Fan Fiction ❯ The Soul Reaver and The Spirit Shield ❯ Prologue

Prologue

The Sarafan Priestess ran down the dark corridor in a blind rage. She had pursued her prey to the very fortress she was now inside. Though she could not see him, she knew he was just ahead, in the chamber at the end of this corridor. She cared not if he was leading her into a trap. Vengeance was the only thing on her mind.

With a vicious tug, she tore open the door, revealing a vast room, filled with strange mechanical devices and even stranger images decorating the walls. Focusing on her task at hand, she called out to the beast who had brought destruction to her home village.

"I know you're in here, Lord," she sneered, drawing her sword and shield. "Come out and show yourself at once!"

"My dear Priestess, you've come all this way to betray me? Why I'm so flattered," replied a menacing voice, dripping with sarcasm. The priestess turned in the direction of the voice, or what she assumed to be the direction from whence the voice came. The high ceiling of this chamber created an irritating echo.

"If you are so flattered, then why don't you step out into the light and honor me with you're presence?" the priestess growled, her rage barely controlled. "Or are you a coward? Are you too afraid to show yourself? Just like when you had the Sarafan knights attack my village without warning during the cover of night!" A deep chuckle filled the room, causing the priestess's blood to boil. "Tell me, before I kill you. Why did you do it? Why did you massacre my village?"

"I had no other choice, my dear. You're village was full of traitors, providing aid to the vampire cause. They signed their own death warrants." With this said, the Sarafan Lord revealed himself from a much smaller chamber within the room the priestess stood. As expected, she ran blindly after her former master as he disappeared back into the dark chamber within. This did not cause the priestess to stop. She continued on into the dark room, and as she stepped inside, the door slammed shut. Within moments, the room was lit up by torches either side of the room. No doubt done so by the Lord's mysterious power.

"No one in my village ever helped a vampire and you know that!" the priestess growled at the Lord at the other end of the room.

"Ah, but they have! But they have!" corrected the Sarafan Lord. "You know as well as I do that the villagers had helped a vampire. You can feel it deep within your blood. You cannot deny that!"

"Even if it is true, the people of my village devoted themselves to the Sarafan! Myself included," she retorted. Her voice growing soft with regret towards the last part, but it was still audible enough for the Lord to hear her words.

"Yes, unfortunately for you, I suppose. Devoting yourself so loyally to the Sarafan cause, to the extent of even becoming a priestess yourself. Yet, you were still unable to protect your village, like you had so intended. Instead you watched your village fall under the battle-axe of your comrades. And now, you shall die like the people of your village died." The Sarafan Lord taunted his victory over the priestess's home.

As she began to charge the Lord again, he summoned a demon-beast, almost too big to stand up within the small chamber. Shocked by the sudden appearance of this hell-spawned beast, the priestess halted in her tracks, giving the Lord ample time to disappear out of sight and teleport out of harm's way. Regaining focus, the priestess tightened her grip on her sword and shield and crouched into a battle ready position.

The gargantuan beast charged towards the priestess and barreled into her with its horns. The priestess was thrown backwards and slammed into the wall behind her. She slid painfully to the floor before stumbling back to her feet. Nothing she had ever encountered before had this much strength. Deep down inside, she could feel she would not survive this battle.

Glaring upwards at the demon, the priestess brought her shield in front of her once more, readying herself for the blow the beast was preparing. Not a physical blow, but one made of fire and energy building in the demon's claws.

The shield she wielded was a gift given to her by her father before he had passed away. It had belonged to her deceased mother, and her mother before that, and her mother before that, and so forth, until as early as time was recorded. The shield was supposed to have magical powers, but the priestess was never able to summon that power.

Noticing the beast was ready to fire the blast that would undoubtedly kill her, the priestess gripped her shield and focused all her energy into the shield. The shield seemed to come alive with energy and appeared to know exactly what to do with it. The energy seemed to focus itself in front of the priestess protecting her somewhat from the powerful blast that collided with her.

Thrown to the ground and in great pain, the priestess could not return to her feet this time. The giant demon casually made its way over to the fallen warrior, ground trembling with each footstep. The priestess weakly opened one eye, watching her demise approach. The beast stopped over her body, like a vulture over its prey. With a gigantic claw, the beast carelessly wrenched her up to its eyelevel. The beast seemed to study its victim for a moment before delivering the final blow.

Wracked with pain, the priestess could do nothing but accept her fate. Having decided that it had had a long enough gaze, the beast finally ended the priestess's suffering. Clamping down its claws, the demon snapped the neck of its victim before engulfing the corpse with summoned flames. Satisfied, the demon dropped the burning and charred corpse in the corner of the room before retreating back to the depths of hell from whence it came.