The Pilgrimage 2

Dominique hadn’t been in this canyon for five minutes and she already felt wrong. Dominique gripped the scimitar that Amare had given her tightly and nervously watched every shadow as she continued to move through the cave. As she turned a corner, Dominique smelled it, blood. She excitedly moved forward hoping for an opportunity to refill her canteen and continue onward, but then she remembered Amare’s warning and it gave Dominique pause.

“Also, should you become thirsty I would advise not trusting anything in the canyon.”

Dominique wondered what she meant as she continued into the canyon drawing ever closer to the scent of blood. Then as the canyon opened, Dominique beheld a massive wellspring of blood which was teeming with vampires. At first none of them noticed her, they were far too busy fighting and clawing at each other trying to gorge on as much blood as they could. Then a child vampire cocked its head as it smelled something new on the air, it smelled Dominique. Before she could react, the tiny vampire charged at Dominique with nigh imperceptible speed and pounced on her.

“This didn’t make any sense, a vampire this small shouldn’t have been this fast or this strong.” Dominique thought to herself as she attempted to fight off the rabid vampire.

As Dominique struggled, she quickly realized a new problem, more and more of the rabid vampires had stopped their feeding frenzy and were quickly becoming aware of her presence. Dominique knew that if she didn’t get out of here soon, she was fucked. As the swarm of rabid vampires began to encircle her Dominque wondered how she would escape, just then a high-pitched shriek tore through the air. The scream was so loud that Dominique felt it in her soul. Clutching the sides of her head, Dominique collapsed to the floor of the canyon writhing in pain. In her haze, Dominique thought she saw Amare. But that didn’t make any sense

“Dominique get up! We must leave! Now while those things are distracted.” Amare shouted

“Amare? But you shouldn’t be here. I watched you leave, you also told me not to trust anything in this canyon.” Dominique said hesitantly

“Hm, maybe you’re right. Either way, you’re not leaving this place alive!” said Amare as her voice deepened and her face distorted

Dominique watched in horror as Amare transformed. Before long the regal vampire that she had known was gone and replaced by an unassuming and bookish man, unassuming that is except for his fangs, and the knife he carried. Before Dominique could appraise him any further, he brandished his knife and rushed at her in a mad glee. He was almost imperceptivity fast and Dominique found her vision blurring, the fact that she was hungry was quickly becoming a detriment to Dominique but she knew she needed to defend herself or die.

“Who the hell are you?” Dominique asked clumsily dodging his attacks.

“All you need to know is that I’m an artist and you, my dear, are my canvas!” he said rushing her again.

Dominique was lucky, he was so lost in his insanity he didn’t notice what she was doing. As she dodged his attacks, dominique slowly made her way back to the scimitar that she discarded when the child vampire had initially attacked her. In a flash Dominique got ahold of the scimitar and parried the stranger’s attack. The impact sent both vampires careening away from one another. Dominique crashed into a canyon wall hard. Her vision swam and the wind had been knocked out of her. She tried to gather herself but she was so thirsty it was difficult. Before she knew what was happening, the stranger was back on the attack. Dominique had tried to defend herself but the stranger was too fast and had begun relentlessly stabbing Dominique. He then took the knife and slit Dominique’s throat. The stranger dropped her unceremoniously and retreated further into the canyon.

Without access to blood soon, Dominique knew that these wounds would likely kill her. As she blacked out her thoughts were on Akanke, maybe she would finally be able to see her again. Maybe she would finally be able to rest.  Dominique closed her eyes and let the darkness take her.

Elizabeth quickly realized that she needed to hurry, she had been watching that Dominique woman since she murdered that man in California, she showed tremendous potential. But even now Elizabeth could feel that without an intervention soon, Dominique would likely die.  Elizabeth hefted her axe and sprinted for the canyon. Out of the corner of her eye Elizabeth saw the sandstorm of time approaching her, but it looked different, in fact now that she thought about it the entire desert felt wrong. As the storm grew closer Elizabeth saw why it was so odd looking, it was because it was a swarm of vampires. Elizabeth flexed her muscles and prepared for a fight.

Under normal circumstances, Elizabeth hated killing other vampires. But these vampires were lost. They had become blood crazed long ago and at this point killing them would be a mercy. Readying her axe, Elizabeth met the swarm head on. The vampires were enhanced by the blood from the canyon but against Elizabeth they stood no chance. She decimated the horde with minimal effort, the only time Elizabeth paused her slaughter, was when she spotted the child vampire.

