7:
It was a day that started out like any other day. A monster running loose in the city, sending Mr. and Mrs. Average scurrying for cover and hollering at the top of their voices. The security forces would cordon of the area, taking guard positions to limit damage to the surroundings while waiting for reinforcements to arrive. The senshi would be alerted to the threat, and respond to it accordingly. Then the usual posing and intimidating gestures by the monster would take place while a member of the senshi team would announce their arrival with their usual fanfare and speech.
The opening move would then be made by the monster in launching all kinds of strange and powerful attacks at the senshi. The senshi would then retaliate with each of their respective attacks on said monster. From there, the fight would end in one of three ways.
One à the monster was either a weakling or too stupid to know anything besides launching random all out attacks and did not need teamwork to put it out of action. Then the senshi would return home while the citizens who were there, would quickly cheer their respective heroines. A news crew would usually be onsite to cover the fight. Damage to the surroundings in the form of broken glass, dented automobiles and cracked walls were considered to be minimal. No further elaboration was needed.
Two à the monster was moderately strong or smart (sometimes both) and needed at least all the Inner Senshi to hold its attention with teamwork while setting the monster up for a Moon Tiara Action attack by a certain clumsy member of theirs.
Things such as "SHABON SPRAY!", "VENUS CRESCENT BEAM!", "MARS FLAME SNIPER!" and "MOON TIARA ACTION!" would be heard before the monster would finally end up dusted or atomised.
Then the senshi would also return home while the citizens would once again cheer their respective heroines. As before the news crew would be onsite to cover the fight. Damage to the surroundings was usually moderate. End of story.
Three à the monster was very strong with brains (a dangerous combination) and needed both the Inner Senshi and the Outer Senshi in taking it down. It also required a great deal of team work.
New words such as "DEEP SUBMERGE!", "WORLD SHAKING!" and "DEAD SCREAM!" would be heard (though if a "DEAM SCREAM!" attack was heard, it would mean that the situation was very serious). The news crew was unlikely to be around as said monster usually took an extreme dislike to be on national TV for unknown reasons. Not to mention, it also tended to be very generous and indiscriminate with its use of powerful attacks which usually had the potential to vaporise anything in its path.
Still, the senshi would finally triumph with a last desperation move bringing down the monster though without the usual cheers and cries of support from their fans and supporters (too frightened and scared away by the monster). They would leave in silence in this situation. For home. To be once again ready for school like they usually did.
Except that none of the above endings happened. Instead, there was a soft wheezing sound and one of the senshi fell dead with a bullet hole in her head.
There was another soft wheezing sound and another of the senshi fell dead in the same manner. The green-haired senshi quickly disappeared from sight after shouting a warning to the rest.
There were drops of blood on the ground where the green-haired senshi once stood.
Setsuna reappeared at the Time Gates, blood dripping from her body. She was mortally wounded, she knew and had not long to live. In her current state, it was very dangerous to use the Time Gates. But she had no choice. She had to save the future. How had this event taken place without her knowledge? She should have either seen it through the Time Gates or à her future self should have returned to warn her about à A sudden realisation hit her. Her future self was probably dead and in most likelihood unable to help her.
'But that was not how Crystal Tokyo was supposed to end!' She mentally shrieked. She had survived too long and endured too much to à
Her vision blurred. Time was running out à She stepped forward to the Time Gates.
"It can't be à" the green-haired senshi mumbled in disbelief as she examined the timeline while her blood continued to drip to the ground until it had formed a small pool of red liquid around her feet. The senshi had fallen, one after another, not to the unnatural powers of some supernatural foe, but to a sniper's bullet, of all things.
Setsuna tracked the sniper down through the use of the Time Gates, determined not to let any threat to the senshi out of sight.
What she discovered through the Time Gates intrigued her somewhat à despite her current state.
The elite sniper that had killed off the entire Senshi team was one of many faceless assassins that belonged to a shadowy organisation known only as the Damocles Society who had only one solitary goal in life :- The prevention of the rise to power of any individual, empire or organisation from dominating the entire world. The name of the organisation itself was a parody, taken from an old Greed legend in which a sharp sword was hung by a thin thread from the ceiling above the king's head (the Sword of Damocles ^_^ ).
From age to age, the members would strike from behind the scenes, eliminating key leaders, disrupting critical supplies and sabotaging technological research from one side or the other to stop any one leader, country or organisation from becoming too powerful.
This was in complete contrast to the goals of the Illuminati, which sought to unite the world ... under its banner, of course. Eventually, however, like any organisation that existed, the members soon became corrupted by their desire for wealth and power. Money is the root of all evil, after all. And their love for money replaced their desire for maintaining the balance of power in the world. Subsequently, they turned mercenaries and sold their talents for murder to anyone that could meet their asking price ... which was always high.
'An organisation of faceless assassins, whose love for wealth is as great as their love for power. But their costs are prohibitive. Who hired them?' the Time Guardian wondered before blacking out completely.
Unseen by all, the green-haired senshi fell forward though the Time Gates to some unknown destination à
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A man was scrounging in the forest looking for some prey when his keen sense of smell picked up the familiar scent of blood. Quickly, he ran forward in the direction of the smell and came upon the body of a beautiful woman dressed in strange clothing that he had never seen before. Her facial features were radically different from the women he had encountered in the past. And he had seen many in his time over the years. The strange attire she wore coupled with her exotic looks only made her seemed all the more beautiful.
Those weren't the only things about her that caught his eye. In both her hands, lay a strange garnet rod that she cradled protectively to her chest. Whatever the artifact was, it seemed important to her, so much so that she was unwilling to let go of it, even at the point of death. Her fragrant beauty and the deep mystery surrounding her only added to her appeal.
She drew him like a moth to a flame in a way that he rarely knew before. Right there and then, he knew one thing. This woman had to live. And there was only one way to do it. Bending down, he smelt and touched her pulse. It was nearly gone. Quickly, he bit on her, transmitting the strange virus in his body that he carried to the woman.
Within seconds it was over. Now, he only had to wait for the woman to come out of her unconscious state.
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She revived faster than he had expected. Her wounds once fatal, healed rapidly before his eyes which was unusual considering that she was just newly turned compared to him. Judging by the looks on her face, she was hungry ... so he threw a stag, or à was about to - when she bowled him over to the ground, surprising him with her strength and speed. The buck was already dead, its neck twisted to one side as the woman lifted the neck to her mouth to feed.
Getting to his feet, he watched from one side as she fed on her prey, drinking in the blood greedily. He remained silent watching her antics.
Finally, he called to her. She looked at him blankly as though not understanding. A sudden thought hit him. Perhaps she was a foreigner and that was what accounted for her silence. Pointing at himself, he said, "Marcus."
"Marrrr-ccccus," she repeated, the word coming out slowly.
"What is this offal? A new toy?" a female voice asked from the doorway.
Marcus growled beneath his breath. It was that annoying woman, again. Viktor's number one bitch in heat and à lapdog, Amelia.
"What are you doing here, Amelia? Have you found my brother?" he snarled.
"Come to check things out. Just to make sure that our 'father' is safe from harm. Wouldn't want anything unfortunate to happen to the great father of our kind before we begin the hunt. So who is she?" Amelia turned to the woman in the room.
"She's a foreigner. She wouldn't understand your words."
"I see à So are you planning to keep her for long, O Great Father of the Vampires?" the female vampire mocked.
"I don't know," Marcus replied, ignoring her rudeness.
"Ahhh à the blessed bliss of ignorance. Such sweetness. Such wonder. When you get tired of her, turn her over to me, alright?" the female vampire suggested in a non-too-innocent manner.
"Go away, Amelia. I'm not in the mood for one of your games," Marcus warned.
"That's not a very polite way to treat your children, you know. But since you asked à" she licked her lips before turning around in as sultry a manner as she could manage, which only succeeded in annoying Marcus all the more.
Her next words threw Marcus off.
"We have found your brother's tracks."
