Fan Fiction ❯ The Soul Reaver and The Spirit Shield ❯ Obstacles En Route ( Chapter 28 )

Chapter Twenty-Eight

"The Power of Spirit

And the Power of Soul

United Together

Brings Power Untold"

Janos spoke the cryptic words from the gauntlet of Jenise's shield. Raziel and the priestess stood silent for several moments attempting to decipher its meaning. Finally, Jenise let out a sigh of frustration.

"But what does it mean?"

"Of that, I am not sure," replied the ancient vampire. "I'm afraid you'll have to discover its meaning on your own."

Raziel and Jenise had said their thanks and goodbyes to Janos. As a final gift, Janos had given the two warriors each a horse so that they could travel back to the time streaming chamber, cutting their travel time down from three days to just under a day. The ride was quiet for the most part. Occasionally, the pair would discuss part of what Janos had told them. Other times they would talk about the plan they were about to attempt.

They quickly traveled through the mountains surrounding Janos's retreat. Uschtenhiem and the plains surrounding the tiny village came and went. The forest south of the village came into view as dusk approached. The sun began to set as they reached the opposite end of the forest, where the dirt road they traveled transformed into the cliff passageway that led to the swamps.

As they neared the cliffs, Jenise and Raziel slowed their steeds to a trot, and then halted them completely. They dismounted, removed the riding equipment from the horses, and released them. The remaining parts of their journey to the time chamber would have to be done on foot. They entered the cliffs with nightfall, the light enhanced reaver provided visibility along the way.

Their return trip thus far, had been without incident. This fact and with the fall of night, left Raziel and Jenise feeling confident that they would not encounter any opposing forces during the remainder of the trip. However, rounding a corner in the cliff path, they were caught off guard by a small group of vagabond vampire hunters. They had set camp for the night in an opening in the passage ahead.

The two warriors ducked back behind the bend to prevent detection. Raziel had unconsciously dispersed the light element within the reaver. He peered around the corner, inspecting the makeshift camp.

Nine tents circled a small fire, providing warmth to the hunters during the cold night. Two of the hunters sat near the fire, playing a game of cards over a tree stump and laughing over mugs of ale. At the far end of the clearing, where the path narrowed again as it continued, where two hunters guarding the entrance to the chasm.

Leaning around the bend a little more, Raziel could barely see two more hunters guarding this side of the camp. The rocky walls obscured his full view of these two. The reaver of souls brought his attention back to the tents. He could not deduce how many more hunters there were concealed within the campsite. Though not completely satisfied with his inspection, Raziel turned back behind the rock wall.

"How many are there?" Jenise asked in a barely audible whisper.

"I could only see six, but there are definitely more within those tents," replied the vampire wraith.

"What are we to do?"

Raziel reguarded his companion's expression of uncertainty. "I could slip by this camp undetected by crossing over to the spectral realm. However, this does no good to you," Raziel said, dismissing the possibility. Jenise narrowed her eyes slightly at Raziel, though he took no notice. She was slightly annoyed at the statement which, though intentional or not, pointed out her hindrance of Raziel's progress.

"Granted I can't pass into the spectral plane, I can blend in as a normal human much better than you," the priestess retorted. "I'll just pose as a passerby."

"A passerby donned from head to toe in armor?" questioned Raziel, voice dripping with skepticism.

"What's wrong with that? A lady out in the middle of the night needs some sort of protection."

"A lady out in the middle of the night, alone, wearing armor…it'll raise too many questions. Besides, these are brigands, vigilantes. They know no honor code. They are not like the Sarafan order you are used to, filled with rules and laws. Groups such as these get their kicks from pointlessly murdering vampires, claiming righteousness. When in reality, their anti-vampire crusade is just a façade to take advantage of poorly protected villagers, ripping them off of their food and valuables in exchange for their services. In their eyes, you are easy game," warned the former vampire.

Jenise glared at her companion's remarks. "First off, just because I am a lady does not make me `easy game'. I have trained nearly my entire life to become one of the best warriors of my time," the priestess argued, her voice rising with each word. "Second, it is obvious you remember little of your experience as a Sarafan. But I remember mine clearly. The so-called `honor' you claim the Sarafan to possess is equivalent to the righteousness of the vampire hunters over there. Had the Sarafan had any honor, they would not have so willingly murdered the villagers of Nochton!"

