London England 1551
Wayfarers Inn
.....Charles was not about to allow his sister to stay away in whatever sort of love nest Gordon was keeping her in. He was more than well aware of the fact that his father would kill him if he had allowed any harm to come to his sister while they were away and he was not about to let them down. There was also the matter of placement, Alasha was just a girl and she needed to learn that fact and accept her lot in life, the lot of a woman, barefoot and pregnant.
.....Charles knew of a pub not far from Gordon's place where he had seen the two of them hanging out before. It was a long shot, but he had already verified that they were not at Gordon's house. He had broken into Gordon's house and he was glad that he had once he discovered just how deranged Gordon really was. The man believed in vampires and demons and his writings spoke of a Slayer. Charles was certain that Gordon somehow visualized himself as some sort of vampire slayer and if he somehow though that Alasha were a vampire, she was in danger.
....."Hey look, it's a rich boy," bellowed out one of the drunken patrons. "Hey pretty boy, why don't you come over here and service me," shouted another to the sound of drunken laughter. Charles simply tried to ignore the lower class swine that frequented the pub and continued looking for Alasha.
....."Oh, he is snubbing us," said a burly man who stepped in front of Charles to block his path. "So, I suppose that you think you are better than any of us?"
....."Well actually, yes I am better than you, now get out of my way," said Charles regretting it the moment he saw the hatred register on the man's face, an expression that mirrored the one on the majority of the other patrons. "I mean, um…," he said and was cut off as the man grabbed him by the throat and dragged him towards the entrance.
....."I am going to teach you some manners boy," said the man as he carried Charles out of the door into the darkness of the night. No one followed them as Crusher was feared and when he decided to take someone outside, they had enough respect and fear to leave things alone.
.....Crusher threw Charles heavily into the side of the Inn while he began to loosen his pants, as he was about to teach this boy a lesson he would never forget. Charles leapt back to his feet drawing his sword and rushed at Crusher who just knocked the sword out of Charles hands and threw the boy against the wall again this time with enough force to knock all of the resistance out of Charles.
.....Anya so loved to see a man brought to his knees and humbled, as men should be. However, Crusher would not stop at simply humiliating Charles, he would kill the boy and she could not allow that. Charles was crucial to her plan, as he was the instrument of Alasha's anger. Sure she could let him die, as he deserves it, however, she was certain that if Alasha were to get 'The Wish,' it would turn out to be very interesting indeed.
.....Anya walked up behind Crusher letting her human features fade and become replaced by her true demonic face. The face of a creature that was over 700 years old and looked it with the burn like impressions that crisscrossed the whitish raised flesh. She knew that just the sight of her could send Crusher fleeing from her in panic and fear. However, she wanted more, she wanted to kill him as he was deserving of it.
.....She tapped him lightly on the shoulder and he spun in anger to see who would dare interrupt him. His anger fell from his face and was first replaced with surprise and then very quickly with a look of fear. He tried to scream out, but Anya lashed out immediately and grasped his head and then a simple twist, a loud cracking sound followed by a thud as his body hit the ground and he was dead.
.....By the time Charles came to his senses, he saw Crusher lying dead on the ground and he thought he saw a woman disappearing into the fog. He didn't care as he hurt all over and he had come close to dying, he was sure of it and it was Alasha's fault. She was going to wish she never disobeyed him when he was through destroying her life. Maybe if he terrorized her, he would then feel himself again and not he coward that cowered away in the dark that night.
Dundee, Scotland 1551
.....Silvae pulled herself to her feet a little shaken up by the force Demos had used to push her into the nearby shrubs. This guy was very powerful, she could only hope that Alasha was going to find a way to defeat him and Europa too. However, when she looked back to the battle she could not believe her eyes, Demos, he was about to bite Alasha and there was nothing she could do to save her friend.
.....Gordon managed to stand on his own free accord and was grateful that Europa had saved him as he surely would have been killed if he would have hit the rocks and he owed his life to Europa, a vampire. Not just any vampire but the one he had kissed a kiss that he had enjoyed very much. He was certain that Europa saved him only so that she could turn him into a vampire in some twisted sense of love. However, that was the least of his problems as Demos was about to bite Alasha and then it would be too late. He was not strong enough to stop Demos, it was too late, and they had lost.
.....Europa watched as Demos' teeth moved ever so close to Alasha's neck and she began to feel a hatred for Demos. They had never agreed on making Alasha into a vampire and it seemed that she did not want that. She did not want to see another like her, it was not a matter of jealousy, though in a way she supposed it were. However, she knew that this would kill Gordon, he would never love her if she let Demos turn Alasha into the undead. But why did that mean so much to her? She knew the answer to that and she didn't want to admit it, however, she was falling in love with Gordon and as such she had to act.
.....She grabbed Gordon to her and reached into his cloak looking for what she knew had to be there. Sure Demos had knocked a cross from his hands already, but Gordon was a Watcher and she was certain that he had another and she was right as she grasped something that started burning her fingers. Despite the pain, she grasped the cross tightly and pulled it out of Gordon's cloak while he stared at her with wonderment on his face. She winked back at him before beginning her attack on Demos.