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<Insert Scene>
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Across the snowy white plains à under the cover of darkness à
An army is marching à an army of the undead à on the trail of a very dangerous creature à
"Brother à what have you done?" the first vampire whispered under his breath as he studied the trail of destruction left by his twin sibling at the village.
Beside him, the green-haired woman that he saved the day before, as if sensing his plight moved to hold his palm reassuringly.
"Damora à If only you could understand à " As before, she could only look at him with eyes of love and affection à without saying anything.
Marcus held her hand in his. Taking the horse by the reins, she drew alongside him and leaned onto his armour, silently drawing a few stares. The moment was broken by an announcement from a female voice. It was Amelia.
"They're all dead, my lord. None survived. We must burn the bodies quickly before they are turned."
"This has gone far enough! Your brother has got to be stopped!" Viktor barked.
"He is not to be harmed as per our agreement," Marcus reminded.
"But he has to be kept under control. This petty sentiment you have for that creature is totally unbecoming of you," Viktor replied, disgust evident in his voice.
"You know the consequences if either me or my brother were to be slain," Marcus pointed out.
"Yes à If you die à we all die! But it will be done my way!" the angry lord retorted.
Damora remained silent, watching the heated exchange. She had yet to say anything other than her name.
"Burn the bodies!" he ordered his soldiers.
Marcus was about to join them but à
"Marcus, you stay beside me," Viktor commanded.
"I can defend myself," Marcus countered.
"No à you stay here beside me," Viktor repeated his command as he waited for his soldiers to report back.
Suddenly, there was a howl from one of the huts as one of the soldiers screamed. At once, everyone turned in the direction of the scream. Out of the hut, came a half-transformed lycan rushing aimlessly in all directions. Amelia fitted an arrow to her crossbow before letting it loose at the lycan. It fell to the ground without much struggle à
However à some of the burning bodies began to move and shift à causing the soldiers to step away from them.
"They've turned!" a voice shouted.
"Everyone! Draw your weapons!" Viktor ordered.
An armed soldier was dragged to the ground from his horse as a lycan leaped at him from the roof. Another charged at Marcus who simply drew his battleaxe and loped its head off with it. The shouts and sounds of battle filled the air.
Damora speared a lycan that got too close to her for comfort before finishing it off with her sword. Viktor cut down another lycan with his broadsword. Seeing the increasing number of their fur-covered opponents heading for them, the vampire lord ordered Marcus to flee for safety. Marcus hesitated at first, since he yet to locate his brother but he soon departed the area on the snow-covered trail from the village.
Behind him, Damora followed suit, cutting down any lycans that got in their way.
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Damora sighed. Things had been getting more difficult for her ever since Viktor laid down the 'one awake, two asleep' rule regarding the elders for his so-called coven. Marcus might be the Source but Viktor was still the Boss. Being the lord of the land and such, the army still answered to him and therein lay the real power. Marcus held no control over the army whatsoever and was essentially relegated to an elder in name only with no real power over the coven, despite being the first true vampire.
Publicly, all the vampires still had to defer to him since he was one of the elders, of course. Privately, they held nothing but contempt for him and rubbed it into his face whenever the situation presented itself. A situation he despised and hated with all his heart.
This situation was never clearer than the night they went in pursuit of Marcus's twin brother, William in which Marcus complained about the way his brother was being treated when held prisoner but Viktor simply ignored his pleas. Instead, he broke his word to Marcus right in front of everyone in taking Marcus's brother prisoner, contrary to Marcus's wish. Damora still remembered the words of the heated exchange that night clearly despite not understanding a word of it at the time.
"And what is thy will, my Lord?" Marcus spoke, his head bowed, not wanting to endanger his brother anymore than he already was, though his heart seethed at Viktor's broken promise.
"My will is that your brother will be imprisoned away from you for all time!" The lord declared loudly for all to hear.
Damora who had ridden alongside him, despite not understanding the words, sensed her sire's plight and moved to comfort him. He had not responded at first being too deeply mired in his thoughts à but then à later that night à when they got back à he had fallen upon her in a frenzy of lovemaking. She had responded instinctively and à in a short time, had Marcus groaning and moaning aloud in pleasure with skills that she never thought she possessed.
"Damora à you are the only one who cares for me à The others à I will not forgive them for this!" he declared to her with all his heart, his eyes glinting dangerously. Not understanding his words à she pulled back in fright at the emotion in his voice thinking that he was angry with for some wrong she had committed, but Marcus quickly drew her back to him, saying, "Do not fear me, Damora. For I will never harm you. Come drink of my blood and be one with me for all eternity!"
Having said this, he cut his hand and blood flowed from his hand. Damora hesitated upon seeing the blood flowing from his hand at first, but lowered her mouth to it when he indicated that she should do so. Quickly, she drank from it à it tasted deep and delicious. After awhile, she drew back, having drank enough. She hesitated at first on what she was about to do next. But courtesy demanded that she offered nothing less in return. Before she lost heart, she took a knife and slit her wrist with it. Holding her hand up to Marcus in return, she drew him closer with her other hand. He was about to drink from it when there was a knock on the door.
Marcus grumbled beneath his breath. Who was it this time? Along the way, he grabbed his clothes and hurriedly put them on. He opened the door to find Amelia standing before him. Her face lit up, a mischievous twinkle on it upon catching the expression on Marcus's face.
"Hope I wasn't interrupting anything important, was I?" the female vampire smiled.
"What do you want, now, Amelia?" Marcus grumbled.
"Me à nothing. Viktor, on the other hand, wants to see you now," Amelia spoke, her face radiant with joy.
"We will continue where we left off, Damora," he promised as he left the room.
Amelia turned to the female vampire on Marcus's bed.
"You're something, you know à to have caught his eye à and all that à He's usually colder than the freezing nights of winter," the female vampire spoke as she stepped into the room.
Damora eyed the female vampire warily.
"Your skills must be pretty good to have Marcus go off like that. Let me sample them," she replied as she began removing her clothes.
"A pity you don't understand a word. Otherwise, we could be such good friends," the female vampire winked at her suggestively before advancing upon her.
Damora was about to get up when Amelia stepped in front of her.
"Come, now à just relax à Let me do the rest. Don't worry. I won't bite," the female vampire spoke as her fingers traced the curves of Damora's body while her lips moved along the edge of Damora's neck.
"You're gorgeous à do you know that?" the question was superficial since the vampire elder did not expect a reply.
As her lips descended, her tongue went into play. Instinctively, Damora leaned back against the female vampire, her back pressing into the bosom of the other vampire and à before long à they were exploring each other's body vigorously with eager hands and lips à
Their lovemaking session ended an hour later. Amelia had her hands wrapped around Damora, reluctant to let her go.
"I can see why he wants you so much. You're incredible à Damora. It's like you're born to pleasure those around you. Join me. Rule by my side. You're better off with me than with him," Amelia offered, her hands spread outwards before her in a welcoming gesture.
Damora could find nothing to say to that.
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Marcus returned a week later to tell her about Viktor's new rules. He was selected to go first into hibernation mode that night since Vampire Elder Viktor was to rule first. Not that he could disagree with him in the first place being that Viktor was the lord of the land and all. But did he have to rub it into his face that often? Marcus swore under his breath and cursed the man for what appeared to be the hundredth time that day.
As usual, Damora listened without replying to the strange language the man before her spoke.
Suddenly he lost his composure and wrapped his arms around Damora.
"I don't know what they will do to you once I'm gone but take this with you should you decide to leave," he spoke as his hand fished out a strange metallic staff from under the bed.
Damora looked at it uncomprehending until Marcus placed it in her hands.
"Thank you." She spoke.
Marcus looked at her incredulously.
"Say that again?" Not quite believing his ears, he asked again.
"Thank you, Marcus," she replied in his language with a smile that that lit up her eyes.
"You understand me?" He smiled as he held her in his arms.
"I didn't before but I do now. I don't know why but I do. Thank you for taking care of me," Damora spoke without a single mistake in her intonation or pronunciation of words.
"Damora à If only I could share this moment with you forever. But Viktor à Curse his soul à He insists I rest first à " He hugged her tightly.