Angered by her outburst, Raziel raised the wraith blade threateningly and advanced towards the priestess, causing her to back up against the chasm wall. "Do NOT try my patience," he growled, his eyes narrow. Though backed into a corner, and very much at Raziel's mercy, she was still defiant and returned Raziel's glare. She opened her mouth to speak, but it was not her voice that was heard.

"Who goes there?"

To Raziel and Jenise's horror, the hunters who had been guarding the campsite just around the bend had been alerted to their presence. In the heated argument, both warriors had forgotten about the more important issue at hand. The two vampire hunters slowly rounded the bend, weapons drawn as a precaution. As they came into view, they were shocked by the apparent `damsel in distress' situation.

"Unhand her at once vile creature!" ordered the first of the hunters. Jenise and Raziel momentarily exchanged confused looks. The reaver of souls backed away from the priestess for reasons even he did not know. As he did so, the hunters came between he and Jenise, protecting her from her attacker. Shock at the sudden turn of events was still evident on Raziel's face.

"Surrender, fiend, and we shall give you a quick death!" called out the second hunter. Before Raziel could respond, the sick sound of metal through flesh filled the air. The first hunter clutched at the end of the sword protruding from his torso. With a final agonizing gasp for air, he collapsed to the ground. Jenise wretched her weapon from the corpse as the second hunter turned to take in the gruesome sight, horror etched on his face.

Attempting to recollect himself, the hunter turned on Jenise, who moments ago he was so willing to protect. Before he could manage an attack, he was found on the deadly end of the wraith blade. Not even having the smallest chance at survival, the hunter's lifeless body joined his comrade's on the cold, bloodstained ground. Raziel and Jenise took a quiet moment to ensure the defeat of the pair of hunters. Simultaneously, the warriors raised their eyes from the carnage, meeting each other's gaze.

"Shall we continue our discussion later?" came the rude suggestion from the former vampire. Without putting up and argument, Jenise nodded in agreement.

Peeking back around the bend, Raziel could see the two guards from the opposite end of the campsite approaching. Obviously they had noticed their allies' absence.

"Be ready," Raziel instructed Jenise as he crouched in a battle ready stance. Jenise obeyed, raising her weapon, preparing to strike.

"Mathew? Geoffrey? Where hast thou gone?" came the voice of one of the hunters. His voice indicating his location was just around the bend. As they approached, they caught site of the pool of blood. The overriding instinct to aid their fallen comrades, the hunters rushed around the corner. In their haste, they carelessly forgot to check the area before approaching. Had they done so, they would have seen the coming attack.

As the hunters rounded the bend, Raziel and Jenise pounced on them, viciously attacking the unsuspecting warriors. Fortunately for them, their deaths came quickly. The time travelers peered around the corner once again. The campsite was now silent; the two drunken hunters who had been busy playing cards a moment ago were now passed out. Any other hunters who may have been in the campsite were still sound asleep inside their tents.

Taking advantage of the situation, Jenise and Raziel stealthily crept through the campsite so as not to disturb the dormant hunters. After several minutes of silent suspense, the duo successfully crossed the campsite without further incident. They remained quiet after they left the area to ensure they did not wake the hunters. However, the silence continued long after the campsite was far behind them. It was not until the bogs of the poison swamp came into view, that either spoke.

"Jenise, before we continue, there's something I need to get off my chest," the reaver of souls broke the silence. Jenise stopped her trek, and turned her attention to her companion. "Obviously, there is something that has been plaguing you for some time now. You've made it clear that you suspect I may feel that you are a hindrance."

"Well, it is true, isn't it?"

Raziel replied with an empty chuckle. "I actually don't see you that way. The only thing you may not be able to do that I can is cross between realms. In truth, I don't think I would have gotten this far without your assistance."

"I'm sorry I snapped at you like I did," Jenise apologized, her eyes dropping to the ground. "I guess I'm just under a lot of stress. All the pressure that is now on us is really getting to me. I'm sorry."

"We'll just take it one step at a time. We're almost at the time streaming chamber. And in only a matter of minutes, we'll be encountering Moebius where he won't have any chance to escape."

Jenise gave Raziel a weak smile, indicating that the matter was settled, though a trace of guilt remained within the priestess's conscious. They continued onward through the final leg of the return trip to the streaming device. After entering the chamber deep below ground level, Raziel instructed Jenise to set the dials to five hundred sixty years in the future. With the help of the brief tutoring Janos had given her during her stay at the aerie, Jenise was able to set the dials to a specific time. And the time she chose was just before Moebius's execution. When the dials were set, Raziel and Jenise activated the device and were whisked away to their destination.