.....Alasha tried to center her thoughts as she felt his breath on her neck. If she didn't act now, it was going to be too late, she would join the ranks of the undead that she had fought so hard to defeat. She had to do something, but he had her head in an iron grip and her muscles seemed not to want to respond to her commands. She tried to will her legs to lash up in a kick to hopefully free her from his grip, but they didn't work. She felt his teeth touch her bare skin, there was but an instant left before it would be too late. She waited for his teeth to pierce her flesh and wondered what it was going to feel like.
.....Europa sprinted across the gap that separated her from Demos and the fallen Slayer. As she reached her former Master, she lashed out with her foot in a kick that contained all the power she could muster. Demos was thrown off of Alasha and tumbled a few feet before leaping back to his feet in a fit of rage. Alasha held up the cross and hissed back at him, as her eyes were aglow in bright yellow as a sign of her defiance.
....."Gordon, quickly get Alasha and head back to Dundee, I'll hold off Demos," she said not taking her eyes off of Demos. "Hurry, he is a Vampire Lord, this cross will not stop him for long." She had to wonder how much longer she could hold it as it was already bringing immense pain to her hand that was sizzling.
....."Well Europa, you have just signed your death warrant," he spat back at her as he edged closer to the cross. "I will still win though, Alasha will still become a vampire and she will take your place at my side." Gordon came up from behind Europa and threw his flask of holy water on Demos who bellowed out in pain from the burning liquid.
....."You are coming with us Europa," he said as he took the cross from her and they turned and ran. Silvae and Alasha had already begun to move and soon the four of them were running South towards town while Demos just watched them go. He wanted to go after them and teach them a lesson for what they had done to him. However, he would deal with them later as there was another Bloodstone to retrieve in Aberdeen.
.....The four of them stopped as they entered the city realizing that Demos was not pursuing them. By this point, Alasha had regained most of her strength and was thankful that she was not a member of the undead. She was having a little trouble swallowing that it was Europa who had saved her. She was not sure how to take that, but for now, she really didn't have a choice as she was going to need Europa to defeat Demos. She could deal with Europa after that.
Aberdeen Scotland 1551
Hop's Inn
.....Demos sauntered into the Inn looking for some easy prey as his body needed some blood to help alleviate the burns from the holy water. A normal vampire would have burst into flames and perished with the amount of water that Giles had thrown on him. However, he was a Vampire Lord and as such not so easy to kill. In fact, if he wanted he could kill all the humans in the Inn probably before they even realized what was happening. However, that would not do, as he didn't want to draw any attention to this town yet.
.....The Stone of Xebus was located somewhere within the vicinity of this town and he would have it, his second Bloodstone. At this rate, he would have the five soon and with them, he would open the Hellsmouth and perhaps initiate Alasha as a Vampire Lord. So the prophecy said a moon girl would become the new Vampire Lord, he was too powerful to be bound by ancient texts.
.....Demos selected a slim barmaid as his intended prey and moved in her direction. She at first didn't pay him very much attention, until he was almost touching her and she had no choice but to acknowledge him. He was a stranger and this city was not into the habit of welcoming strange people, especially ones that looked English. However, his unearthly presence soon caught her attention and she was powerless to resist his advances. He led her to one of the back rooms and fed on her blood, a very sweet texture that exploded in pleasure on his tongue. He could feel his burns healing already and smiled deciding to allow this woman to become a vampire.
Dundee, Scotland 1551
....."We will have to hold up for the day as Europa is limited by the sunlight," said Gordon as the four of them stood near the carriage. "Unless. We enclose the carriage to protect her from the sunlight."
....."Dark blankets would do Gordon," replied Europa anxious to catch up with Demos and stop him before he would have a chance to find anymore of the Bloodstones. "He has gone North, I can sense him."
....."North, I though he would have returned to London, unless there is another Bloodstone," added Alasha.
....."Are you certain Europa," asked Silvae?
....."Yes, he made me and for some reason, perhaps the aspect of the blood that makes us this way, I can feel him and he is North of here."
....."Aberdeen, that is the only city North of here, though the Bloodstone could be anywhere. If we head North to Aberdeen, it could be a waste of time," said Gordon as he tried not to smile to broadly at Europa. He certainly didn't tell anyone what had happened between him and the vampire and he certainly didn't want Alasha to know that her Watcher had kissed a member of the undead.
....."Aberdeen, he is there," said Europa with pure certainty etched into her tone. "We will go there and put a stop to him tonight."
....."Europa, why are you helping us?" Alasha had to ask as she was still unsettled by Europa's behavior.
....."That is a good question and I wish I had a good answer other than what I am about to tell you. I saved you for one reason and that was if I had let you die, it would have hurt Gordon and he is my friend and I do not wish to see him sad," she said as she looked at Gordon seeing a little fear on his face. She knew he was worried that she would reveal the kiss to Alasha. He had nothing to worry about, as she did not want Alasha to know about that either.