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Since that night, Damora had not seen Marcus at all. Inwardly, she wondered where he was. Neither had she seen Viktor. The only vampire elder she had seen was Amelia who had been paying more and more visits to her room. Kraven had wanted to sample her skills too, but she had rejected him. Something about the man disturbed her.
He would have forced himself upon her, except that he didn't want to anger Amelia, one of the most powerful vampire elders on the council. Nonetheless, he continued to hound her and did not stop doing so until the day a new vampire joined the coven. Since then, he had turned his attention to this new vampire and for that Damora was grateful.
Oddly enough, the new vampire did not like him as well and preferred to keep him away at arm's length. Damora would have wanted to get to know the new vampire better but the coldness of the new vampire unnerved her à somewhat. Besides, not geting close to the new vampire wasn't that bad of a situation, since such a thing might have drawn Kraven's unwanted attentions again.
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Things had gone steadily downhill since Amelia entered the crypt to rest. For Viktor had moved quickly to cement his control over the coven. Dissidents who did not agree with him were demoted, exiled or removed without a trace. His own daughter Sonja, was executed publicly for having an affair with the lycan leader, Lucian. The last straw came, however, when Damora learned of Viktor's sole massacre of an entire family just because they knew something that they shouldn't. Damora, who had never liked Viktor to begin with, resolved to leave the coven as soon as possible.
The air of arrogance, cruelty and decadence she experienced at the coven only made her decision easier.
Deprived of both Marcus and Amelia's company (both were in hibernation mode and thus, unable to help her), there was no longer any reason to stay. Besides à she had caught Kraven's leering eyes on her back again just the other night when he thought she wasn't looking. To avoid him, she had spent more time in the library with the archivist, Tanis. The situation did not last, however, since Tanis had been banished into exile by Viktor for his heretical ideas and opposition to Viktor's brutality. Picking up her belongings, she decided to leave the coven that night.
There were many guards on the battlement as she exited the entrance. Fortunately, the other vampires had not even bothered to look at her when she left through the main hall.
"Where are you going?" a voice asked. Damora sighed inwardly at the voice.
Unfortunately someone had seen fit to inform Kraven about her departure that night.
"I'm leaving," she answered without turning around to look at the speaker. Neither did she stop walking towards the gate.
"The situation is very unsafe outside as we are in a state of war with the lycans. No one's allowed to leave without my explicit permission," Kraven declared.
"I can take care of myself," Damora replied and continued walking.
"Bar the gates!" Kraven ordered the sentries. As one, they locked the gates. Damora turned around to face Kraven as the tension in the air grew. A crowd had gathered to watch the face off between the two vampires.
"Am I a prisoner now? And on whose orders?" she mocked.
"No one's a prisoner. But understand this. We are in a state of war. The situation outside is tenuous. And very insecure I might add. Who knows what might befall you outside this walls?" Kraven sneered.
" I do not need your protection, Kraven. I will deal with it when it happens. Now open the gates!" Damora ordered the sentries. The vampire guards looked at her briefly before turning to look at Kraven.
"I think not, Damora. Your safety is a priority to me. Marcus and Amelia would be very displeased if they found out that something happened to you when they awaken."
"Marcus and Amelia would be even more displeased if they found out how you treated me when they were asleep, Kraven," Damora pointed out, her back to the gates.
Suddenly à without warning, she spun around and leaped to the top of the gate.
"I'm leaving whether you like it or not!" Damora declared .
"Stop her!" Kraven shouted.
The sentries reacted by moving to intercept her at the top of the gate. Before long à a full-fledged melee had broken out with more and more guards running towards the source of the commotion. For a whole minute, it raged until a loud voice, strong and commanding broke through the sounds of the fighting.
"THAT'S ENOUGH! ALL OF YOU!"
Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned in the direction of the voice. It was Viktor, the imposing lord of the land.
"My lord à she's à" Kraven spoke.
"Let her go!" Viktor commanded.
"But the lycans à " Kraven protested.
"You heard me!" Viktor turned to Kraven with a dangerous glint in his eye.
"As you wish, my lord," Kraven replied with deference, his head bowed before Viktor, though anger raged through his heart like a bonfire.
"Open the gates!" The gates lifted and Damora was finally free à to leave.
'Just you wait à Viktor à You, Marcus and Amelia. Think you're so great, eh? One day, I will rule these lands and you will be the ones at my mercy!' he swore furiously in his heart.
'And as for Marcus's bitch à she's just about to have an unfortunate accident,' he thought darkly.
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The next day à while fighting in an isolated place à
"Easy Lucian. I come in peace. Call your wolves off à I have come to talk," the long-haired figure announced as he fended off Lucian's attacks with his sword.
"Burn in hell, Kraven! There's nothing that I want from you bloodsuckers except maybe YOUR LIVES!" the lycan leader shouted as he lashed out with another blow from his sword that came dangerously close to skewering the vampire commander's head off.
Kraven leaped to the side to escape the lycan leader's furious attacks.
"I believe we have certain issues of mutual interest to both our sides," the vampire commander replied as he parried another blow from the lycan leader.
"Mutual interests???!!! I have nothing in common with you, bloodsucker!!!" Lucian spat on the ground as he drove his blade forward, pressing hard against Kraven's blade.
"Not even in getting rid of Viktor?" the vampire commander replied as he twisted out of the path of the blade that the lycan leader threw.
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The lycan leader did not bother to reply but his blade did come to a stop before touching Kraven's neck.
"Speak! For my patience grows thin!" Lucian growled.
"To save time, I will be as forthright with you as I can. Your forces need a period of peace to replenish your fallen bethren. Unfortunately, there can never be peace while Viktor lives. Facing Viktor in a direct fight is suicide as neither of us is a match for Viktor in hand to hand combat. Our best chance of taking Viktor out lies in the time he enters the crypt to rest. The thing is, Viktor will never rest until you are dead. Should Viktor think that you are dead, however, he might be persuaded to rest earlier than expected. The first person to kill you will be richly rewarded by him. If I were to bring back evidence of having killed you with my own hands, he would place me in charge of all the coven's affairs while he hibernates. With me in charge of the coven, I will keep the Death Dealers of your back while you build up your forces," the vampire commander explained while ignoring the blade at his neck.
"Why should I trust the words of a vampire?" Lucian snarled.
"Because you don't have a choice. The lycans are not ready for war. The Death Dealers are experienced soldiers while you are not. Many of us have spent entire decades fighting your kind. Even as we speak, the lycans are being slowly hunted into extinction. In about a century or two, your kind will cease to exist. As a gesture of good will, I offer to you a vampire who will be travelling alone by herself."
"A woman? Are you telling me that you, Viktor's mighty second-in-command can't even take care of one woman? How the high and mighty hath fallen. Besides, I fail to see how the death of one vampire will make a difference in this war," the lycan leader sneered.
Kraven bristled slightly at Lucian's mocking words before answering.
"Do not underestimate her, Lucian. Though she is not an elder, even Viktor seems to be wary of her. Furthermore, she is close to both Marcus and Amelia. And thus, the only other vampire capable of challenging my command."
'For that remark, your death will not be a quick one, Lucian. The time will come when I will have no further use for you à and then à '
"And you think of using my kind to get rid of someone you that you can't deal with, yourself? What do you take me for, Kraven? A fool?" the lycan leader mocked.
"No, a smart man who recognizes a good deal when he sees one. So, do we have an agreement or not?" the vampire commander asked.
There was silence.
"Help me dispose of her and I will help keep Viktor and the other vampires off your back," Kraven offered.
Lucian simply narrowed his eyes before nodding his head slowly.
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They had come out so quickly à she couldn't believe it. The lycans à from behind the trees they fell upon her, thickly like falling apples.
She had taken many of them down. But she was only one and they were many while she had suffered grievous injuries. They continued to stalk and strike at her giving her no rest whatsoever. Or time to recover for that matter à
It was like they had known where she was going à How had they known anyway? Did anyone reveal her whereabouts à
Damora winced in pain as another crossbow bolt slammed into her back. The crossbow bolts would not kill her but they hurt like hell and would slow her down, giving more time to the lycan tracking parties to hunt her down.
