The man who until just recently had been only Jouo Ben Trevant looked up as he heard the two figures approach. He knew now what the vampire known as Renaku was; the secrets that had been hidden from the entire mortal world were now within his mind, to do with as he pleased. He also knew the terrible price that would be paid if those secrets were allowed to become known. So he remained silent as Renaku approached, even if a simple word could have tipped the balance he would not have spoken it. He could also see what had happened between the vampire and the demon girl. But that would be important later, there were other things that were important now. Now it was important that they move forward and that all those who had to be there would be there, at the end. That was what the dragons were here for, that was what they had been meant to do. Now he, and his companion, would make sure that all this came about. It was the only way to fix the terrible mistake that had been made, the forbidden union. "Come, vampire," he said, his voice deep and resonant. "We have much to do, before the end." ------------------------ Vampire Legend R Chapter 16 The Gathering of Memories By: Aaron Peori Created by: Ben Overmyer ----------------------- Warning: Contains at least one reference to a mediocre fantasy novel. ----------------------- I'm too old for this, Leandra thought to herself as the host of darkness halted at the edge of the dark woods. They would not go through there, if they knew what was good for them. That just meant they would come upon her position all the sooner. The last of the refugees that had not already been consumed by the Fumu were beyond where she stood now, with barely fifty men to protect her. Among them were her most trusted guards and those too loyal or foolish to allow her to order them away. And the only two other magus that were among the army as well, Maldor of the Fire school and Jysi of the Frost school. The plan was simple; use the magic to slow the progress of the Fumu as much as possible. Run away when the regathered after an assault and strike from a distance. The men at arms were there solely to protect the magi in case the Fumu proved to fast to outpace. At which point it would probably be too late anyway. Leandra had only once been in the middle of a host of Fumu. It was an experience she did not want to soon repeat. Especially since this time they would not hold back like they had that time. This time they didn't have to worry about killing the vampire knight they claimed to be their master. She clenched her hand and felt the magic flow up within her. It was wild and bitter tonight, like mulled wine that had been left out in the sun too long. It was also weaker than she would have liked, but that was because they couldn't risk alerting the Fumu to their presence by summoning a storm. Besides, if she did that then it would only weaken the magic of her two companions. She looked at them and noted the vaguely ecstatic expression on both their faces. They were ready. And as the host turned to move around the tree line, they struck. *** Zeorx slowly morphed back into his demonic form with the ease one would put on a new suit. He smiled to himself as the two Otherworld demons that had been patrolling the hallway moved further beyond him. They hadn't even seen him, probably wouldn't have even cared if they did. What was just another tapestry on the wall to them after all? He suppressed a chuckle at their ignorance. None of his people knew the full limits of their ability to take other shapes. Only he knew that any form was within reach, if one should only be willing to try. So it was that Zeorx had snuck his way into the sanctuary of his enemies. His enemies now being his own former home. It helped a great deal that he had built this place from the ground up, him and the mad Makath. He was almost at his destination and if he guessed correctly it would be no trouble getting inside. He only wished that this had not been necessary, that his people had listened to the truth and accepted it. Now only a few would escape with him to the otherworld. Only a few would escape the coming end. The door to the library had a token guard. A young demon, only a few thousand years old, one Zeorx had overseen the creation of personally. It was a simple matter to assume the guise of Contoyune and walk straight up to him. The young demon stiffened as his knew master approached, looking anger at the world in general and this insect in front of him in particular. "Let me in," Zeorx said in a perfect simulation of the upstart's voice. The young demon couldn't tell the difference, and the tone had left no room for argument so it was only seconds later that he found himself in the library. Here was where all the history of his people was stored. There were some secrets in these dusty stacks of haphazardly arranged books that even Zeorx didn't know. Only one of those was important now however. He slid