....."You are a demon, demon's don't need friends,' responded Alasha. "Or maybe you turned on Demos in hopes of killing him and taking the Bloodstones for your own."
....."I do not like Demos and to see him die would actually bring me pleasure," replied Europa with a slight giggle as she was amused by Alasha's suggestion. "I do want the Bloodstones, not to open a Hellsmouth, but perhaps to prevent it from ever opening."
....."Well, that is fine Europa. However, I am not so sure about how safe the World would be with them in your hands. This is certainly not the time to discuss that, we have to worry about Demos and I suggest an informal alliance for the time being. An alliance until we can stop him and then we can figure out where to go from there," said Gordon as the others simply nodded an agreement to his suggestion.
Aberdeen, Scotland
.....Demos had spent the day in a small storage room outside of the Inn, which was not up to his usual standards, but it did protect him from the sun and that was all that mattered. He knew that Europa was on the move as he had felt her presence and he had to admit to himself that she was certainly bold to move about in the daylight, or stupid, he wasn't sure which. It did though present to him a certain amount of urgency, as he would have to get to the Bloodstone and release the Air Elemental to deal with Europa and Alasha. He would probably stick around long enough to capture Alasha and bring her across before the two of them could depart for Wales to retrieve the third Bloodstone. He would have to kill Europa for her betrayal as well.
.....As the sun set, Demos made his way out into the world and marveled at how it looked in the waning light that still seeped up from the horizon. As a vampire, he could see perfectly in the dark, but somehow it lacked the substance of seeing in natural light. He had ventured out a few times in the day during very nasty storms when the black clouds completely blocked out the sun. It was a wondrous site seeing the world in filtered daylight, though quite dangerous too. All it would take is a break in the clouds to spell his demise and the wonder was not worth the risk.
.....He made his way back to the Inn and quickly found a seat that was vacant near an old man who would no doubt know exactly where the Stone of Xebus was located. The old haggard looking man simply nodded to Demos as he went back to his ale.
....."Good day sir," said Demos quite civilly. "How was your day, as long and tiring as mine?" Demos spoke in a perfect Scottish accent, as he wanted to befriend the old timer.
....."Yes, every day is long and hard when you get to be my age," replied the man. "I don't recall seeing you around these parts before."
....."I am from Dundee, a scholar who studies stone monoliths. I am here because I have heard of one such monolith in this area. I have no idea where it is or even if it exists at all," said Demos laying it on thick. "You have been around these parts for a while, perhaps you can tell me if I am chasing my tail. Do you know of this stone?"
....."Aye, it is to the West of the city, not far really," replied the old man. "Though, with the stories and lore that surround such a stone, you may not want to find it and may even regret it when you do. There are very old legends about the Stone of Xebus, as it is even rumored to be a Bloodstone, one of five that are known to exist. I do not know about that personally, I only know that some locals claim that the stone howls in the wind at night and as such people stay clear of it as I would suggest you do too."
....."Well, I will certainly not visit it at night as the night holds too many scary things for me," lied Demos. "But in the daylight I would like to visit it. You say it is west of the city, whereabouts?"
....."You are a persistent lad. Just follow the path near the fallen tree, it will lead you there. You can't miss the tree as it is huge and the winds from the stone are rumored to have fallen it."
.....Demos simply smiled and made his leave as he headed west towards the next Bloodstone. He thought about killing the old man, but time was more important than fun and he could always return later after the Bloodstone was on his necklace to dine with the man, or well on him that is. He wondered what comments the old timer would offer up the seconds before dying.
.....He had no trouble finding the path as it was well marked with the tree and the old timer had not be exaggerating as to its size. It was indeed massive and the path ran into the forest exactly where the man had said it would be. It was not a long path as it led through a few hundred feet of woods before opening up into a small open field where the Stone of Xebus stood. Demos smiled and approached the stone preparing to release its guardian. He felt out with his senses first to check on Europa, she was just about to enter the city, her timing was perfect, well for him that was.
....."I call on the power of the Sylphs to release forth the Air Elemental that acts as protector of this Bloodstone," he said as he sprinkled more of his herbs on the stone and added a few unintelligible phrases praising the gods and the dark powers of the universe. He smiled as the response was almost instant and he saw the air swirl around to form the shimmering outline of the Air Elemental. He had to smile as this was going to be fun as this guardian was close to invisible and he knew that Alasha would not defeat it so easily as they had the Fire Elemental. "Go now oh Great Air Elemental, destroy the city and the Slayer," he commanded and it obeyed as it floated in the wind towards the Aberdeen.
.....Demos then turned his attention back to the Bloodstone and with a few more magic gestures and phrases, it began to shrink. He bent over and picked up the new Bloodcharm, which he happily added to his necklace. Two down and three to go, however, first there was the matter of killing Europa.