D***! Damora cursed. It was nearly dawn already! And the first beams of sunlight were about to break over the horizon.
Then a sight caught her eyes. A large manor up ahead. Two miles à she thought. Dawn was breaking à could she make it before the sun rose?
Damora gritted her teeth. She would make it. If she was going to die, she would die in a place where she would take as many of her assailants with her to the grave as she could. With a final burst of energy à she threw all her remaining strength into her legs in a mad dash towards the manor.
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"Drink à ," the man told her as he offered her his wrist.
Damora did not argue. She drank the man's blood greedily until the man told her to stop. Reluctantly, she ceased her actions and withdrew back into her chair.
"Thank you. You saved my life," she said when she was finally able to speak.
"Now à tell me about yourself," the man replied.
Calmly, Damora sat down and began to relate her life story and quest to the man in front of her.
The man listened à in his chair impassively until she finally reached the end of her story with these words, "The only clue that I have regarding my past is this strange metal staff. My husband told me that he found it in the forest the same night he found me," she took it out of her wrapped bundle and showed the metallic staff to the man who studied it carefully before returning it back to her.
"There is an old temple five hundred miles east from this place. I have heard many tales regarding the caretakers of the temple who are rumoured to possess strange abilities such as moving objects with the power of their minds alone and turning themselves invisible to all forms of sight. Go to them. They might be able to assist you in regaining your lost memories," the man suggested.
"Thank you, my lord. You have my utmost gratitude. Perhaps one day, I may be able to repay this kindness that you have shown me," Damora spoke before leaving his presence.
As she left the castle grounds à the steward addressed him à
"Should we let her leave? She already knows the location of our hideout."
"Let her be. I have a feeling she will take that knowledge to the grave with her. Our main concern lies elsewhere," the man replied.
"Understood à my lord," the man replied.
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Four hundred miles à she still had quite a long way to go.
With just the stars to guide her, Damora trudged wearily to the East following the direction of the sun. Due to the vampiric sensitivity to sunlight, she could only travel by night. Still she made rather good progress having covered one hundred miles of travel on foot (and horse whenever she could get a hold of one). During the day, she would hide in the shade of the tree, a hut, a cave or just about any shelter she could find along the way.
For sustenance, she would feed on the blood of wild animals, bandits and lone travellers that she managed to lure to isolated spots (with her beauty and form) before draining them dry. Her task was made easier by the fact that few people were able to resist her advances (including women. Surprise! Surprise!) and those who did were unable to stop her (her strength, speed and reflexes were phenomenal even among the vampires back then, as only Viktor and Marcus were able to match her and only if they didn't hold back their full might).
The vampires had often pondered the significance of this situation as Damora, unlike Viktor and Marcus, was considered to be young by their standards even though she was directly turned by none other than Marcus, the first vampire and the source of them all.
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Damora cursed again as she caught sight of the group of vampire hunters, hot on her trail. She had been trying to throw off their trail for months but this group of hunters was particularly persistent and very difficult to shake of the trail. Not for the first time, she cursed her carelessness in letting one of the bandits who had robbed the caravan she had been assigned to guard, escape with his life. Caught between trying to save the merchant's wife from being killed and killing the bandit from getting away with what he had seen, she had chosen the former.
Ever since that day, she had been pursued by no less than three vampire hunters all the way to her destination. Some unknown destination that might not even exist, her mind grumbled. Already, she had covered more than three hundred miles on foot but still there was no sign of the temple except for grass-covered valleys, snow-covered mountain peaks, lush forests and grasslands. Spurred on by a desire to get away from her pursuers and to see what lay ahead at the end of her journey, Damora did not rest (dared not) and travelled quickly during the night.
On the sixth month of her travel, she finally came to a formidable obstacle. A large barren desert lay ahead of her. To the North, the frozen tundras of the Artic beckoned. To the South, a seemingly neverending mountain range covered with ice and snow barred her way. And behind her were the hunters who were closing in onto her tracks. Damora pondered her difficult choice for a moment before deciding on one. She moved South towards the mountain range.
A few hours later à
A group of riders armed with crossbows and weapons came across the site.
"She's been here and gone south from the looks of it," the first rider spoke.
"How do you know? We haven't seen her like in weeks," the second rider asked.
"I can smell it. And she won't travel through the desert. Too dangerous for her kind," the first rider replied.
"From the looks of it, we might have to leave the horses behind or we would lose her trail," the second rider added.
"I hate mountain climbing," the third rider finally spoke.
"You can always wait here at the base of the mountain. Who knows? She might try to double back," the first rider suggested.
"I doubt that but there is always the possibility. If it comes down to that, the two of us would go on ahead while you keep an eye on the horses when we get back after dealing with her," the second rider spoke calmly.
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At the temple à
"Your training is complete. The master will see you now," a monk spoke upon seeing the dishevelled vampire at the door.
"Thank you," came the tired reply as she entered the temple.
"You have come to learn of your past, vampire, have you not?" a voice asked.
"How do you know that?" Damora answered warily.
"I'm a scholar, desiring all forms of knowledge. I make it my business to know everything there is to know. Figuring out a person's lost memories can be a tricky thing. Come sit down," the man gestured as he removed a deck of cards from a drawer.
"Cards?" Damora asked.
"These are no ordinary cards, Damora. These are Fate Cards. They can tell a person's life story just by looking at them," the bald-headed man before her replied.
He shuffled the cards quickly and then said, "Take ten cards from the deck. Let's see what destiny reveals face-down."
Damora did as she was told, removing ten cards from the deck.
"Open one card face up."
The vampire did so and saw the picture of a ruined castle on the card.
"This is the picture of your forgotten past à your first home. It lies in ruins. Bereft of any life."
She opened up another card. It was a classic demon with a pitchfork grinning at her.
Not liking it, she opened up the next card. It showed the outline of a powerful man in full battle regalia sitting on a metal throne against a dark background. At the side of his throne was a crown of gold.
"What's this mean?" Damora asked, hoping for something better.
"Your enemies from the past. The ones who seek your life," the man replied.
"A Demon? A royal in black armour? The Black King?" Damora mused out loud.
Lightning flashed in the sky and thunder crashed in the distance.
"That is for you to know. Open the next card."
It showed a beautiful woman with a crown on her head sitting regally on a throne on a crescent-shaped moon.
"A close ally from your past."
"Queen of the Moon? Never heard of her before."
ôThe Fate Cards can be cryptic. You many not understand it now, but you will when the time comes.ö
Another card was opened faced up.
It showed two beautiful women standing before her. They were identical in every way in their physical appearances and clothes and could have been mistaken for being twins except that one had red hair and the other had black hair. The one with red hair held a strange-looking scepter while the other held a staff and a strange light glowed from all around lighting her surroundings.
"Twin sisters?"
"Your other opponents from the past. They can be valuable allies or dangerous adversaries. Their greatest strength is sorcery. One greater than the other."
"Which one?"
"The one holding the scepter is a supreme master of her art. Sorcery is her forte. Be careful not to challenge her for it. She will squash you like a bug."
Another card was turned face-up to reveal a sundial with a shadow to mark the changing of the day and the night.
"Your greatest power à the element of Time. Use it wisely."
Damora turned over another card. It showed a gate with a soldier guarding it.
"You were entrusted with something important."
Her next card showed the picture of a city of glass. Damora couldn't find any other words for it for all the walls in the city were transparent and seemed to shine with a gentle light.
"The survival of an entire kingdom rests on your shoulders."
"Turn over the last two cards."
Damora did so to reveal a pair of cards that presented one picture. A beautiful woman standing on at the edge of a vast dark shadow.
"This person holds the key to the events of the past. Your past, present and future are all connected with her."
"How am I supposed to find her?"