back into his 'natural' shape, taking comfort again in the physical familiarity of it. Of course, soon enough his people would no longer have need of bodies. Still, it was a pleasure he would indulge in for now. Then he began the slow and tedious task of looking through the tomes for the lost lore. The one book that would contain the final secret he needed. The old spellbook of a disgruntled human sorcerer named Makath. *** It was quiet in the dark chamber. The stench of the grave welled up from some place unknown. The being in the chamber enjoyed both smell and darkness quite a bit. For it was Gieb, master of the Black Water Clan of the Fumu. Its thoughts were untranslatable into terms human could understand, but if one had to find the closest colliery it would perhaps be thought of as 'absorbed'. Thus it was that the arrival of its companion Fumu lord didn't faze it in the slightest. It didn't even notice until the aerial being growled menacingly. Gieb turned its host body to see the bloody and tortured host of its fellow Fumu staring back at it. The darkness was no barrier to a Fumu's sight. "Why are you still alive Scita?" "A change in plans," it said simply. "The vampire was getting suspicious, especially with Qouth's bungling. I decided that running was the best plan at that point." To say that Gieb got angry at this would be to mislabel the emotion. "You were there for a very good reason, without one of us the dragon..." "Is dead," Scita finished for him. "The four dragon clans destroyed their fallen brethren." "That was not the plan," Gieb hissed. "No," Scita didn't smile, "But it worked nonetheless." "This is a variable we can not control," Gieb turned back to the thing that had held its interest before Scita had arrived. "Who knows how the Dragons shall react to this..." "They are forbidden," Scita said in his own defense, "By Gai himself..." "I know that fool," Gieb turned back to Scita. "It simply complicates things. The master will have to be informed." The Fumu know no fear, still they knew to be cautious. "Unnecessary," Scita hissed, "I will fulfill my obligations. I have come only to gain access to the Font so that I may replenish myself before the battle." "And the fact that the master's lair is closer to Qouth was then mine?" "This one is closer to the Stone," Scita hissed again, "That will be where he is headed now." "Yes." So Scita left and Gieb turned back to that which held its attention so easily. The object was a sword, of elven design, forged by a master bladesmith a long, log time ago. Gieb held it up and allowed his host to smile as he feed it pleasure. It was a final piece in a puzzle that had eluded many other demons for centuries. Soon enough it would be called upon to fulfill its purpose. *** Renaku was not unfamiliar with the concept of flight. He himself had flown many times, both using the supernatural ability of his humanoid form and the natural aerodynamics of his bat form. He had never had quite the experience needed to prepare him for a flight on dragon back. The only experience that was more unnerving was the wild ride on a sled of stone he had engaged in a few days ago. It wasn't just the height of the flight that unnerved him; it was the unnatural lack of wind. He knew a great deal about the movement of bodies through air, and at this speed there should have been enough wind to buffet even Thiesra off the backs of the dragons. But there wasn't. The dragons moved their wings barely a fraction of what would have been necessary to keep them afloat. He wondered briefly how they did that. Then, as soon as the thought entered his mind the answer came as well. The dragons didn't fly in the traditional sense, instead the bent the air around them like a rubber band. The force of the air trying to close back together was focused behind them and this propelled them forward at fantastic speeds. It also let them carry on conversations at normal volumes. Not that the dragons talked, but the four beings riding on the back of the huge fire dragon Halscore were busy in conversation. Well, Thiesra wasn't saying much; she spent a great deal of her time trying not to look like she was staring at Renaku. For his part, Renaku was having a hard time focusing on the conversation himself with her so close to him. It was almost electric; a feeling Renaku had never thought his cursed existence capable of. He had spent a great deal of time as a crusading knight dealing with fear, with pain and with hatred. He had never once had to deal with love. Not that he was really sure he wanted to say it was that. He had half convinced himself that the... event at the Fumu lair had been a fluke incident. Then he would think back to the pressure of her lips on his and he would no longer be able to dismiss it. With a start Renaku dragged his mind back to the present again. This habit of drifting back to the past was going to get him killed some day. He realized that he had missed