64 A Paladin's Pride

Michael suppressed a groan as he hefted himself off his one knee. "And who are you to make such cliché demands?"

No one wasted a moment as Michael questioned the new arrival, they all consumed the last of their potions and prepared their weary bodies for battle. Not seeming to take offense, the sharply dressed man turned his attention to the holy paladin. He took a few silent steps toward him; it was almost as if his feet were not touching the ground. Kiara held her breath as she noticed that the man's shadow distorted slightly as he moved.

"Who I am is not important." The man started. "The only thing that matters is if you wish to survive the night."

He punctuated his statement with a thunderous stomp, driving his heel into the ground. The ground shook and heaved with the impact and the soil directly under the man distorted, turning a muddy red. That was the second friend they had all lost that night, crushed like a bug under the man's polished shoes. Kiara was old enough to be able to control her emotions, but others in her group did not have the same level of discipline.

Siena dashed towards the man brandishing her rapier. He stood still, allowing the armed woman to close the distance. Now on top of her foe, Siena suddenly fainted to the left before dropping down to the ground and swinging her sword upwards toward his groin. It might not have been the most honorable attacks one could make, but honor only mattered to those who were alive, anything went when in a battle to the death.

Her sword sliced the air, but that's all it cut with its sharp edge. The man that was standing so close to her had vanished, instantly popping out of existence. Siena had no idea where he had gone, she hadn't even closed her eyes, keeping them trained on the man the entire time. He was just gone, there one second and not the next. She cautiously scanned the area around her, noticing that everyone else was doing the same.

She faced their leader, Carver. He stood there with weapon in hand before he looked back at her and just shrugged his shoulders. He hadn't seen a thing either, he had heard of teleportation magic from Trevor, but of course had never seen it used before. He could only assume that maybe they were dealing with a mage, a very large and muscular mage.

"Let's go while we... SIENA WATCH OUT!" Carver screamed out as he saw the man materialize directly behind her.

Before she could react, the man's large hand wrapped around her slender neck. Her feet were lifted off of the ground, she swung her rapier with a back handed swing, but it was stopped with the man's other hand. Kicking her feet, Siena continued to struggle, trying desperately to break free.

"She seems to have made her choice." The man said, his voice dropping several octaves. His eyes flashed a crimson light as he opened his mouth wide. The two members of the Church of the Dawn, along with the remaining members of the golden ranked adventuring company, Heaven's fist, watched as the man's perfect teeth elongated into a mess of ivory barbs. As his jaw unhinged, stretching far past what even a snake could accomplish, his cheeks tore in jagged lines in order to accommodate the motion.

Snapping his head forward, the man turned monster, plunged his hypodermic fangs into the squirming Siena. The monster's teeth easily penetrated the leather armor protecting her shoulder, finding the hot blood rushing just underneath her smooth skin. Siena let out a pained scream as her blood was forcefully pulled from her body. Not a drop was spilled, every bit of her life sustaining fluid was consumed by the beast latched onto her.

Her skin stretched and turned ashen white, her eyes and cheeks sunk into her skull as her body quickly withered. It only took a few quick seconds for the beast to drain the woman dry. He let go of her, allowing her corpse to fall limply to the ground below. Rolling his shoulders, the monster clinched his fists, and his teeth and torn face returned to normal. Thick veins bulged all over his body, pulsating in a rhythm not matching any heartbeat.

"Tell me this." The monster growled, his voice sounding anything but human. "Does she speak for all of you?"

A vampire, Carver was staring into the eyes of a vampire, a paragon of evil. Even being ranked highly at gold, he and his company had never faced such a creature before. They were only found prowling deep within the most dangerous dungeons, requiring at least a full company of ten gold ranked adventurers to handle. If properly prepared, he thought that maybe, just maybe, there was a chance his group could handle one; now though, that would be impossible.

"Look Kain, a walking talking leech!" Michael blurted out insults. "I've killed several of your kind before, although to see one actually speak instead of crawling around on all fours like a wild animal is slightly concerning. You must have fed quite a bit to overcome the blood madness. I will make sure to avenge those that have fallen to your evil clutches."

As he stated his intentions, Michael clutched the glowing amulet with his gloved hand. Crushing it within his palm, his body was instantly enveloped within a column of holy light. He let out a bestial roar as his body swelled and his bones hardened. His now tarnished armor strained to contain his added mass as it groaned in protest. The vampire shielded his eyes from the holy light, finding it slightly uncomfortable to stand so close to it.

Michael had used his one and only trump card, Holy Bestowment. It was a one-use enchanted item, holding within itself the most powerful body enhancement magic that the Church could produce. Usually, the paladin that had to use it would not have to worry about death, but Michael had already been past the breaking point, so the aftereffects of this item could very well kill him. Even with this knowledge, he knew that it would take everything he had to even have a chance of defeating a recently fed vampire.

"Kain... more!" Michael bellowed from within the radiant column of light.

"No! You'll surely die!"

"Just do it damnit!"

Biting his lip, Kain reluctantly conceded with his friend's request. He began to chant his spell, adding his own light to the column caressing Michael's body. With the stacking spells, Michaels body expanded just a little more, the seams of his armor finally failing due to the pressure. Large plates of steel fell from his body, his now exposed muscles rippling under his hardened flesh.

Allowing all of this to happen, Theodore was deeply intrigued. Before he had become a Noble Vampire, he was a human, just like those standing in front of him. There was very little that he retained from his humanity, not even his memories were safe, but one trait from his previous self that withstood his metamorphosis was the thirst for battle.

He wanted to fight, he craved bloodshed. Just the possibility of facing an opponent that could threaten his life excited him to no end. His blood began to boil, his teeth involuntarily elongated, easily visible through the wide grin spreading across his face. At the peak of his anticipation, the holy light subsided and left Michael standing bare-chested, gripping his morning start.