"I don't know. I was also asked to give you this message. The first you may persuade. The second you can dissuade. The third, you must be prepared. "
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Retrograde
Part 7:
It was a day that started out like any other day. A monster running loose in the city, sending Mr. and Mrs. Average scurrying for cover and hollering at the top of their voices. The security forces would cordon of the area, taking guard positions to limit damage to the surroundings while waiting for reinforcements to arrive. The senshi would be alerted to the threat, and respond to it accordingly. Then the usual posing and intimidating gestures by the monster would take place while a member of the senshi team would announce their arrival with their usual fanfare and speech.
The opening move would then be made by the monster in launching all kinds of strange and powerful attacks at the senshi. The senshi would then retaliate with each of their respective attacks on said monster. From there, the fight would end in one of three ways.
One à the monster was either a weakling or too stupid to know anything besides launching random all out attacks and did not need teamwork to put it out of action. Then the senshi would return home while the citizens who were there, would quickly cheer their respective heroines. A news crew would usually be onsite to cover the fight. Damage to the surroundings in the form of broken glass, dented automobiles and cracked walls were considered to be minimal. No further elaboration was needed.
Two à the monster was moderately strong or smart (sometimes both) and needed at least all the Inner Senshi to hold its attention with teamwork while setting the monster up for a Moon Tiara Action attack by a certain clumsy member of theirs.
Things such as "SHABON SPRAY!", "VENUS CRESCENT BEAM!", "MARS FLAME SNIPER!" and "MOON TIARA ACTION!" would be heard before the monster would finally end up dusted or atomised.
Then the senshi would also return home while the citizens would once again cheer their respective heroines. As before the news crew would be onsite to cover the fight. Damage to the surroundings was usually moderate. End of story.
Three à the monster was very strong with brains (a dangerous combination) and needed both the Inner Senshi and the Outer Senshi in taking it down. It also required a great deal of team work.
New words such as "DEEP SUBMERGE!", "WORLD SHAKING!" and "DEAD SCREAM!" would be heard (though if a "DEAM SCREAM!" attack was heard, it would mean that the situation was very serious). The news crew was unlikely to be around as said monster usually took an extreme dislike to be on national TV for unknown reasons. Not to mention, it also tended to be very generous and indiscriminate with its use of powerful attacks which usually had the potential to vaporise anything in its path.
Still, the senshi would finally triumph with a last desperation move bringing down the monster though without the usual cheers and cries of support from their fans and supporters (too frightened and scared away by the monster). They would leave in silence in this situation. For home. To be once again ready for school like they usually did.
Except that none of the above endings happened. Instead, there was a soft wheezing sound and one of the senshi fell dead with a bullet hole in her head.
There was another soft wheezing sound and another of the senshi fell dead in the same manner. The green-haired senshi quickly disappeared from sight after shouting a warning to the rest.
There were drops of blood on the ground where the green-haired senshi once stood.
Setsuna reappeared at the Time Gates, blood dripping from her body. She was mortally wounded, she knew and had not long to live. In her current state, it was very dangerous to use the Time Gates. But she had no choice. She had to save the future. How had this event taken place without her knowledge? She should have either seen it through the Time Gates or à her future self should have returned to warn her about à A sudden realisation hit her. Her future self was probably dead and in most likelihood unable to help her.
'But that was not how Crystal Tokyo was supposed to end!' She mentally shrieked. She had survived too long and endured too much to à
Her vision blurred. Time was running out à She stepped forward to the Time Gates.
"It can't be à" the green-haired senshi mumbled in disbelief as she examined the timeline while her blood continued to drip to the ground until it had formed a small pool of red liquid around her feet. The senshi had fallen, one after another, not to the unnatural powers of some supernatural foe, but to a sniper's bullet, of all things.
Setsuna tracked the sniper down through the use of the Time Gates, determined not to let any threat to the senshi out of sight.
What she discovered through the Time Gates intrigued her somewhat à despite her current state.
The elite sniper that had killed off the entire Senshi team was one of many faceless assassins that belonged to a shadowy organisation known only as the Damocles Society who had only one solitary goal in life :- The prevention of the rise to power of any individual, empire or organisation from dominating the entire world. The name of the organisation itself was a parody, taken from an old Greed legend in which a sharp sword was hung by a thin thread from the ceiling above the king's head (the Sword of Damocles ^_^ ).
From age to age, the members would strike from behind the scenes, eliminating key leaders, disrupting critical supplies and sabotaging technological research from one side or the other to stop any one leader, country or organisation from becoming too powerful.
This was in complete contrast to the goals of the Illuminati, which sought to unite the world ... under its banner, of course. Eventually, however, like any organisation that existed, the members soon became corrupted by their desire for wealth and power. Money is the root of all evil, after all. And their love for money replaced their desire for maintaining the balance of power in the world. Subsequently, they turned mercenaries and sold their talents for murder to anyone that could meet their asking price ... which was always high.
'An organisation of faceless assassins, whose love for wealth is as great as their love for power. But their costs are prohibitive. Who hired them?' the Time Guardian wondered before blacking out completely.
Unseen by all, the green-haired senshi fell forward though the Time Gates to some unknown destination à
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A man was scrounging in the forest looking for some prey when his keen sense of smell picked up the familiar scent of blood. Quickly, he ran forward in the direction of the smell and came upon the body of a beautiful woman dressed in strange clothing that he had never seen before. Her facial features were radically different from the women he had encountered in the past. And he had seen many in his time over the years. The strange attire she wore coupled with her exotic looks only made her seemed all the more beautiful.
Those weren't the only things about her that caught his eye. In both her hands, lay a strange garnet rod that she cradled protectively to her chest. Whatever the artifact was, it seemed important to her, so much so that she was unwilling to let go of it, even at the point of death. Her fragrant beauty and the deep mystery surrounding her only added to her appeal.
She drew him like a moth to a flame in a way that he rarely knew before. Right there and then, he knew one thing. This woman had to live. And there was only one way to do it. Bending down, he smelt and touched her pulse. It was nearly gone. Quickly, he bit on her, transmitting the strange virus in his body that he carried to the woman.
Within seconds it was over. Now, he only had to wait for the woman to come out of her unconscious state.
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She revived faster than he had expected. Her wounds once fatal, healed rapidly before his eyes which was unusual considering that she was just newly turned compared to him. Judging by the looks on her face, she was hungry ... so he threw a stag, or à was about to - when she bowled him over to the ground, surprising him with her strength and speed. The buck was already dead, its neck twisted to one side as the woman lifted the neck to her mouth to feed.
Getting to his feet, he watched from one side as she fed on her prey, drinking in the blood greedily. He remained silent watching her antics.
Finally, he called to her. She looked at him blankly as though not understanding. A sudden thought hit him. Perhaps she was a foreigner and that was what accounted for her silence. Pointing at himself, he said, "Marcus."
"Marrrr-ccccus," she repeated, the word coming out slowly.
"What is this offal? A new toy?" a female voice asked from the doorway.
Marcus growled beneath his breath. It was that annoying woman, again. Viktor's number one bitch in heat and à lapdog, Amelia.
"What are you doing here, Amelia? Have you found my brother?" he snarled.
"Come to check things out. Just to make sure that our 'father' is safe from harm. Wouldn't want anything unfortunate to happen to the great father of our kind before we begin the hunt. So who is she?" Amelia turned to the woman in the room.
"She's a foreigner. She wouldn't understand your words."
"I see à So are you planning to keep her for long, O Great Father of the Vampires?" the female vampire mocked.
"I don't know," Marcus replied, ignoring her rudeness.
"Ahhh à the blessed bliss of ignorance. Such sweetness. Such wonder. When you get tired of her, turn her over to me, alright?" the female vampire suggested in a non-too-innocent manner.
"Go away, Amelia. I'm not in the mood for one of your games," Marcus warned.
"That's not a very polite way to treat your children, you know. But since you asked à" she licked her lips before turning around in as sultry a manner as she could manage, which only succeeded in annoying Marcus all the more.
Her next words threw Marcus off.
"We have found your brother's tracks."
