Page 3

Kain tried looking his opponent in the face and faltered, he was rather terrified.

The shadowy figure in blue garbs, in appearance was a man, a tall man, he had a deep nasty yet appealing scar on his left brow, his face was ghastly white, as pale as a powdered corpse, he had thee facial features of a very handsome man, were it not for the paleness of his skin, Kain felt that there would be no other man in the whole of the continent Vore'bok who could match his comeliness. The smile on his pale face was frightening though, he had an unkempt set of teeth, they were as jagged as a broken saw and as yellow as peach gone stale, repulsive yet bewitching.

"We know you, but..." the Blue Garb said in a whisper, confidently, seductively, swaying in his garb felinely. "do you know us?"

The Blue Garb with his towering physique, advanced menacingly, leisurely, step after step, enjoying every shudder that escaped Kain's body.

Kain was still under the strong influence of the Curse of the blood circle.

He backed up in fear, the same fear that he dared not show on his face.

" I know you not, neither do I want to see reason why I should, but one thing I do know is this, by the aid of Thieris, I shall smite you and your fiendish company before daybreak," Kain said charging towards The Blue Garb, he swung his blade down again, with as much strength and will as he could muster, to the best of his memory.

'Peng!' The strike was easily deflected once again, in fact, at the speed with which the strike was deflected, Kain could not make out the direction from where the counter came. Kain did not even know when his strike was deflected. He felt a numbing pain coursing through his arms.

The Blue Garb started pacing around Kain leisurely.

"Daybreak? You don't know for sure if ever again you'll be permitted by fate to see the face of the sun." The Blue Garb drew his scythe, its blade reflected in the moonlight.

he raised his scythe slightly and in the next instant, at a speed invisible to the mortal man's eyes, the scythe descended on Kain. Before Kain could react, there was already a tear in his robe close to his chest.

Bewilderment was written across Kain's face, he understood what happened, what he could not understand though was how it happened, realizing what he was up against, Kain forced himself to regain composure and balance his stance, the tension was increasing, he was even panting audibly now. He held his sword upright even though his confidence wavered.

The Blue Garb continued in his leisurely stride, hands and scythe placed leisurely at his back.

" You see? fate controls everything and in this case, I control you, I decide if you live or die,"

His face took a serious tone all of a sudden, his voice taking a high pitch, almost as if he was a woman letting out a shrill cry, he shouted, "I am your fate!" Unexpectedly he brandished his scythe, and a ripping sound ensued.

"Aargh!" Kain grunted. The Blue Garb's scythe caught him on the chest leaving a gash exactly where the robe was torn previously. Funny enough still, he did not see it coming or going, it all happened in an instant.

Kain was starting to feel frightened, he felt the prevalence of hopelessness in his mind, above all he felt extreme mental fatigue such that he was feeling dizzy. The effects of the curse only served to heighten the punishment and vice versa. He lunged at his foe nonetheless but missed, a blind attack it was, he wobbled and fell.

'RIPP!' It was the sound of the scythe landing again, this time on Kain's back. Kain gritted his teeth, he felt anger, frustration.

" You don't know me and don't want to know?" The Blue Garb paused placing a finger on his lips musingly as if it was not he who had attacked Kain.

" By fate, your life has been served to me on a platter to do with as I please, don't you think you should reconsider?" he chuckled lightly.

"By Thieris, I... shall smite y, you." Kain proclaimed, or so it seemed to him, to the Blue Garb it was a little more than a baseless assurance, a stammered proclamation, an annoying one at that.

The Blue Garb contorted his face in anger upon hearing the name of the goddess of Hope and Honour. In retrospect, Kain did feel the Blue Garb's shudder each time he professed the name of his goddess. He must hate the idea of hope and honor.

"By Thieris? Where is your goddess?" The Blue Garb stomped in rage making fear override Kain. "Eh? Where is she now that you need her?" he said to Kain, a hint of pity and a lot of disdain in his voice.

"Let me see your goddess save you now," he said meanwhile sending a playful yet vicious kick to Kain's temple. The Blue Garb then brought down his scythe, sinking it into the back of Kain's hand, pinning Kain to the floor, making him wail loudly.

" I hate fools like you, fools who think that higher beings would come to the aid of that one person who believes in them, who maintains their principles." The Blue Garb in his tall frame knelt with one knee close to Kain's head.

" I am Bresili, your fate, you have to understand this," he paused then cocked his head musingly.

" what's your name poon?" he demanded from Kain but Kain would not have it, Kain instead spat a mixture of blood, tooth and phlegm on Bresili's face.

"No matter." Bresili shrugged nonchalantly, wiping his face clean.

"It is decided then? Poon I shall call you." Bresili concentrated on Kain once more.

"Now Poon, let me make something known to you, the gods are the ones who need us,"

Bresili nodded in affirmation to his own words " they need us to serve them, to worship them, to carry their faith across the streets. They use poons like you to empower themselves, hah!" Bresili said in derision.

"Hope begets life," Kain countered, this was what he was taught in the chancel.

"They give you hope so that you are steadfast in their worship, then they abandon you if they cease to see any use for you," Bresili spat on the floorr, in spite of what he said.

"Poon, your fate wants to show you something."

Bresili pulled his weapon off Kain's hand and stood up, shadow looming over Kain. Kain had started fearing for his life, he clenched his teeth resolutely, " Thieris will not abandon one of her own" he said defiantly.

As a result, Bresili got angry and with his scythe, struck Kain's head, intending to end him.

Kain was not harmed though, the scythe hit something and rebounded, a kind of barrier, a visible barrier that covered Kain, that protected Kain.

Bresili appeared to be taken aback, he carefully studied Kain's face, to see Kain feeling triumphant and assured, Kain was almost smiling.

"Alas. A miracle, it is nothing short of a miracle, help sent from Thieris herself, what else could it be?" Bresili wept sarcastically, he struck at Kain again despite the barrier, this time though the scythe went into the barrier and slashed into Kain's hands, In the next instant Bresili retracted his weapon plucking two fingers of its tip, Kains fingers.

Kain roared.

"There is no faith Poon, if it is not in oneself" Bresili mocked amidst Kain's noisy cries.

"Your goddess does not decide your fate, there are only two who can, I am the second permitted by the first," he said cleaning his blade on Kain's robe.

Bresili sat on Kain's back then he started to sob even feigning tears.

"Poon, do not cry, it will be all better! even if your goddess cannot save you, she should be able to give you bodily comfort, at least she should be able to do that much right? with all the curves hidden beneath her dress, I even envy you, I wish I had a goddess like yours, I'd be willing to lose even my toes just to tast..." Bresili's voice was drowned out by Kain's cries. Bresili was enjoying himself, consoling Kain derisively while time passed.

When Kain had finally stopped yelling, Bresili stood up, dusted his buttocks, and continued.

" Since you cling to hope so much, your fate will teach you hopelessness. I won't take your life from you today,instead I'll take them from you. Your wife and daughter, we know where you are hiding them and show you that not you neither your goddess can do anything about it." Bresili muttered something raising his index finger, the black clouds covered him, then he evaporated into the night sky, leaving Kain all for hopelessness.