something, something that Trevant was saying now. "Could you repeat that?" Renaku said slowly. He ignored the knowing look that Aiger was giving him. "I said," Trevant spoke in the resonant, almost but not quite inhuman voice again, "That the process is an old ritual I had heard of, but one I had never given much thought to." "Old ritual?" "Have you ever heard of the 'Blooding of the Dragon'" Aiger asked Renaku. "Yes," Renaku nodded his head slowly, "It is an old custom among young boys at the court of my former lord..." Renaku paused as the thought that it was not as hard to speak of his past life now for some reason occurred to him. He stuffed the thought aside for further examination later. He was doing that a lot lately. Maybe that was why he was hearing voices. "The two young men cuts their palms and press them together. They allow the blood to mingle and clot together then they pull the hands apart. It is said to bind the two together for as long as both of them live, making them closer than brothers." "I think I get it," Thiesra commented quickly. "The boys game is based on an actual truth isn't it?" "Correct," Trevant spoke slowly and methodically. "The ritual it refers to is a ritual among the dragon's themselves. In the blood of dragons lies their magic and by allowing the blood of another dragon to mix with yours we... they are bonded forever. It is the equivalent of marriage among them." "Bonded forever?" Renaku said but he somehow knew the answer before it was spoken. "In life and death," Aiger said slowly, "Whatever the one dragons feels the other feels as well, no matter how much distance separates them. I know this because in order for a dragon to breed with a human they must share their blood with that human first. Only certain humans can survive the process sane however, and only with the youngest dragons, the dragon's feelings overwhelm the humans." "What is the effect on the dragon?" Thiesra said with genuine curiosity. "Almost as bad," Trevant said simply, "The humans life force is much weaker than the dragons, thus they end up sending out most of their power to the human. This can cause severe psychic trauma." "I think it might have been the reason for the madness of my mother and father," Aiger said softly. The frost dragon turned his head and spoke a low rumble of draconic words to Aiger, who nodded to himself and spoke back in the same tongue briefly. "So is this what happened to you," Thiesra said to Trevant. "Yes and no," Trevant said, "Managese would not have shared my blood with me if I had not been dying... but the wounds the fallen one inflicted on... him were too many and too deep. One had to represent the Steel Dragons." "Why not Aiger?" Renaku asked quickly. "He shares your blood, why not take the less risky path with him?" "Because his father is a frost dragon Renaku," Thiesra said with a roll of her eyes. "Oh," Renaku blinked. "That makes sense. First time for everything I suppose." "That," Trevant added, "Plus the fact that I had this." With that he raised the glowing hammer which he had wielded with such lethal power a few days before. Renaku realized that the same soft glow, like steel under a blazing moon, emitted from the hammer as came from the man's eyes. Renaku suddenly had the answer as well. "Dragon's tooth," he said suddenly. Everyone stared at him like he had just declared his intention to pursue a life in bookkeeping. "Yes," Trevant said finally, obviously surprised. "The tooth of a Steel Dragon to be precise. A master of my forms who joins the Order is granted one of these. I was lucky I had it, it absorbed the extra magic from Managese death and thus I was not driven insane by the blood bond." Renaku laughed suddenly and loudly. They again stared at him as if he had developed a second head. He could not help himself however; the sheer irony of the situation was too absurd. "We are the same," Renaku choked out finally between fits of laughter. "But for the presence of a weapon, we would both be beyond hope!" He laughed again and slapped the newly acquired sheath of his Demonslayer sword. "I am not like you Vampire," Trevant hissed softly. Renaku stopped laughing and looked into his eyes. For the first time in hours he saw the old emotions in those eyes stirring, the disgust and rage. Renaku wasn't sure he should feel comforted that the man who had sword to kill him was still within an obviously much more powerful body, but he did. Life was strange like that. Renaku was beginning to accept this. "So," he spoke in a somber tones now, "Where are we going this time?" "We pursue the Fumu. They have fled the Rylor Mountains and are pushing into Asurion," Trevant said aloud after a second. It was obvious to Renaku he was holding something back. Let him have his secrets, Renaku thought, I have had my fill of them. "Good enough," Renaku adjusted his blade once and took a long silent look at Thiesra. "I will finish them off once and for all." He left the rest