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Across the snowy white plains à under the cover of darkness à
An army is marching à an army of the undead à on the trail of a very dangerous creature à
"Brother à what have you done?" the first vampire whispered under his breath as he studied the trail of destruction left by his twin sibling at the village.
Beside him, the green-haired woman that he saved the day before, as if sensing his plight moved to hold his palm reassuringly.
"Damora à If only you could understand à " As before, she could only look at him with eyes of love and affection à without saying anything.
Marcus held her hand in his. Taking the horse by the reins, she drew alongside him and leaned onto his armour, silently drawing a few stares. The moment was broken by an announcement from a female voice. It was Amelia.
"They're all dead, my lord. None survived. We must burn the bodies quickly before they are turned."
"This has gone far enough! Your brother has got to be stopped!" Viktor barked.
"He is not to be harmed as per our agreement," Marcus reminded.
"But he has to be kept under control. This petty sentiment you have for that creature is totally unbecoming of you," Viktor replied, disgust evident in his voice.
"You know the consequences if either me or my brother were to be slain," Marcus pointed out.
"Yes à If you die à we all die! But it will be done my way!" the angry lord retorted.
Damora remained silent, watching the heated exchange. She had yet to say anything other than her name.
"Burn the bodies!" he ordered his soldiers.
Marcus was about to join them but à
"Marcus, you stay beside me," Viktor commanded.
"I can defend myself," Marcus countered.
"No à you stay here beside me," Viktor repeated his command as he waited for his soldiers to report back.
Suddenly, there was a howl from one of the huts as one of the soldiers screamed. At once, everyone turned in the direction of the scream. Out of the hut, came a half-transformed lycan rushing aimlessly in all directions. Amelia fitted an arrow to her crossbow before letting it loose at the lycan. It fell to the ground without much struggle à
However à some of the burning bodies began to move and shift à causing the soldiers to step away from them.
"They've turned!" a voice shouted.
"Everyone! Draw your weapons!" Viktor ordered.
An armed soldier was dragged to the ground from his horse as a lycan leaped at him from the roof. Another charged at Marcus who simply drew his battleaxe and loped its head off with it. The shouts and sounds of battle filled the air.
Damora speared a lycan that got too close to her for comfort before finishing it off with her sword. Viktor cut down another lycan with his broadsword. Seeing the increasing number of their fur-covered opponents heading for them, the vampire lord ordered Marcus to flee for safety. Marcus hesitated at first, since he yet to locate his brother but he soon departed the area on the snow-covered trail from the village.
Behind him, Damora followed suit, cutting down any lycans that got in their way.
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Damora sighed. Things had been getting more difficult for her ever since Viktor laid down the 'one awake, two asleep' rule regarding the elders for his so-called coven. Marcus might be the Source but Viktor was still the Boss. Being the lord of the land and such, the army still answered to him and therein lay the real power. Marcus held no control over the army whatsoever and was essentially relegated to an elder in name only with no real power over the coven, despite being the first true vampire.
Publicly, all the vampires still had to defer to him since he was one of the elders, of course. Privately, they held nothing but contempt for him and rubbed it into his face whenever the situation presented itself. A situation he despised and hated with all his heart.
This situation was never clearer than the night they went in pursuit of Marcus's twin brother, William in which Marcus complained about the way his brother was being treated when held prisoner but Viktor simply ignored his pleas. Instead, he broke his word to Marcus right in front of everyone in taking Marcus's brother prisoner, contrary to Marcus's wish. Damora still remembered the words of the heated exchange that night clearly despite not understanding a word of it at the time.
"And what is thy will, my Lord?" Marcus spoke, his head bowed, not wanting to endanger his brother anymore than he already was, though his heart seethed at Viktor's broken promise.
"My will is that your brother will be imprisoned away from you for all time!" The lord declared loudly for all to hear.
Damora who had ridden alongside him, despite not understanding the words, sensed her sire's plight and moved to comfort him. He had not responded at first being too deeply mired in his thoughts à but then à later that night à when they got back à he had fallen upon her in a frenzy of lovemaking. She had responded instinctively and à in a short time, had Marcus groaning and moaning aloud in pleasure with skills that she never thought she possessed.
"Damora à you are the only one who cares for me à The others à I will not forgive them for this!" he declared to her with all his heart, his eyes glinting dangerously. Not understanding his words à she pulled back in fright at the emotion in his voice thinking that he was angry with for some wrong she had committed, but Marcus quickly drew her back to him, saying, "Do not fear me, Damora. For I will never harm you. Come drink of my blood and be one with me for all eternity!"
Having said this, he cut his hand and blood flowed from his hand. Damora hesitated upon seeing the blood flowing from his hand at first, but lowered her mouth to it when he indicated that she should do so. Quickly, she drank from it à it tasted deep and delicious. After awhile, she drew back, having drank enough. She hesitated at first on what she was about to do next. But courtesy demanded that she offered nothing less in return. Before she lost heart, she took a knife and slit her wrist with it. Holding her hand up to Marcus in return, she drew him closer with her other hand. He was about to drink from it when there was a knock on the door.
Marcus grumbled beneath his breath. Who was it this time? Along the way, he grabbed his clothes and hurriedly put them on. He opened the door to find Amelia standing before him. Her face lit up, a mischievous twinkle on it upon catching the expression on Marcus's face.
"Hope I wasn't interrupting anything important, was I?" the female vampire smiled.
"What do you want, now, Amelia?" Marcus grumbled.
"Me à nothing. Viktor, on the other hand, wants to see you now," Amelia spoke, her face radiant with joy.
"We will continue where we left off, Damora," he promised as he left the room.
Amelia turned to the female vampire on Marcus's bed.
"You're something, you know à to have caught his eye à and all that à He's usually colder than the freezing nights of winter," the female vampire spoke as she stepped into the room.
Damora eyed the female vampire warily.
"Your skills must be pretty good to have Marcus go off like that. Let me sample them," she replied as she began removing her clothes.
"A pity you don't understand a word. Otherwise, we could be such good friends," the female vampire winked at her suggestively before advancing upon her.
Damora was about to get up when Amelia stepped in front of her.
"Come, now à just relax à Let me do the rest. Don't worry. I won't bite," the female vampire spoke as her fingers traced the curves of Damora's body while her lips moved along the edge of Damora's neck.
"You're gorgeous à do you know that?" the question was superficial since the vampire elder did not expect a reply.
As her lips descended, her tongue went into play. Instinctively, Damora leaned back against the female vampire, her back pressing into the bosom of the other vampire and à before long à they were exploring each other's body vigorously with eager hands and lips à
Their lovemaking session ended an hour later. Amelia had her hands wrapped around Damora, reluctant to let her go.
"I can see why he wants you so much. You're incredible à Damora. It's like you're born to pleasure those around you. Join me. Rule by my side. You're better off with me than with him," Amelia offered, her hands spread outwards before her in a welcoming gesture.
Damora could find nothing to say to that.
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Marcus returned a week later to tell her about Viktor's new rules. He was selected to go first into hibernation mode that night since Vampire Elder Viktor was to rule first. Not that he could disagree with him in the first place being that Viktor was the lord of the land and all. But did he have to rub it into his face that often? Marcus swore under his breath and cursed the man for what appeared to be the hundredth time that day.
As usual, Damora listened without replying to the strange language the man before her spoke.
Suddenly he lost his composure and wrapped his arms around Damora.
"I don't know what they will do to you once I'm gone but take this with you should you decide to leave," he spoke as his hand fished out a strange metallic staff from under the bed.
Damora looked at it uncomprehending until Marcus placed it in her hands.
"Thank you." She spoke.
Marcus looked at her incredulously.
"Say that again?" Not quite believing his ears, he asked again.
"Thank you, Marcus," she replied in his language with a smile that that lit up her eyes.
"You understand me?" He smiled as he held her in his arms.
"I didn't before but I do now. I don't know why but I do. Thank you for taking care of me," Damora spoke without a single mistake in her intonation or pronunciation of words.
"Damora à If only I could share this moment with you forever. But Viktor à Curse his soul à He insists I rest first à " He hugged her tightly.
