Blood Lust

Raven lifted an eyebrow.

"Thats what ivebeen trying to do for a good century now. I went to get the scrolls of Altoria from an elder village to the west. Thats where i first met galren. But someone had got to them and tampered with them earasing infromation that i needed. With thoes destroyed i dont know whereelse to turn."

"Hmm... well is there anyone you know of who might have tampered with the scrolls? If they knew what to erase, they hold the knowledge we need."

Stella nodded. "We need to find a lead. Raven?"

Raven gt up and paced up and down as he thought trying to think who would Sabotage the one link he had to controll the a thousend.

"It would probably somone who was after my power, Someone who needs to to.......Oh Lord."

Raven stopped in his tracks. it had been staring him in the face all along. He was face to face with him a while ago.

"Marcus. It has to be, why would a guy go to the extent of making vampires and not want power for himself. He's planning something, and hes prbbly going to target Galren for some answers, whic he will no doubt give under his power."

"Yes... well Raculda is a powerful force..." Loretta trailed off.

Stella spoke quietly. "So stopping you from using that power, for your own purpose does him a lot of good... Raculda has more interest in the living Drajers than the dead." She glanced towards Loretta, who looked uneasy.

"So what are we going to do? We can't exactly waltz down to Marcus, thats what he wants! We need to deal with Raculda before we even think of attacking him."

"Hmmmm."

Raven thought. He had an idea but it seemed a little farfetched, especaily after what happened.

"If we could contain me somewhere. Say lock me up in a cell, chain me up. Then get me so ralled up Raculda is summoned, maybe, just maybe we can reason with them, or i try my best to battle with him myself. It could be a tough feet but i am confident i can do something to them."

"Maybe we should return to the castle? The barrier weakens you, so we might be able to restrain you?" Loretta said, thoughtfully.

Raven for the first time ion a while let out a small smile.

"Good idea. I suggest we head there as soon as possible. How are you feeling stella?"

She stood up, a little shakily. "I'm well enough. We should go now."

Together, they headed back into the underground lair, and back towards the ruined castle, wearily.

As they approached te castle raven started to stumble. He wasn't up to complete strength yet, eventhough the moon was out he could not get nough power from it. The castle was sucking more power than the moon as giving him.

This poseda problem if they wanted to summon raculda. He needed strength to do it. He fell to his knees, dust flying ashe did so. He got up wearily.

"blood.....need blood......"

"We need you weak. We will help you get your strength once we have you somewhere suitable." Loretta said shortly. She still hadn't managed to forgive Raven for his past, although she knew in reality it wasn't truly his fault.

Raven tried to pull himself back up again. But he powerethat was being drawn from him was immence.

He got to his feet. Took a couple of steps. Then fell to the floor. All went black

Loretta watched as Raven slumped to the floor.

"Whats going on? He wasn't like this last time."

Stella shrugged. "What should we do?"

"We should get him confined before we help him. This could be Raculda's trick, a ploy to manipulate us into giving them strength to overthrow him again."

Stella nodded, and together they carried Raven's body all the way back to the ruins of the Delacroix castle.

Raven came too when he was beg carried into the castel. He had never felt like ts before. But he was sure Raculda knew something was happeneing.

"He.......he knows something is happening."

He could not move it was as if he was paralyzed.

"I cant move...sooner we do this the better. Its as if my body is dead mut my mind isnt."

After a tiresome walk, they arrived back in the castle. They dragged Raven's body through the trap door back above ground, and eventually arrived in the large room with the huge stained glass windows.

Stella looked at Loretta.

"There's a place near the kitchen where Lecarde sometimes kept people. I don't know if theres anything that can hold Raven, though."

Raven stirled a little as h heard what stella said.

"The....whip sword. It should hold."

They made their way through the blood soaked kitchen, the smell of burning had left the place, now just a damp chill hung in the air.

They reached the pantry, where Stella had before found the wounded man, when all this had started, his blood still congealing on the wall. Stella pulled Raven towards some heavy iron shackles, and chained his arms and legs in. Stella extended her whip sword, and together with Loretta they bound his legs and arms with it, the blades digging into his flesh but it would hold him.

"Now what...?" asked Stella. "Do we have to do something?"

Raven awoke binded up. He had a little bit more power i him. He looked round the room. it was dark and dank and the sisters were looking at him.

Raven moved his arms and legs to test the strength on the binding.

"Good..."

He closed hiseyes ad focussed. Trying to reach Raculdawith inside him. He had nevr summoned him before but for some reaso he knew what he was doing.

He focussed then the next thing he knew he was surrounded by blackness. He was un bound and standing in blackness. Then a red aura could be seen in the distance. It started draw closer. Raven knew that this was in his mind, he all of a sdden knew what was approaching him. He summoned his sword in his hand andwaited for what wascomingfor him.

Meanwhile his body sat motinless. Then suddenly his eyes opened wide. Black aura emmitin from tem surrounding andengulfing him. The was then an explosion of power. The aura dissapated and raculda sat there suggling but the sword would not break its hold. His head startedto jerk around. He then spoke

"Raven will fall!"

The sisters watched in shock as Raculda's voice echoed through the room, backing off as he struggled against his bindings. Rage rose in Loretta's mind as she stared into the eyes of the one who had once killed her own mother. She gripped the hilt of her sword, as Stella caught her arm.

"No, sister. Raven must try and overcome him."

As the red aura got further raven could make outwha it was. It was the spitist of the thousend. There were a thousend figures marching towards him made of nothing but red aura.

The stopped right infront of him. Raven held his sword high ready for battle.