unsaid, but he thought that Thiesra got the message. *** It had been quicker than he thought it would be. The book had been hidden in a simple trick of carpentry within on of the moldy desks. No magic, no enchantment had concealed it. But then, in a people of magic users that would have been as useful as putting a large glowing stone over it shaped like Makath's head. Zeorx assumed that most of the rest of his people would not have 'stooped' to such base means of searching for the book. Maybe Makath was smarter than Zeorx gave him credit for. Or maybe Zeorx was even cleverer than he thought he was. Ego aside Zeorx found the book very useful. It was perhaps the oldest extant book on human magical theory and practice in the world. It detailed the rise of the five present schools from the early dragon worshipping cults of the same name. It was stuffed with data on experiments in resurrection, divination and infenalism. All of this was of no interest to Zeorx. The data he was looking for was contained quite near the back of the book. The data on dimensional travel. The data on the Stone of Forever. Zeorx began memorizing it with ease, processing the information through his superior magically enhanced brain in seconds were it would take humans years to even comprehend much less utilize the information on the stone. In fact, he was so engrossed in the book that he almost didn't notice the sword that was meant to cleave him in two. Almost, but not quite. He leapt back with inhuman grace and fluidity, landing on his feet facing his assassin. The book hadn't been so lucky; it now lay in the refuse split asunder. Zeorx knew that even there, in plain sight, most of his people wouldn't notice it. That wasn't his concern at the moment. The large armored figure in front of him, holding the huge sword was. "Giovanni," Zeorx nodded his head once and relaxed his stance slightly. "Zeorx," the demon knight nodded back to him. "You may not interfere now." "Your master says so?" Zeorx smiled at Giovanni and Giovanni winced, slightly. "The Stone is sealed," the knight said, "You can not get to it." "I can do many things," Zeorx smiled slightly and inconspicuously clasped his hands in front of his chest. "Maybe you could," Giovanni held up his sword again. He had seen the move. He knew what it meant all right. Zeorx cursed inwardly, he had no time to waste fighting. "I only wish to take my people away from here," Zeorx said, " I don't care if this worlds rots to nothing or is purified by the light. I want off, we both know that my people don't belong here. Let us leave... those of us that can." "I wish I could do that Zeorx," Giovanni sighed and pointed the blade at his opponents chest. "But the mistake is about to be corrected. Your interference now will be another factor of chaos." "Then there is no way to solve this between us?" "One," Giovanni raised the blade that began to glow with unearthly light. Zeorx raised his own, forming a triangle with thumbs and fingers in which red light began to gather. That was when the second assassin struck him from behind. The dagger was of no particular magical design, just very sharp and thrust with great strength. Normally Zeorx would have shrugged it off, healed the damage and dealt with the nuisance. But Giovanni reacted to Zeorx hesitation, the huge blade puncturing the Otherworld demon's hide with ease. Zeorx felt the magic of the blade flare out through him, driving his own magic into the air around him. It was rather like being torn apart from the inside out, mainly because that is exactly what was happening. To his credit he didn't scream. Instead all he did was turn his head to see who had undone him. His eyes widened slightly as he saw who it was, then they closed and he chuckled dryly. The pain was almost unbearable and Zeorx was losing control of his form already. He slumped to his knees as wisps of red smoke drifted from his body. "Undone by my own arrogance," Zeorx said with a harsh rasp, "How poetic." As he fell forward and the blade drove the last of his life essence from his body Zeorx last thoughts focused on his people. On one of his people in particular. He concentrated, gathering the last of his energy... not to attack, to foolishly lash out. No, instead he called on an old technique and sent a message. A message only one person in the entire world would hear. "Thiesra," it said, "You are the only one who can save our people now." And then Zeorx died. *** "Why are you crying Thiesra?" "I don't know..." *** "So it is decided?" "I sense disappointment in your voice," the elder said with careful pacing. "Only that I will get no chance to fight the Fumu," the young dark elf said perhaps a bit too quickly. "The deal we made was with the representative of Lord Gai himself," the elder informed the younger elf. "We must not help the humans." "As you command sire," the young elf said and walked off. He wondered briefly if the unease he felt was guilt or