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Since that night, Damora had not seen Marcus at all. Inwardly, she wondered where he was. Neither had she seen Viktor. The only vampire elder she had seen was Amelia who had been paying more and more visits to her room. Kraven had wanted to sample her skills too, but she had rejected him. Something about the man disturbed her.
He would have forced himself upon her, except that he didn't want to anger Amelia, one of the most powerful vampire elders on the council. Nonetheless, he continued to hound her and did not stop doing so until the day a new vampire joined the coven. Since then, he had turned his attention to this new vampire and for that Damora was grateful.
Oddly enough, the new vampire did not like him as well and preferred to keep him away at arm's length. Damora would have wanted to get to know the new vampire better but the coldness of the new vampire unnerved her à somewhat. Besides, not geting close to the new vampire wasn't that bad of a situation, since such a thing might have drawn Kraven's unwanted attentions again.
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Things had gone steadily downhill since Amelia entered the crypt to rest. For Viktor had moved quickly to cement his control over the coven. Dissidents who did not agree with him were demoted, exiled or removed without a trace. His own daughter Sonja, was executed publicly for having an affair with the lycan leader, Lucian. The last straw came, however, when Damora learned of Viktor's sole massacre of an entire family just because they knew something that they shouldn't. Damora, who had never liked Viktor to begin with, resolved to leave the coven as soon as possible.
The air of arrogance, cruelty and decadence she experienced at the coven only made her decision easier.
Deprived of both Marcus and Amelia's company (both were in hibernation mode and thus, unable to help her), there was no longer any reason to stay. Besides à she had caught Kraven's leering eyes on her back again just the other night when he thought she wasn't looking. To avoid him, she had spent more time in the library with the archivist, Tanis. The situation did not last, however, since Tanis had been banished into exile by Viktor for his heretical ideas and opposition to Viktor's brutality. Picking up her belongings, she decided to leave the coven that night.
There were many guards on the battlement as she exited the entrance. Fortunately, the other vampires had not even bothered to look at her when she left through the main hall.
"Where are you going?" a voice asked. Damora sighed inwardly at the voice.
Unfortunately someone had seen fit to inform Kraven about her departure that night.
"I'm leaving," she answered without turning around to look at the speaker. Neither did she stop walking towards the gate.
"The situation is very unsafe outside as we are in a state of war with the lycans. No one's allowed to leave without my explicit permission," Kraven declared.
"I can take care of myself," Damora replied and continued walking.
"Bar the gates!" Kraven ordered the sentries. As one, they locked the gates. Damora turned around to face Kraven as the tension in the air grew. A crowd had gathered to watch the face off between the two vampires.
"Am I a prisoner now? And on whose orders?" she mocked.
"No one's a prisoner. But understand this. We are in a state of war. The situation outside is tenuous. And very insecure I might add. Who knows what might befall you outside this walls?" Kraven sneered.
" I do not need your protection, Kraven. I will deal with it when it happens. Now open the gates!" Damora ordered the sentries. The vampire guards looked at her briefly before turning to look at Kraven.
"I think not, Damora. Your safety is a priority to me. Marcus and Amelia would be very displeased if they found out that something happened to you when they awaken."
"Marcus and Amelia would be even more displeased if they found out how you treated me when they were asleep, Kraven," Damora pointed out, her back to the gates.
Suddenly à without warning, she spun around and leaped to the top of the gate.
"I'm leaving whether you like it or not!" Damora declared .
"Stop her!" Kraven shouted.
The sentries reacted by moving to intercept her at the top of the gate. Before long à a full-fledged melee had broken out with more and more guards running towards the source of the commotion. For a whole minute, it raged until a loud voice, strong and commanding broke through the sounds of the fighting.
"THAT'S ENOUGH! ALL OF YOU!"
Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned in the direction of the voice. It was Viktor, the imposing lord of the land.
"My lord à she's à" Kraven spoke.
"Let her go!" Viktor commanded.
"But the lycans à " Kraven protested.
"You heard me!" Viktor turned to Kraven with a dangerous glint in his eye.
"As you wish, my lord," Kraven replied with deference, his head bowed before Viktor, though anger raged through his heart like a bonfire.
"Open the gates!" The gates lifted and Damora was finally free à to leave.
'Just you wait à Viktor à You, Marcus and Amelia. Think you're so great, eh? One day, I will rule these lands and you will be the ones at my mercy!' he swore furiously in his heart.
'And as for Marcus's bitch à she's just about to have an unfortunate accident,' he thought darkly.
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The next day à while fighting in an isolated place à
"Easy Lucian. I come in peace. Call your wolves off à I have come to talk," the long-haired figure announced as he fended off Lucian's attacks with his sword.
"Burn in hell, Kraven! There's nothing that I want from you bloodsuckers except maybe YOUR LIVES!" the lycan leader shouted as he lashed out with another blow from his sword that came dangerously close to skewering the vampire commander's head off.
Kraven leaped to the side to escape the lycan leader's furious attacks.
"I believe we have certain issues of mutual interest to both our sides," the vampire commander replied as he parried another blow from the lycan leader.
"Mutual interests???!!! I have nothing in common with you, bloodsucker!!!" Lucian spat on the ground as he drove his blade forward, pressing hard against Kraven's blade.
"Not even in getting rid of Viktor?" the vampire commander replied as he twisted out of the path of the blade that the lycan leader threw.
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The lycan leader did not bother to reply but his blade did come to a stop before touching Kraven's neck.
"Speak! For my patience grows thin!" Lucian growled.
"To save time, I will be as forthright with you as I can. Your forces need a period of peace to replenish your fallen bethren. Unfortunately, there can never be peace while Viktor lives. Facing Viktor in a direct fight is suicide as neither of us is a match for Viktor in hand to hand combat. Our best chance of taking Viktor out lies in the time he enters the crypt to rest. The thing is, Viktor will never rest until you are dead. Should Viktor think that you are dead, however, he might be persuaded to rest earlier than expected. The first person to kill you will be richly rewarded by him. If I were to bring back evidence of having killed you with my own hands, he would place me in charge of all the coven's affairs while he hibernates. With me in charge of the coven, I will keep the Death Dealers of your back while you build up your forces," the vampire commander explained while ignoring the blade at his neck.
"Why should I trust the words of a vampire?" Lucian snarled.
"Because you don't have a choice. The lycans are not ready for war. The Death Dealers are experienced soldiers while you are not. Many of us have spent entire decades fighting your kind. Even as we speak, the lycans are being slowly hunted into extinction. In about a century or two, your kind will cease to exist. As a gesture of good will, I offer to you a vampire who will be travelling alone by herself."
"A woman? Are you telling me that you, Viktor's mighty second-in-command can't even take care of one woman? How the high and mighty hath fallen. Besides, I fail to see how the death of one vampire will make a difference in this war," the lycan leader sneered.
Kraven bristled slightly at Lucian's mocking words before answering.
"Do not underestimate her, Lucian. Though she is not an elder, even Viktor seems to be wary of her. Furthermore, she is close to both Marcus and Amelia. And thus, the only other vampire capable of challenging my command."
'For that remark, your death will not be a quick one, Lucian. The time will come when I will have no further use for you à and then à '
"And you think of using my kind to get rid of someone you that you can't deal with, yourself? What do you take me for, Kraven? A fool?" the lycan leader mocked.
"No, a smart man who recognizes a good deal when he sees one. So, do we have an agreement or not?" the vampire commander asked.
There was silence.
"Help me dispose of her and I will help keep Viktor and the other vampires off your back," Kraven offered.
Lucian simply narrowed his eyes before nodding his head slowly.
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They had come out so quickly à she couldn't believe it. The lycans à from behind the trees they fell upon her, thickly like falling apples.
She had taken many of them down. But she was only one and they were many while she had suffered grievous injuries. They continued to stalk and strike at her giving her no rest whatsoever. Or time to recover for that matter à
It was like they had known where she was going à How had they known anyway? Did anyone reveal her whereabouts à
Damora winced in pain as another crossbow bolt slammed into her back. The crossbow bolts would not kill her but they hurt like hell and would slow her down, giving more time to the lycan tracking parties to hunt her down.