It pained Elizabeth to see her this way, centuries ago that child’s name had been Alessia, and she had been Elizabeth’s chief strategist. Alessia had been a brilliant vampire imperceptibly wise, but the fact that such a brilliant mind was trapped in the body of a child, wore heavily on Alessia. Then one day she left to start The Pilgrimage, and until today it was the last time Elizabeth had ever seen her. As opposed to the wonton butchery Elizabeth gave to the rest of these damned souls, she decided to give Alessia a warrior’s death.  Alessia ran at Elizabeth with her claws and fangs bared, she struck at Elizabeth with attacks full of the rage of centuries of lost potential, Elizabeth felt the tears burn her eyes as she brandished her axe and beheaded one of her oldest friends. Elizabeth knelt and cradled Alessia’s head, then the old warrior wept for not just the loss of her friend but for all the vampires she had just destroyed, and for the vampires that she would likely still have to fight and kill in the coming days.

Amare paced around the throne room nervously. She shouldn’t have been on edge this way but something was wrong and Lord Amar-Sin could feel it as he writhed on his throne

“He comes! The Angel of Pleasure!” Amar-Sin suddenly shouted

“Who is this Angel of Pleasure milord?” Amare asked

Almost as if to answer her, there suddenly came a loud crash from the outer sanctum. Upon hearing it Amare found herself gripped with an ugly sense of foreboding. She motioned to her fellow soldiers and they began preparing to hide Amar-Sin.

“Now, now, now, I’ve come a long way to see our dear Amar-Sin I’d find it rude if I didn’t get an audience.” Said a seductive voice

Amare looked up to see where the voice came from. There floating in the air was a vampire clad in ancient gladiator garb. He carried a golden spear and had two beautiful wings carried him aloft. In fact, this man might have been one of the most beautiful creatures Amare had ever seen, had he not been slick with the blood of her comrades.

“Hm, you must be this Angel of pleasure I’ve heard about. Well, I’ll tell you this much, you’ll get no closer to Amar-Sin!” said Amare taking up a combat stance.

“Oh please, how will you stop me from getting to that old fart? You’ll be far too busy dealing with my friends… and yours.” Said the Angel

Amare wondered what he meant, but then she saw them, a horde of rabid vampires from the canyon being led by the fallen outer guards. Amare had known some of those vampires for uncountable centuries, and she refused to let them suffer this way. She rallied the throne room guard to her side, and they rushed headlong into the fray unsure if any of them would survive. The last thing Amare thought as she engaged was that if she was to die it would have been a good death.

Elizabeth made it to the mouth of the canyon, she had an odd sense of déjà vu as she walked inside even though in reality it had been at least two centuries since she was last here. The canyon was oddly quiet as most of the rabid vampires had left. It was an odd behavior, there was clearly something foul at work but Elizabeth didn’t have all the answers yet. Perhaps she would think on it more, after she found Dominique. As the cave opened into the first blood wellspring, she found Dominique, to say she looked terrible was a gross understatement. Elizabeth was prepared to give Dominique some of her blood but then, she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye.

“Ah, ah, ah, she’s mine to play with. I’ll need you to get away from her.” Said a voice from the other side of the chamber

“I don’t know who you are. I don’t much care either. But I’d suggest that you leave. I don’t have time to waste on you.” Said Elizabeth plainly

“You’re as disrespectful as my wife, it looks like I’ll need to correct you just like I did her!” the stranger said rushing at Elizabeth

He was so slow Elizabeth wondered how Dominique could have possibly lost to him. Elizabeth quickly grabbed the man and brutally broke his back, then casually tossed him across the room.

“Pathetic.” Elizabeth said before returning to Dominique

Working quickly, Elizabeth opened her wrist and bled into Dominique’s mouth. Her blood worked quickly as she watched Dominique’s wounds began to close themselves, then as she gained more of her facilities Dominique latched onto Elizabeth’s wrist and greedily drank. Elizabeth let her drink; Dominique would need all her strength in order to face what was yet to come.

“What the hell? Who are you?” Dominique sputtered

“Good, You’re awake. Look, we don’t have time for that now, we have to hurry and get through this canyon, which should be considerably easier now that most of the mindless ones are gone.” Elizabeth said quickly leaving the room

“Hold up, can you wait a damn minute?” said Dominique running after her

“You’ll get all of your answers, but you’ll need to keep up.” Elizabeth said breaking into a sprint

“Goddamn it, I should have stayed in Dubai.” Dominique said before running to catch up to her mysterious savior.