apprehension. More than likely the latter he almost convinced himself. He suspected he knew why the Fumu were pushing out of the Rylor Mountains now. As soon as he was out of sight of his people it would be a good idea to make sure that he was not true. The decision had nothing to do with any pity for the humans involved, he would have told someone had they asked. *** Maldor fell with the hilt of a dagger protruding from his chest like some gaudy jewelry. Leandra immediately moved her weaves to cover the arc he left undefended with his death. She refused to feel grief at this time; it would only dilute the power of her magic. She glanced at Jysi out of the corner of her eyes and saw that the other magus was getting close to collapsing as well, but not from wounds. The other mage was forcing too much control onto the magic. Magic was a force of primal emotion and instinct, forcing control and order upon it was a strain that threatened to burn out even the most powerful magus. Leandra pushed those thoughts from her mind and concentrated on the magic itself. It was especially hard to control today for some reason. A shock like liquid electricity roared up from her gut each time she bent the flows of magic into her weaving. Still she wasn't about to let that discomfort stop her now, especially as she had almost finished pushing a hole into the lines of the Fumu. She had never expected the creatures to be smart enough to lay an ambush like they had. She didn't know how they had know that Leandra would chose to move through the gully to conserve the strength of their horses, but they had. Now the demonic beings, humans and animals petrified, liquefied and gaseous in form, had her small party surrounded. Already all but a few of the guards were dead. Those that remained were the best fighters and her most loyal troops. Leandra took a second to curse the Darkchylde elves. If they had just agreed to allow the refugees safe passage she would have never gone on this fools quest. But now was not the time to lay blame. She unleashed a final blast of lightning, obliterating a small knot of Fumu and then she moved to plan B. With a cry she leapt from her saddle and drew the twin blades on her harness. "Forward," she called, "Cut through!" Jysi gave his life to protect her then; a final blast of Frost magic left created a cone of empty space in front of the party but it had been too finely controlled, too tight. The Frost mage fell over, his brain unable to handle the backlash of the annoyed magical energy and the Fumu pounced upon him. Leandra wasn't about to let his sacrifice be in vein. The world became a rush of sound and color as she rushed forward with the last of her honor guard about her. The twin blades darted like viper tongue and dealt swift death to any Fumu foolish enough to approach too close. She couldn't keep up the manic speed forever but it would be enough to escape the pack. And it was. She almost collapsed when she realized that there were no more enemies in front of her. The magic that flowed through her body was like a wild horse that was trying to kick down the walls of her body. It took all her concentration just to remain upright as it raged inside her. In fact, she only noticed that one of her guardians had pulled her to safety on his saddle after a few minutes. Once her head was clear she looked back to see the Fumu closing rapidly on them, a seething horde of flesh corrupted by the dark power of their Fumu hosts. The horses were too tired to escape them and Leandra didn't have enough strength to fire a spark from her fingers, much less destroy them all. She didn't have to. The blast knocked her from the saddle and sent her sailing into the grass almost ten lengths away. Her ears were still ringing a few minutes later when she raised her head to see what had happened. What she saw was a large crater that had been blown into the earth where the Fumu had been. There were no traces of the monsters themselves, aside from the itch she felt that indicated that the main body of the Fumu was still pushing forward. She took a moment to wonder what was happening, who could have done that? Then she had her answer. She had never before seen a Storm Dragon. It was every bit as magnificent as she had imagined it would be. The majestic beast landed with barely a flap of its titanic wings, which was good because Leandra didn't want to know what the wind created by those would be like. So absorbed was she in taking in every detail of the creature before her that she didn't here several people leaping to the ground just behind her. "So we meet again," a very familiar voice said. Leandra started and leapt to her feet, blades at the ready. There, standing with an expression of bemused surprise on his face was the one being she had hoped to never see again. Still, something in her caught at the sight of him. "It appears fate plays tricks with me still. Next I am sure that the gods will decide that my old dog