With no warning, Michael pushed off of the ground, sending out clods of hard dirt along with a thunderous boom. Meeting him head on, Theodore clawed out with an outstretched hand while deftly escaping Michael's diagonal strike. Not to be defeated so quickly, Michael swiftly turned his unwieldy frame, turning the fatal rending of his flesh into nothing more than a light graze.

They continued to trade blows at a pace much too fast for the human eye to follow. Carver stood with his mouth agape, completely in awe at the spectacle unfolding before him. A flash of light would burst from a blur of movement, a fraction of a second later a jarring explosion would shake the ground while the naked trees trembled. Kain was standing behind him continuously chanting spells, he was on the verge of collapse and only the desire to support his friend in the fight against evil kept him standing.

Kiara stood off to the side, still gingerly holding William's head. Her eyes were overflowing with mana, following each and every movement of the two monsters battling to the death only a short distance away. This was her magic, passed down through the generations of her family. The ability to enhance your vision and to see what others could not, and at this moment, she wished she could close them.

To everyone else the battle looked to be a stalemate, but she knew the truth. She could clearly see Michael's body becoming bloody and battered with every strike from the vampire's long claws. Shallow wounds were adding up and sapping away his boosted strength. She saw the maniacal grin on the vampire's distorted face grow wider as Michael pushed himself further and further beyond his limits.

Tripping over a swell that suddenly appeared on the ground, the vampire lost his footing. Pouncing on the opportunity, Michael landed a solid blow to the vampire's chest, sending him careening into the tree line. Several dead trees exploded into shrapnel with the impact, dried chunks of wood showering them like heavy summer rain.

Everyone was shocked by the sudden development, gawking at the devastation wrought by the strike. Michael took deep, slow breaths as he bathed in the light given off by the rotating stone. It wouldn't be long before the magic drained from the object, so he was relieved to have ended it before it had. Given a chance to breathe, Kain switched from boosting his friend's body to healing it. The hundreds of wounds dotting Michael's body began to slowly close, stemming the constant trickle of blood.

Carver took this chance to speak. "Let's get out of here. Even if Michael defeated the vampire there could be more, or even something worse lurking in these gods' forsaken woods."

Both Hank and Tim rushed over to support Michael as he had started to lose the strength that was temporarily granted to him. He used the two men as support as he staggered his way back to the group. Without warning, Trevor's chest exploded outwards in a ghastly fountain of blood, bone, and organs. Sprouting from his chest, where his sternum should have been, was a large, muscled arm grasping onto a still beating heart.

"Interference will NOT be tolerated." Theodore said as he let Trevor's twitching corpse slide off his arm and crumple to the ground.

Not a single injury could be found on his body. His finely handcrafted silk suit was completely ruined, but no other sign of battle could be seen adorning his massive frame. Theodore took a large step over the body in front of him, drawing closer to the paladin being supported by the two men. He completely ignored the others as he walked by.

Driven off by overwhelming fear, Hank and Tim backed away, leaving Michael to stand alone before the vampire. Having no strength in his body to speak of, his body weight alone forced him to his knees. He used the last bit of fighting spirit he had to defiantly look up at his encroaching death.

"I should end your life here and now, but you have piqued my interest. I will give you one final chance to submit, to serve my master." Theodore offered.

"I will never bow to anyone but Thesan, Goddess of the Dawn! I will never forsake my God."

A deep chortle resonated from Theodore's chest; it was as if he had been told the most humorous of jokes. "Forsake your God? But she has forsaken you, all of you!" He turned to face the others; his arms spread wide before turning back toward Michael. "All of the so-called gods have turned their backs on this world. How can you worship a god that allows so much pain and suffering to ensue without respite? A god that allows her children to drown in their own blood, spilled by their very own kind?"

"The g... gift of eternal l... life comes with tribulations that... that all must overcome." Michael rebutted.

"You call them tribulations? Challenges put forth by a supreme being. For what end? So that you may bask in their glory for all eternity? Have you ever questioned the purpose, the reason for your suffering, the bloodshed? Have you ever wondered why children starved to death, only to be dumped into mass graves and set alight? Why husbands beat their wives for no better reason than because they were bored? Why humans, who's only difference are where they live and the gods they worship, hold no qualms when they slaughter each other; even having the gall to call it 'their gods' will'?"

Michael remained still, gritting his teeth as he stared into the vampire's eyes.

"What? Nothing? There's not an inkling of an idea bouncing around inside that empty head of yours? It's truly not a difficult concept to grasp once you put some thought into it; it's entertainment. That's it, hundreds of millions of lives all scurrying around, fighting desperately amongst themselves all for the entertainment of a few immortal beings. Why serve them any longer? Why dirty your knees groveling for the attention of a being that would rather let infants be skewered on pikes, than to be bothered to use a fraction of their infinite power to put an end to your suffering?"

Nothing but determination shone in Michael's eyes as the words from the fallen soul washed over him. "Go to Hell!"

Theodore sighed; his patience had run out. "Since you are so eager to meet this god of yours, I will accelerate the process."

With those words, Theodore placed his hand over the top of Michael's head and squeezed. The same moment that brain matter spattered the ground, so too did the others' weapons. Even Kain, the stalwart holy mage, once respected for his power and wisdom within the Holy Church, had lost the will and desire to fight against this evil.

The fear of death was strong within the living, even promises of eternal glory was not enough to make most people willing to throw their lives away. Without saying another word, Theodore walked a few steps in the direction he had come. He stopped without turning around, only continuing on when he heard the hesitant footsteps following behind him.

Before disappearing into the swirling mist, Kiara turned to gaze upon the battlefield that had changed her life forever, gently running her slender fingers through William's long hair.