Time Traveler HOVA Meets the Vampire Nicholai Cage: Tides of War

Time Traveler HOVA: Tides of War - VI

"Are you ready to die tonight?"

His eyes were steel, he didn't see me.  He didn't see anything but death.  I know that look.

"Huh," I returned in kind.  Czage's eyes finally locked onto something in the room.  He moved over to a a large bowl in the corner of the chamber I couldn't see before.  It was a baptistry, full of holy water I had to assume: Nikolai didn't come near it.

"Throw as much water on you as you can handle."  He walked over to another dark corner of the multi-cornered room and came back with a vial, "Hold this."  I staggered as I could, each step carried with it the slightest bit of air on my torn leg, a fire.  I put the holy water all over me, the fire burned more as the cool water ran over my wounds.  When I turned he had both arms outstretched, one carried a massive sword, the other a shield.  As I went to grab both, he nodded to the vial, "Drink that first."

I didn't even think, I just wanted to get out of this place.  I drank what was in the orange glassed vial, it smelled of flowers, but tasted like hell.  He still kept his distance as he handed me the sword and shield.  "Follow me."

We walked down the stone stairwell - it wove around what I had to assume was an interior turret.  Torches helped keep the way.  I tried to put steel on me, I shook myself just to find the energy to walk.  I needed more if Czage was expecting a fight.  He put his hand out to stop our movement.  "Any moment."

I could hear commotion from all around us.  Czage set something up and the world was going to shit.  I felt the stones beneath our feet move before I heard the explosion.  They were close enough, but whatever went boom shook the entire foundation of the mountain the castle was on.  "Now we go."

As we continued down the stairwell, and a few hallways, the light and motion came entirely from a door opposite us.  From there I saw light, the light of fire.  Shadows leapt across it.  Commotion was the plan.  I could see grey cast of early morning light through the heavy curtains to my left.  Now would be a very bad time for vampires.  I had only an equal advantage if they were weak with the new day.  We continued on.

I didn't noticed, until we crossed the hall, that I hadn't felt my wound.  A strength built up in my shoulders first, then carried its way to my chest.  It eventually warmed my body.  The vial's contents made me feel like I could lift this castle and bring it down hard.  But, my mind knew that whatever was going to build me up was going to make me fall.  Time wasn't going to be on our side.

Nikolai moved to the door and looked at me, "Kill many, but work our way to the door.  If we can get outside in the next few moments, we may live."  He meant it.  The explosions were timed.  I nodded my head to give the go ahead.

The door opened but Czage was already ten steps ahead of me, a blur.  He pulled one vampire's head clean off and already on another before I could even reach three paces.  A flash of shadow next to me, contrasted in the fire, to my right had me flip up my shield and thrust the sword forward - I didn't even need to see, I was moving nearly as fast as the vampires.  The sword found the chest of one.  I cut from there, bringing my left arm out as hard as I could.  The blade didn't stay, but it did open up the man as he fell to the ground.  His mouth was opening and closing as he tried to speak.

I swung my head around as I continued to press forward.  This was the main dining hall.  It ran like a rectangular courtyard - with high ceilings, a second floor ran along both sides where the guards streamed from.  Scores of human trophies, heads mostly, stared out at the spectacle, intermingled with flaming pennents that were afire.  The door was beyond that, with Czage nearly there.

Two vampires leapt from two diffrent directions.  I bent to my knees and swung both the sword and the shield to curb their movement.  One landed closer than the other and tried to swipe at me with bladed fingers, I was able to move back, but the other attempted to trip me with a leg sweep.  I was able to barely jump in time and swung the blade hard right.  It cut the face, enough to blind him and open it up like a clam.

The other punched hard on my left shoulder, but I refused to give up the sword.  I used the momentum to swing around and thrust the sword into his pelvis.  It hit bone and glanced down, opening up the inner thigh.  Black ooze leaked out, and it was enough to have this one stumble to the ground.  I jumped back out of reach of his clasping hands and toward the door again.  Nikolai was calmly staring past me.  He held up a crossbow and fired.  Two arrows breezed past both sides of my face.  There were more behind me.  I ran as hard as I could go, the gap of flesh in my thigh ripping as I stressed it.

I sped through the open door and out into the cool air of morning.  I turned with my shield up and sword pointed along the top, ready for an easily defensible thrust.  The King, Uros, walked calmly toward us.  He walked in the finery of his class: heavy embroidered robes of green and red.  An iron crown sat on his head.  He held no weapons.  He had no more guards at the ready.  Nikolai whispered to me, "Slowly walk down the path there.  Be at the ready to move.  The villagers are loyal to the King and will be here shortly."

"You destroy your own family, Nikolai?  You will pay for this disgrace for all your days."  Uros sneered as he confidently walked toward us.

Czage let him out of the castle, but circled defensively.  He growled back at his master, "You only know excess King.  You have used this to corrupt your mind and poison your world.  We are better than this, but you would not listen to me."

"I will lock you in the deepest, most unaccessible crypt in the kingdom, where you will be an example for anyone else that believes we are not the highest order on Earth.  God told me this.  Do you believe I have the strength to do this?"

"Go meet him then!"  Czage leapt as Uros did the same.  It was a draw at first; they circled each other again.  Uros was the next to attack, two blades came from arm bands and he was able to cut Nic in the side.  Czage was able to push him off and punch Uros' wrist as hard as he could, paralyzing it temporarily.  The King let out a hiss.  The younger was able to quickly follow it with a series of punches to the King's face.

I looked beyond them at the keep.  Black smoke came out of two large holes in the side.  I had made my way down, slowly, to the large road that led from the valley to the interior walls.  The elixir I drank was wearing down.  I staggered back, keeping my eyes on Czage and wondered what he was doing.  He couldn't beat his master, it was wasting time - we'd have a better chance to get away from the guards that would be on the way soon.  I looked over the side of the road and saw the gulley at the base, but, from this point, it was a rushing river.

Czage put two blows to the King's ribs.  Uros had found his bearing.  He was in the position to slap Czage's face with both hands, the blade cutting at him as they left his face.  Nikolai staggered back, his body heavily moving toward the gates.  He slowly, too slowly, put his arms up in a defensive stance.  Uros came toward him, slowly as well.  "How poorly you fight, Nikolai.  All of this can be repaired, but you will not be able to.  Wait until your broth..."

The blast was unlike any other.  And I have seen some shit.  It cracked the air, like the sound of a million bullwhips pulling at the same time.  I only saw light and the castle cracking apart.  A piece of stone cut my cheek open, it landing inside my mouth, clanging against a tooth.  Uros' robes were lost instantly in the rush of smoke and debris.  I fell backwards, off the road and off the cliff.  My ears had blown.  My face and exposed skin felt like molten steel brushed along it.  

I fell.  I saw the shadow of Czage somewhere in all of this.  There was the rock of the cliffs.   There was the trees and sky.  The shadow of Czage and the rush of frozen water shocked me.