shall meet with me again as well. Every other important being from my past seems to be coming back to haunt me." "Renaku," Leandra said with more calm then she felt. As a storm magus it was an acquired skill to be able to conceal the emotions boiling inside of you. No being caused more mixed emotions than the one who stood before her now. "Why am I not surprised..." she mused to herself. "Who's this Ren-chan," a young woman with simple beauty in her frame and strangely old eyes said from beside him. "Lady Leandra," another voice said softly but in a voice so deep it was almost a rumble of the earth. Leandra turned to see the man who had said it, she recognized him... except for the glowing eyes he looked much the same as she had last seen him. When she had last seen the vampire hunter she had sent him and her most trusted lieutenant out to scout out the situation at the Rylor Mountains. She turned to the final man, but he was not the one that Leandra had hoped he would be. Instead he was a man, with strange tint to his skin and a knowing smile on his lips. "Trevant," she regathered her dignity and looked the man right in the eyes. It was hard; the steely glow was inhuman in more ways then one. "What happened to..." "Dead," Trevant shook his head almost sadly. As if the concept of human grief was less personal now, more abstract. "How?" "The monsters that captured them had no use for him," the young woman spoke up now. "He took his own life rather than letting them usurp his body like they had planned." "I see," Leandra had not been able to keep the catch out of her voice. "What are you doing here Renaku?" she demanded imperiously as soon as she had composed herself. "That," Renaku had an expression on his face that looked foreign to her as he spoke, "Is a very, very long story." "Maybe we can talk while we ride," the other man said and stepped forward. He bowed to Leandra in the way one royal bows to another. "I am King Aiger Nova, we saw your magic from above and decided to help. Perhaps we can offer you a ride away from this place?" He smiled and gestured to the three dragons, which had taken up a vigil not too far away. Leandra's breath almost caught at the sight of them. "Yes," she said finally, "I think it is best we talk as far away from the Fumu as we can." *** "I thought that the prophecy for you was already finished?" "No," Renaku sighed as the dragon set down on the edge of the army. "Apparently what happened on that day I fought the Fumu with you was only part of the prophecy." The two leaped down from the back of the Storm Dragon that Leandra had not quite insisted on riding on. Renaku noted the reaction of the human soldiers as they pulled away from the huge creatures. It was to be expected he supposed. "You should calm down your people," he said to her. "They aren't really my people," she said, "But I'm the defacto leader so I will do it." Leandra wandered off to try and convince the people there that no, these dragons were not here to eat them. Thiesra walked over and stood next to Renaku as he stared up at the rapidly brightening sky. "How are we going to hide your curse from them?" Thiesra asked shortly. "We won't," Renaku shrugged. "They have a right to know what walks among them." "They won't like it." "People seldom do," Renaku replied easily. *** Apparently the people decided that a vampire and a gaggle of dragons living among them was preferable to breaking camp and risking being tired the next night should the Fumu attack. They didn't do anything worse then stare at the tent Leandra provided for her former companion and mutter dark words about how this could only mean trouble. Renaku would not have disagreed with them. He shared the tent with Thiesra, who he had invited in that morning. She had not been reluctant to join him, but still she held something back as he talked to her while he drifted to sleep. "You've changed Ren-chan," she said once. "So have you," he told her back and she had no response to that. When he woke up she was pressed against him and smiling beatifically. He almost didn't want to disturb her. Not just because it was rare to see Thiesra affected to sleep, but because he found the sensation a bit too pleasurable. Suddenly a wave of guilt forced him to his feet and he began to pull on his armor with violent intensity. What had he been thinking? He was a monster. He did not deserve love like this! Or did he? Looking back had he really done all that much to deserve the punishments he had forced upon himself? Renaku clutched his head and hissed between clenched teeth. Everything was so confusing now, he found himself nostalgic for the days when his enemies were torturing him. At least that was easy to understand. Besides, he thought as he forced the ideas from his mind, it wasn't important right now. What did how he saw himself have an impact on anyway? Only destroying the Fumu really mattered. Once he had done that, then he could sort out his tortured