D***! Damora cursed. It was nearly dawn already! And the first beams of sunlight were about to break over the horizon.
Then a sight caught her eyes. A large manor up ahead. Two miles à she thought. Dawn was breaking à could she make it before the sun rose?
Damora gritted her teeth. She would make it. If she was going to die, she would die in a place where she would take as many of her assailants with her to the grave as she could. With a final burst of energy à she threw all her remaining strength into her legs in a mad dash towards the manor.
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"Drink à ," the man told her as he offered her his wrist.
Damora did not argue. She drank the man's blood greedily until the man told her to stop. Reluctantly, she ceased her actions and withdrew back into her chair.
"Thank you. You saved my life," she said when she was finally able to speak.
"Now à tell me about yourself," the man replied.
Calmly, Damora sat down and began to relate her life story and quest to the man in front of her.
The man listened à in his chair impassively until she finally reached the end of her story with these words, "The only clue that I have regarding my past is this strange metal staff. My husband told me that he found it in the forest the same night he found me," she took it out of her wrapped bundle and showed the metallic staff to the man who studied it carefully before returning it back to her.
"There is an old temple five hundred miles east from this place. I have heard many tales regarding the caretakers of the temple who are rumoured to possess strange abilities such as moving objects with the power of their minds alone and turning themselves invisible to all forms of sight. Go to them. They might be able to assist you in regaining your lost memories," the man suggested.
"Thank you, my lord. You have my utmost gratitude. Perhaps one day, I may be able to repay this kindness that you have shown me," Damora spoke before leaving his presence.
As she left the castle grounds à the steward addressed him à
"Should we let her leave? She already knows the location of our hideout."
"Let her be. I have a feeling she will take that knowledge to the grave with her. Our main concern lies elsewhere," the man replied.
"Understood à my lord," the man replied.
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Four hundred miles à she still had quite a long way to go.
With just the stars to guide her, Damora trudged wearily to the East following the direction of the sun. Due to the vampiric sensitivity to sunlight, she could only travel by night. Still she made rather good progress having covered one hundred miles of travel on foot (and horse whenever she could get a hold of one). During the day, she would hide in the shade of the tree, a hut, a cave or just about any shelter she could find along the way.
For sustenance, she would feed on the blood of wild animals, bandits and lone travellers that she managed to lure to isolated spots (with her beauty and form) before draining them dry. Her task was made easier by the fact that few people were able to resist her advances (including women. Surprise! Surprise!) and those who did were unable to stop her (her strength, speed and reflexes were phenomenal even among the vampires back then, as only Viktor and Marcus were able to match her and only if they didn't hold back their full might).
The vampires had often pondered the significance of this situation as Damora, unlike Viktor and Marcus, was considered to be young by their standards even though she was directly turned by none other than Marcus, the first vampire and the source of them all.
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Damora cursed again as she caught sight of the group of vampire hunters, hot on her trail. She had been trying to throw off their trail for months but this group of hunters was particularly persistent and very difficult to shake of the trail. Not for the first time, she cursed her carelessness in letting one of the bandits who had robbed the caravan she had been assigned to guard, escape with his life. Caught between trying to save the merchant's wife from being killed and killing the bandit from getting away with what he had seen, she had chosen the former.
Ever since that day, she had been pursued by no less than three vampire hunters all the way to her destination. Some unknown destination that might not even exist, her mind grumbled. Already, she had covered more than three hundred miles on foot but still there was no sign of the temple except for grass-covered valleys, snow-covered mountain peaks, lush forests and grasslands. Spurred on by a desire to get away from her pursuers and to see what lay ahead at the end of her journey, Damora did not rest (dared not) and travelled quickly during the night.
On the sixth month of her travel, she finally came to a formidable obstacle. A large barren desert lay ahead of her. To the North, the frozen tundras of the Artic beckoned. To the South, a seemingly neverending mountain range covered with ice and snow barred her way. And behind her were the hunters who were closing in onto her tracks. Damora pondered her difficult choice for a moment before deciding on one. She moved South towards the mountain range.
A few hours later à
A group of riders armed with crossbows and weapons came across the site.
"She's been here and gone south from the looks of it," the first rider spoke.
"How do you know? We haven't seen her like in weeks," the second rider asked.
"I can smell it. And she won't travel through the desert. Too dangerous for her kind," the first rider replied.
"From the looks of it, we might have to leave the horses behind or we would lose her trail," the second rider added.
"I hate mountain climbing," the third rider finally spoke.
"You can always wait here at the base of the mountain. Who knows? She might try to double back," the first rider suggested.
"I doubt that but there is always the possibility. If it comes down to that, the two of us would go on ahead while you keep an eye on the horses when we get back after dealing with her," the second rider spoke calmly.
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At the temple à
"Your training is complete. The master will see you now," a monk spoke upon seeing the dishevelled vampire at the door.
"Thank you," came the tired reply as she entered the temple.
"You have come to learn of your past, vampire, have you not?" a voice asked.
"How do you know that?" Damora answered warily.
"I'm a scholar, desiring all forms of knowledge. I make it my business to know everything there is to know. Figuring out a person's lost memories can be a tricky thing. Come sit down," the man gestured as he removed a deck of cards from a drawer.
"Cards?" Damora asked.
"These are no ordinary cards, Damora. These are Fate Cards. They can tell a person's life story just by looking at them," the bald-headed man before her replied.
He shuffled the cards quickly and then said, "Take ten cards from the deck. Let's see what destiny reveals face-down."
Damora did as she was told, removing ten cards from the deck.
"Open one card face up."
The vampire did so and saw the picture of a ruined castle on the card.
"This is the picture of your forgotten past à your first home. It lies in ruins. Bereft of any life."
She opened up another card. It was a classic demon with a pitchfork grinning at her.
Not liking it, she opened up the next card. It showed the outline of a powerful man in full battle regalia sitting on a metal throne against a dark background. At the side of his throne was a crown of gold.
"What's this mean?" Damora asked, hoping for something better.
"Your enemies from the past. The ones who seek your life," the man replied.
"A Demon? A royal in black armour? The Black King?" Damora mused out loud.
Lightning flashed in the sky and thunder crashed in the distance.
"That is for you to know. Open the next card."
It showed a beautiful woman with a crown on her head sitting regally on a throne on a crescent-shaped moon.
"A close ally from your past."
"Queen of the Moon? Never heard of her before."
ôThe Fate Cards can be cryptic. You many not understand it now, but you will when the time comes.ö
Another card was opened faced up.
It showed two beautiful women standing before her. They were identical in every way in their physical appearances and clothes and could have been mistaken for being twins except that one had red hair and the other had black hair. The one with red hair held a strange-looking scepter while the other held a staff and a strange light glowed from all around lighting her surroundings.
"Twin sisters?"
"Your other opponents from the past. They can be valuable allies or dangerous adversaries. Their greatest strength is sorcery. One greater than the other."
"Which one?"
"The one holding the scepter is a supreme master of her art. Sorcery is her forte. Be careful not to challenge her for it. She will squash you like a bug."
Another card was turned face-up to reveal a sundial with a shadow to mark the changing of the day and the night.
"Your greatest power à the element of Time. Use it wisely."
Damora turned over another card. It showed a gate with a soldier guarding it.
"You were entrusted with something important."
Her next card showed the picture of a city of glass. Damora couldn't find any other words for it for all the walls in the city were transparent and seemed to shine with a gentle light.
"The survival of an entire kingdom rests on your shoulders."
"Turn over the last two cards."
Damora did so to reveal a pair of cards that presented one picture. A beautiful woman standing on at the edge of a vast dark shadow.
"This person holds the key to the events of the past. Your past, present and future are all connected with her."
"How am I supposed to find her?"
"I don't know. I was also asked to give you this message. The first you may persuade. The second you can dissuade. The third, you must be prepared. "
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