"You will never over come us, You are just a pawn in our blood line!" The said in unison.

"I will over come you power and i will use it asi please!" Raven shouted.

"You leave us no choice!"

The thousend teleported next thoung raven knew they were surrounding him.

"Well you have that aility but i still have the sword!" Raven said as his Sword morphed into Raculdas staff. And he changd into his vampiric form. The thousend did also wings sprouting from all ofthei back.

Raven kicked off the ground weilding the weapon and the athousend started their attack. All of them jumping up at him but with immense speed raven was batting them down again one by one the hit the floor. After a while they knew this wasn't any use. Raven was just too strong.

Meanwhile the form of raculda that was chained up was tossingand turning vioently. Grunting in pain every now and again.

"We will not back down!"

The sisters watched, helpess as Raculda's body writhed in the blades that bound him, blood seeping from the wounds as the whip-like blade ran through his skin.

This is it Raven. Its now, or never.

Loretta quickly unsheathed her blade, holding the point towards Raculda's throat. Stella looked at her scornfully.

"It's just a precaution. Raven could be lost forever."

The thousend knew teir attacks were useless. The stopped and Rave was left hovering in mid air above them. The rid figus suddenly murged together creating a ball of red aura which took shape. Suddenly the shape morphed into a person. It was Raculda himself. In exactly te same form he was on the outside.

Raven floated to the floor. With staff in hand. Raven smiled.

"What you going to do without a weapon Raculda?"

"You have not seen the true weapon of Raculda. What you weild there is a your form of the true weapon. Bare whitness." Raculdas voice was deep. and it was a single voice. It was the vampire overlord himself.

He held out his hand and deep blood coloured aura formed i his hand. The aura took shape and formed a scyth. The blade jagged and the handel made of black ebony. it looked like two tree roots intertwining. The blade blood red.

Before he knew it raven was in what looked like to be a grand gothic church hall. He immeaeat;ly recgnised it to be where he was turned into te leaderofthe moltervain.

"This is where you were born raven. And this is were you will die!!"

Raculda charged, as he id so he summersalted in the air with his scyth held high the blade spinninf round. But Raven parried the attacke with the staff. Knocking Raculda into one of the aunate looking walls. He fell to the ground but immeadately got back up again.

Raven charged and they both exchanged blows. The spead was immence. The elegance of Raculda was outstanding. It was as if he as performing as he fought. Where as raven was using brute strength and tactics to overthrow his fow.

The two of them clashed blades. Both out of breath. They were equally matched in skill but boths style were completely different.

Raven started into the black eyes of Raculda. With rage. Raculda just smiled.

"you dont stand a chance raven. Your pathetic. just like the othrs who stood in my ay. I own you Raven andthere is nothing you can do about it!"

Raculda pushed Raven away. Raven stumbledto the ground. Raven held the staff infront o him to block th incoming attack. Raculda helt the sythe up high and in one fluid movement sliced the staff clean in half. Both bits fallinto the ground. Morphing back into he sword. Th sword lay on the floor its blade cut away from its hilt. Raven stared at it. He didnt know what to do he was on his knees.

"Your time has come raven. I knew you were always weak."

Raculda swund the scyth horizontally going for a decapitation. Raven closed his eys and with iimmence spoeed and strength caught th blade of the scyth and it stoppd dead. Blood poorin from his hand he wrenched th weapon from raculda. And without thinking he tossed it into he ait caight it by its long handle and decapitated Raculda in one swift movement.

Suddenly raven lost couciosness.

Raculda let out an almighty roar of pain and blood red aura emmited from his eyes The aura formed the body of the unconcioue raven on the cold floor of the dungeon. The tried up body of raculda. Started to wither. The skin aging rapily untill the body crumbled into dust.

Raven was till unconsouse. But in his hand he gripped the hilt of the broken moltervain sword.

Stella and Loretta watched as Raven's body slumped unconcious, his body back to normal now. Loretta sheathed her blade.

"I think... its safe now."

Stella stepped up to Raven, and grabbed the hilt her blade, the whiplike form retracting and untangling, snapping back into its solid form. She sheathed the blade, and Loretta lifted Raven's body from the floor.

Silently, Stella lead them out of the dungeon, down dark passageways and up spiralling staircases, until they reached her old room, the sky visible through holes in the broken roof, jagged wood jutting down from the rafters from the assault on the castle.

Loretta placed Raven on Stella's bed. Stella sat on the floor and closed her eyes, her old room bringing back floods of memories.

Raven eventually came too and realised he was led on a bed. He sat up, his head was spinning. He then looked at the hilt in his hand. But didnt think much of it at the moment.

Then a feeling came to him that he hd not experenced For a good while. It as an odd feeing he almost didnt recognise it. It was hunger. For the first time in centuries he craved food. Raven looked very confused.

He then looked out of the window. He jumpeda little then looked at the window pane itself. What surprised him was the site of his own reflection. Yet another thing he handt seen in centuries.

"What the hell has happend to me?"

Loretta let out a sigh, seeing Raven's image reflected in the glass.

"Human, huh? Well thats great. Looks like we're one vampire fighter down..."

Stella breathed deeply, the smell of blood filling her lungs, a hunger filling through her body. A vampire, she had not fed for over a week. She buried her head between her legs in despair, a hatred for herself flowing through her.

Raven turned his head to loretta and frowned.

He then looked at the hilt of the broken sword in his hand. The hilt looked undamaged butwhat was he going to do with just a sword hilt.

He stood up. Heseemedto have recovered stangly quickly for a human. He marched over to loretta.

"Just becuase i appear human doesnt mean i have lost any skill."