emotions. "Evening Ren-chan," Thiesra said as she stepped up behind him. He grunted a greeting and walked out. He never saw the slightly hurt expression on her face and if he did he would have apologized then and there. He was too busy concentrating on nothing but the upcoming conflict to care to look back however. The night was crisp, with a cold wind coming in from the north. He took a look around the camp and noted that Leandra was deep in conversation with Aiger and Trevant. Renaku walked forward and stepped into the light of the fire the three were using to hold council. The three dragons had moved off a short distance, long enough not to spook the horses... but Renaku doubted it was long enough not to overhear. "Vampire," Trevant said in that oddly discomforting new voice of his. "And what should I call you now Trevant?" Renaku asked as he sat with them. "Trevant will do," the man shrugged. "I am no more than human." "No human I know has glowing eyes," Leandra muttered under her breath. Renaku choked it up to the fact that she didn't understand that everyone hear had good enough hearing to pick it up. "So what have you been talking about?" Renaku asked. There was no need to waste time with idle chitchat. The Fumu were coming here and Renaku had to hunt their masters down before it was too late. The humans here were no doubt brave and skilled, but no normal human was a match for the host. "Nothing much," Aiger smiled, "It appears your friend the Storm Mage has more than a passing interest in our friend the Storm Dragon." "Natural curiosity," Leandra said defensively. She looked up as Thiesra walked into the light and sat down across from her. Renaku overlooked the fact that she had placed herself a bit further apart than she usually did. "So Renaku..." Leandra opened slowly, "I hate to ask this but..." "I will deal with the Fumu," Renaku said slowly. "In my own way. By tracking down and destroying their lords." "I see... the Prophecy..." she nodded. "No," Renaku shook his head. "The Prophecy has nothing to do with this decision. I have sworn not to let the Prophecy determine my choices for me. I will act as I would have acted had I never heard of it." "And what if that leads to the Darkness?" Trevant echoed solemnly. "I will not bastardize my morality on the off chance that it might lead to a calamity," Renaku hissed. "Beware vampire," Trevant said with more than a little bemusement in his voice, "It may not be an action, or a choice that leads to the dark end. It may be something as simple as a feeling." "Either tell me the straight truth or forgo the cryptic warnings Trevant," Renaku sighed. "You know the truth Renaku," Trevant thrummed softly, "You simply refuse to see." "I..." "Am about to die!" Renaku leapt to his feet in time to avoid the attack but some others were not as fortunate. Thankfully the cyclone which erupted in their midst was neither strong enough nor lasted long enough to do any real harm except sending the others flying. Renaku spun to face the being he knew would be there. The Fumu Lord of Wind... "We have not settled this vampire," the creature hissed at him and drew it's twin swords. "You will join us or die. There is no other options." "You are a fool to fight me here," Renaku said calmly as he eased the Demonslayer from its sheath. "In the open, with all my friends to help me." "No consequence," the creature roared in mindless rage. "I will..." Then the others struck. Renaku had held its attention long enough for them to regain their bearings. The first thing that happened was a bolt of lightning striking it from above. The next thing was a glowing hammer to knock it aside and the next was the twin strikes of Thiesra and Aiger as they flung it back onto the rocks with their fists. Renaku paused to wonder why the dragons had not interfered as well but gave no more thought to it. Even though Renaku acted as fast as he could he was still not fast enough to catch the creature stunned. Soon it would prove to be too fast for most of them. Caught off guard by the attacks of his companions the first time the creature dodged about, as hard to strike as a leaf in a hurricane. It cackled in glee as the five tried to strike it down again and again with no success. Finally the beast decided that it had had enough fun. The wind that burst out from the monster was stronger than any wind Renaku had ever seen. Renaku had once experienced a Typhoon off the cost of Miranda so that was saying quite a bit. The others found themselves unable to get purchase and so they were tossed away. Renaku stood his ground. Renaku remembered and thought of Earth and stood his ground. So it was that the laughing thing didn't see him, too engrossed in buffeting the others with its might, as he calmly stabbed it in the chest. Renaku didn't wait this time; he concentrated and shoved the sword deeper, willing it to work its lethal magic all the faster. It worked; the thing was dying on the Demonslayer blade in no time. "Very good Renaku," the thing hissed as its body began to loose all semblance of cohesion. "We have underestimated you again." Renaku only starred and allowed the blade to work its magic. "But you can not stop us..." it coughed and most of it's body evaporated into mist, "We have the final key, and we shall unlock the Stone of Forever. Then with its magic we can turn you whether you wish to be turned or..." It never had a chance to finish what it had been saying. Renaku starred as the last of the mist floated harmlessly into the night sky. "Stone of Forever?" Leandra said as she approached. With the death of the Fumu his magic had died as well. "I feared as much," Trevant sighed deeply. "This does not bode well." "What are you talking about?" Renaku asked mechanically. He had a feeling he knew already however. "The Stone of Forever," Thiesra shook her head, "I've heard legends but..." "The Stone of Forever is a magical artifact of unimaginable power," Aiger looked at the dragon and they nodded to him in unison. "It was sealed up thousands of years ago. If the Fumu have the final key they just might be able to unlock it and that would not be good for anyone." "More than likely that is why they are attacking in such numbers," Trevant felt fit to point out. "The human civilizations are between here and the resting place of the Stone. If they wish to secure it for only their use they must eliminate all the humans in the area." "Bastards," Leandra snarled. "If you know where this Stone is, perhaps we should fetch it ourselves to keep them from getting their hands on it?" "What's this we business?" Renaku turned to her. "I've been charged with protecting the human of the inner kingdoms from the Fumu host," she informed him. "If we can move or otherwise nullify this Stone then they will have no reason to come here." "Makes sense," Aiger nodded. "Trevant," Thiesra prompted. Contrary to his word, Trevant then did something no normal human could do. He passed his hand over the earth and it changed... not all of it, just a little. It formed into a series of small mounds and large vales between them. Renaku starred at it a few seconds before he realized what it was. It was a relief map, done in perfect scale, of the whole continent. "Impressive," Renaku muttered. He did not want to know how Trevant did that, even if he had a sneaking suspicion he would learn the answer if he just asked. "It is here," Trevant pointed at a spot on the map, which glowed white for their convenience. Renaku sighed and lowered his head as he recognized the location. "It is only a few days walk from here..." "I know the place," Renaku informed him. "You mean..." Thiesra spoke up. "That place where the Blood Moon Society held you?" "Yes," he nodded. "My past comes back to haunt me again it seems." "Well," Leandra said as her eyes lit up. "It's only a few hours by dragonback..." "We shall not accompany you," a voice so powerful it caused them all to turn in awe spoke. It was Palscore; the majestic dragon stared at all of them in turn. "Our part in this is to hunt down the Fallen One. Aiger and Trevant shall represent our interests in this." "I see," Renaku wasn't that sure he would regret seeing them leave. "Come then," Trevant stood up and waved the relief map back into normal ground. "The cave is a long way from here and the Fumu travel fast. If we wish to arrive before they do then we had best start now." And aside from a brief sidetrip so Leandra could hand over leadership to her lieutenants in her absence, they made no other delays. Five people joined only by a thread that came from a vampire's past walked away into the dark night, and dragons took wing when they were consumed by it. ------------------ Author Afterward: Ah, finished. A little rushed at the end but finished. Of course, as usual I had a lot more ideas to use then I had time or space to use them. This part is short because of certain events at Improfanfic and the fact that I have an exam tomorrow. Oh well, such is life. I apologize if this is a little short again. For inspiration on many of the ideas in this part, look through a bunch of mediocre fantasy novels. The only thing I really didn't like about this part was killing of Zeorx; I liked the little manipulative bastard. But we have enough characters as is and I knew that nothing short of that would remove him. Besides, it fits the plot nicely in my opinion. The next part will be written by Coyote... (man you know you've seen too much anime when you pronounce that Ko-yo-tai and think nothing is wrong with it). I encourage responses in ANY format, and in any forum I can actually read them. Thanks go to Chris McNeil for being a friend, Ben Overmyer for creating VLR and Steve, Coyote and Evans for listening to me ramble about ending this thing. I plan on signing up again before the end so this might not be my last trip round the wheel so I won't say good-bye. Aaron Peori -------------